Momentum Is King
Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you may have heard that the PlayStation 4 spent its first year kicking ass and taking names. Of course, by kicking ass I mean setting sales records left and right. If you look up the definition of momentum in a dictionary, you may find a picture of the PlayStation 4 sitting there as an example. Last time anyone checked, the PlayStation 4 had surpassed 18.5 million sales worldwide which came as a huge surprise to the doomsayers of the home video game console market.
Of course, a console’s good fortune doesn’t sound like the best reason to just dive in, and you honestly couldn’t be blamed for being a bit skeptical. But, stop for a second and think of the benefits of the PlayStation 4’s momentum thus far. All you need to do is look at the competition to see that publishers and developers like sales, and a console rapidly selling means a higher chance of some of those highly anticipated titles making their way to your machine.
It only makes sense to capitalize on the base already built by the millions of fans before you. The PlayStation 4 has built an impressive install base which will in turn lead to Sony investing more into the platform.
New Tech on the Horizon
Sony has been playing it pretty smart with how they approach peripherals for the PlayStation 4. Instead of including the PlayStation Camera in the box as initially planned, they decided to prove its worth and allow consumers to make the choice for themselves. This approach proved to be very successful and led to the camera being sold out several times. There is a very good chance that the cycle can repeat later this year.
Not too long ago, Sony unveiled their virtual-reality endeavors in the form of Project Morpheus. The PlayStation team is committed to providing the best VR experience available no matter what you’re used to playing on. It looks to be a big player in the VR scene later this year and there is no doubt that Sony will want to get PlayStation 4 owners everywhere in on the action. With that being said, you can expect them to go all out in proving the headset’s worth.
New tech is one of the things that tends to grab the attention of gamers. Anything that furthers the experiences had by gaming is generally viewed as a plus when handled correctly. Sony has proven that they can handle a piece of hardware. With Project Morpheus, and whatever else they have in the works on the horizon, you can be sure all you tech lovers will have something awesome this year.
Exclusives En Route
One thing that did not go unnoticed while the PlayStation 4 was making headlines was the fact that there weren’t many triple A exclusives in its first year. There were a few during the launch window and only a couple afterwards. The PlayStation 4’s library relied heavily on multi-platform titles and timed exclusivity with certain indie developers. While this helped to keep a steady flow of games coming, it’s understandable that some gamers became a bit disgruntled by the lack of first party exclusives.
For those wondering where the games went, look no further than 2015. This is the year where you finally get to find out what all of those Sony studios are working on. Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End had some gameplay revealed and it was amazing. Until Dawn is the PlayStation 4’s upcoming horror game that has many excited. Of course, they aren’t only relying on their in-house studios to increase their stable of triple A exclusives.
From Software, Capcom, and other studios have already confirmed games exclusively for home consoles on the PlayStation 4. Bloodborne looks to mix up the formula they first created with Demon’s Souls. Street Fighter V will allow for cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and PC. These and many others are due to hit the PlayStation 4 in the coming months.
The PlayStation 4 is finally building an impressive lineup of games that make it worthwhile to join in.
PlayStation Now Improves
Video games services are becoming more relevant as everything moves towards a digital market. With the lack of backwards compatibility on the PlayStation 4, many wondered how they would be able to play their games without keeping their older console. PlayStation Now sought to solve that problem but was unfortunately met with unfavorable reception. The pricing was horrible and it was still unclear how this would benefit those trying to save some money.
Fortunately, Sony went back to the drawing board and came up with a subscription based model that provides consumers with much more bang for their buck. Instead of paying almost full price for a game in order to rent it for a month, you can subscribe and have unlimited access to all games in the PlayStation Now library. No more having to worry about what is worth your money because you now have access to it all.
This will allow for you to purchase a PlayStation 4 and have access to an extensive library for less than it would cost to buy a new game. That commitment to provide solid experiences to gamers, no matter what the budget may be, is enough of a reason to hop on the train.
Is there anything that has you excited for the PlayStation 4 in 2015? Have you made the jump, or are you still waiting on something? Feel free to share. And for more information on the PlayStation 4 check out the official website.
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