They need to continue with the approach they took for the PS4, and not get complacent and over-confident the way they did at the start of gen 7. With Cerny still at the helm of the hardware architecture, it’s likely they will continue in that route. But they also need to find a way to lead when it comes to innovation. They’re already starting well with the controller, Tempest Engine and their SSD controller, and that’s promising. The next step for me, when it comes to hardware, is to come up with a VR headset that is clutter-free and convenient from a pick-up and play perspective. Something smaller than their first headset, with a [much] crispier display resolution, hopefully wireless, and coupled with a tracking method that’s less prohibitive movement-wise, along with motion controls that are more evolved and intuitive. They submitted a VR gloves patent a while ago, hopefully this comes to fruition in one way or another. Their approach should be all inclusive and easy/intuitive to use.
And when it comes to subscription models, PS+ has always been a good deal, but now that GamePass is a thing, they will most likely have to up their game. Maybe include Playstation Video and Sony Music content in that subscription package or make multiple tiers to cater to different user needs. Personally, I don’t mind if they keep the current model, since I usually buy the games I want on day one. And I don’t see Sony thinking it is worth it from a business perspective to release their first party titles day one on a subscription based model similar to GamePass when gen 8 has shown exponential growth when it comes to the sale’s number of their in-house content. Hopefully, they build on the PS Collection and add titles to it over time, like when the game becomes a PlayStation Hit. While not as great of a deal as GamePass is, the Collection, depending on how it is handled, could become an even more incredible value over time once PS5 games start making their way in it. For the price of roughly one game yearly, you get a collection of critically acclaimed games instantly. That will no doubt entice people to adopt the console.
From a game’s perspective, they’ve let their studios with a proven track record do their own things without interfering much, if at all, releasing games when they’re ready, and they’ve mostly all been of very high quality, so I say they should keep it this way, since that’s how new gems like Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, Astro Bot, etc, came into being. They’ve touted their SSD solution as something that will kickstart a new game design paradigm, so I expect their first party studios to lead by example and bring us titles that couldn’t have been achievable during prior gens. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart is showing promises on that front, but I am certain this is but the tip of the iceberg.
This gen is going to be interesting. Creators had almost everything they needed during gen 8 to let their creativity go as wild as possible, and now that loadings are a thing of the past (or so they claim), that’s one last limiting factor out of the way. Can’t wait to see how this all pan out!
