With everything that’s been happening in the world today, I forgot that the next generation of console wars was supposed to be gearing up. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5 is still slated to be launched by this year’s holiday season. Microsoft already gave us a preview of what to expect with their new console so now the ball is in Sony’s court. Well, it looks like they’re going to fire back later in the week with an hour long presentation focused on the PlayStation 5, which, they claim, is the “future of gaming.”

Well, the part in the quotes remains to be seen as Sony still has a lot of unanswered questions about the PlayStation 5. Seeing that this is supposed to be Sony’s big reveal show, I’m hoping they answer some specific questions about their upcoming next generation video game console.

Question #1: What does the PlayStation 5 look like?

It’s rather weird that Sony gave us a detailed look at the PlayStation 5’s controller but not the console itself. I mean, as cool looking the controller is, it isn’t exactly groundbreaking like when Nintendo showed what the Wii and Wii U’s controllers looked like. The DualSense, as Sony is calling it, looks like a sleeker DualShock, the controller Sony’s been bundling with their systems for ages.

I guess the reason why they’re hawking the DualSense rather than the actual console is because Sony is still finalizing what the PlayStation 5 will look like. There have been earlier leaks at what the system will look like and, using patent designs, some people have already created 3D models based on them.

And, well, it’s ugly. I mean, look at it!

It’s just really gaudy, with that large “V” shape protruding from the top of the system! Of course, as my colleague has pointed out that the design may be more for function than aesthetics, that doesn’t change the fact that these renders makes the PlayStation 5 look very unpleasant. As these are patents, Sony can still make some changes to the final PlayStation 5 design and I’m hoping we’ll get to see the actual system during the show and not just show games.

Speaking of games….

Question #2: What is the PlayStation 5’s launch lineup?

You can bet Sony is going to show us a whole lot of games during the PlayStation 5 show. I mean, they pretty much have to as they have to show gamers, the target audience, what they can play on their new fangled hardware. They’ll also show us a lot of exclusives during the show, without a doubt. But, of course, not all of the games will be done when the PlayStation 5 launches. Only a few of them will be available on Day 1, the launch library.

Now, as much as I love my PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, I never felt the need to get them on release because, frankly speaking, Sony’s launch library always seems to suck. Take a look at the PS4 launch lineup and you can see how underwhelming it all was.

I have always seen early adopters of new gaming consoles get the shaft with launch games for the past couple of generations as the games they have on Day 1 simply don’t look like anything special. I don’t want to see Knack 3 or another Assassins Creed game that’s also out for the current generation of gaming platforms. I want to see a launch lineup with a killer game and I hope Sony does reveal a stellar launch lineup… but I’m not holding my breath.

I have no doubt that Sony will pile on some really big system sellers during the PlaySation 5 lifespan but I want to see the company give gamers an incentive to take the plunge into next-gen and shell out a hefty amount of coin to participate.

While we’re on the topic of money…

Question #3: How much will the PlayStation 5 cost?

The PlayStation 5 is going to have a lot of fancy new tech built-in as standard. I mean, that’s what I got from listening to Mark Cerny talk “excitedly” about the technological stuff the system is going to have… I think.

Burning through all the hi-tech gobbledygook Mark Cerny was churning out, it’s going to have a super fast SSD hard drive for quick loading to levels and textures, custom chipsets to keep up with the SSD and keep framerates steady, a new GPU to handle more polygons and ray-tracing and a new soundchip to simulate distance and movement better. It’s also going to use PlayStation 4 architecture so most of current gen games will be playable on the next gen system. And I even haven’t gotten to the supposed tech the DualSense has.

All of this sounds very expensive and it probably is. So, if all of this is going to be some standard with the PlayStation 5, am I going to need to sell a kidney to buy it? This is a very important question as this is what led to a lot of backlash when Sony announced the PlayStation 3 was going to cost at roughly $500 at launch. I hope Sony learned their lesson and somehow find a way to not make the PlayStation 5 a money sink for early adopters but we won’t know until they say how much it will really cost.

Speaking of backwards compatibility…

Question #4: How far will the PlayStation 5’s backwards compatibility go?

During that long Mark Cerny presentation, the man did mention that the PlayStation 5 will be able to play PlayStation 4 games. That’s a very cool thing as, even if you’re an early adopter and the launch lineup sucks, as least you can delve into your library of PlayStation 4 games and, hopefully, play them with updated graphics and 60 fps frame rates. Well, if they work, anyway.

However, they did not mention how far back backwards compatibility will work on the PlayStation 5 and how it’ll work. Sure, PlayStation 4 games will be playable but can you view your online purchased games from the PlayStation Store and download them on your PlayStation 5? Will this only work with the PS4 game discs? If a game doesn’t work, will Sony make a patch for it in the future?

Also, while this is a longshot, will it be eventually possible to play your very old PS1, PS2 and PS3 game discs on the PlayStation 5? I highly doubt it but I’m just hoping Sony can finally confirm if they’ll work or not.

Speaking of stuff working on the PlayStation 5…

Question #5: What SSD Hard Drives will work with the PlayStation 5?

As mentioned, the PlayStation 5 will come with a custom SSD hard drive that’s much faster than the mechanical ones most people are used to. How big is it going to be?

From what I’ve seen from around the Interwebs, the new system is going to come with a 825 GB SSD drive. That seems like a lot but, considering that current generation games already take up a huge amount of space now, I’m predicting next-gen games are going to eat up much more space than ever before! Thankfully, Sony already revealed that you can replace the standard SSD drive with a much larger one. Hopefully, the process will be as easy and painless as with the other PlayStation consoles.

However, because of the PlayStation 5 tech specs, your standard 2 TB will not work! Mark Cerny did say during that hour long TED-like Talk that they are testing what hard drives will be compatible with it. But I’m guessing a lot of geeks, like myself, would want to know what specific SSD drives will work so that we can swap the “measly” 825 GB drive with a more beefy one. Hopefully, that list will be extensive.

BONUS: When will Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 be released?

Since Final Fantasy VII Remake is a PlayStation 4 exclusive for the time being, I’m expecting the next installment, Part 2, to be made for either the current gen or next gen Sony console. But when will it be released? I mean, the first part was announced a whole four years ago!

I don’t think gamers will be willing to wait for another four years for the next installment, Sony!

What do you want Sony to reveal during the PlayStation 5 event? Let me know in the comment section below!