As anticipation mounts for the upcomingPS5this fall, long-time fans will undoubtedly recognize 2020 as the strangest lead up to a new console generation in decades. While the world is experiencing its own fair share of strangeness, Sony in particular has been exhibiting some unconventional behavior revealing its newest gaming console.
Fans have been learning more and more about thePS5and Xbox Series X over the course of 2020, though PlayStation has taken a completely different approach in comparison. PlayStation’s marketing plan so far has been a stark contrast compared to the PS4. Sony seems to be taking over all efforts of revealing their latest console and bringing it in-house, but with the serious lack of information thus far, fans are wondering what’s next for the console’s reveal.
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The PS4’s Hype Train
The PlayStation 4 had a vastly more impactful reveal compared to the PS5 so far. Granted issues withCOVID-19 have been affecting the gaming industryat large, especially Sony and Microsoft who are preparing for console releases this fall. But Xbox got ahead of the curve with the Series X’s reveal during The Game Awards last year. The PlayStation 5 hasn’t even been visually shown yet, despite knowing all about the system’s technical information. The PS4, on the other hand, held an entire press conference in February with tons of hype leading up to it, showing off new features and games right out the gate. PS4’s reveal event was host to world premieres of games likeKnackandWatch Dogs, along with all the ins and outs of the latest console.
Part of what made the PS4’s reveal, and to some extentSony’s dominance this past console generation, was the fact that Sony understood how to present itself. Sony’s lackluster reveal of the very expensive PlayStation 3 put Sony at an immediate disadvantage to the Xbox 360, which was not only less expensive but was much easier to design games for and received better developer support.
The PS4 was initially billed as a “games first” console, which was an especially profound marketing direction at the time considering how the Xbox One was marketed. Sony dominated Xbox over the whole game-sharing, DRM fiasco, which gave the PS4 so much momentum that lasted throughout the eighth console generation. Now it’s almost as if the tables have turned once again, with Sony withholding as much info as it can while Microsoft has shared tons of new information on its new console.
Drip Feed Marketing for PS5
PlayStation 5’s marketing approach has taken on a more drip-feed approach, and regardless of the state of the world’s economy in 2020, many of Sony’s decisions thus far have still been perplexing. Firstly, consumers and media still have no idea what the console physically looks like. The only public-facing presentation of the PS5 thus far has been aGDC-like presentation with Mark Cerny, focused specifically on the technical specifications and the theoretical capabilities of the console. Cerny’s presentation focused strictly on technology, and didn’t show off any new games or player-specific features throughout. While this slideshow was likely geared towards developers, Sony’s marketing team billed it as the PS5’s huge reveal, as if it was going to be a consumer-facing presentation all about the new console.
Only recently did consumers and media get a glimpse of the PS5’s new controller as well, but eventhe DualSense controller revealwas on the PlayStation blog on a seemingly random day. Pair this with Cerny’s presentation, and altogether the PS5’s drip-feed news approach has frankly been awkward and perplexing. Obviously learning about the technical specifications as an enthusiast is exciting, because experts who understand the technology have a reason to get excited about the PS5’s capabilities. For average consumers who know nothing about read speeds and teraflops, it makes absolutely no sense. The average player only cares about what games to play, how they can play them, and what the PS5 can do to make playing those games better than an Xbox.
Perhaps Too Comfortable
Sony has been making tons of unprecedented moves in preparation of the PS5’s release, and to some extent it’s hurting it. As May now approaches, knowledge is still sparse on the PS5 other than its very specific tech specs and its theoretical capabilities. “Theoretical” is the key word there, because so far there’s only beenaround 12 confirmed PS5 games coming to the console, none of which have specifically displayed any evidence of being captured from a PS5 console. Fans don’t know what the console even looks like, let alone any specific functionality other than faster load times with SSDs and the usual graphical update with every new console generation. The reticence of Sony’s marketing so far, paired with Microsoft’s head start and openness with the Series X, is putting the PS5 in an odd position.
Obviously PS5 is not in an inherently bad financial position so far, considering it’s still pretty early on the release year for the ninth console generation. With Microsoft getting the jump on Sonyduring 2019’s Game Awards, and still hearing very little about the console itself, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Sony is lagging behind. Considering the hugely beneficial position the PS4 achieved with its reveal and subsequent success, seeing Sony in 2020 be so patient and silent is a little shocking. Sony has experienced firsthand what it’s like to get too comfortable in times of success. One would think Sony would want to capitalize on all the headway the company made with the PS4 to carry that momentum along with the PS5.
For now, consumers and media alike await the PS5’s full reveal, hopefully soon. Xbox has shown a clear and present initiative this year, hoping to position themselves in a better spot compared to last generation. Sony’s actions in the coming months will be pivotal in forming the PS5’s future.
ThePS5is set to release holiday 2020.
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