Fact Check: Will the Dead Space remake be available on PlayStation 4?

Dead Space remake, the recently released survival-horror game, which is essentially a "next-gen" remake of the original Dead Space (2008), has been making headlines for all the right reasons. Developed by Motive Studio, Dead Space remake is a faithful reimagining of the 2008 classic that has been one of the prime inspirations for many modern sci-fi survival-horror games.

Built from the ground up using EA and DICE's proprietary Frostbite Engine (the same engine that powers the Battlefield games as well as the recently released Need for Speed Unbound), the Dead Space remake is easily one of the most visually demanding games of 2023.

Harnessing the power of the current-generation consoles, i.e., Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, as well as modern PC hardware, the Dead Space remake delivers amazingly detailed and breathtaking visuals. From lighting to volumetrics to even the seamless loading of levels (chapters), the remake is a "next-gen" experience in every sense of the word.

Given that several recent major releases have also come out on last-generation console hardware (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), some players might be wondering whether Motive and Electronic Arts have any plans to bring the Dead Space remake to the last-generation consoles.

Unfortunately, due to the ambitious nature of the game's visuals and the advanced technical features that it uses, it's highly unlikely to ever receive a last-generation console release.

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Why the Dead Space remake will not arrive on the PlayStation 4

Technical limitations on the last-generation consoles

Dead Space remake is built on the most recent iteration of the Frostbite engine, similar to the last game that was released on the same engine, Need for Speed Unbound. While Frostbite has had really great compatibility with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the past, the engine's newest iteration has been built from the ground up while keeping the current-generation hardware in mind, making it virtually incompatible with the last-generation console hardware.

Like Need for Speed Unbound, the Dead Space remake uses a seamless loading system that allows players to jump back into the game without wasting any time staring at the loading screen. The seamless loading harnesses the capabilities of modern storage devices (SSDs) that the latest consoles are equipped with. Moreover, the PC requirements for the Dead Space remake explicitly state that the title needs an SSD.

Given that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles still use the traditional 2.5" hard drives, implementing a similar loading framework is virtually impossible due to lower disk bandwidth.

The last-generation consoles, especially the base PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, use a custom CPU and GPU combination that, at the time of writing this article, is almost a decade old, if not more. This makes it a massive compromise for developers who want their game to look as good as possible, while also simultaneously needing to port it to the aging console hardware.

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Developers need to move on and stop catering to last-generation hardware

There have been quite a few recent cross-generation releases, mostly from PlayStation first-party studios that still deliver a playable and enjoyable experience. Games like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, Elden Ring, and a few more have demonstrated that if developers put some time and effort into optimizing a game, they can certainly deliver a playable experience, even for players on last-generation consoles.

However, these games are few and far between, and while bringing games to more platforms is always a good strategy, developers will eventually have to move on to creating games exclusively for current-generation hardware and stop trying to cater to multiple platforms, especially the last-generation consoles, all at the same time.

2023 seems like the final year where we'll see cross-generational mainline game releases, with more and more publishers and developers leaning towards current-generation hardware.

While Hogwarts Legacy, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Atomic Heart (releasing in the first half of 2023) are all scheduled for release on the PlayStation 4, the second half of the year is jam-packed with games coming out exclusively for current-generation consoles and PC.