The beginning of a new generation of consoles is nothing short of momentous. The gaming landscape as we know it is shifting and there can be a lot of uncertainty as to what’s going to happen, along with a lot of excitement for the future. We all have different priorities when it comes to what excites us about new hardware. Some people just want new games, others just love having a brand new box and don’t mind so much about games. Some people want brand new franchises, while others are happy with the best versions of games and franchises they already know and love.  With that said, I decided to have a think about what the PS5 and Xbox Series X need to do to make me truly excited.

I’m not talking about mildly excited, but I’m also not talking about unrealistic bombshells that would have me frothing at the mouth. I’m talking about realistic expectations that would take me from, ‘Well, I probably have to buy one of these consoles for review purposes,’ to, ‘Man, I can’t wait for this console to release!’ With that said, here is what the PS5 and Xbox Series X need to do to get me truly excited.

Two big exclusive launch games that show off the hardware

I don’t think it’s any secret that you need games to sell a console. If there’s nothing to play, nobody will want to jump in. It’s also no secret that I really want some great games to play when these consoles launch. I don’t just want cross-generation games that look a bit better on the PS5 or Xbox Series X, I want a couple of massive showpieces that get me excited. I want a couple of games like Ryse and Killzone: Shadowfall. They weren’t necessarily amazing as games, but they showed off the generational leap in ways that few other launch titles did.

No droughts in the first year

Along with needing games, a drought in your first year can be nothing short of momentum killing. At least for me, anyway. I absolutely hate going into a generation, having a few games to play at launch and then looking at the release schedule to see I’m waiting another six months for a big game. You want me excited? Make sure that doesn’t happen.

Reasonable price

What’s reasonable as a price will obviously change from person to person, but what I really mean here is making the price as cheap as possible. If you need to lose some money on the hardware, do it. The console manufacturers know full well that they’ll make that money back within the first few months off digital revenue or licenses. For me to be truly excited, I want console prices below $449.99 USD or $700 AUD. I’ll still pay more than that if I have to, but I certainly won’t be as excited, especially if get another $599.99 USD moment that spawned years of memes.

At least one big show-stopper to top off the first year

There needs to be something to look forward to with your console, a vision of what to expect. This doesn’t mean CGI trailers with no dates and make it look like the games after 5 years off, like we saw at last week’s Xbox Games Showcase. This means something akin to Mario Odyssey or maybe even Horizon Forbidden West (assuming it does launch in 2021). Something that looks tangible and feels like it could release soon. Something massive to celebrate that first year of your new console’s life.

More Big New IPs or Reboots of long dormant franchises

It really does feel like the AAA third party industry is starting to stagnate. The Xbox 360 was the last time it felt like AAA studios were going out of their way to come up with new and creative IP. We had the birth of Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and Dragon Age for example. All franchises that are still going as me move forwards into the next generation. I want developers to be doing similar things with the PS5 and Xbox Series X, going out of their way to create new blockbuster IP that will get me excited. I just don’t know if I’m seeing that yet, but I want that excitement of the unknown once again.

For Digital Libraries and Progress to easily make the trip over

This one is pretty self-explanatory. The digital landscape exploded through this last generation of consoles. We know that backwards compatibility is supported by both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but that isn’t enough for me. I want to know that my saves and in-game purchases will easily carry over to these new platforms. I’m sure they will, but I want explicit confirmation that’s the case.

There you have it, there are the things that the PS5 and Xbox Series X need to do to get me truly excited in the early days. With launch quickly approaching we should begin to get more information around some of these points soon. What are the things you want that would get you truly excited for the next generation? Head over to our Facebook page to let us know!