In the wake of a surprisingly good year for games, in spite of 2020’s overall strange and terrifying year, next-gen consoles still debuted last holiday. In 2021, both Microsoft and Sony are going to be moving full steam ahead with the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5. For PlayStation, already the console’s selling extremely well for Sony as the company contends with huge demand for the console. As the debut year begins for Sony’s latest console, fans are looking forward to what the PS5 has in store for this year. Already there’s plenty of games on the horizon, but there’s also several potential hardware/software changes that will make the PS5’s versatility that much stronger.
Other than restocking more shelves with the console itself, Sony will undoubtedly have plenty of ambitious plans for the PS5 in its first full year. Much of that ambition has already been shown off by the sheer amount of games already on the way, barring any significant development delays occur (which certainly could happen). Aside from that, there are still several hardware and software capabilities currently unavailable on the console itself, which will hopefully be added in 2021. That’s not even counting any hidden surprises on the way, whether that be surprise game reveals or something grander. Here’s what to expect in the first full year with Sony’s PS5.
Of course, the most obvious addition to the PS5 will be the games lineup. Already, there are several high profile, first-party sequels in store for PS5 in 2021: God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Gran Turismo 7. That’s not even counting the plethora of third-party games like Returnal, Far Cry 6, Resident Evil Village, Gotham Knights, and more slated for release this year. While the PS5’s launch lineup was strong and surprisingly varied, this year is when the PS5 is really going to come into its own. Unfortunately, the only caveat here is whether or not any additional games will receive delays, which is still possible in 2021.
Even if it’s not a direct correlation with the pandemic, the after-effects of social distancing and sheltering-in-place have caused development delays around the world. Some titles like Cyberpunk 2077 saw delays in the release year, but 2021 is where game delays will be far more common. Evidence of that has already begun to show, from games like Outriders being delayed back a few months, to games like Hogwarts Legacy and Pragmata being delayed by to 2022 and 2023, respectively. That being said, assuming the best case scenario, the PS5’s 2021 lineup is going to expand and truly emphasize the beginning of the next console generation this year.
Other than the games themselves, there’s still quite a few features and capabilities that the PS5 is still due to receive. Whether it’s hardware that needs additional firmware for compatibility, or software changes that did/did not exist on PS4 that need to come to PS5, there’s still plenty of room to expand the console’s capabilities.
The biggest pain point for many PS5 owners already is the limited storage on the console’s proprietary high speed SSD. 825 GB really isn’t that much storage space, especially when players have to consider that every PS5 game (physical or digital) needs to be installed first. Games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone can eat up a sixth of the console’s storage space, and games certainly aren’t getting smaller any time soon. All PS5 consoles do have an expandable M.2 SSD storage slot, which Sony will likely make use of at some point this year, whether that’s through first-party storage expansion or compatible third-party SSDs.
There’s also quite a few software features still not on the PS5, despite being announced for the console. Variable refresh rates for various displays, manual file backup for saves and other data, organization/customization options for UI, these are all features that were either announced for the PS5 or available on the PS4 previously. VRR is planned for a future update, which will likely be coming in the next few months, but the rest are hopeful additions. Considering the PS4 could both backup files manually on external drives, as well as organize games/apps into folders from the games library, these features will almost certainly be on the way at some point this year.
Besides planned and expected features, Sony can always surprise with new and potentially unexpected features for PS5 consoles as well. Regular updates and feedback will shape future capabilities for the console, which in turn could result in additional features and compatibility. One feature in particular that many Xbox Series X owners have come to appreciate is Quick Resume, or being able to quick-swap between up to five games at once without rebooting them entirely. Considering the PS5’s high speed SSD and custom I/O interface certainly has enough technical overhead to implement that functionality, a similar feature could come to PS5 in 2021.
There’s also likely going to be some kind of announcement for PlayStation VR on PS5 (based on recent alleged patent filings by Sony), though that doesn’t necessarily mean PS5 VR is coming in 2021. PS4 VR titles are compatible with PS5 currently (via camera adapter), but there’s no next-gen PS5 version of virtual reality. Considering the latest Medal of Honor entry and the excellent Half-Life Alyx have shown VR is not slowing down any time soon, PSVR will certainly make a return on PS5 at some point. A reveal of a PSVR2, or whatever the PS5’s version of PSVR would be considered, wouldn’t be particularly shocking for 2021.
Sony’s future with the PS5 is looking extremely bright, considering the console can’t spend more than five seconds on a storefront without selling out. Plenty of new and exciting game releases, coupled with several big quality-of-life improvements coming this year, the PS5 will truly usher Sony’s version of next-gen gaming in 2021.
Sony’s PS5 is available now.
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