It was worth the wait. After months of rumors, speculation, and delays, Sony finally announced the PS5 game lineup and design in a one-hour showcase dubbed "The Future of Gaming." And Microsoft has some serious work to do if it intends to fight back next month.
Sony succeeded where Microsoft failed with its May 7 Xbox Series X gameplay reveal. Microsoft's event was light on actual gameplay, focusing on third-party titles and smaller indie games. Sony, on the other hand, kicked off its PS5 showcase with its most hit exclusive titles and did not let up for over an hour.
In the first 20 minutes of Sony's showcase, we saw highly anticipated exclusives like "Spider-Man: Miles Morales," "Gran Turismo 7," "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. There was also a good selection of third-party games, including "Godfall" and "Resident Evil 7: Resident Evil Village". Sony closed with "Horizon: Forbidden West" and a surprise reveal of the PS5 console.
And while Microsoft's May event was a bit heavy on basic AAA games and off-kilter horror, Sony's PS5 show really had something for everyone: there were kid-friendly games like Sackboy! A Big Adventure, " Bugsnax, and Astro's Playroom; charming indie games like Jett: The Far Shore and Goodbye Volcano High; and big titles like Hitman III and NBA 2K21. Hitman III, and NBA 2K21.
Sony's "The Future of Gaming" show had all the energy and excitement of the company's recent E3 presentations, despite the lack of a physical stage to showcase the latest games. This puts a lot of pressure on Microsoft, which plans to respond by focusing on exclusive Xbox titles such as "Halo Infinite" and "Hellblade 2" at the July event.
Up to this point, Microsoft had me more excited about the Xbox Series X than the PS5, thanks to its transparent message and excellent platform built around flexibility and value. However, the mere announcement of "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" was enough to convince me to buy a PS5 on day one. As in any console war, the only thing that really matters is the game lineup.
There are still a few questions about the PS5, such as how much the standard and digital-only versions will cost and when they will be available. But after that great launch event, I'm ready to hit the pre-order button on day one. And the ball is now in Microsoft's court
to ensure that fans feel the same way about the Xbox Series X.
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