The race to next-gen is finally beginning to heat up.
Despite COVID-19 causing total havoc on global commerce, both Sony and Microsoft remain confident – supply shortages are, however, very possible – in their ability to deliver ninth-generation hardware in the form of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, respectively. The latter was first to show its hand at last year’s Game Awards, of course, though gamers have come to learn more about both over the last few months or so.
As of writing, the public has yet to behold Sony’s console in all its glory, though based on the recent unveiling of DualShock 4’s successor DualSense, we could well be seeing the Japanese electronics giant finally ditch the black color scheme for a pearly white aesthetic instead. There’s more still to come on that front, then, though in the meantime, more third-party developers have come forward to confirm their contributions to next-gen.
The first of these is Deep Silver’s Chorus, a spacefaring, narrative-driven shooter on course to arrive sometime next year. Players will take control of protagonist Nara, a warrior on the run from the dark cult that created her. “Unlock devastating weapons and mind-bending abilities in a true evolution of the space-combat shooter,” reads the title’s official description, adding that fans will be able to use Nara’s sentient starfighter in order to explore ancient temples and engage in “exhilarating zero-g combat.”
Racing game fans will be immediately familiar with the second reveal, Dirt 5, which hails from veteran studio Codemasters. Described as an homage to previous installments (with particular lip service paid to Dirt 2 and 3 by director Robert Karp), the series’ fifth entry promises to deliver an exhilarating off-road experience either against AI on “some of the world’s most challenging environments” or against three others in split-screen.
Probably not the showcase of first-party exclusives you were perhaps hoping for or expecting, then, but with several months still to go before PlayStation 5 hits retail, we imagine the announcements will come thick and fast from here on out, so stay tuned.