Sony announces a PlayStation 5 reveal — here’s what to expect [Update]

Update, June 1: Sony today tweeted that that it would be delaying the PlayStation 5 reveal event indefinitely due to current world events, saying “…we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration…”

pic.twitter.com/ZAY8StN0EU

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020

Original article follows:

After months of trickling out information about the PlayStation 5, Sony’s finally putting on a show. Specifically, it’s going to reveal some of the games that’ll be available on its new console. It’s likely not going to be a console reveal, but at least it’s something.

Join us Thursday, June 4 at 1:00pm Pacific time for a look at the future of gaming on PlayStation 5: https://t.co/Yr8fafcOVd #PS5 pic.twitter.com/F0yBbDmOtC

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 29, 2020

The event will be held on June 4, a Thursday, at 1pm PDT, and will last for an hour. You’ll be able to view the show on the PlayStation Twitch and YouTube channels. In the announcement, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan specifies that the “Future of Gaming” will be about the games available on the PS5, saying, “But what is a launch without games? That’s why I’m excited to share that we will soon give you a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday.”

He adds that this will be the first of many more reveals: “A lack of physical events has given us an amazing opportunity to think differently and bring you on this journey with us, and hopefully, closer than ever before. This is part of our series of PS5 updates and, rest assured, after next week’s showcase, we will still have much to share with you.”

Read: We finally got a peek at the Xbox Series X game lineup

Hopefully we’ll have some surprise game reveals. Of the games that have been confirmed for the PS5 so far, I’ll wager we’ll see exclusive Godfall, and probably the likes of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion. I also expect to see some current-gen/next-gen crossovers, such as Ghost of Tsushima or Last of Us Part II. I’ve got my fingers crossed for some surprises, potentially in the God of War, Infamous, or Spider-Man series.

It’s been over a year since Sony first started teasing details about its new baby — specifically when it first revealed details about the hardware in Wired interview. At the time, Sony revealed that it’d been working on the console for at least four years and revealed a few details about the new CPU and GPU and SSD. We’ve since been shown, in the Unreal Engine 5 demo, which allegedly ran on a PS5 dev kit, just what those internals will look like in practice.

Note that this announcement doesn’t say anything about a reveal of the PS5 itself. As I’ve said before, Sony’s insistence on keeping the console itself under wraps is giving me a massive migraine, and it doesn’t appear that will be relieved by next week’s announcement. So far, we’ve been shown some tech details, the logo, and the controller. And while I’m as excited as the next person to find out what’ll be available to play on the next-gen console (I’m holding out hope for Horizon Zero Dawn 2), I’d still like to actually see the console I might be buying in a few months.

And I get it, the games are what’s important, not the look of the machine. But the fact it’s not likely to be a proper console reveal means Sony’s going to continue to sit on one of the most crucial details for potential buyers: price. The console’s price appears to be a matter of some behind-the-scenes tension — rumor has it that Sony might have to sell it at a loss due to the expense of the parts. There are also rumors it may limit supply at launch. As for why it could dragging its feet, it might still be waiting on Microsoft to price the Xbox Series X, which it hasn’t so far.

Again, the event begins on June 4 at 1pm PDT. See you there.