PS5 is not worth buying at launch - yet

PS5 is not worth buying at launch - yet

The PS5 June event has come to a close, and we have learned a great deal about Sony's newest game console. Not only did Sony show off a large number of games for the new system, but we also saw the PS5's unusual physical design. Now all we need is a release date and price, and fans can get in line to pre-order the console, which will be available at the end of this year.

I have never been an early adopter of gaming consoles, and the PS5 looks to be no exception. While I was impressed with the games Sony showed off yesterday, there is no indication that the PS5's launch library will include a sufficient number of games; like the PS4, the PS5 has the potential to be a great console, but like the PS4, it will take at least a year or two to get there.

While the idea of owning a new console the day it launches is exciting, there are several legitimate reasons for me to hold off. I will be happy with my current machine for at least a few more months.

I saw some incredibly cool games at the PS5 showcase. My personal favorite was "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart," which showcased the PS5's fast load times, with the two protagonists instantly jumping from one huge, fully loaded level to another. However, "Horizon: Forbidden West," "Resident Evil Village," "Returnal," and "Demon's Souls" remaster.

Not a single game on this list is currently scheduled to be released with the PS5.

While I have no objection to Sony showing off games that are still years away (one game, "Pragmata," won't be released until 2022), it is a reminder that the best console games are rarely the launch titles. (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an exception, but the only one in recent memory.) If you want a PS5 to play the new "Ratchet & Clank" game (which I do), it makes more sense to wait until "Ratchet & Clank" is actually released.

This is not to say that nothing good is planned for Holiday 2020; games like "Spider-Man: Miles Morales," "Deathloop," "Godfall," "Bugsnax," and "Jett: The Far Shore" are PS5 will be available at the same time as PS5, and I would like to play at least two of these games. But do these games need to be played at the same time they are released? If so, are there enough games to justify buying a $500 (or thereabouts) console?

Of course, there will be plenty of multi-platform titles to play, which leads me to my next point.

It's not just exclusive and semi-exclusive titles that will be playable on the PS5. You can also play the biggest third-party games of the holiday season. That means you can play "Outriders," "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" and "NBA 2K21" right on PS5. In fact, many third-party games have been unofficially confirmed for the PS5, including "Watch Dogs Legion," "Dying Light 2," and "Dirt 5."

However, another thing these games have in common is that they have also been confirmed for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. while the PS5 (or Xbox Series X if you consider the competition) will run these titles better than the current consoles, there is no reason to believe that the gameplay experience will be radically There is no reason to think that the gameplay experience will be radically different: the bulk of the PS4 launch library consisted of then-new titles like "Assassin's Creed IV" and "Injustice: God's Among Us." Certainly the PS4 gave players a more beautiful and smoother experience, but to this day, I have never heard anyone complain that the previous generation versions were significantly inferior.

If you don't own a PC or a current-gen console and want to dive into the game, by all means pre-order the PS5 as soon as possible. You will still be able to play most of the most anticipated titles this winter. And while Sony has yet to confirm the existence of something like Microsoft's Smart Delivery, the PS5 should be backward compatible with most games purchased this year.

There are also the usual reasons to avoid a console at launch. You've probably heard them all before, but they bear repeating:

Finally, let me tell you about the one time I decided to buy a console at launch. I was in high school and the PS2 had just come out; I had been saving my allowance for almost a year to buy a PS2. When the system arrived via UPS, I stopped everything I was doing, plugged it in, and used it to play PS1 games since I didn't have any PS2 games. That weekend I went to EB Games and perused the launch library, but didn't find anything that caught my interest. I practically owned a very high-end DVD player until "Final Fantasy X" was released a few months later.

I understand the excitement over the PS5 and think it is a promising system. However, it seems premature to buy one at launch, at least until Sony announces the exact launch library. Otherwise, you could end up buying a more expensive device to play the PS4 games you already own.

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