Helping Shape The PS5: The Voice of Gamers

In the last generation, we have seen a massive surge of change as result of gamers speaking out. Whether it’s the loot box scandals, features disappearing, or issues with the state of a game, we have seen countless times that the voice of gamers is a powerful one. It’s also been refreshing to see how much communication has improved between customers and developers/publishers. While it’s far from perfect, they’re willing to listen more than ever. Now is the time to speak out about what you want from the PS5. Our Top 5 Polls of All Time Gamers have spoken out in the past via our polls, so join us as we look at what you have said about the PS5 in our past polls. We’ll also glimpse into how we can continue to shape the PS5 together. 1. Would You Pay $2000 US Dollar For a PS5? The price of the PS5 is something we’ve discussed at length, and our most popular poll reflects how passionate gamers feel about the cost of their consoles. In this poll, we asked if you would pay $2,000 for the system. The majority of you said no, of course, but there were a large number of votes that said yes or maybe, which is interesting. This poll essentially shows us that price is very important, and that there is most certainly a limit to what people will pay. It also shows that there are a dedicated few who would pay just about anything, but these people would be a small percentage of consumers. 2. If the PS5 Releases in 30 Days, Would You Buy It? Our next poll asked gamers if they would rush out and buy the PS5. What if Sony just dropped a bomb that the system would be available in the next 30 days? This is nigh impossible, but assuming it did happen, how would gamers react? Over 50% of the responses said yes, while many others said maybe, and a small percentage said no. This shows us that the release date of the PS5 could come sooner than later, and many people wouldn’t mind. It also shows that just under half of gamers would still wait, as they are probably happy with their PS4s. It’s true that the system still has some life left in it, as the latest exclusives have been nothing short of incredible. Ultimately, the release date of the PS5 is going to be a balancing act on Sony’s part. Too soon, and you risk alienating your user base, too late, and the hardware of the PS4 won’t be able to keep up with new ideas. The good news here is that gamers are already excited about the next system. Over time, more will join this school of thought, and that will be the prime time to release the PS5. 3. Do You Want The PS4 to be 4K Resolution Compatible? The PS4 Pro introduced 4K resolution into gaming for the first time on a console, but … Read More

The DualShock 5 Wishlist: Features and Changes Gamers Want

Controllers are the tools by which we interact with our games. Their design and function is just as important as the console itself. A great console with a bad controller will always be remembered as a bad console. Thankfully, Sony has never had too much trouble with their controller design. The original DualShock began life as a secondary controller for the PS1, and until the PS4, it remained largely the same. The DualShock 4 mixed things up, so will the PS5’s controller continue this trend? Let’s talk about what we, as gamers, want from the next PlayStation controller. The PS4 has been absolutely killing it this generation. It came out of the gate with plenty of features Sony knew gamers and developers wanted. Was it perfect? No, but it certainly started on a better foot than the Xbox One did. Sony has always had their finger on the pulse of the gaming industry. It was a bold move to change the controller design for the DualShock 4, and it mostly paid off. I personally like the PS4 controller better than past iterations, but it’s not perfect. So, how can Sony improve with the Dualshock 5? Here are 7 things gamers will be happy to see as part of the PS5’s controller setup: 7 Things Gamers Want to See From The DualShock 5 1. Touchscreen Instead of a Touchpad The addition of a touchpad on the DualShock 4 was an interesting change that makes it stand out from the DualShock 3 in a big way. While this touchpad works well, it hasn’t received a lot of use on the console since launch. Underutilized space? It acts as a separate button you can press (often to open maps in games), but the actual touch tracking has only been used sparingly. It feels like it should have been something more useful, like a touchscreen. The Wii U had a touchscreen on its controller, and so did the Sega Dreamcast. Both of these consoles didn’t realize their full potential, but they did have interesting mechanics with the touchscreen. Information like health, inventory, and even maps could be displayed here and prove far more useful than a touchpad that rarely sees any use. 2. A Design Lab Option For Custom Controllers One thing that Microsoft has done very well this generation, is offer a custom design option for people who want a unique controller. Microsoft’s Xbox Design Lab is an intuitive online platform that lets you create a custom controller with a huge variety of options. You can change the color of the front and back faceplates, along with the color of the buttons, the triggers, the bumpers, and even the analog sticks. If you want an engraving, you can have that too. Sony has released a good amount of color options for the DualShock 4, but I would love to see a platform like Design Lab for the DualShock 5. Sony could even take it one step further and allow gamers to place emblems … Read More

What to Expect From The PS5: 5 Cutting-Edge Features

With the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X out in the wild, we’re back to the waiting game. When will Sony discuss the PS5 in detail? When will it release? These questions remain in the back of our minds as we move into the future of gaming. While we wait, it’s time to level our expectations. What can we realistically expect from the PS5? Join us as we separate reality from fantasy. 5 Things You Can Expect From The PlayStation 5 When we dream about the PS5, it’s easy to let our imaginations get away from us. It’s always fun to dream big, but what should we expect from the next PlayStation? Where do we draw the line between what is realistic and what is not? Below are five things we believe you can expect from the PS5 1. Native 4K Resolution (And Higher) The battle for 4K is a hot topic right now in gaming. Both the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro have a strong focus on 4K resolution. The Xbox promises true 4K, but it doesn’t always hit that mark. While Microsoft will make it a focus on their games, other titles may not opt for a 4K enhancement. Other games like Overwatch use a dynamic scaler to change the resolution based on the situation. In action-heavy sequences, the resolution drops below 4K and then rises back to that threshold when the action dies down. Meanwhile, PS4 Pro is using a technique called Checkerboard Rendering that can push resolutions much higher than 1080p, but it still doesn’t hit 4K all the time. Here’s the takeaway: 4K gaming is an illusion right now unless you’re a PC gamer with a powerful rig. No one is getting all 4K all the time, regardless of the console. You can expect this to change on the PS5. Sony and Microsoft are talking about teraflops more than ever. The higher the number, the more likely that the console can support 4K gaming. Microsoft is in the lead with Xbox One X, which boasts 6 teraflops. Many analysts, including Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believe that Sony will push as many teraflops as possible to beat Microsoft’s console. A reasonable range would be 8-10 teraflops for the PS5. This would be sufficient to facilitate 4K gaming far more often than current consoles. With the entire industry obsessed with 4K, you can bet this will be a major feature on the new system. 2. Next Generation Virtual Reality (PSVR 2) Virtual reality was nothing more than a pipe dream for the longest time, but in 2017 it finally hit the mainstream in a big way. Oculus Rift and HTC Vive were slowly picking up steam, but it wasn’t until PlayStation VR launched that we really saw a lot of discussion surrounding the technology. In the first year, Sony moved over 2 million VR headsets and sold 10 million VR games. Those are some seriously impressive numbers for a new peripheral that costs … Read More

The Top 9 Features Gamers Expect On The PS5

It’s well known that gamers have a loud voice when we band together. Companies like Sony listen to us when we tell them what we want from our consoles. That feedback is what makes PlayStation such an amazing console. Well, we decided it was time to ask you, the players, what you want on the PS5. The results from our poll ( Vote! ) are in! It’s time to look at the top 9 features that you want on the PS5! We’ll also weigh in on how these features could manifest themselves on the next generation console from Sony. Let’s dive in! The Top 9 Features Fans Expect to See on The PS5 We asked you to tell us what you expect to see on the PS5, and you delivered! The many came together to form one voice. Let’s find out which features are most important to you on the PS5! 1. Backwards Compatibility With about 28% of the votes, backwards compatibility won the top spot by a 6% margin! In a world where Microsoft is touting backwards compatibility on their new Xbox 2/Project Scorpio system, the pressure is on for Sony to match that with the PS5. Of course, when we talk about backwards compatibility, we have to consider how far back we want. PlayStation has a lot of classic titles from PS1, PS2, and PS3. In fact, the PS4 has already racked up several titles that will no doubt be remembered fondly by history. PlayStation fans want compatibility as far back as we can get. There’s so many games we want to have access to on our latest console. Sony has made some progress here with PS2 Classics on PS4, and they’ve certainly done plenty of remasters to bring games like The Last of Us and God of War III to the new console. For PS3 games, we have the streaming service known as PlayStation Now, but that’s yet another thing to pay for, and it’s selection is good but not overwhelmingly great. Meanwhile, Xbox players are getting more and more 360 games on their system for free if they already own it. I have to give them a point for that, because it is the right way to handle backwards compatibility. Ideally, PS5 will take this approach where you can keep the games you own and play them on the new system. Digital titles will be accessible, and physical games can be inserted to validate them and add them to your library like Xbox does. This feature deserves a top spot, so let’s hope it shows up in a way that benefits us all. The ball’s in your court, Sony! 2. Graphic Processing Power Second up is graphics processing power with 22% of the votes. Any time there’s a new console, graphics are a major point of discussion. After all, power is the selling point of any next generation system. How much better will make games look and play on this system? Microsoft’s upcoming console boasts 6 … Read More