Sony's latest PlayStation 5 event: Here's what to expect

At Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 event on Thursday, the company will finally officially reveal some of the games that will be available on its hotly anticipated console.

In the past, Sony has sought to differentiate itself from its chief competitors, Microsoft and Nintendo, by securing games exclusive to its platform. Thursday's event will give gamers a sense of both the exclusive and non-exclusive titles they'll be able to play on the new system.

The console is slated to launch this holiday season, but a number of mysteries still surround it: its cost, what it looks like and which games it supports.

Sony said it will answer the last question on Thursday. As Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Jim Ryan wrote in a blog post, "What is a launch without games?"

The games will be livestreamed at 1080p resolution, so they'll look better on the PS5 in 4K resolution at launch, Sid Shuman, senior director of content communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment noted in a blog post. That is, if you have a 4K TV.

Sony initially planned the event for last week, but postponed it amid international protests in response to George Floyd's death.

The company said in a statement posted to Twitter on June 1 that it does "not feel that right now is a time for celebration."

"While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games," Sony said, "we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard."

Analysts and gamers don't expect the Thursday announcement to reveal how much the PlayStation 5 console costs, and they are doubtful Sony will unveil what the console looks like. Sony declined to share further event details.

"I think we will get confirmation of what has already been widely heard to be in the pipeline," said David Cole, founder and CEO of research firm DFC Intelligence. He pointed to new games in the "The Last of Us" and "God of War" franchises, both exclusive to PlayStation, as examples of potential reveals at Thursday's event. There are likely to be some trailers of games that have already been announced for PS5 and Xbox Series X, Microsoft's next generation console, such as "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Watch Dogs: Legion."

Fadel Ragheb, a 23-year-old gamer, streamer and podcaster in Montreal, anticipates titles like "Horizon Zero Dawn 2," "Resident Evil 8," perhaps updates to the "Call of Duty" and "Metal Gear" franchises and a few other surprises.

"They've been quiet for so long, and if the PS5 is launching this holiday, they've gotta start marketing!" Ragheb told CNN Business.

The stay-at-home orders due to the ongoing pandemic could also whet the appetites for games, experts say.

"These past couple of months people have spent in their home surely might have increased the desire to discover new games," said Carolina Milanesi, a tech analyst at research firm Creative Strategies. "Titles [have] also been a strong differentiator for them versus Xbox, so it might be a good time to lean into this point."

Sony needs to prove to gamers that its next generation console is worth the money -- even if the price isn't announced. The company has already announced the technical specifications of the PS5, which will include better audio and graphics than the current generation console, but it remains to be seen what game developers will do with the new features.

"With a next generation of console gaming on the horizon, Sony will look to showcase titles that take advantage of PS5 features. Sony will need to prove that ray tracing, 3D audio and the new SSD will provide a true next-gen experience for consumers," said Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at Niko Partners who covers the Asian video games market.

At the same time, the event could always hold surprises.

"This is the first online-only gaming launch [for the company], so I am sure there is some uncharted territory for Sony," said Milanesi.

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