Sony reveals PlayStation 5 and video games on the way for new console

Sony reveals PlayStation 5 and video games on the way for new console

Sony unveiled an impressive roster of video games in the works for its PlayStation 5 launch later this year and finally gave a peek at what the new console looks like.

Among the games in the works: a new Spider-Man game starring Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart," "Resident Evil Village: Silent Hill," "Gran Turismo 7" and "Sackboy: A Big Adventure," as well as a VR game "Astro's Playroom."

But the big reveal was the futuristic console with a black-center sandwiched between artsy white waves. A slightly thinner digital PS5 model without a disc player was also revealed for players who want to deal with only downloaded games.

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"I think the hardware was one of the most exciting things we got to see," said Geoff Keighley, who hosted Summer Game Fest video shows on the YouTube Gaming channel before and after Sony's event said most weren't sure a console would be revealed.

The console "feels like it stands on its own. It has a towering presence to it," he said..

Jim Ryan, president & CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, during the pre-recorded video event described the PS5 as "our most striking console design yet."

In an interview after the event, Ryan told USA TODAY that the new console can stand vertically and horizontally. "We tasked ourselves to do something a bit bold."

The digital PS5 is identical to the standard console, which will play games on discs, he said. The cute new platform game "Astro's Playroom" will come installed on both systems, said Ryan, who did not say when the price of the systems would be announced.

As for the games, Ryan said, they are "transformative in how they look feel and sound."

Overall, more than two dozen games were shown, more than half of which will be exclusive to PS5, he said.

Typically, during this time of year, all focus on the future of video games would be at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming confab held annually in Los Angeles. But the coronavirus pandemic led to its cancellation.

Sony had planned to hit play on the event last week, but postponed it because of the nationwide protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

But Sony's event today could be considered the kickoff to what is expected to be a busy rest of the year in video game developments with Microsoft, also bringing to market its new Xbox Series X system this holiday season.

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This edition of the console wars – both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were launched in 2013 – could play out differently. Microsoft is touting its Project xCloud gaming service at the same time; its due to officially launch this fall, too. 

And all of this will play out amid stubborn reminder of the COVID-19 crisis and economic challenges caused by that and the potential for ongoing racial unrest.

Microsoft has as its strengths a goal of delivering a console with more firepower, a robust Xbox Games Pass subscription service and a new Halo Infinite game arriving in tandem with the Xbox Series X, says Piers Harding-Rolls, games industry analyst at London headquartered research firm Ampere Analysis.

For its part, Sony is expected to have multiple exclusive games available for the PS5 at the outset. "In the context of selling next-gen consoles this factor clearly gives Sony a substantial advantage, although Microsoft would argue that its approach is more consumer friendly, focused on the gamer and about keeping its audience engaged," Harding-Rolls said in a market analysis out Thursday.

He expects demand for new hardware to drive sales of 4.6 million PS5 consoles and 3.3 million Xbox Series X consoles by the end of the year, a better overall launch than that of the previous generation.

That prediction comes before we know the prices of the new systems, which are likely to be about $500, Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, told USA TODAY. Considering the economic concerns, any higher price could be "problematic," he said.