How Sony SHOULD Have Revealed The PS5
A Year Of Confusion
April 2019 saw Sony "unveil" the PS5 - in text form with no images - as part of an exclusive Wired interview. The new SSD drive, ray tracing capabilities, 3D audio and general plans for the future of gaming were vaguely mentioned, but nothing more.
Later in October, Sony returned to Wired and dropped... another text interview, this time confirming the system would be called the PlayStation 5, detailing a haptic feedback controller, more forward-thinking SSD capabilities and various teases for the future of games.
Again though, no images, videos or a real idea of where we were heading.
Meanwhile, Microsoft clearly got tired of waiting to kick the next generation off in unison, and dropped a full console reveal during December's Game Awards. System shell, new controller, even in-engine footage of the now-exclusive Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.
Sony had very little in response other than an image compiled from a leaked schematic, but at 2020's Consumer Electronics Show, they fired back with... a logo. A plain, black and white logo, and yet another promise that more would come.
Once again it was a stilted feeling, as fans were left waiting until March, when the Sony PlayStation Twitter accounts teased a "full system breakdown" that would be shown over livestream.
The result, sadly, was one of the most incomprehensible exhibitions of techno-babble in quite some time. As tone deaf to a mass audience as Ken Kutaragi telling people to "get two jobs!" in 2005, to afford the $600 PS3.
Yes, you can argue this was only intended to be "making the most of it" from a cancelled Game Developers Conference talk, and no I don't think Mark Cerny is anything other than a zen-like genius, but both miss the point:
This was a VERY public showing of one of the most anticipated consoles in history - set in motion through official social media posts - and they blew it.
Sony could be securing the future of their brand in the present, rather than give up easy ground to the competition. Twice over Sony and Microsoft have flipped positions across console generations (Sony dominating with the PS2, then Xbox's 360 flew over the PS3), and it's strange to think things could invert yet again.
So, all that said, what should Sony have done?
Cont.