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While audio-visual improvements tend to be front and center for new consoles, the finer details are what really matter. Haptic feedback, running speeds, storage, how easy the system is to develop for. The hard drive is a standout facet of the PlayStation 5, for instance, at least according to one of the main developers on Astro Bot.
Nicolas Doucet, the studio director for Astro Bot developer Team Asobi, is extremely familiar with the PS5. He shepherded the console's mascot from being a charming pack-in that celebrated the legacy of Sony’s long-running platform to becoming an award-winning game of the year contender.
"I do think the PS5, between the DualSense and the SSD, really brought something special," he says. "With the SSD; I'm thinking of things like the Souls games, where you die a lot. And when you die, you used to have to wait a long time before you get a second try. With the SSD, that becomes really, really fast."
He's got a point. I've been playing FromSoft games since the PlayStation 3, where dying would sometimes mean time to take a walk, listen to some ambient music, meditate, and make another cup of tea before continuing. OK, that's an exaggeration, I wasn't meditating while trying to beat Ornstein and Smough in Dark Souls, but you catch my drift.
Following those releases through BloodBorne on PS4 and then Elden Ring on PS5, you can truly feel the difference. Respawning is quicker, almost seamless, keeping your immersion tighter and playing for longer. Doucet believes this has improved gameplay more broadly.
"In terms of just the pleasure of play, that's really increased," he adds. Astro Bot itself is absolutely an example of this, with how smoothly the platformer allows you to flit across its bright, colorful areas. Switching between Miles and Peter in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the cross-dimensional joy of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart spring to mind for others. Imagine what the next generation will bring, aside from dying in Elden Ring 2, that is.
