The PS4 has been a disappointing console thus far in terms of its lack of software, though it having received few stellar game releases was hardly unexpected. Its showing at E3 last year was disappointing, with the company failing to really validate its position as the leader of the pack in this early life cycle of this current console generation by failing to show us very few upcoming releases we could get excited about. However, I believe that E3 2015 may prove to be a turning point for the system, with its software finally looking to live up to its sales.
While the PS4’s closest competitor, the Xbox One, is being pegged to have a stand-out E3 this year due to Microsoft already gaining ground on Sony thanks to a few popular releases on the platform, therefore meaning that they’ll want to continue their streak into the foreseeable future, I predict that Sony will stomp ahead this year out of necessity. Much like Microsoft will want to continue increasing the fortunes of the Xbox One, the PS4 will also want to maintain its position in the market, and with a console that’s easier to develop for and has the advantage of a wider user base, I believe that they’ll surprise us this year.
Also See: Microsoft E3 2015 Predictions: Xbox One Will Try its Best, But it Won’t Be Good Enough
Here are my predictions for Sony’s E3 2015, and be sure to vote on your predictions in the survey below.
Multiple first-party announcements.
Sony has a bunch of first-party developers who are sitting around twiddling their thumbs (they probably aren’t doing that) at the moment.all of which we should expect to see utilized at some point in the near future. I predict that many of them will take center stage at E3 2015 in order to tease their upcoming releases, and while I don’t think we’ll see a flood of new releases over the course of 2016, we’ll at least receive some of obligatory teaser/cinematic trailers which confirm that the games are in development, even if we won’t be seeing them until 2017/18.
There’s a new God of War game in development that we should expect to hear more about, along with Gran Turismo 7 that was initially pegged to be released in 2016, though it’d be far more likely to see it make an appearance in 2017 given developer Polyphony Digital’s track record. Though Beyond: Two Souls was a woefully underwhelming game, Quantic Dream still have their admirers thanks to Heavy Rain, and with the team having produced tech demos for the PS4 they may also have something up their sleeve.
And what about Killzone creators Guerrilla Games? They have been working on a brand new IP for quite a while now which, following the release of Killzone: Shadow Fall, should be ready for its grand unveiling. Then there’s SCE Bend Studio, creators of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Resistance Retribution, who are said to be spreading their wings and flying out on their own with a new open-world survival game. There are certainly plenty of studios that Sony can lean on, and if Sony want to up their momentum, we’ll be hearing from plenty of them during their press conference.
The Vita will be almost completely ignored.
Sony didn’t exactly pay much attention to the Vita during the last E3, but with the announcement that the company now considers the handheld to be a “legacy” console, i.e. one they don’t really plan on supporting anymore, expect the Vita to receive very few mentions during the entirety of E3.
While there will more than likely be a couple of already announced Vita games that will be referenced, possibly in a brief showreel Sony will use to highlight the games outside of their major games and announcements, I think E3 2015 will be the final nail in the poor portable’s coffin. Vita owners will continue to be infuriated, but with Sony having already completely fluffed the fortunes of the console by failing to show it any kind of considerable support, they’re likely not going to want to remind us of their failed attempt at snagging Nintendo’s crown in the handheld market.
Project Morpheus will get a new name and an onstage demonstration.
For all intents and purposes Project Morpheus seems like a less impressive Oculus Rift that will boast some success due to it having a lower price of entry. While the Rift will require a pretty adept gaming PC in order for it to run adequately, the Morpheus instead requires a PS4 console, and while it likely won’t offer the same level of immersion as its competitor it will prove to be a decent starting point for those interested in virtual reality tech.
At E3 2015 I expect that Sony will showcase the Project Morpheus, which will likely get a brand new name more befitting of the PlayStation brand, along with a handful of games that are being developed with the device in mind. Media Molecule could perhaps be the biggest of Sony’s first-party studios to embrace the tech, given their history of accommodating both Sony’s Move motion controller and the Vita’s rear touch panel in their games, and the appeal of the studio could lead to many more becoming more interested in purchasing the VR headset.
Project Morpheus will likely be a relatively pricey piece of tech, with the Oculus Rift projected to retail for around the $500 mark. If that is the case, then it is unlikely that Sony will announce its price point in its first E3 press conference appearance, but expect to hear a whole heap of new details nonetheless.
Third-party exclusive content.
Notice anything peculiar about the above image taken from the official Xbox website? Yep, there’s no “Content First” sticker on the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 listing like there is on The Division. Microsoft has always held the monopoly on timed content for the Call of Duty series, but this year it looks like Sony might have snagged the exclusivity rights from under their noses.
While I hate timed exclusive content due to it being majorly anti-consumer, it will nonetheless be a big deal for Sony if they manage to get all the Black Ops 3 DLC on the PS4 before it reaches the Xbox One. The above image certainly suggests that will be the case, with Star Wars Battlefront also not featuring a Content First sticker on its listing, with it having previously been suggested that Sony has struck up a Destiny-esque marketing deal with EA that will see them showcasing Battlefront as a PS4 title first and foremost, despite it actually being multi-platform.
If Sony has managed to secure this deal with Activision for Black Ops 3, prepare for them to be absolutely insufferable about it at E3.
An extensive look at Uncharted 4’s multiplayer.
Since Uncharted 2 the series has had a largely underrated multiplayer mode that has mostly been overlooked due to the PS3’s failings with offering online multiplayer that could compete with that of the Xbox 360’s. Now that the PS4 matches the Xbox One in online functionality, expect Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer to be a big facet of the game.
Along with offering E3 attendees an extensive look at Uncharted 4‘s main single-player component, I expect them to also provide in-depth coverage of its multiplayer offering. Uncharted 3‘s dynamic multiplayer maps were a great addition to the series, and this concept will no doubt make a return on the PS4.
With Sony having already offered a demo of Uncharted 4‘s story mode during its PlayStation Experience event, it seems likely that the multiplayer will make it to center stage this time around. With the PS4 being much better suited to offering a robust multiplayer experience, if Sony pushes the multiplayer aspect of the game they will not only have an already sure-fire hit on their hands, but a hit that will have much more longevity.
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