The PS4 has been a huge success for Sony since its launch in 2013. With more than 102 million units sold to date, the PlayStation 4 will go down as one of the most popular video game consoles of all time. - That's right. However, there is always room for improvement, and Sony needs to ensure that some of its predecessor's weaknesses are not repeated for PS5. Early signs are that the Xbox Series X is offering stronger competition this time around as well, so anything Sony can do to increase the PS5's appeal to consumers can only help its chances of success. So what should Sony change? Here are five things the PS5 needs to improve on compared to the PS4 if the PlayStation is to keep its crown as king of consoles.
1. The build quality and battery life of the controller
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(Image credit: Shutterstock) The PS4 controller faced two common problems: sensitive build quality and woeful battery life. When the DualShock 4 first came out, gamers bemoaned a multitude of issues plaguing the controller, from sticking the L1 and R1 buttons, pressing the fire buttons, to the rubber coating on the analog sticks. The latter issue wasn't resolved until a few years later, when Sony finally decided to switch to a more durable material. The short battery life was also the subject of controversy with the DualShock 4. With an average charge of 4 to 7 hours, partly due to the controller's touchpad and always-on light bar, the controller just doesn't last long enough. for most players. Compare the DualShock 4 to the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, which lasts about 40 hours, and it's hard to find excuses for Sony's battery buffering. The DualSense controller simply needs to do better. But with so many fancy technologies and features, Sony may be struggling to redress the balance.
2. The noise levels of the console.
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(Image credit: Sony) Commonly compared to a turbojet during takeoff, the PlayStation 4 has been regularly mocked for its poor acoustics. Launch models for the PS4 and PS4 Pro were notoriously loud, and games like God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn could send PS4 fans into overdrive. Faced with its silent rival, the Xbox One, it's hard not to feel aggrieved by the Sony machine. So the PS5 needs to be much quieter, and with next-gen consoles consuming a lot of power, keeping thermal and sound levels in check will be a major technical challenge.
3. Cross play and cross save support
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(Image credit: Epic Games) When cross-play was first announced for Fortnite, Sony was far from knowing if or when their console would support it. Finally, after empty reasoning and mounting pressure from players, the company reluctantly changed its position on the crossplay medium. However, Sony is way behind Microsoft when it comes to cross-play and cross-save support, and even Nintendo has done better to allow gamers to play together. Remember #4The Players, Sony?
4. Appropriate backward compatibility
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(Image credit: Konami) After releasing PS4 and Xbox One without backwards compatibility support, Microsoft shocked the gaming community by revealing that it would be bringing hundreds of original Xbox 360 and Xbox titles to its current generation console. Not only that, but Microsoft continued to improve its Xbox One X backwards compatibility program, allowing older games to take advantage of the console's increased power. For Xbox Series X, the situation seems to be getting even better, with retroactive HDR support and the ability for some games to run at higher resolutions and frame rates. Sony, on the other hand, previously only offered old games via its cloud streaming platform, PlayStation Now, or on the PS Store as a select number of digital downloads. As a result, gamers were not only forced to pay for games they likely already own, but also had a worse experience in the process due to the frustrating nature of cloud gaming. Sony has promised that the PS5 will be backward compatible, but at this point we still don't know how complete this compatibility will be and if previous generations of PlayStation will be compatible. With such a rich history of games to tap into, it would be a huge missed opportunity if Sony neglected the importance of backward compatibility support.
5. PlayStation Now is not tempting enough
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(Image credit: Sony) Speaking of PlayStation Now, there's no denying that, in its current state, it's largely overlooked by the PS4's install base. The streaming platform had pricing issues, an average game library, and stiff competition from Microsoft's subscription service Xbox Game Pass, and it just didn't take off. PS Now, however, has made a welcome change in recent months, allowing PlayStation fans to download titles, much like you can with Xbox Game Pass. But the games offered by the service don't tend to last that long and are usually many years old. The streaming side of the service is also unreliable and the quality is not quite there. Microsoft's XCloud project has already been confirmed as part of Xbox Game Pass and is generally well received despite its beta release, Sony could suddenly find itself behind the pack, despite being several years ahead of it.