Press Start: The PS5 Event and Nintendo Direct Highlights

It's felt really good to be a video game fan over the last 24 hours. From the PlayStation event yesterday, to the Partner Showcase Nintendo Direct, there have been so many exciting announcements that have me looking forward to the future of video games. Despite chaos on the preorder front, which we get into this week on the podcast, I think the PS5 event was a success. I want to count down the five highlights for me personally over the last day of announcements.

5. We finally have a price and date for PS5

November 12 for $499 for the standard edition, and $399 for the digital edition. Finally, the questions we've been asking for months have answers! I managed to secure a PS5 on Amazon late Wednesday night. Hopefully everyone who is still trying to preorder can lock one down before November 12 hits!

4. God of War sequel and Final Fantasy XVI are coming to PS5

Both games have been known about for some time, but it was great to get confirmation of both God of War on PS5 and Final Fantasy XVI. These are two huge titles that will no doubt ramp up the excitement for next-gen. As someone who loved Final Fantasy VII Remake this year, I'm looking forward to seeing how FFXVI turns out.

3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is on Switch now

One of the biggest Xbox console exclusives is now on Switch! I think we all expected this to happen at some point, but I'm surprised the Ori sequel made it to other platforms so quickly. The special edition that includes both games looks pretty nice, too.

2. Select first-party PS5 games are coming to PS4

Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure are all cross-generational games with PS4. Just like Xbox is planning to do, making games available on current-gen hardware, along with free upgrades to next-gen, is an extremely consumer-friendly move I'm a fan of. I'm looking forward to experiencing Miles Morales on PS5, but Kevin and Zach can still enjoy the game without becoming early adopters. Great!

1. Monster Hunter Rise comes to Switch next March

The Nintendo Direct kicked off with a bang, revealing a new Monster Hunter coming to Switch on March 26, 2021. New monsters, improved traversal, and a brand-new dog companion called the Palimute highlight this new release, and I can't wait. Plus, long live amiibo! MHR is getting three amiibo figures, including a deluxe edition that bundles one of the amiibo figures with the game.

Next-gen feels more real than ever, and Nintendo continues to do their thing. It's been an exciting week!