PS5 Title Highlights and How The Console Effects Game Developers

PS5 title highlights and the console’s effect on game developers!

PLAYSTATION 5 HIGHLIGHTS

Did you know that within 24 hours of the Playstation 5 Showcase livestream, there has already been:

• 2.7 million views (#21 on trending for gaming)
• Major distribution stores worldwide out-of-stock on preorders
• Over 200 reaction videos
• Trending #ps5preorder on Twitter
• AND has more than 1 million posts tagged with #ps5 on Instagram

I think it’s safe to say that the Playstation 5 is definitely the talk of the town. Apart from the super hype Playstation Plus logo snippets in between each title, the game trailers have definitely convinced me that PlayStation are taking their products to the next level. Let’s talk about some of the titles that were showcased:

Spiderman: Miles Morales — Insomniac Games (NOV 12, 2020)

Image by Samuel Kim Music via YouTube (2020)

Set one year after the events of the critically-acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). Miles Morales as your new friendly neighbour takes on the baddies (Roxxon and The Underground led by the Tinkerer) of Harlem City with a new rising politician, his very own mother Rio Morales. Although it hasn’t been defined whether the game is a DLC or sequel, we are guaranteed that it is a step forward from the first game.

The trailer shows our young spidey in the T.R.A.C.K suit, or the Time Response Activated Circuit Kinetic suit — this explains the invisibility mechanic! We also see the seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematic, with a hybrid of combat segments and environmental puzzles and quick-time events so you’re always on your toes.

Hogwarts Legacy — Portkey Games (2021)

Image by Android Authority (2020)

Hogwarts Legacy is the newest Harry Potter universe game since Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (2019). But this game takes you on a journey in the 1800s, set in the classic Hogwarts setting. You play as a student who holds a key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the world of wizardry apart.

Much like the mechanic of good and evil in Infamous, you get to decide whether you want to use your extraordinary power of mastering Ancient Magic for good or corruption. If the epic music didn’t convince you then maybe it’s the fact that it’s an open-world RPG in freaking Hogwarts!

Black Ops Cold War — Activision (NOV 13, 2020)

Image by Forbes (2020)

Hold on… Did he just put the bomb in the guy’s mouth? Was that always a thing?!

Transported to 1981, players will experience war and encounter iconic figures that we thought would stay in the history books.

The Creative Director of Raven Software, Dan Vondrak, tells us very briefly that there are additional game modes from the classic campaign mode:

• Online Multiplayer Combat: cross-platforming and cross-generation gameplay (WHAT!)
• Co-op Zombies

Resident Evil 8: VILLAGE — Capcom (2021)

Image by GameSpot Trailers via YouTube (2020)

Personally, I love how the design in the story-telling for this reveal. The silhouette, fairytale-like animation is calming, and then complimented with the contrasted panic and fear that Resident Evil often creates. But enough of my game design fangirling.

This game is set years after the events of Resident Evil 7, bringing back our very own Ethan and Mia Winters but with the appearance of THE Chris Redfield. Who knows what questions are to be asked, and answers to be sought this time around.

PLAYSTATION 5 FOR GAME DEV.

The announced features of the PS5 are game changers:

What is included?

Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect of Playstation, confirmed that the PS5 will have a custom 825GB SSD, running around 100-times faster than the PS4’s storage system, this will run at a speed of up to 5.5GB/s (compared to Xbox Series X’s 2.4GB/s).

The add-ons

In addition to this revolutionary super speed SSD, there will be space for ANOTHER internal SSD within the console and regular USB-interfaces for external hard drives. These extras will be plugged directly into the motherboard of the PS5 rather than connecting to an external input such as USB connectors.

The speed though!!!

The PlayStation 5’s SSD as we know it at the moment, includes six priority levels, the Kraken decompression format, and a peripheral eco-system working to reduce bottlenecks (aka over-processing). This means incredibly complex and detailed game worlds won’t be restricted, and faster loading times! Fast travel in your games should probably be renamed to something like… Super-duper-fast travel… your game designers will come up with something more creative.

Do you know what this also means? No. Crunch time. Anymore. With this rapid processing speed, game developers are able to test build and run their games with ease.

ADVICE: Please avoid crunch times, you do not need that extra stress and toll on your mental and physical health. Actually this is a serious topic, maybe I’ll make this another blog post.

Marvel’s Spider-Man lead designer, James Cooper, says:

In theory, the PS5’s SSD means developers can worry a little less about level streaming and memory micro-management, which is a huge time sink late on in the dev cycle and the source of many bugs. This means it might actually help to reduce crunch.

Game Engine recommendations

In the past, Unreal and Unity were the go-to engines for game developers. Unity was suitable for those just starting out, learning the ropes or focusing on indie games that were much easier for group projects. However, Unreal was praised for its advanced graphics and ease of programming with its blueprint features.

Considering that the PS5 has an 825GB SSD, this would mean that it could store a maximum of 12 major game titles (Spider-man: Miles Morales is estimated to be 105GB). Unreal Engine and its superiority in graphics and features, would mean that it built in large file sizes, making it disadvantaged in the ring of storage of the PS5. However, not much information on what engines or technologies collaborate better with the new generation consoles, so its best to keep your eyes peeled for that.

Disclaimer: All opinions and notes in this blog do not reflect the opinions and standpoints of Sweaty Chair Studios.

References:

Bardwell, T., 2020. This Playstation 5 Feature Could Change Game Development Forever. [Blog] CCN, viewed at <https://www.ccn.com/this-playstation-5-feature-could-change-game-development-forever/> [Accessed 28 September 2020].

Dwiar, R., 2020. An additional PS5 SSD upgrade is going to be a must-have accessory — just don’t buy one at launch. [Blog] Games Radar, viewed at <https://www.gamesradar.com/au/an-additional-ps5-ssd-upgrade-is-going-to-be-a-must-have-accessory-just-dont-buy-one-at-launch/> [Accessed 28 September 2020].