The Biggest Unanswered Questions We Still Have About The PS5
Thanks to Sony's big reveal events on June 11 and Sept. 16, fans know more about the PlayStation 5 than they did before — namely, what it looks like, some of its launch peripherals, the price, and launch date. Sony also provided a sneak peak at upcoming games, which included some beautiful visuals and promising stories. But there are still major facts missing, and it may be a few weeks or even months before fans find the answers they're after.
Some of the missing information is big, and you can't really move forward without these details. Other questions are grating because players expect certain games from a PlayStation console and can't imagine a next-generation system releasing without said titles somewhere on the horizon. Given that, here's a look at some of the questions about the PS5 that remain unanswered despite months of provocative rumors and disclosures from Sony, developers, and industry insiders.
Will the PlayStation 5 include VR integration?
While hints about the PlayStation 5's VR capabilities have popped up here and there, little information is available. Based on the next-gen console's technical specs, you can surmise what PlayStation VR will be capable of — you're getting more storage, a much more powerful CPU, and a hardware chip called the Tempest Engine that's designed to add realism to audio and take in a player's position. VR enthusiasts are sure the PlayStation 5 will improve previous tech in ways that will offer a better virtual reality experience overall. Sony has confirmed the current PlayStation VR headset will work on the PS5, too.
Plenty of rumors abound. Sony apparently filed some 2019 patents that have led industry insiders to speculate PSVR 2 will have full wireless functionality, eye tracking, head position tracking, improved wands with advanced haptics and joysticks, and great 3D audio. However, the recent reveal event didn't show off any VR titles and there's no indication the next generation of Sony's virtual reality headset is incoming.
What about a new Silent Hill?
The last Silent Hill game, Silent Hill: Downpour, came out in 2012. In video game years, that's a lifetime ago — the title was a PlayStation 3 release. And a lot has happened since to make fans think the iconic horror franchise is dead in the water. A sequel called Silent Hills was supposed to be developed for 2014, but Hideo Kojima and Konami had an epic breakup and the title never happened.
Fast forward to spring 2020, when leaks from generally dependable sources claimed the series would make a come back as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. One leak from Dusk Golem says the new game comes complete with some of the original series' talent, including composer Akira Yamaoka. Dusk Golem even claims the game has been in development for a year and there's a demo available. If that's true, Sony is keeping mum about it for now.
When will Rockstar finally announce GTA 6?
If you watched the Sony event, you probably noticed it started off with some Grand Theft Auto content — but not the content fans were looking for. Many thought GTA 6 might be confirmed, but instead Sony announced GTA 5 was having its life extended and coming to the PlayStation 5. GTA 5 will be expanded and enhanced, which is good since it's been seven years since it was released.
Rockstar Games also revealed it will launch GTA Online as a stand-alone product in the second half of 2021. The company said the game will be free for PS5 players for the first three months. It also announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers in GTA Online will get GTA$1,000,000 every month they log in, until GTA Online debuts.
Free virtual money is always welcome, but there was no mention of a GTA 6. Most people in the know seem to think it is indeed coming. Kotaku published a report in April 2020 about changes to Rockstar's culture that mentioned a new GTA entry was early in development — though it never actually refers to the title by name. The company may not want to tip its hand about a game so early in development. Still, confirmation would be welcome.
What, no fighting games?
Though the PlayStation 5's stable of games looks pretty varied and interesting — full of shooters, platformers with story-driven plots, racing games, and sports — there's a notable lack of fighting games. What, no Street Fighter? No Tekken? What about a Mortal Kombat port or Capcom Versus Somebody? Or a PlayStation 5 version of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, featuring the cat from Stray kicking everyone's butts (who wouldn't want that)?
The list of confirmed and rumored games for the PlayStation 5 does not yet seem to include any brawlers, which doesn't seem quite right. They're likely coming — fans would just like to know which ones so they can exercise their button-mashing skills in preparation for the respective releases.
Of course, there are likely more Sony reveal events on the way between now and the end of the year. Hopefully, these events will shed some light on the many missing elements. You just have to be patient a bit longer, which is truly the hard part here.
Will the PlayStation 5 come out in different colors?
The flagship PlayStation 5 model will come in a streamlined white design, but will it come out in a special edition or alternate color? Sony hasn't mentioned when it plans to sell a different PlayStation 5 design. PlayStation's vice president of UX Design, Matt MacLaurin, did confirm, however, that Sony will release different looks for the console.
Some gamers might consider the color choice for the PlayStation 5 controversial. The original PlayStation came in gray, and the consoles after it released in black, making the PlayStation 5's white hue a first. One market analyst in Japan predicted that the white color would negatively impact the console's sales. Plus, some folks prefer darker-colored electronics because fading and dirt are less visible on them.
For reference, the first special edition PlayStation 4 came out about 10 months after the original's release. The first Destiny Playstation 4 bundle featured a white color scheme, a physical copy of Destiny, and 30 days of PlayStation Plus.
What games will be included in PlayStation Plus Collection?
Sony announced the PlayStation Plus Collection during its September 2020 showcase. The trailer confirms that PlayStation Plus subscribers will get access to a catalog of PlayStation 4 hits in the PlayStation Plus Collection. However, it doesn't mention much more.
So far, the collection will have at least 18 games, including favorites like Persona 5, the God of War reboot, and Ratchet & Clank. But is that the full list? If not, when will Sony release a full list of the games included?
The trailer also doesn't specify if the PlayStation Plus will have enhanced versions of these games or offer them as-is. During the same showcase, Sony revealed an enhanced version of Devil May Cry 5 for the PlayStation 5. Will any of the PlayStation Plus Collection games get a similar makeover?
Considering that most players subscribe to PlayStation Plus with online play as their priority, even having the 18 games in their original form doesn't seem like a bad deal. This extra perk could help sell more players on the PS5.
Will Bethesda and ZeniMax games release on PlayStation 5?
With Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax Media, will the PlayStation 5 get future games from series like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls? On Sept. 21, 2020, Xbox announced that Sony entered an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Bethesda publishes popular properties like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, DOOM, and Prey.
Is this acquisition going to be Microsoft's answer to PlayStation's higher number of exclusives, or will these major franchises still come to PlayStation? Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, stated before that he doesn't believe in game exclusivity. Yet these kinds of decisions often involve more than one person's input, and PlayStation has a reputation for good exclusives.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer stated that Microsoft would consider other console releases on a "case-by-case basis." He also confirmed that Bethesda's existing timed PlayStation 5 exclusives, GhostWire: Tokyo and Deathloop, would hold to their exclusivity arrangements. In this discussion, he mentioned that Xbox tries to keep content broadly available, so things look promising.
Are games like Final Fantasy 16 and Demon's Souls actually going to be PS5 exclusive?
Two of the trailers in the September PlayStation 5 showcase caused some confusion about their exclusivity status. The original trailers for Final Fantasy 16 and Demon's Souls mentioned that the games would release on PC while also implying that they were PlayStation 5 exclusives. The individual videos for each trailer, however, don't include the PC-related statements.
The companies behind each game also gave ambiguous answers when asked about the contradictions. When The Verge asked Square Enix for comment about the Final Fantasy 16 trailer, it stated that it had "only announced" the game for PlayStation 5, with no direct mention of exclusivity. Sony communicated the Demon's Souls situation a little more clearly to The Verge. It explained that it included the PC statement in error, but did not reply when asked whether the game was a timed exclusive.
What PS4 games will get enhanced ports and PlayStation 5 online play?
Thanks to the online nature of modern gaming, video games can have much longer lifespans than before. Updates can offer new content for years, and patches can serve to keep games running smoothly. Things can get a little confusing, however, when a live service title crosses console generations.
Some online gaming staples are confirmed to be compatible with PlayStation 5. On Twitter, Bungie confirmed that it'll bring Destiny 2 to next-generation consoles. The developers of Rainbow Six: Siege also confirmed next-generation play. For now, though, gamers don't know how crossplay and backwards compatibility will work for games like Overwatch 2 and Final Fantasy 14.
Plenty of games on the PlayStation 4 also have the potential for a PlayStation 5 upgrade. During its September 2020 showcase, Sony announced an enhanced port of Devil May Cry 5 that will include enhanced graphics and a new playable character. Will this happen with games like The Last of Us: Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, too?
Will the PlayStation Store add a digital gifting feature?
With digital game copies becoming increasingly popular, Sony will offer a Digital Edition of the PlayStation 5 sold at a lower price. This version will come without a Blu-ray disc drive, enabling players who prefer to download their games a way to save money by excluding a feature they don't use anyway. However, the current state of the PlayStation Store could make gifting games to a Digital Edition owner difficult.
In April 2019, Sony stopped providing full-game digital download codes for sale, making it impossible to gift the digital version of a PlayStation 4 game. Instead, you have to buy a PlayStation Store gift card if you want to give a digital game to someone else. Since the Digital Edition doesn't use disks, it leaves no option for someone to directly gift a game.
People who game regularly probably won't have many issues with this policy. But when a loved one who doesn't understand hardware specifics tries to buy a game for someone, things could get confusing. Hopefully, the PlayStation 5 will come with changes to the PlayStation Store that resolve or work around this problem.
How will backwards compatibility and PlayStation Now work?
With Sony moving on to a new generation of consoles, will it leave your favorite games from previous generations behind?
The company has many conflicting answers to this question. When it revealed the PlayStation 5's specs in March 2020, Sony stated that it would bring the top 100 PlayStation 4 games to the next generation. It later updated the blog post to state that it believed that the "overwhelming majority" of Playstation 4 titles would work on PlayStation 5.
Sony also gave unclear information regarding backwards compatibility for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 games. A support page on the Ubisoft website mentioned that the PlayStation 5 would not have backwards compatibility for these games, but the statement quickly disappeared when the press noticed.
The PlayStation Now streaming service includes older-generation games, so fans of the classics might find hope there. A Famitsu interview confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will support PlayStation Now, but it didn't provide many details on the games available.