By: Max Cannon
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be a pair of fondly remembered consoles, and while we still have a good chunk of time with this generation of consoles it's a fair time to start speculating about future announcements. With Nintendo's consoles (Wii U and Switch) releasing in the middle of Sony and Microsoft's cycle, the domino has already started to fall for a generational switch. Here's what we'd like to see on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Two.
Almost exactly 5 years ago, the PlayStation 4 was announced.Courtesy of PlayStation
3. A Shared Online
With more players playing online than ever before, both platforms need to maintain a smooth online experience. Though it's not very likely for PlayStation to budge on this, Xbox has been more willing this generation while it was the opposite for each side in the previous, the topic of cross-platform play has hit such a fever pitch that it may be damaging to a side's image to not allow it. It's not impossible to do on a technological level, it's been done in the past, but it seems like sharing business with the opponent may be what's slowing things down.
Fortnite's temporary cross-platform was evidence that an open online is possible.Courtesy of Xbox
In recent memory, Fortnite has had a few instances where someone at Epic Games activated cross-platform play between the two platforms as players noticed PS4 gamers were on the same servers as Xbox ones. This was even addressed during The Game Awards by a team at Epic Games discussing Fortnite, a surprisingly candid moment. Though I wouldn't hold my breath for this, I could see a lot of gamers hoping to see a united online service in the future.
2. New Controller Tech
With PC games finding themselves ported over to console more frequently, and the rise of competitive gaming, the accuracy gap between a console's controller and a PC's mouse is growing even more noticeable. While the Switch is better off for going at a more traditional control scheme, and I'd suggest the other two platforms don't deviate too much, some major changes to controllers will need to happen at some point.
The Steam Controller was big departure from analog sticks.Courtesy of Steam
A few years ago Valve, the company behind Steam, released a controller that replaced analog sticks with touchpads and it didn't quite set the world ablaze but it did raise the question "how could we change current controllers?" While I certainly don't have the answers, I'd be surprised if these companies didn't have their research and development teams looking into the future of controller technology and really testing things out with the next generation consoles.
1. Backwards Compatible (Digitally and Physically)
Xbox is making some huge strides in backward compatibility during this generation, the aspect where they heavily lead over PlayStation 4. Microsoft themselves have even stated that they're looking to end generations and that would really take off by taking down the wall between last and current generation. With 360 titles you've already purchased through the last generation adding to your library when available, Xbox has already made it easy to enjoy 360 games on your Xbox One.
Xbox - Project Scorpio
With such a large push by Xbox, it's clear that this is where PS4 needs to pick up the slack, I'd hope and imagine that your entire PS4 library will be accessible from your potential PS5 on day one, just to keep up the good fortune PlayStation has earned in this generation. Of course, things could be far away -- I'm predicting a 2019 announcement and 2020 release for both companies.
Have Your Say!
What do you want for the next consoles? When you do you expect to see them? Share your thoughts below!
