Playstation: Episode IV – A New Hope
Perhaps I expect too much, or maybe I’m just not as connected to the world of contemporary gaming as I want to believe I am, but something about the reception towards Sony’s PS4 announcement strikes me as being particularly lukewarm. Sure, I’m old enough now to realise that the promises of seas parting and maidens flocking aren’t ever true, but I did expect a little more fan-fare than “well, it’s not completely shit…”
Beyond the lacklustre offerings of the Wii U and the PS Vita, or the lingering promise of something from Valve or Apple, gamers have little to feed upon lately. As the next generation begins to rise from the embryonic fluid of shadowy development houses we get to weigh up the merits of a blank canvas against the fear of unfulfilled promises. So, let’s join hands and embark upon this adventure together.
The potential offered by a new console generation has not been lost on me. In fact, it feels like I’m counting down the days until I get to retire my lowly PS3 and my worn-out XBOX 360. These dutiful little sods have kept me beyond entertained for years, but even the finest of companions can eventually out-stay their welcome. To say I’m looking forward to parting ways would be a little unfair, but the prospect of new ideas and a fresh start is one that I seriously crave. Though the undoubtedly sweet parting gifts will hang heavy in my heart -Bioshock Infinite, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Ni No Kuni, The Last of Us- there’s also a definite feeling of relief. Ideas are seriously drying up and it’s my hope, naive as it may be, that the new generation will bring new approaches and new dynamics to the industry.
Lo, the PS4 swaggers up to the podium: proclaiming all two of its ‘new’ ideas, tantalising gamers with the industry talent it shares a bed with and choosing not to reveal its physical form. A bashful console? A manipulative cock-tease? Or perhaps the inevitable side-effect of rushing your announcement out before the competition has even realised what’s happening. Whatever reasons Sony may have for keeping the PS4’s visual identity a secret, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. For now, the PS4 remains the ultimate blind-box gamble: one that I’d wager most sensible humans won’t make with a $400+ price tag.
Through all my bullshit, complaints and fears, one thing strikes me more than anything else – why the fuck am I even having this conversation: why am I even writing this article? Does any other hobby or interest nurture such strange, pre-emptive behaviour? Do I analyse the potential of Cure’s next Boogie Man before I save some cash for a potential release? Do I try to second-guess my beloved Мишка so I can ascertain whether or not the next season will be worth my money? Fuck no. This isn’t just based on faith alone, but more because such overly analytical behaviour is not permitted within these worlds. Yet somehow, the world of video games breeds cynical, would-be fortune tellers and practically encourages the kind of odd characteristics that I’m currently exhibiting. The PS4 announcement was intentionally low on information, not because there’s so little to tell (although I’m not necessarily ruling that out) but because selling the idea and the potential is so much stronger than the actual product itself.
Sony’s announcement focussed on what can and should now be achievable with a games console. We’ve watched this current generation evolve beyond recognition thanks to the simple inclusion of half-decent online services, what once seemed like little more than outlets for arcade classics and the occasional online multiplayer session now help our consoles to transcend their once solitary purpose. For better or worse, our consoles now provide a breadth of entertainment and social options.
Online connectivity afforded our then-new consoles the potential to become what they are now. And so, it becomes easier to turn our attention to the positive trends that the PS4’s promises may nurture.
On the fourth day Sony said “Let them share.” So they did.
I’m constantly at-odds with myself, and my generation as a whole, over the dangers of over-sharing weighed against the fun of creating and spreading content online. Every overly constructed tweet or status update; every perfectly framed Instagram shot; this is all – whether we like it or not – content. We are all enabled to create this inane shit through the miracle of our Internet connections, so why should games consoles be any different? Youtube is awash with home-made game streams, commentary, tournaments and criticism, but it’s the majority of gamers, those without cameras, or HD capture devices that don’t get to express themselves. As hopelessly romantic a notion as it is, I can’t deny the exhilaration I feel when I imagine the potential of that one kid. The kid who is funnier, wittier and more incisive and venomous than I could ever hope to be: he’s the Charlie Brooker of his generation, stifled by his lack of a true outlet, or the ability to experiment. The accessibility and ease of the PS4’s share function is just the push he needs to start his own Youtube channel. Maybe he makes history, or maybe he just becomes another irrelevant voice that comes with a flood of shit heads simply busting to get free shit by working for IGN. Regardless, potential is a powerful concept.
As the dust settles on my romantic ideals, overly analytical nature and delusions of grandeur, I can see clearly that it’s all for nothing. Like it or not, us gamers are probably all going to snag PS4’s and XBOX Nexts at some point because that’s where the games will be. The bang with which this generation is going out on is testament enough that the medium still has the potential to be incredible, only a fool would deny that in the face of resisting change, or not wanting to feel as if their being led through hoops.
Potential, as I’ve been keen to point out, is the most powerful currency that a hardware manufacturer has. So whilst I’ve cried about the lack of detail and definition surrounding the PS4, I’m not completely oblivious to the fact that the best is yet to come. A platform is just that: a stage upon which the future will be played out. We may not have any truly exciting games yet, we may not even know what the damn thing looks like, but we can safely assume that if the likes of Tim Schafer give a shit and that gamers are to become even more empowered than before: then the price of admission is a pretty small fee.
It’s only now that I find my perspective changed and as I look forward to the inevitable retaliation from the XBOX camp, I find myself wondering what potential they will offer gamers. My craving for new IP and resurrected franchises is dissipating (if only slightly) because now I finally understand why the appeal of buying a machine upon its release.
A greater man than me once responded to these immortal words:
“If you build it, they will come.”
I may not have a baseball field, or even a sense of purpose, but I do have the potential to save money and a desire to see something new. I’m giving up cynicism for lent and I’m opting in to the new hardware dream.