Sony: We Believe in Europe, And Won't Let Anyone Take PS4's Territory

He's probably saying that to keep his job at this point after he cocked up during E3 twice.

How many European based Studio's have Sony got? Even if sales were 'evenly' matched, Sony would still have a big presence in Europe thanks to the Studios they have.

Europe=Sony Land

What's the uptake of 4K tvs in Europe? They are pretty much the only ones listed on sale now in the US though I feel like most people still own 1080p. I can't imagine it's a big deal in Japan, not for gamers anyway as mobile is so popular.

I guess Europe is a bit broad though, I'd imagine Germans being more interested than southern countries dealing with economic issues.

Anyway my point in there somewhere is, I don't see XboxX being dominant in places where 4k is secondary.

@EpicAndy *Fortress

@rjejr In southern countries the consumption is lower, but still the ratios between the console sales are the same. I live in Greece which is definitely a PS country. I'd say there are few Nintendo fans, of a bit older demographic, and Xbox is almost non-existent.

And, yeah, at least here, the uptake of 4K is very low. So I don't see people investing on Pro, but on Slim, definitely.

@EpicAndy Now there's a theme park I'd be happy to take the kids to...

@BAMozzy 4 in Europe (3 in the UK and 1 in the Netherlands) and XDev of course which is partnered with many other studios as well (according to Wikipedia)

they actually have more in the U.S than in Europe

@rjejr I live in England and 4K tv's dominate the stores these days and most of my friends have one as do I. I got it specifically for the Pro and whilst the X obviously appeals for 3rd party stuff, I doubt I'll get one until it has some compelling exclusives

@rjejr Whilst the percentage of people with 4k TV's are moderately low, the yearly sales are higher than HD TV's. Statiscally, the uptake of 4k has been more rapid than the uptake of HD TV's were. TV's though in general are not often upgraded but more devices that are 'replaced' when something goes wrong.

According to Sony, 50% of PS4 Pro owners play on a 4k TV. I am sure a lot of those bought a 4k TV because of the Pro. The XBX will be another motivator for people to upgrade. Its not just the resolution though either but HDR too. Maybe you aren't missing out by not upgrading to 4k, but HDR is something else!

Whether you plan to upgrade to 4k 'now' or not, chances are that your next TV will be at least 4k. The content is growing too and Sky, BT and Virgin all have 4k set top boxes. Streaming also has increased in 4k content. Games are all made in 4k too and certainly a lot of PC market is moving towards 4k capable hardware.

Its not that different from the jump from SD CRT TV's to HD TV's and there where a LOT who wondered who HD was 'for' back then too. However how many people today don't own a HD TV. When the XB360 and PS3 launched, HD TV's were still struggling to gain traction. The original XB360 didn't even have HDMI but still offered HD gaming.

When Sony bring out the PS5 (not discussing a 'date') you can bet that will also be fully 4k HDR enabled. Even Sony's new Phone is 4k HDR and most phones have 'higher' than 1080p, 4k video capability etc. Nothing drives uptake more than content and devices. Bluray, Consoles and HD tv channels all contributed to HD uptake.

I know you (and maybe some others) don't care about 4k or HDR but HDR is far more important - much greater range of colours and contrast ratio and the difference that makes to games like Horizon:ZD is incredible. Its not that games will look sharper, more detailed etc with 4k but HDR makes a much bigger difference. Its kind of like going from Skyrim on the PS3 to Skyrim on the PS4 - much sharper and with a layer of colour and depth that really makes a much greater difference than the increase in resolution alone makes. Its virtually impossible to describe the benefits of HDR - but dark shadows have much more detail retained, the colours are more 'vibrant' and things like electrical sparks - really 'spark'. Even things like the sparkle in snow as light catches on the crystals are far more impressive - aided of course by the 4k resolution to ensure these are pin sharp - something that's more flat, blurry and certainly lacking the sparkle on a 1080p SDR TV.

@BAMozzy "I know you (and maybe some others) don't care about 4k or HDR"

I care, I'm a tech geek at heart, I care about all of it, VR, 4k, HDR, 3D, 3D printing, anything STEM related (I have 2 smart tech inclined sons as well). OK maybe not audio, I'm fine w/ 5.1, HDMI is noticeably better than optical and I'm happy for it but I never ever would have upgraded my sound system from optical to HDMI if the Wii U had optical out. But I also haven't had a job in 15 years, so anything I invest in monetarily has to have a worthy bang for it's buck.

I bought a 52" 1080p tv for about $1,200 when we got a PS3 about 8 years ago, and I had a perfectly good 36" SD CRT for about 8 years before that. But HD was something I had to have, by then almost everything was HD - tv, games, movies. And when this tv dies, probably in a few years, I doubt it will last more then 10, then I'll get a 4k tv w/ high end HDR. I know not all HDR tv sets are the same, 10bit. But right now I don't need it. I got a new PS4 Slim for $218 w/ Uncharted 4. Best deal I could find for Pro was $400, no game. It wasn't worth it. And I don't feel I need a 4k TV right now b/c most TV shows - I watch my share - aren't in 4k. NFL, MLB, prime time, no 4k. And I'm not going to start paying extra for UHD 4k discs, I have 4 blu ray players (2 PS3, PS4, Xbox 1).

So I care about 4k HDR, and I look forward to it, I wouldn't turn down a really good deal or a raffle prize, but I don't think the added extra is worth the price right now. Same for PSVR. I tried it, I went from - oh no it's another 3D display or Wonderbook - to - oh man this is a great experience. $99 I'm there, $199 I'd think about it as we still need the camera. I really don't like or play first person games, PSVR would be a fun novelty.

Everybody in my family has an Android smart phone that cost $100 or less, no contract, pay as you go. Galaxy 8 would sure be nice, but our phones do what we need, call, text, game, web browse.

But enough about me...

@carlos82 @KappaBeta Thanks for the feedback, that's pretty much what I expected. Everybody is always taking about Europe and the EU but I'd imagine is not as homogeneous as everyone makes it sound. US we have the coasts - blue states - and fly over country - red states - but while I think the Xbox and PS are closer here I'm not sure if it breaks down cleanly geographically or any other way. EU could be all Sony, I know Japan is anything but Xbox, US is the Xbox stronghold for sure. Though they haven't' talked about Fantasy Football as much as they did at the reveal. Of course Kinect and Smart Glass have kind of gone away too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rgzBCwUMhE

Didn't that Don Mattrcik guy get canned shortly after this 2 minute video?

To be honest I don't understand people's love for Xbone in the states, honestly it feels like people only like it because it's an American product which for some reason trumps quality and a good software lineup in the eyes of most Americans. Not to mention the thing can see and hear everything you do including your heartbeat which that alone makes it an instant pass for me.

I think the US love of Xbox was more of a last gen thing. Pretty much everyone I know switched to PS4 this gen or wish they had.

The real competitor now for ps4 is switch. Hope ps4 doing better than switch on EU

@rjejr I got the Samsung KS7000 (8000 in the US) which is a very good budget 4K HDR screen for gaming with very little input lag, obviously if you're not getting one for a few years your choices will be much better anyway. Having said that my experiences so far are positive, especially for HDR which makes a huge difference, . I'm in a lucky position of having both the Pro and a standard model on appropriate tv's so I get to see the difference in games and so far HDR has a much bigger impact for me than the resolution. Outside of gaming though my TV gets almost no use in that regard save for The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, which has astonishing picture quality, other than that though I've seen very little which looks much different than what we already have. Also Netflix advertises many in HDR yet the notification never pops up on my TV and it looks no different.

I also have VR and if I were to recommend either that or the Pro it would be VR all day. I appreciate your fianancial situation and if it wasn't such an issue and you think of it as a new console it's priced in a similar fashion. What I can say is that I have a decent size library for it through a variety of genres and after E3 I have many more games coming this year for it which all look great. I've said this many times on here but it really is the best new gaming experience I've had for the last 10 years or so, there are even free playroom games that have local multiplayer for all the family which are great fun.

@Reanfan7 @adf86

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I moved away from Xbox with a great gamerscore (for the time) and that was tough. I also haven't played a game with my old gamer mates for 3 years who used to run achievement hunting groups. That's a tough link to break.

That surprises me considering how often us Europeans seem to get shafted in favour of Americans.

@kyleforrester87 that's odd, though I do seem to remember watching Breaking Bad or something and it seemed very bright, I think it was Daredevil where I was first testing it and was very disappointed with the results. Perhaps this requires further investigation, I wonder why it comes up with Amazon and as I said when watching The Grand Tour the picture quality is truly stunnning

@kyleforrester87 @carlos82 The most noticeable HDR for me is in both Ratchet and Clank and Wipeout omega (Tbf I ain't played horizon or some if the other big games this year)

Clank looks boss in HDR, in standard colouring / brightness he looks lifeless.

The engines and neon in Wipeout scream out of the TV. In none HDR they look a bit flat.

@themcnoisy @kyleforrester87 I've played a bit of Wipeout and it does look great for the colours, especially on the different zone races, such a crisp image with motion blur turned off too

Horizon is another level though in HDR with colours just as vivid but that lighting model is something else. Whether exploring a vast canyon in the early morning with bright oranges punctuated with pockets of vegetation and a river, some early morning mist blanketing the ground and seeing a tallneck walking through it in the distance all the while the blazing sun rising over distant mountains, through to exploring the lush green woods in the inky blackness of night with just the stunning white light from the moon streaking through the leaves. I think I spend half of my time on this game just sightseeing

@carlos82 picking that up for summer with sonic mania. Too many great games!

@themcnoisy yeah that's another for me too, I daren't go on the PlayStation Store these days for fear of preordering too much 😃

"we take Europe very seriously"

I wish Nintendo did too. Europe has always felt like an after thought for them.

@adf86 no bro, neither 4k or HDR are the big hop haa like HD gaming last Gen or 3d gaming before it. They are just nice to have. Less aliasing and clearer distant objects in 4k proper looking neons, metals and sunrays in HDR.

So together they are worth the jump.

PS2 was the dominant force here in the States, but Microsoft pulled off a coup. 1) They released the 360 a year before the PS3; and 2) they created gamertags, gamerscores and achievements that created an investment for the gamer. There are some people who won't switch consoles, not matter how blatantly poor the software selection is, for this reason alone.

It was a brilliant strategy, and one of the reasons I refer to the other console's fan base as akin to a robot...something programmed. They've been programmed to put importance into these things that really have minimal impact on the games themselves.

we still dont have playstation now or movies on the irish psn store bit sad really ,

@carlos82 " there are even free playroom games that have local multiplayer for all the family which are great fun"

Are those for just the camera? My kid has been bugging me to get the camera for that robot thing but we didn't think 1 robot mini-game was worth it for a $40 camera. PSVR is a pipe dream right now, my kid wants a 3D printer so that's probably our next big unnecessary purchase. Well that and a Switch. Switch is necessary for Mario.

@rjejr the ones I've been playing are for VR and there are 5 or 6 of them which are good fun, especially for little ones. One of which you play a Godzilla type creature in VR using your head to smash buildings whilst others play on the tv, first dodging your attacks and then shooting back.

There are some more basic AR games that are available with just the camera, most involve those little robots appearing to be in the living room and you can hit them with your movements, you can also draw your own from a smartphone but I found this to be unreliable. Also there is a pong type game and a robot ninja fighting game

The VR version is very good and is almost Nintendo-esque in its application, I wouldn't however recommend the camera for the AR games as I just don't feel they are worth it and without VR the camera doesn't do much else.

You'll have fun with the Switch, I sold mine after finishing Zelda as it would have gathered dust until Mario but I will probably get another

@carlos82 " the camera for the AR games as I just don't feel they are worth it"

Thanks, that was our feeling as well. I still keep an eye on it though in case it goes on sale for $20 somewhere, Amazon always has it for $40.

We'll get a Switch for Mario, we own Zelda BotW on Wii U, didn't see the need. I'm hoping Nintendo bundles Switch, Mario and 1 of those white Mario amiibo for $349 but they'll probably bundle 1 2 Switch for $349 instead. But we all want Mario this holiday, it's #1 on the Christmas list. If it was on Wii U Switch would still be waiting.