Nearly three months after Sony Lead System Architect Mark Cerny gave his presentation on the technical details of the PlayStation 5, we finally had our chance to see it in action at yesterday’s PS5 Reveal event. “The Future of Gaming” lasted a bit over an hour, showing trailers for new IP and expected, but until now unannounced sequels to fan favorites. You can watch the show in its entirety by scrolling to the bottom of the page but first, let’s go over some of the highs and lows and what we know now that we didn’t 24 hours ago.

PlayStation 5 Hardware Launch Lineup

So that’s it, that’s the PlayStation 5. Certainly not the design anyone was expecting. At first glance, I thought it looked rather off-putting, like a child’s first attempt at a clay ashtray. Lopsided and unwanted, By the end, however, it had grown on me. Mostly owing to the fact that the design of these consoles is just fodder for articles like these and doesn’t really matter in the long run, but also because it has a unique look and anything outside of a boring black box is welcome. 

Sony also revealed that for the first time they will be releasing an all digital version of the PS5 at launch. The system is a bit slimmer and more uniform without the disc drive and I am #AllDigital, but without a significant discount on the hardware, it doesn’t make sense at this point to lock yourself into the more expensive digital market. That said, options are always better and I applaud Sony for catering to that market from day one. 

Along with the consoles themselves, Sony showed a lineup of accessories that will be available at launch: A wireless charging dock for the DualSense controllers, Pulse 3D wireless over ear headphones, and HD Camera and a media remote. These items will not be included with your PlayStation 5 purchase but will undoubtedly enhance your experience assuming you plan on playing online, using your PS5 as a multimedia device or recording/streaming content. 

PS5 Video Game Reveals

The show opened with an absolute bombshell. GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 will launch on the PS5 in 2021. Wait, what do you mean you played it on PS4?... and PS3… and PC??? Yes it appears the Rockstar juggernaut will headline a third generation of consoles, but they promised it would be “enhanced and expanded” and those who own GTA5 on PS4 will receive $1,000,000 per month to spend in GTA online starting now. GTA Online will also be available on PS5 at launch for free, so all in all not a bad deal but maybe not the best way to start your presentation about the “Future of Gaming.”

What followed was a series of games featuring dense, lively worlds that felt like, possibly for the first time, developers were able to bring their full visions to life in virtual form. Returnal, Pragmata, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and Goodbye Volcano High to name a few, There was no shortage of big time, AAA games on display as well with a brand new Spiderman game starring Miles Morales coming holiday 2020, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West and Village: Resident Evil earning high praise from viewers around the world. There were too many games to mention individually but I’d like to single out a few that stood out to me yesterday.

Deathloop

From Arkane Studios, developers of the Dishonored series and Prey, comes a first person action game that’s very reminiscent of Dishonored crossed with Groundhog Day and a hint of Superhot. In Deathloop you play as an assassin named Colt, you wake up on an island and you’re being hunted by the mercenary inhabitants. They’ll hunt you down, they’ll kill you and that’s ok, in fact, it’s kind of the point. Every time you die you wake up on the same day, on the same beach, with the same problem. You’re trapped in a time(death)loop and in order to break free you must assassinate the 8 people responsible for maintaining the loop but you only have until midnight to do it. 

Seems simple enough yea? Every day you’ll have a little more knowledge of your enemy, of the island, of your targets, it’s just a matter of time before you take them all down. That’s where Julianna comes in, and Arkane’s goal of eliminating the line between single and multiplayer games. Other players will (if you allow it) enter your game world as another master assassin named Julianna with the singular goal of sending you back to the beach. In Deathloop you’ll use stealth, melee, guns, and sometimes magic to navigate your way through the world and to your targets as efficiently as possible. A console exclusive, Deathloop is set to arrive on the PlayStation 5 and PC later this year.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

Another console exclusive, coming in 2021 from Tango Gameworks is Ghostwire: Tokyo. GT is a first person action title set in a modern, vibrant Tokyo that has been ravaged by an “event” that causes 99% of the population to vanish. The other side effect is that your character discovers their own supernatural powers, including the ability to see demons, known as visitors, around the city. From here your quest is to rid the city of its visitors while uncovering the origin of the “event” that set the plot into motion. 

Much like Deathloop, GT looks to be a “play at your own pace” first person game, lending itself nicely to my lack of reflexes. Tokyo itself appeared to be one of the more immersive settings on display, the usually bustling metropolis was devoid of life, with neon signs blaring and office buildings lit, standing sentinel over the harrowingly empty streets. Ghostwire: Tokyo is the kind of game that you could get lost in, no matter your tastes and will be held up as an example of what the increased power of next-gen consoles can do for artistic expression in the hands of talented developers.

NBA 2k21

NBA 2K14’s first trailer was a jaw-dropping achievement in visuals, the leap from PS3 to PS4 was one of the few truly “wow” moments in recent gaming. The same would be said about NBA 2K21 except for the fact that it was a teaser and featured only one player. The detail and emotion in Zion Williamson’s model was one of the most impressive showpieces at Sony’s presentation. Photorealistic with life-like animation, NBA 2K21 put other major sports franchises to shame yesterday. It remains to be seen if the rest of the game will match the graphical fidelity but despite middling efforts the last two years, Visual Concepts track record says the future of virtual basketball is in good hands.

Disappointments

The show was rock solid all the way through, so this will come across as nitpicking. Sony did not announce a price or release date, opting to reveal that information at a later time. In terms of games, only Godfall left me uninspired. The game looks fine but everything about it from name to combat to art style screams generic to me. Hopefully, I’m wrong and it lands with a splash rather than a thud later this year but as of now I’m not expecting much. 

Conclusion

Sony knocked this presentation out of the park. Great looking games across multiple genres, true next-gen exclusives, excellent production from first party studios; it all points to the leader in gaming working like a well-oiled machine and being poised to carry over their PS4 success into the next generation.