Opinion

Sony And The PS5 Is Still On Track To Deliver Greatness Next Gen

The PS5 may have its problems right now but lets get real here, Sony is still on track to deliver a kick ass machine with killer games later this year. The Internet needs to calm down and take a step back and look at the bigger picture, and that’s exactly what i’m going to do here.

Yesterday’s report by Bloomberg might have lots of Playstation fans worried. The article certainly gave idiot fanboys on the Xbox side more ammunition to throw at Sony and proclaim that the Xbox Series X and Microsoft have already won the next gen battle.

The Bloomberg Report

In the Bloomberg piece, their sources claimed that Sony will struggle to meet demand when the PS5 launches later this year with only 5 to 6 million units ready for sale in the first six months. By comparison, the PS4 sold 7.5 million units in its first six months. We’ve got to keep things in perspective here, if Sony sells six million PS5’s by March of next year, i’m sure they’ll be pretty delighted with themselves. I’d imagine Microsoft would be over the moon if the Xbox Series X hits that sales figure in the same period.

Bloomberg also talked about how Sony would price the PS5. In a previous article by them, which you can check out here, Bloomberg stated that each PS5 would cost around $450 to manufacture. This would in turn drive the price of the PS5 to maybe $500 plus. The price will depend on a few criteria, if Sony want to make a profit from each unit sold. Or if they are willing to absorb some of the costs themselves and sell the PS5 for maybe $400. The $400 price point worked a treat for the PS4 after all.

Pricing will also depend on how much the Series X will retail for and lets not forget that Microsoft are in the same boat here. We don’t know how much the Series X costs to produce and if Microsoft are willing to take a hit on every unit sold. On paper at least, it looks as though the Series X might be even more expensive to manufacture. Both companies also have the opportunity to offset the price of their machines by clawing back some of the money through subscription services such as PS Now, PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live.

The Power Narrative

If you spend anytime on social media in relation to next gen news then you have probably come across fanboys, on both sides, rattling on about who has the most powerful next gen system. It has become ridiculous at this stage and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter in the slightest. Games on both the Xbox Series X and the PS5 are going to blow people away.

I think it’s fair to say that the Series X will be the more powerful system. While this may make a difference when it comes to how third party games run on either platform it won’t matter one bit on how you enjoy these titles. I didn’t care this gen when the PS4 had the upper hand and i’ll care less next gen if the Series X runs titles slightly better. The games themselves will still be awesome.

Take this gen for example, if you played Gears 5 or God of War, then you know how stunning these games look and play even on the base hardware. The Xbox One and the PS4 only have a fraction of the power of next gen systems but the games we play today are still graphically mind blowing.

While graphics are important for immersion, they are not the most important thing. Both systems should be able to deliver games in 4K at 60 fps but I would rather see a massive jump in AI and physics next gen than a another massive leap in graphical fidelity.

Next gen systems will allow developers to realise their ambitions, the onus is on them to push the hardware. The bottom line here is this, both the PS5 and the Series X will have more than enough power to deliver jaw dropping experiences.

Greatness Still Awaits

Whatever issues Sony is facing with shortages, price or power right now, the PS5 will still be a phenomenal piece of kit when it arrives later year. Sony has everything going for it. A plethora of talented studios raedy to deliver extraordinary games. A machine that will be more than capable and packed with cutting edge tech to execute said games and most importantly, a super loyal fan-base that have been with Sony since its early days.

Next gen, more so than this gen, will be a closer fought battle. Sony has forced Microsoft to up their game and in fairness they have. This may be a Xbox focused blog but i’m in no way an idiot fanboy. The PS5 and Sony, despite the problems they’re currently facing, could still end up being the market leader again next gen. Time will tell of course, but I for one can’t wait to see what both companies have to offer in the weeks and months ahead.

Will you be picking up the PS5 later this year? Are you concerned about the recent report from Bloomberg. Please feel free to leave any PS5 thoughts you have in the comments below.

Image ign.com