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Should I Buy PS5 at Launch

Should I Buy PS5 at Launch or In The Year One?

Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release? It depends on what the expectation you have from a next-gen console. For PC players, the shift won’t be that impactful but it would be more tempting for console players. Many just want to buy PlayStation 5 even if there won’t be any next-gen games on it at launch. Most of the launch titles are cross-gen, so they will be available on the 8th gen consoles as well. There are only two true next-gen titles available at launch for PlayStation5. You can play all the remaining launch titles for PS5 on your PS4. The library of games for PS5 is small at launch which makes you question “Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release?” Let’s discuss it in detail.

PlayStation 5 at Launch

Any console at launch has a small number of games. Most of the launch titles on a console are also available on previous-gen consoles. The situation is not different for PS5 or Xbox Series X and Series S. At launch, the game library of PS5 will be small. Its year one road map promises some amazing games. You can play nearly all of its launch titles on PS4 and Xbox One. This gives less value to PS5 at launch, making it mostly an unnecessary deal at launch. If you can play all of the PS5 games on PS4, then why would you buy a PS5?

There are only two next-gen games for PS5 at launch as all other games are cross-gen. Godfall, Demon’s Souls Remake and Destruction AllStar are the only next-gen games available on PlayStation 5. In these three games, Demon’s Souls Remake and Destruction AllStar are a PlayStation 5 exclusive titles. If you want to play these two games at launch, then you have to buy a PS5. On the other hand, Godfall will be available on both PS5 and PC. Even if you don’t have a PS5, you can still play it on a PC if you have one. This leaves you with only one next-gen PlayStation exclusive. Spiderman Miles Morales will be available on both PS4 and PS5.

Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release? Well, the PS5 doesn’t hold a lot of value at launch. There aren’t enough games to play at launch if you don’t consider backward compatible games. Some backward compatible games will be optimized for PS5 but not all. At launch, there isn’t enough next-gen experience for PlayStation 5.

PlayStation 5 Year One

PS5 in the first year will have more games than PS4 had in the first year. The first-year line up of games could change if some of the year one games are delayed. Exclusive games such as God of War and Horizon Forbidden West are part of this road map. A lot of third party games would also be available on PlayStation 5, in the first year of its release. The expected number of year one games is more than the number of year one games on 8th gen consoles. Two of the PlayStation’s most famous exclusive games will get sequels in year one. Gran Turismo 7 will also be available on PS5 as an exclusive. It has an unscheduled release date making but it might be available on PS5 in the first year.

Cross-Gen Games for PS5

Ask yourself “Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release, if I can play many of the next-gen games without PS5?” The availability of next-gen games on the 8th gen console makes them cross-gen games. Even if you don’t have a PS5, you can still play cross-gen games on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. If you are a PC player then nothing is changing for you. Demon’s Souls Remake and Destruction AllStar are the only PS5 exclusive games at launch, all other games are available on PC. Microsoft is already pledged to support 8th gen consoles for years to come.

There isn’t a lot that PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S is offering at launch or even year one. Next-gen consoles also offer free upgrades for a lot of cross-gen games. If you buy Cyberpunk 2077 and some of the other cross-gen AAA games on PS4 or Xbox One then you will get free upgrades for it on PS5 and Series X/S. Free next-gen upgrade on PlayStation 5 and Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X/S makes the year one purchase all the more shallow. It’s not like you have to pay twice for a game just to play it on a next-gen console.

Backward Compatibility with PlayStation 4 Games

Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release? If there isn’t a lot of backward-compatible fully supported games for the next-gen console? The answer to this question depends on what you expect from PlayStation 5. When you buy a next-gen console, you expect to play next-gen games on it not the previous-gen games. Even if you want to play previous-gen games, then you would want these games to utilize the power of PS5. Since lots of backward compatible games won’t be optimized for the next-gen console at launch, you will be stuck with the same game on PlayStation 5. Some games might never get optimization for next-gen consoles.

The high-speed SSD would give you some advantages but without optimization, it would be like using an SSD with PS4. PlayStation 5 only has 825GB SSD which isn’t too much considering the large game sizes. Technically the game sizes of the next-gen console are less but in reality, nothing has changed. Developers are using the extra space to put high-resolution textures in the game which takes up the remaining space. Game sizes for next-gen consoles would remain the same. Since players could use HHD to play backward-compatible games from it, they would want to empty up SSD for next-gen games. There isn’t a lot that PS5 is offering at launch or even year one.

Verdict

Most of the PS5 games at its launch and the first year will be cross-gen. All of the cross-gen games will be available on both 8th gen and 9th gen consoles. To play these games, you won’t need PS5 as they will be available on PS4 as well. Demon’s Souls Remake and Destruction AllStars is the only PS5 exclusive game as Godfall is available on PC. The choice of free next-gen upgrade for games makes the late purchase even more rewarding. The purchase makes more sense because more games would be available for you to play on PS5.

Let’s answer the question “Should I buy PS5 at launch or in the first year of its release?” If you want to have the best experience for PS5, then buying it after a year of its release seems like the best option. In case you want to experience the next-gen consoles as soon as they are out, then buying it seems like the best option. The true potential of next-gen consoles will shine once the games are only available on PS5 and Series X/S. A cross-gen game isn’t as good as a next-gen game.


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