Pre-orders for PlayStation’s Astro Bot have just gone live on the PlayStation Store, and interestingly enough, it’s not a ‘full-priced’ first-party PS5 game. That $10 reduction says a lot in terms of how Sony is positioning this brand new platformer—as in, they believe it has more standalone purchasing power than the $39.99 Helldivers 2 (lower price for live service makes sense here), but not as much as say, the $70 Spider-Man 2 or God of War: Ragnarök.
The standard physical and digital editions will run you a slightly discounted $59.99 a piece, while the deluxe digital variant pops back up to the expected $69.99. The latter does include secondary intangible goodies, though.
Here’s what’s in all the different versions:
Physical Standard Edition
- Physical poster
- PaRappa Lovestruck Lyricist outfit
- Glorious Graffiti Dual Speeder paint color
- 2 Astro Avatars
Digital Standard Edition
- PaRappa Lovestruck Lyricist outfit
- Glorious Graffiti Dual Speeder paint color
- 2 Astro Avatars
Digital Deluxe Edition
- Astro’s Yharnam Tourist outfit
- Astro’s Golden outfit
- The Neon Dream Dual Speeder paint color
- The Champion’s Gold Dual Speeder paint color
- The official Soundtrack and Digital Art Gallery
- 10 Astro Avatars
On that note, pre-ordering any version grants you access to the following additional in-game/in-console items:
- The Astro Lovestruck Lyricist outfit
- The Glorious Graffiti Dual Speeder paint color
- 2 Astro Avatars
This is all fine and dandy, I suppose, but it has me noticing one glaring omission: Where in the frothing collector’s frenzy is a special edition Astro Bot DualSense controller? It would be perfect! I mean, Astro literally rides a flying DualSense in the recently released trailer, and the aeronautic wonder seems to be a huge part of the game, especially so because we’re observing varied Dual Speeder (the name of the DualSense vehicle, seemingly) cosmetics in all of these different editions of the game.
What gives, Sony? Where’s my Dual Speeder DualSense?
At the very least, a cool gamepad with interesting colors and Astro Bot designs slapped all over the shell would have sufficed. But I’m thinking even bigger and better: Why not release a DualSense that has wings and thrusters which flip out like the in-game Dual Speeder model? Hell, make it a hybrid controller/Transformer with lights and sounds, and watch waves of eager orders flow like robotic wine into the PlayStation website.
The Astro Bot franchise has so much personality and feels heaven-sent in terms of a limited edition peripheral tie-in. If the aforementioned Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarök can both have their own bespoke DualSenses, then our boy Astro definitely deserves something awesome to commemorate his jump to a full, sprawling 3D adventure. Sony could have even roped in the other popular IPs present in the game—like PaRappa and Journey and all the rest—to make the controller appeal to a broader PlayStation audience.
Releasing a new game that leans this hard into PlayStation hardware and PlayStation history and not launching an amazing collectible or accessory alongside it seems like a monumental missed opportunity. That said, none of this will affect the quality of Astro Bot itself, and it still looks to me like a fantastic return to the glorious, wacky, creative 3D platformers we all loved so much back in the ‘90s.
My saltiness will pass, I swear. I’m doing breathing exercises. I’m going on long walks. I’m eating lots of eggs. I’m staying hydrated. Peace is not without, but within.
Still, Sony: Re-release the PocketStation, you cowards. In Astro Bot form. I’ll buy ten. Really.