Sony has confirmed that PlayStation 5 titles Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Horizon Forbidden West will all be available on PS4 as well, and fans who buy them on the older console will get the next-gen upgrade for free. This news comes on the heels of a major PlayStation 5, showcase which gave in-depth looks at several next-gen titles including Final Fantasy XVI and Deathloop. It also finally confirmed a $499 price point for the PlayStation 5.
It's been a long road for PlayStation fans. Sony has been happy to show fans a huge library of exciting new titles that will appear on the PS5, but it took its time before revealing how much the new console would actually cost. The COVID-19 pandemic has proved a pretty substantial obstacle for the video game industry, and without trade shows like E3, Sony has struggled to share the information it needs to get out to fans. Now, at long last, the end is in sight. The PS5 release date and the price have finally been revealed, and preorders have already begun, leading to server crashes on websites like Gamestop.
Shortly after the showcase, PlayStation announced in a blog post that PS5 launch titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Horizon Forbidden West will be receiving PS4 editions as well. The company acknowledges that the games were designed to take advantage of the more powerful technology that the PS5 can offer, and to that end, it will be offering PS4 owners who buy the current-gen versions a free upgrade to PS5 whenever they're able to take advantage of it. The update applies to both the digital and physical editions of the game.
Plenty of video games that are releasing around this time have already promised similar upgrades. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is charging $10 for its next-gen upgrade to fans who've already purchased the current-gen game, in a move that's rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. Plenty of players seem willing to pay extra for next-gen versions of games, though, and Sony has also confirmed that its first-party games could cost up to $70 starting with the PS5's launch.
It's a very exciting time for video game fans, but it's an equally expensive time. Not everyone has the money to put down on a brand new console right away, and with a wide-ranging video game price hike all but confirmed, getting into modern gaming has never been pricier. Sony's announcement gives people a chance to experience at least a few of the exciting new next-gen opportunities it has promised without nearly as much of an investment up front, and that's a very good thing. Accessibility is important to any hobby, video games included, and this is a great chance for Sony to cast a wider net and bring its games to more and more PlayStation fans.
Source: PlayStation