In the fall of 2024, the PS5 is already four years old, and around the same time, the PS5 Pro is rumored to be released. Let’s take a look at Sony’s console in the middle of its life cycle and discuss its weaknesses.
The PS5 is my third console from Sony. I bought the PS3 towards the end of the console’s life cycle, and the PS4 about a year after launch. We managed to take the PS5 at the start, despite the hype.
Now I turn on the console well if once a month. That’s why I don’t want to buy either the PS5 Pro or the hypothetical PS6 – at least not yet. Here are a few reasons to question the need to run for Sony’s new console.
Exclusives
A discussion about the importance of exclusives flares up after every PC port is announced, even in the case of Ghost of Tsushima, which was released on Sony’s consoles four years ago. Some are angry and demand to stop porting even old games to other platforms, while others are happy not to buy a console and play a time-tested hit.
Both Sony and Microsoft have promised to release their games on more platforms in recent years. And if Xbox has already decided to release even its old exclusives to the console of a competitor (for example, Sea of Thieves will be released on PS5 and Hi-Fi Rush has already been released), then the Japanese corporation is still acting more cautiously, giving priority to game services. Expensive story-driven blockbusters have remained PS5 exclusives for at least a couple of years, but are now guaranteed to be released on PC after a while.
On the one hand, exclusivity as a phenomenon, in my opinion, has always been disadvantageous for players, and the trend seems to be positive. You can play any game, on any device, and with any team | thanks to crossplay, save syncing, and other delights of modern gaming.
On the other hand, it was the exclusives that convinced many to buy specific consoles, and it was on such projects that the authors threw as many resources as possible. These were expensive image games, which in all respects had to be perfect. And that’s why we still remember many of these series | Uncharted, Gears of War, Infamous, The Last of Us, Halo, Forza Horizon, Gran Turismo, Fable.
The decision to abandon exclusives is not due to love for players. Production budgets are growing, and now it’s simply easier to recoup costs. Releasing on multiple platforms allows publishers to play it safe and attract the widest possible audience. But the companies will probably worry less about the quality of releases, because gamers no longer need to be convinced that the best games are only on this console. And players, in turn, have much less reason to buy a PlayStation. Especially if Sony starts releasing games on other platforms faster.
Online Services & Subscriptions
If it’s hard to find fault with Xbox Game Pass right now, PS Plus is becoming an increasingly unattractive offering. This is due to both Sony’s game distribution policy and regional restrictions.
In recent years, the new Plus account has been replenished with not the most interesting offers, and even in the Premium library, the set of games has not changed much. Of the blockbusters, there are the same Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Uncharted and Ubisoft games. New products from Sony are not yet guaranteed to get into the subscription | neither immediately, nor even in six months.
But with an Xbox Game Pass you can immediately get access to hundreds of games. The main advantage of Game Pass is that the library is regularly updated with new indie and AA games.
Having to pay to be able to play online with friends in 2024 is already tiring too. At the same time, more and more games are starting to support crossplay, including new games from Sony itself like Helldivers 2. Therefore, in the next generation, I would like to play on a platform where they do not charge for online money.
A clear strategy
Recently retired Jim Ryan has been at the helm of PlayStation for the past five years. And during this period, the division achieved excellent results | sales of consoles and games were at their best, at least ahead of Xbox. But with the arrival of Ryan, the company’s policy changed | the loud flow of blockbusters dried up somewhat, and dozens of game services were launched. Sony promised not to abandon story adventures, but still allocate part of the resources to online projects. However, with Ryan’s departure, they quickly began to be canceled | even the multiplayer The Last of Us was closed after several years of development and a ready-made prototype.
In 2024, it’s still unclear what the second half of the PS5’s life cycle will be. It is known that Insomniac Games is making a game about Wolverine, and Death Stranding 2 will be released in 2025 – and that’s it. What Guerrilla Games, Bluepoint Games, Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio and Sucker Punch Productions are up to is a mystery. Fans speculate based on rumors and news from insiders, but it’s impossible to explain exactly right now which games are worth buying a PS5 or PS5 Pro for.
Of course, Death Stranding 2 will be enough for some, and GTA 6 will probably be released only on consoles again. But if you are interested in games from Sony’s internal studios, then for now you just have to wait for the news.
Gamepads
It’s normal to change your gaming peripherals from time to time. Buttons wear out over time, springs weaken, sensors get scratched, and sometimes you just want a different feeling. I had one mouse, I’ll buy myself a cooler one. There was a keyboard with one key stroke, and now I want to use another option.
But gamepads in this generation are not even frustrating, but annoying. In the middle of the console’s life cycle, I already have three DualSenses | because of the disgusting sticks, the new controllers start to drift, and the manufacturer just shrugs its shoulders. All the gamers I know complain about the same issues and regularly either buy a gamepad or continue to play with a crazy camera. It’s worth noting that Sony’s competitors aren’t doing any better | I also have three Xbox gamepads, and I’ve already changed the sticks twice in the Joy-Con. The problem is so large-scale that it even came to class action lawsuits, but the court sided with the gaming companies.
Gamepads are still needed | even on PC, I play most games with them. But in the new economic realities, it is simply unpleasant to be tied to a platform to which you need to have controllers in reserve. Sony, like other manufacturers, is in no hurry to solve this problem.
The PS5 isn’t a “bad” console | it’s still a comparatively inexpensive and user-friendly gaming device. But if five years ago we laughed at the possibility of playing Sony exclusives on PC, now there are no such exclusives left – only a couple, and even then temporary. And if Microsoft continues to improve the Game Pass library at the same pace, then it will make even less sense to buy a PlayStation.
