This Thursday PlayStation has set the stage for a 40-minute PlayStation 5 event. I’m sure a lot of you are just as excited as I am to find out more about the next-generation PlayStation and what games we’ll be playing on it this holiday season. 

So let’s dive into what we can likely expect from the event and some more outlandish things I’d love to see. 

HAS TO HAPPEN

Price, Release Date & Pre-Order Information

After Xbox was forced to release their release date, price and pre-order information earlier than planned last week, surely there’s no question we’ll be getting all of that information on Thursday morning? Xbox pre-orders start next Tuesday and there’s no way Sony isn’t going to want their, hopefully competitive, price in consumers ears before they drop money on an Xbox. 

I’d love for Sony to drop all of this information at the start of the event. I know it’s usually saved for the end of the show but if they have a great price and release date to flash on-screen then the rest of show suddenly becomes more hopeful, especially if you pair it with some great games confirmed for launch day.

Show Me The UI 

I’ve been dying to see the PS5’s UI. It’s the only console that we know will have a change in user-interface coming into the next-generation. Xbox is unifying their UI across all of their consoles and it won’t be going through a major shakeup, but one thing I love about any new generation of consoles is that surprise and glee in a new UI. 

We got a teaser of the UI during the last PlayStation 5 event. A sole PS symbol sitting on the screen presumably from the first time you boot up your console — but give me more! 

What’s the dashboard look like? Is there a better folder system? For those using their PS5’s as a media hub, how quickly can you find apps like Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video?

We also know that PlayStation has been experimenting with new social features for the PS5 so I’d expect to see that shown off. Although, if I’m being honest I’d love to see Discord appear on the console. Let us join Discord calls through the console, post clips into our Discord channels and more. 

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Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart 

Expect three of Sony’s biggest PS5 games to be on show once again during the showcase and why not? They’re great showcases for the console Don’t know what ray-tracing is? Look at Spider-Man. Don’t know how the SSD will improve not only load times but game design? Look at Ratchet and Clank. Don’t know how much better games will look on PS5? Look at Horizon: Forbidden West.

LIKELY, OR AT LEAST HOPEFUL

Launch and Launch-Window Lineup 

One thing that Xbox doesn’t have going for it coming into this new generation is a great library of new titles launching alongside their machines. There is Game Pass, which is fantastic and I suggest you sign up if you haven’t already, but there’s no Halo Infinite at launch. If Sony is able to lock in even a handful of titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and even something like the Demon’s Souls remake as launch day titles, it’ll be huge. 

I would also like to see some rough release date for the start of 2021. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon: Forbidden West have both been confirmed as games not releasing on launch day, but even a month would be great. 

New Games

Sony has shown off a lot of great titles but for a long time now there’s been many rumours of secretive “big triple-a” games they’ve been keeping close to their chest. Now’s the time to show those off, especially if they’re the return of much-loved franchises. 

New IP is never a bad thing and as Sony continues to build on titles fans know, it’s also time to showcase some new games alongside the faces of Mile Morales and Aloy.

The Last of Us Part II Factions

The Last of Us Part II has to be coming to PS5 much the same the original game came to PS4 with upgraded visuals and frame rate. But if they’re announcing The Last of Us Part II for PS5 I’d also be expecting an announcement of The Last of Us Factions Multiplayer for PS5.

Silent Hill Is Real

There’s been some pretty solid leaks and rumours circulating a Silent Hill game with Keiichiro Toyama in the directors seat for some time now. Originally, a lot of the rumours speculated the game would show up in the first PlayStation 5 event, which obviously did not happen. But if there’s one massive end-show trailer that’ll excite many, it’d be the Silent Hill game. I wouldn’t expect it to be a launch window game, but that makes it a perfect way to finish the show; and with a bang.

TELL HIM HE’S DREAMING

Trophy Upgrade

I love PSN trophies and although the PlayStation is my preferred system there’s still a lot of things Xbox does better when it comes to achievements. I want my trophies to track and display things like kills or collectables needed towards a trophy. I’d love to see a suggestion system implemented where the console suggests games you’re close to platinuming or trophies you’re close to completing (obviously, let people turn this off as well). 

An end goal would be rewards for trophies or PSN levels. It’s something Xbox and PlayStation have both played around with but neither has come up with a good system. Display icons, backgrounds — I don’t really mind to start with. Just stuff to chase and redeem when you reach a certain PSN level. 

Ultimately the trophy system is something that hasn’t been touched since it was first introduced and I think it needs a tune-up.

Uncharted Is Back

There’s been a small, not so secretive, Sony team working on a game for a little while now and the rumours have always circled around the idea of an Uncharted game. Would fans be receptive to an Uncharted game not being worked on by Naughty Dog? I don’t think anyone would mind as long as it looks great.

It’s also time to move past Drake. (Spoilers for Uncharted 4) Let’s put Drake and Elena’s daughter in the driver’s seat of the franchise and go in some different directions for the series. 

Days Gone Sequel

I had a lot of problems with Days Gone, but boy would I love to see Bend Studio come out of a left-field with a sequel that builds on all the systems and characters they created for the first game. It’s also time to go deep on the Syphon Filter tie-in that is only revealed towards the end of the first game. Introduce Logan, let’s go! 

What do you think, or hope we’ll see during the PlayStation 5 event Thursday morning? Let me know in the comments section below and if you’re right I’ll shout you out on our PlayStation podcast, Platinum Explosion. 

We’ll have all the news from the PlayStation 5 event Thursday morning and you can expect a reaction episode of Platinum Explosion to be live shortly after the show.