Hardware
Sony is going to have an interesting year ahead of it thanks to moves being made by the competition. A large part of that is due to the PS4 manufacturer not bringing out any new console (that we know of). The only hardware we will see releasing within the next 12 months is the PSVR Aim Controller which will release alongside Farpoint. It tracks your gun in real time, providing 1-to-1 movements and allowing players to really immerse themselves in first-person shooters.
Outside of that peripheral, the focus will be on both the PSVR headset and the PS4 Pro. Both released late last year with the former hitting the streets in October and the latter being made available in November. While both have begun to hook their claws into the industry, neither is without its issues, which is why you can expect Sony to do something about that in order to combat the rumbling giants looking to make waves in 2017.
For the PSVR, it’s going to be all about messaging and continuing to push the future that is virtual reality. While it is leading in sales among other premium headsets, it still has a ways to go to be comparable to more traditional gaming setups that require just a console and a television. One way to help this new hardware make the transition would be a stronger advertising push as well as supplying more units to areas with high demand (they are difficult to find in many areas) and having a stronger focus on big games, not just small VR experiences.
For the PS4 Pro, the messaging is out and quite clear. Unfortunately, developers aren’t exactly delivering on the capabilities of the beefed up PS4, which isn’t doing Sony any favors. When creating the console, the company gave freedom to developers in regards to how they utilize the stronger GPU, faster CPU, and extra RAM, but nobody is forced to do any of that. That means many games are still running just as they would on a standard PS4 making the extra $100 necessary to own one a tough choice. While the company can’t and shouldn’t force anyone to make games a specific way, they can incentivize developers in some way to create some sort of consistency across titles. This won’t mean that every game will be playable in 4K, but at least we’ll see improved visuals, load times, and possibly even smoother framerates across the board.
This will definitely be a strong focus going forward, so expect to see a lot of talk revolving around last year’s hardware.
