The sentence above isn’t to demean or tear down anyone or even Sony for that matter. Its just an opinion based on the details I’ve noticed leading to this new console generation.
Sony’s Current State
Sony is a company that has a lot of trust from its fans mainly due to the fantastic products and services it provides as a whole. It listens to it’s fans and most importantly, it focuses on what truly matters to gamers, the games. Sony has notoriously provided fans with a unique and excellent level of quality of video games, exclusive to their platforms and theirs alone.
It is unparalleled how its consoles and games especially, have shaped this console generation and the ones before it. A proof of this would be the number of game copies and consoles its sold right from the PS1 era. And not for nothing either, Sony knows what the gamer wants and provides it to them.
Sony has made some bad decisions, but it’s also made some good ones. One of which is how it frequently picks a fan-favorite game or franchise and allows the developers who show passion for the games, do their own thing by not pressuring them with sales targets or forcing them to make a “games as a service”.
An example of this is Spider-man on the PS4. This was a result of Sony giving them the resources needed to do the job well, without limiting their creativity.
Sony May Be Overconfident
My point in all of this stands from the fact that after four console generations, Sony might be feeling pretty confident. This could be why until quite recently, we’ve barely seen or heard about any of the core details of the PS5, something Microsoft has been way ahead on for their product.
Even now, we’ve yet to see the design, price, exact release date, and games that will be available on the console at launch. Granted, we’ve finally been given the specs, and performance the PS5 will be capable of; it is a beast in its own right.
Albeit not as powerful as the Xbox Series X, that’s not what really matters. What does matter, is the games. A part which Sony excels at. Yet, fans who have been expecting some fuel for their hype have been left high and dry.
But Again, Sony probably doesn’t care about your Hype. It has a schedule, and it intends to stick with it. That’s probably why when the time for the GDC 2020 came around, Sony was prepared to address the developers. When that was canceled, it spun it around as an underwhelming makeshift reveal, yet only showed what it intended to in the first place.
Or Just Unprepared…
Some would argue that Sony might just be unprepared, that it might not have enough to show us yet. But, I don’t believe that. Sony is known for having a trick or two up its sleeve. Even if it isn’t ready to reveal the console, it sure as hell has the games and can easily showcase the capabilities of the PS5, especially with the exclusive titles under its belt. This can easily be enough to create the hype some fans are so desperately seeking.
We might also be able to argue that due to the current state the world is in as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, many things are currently being delayed, including the production of some items. So, this might have hindered Sony’s plans a bit, but isn’t letting us know. While this may very well be true, I feel like Sony at the very least, owe it to us to be transparent on these things. This is precisely the underlying issue, the lack of transparency.
An example would be how unclear Sony was on the true nature of the recent PS5 Livestream, as it was not what most gamers expected. Some would’ve appreciated knowing this as well as being given a time frame expecting when the more juicer details would be revealed. Alas, we weren’t given that either.
It Might Just Be Part Of The Plan
Or perhaps Sony intends to build up more expectations leading up to a climactic reveal? Maybe it’s all a strategic play on its part and we’ll finally be given all the information we thirst for. It might be some wishful thinking, but it’s all fans have at the moment. However, what I’m worried about the most is if Sony is making the wrong decision in this.
If Sony is actively deciding to withhold information, then it’s giving itself quite a disadvantage. Microsoft is currently way ahead of Sony when it comes to marketing its product and buying into the fan’s hype. Microsoft is also ahead when it comes to specs and performance of the Series X, though this has been the norm for quite some time now.
All the while, Sony has yet to show us the one thing that it’s known for, the games. I hope this won’t turn out to be a mistake. When the time comes I know the PS5 will be great and so will the Xbox series X. Heck, its already doing well, and I intend to buy both consoles to see the differences for myself.
Conclusion
Overall, this is just an opinion I’d like to share based on the facts we know so far. Sony has been too silent leading up to the PS5 release. Whether its confident or just unprepared, fans at the very least, deserve a level of transparency and openness. I have no doubt Sony will release more details in time, I just hope the wait will be worth it.
What do you think about all this? Do you support Sony’s current methods or oppose it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.