PS5 generation was worth it just for faster loading times says Sony developer

The developer behind Astro Bot thinks the PS5 console made some notable ‘leaps’ over the PS4, despite the small graphical differences.

In terms of exclusive games which capitalise on the power of the hardware, the PlayStation 5 has been nothing short of a disappointment.

There have been some standout titles, such as Astro Bot and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but the slow transition from the PlayStation 4 generation, coupled with Sony’s pursuit of a live service hit, has meant many of its studios haven’t been able to fully push the PlayStation 5’s capabilities.

But there’s also the problem that the differences between console generations are becoming less obvious to the average person, with improvements that are increasingly less obvious to the naked eye.

Astro Bot director Nicolas Doucet discussed this topic in a new interview, and while he acknowledged the small graphical differences between the PlayStation 4 and 5, he believes the system’s other upgrades justify its existence.

‘When you put graphics side-by-side between an end-of-lifecycle PlayStation 4 game and early cycle PlayStation 5 game, you could argue, to an untrained eye, that it’s hard to see the difference,’ Doucet told The Game Business.

‘But early on [with PlayStation 5] we got the DualSense prototypes, with this haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. And we tried to understand what could be different about having this kind of trigger, so you can simulate pulling something, or cracking something, or crushing something… We tested all of that.

‘When you’ve gone through [that process], you get to appreciate the changes. There are some leaps, but they’re maybe less obvious than when we went to HD graphics. That’s something that you can just stare at the screen for a few seconds and understand. With the controller, you have to get it in your hands and get a feel for it.’

He added: ‘But I do think the PlayStation 5, between the DualSense and the SSD, really brought something special. 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. So, in terms of just the pleasure of play, that’s really increased.’

It’s important to note that Team Asobi, the developer behind Astro Bot, is owned by Sony, so it’s unsurprising that they would defend the PlayStation 5. However, even so, the DualSense controller and faster loading times are thin justifications for a £429.99 console, especially five years in.

To Doucet’s credit, Team Asobi is one of the few studios which actually capitalise on the DualSense controller. In Astro Bot, the haptic feedback is used to replicate raindrops and other environmental textures, while the motion sensor is used to fly a spaceship.

All of these features, however, including the faster loading times with the PlayStation 5’s SSD, are nothing more than quality-of-life improvements – so it’s hard to see Doucet’s view being shared by the average consumer.

The topic of generational leaps looks set to become a sticking point for Sony’s incoming PlayStation 6. It remains to be seen what Sony could do to make a new console an enticing proposition, especially if it’s coming out in 2027, although there are rumours it will be accompanied by a handheld device in some capacity.

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