Topic: PlayStation 5 --OT--

@Th3solution Hopefully you channel some cosmic energy into Jedi Survivor coming to EA play now Sol, Ta you're the best.

@Bundersvessel 👍🏼 Working on it. 😄

My Dad has acquired a PS5 slim. It seems better suited for him as the stand does seem to be less fiddly than the standard version. The disc drive and eject button is easier to access, as he forgets you can eject discs from the dash. His cabinet also has doors, which are usually closed due to the two cats. One annoyance is that the usb port for mine and his headphones is not at the back of the console instead of the front, so is more of a faff to get to.

@JohnnyShoulder That’s good to know that the Slim’s stand is more stable. I really dislike the PS5’s stand when used horizontally. It feels so haphazard and insecure. If you plug something into the back (like the Ethernet cord we were discussing over on the Portal thread) it often can push the console slightly off kilter and you have to try to re-seat the device back into that very specific sweet-spot so that it’s level and not going to fall off with the next jostle that happens. Would it have killed them to just put a small groove or something like that so the stand slides into place rather than having to adjust it to be over those tiny symbols on the back of the unit? Alas, once my PS5 is firmly in place I hate to touch it so that it won’t get out of alignment.

@Th3solution I changed the stand a few months ago, as someone recommended one on here. It wasn't the same brand, but the design was almost the same, and a bit cheaper I believe. It is a massive improvement.

When I got here yesterday, alarms bells were ringing as his PS5 was sandwiched between a load of game cases. 😂 When I picked them up them, they were hot to the touch! And the console had not been on recently. I've told him the error of his ways and to find a new space for his games.

@JohnnyShoulder Oh, Papa Shoulder… 😂

@Th3solution Tell me about it! He was also saying he couldn't get his headphones working on his PS5. When I got here, the USB dongle was still plugged into his PS4! 🤣

Has Sony officially done away with their “Greatest Hits” program? I don’t think they’ve had any added to the library since, what… Horizon Zero Dawn? It’s a program they used to celebrate the best games on each console going back to PS1 and they just shut it down? I don’t remember any official statements on this.

@Th3solution But that would require effort on PlayStation's part. It seems like things like reprinting packaging and re-doing disc art would be too much work this gen.

Seriously though, that is a good question. I never saw anything on it either, but it checks out with their silent treatment.

@Th3solution Arguably, they haven't really had any 'PS5' hits as the majority are on PS4 and require an 'upgrade' fee. Others are remasters of 'old' games too like Demon Souls for example so maybe they don't have enough games to launch a Greatest Hits for those who may have just upgraded to or joined Playstation.

Another aspect of course is that now Sony have put a greater emphasis on PS+ and those 'greatest' hits are in their PS+ Subscription service and also now being released on PC too to generate more 'sales' as well as a renewed PR cycle that boosts sales on PS5 without requiring some tacky looking repackaging...

@BAMozzy The Greatest Hits program was never exclusive to first party games. In fact the majority of games on it were third party. Stuff like Battlefield, Crash Bandicoot, Battlefront, Monster Hunter, Metal Gear Solid, LEGO, Resident Evil, and Yakuza games, to name a few from the PS4 gen GH collection.

For first party, I agree it becomes a little sticky when a game is cross gen, but some of them are sold as a package with both PS4/PS5 versions included. I also agree that the PC releases also complicate things because they seem to be releasing around the timeframe that a game would be considered a “greatest hit”. Remakes shouldn’t be a problem though since it didn’t stop them before (The Last of Us Remastered is a Greatest Hit on PS4, as is The Nathan Drake Collection)

Still, at this point I think it would easily make sense to consider games like Demon’s Souls, Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, R&C Rift Apart, GoW Ragnarok, SM1 & Miles Morales, UC Legacy of Thieves Collection; as well as 3rd party games like It Takes Two, Resident Evil 8, Yakuza Like a Dragon, No Man’s Sky, Hades, DMC5, Deathloop, GT7, AC Valhalla, FF7 Remake, Control, Stray… etc, etc.

We’ve reached a point where there are enough games that have sold well and/or received accolades that they can be celebrated (and sold at a discount). Of course, I’ve always thought there was a weird inconsistency of which games get the special “Greatest Hits” moniker on their cover art. Games like Friday the 13th, Project CARS, and Plants vs Zombie: Garden Warfare 2 were included and yet hits like Shadow of the Colossus Remake, RDR2, and Detroit Become Human were not.

Edit: As far as a GH collection cannibalizing the subscription service, I don’t think it would. PS+ subscription numbers have remained stagnant anyways. Some people would rather buy their games and I think the promotion of being a discounted GH would help sales.

@Malaise The red “Greatest Hits” stripe still appears on the digital cover art, but it’s less noticeable than the red disc jacket of the physical versions.

Like you say, the tradition could easily transfer over to the digital storefront, especially if the games are getting a price drop anyways.

@Th3solution What I meant was that the main reason behind the 'Greatest Hits' maybe no longer relevant. The 'purpose' from the business perspective wasn't 'Customer' focussed but a way to have a secondary PR run to boost sales of an 'older' game that wasn't really selling anymore.

Now they have PC and PS+ Sub services and the 'hype/PR' around those games releasing on PC or into a Sub service generates 'sales' on PS5. When Spider-Man came to PC, PS5 sales were also 'boosted' because of the PR.

All I am saying is that Sony/Playstation is not the 'same' as it was when they weren't releasing games on PC to generate a second wave of 'sales' and if you missed their 'Greatest Hits', Subscribe to a higher tier to get to play them. If they were 'budget' price now on PS5, it devalues their Sub service and/or being able to sell the game at 'full' Price on PC.

Essentially, that Sony are not in the same situation they were in, their 'market' has changed as they aren't solely relying on Game Sales on their Console as its now supplemented by PC and Subscription sales. Those still 'remind' people those games are all on Playstation too...

@BAMozzy Perhaps that’s true. Either way, it’s unfortunate that the tradition has stopped after 5 generations.

i used to keep my game cases back then and hated the greatest hits ugly red cover lol

White DS5 that came with the console is on its way back to Sony due to developing a tendency to go left constantly.
Almost a year to the day since having the console and what I can only describe as 'light' use - posted it back 3 days before its warranty expires so hopefully Sony will repair/replace the innards.
I've still got 3 official DS3s and 4 DS4s - much more heavily used and no sign of drifting.

@nomither6 I still do have my collection and like to keep my games too which is why I would never buy the game if it had the 'GH' packaging. If I didn't own the game by the time it was a 'Greatest Hit' and wanted it, I would rather hunt for used copies if that's the only way to find the OG packaging.

@BAMozzy yup , i’d do the same.

It's not being discussed much that I've seen, but 2024 is the first year in memory where SEGA just dumps all over the competition as a publisher (I'm including Atlus, since they're now a subsidiary).

Unicorn Overlord
Yakuza: Infinite Wealth
Persona 3 Reload
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, which looks to dramatically improve on many elements of the original release.
Metaphor: ReFantazio looks pretty great.

That's a pretty good list. We'll see how their other releases fare, but that's a pretty great lineup so far.