Sony should capitalize on Xbox's flub and showcase what the PS5 can do
Microsoft's latest Xbox Series X "gameplay" showcase was a great example of how not to promote an event like that.
Microsoft has done an excellent job of marketing the upcoming Xbox Series X, but even the smallest error could be costly. Its recent Xbox Series X gameplay showcase on Inside Xbox wasn't much of a gameplay showcase at all. I think Sony now has the perfect opportunity to use this flub to its advantage, actually showcasing what the PlayStation 5 can do for next-gen games — it just needs to do so before Microsoft.
Show me what the PS5 means for next-gen games.
Rumors peg a supposed PS5 reveal blowout on June 4th or sometime in the beginning to middle of next month. Personally, I would like to at least see Sony reveal the design much sooner, but Sony's focus right now should be making sure that this June event is spectacular, and demonstrating just what the PS5 brings to the table. Show me what can't be done on current-gen consoles. Convince me why I need to upgrade. If it's just for a slight bump in resolution and a higher frame rate, Sony'll need to do much better than that. I have high hopes that the SSD it's packing will be a game-changer, I just need to see it in action. Show me what the PS5 means for gameplay more than what it means for graphics.
Demonstrating how it affects first-party games would be even better. With Horizon Zero Dawn 2 reportedly in the works , let's see how Sony's portfolio can leverage that tech. PlayStation arguably has the superior first-party catalog, and many of its heavy-hitters strive to deliver photorealistic graphics with mature storylines and polished single-player campaigns.
My Windows Central colleague Jez Corden wrote a great piece on what went wrong with Microsoft's Xbox Series X event — which wasn't even bad — and I completely agree with him. The challenges of putting together an event like that during the COVID-19 pandemic is immense and unimaginable, but that doesn't excuse the poor promotion. Expectations were set by the team over at Xbox that it failed to meet. This wasn't a simple case of players building unwarranted hype, though you could argue that it affected the reception to a certain extent. You can't scream "gameplay showcase" from the hilltops and not show actual gameplay demos.
You can't scream "gameplay showcase" from the hilltops and not show actual gameplay demos.
It's also important to remember that the recent Xbox Series X showcase wasn't the big one . It was just a small teaser for what's to come. Microsoft has much grander plans over the summer, including an event in July that will reveal what all 15 of its developers under the Xbox Game Studios banner are working on.
Microsoft is already far ahead of Sony when it comes to next-gen promotion. Regardless of whether you felt the latest Inside Xbox was disappointing or not, it's at least something. Sony hasn't given us...
