New research from a money saving website in the UK has revealed the key features that gamers are looking for from the anticipated release of the Playstation 4.
It seems that gamers aren’t ready to sever the links to previous generations of console games as ‘backwards compatibility’, at 71%, tops the list of desired features.
The poll, conducted by Voucher Codes Pro, asked 1,245 UK gamers for their opinions on what they desired from the forthcoming release, after an increase in the number of searches on the site relating to the Playstation 4.
The study initially asked ‘With the announcement of the Playstation 4 on the horizon, what features would you like to see included in the design of the new console?’ and given a list of answers to choose from. They were allowed to select more than one option. The top 10 were as follows:
1) Backwards compatibility – 71%
2) Smaller size – 68%
3) Affordable price -62%
4) Touch-screen controller – 54%
5) Recordable game play – 52%
6) Bigger hard drive capacity – 49%
7) High level voice control – 47%
8) Free online gaming – 42%
9) Super HD – 41%
10) Downloadable games – 40%
‘Backwards compatibility’ topped the list with 71% of gamers wanting the option of playing older PlayStation games on the latest console. A ‘smaller size’ came second with 68% of respondents stating they’d like a smaller console than the PlayStation 3. Third at 62%, unsurprisingly, was an affordable price, suggesting that many gamers are concerned that they’ll have to wait for a fall in the launch price before they can purchase.
The study also asked those that selected ‘backwards compatibility’ as an option why they wanted this incorporated. 48% claimed that they had ‘spent a lot’ on previous generational games and still wanted to play them on the new console.
George Charles of Voucher Codes Pro made the following comment:
“It’s been a long time since the last big console release and with the current market dominated by apps on smartphones and tablets it’s interesting to see how the teams at Sony and Microsoft are going to respond to the competition with their latest console offerings. It seems that from our poll, gamers already have ideas about what they want to see from the expected launches.”
He continued:
“It’s no surprise to see an affordable price up there, as with next generation gadgets there’s always the feeling that you might have to wait a year or so before you can actually afford it. It also seems that size matters, and that nobody wants a large console cluttering up their living room. Some of the features in the list already exist on the PS3 but it seems that gamers want more of the same.”
So what do you think about what the PlayStation 4 should have to offer? Do you think it should have what is listed above or do you think an update on graphics and processing power is enough? Let us know in the comments as we await more information on the PS4 in the coming weeks.