It’s official, Sony has announced PlayStation’s 2023 Showcase will be on the 24th of May, that’s not a long time to wait. In Sony’s words, the showcase will be “focusing on PS5 and PS VR2 games in development from top studios from around the world.”
With no E3 this year, this is where we could see some big news. Here’s what I selfishly want to see, that I think could realistically happen.
1. More killer exclusives
Away from cross-platform titles like Deathloop, there are only a few seriously must-have exclusives on the PS5. Even God of War: Ragnarok was a dual PS4 and PS5 release. Can we please finally make the true leap into the PS5/ XboxSeries X era?
In terms of exclusives making the most of the PS5’s unique features, I’ve only really felt blown away by Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (the best game on PS5), Astro’s Playroom and Spider-Man: Miles Morales (again also available on PS4). Speaking of Spidey, fingers crossed we get some news on a release date for his next PlayStation outing.
Remakes and remasters for classics like Resident Evil 4, Uncharted and The Last of Us are all well and good, but let’s stop dwelling on what’s been and try something new please hey guys?
2. Serious PSVR2 support
As the first major event since the launch of the PSVR2, this should be one area where the showcase really delivers. The incredibly impressive (and expensive) PSVR2 is a great bit of kit, with the eye tracking in particular often breathtaking, but the titles available for it are lacking. Aside from Horizon: Call of the Mountain there are few first-party games to choose from, hopefully, that will change soon.
The likes of Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village are strong VR titles but it would be fantastic to see some more experiences built from the ground up with PSVR2. Half-Life: Alyx showed the potential for VR games to be genuinely great games, not just good by VR standards. Let’s see something original for the headset. On a personal level, fewer terrifying horror ‘experiences’ and more genuine games would be great for my shredded nerves too.
3. A PS5 Pro?
This is a bit cheeky of me considering some people are still only just getting hands on with their PS5 consoles but for those of us lucky enough to have had one for some time, it has actually almost been three years with the console.
It’s not that the console isn’t impressive but there have been plenty of rumors about a mid generation hardware update, or PS5 Pro. If not a new more powerful machine then as someone who regularly has to move his PlayStation around, I’d appreciate a lighter machine, perhaps with the detachable disc drive that has been tipped to arrive soon.
4. A PS Plus invasion
There are some excellent games on the higher tiers of PlayStation Plus, but most months I don’t see much value in the ‘Premium’ and ‘Extra’ tiers, especially compared to Game Pass.
In terms of anticipated titles arriving on the service from day one, the only real draw has been Stray. Hopefully, Sony has big plans for its three-tiered PlayStation Plus service after a year of trialling it. The PS5 titles in the catalogue are pretty disappointing in particular.
5. More great indies
While first-party titles have been fairly few and far between, PlayStation has grown its reputation of great indie games (on both PS4 and PS5) in recent years. April’s PS Plus giveaway of Meet Your Maker was a generous free launch for a great title while Cult of the Lamb and Rollerdrome were two of my favourite games of 2022.
Some of the biggest surprise hits of the last generation started with PlayStation taking a chance and giving them away on its monthly games section. Fall Guys and Rocket League are just two examples. I’m looking forward to another batch of undiscovered future classics appearing at the showcase.
