Sony Will Make You Pay Extra to Upgrade Horizon Forbidden West from PS4 to PS5

Shady business is shady, regardless of the company. 😠

No physical discs included for Collector's or Regalla editions. That makes no sense. I'm definitely not getting either of these editions.

ah ***** here we go again

I dont understand this.

You can patch in all the controller features, enhanced framerates and resolution for backwards compatability, as The Last of Us did, and Ghost of Tsushima did, and Horizon did.

But they then also charge to get marginally better performance for Ghost of Tsushima that still isn't native 4k, still only targets 60fps, like the earlier free patch, and now charge for this?

You guys complained about ghost of tsushima and it was number 1 seller in the UK. People dont care.

But I want free stuff dammit!

I can’t believe you don’t get the PS4 version free if you purchase the standard PS5 version. You only get both with the digital deluxe….. that’s shocking. Sony fooling us with a showcase then dropping this on us

Yeah, i knew this was coming. It better have Japanese lip sync!

theyre not even going through the façade of calling it a directors cut now its just pay more

I understood the GOT price for the Director's Cut as Iki Island in there as but charging for upgrades on base games is awful.

"Both PS5 consoles" haha we're at that stage already I'll only upgrade platinumed games; for that extra kerching if ya get me. Don't have too many of those...

Can you guys reference the details? All I see is the pricing for the two editions on the store. PS5 is $70 and PS4 is $60, so it would make sense if it is a $10 upgrade so that the prices are the same. But if you guys are saying they won't allow the upgrade then I would like to see where it is stating this.

The fact they promised a free upgrade at first, and now just randomly decided hey, let's charge for it, is absolutely disgusting. And just like Ghost, they are gonna get away with it.

Also this no Disc in a CE is ridiculous.

@get2sammyb
Or that people need to be paid in order to do work. I didn’t expect indefinite free upgrades to new consoles when I bought the original as a PS4 game. The PS4 version might even be cheaper.

@get2sammyb ''Does the organisation not understand that the market for these Collector’s Editions are the very same people who demand physical versions of everything?''

Maybe that's the point, to sell the expensive limited edition AND the regular game. The people who buy the expensive limited edition are probably in a position to buy the physical game on top of it as well.

The other way of looking at it is that if people can always buy the cheaper PS4 version first and get a PS5 upgrade for free, they will. No-one is going to pay full price, which is not a good business model for them.

Perhaps the compromise is to say, after release date, only PS4 versions of the game purchased before that date get a free upgrade?

Why the heck did I buy a disc version of their console if their big releases don't actually come with discs? Wtf, Sony?

i don't see whats the fuzz about..GOT directors cut is already 20e down from the 80e day one price..have some patience..(blu-ray)

So the standard PS4 version costs $59.99, yet the exact same game on PS5 is $69.99 because...Dual Sense?

I really hate Sony for this. I love the PS5 and I love Sony exclusives, but this whole $70 for PS5 just because is stupid. This goes a step further and charges you a minimum of $80 for both versions!

Halo Infinite is $59.99 and that's it. Forza Horizon 5 is $59.99 and that's it.

I don't care on your feelings about those two titles. The fact of the matter is, the competition hasn't it increased it's prices for Series X|S games because...it's the new generation?

And no, I don't think that DualSense support is worth an extra charge.

First party AAA PS4 games are £60 RRP, PS5 games are £70. That's all there is to it. If that's too much (it is) then let's just wait for a sale.

This is just one of the many reasons why I’ve gone Xbox primary this generation. PlayStation 1 was my first real console as a kid so I’ve always had a soft spot for them. Thankfully I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford both but I always have a primary and secondary (just for its exclusives). This gen it’s looking like my PlayStation is for exclusives only. With this behaviour I’m putting the games I want into deku deals and I’ll wait until they’re on sale. You’re being greedy Sony and you’re relying on the goodwill from the PlayStation 4 era. You deserve to get punished this gen based on what I’ve seen so far and I really hope you do. Maybe you’ll sort yourselves out for PlayStation 6…

If there is enough backlash, they will reconsider.

5 different versions of the one game. This makes EA look like amateurs.

@Master_Shake Well, yeah, I mean IF the PS4 version is $10 cheaper, it makes sense. Otherwise everyone would just buy the PS4 game and upgrade to PS5 for free if that saved $10.

Definitely won't be getting any collector's edition.
This is just stupid. The only worse case is buying a collector's and not coming with the game like EA did with Mass Effect.

I understand the digital copy but not when a steel book is included with it.

What if someone wanted Horizon Collectors edition but owns a PS5 digital.

Really should be two versions of that a physical and a digital one. Just remove the steel case and make it slightly cheaper for the digital

so when are they releasing the inevitable directors cut lol

@SJBUK They could just...not charge $70 for the PS5 version if its also a PS4 game? The game will make it's money back anyway, that's basically guaranteed. They know this. It's just seeing how far the market can be pushed.

For context on this price, I'm now management, and here in the UK, a PS5 game is now more than a days wages. That's insane.

@get2sammyb It's good business, but the longer it goes on, the worse the optics will get.

But I suppose, they have the PS4 backing them up, there are free to try.

I mean it's kind of obvious another reason for this is because Sony wants you to pay for the upgrade to PS5 and the differences that come with it. I'm hoping and assuming that PS5 Horizon Forbidden West will be way better thanthe PS4 version so they want you to pony up a few extra bucks for it.

It might be a bit messed up but this is a AAA title from one of the best developers in gaming. It's not a surprise at all that this is happening. Especially with it coming out after Launch window.

I also hope the haptic feedback and dualsense for this game is crazy good.

@get2sammyb
You sound a bit fanboy there I’m afraid. It’s not about saying one company can do no wrong, it’s about some people wanting free stuff. They can buy the PS4 version or PS5 version or both.

£80 for the digital deluxe & no free upgrade with the standard no thanks was really looking forward to this game but I'll wait for a sale on the digital deluxe

so wait i cant even pay $10 for a ps4 to ps5 upgrade this time?

way to make things even more confusing this time sony

A collector's edition with a voucher code is just awful.

Question as I don’t have a PS5 yet.

Will the ps4 disc still work in a ps5?

I’m going to wait for the GOTY edition anyway but wondering how this will all work when I do get the new system.

Why are people defending this ? Really I've spent money on a console I'm not paying extra for owning that console

now I know why they announced the upcoming show ,please em with one hand while u take the wallet with the other

They'll pay for this!! Oh wait... Sorry, we'll pay for this.

I love the “WhY ShOULd iT Be fREe” crew…. Those guys are great

I mean people can call Microsoft’s Smart Delivery a buzz phrase but free upgrades are free upgrades. This is BS from Sony.

If Sony would have stuck to PS5 only (as they originally announced), they'd spare themselves this particular backlash...just saying

@thefourfoldroot Bravo to finally see someone call it like it is.

The Digital Deluxe Version is a perfect get for anyone. The Regallia version is nice too because of that Focus you get with it though. Hmmm decisions, decisions.

@thefourfoldroot genuinely do you know what a fanboy is?

The fact he isn’t defending Sony and treating them like the rest of the industry is a good thing. I think Push Square have done brilliantly not blindly defending Sony.

If anyone sounds like a fanboy it’s those defending this.

No problem, I have Elden Ring and Pokemon Legends Arceus early next year, I can wait till the price drops/I find a used copy to not support such practices

Yeah, it’s annoying but as a PS5 owner I never imagined I’d play the last gen version so there’s no problems here. Besides it’s not even released until early next year so by then there could be at least 5-10 more PS5s available and one of them might be yours. Merry Christmas folks, and a Happy 2022

@uptownsoul they saw a way to double milk the situation. I think that’s the point. They backtracked once… and now half again… they will rightly be judged by the industry standard. They are miles off right now.

@Gamer_Girl_ tbh not so slowly anymore, physical items are quickly disappearing these days

they have done this so everyone can do it with games now the freebies only last so long! surprised it lasted as long as it has to be fair. did you all really think it would just carry on?

The Playstation Slogan ( for the players) should be changed to "For the Payers"

@The_New_Butler ive picked up the £70 games for under £30 so far and will continue until Sony sort themselves out.

@get2sammyb you're not wrong, but to be fair both Call of Duty and FIFA are a little different in that, after whatever one off costs you might pay to play the game/upgrade to PS5, this is then followed by incentives to get you to shell out for microtransactions.

PS4 to PS5 upgrades that cost money aren't popular, but at least for the most part they're not a crazy amount of money (this would be the only really bad one so far from Sony, and that's if there isn't a "PS4 to PS5 upgrade" option for only a small fee, which there might well be), and once it's paid for you essentially have "the complete game". I don't like it but it's hardly the most egregious attempt at making more money off existing customers, whereas EA and Activision are so hell bent on making as much off microtransactions as they possibly can, that they deserve the extra abuse they get when they do any extra thing to nickel and dime their customers.

@David187 you realise the freebies aren’t free right? We are literally talking about paying for a game and it working across the gens on this awkward between gen phase…. No one is getting a game free

Since changes on high posts it's getting downhill with PlayStation.

@get2sammyb sadly people blindly defend their platform of choice and often make excuses on their behalf. I've been a Playstation gamer since the PS1 but this has been one of the contributing factors in me going over to PC. We all know there is no genuine reason why these games cost more on PS5, PC have had higher settings built in for years without costing more. Then when you have the likes of Metro Exodus bringing RT updates for free it really shows Sony in a bad light as they try to force an arbitrary price rise

The Ps5 version of horizon forbidden west will look way better and run way better than the ps4 version so why would they be the same price and why would you get a free upgrade.

@Stocksy yeah but this Upgrade Path thing would be irrelevant if they just designed it for PS5 only

The PS5 version includes the dualsense added features - advanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers - which is not just a simple patch. You have to hire additional developers to implement those features. $10 extra to cover that support to me is not that big of a deal - you're paying for the extra work that the developers put in. Microsoft isn't charging extra because they aren't adding those extra features - they literally did nothing new or special with their new controllers and it is esentially the same as last gen - so why would you compare the two?

Yeah you lot have fun shouting into the vortex again, this ***** gets tired.

Glad I've jumped from PS to Xbox for the new gen.
Sony Fan: LOL you can't play this on there
Me: I'll see it on Steam.

Well I definitely won't be getting this day one now. As much as I love the first game. I've got plenty of games in my backlog so I'll wait for a decent discount. I spend enough on games as it is.

This is the problem with having cross-gen games so far into the new gen. Sony are worried people will take advantage and buy the PS4 version to save $10/£10. Well then don’t increase the price of your next gen games unnecessarily. Pure greed all round.

Never thought I’d say this, but it’s a shame Xbox isn’t doing better. Sony were at their best during the mid-late PS3 days, when they had to fight tooth and nail to regain lost ground. Now they don’t give a damn. No reason for them to bother. Sony need close competition to stay classy. Without it we get arrogant Sony, which is what we have now sadly.

People are defending this but when you buy a Microsoft exclusive game on Xbox that's also on pc you get the pc version free , this is just Sony being greedy

I find the whole situation quite insulting. Sony release a new console generation with only Returnal offered as a exclusive game. Then release one or two other overpriced games and expect us to be happy. Then the cheeky so and so's bloody stich us up further by charging for upgrades of games we already played for a couple of years. I honestly regret buying a PS5. All that cash for a SSD.....

As someone on PS5, this doesn't bother me from a customer perspective.
But with so many people still stuck on PS4 and looking to upgrade to PS5, this is an embarrassing look for them in terms of reputation.

@Inoccentbystande ratchet and clank rift apart would like a word with you.

FAQ on Sony’s website confirm that there’s no upgrade path:

Can I upgrade my PS4 version to the PS5 version?

If you want to have access to both the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West, please purchase the Digital Deluxe, Collector’s, or Regalla Editions. Dual entitlement does not apply to the Standard and Special Editions.

Can I upgrade my Standard Edition to the Digital Deluxe edition of Horizon Forbidden West?

There are no plans for an update offer from standard to digital deluxe edition at this time.

people are moaning you shouldnt get a free upgrade you cant even pay for the upgrade this time

Well I think I'm ***** out of luck here; I have HZD, GoW, TLoU 1&2, all the Uncharted games, and Days Gone on disc. So, I doubt I can upgrade to the PS5 for any of them, and doubtless at some point they will announce next gen versions of at least some of the others. Fortunately, I only ever buy digital now (which is what I had done with GoT), so in the future I will hopefully be at least in the running for an upgrade. With the above games, I think my only recourse is to buy the game anew...

Do i have to pay extra to maker her hot as well?

@uptownsoul agreed and I wish they had made ps5 exclusives but they decided they wanted the massive ps4 market - and then they decided they wanted £70 for ps5 versions of same game… they want their cake and to eat it…. IMHO either they want £70 for ps5 exclusives or they want the bigger ps4 sale base… to try and straddle both is pure greed

@rawzeku this is exactly my frustration. These top dogs at PlayStation have, I'm not gonna sugar coat it, LIED several times now on what they're gonna deliver in software. They promise one thing during the reveal and then months later they change it completely. Similar with GT7 and God of War. Claimed during the PS5 reveal that it was gonna be PS5 exclusives and slowly slipped in that it was gonna be cross gen this year.

Really hope they pay for this in a few years. It won't come now but hopefully people start seeing it and start punishing them with their wallets.

@Stocksy
I was referring to him dismissing any alternate views with “ Sony can do no wrong apparently”, as if it is indisputable that they are at fault for something and anybody who can’t see it is deluded. I said it sounds a bit fanboy, not that he is a fanboy.

But…this whole article comes across as extremely emotional.

All that’s happened is someone hasn’t got free stuff.

@awp69 that just makes everything even worse tbh

@4kgk2 one of the overpriced games I mentioned

Odd choice by Sony.

Not the first time I've seen the collector's edition with no disc that comes with a steelbook. Mass Effect Andromeda was the first I noticed and my reaction was the same then as it is now... "WTF?"

As for the $10 upgrade fee... just keep the PS4 version. That's what I did with Ghost of Tsushima. The small SSD of the PS5 will be eaten up quickly by these games. Having an external 4TB for the PS4 versions make it far more worth it.

@thefourfoldroot nowt wrong with emotional. Sony are doing their best to make us all get a bit emotional with their stupid decisions.

lol, Aloy's face says it all XD

yeh, this is absolutely gross

How about you wait until we've seen what the differences are between the two versions before assuming that it should be a free upgrade? We've only ever seen the PS5 version, and based on the visual fidelity, something tells me the PS4 version will not look like that.

Also I wonder how many people this will actually effect? How many people are going to buy this game to play on PS4 and then later upgrade it to PS5? We saw with Miles Morales that most people waited to buy the game on PS5 regardless of the free upgrade. Or maybe PS5 owners just wanted a loophole to get around the 70 dollar price?

And honestly no one should play Horizon 2 on PS4 anyway. Playing this game at 1080p 30fps with long loading screens on a console that sounds like a vaccum cleaner would be awful. Just wait, as long as it takes until you can get a PS5 and then buy the proper version of the game probably at a lower price too.

Also the article says 'if EA did this'. EA is doing this. So is Activision, so is Take Two and others too. This is the way it is. Games are 70 dollars now and publishers dont want a loophole to exist around that.

@Stocksy
Well, it does impact reasoned thought, but other than that…

If I was Sony I'd release a fancy collector's edition steelbook with a statue but you don't get the statue or the steelbook or the game and it's $100 just to see if I could get away with it.

Wow, this is a hot mess. LOL

I get the higher price for PS5, don't like it, but I get it. I understand not having a free upgrade option forever. I think it sucks when other folks are doing it still. Okay whatever. BUT not having a physical disc come with the physical collector's editions is mind boggling. Surely someone has stuffed up here?! Gotta be pulling my leg.

Ah Sony... one step forward, two steps back.

@Stocksy yeah, every company pushes pure greed in their unique ways...thats corporations for you

It's essentially a last-gen game with a bit of polish. This generation has been a con so far, especially from Sony.

Looks like I need to lawyer-up every time I buy a Sony game, to understand the fine print.

This continued consumer indifference can only boost Xbox sales, which will get a strong additional boost from upcoming AAA exclusives.

Many, like me, probably have a huge backlog and can wait for these single player games to drop in price or for the "goty/director's cut" edition to come out, with all dlc, etc.
But for the early adopters, this sucks, on many levels. I get the "no free" upgrade, wasn't gonna last forever; don't understand the minimal difference in ps4/5 versions; at a loss with the pricier editions not having a disc.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
keep it il wait til a sale 😉

Bet you couldn't wait to make this topic just to cause arguements as always. Cringe.

***** of them. At least offer dual entitlement for the $69.99 version of the game. Even Call of Duty is doing this better... I was lucky enough to get a PS5 at launch so this doesn't affect me but really bad for current PS4 owners who really want access to the better version when they get a PS5.

Disappointing but hardly surprising at this point. Sony knows their fans will pay regardless.

It saddens me they're pretty much starting to rip out pages of Apple's playbook by charging extra for every little thing.

They can't offer a free upgrade as the PS4/PS5 versions are a different price. Otherwise you could just buy the PS4 version for £10 less and get the PS5 version. Really they should just make both versions cost the same and work on both systems.

I don't have a problem with Sony having a $10 upgrade path for people who purchase the PS4 version so that the prices are equivalent but having no upgrade path is definitely something Sony should be criticized for. It has that "at this time" qualifying language which reads to me as a perfect "give us ***** until we change it type of energy to it".

Dang, Sony is doing a good job of making Xbox look like the better platform

Meanwhile on Xbox Halo Infinite and Forza 5 have no such issue, Sony are f**king arrogant as hell this Gen and its annoying. Sure i own a PS5 so this doesn't impact me but that's besides the point.

After GT/GoW you've got to assume Sony will stop the PS4 versions. Then everything will be £70/£80 with stupid special editions. Still expensive but less confusing with the price differences and upgrade paths.

@Lyonjak Honestly, cross gen games should stay $60 and give you dual entitlement. They should only charge $70 for next-gen exclusives. This is what I think Xbox is doing (besides Flight Sim which is niche) and it is vastly superior to what Sony is up to.

@YourNameHere You know, to Sony's credit, it actually won't. I could tell my Sony-only friends about all of this nickel-and-dime stuff until I am blue in the face and it won't matter.

It's actually kind of a shame, too. It's like, no matter what Microsoft does, PlayStation is the common gaming vernacular now.

Me: "You know if you want to play Horizon on PS4 first and then upgrade to PS5 Sony you have to pay $80 to own both PS4 and PS5 versions? Microsoft hasn't raised it's prices to own both versions and upgrade just work on Xbox"
Friends: "Wow, but Microsoft sucks"
Me: [Facepalm]

As someone who only buys digital at this point, I like when collectors editions are done this way. Honestly, having to buy the disk has deterred me away from buying special editions in the pst.

@3Stock_Samwise Actually same. That is really the only good news to come out of this preorder mess. I won't bother with the Horizon collector's but this is getting me excited for when the inevitable God of War one is announced.

@logash yep, would have made more sense

If Nintendo can get away with a $60 port of an old game with barely any changes then Sony can get away with $10 extra upgrade.

Joking aside, the sad reality is that no matter how much people complain on the internet, you know this game will still do very well on its release. Hoping that there is enough backlash for Sony to reconsider. I mean it worked when they decided to pull the plug on the PSN for PS3 and Vita

When I saw the PS5 had standard expandable memory (m2 slot) while the XBox Series had proprietary plugin memory, I thought "Wow, Sony finally figured it out and really IS putting customers first this generation!"

Then I see how Sony prices their games and releases them. Dang. So much for THAT theory.

Game Pass is overhyped - I think they must give it away to all the journalists, because while it's pretty good, it's not quite the amazing deal that every journalist hypes it up to be. But that's hardly the only place where the other side is getting it more right this time. It's starting to look like I should stop using Micro$oft and start using $ony.

Sony are a bit like Nintendo, they know people will pay. I am part of the 'problem' though. I'll buy the digital deluxe for £80. Being more expensive, perceived as something of a higher quality, its part of the current Playstation brand.

@Rural-Bandit Yep, I have both as well and love Smart Delivery but know a lot of people did see it as some stupid buzz-word. That and quick resume are my two favorite things this gen. Oh and that subscription thing that I shouldn’t mention here or be raked over the coals…

I will say I do love the Dual Sense controller though and it factors into some of my multiplaform game decisions.

I have no allegiances. Just MS has gotten more right this gen so far IMO.

@TowaHerschel7 yup.

@JapaneseSonic when they could just charge the extra tenner for the upgraded version if and when someone with the ps4 version wants the upgrade.

Or price their games appropriately in the first place so there's no disparity.

Good ol' consumer friendly sony.

@oconnoclast There’s been plenty of multiplatform games that have taken advantage of Smart Delivery. Not like on PS5 where I constantly have to make sure I’m downloading the right version, including EA games like FIFA. It just happens automatically on XSX. Sony has gotten better about it lately but it was a mess for many games when the systems first came out.

@get2sammyb fair play for calling this out, just because you're a fan of something doesn't mean you waive your right to criticise it.

People forget that even the most seemingly consumer friendly corporations aren't their friends, and it's a sad state of affairs.

And I'll just stay with the PS4 version then. Sony first party games should all have free upgrades to the PS5. I get Third Parties charging, but not Sony and its First Parties. Get with the program Sony.

Wow, Thai is up there with Nintendo making you pay full price for last gen ports.

Good thing I put my PS4 in the garbage. The more stuff like this I hear, it just nails the coffin on me not buying a PS5. Not getting suckered into it.

@thefourfoldroot "All that’s happened is someone hasn’t got free stuff."

Wow dude 😑 Who here is asking for free games? Were paying money for the game and with that money that we PAID we want what the competition and other much much smaller studios are offering... that's it!

@oconnoclast Except there is something preventing third parties from doing that on Playstation. The PS4 and PS5 versions of a game usually are not allowed to see each other's data. That is only JUST NOW starting to change, with recent updates to the console. At launch, it was simply impossible - and even now, it's not seamless, it's just simple (which is good enough for me, but not as good as the options MS offers).

@Juanalf
They want to buy the PS4 game and get the ps5 game for free 🤷‍♂️

Why even create a Physical edition if there is no disc?

@thefourfoldroot well in this case it would be nice to buy the special edition for PS4, which is $70 and also have access to the base game on PS5, which is $70.

Or just let me pay $10 for upgrade to PS5 from standard PS4 but nah.

But yeah I'm sure this is all about making sure the devs who worked hard on this one game are compensated and not anything else.

They definitely need to add a PS4 to PS5 upgrade path in future, even if they do charge a bit for it.

Otherwise why would PS4 players buy a PS5 in a year or so, given they may have to re-buy this and potentially GoW and GT? That's a hefty premium on top of the new console!

I’m a huge proponent of physical media, so I’m insulted by the the lack of a disc when you fork out money for a more expensive collectors edition. I mean, what hell is that about!? That’s ridiculous!!!😡 I’ll wait to play this when I find a used copy, I guess.

@3Stock_Samwise but, like, do you want an empty game case?

Also, the whole "why would the developers work for free?" argument - they aren't just developers, they're Sony.

That shiny £450 console should be enough to play the best versions of their games - getting stiffed for an extra tenner on every game just to play the best version (when you've already given Sony a lot of money for the PS5 itself) is why I'm holding off on PS5 for now and sticking with my PS4

@Squanch it's definitely one way to kill the second-hand market...

@WallyWest Yeah MS Halo is being sold full price without forge, coop campaign and not showed one bit of the story campaign but yeah Sony's worse right?

I have to applaud Microsoft for their handling of cross-gen titles. Their "Smart Delivery" approach is commendable; buy the game once at a single price-point and play the optimal version of the game whether you play it on a last-gen console or upgrade to current-gen without needing to worry about re-buying the game.

Meanwhile at PlayStation if you pick the last-gen version, be prepared to cough up again for the current-gen should you choose to upgrade or cope being saddled with a sub-optimal last-gen version on your current-generation hardware.

At least you could somewhat justify the price hike for the current-gen exclusives but this game will supposedly have the exact same content on both PS4 and PS5. The only demonstrable difference has been the resolution and frame rate. So we're being charged an extra £10 for what is essentially two toggle settings in an options menu.

This Ryan/Hulst era is squarely about making as much money as they can squeeze out of their loyal fanbase with little regard to actually listening to concerns and satisfying their dedicated long-time fans and customers. The PS4's success has led to a new level of arrogance that even manages to top the early PS3 days.

@oconnoclast Psychonauts 2 uses Smart Delivery. Halo Infinite will use Smart Delivery, Forza Horizon 5 will use Smart Delivery.

Interestingly, looking at Microsoft's list of first-party games, it looks like Xbox One support ends after those two titles are released as the rest of Xbox Game Studios titles won't be using Smart Delivery at all.

But since Microsoft is enabling Cloud Support on Xbox One starting in December (which will enable Series X versions of games to be played on the console via streaming), I guess Microsoft can completely ditch native Xbox One support.

People are clearly missing the reasoning behind this. You don't get a free upgrade from the PS4 version as it is priced differently. We all know Sony have a new pricing structure when it comes to first party games for the newer generation. If they offered a free upgrade everybody would simply purchase the PS4 version and proceed to get a PS5 upgrade for free. From the POV of Sony that makes no sense! There should be an option to upgrade at a price for those that currently do not have a PS5 to prevent them from having to purchase the game at full price again in the future.The entitlement that people exhibit these days is mind boggling. There is just no pleasing some people.

Additionally from reading the old PS blog post, Sony aren't going back on their word as this is not a launch game, any arguments that this is not fair are irrelevant.

I'm not happy about the price of first party PS5 games however we have got to think that the pricing of games has remained fairly consistent for the last 20 years, an increase was long overdue.

I'm not personally interested in a collector's edition but I can see why that would frustrate people.

Hahahaha. In a way I don’t blame them as most people don’t seem to care or actually defend this *****. One things for sure though, their rival in Microsoft is offering more value and none of this garbage right now.

Oops!

Not good but if you want to play it on PS5 better wait until you have a PS5.

Hopefully those people that still want one will have more success purchasing the console in the months ahead. It's not easy but not impossible either. Sometimes it's a question of timing and luck!

Steelbook with no disc? Wtf!

Edit: At least the special edition steelbook got disc.

@zupertramp @zupertramp
Yeah, bit stingy they won’t let you pay extra for just the upgrade at a later date, but I think they can’t block you from accessing the PS4 version after buying and even installing the upgrade. With the amount of console sharing people could easily play your PS4 version while your playing the PS5 one. I assume that’s their rational anyway, preventing lost sales, or maybe It’s just a faff to do it within their infrastructure.
Who knows, I’m just tired of the entitlement displayed by people thinking that they should automatically get free upgrades in perpetuity. It’s all a bit silly. I’ve been gaming since the C64 and I’ve never known so much whining.

@naruball Yeah send enough death threats and I'm sure they'll reconsider.

🤦

I just wanted to say that it'd be easy for a PlayStation fan site to merely report the news or eventually report on the controversy, but you've called them on this nonsense since the beginning and I very much appreciate it.

@thefourfoldroot You do realize that it's the same game. It's no different from AC Valhalla or any other cross-gen games.

This sucks for people who haven't got a PS5 but wants to play HFW upon it's release date. The only option they have for an upgradeable path is $80 for the Deluxe edition, $200 for Collector's Ediition or $260 Regalla Editions.

@Rural-Bandit Yawn. Nobody cares mate.

@GamingFan4Lyf So basically you're as boring when speaking with your friends as you are on here. Got it!

😝

@AdamNovice Stuff what will be added for free with Halo Infinite being on Gamepass and still far cheaper then Horizon if you decide to buy it.

@Widey85 I agree. I would think most people that buy these collectors editions rarely trade them in. I usually splurge on these collectors editions and very, very rarely have I traded one in, so I assume most people buy them as collectibles like myself. Sony is really showing how little they understand their consumer base. It’s sad Sony seems to little by little want to kill the second hand market. Next step will be to just sell cases of all their games with no discs.🤦

Ok, Nintendo does same things. Nobody cares and carry on. I believe Nintendo is doing fine.
Sony will do the same.
Price is not the major point when it comes to factors influencing sales figures.
Ghost of Tsushima proved it.

Seems they went for a “first one on me” pusher policy.
Good for business, i guess..?

I swear, Sony just absolutely does not care about how greedy and anti-consumer they're coming across in comparison to Microsoft this gen. I can understand not being able to compete with the insane value of Gamepass, but they're just going above and freaking beyond to show how much less value they're offering to their customers in comparison. They absolutely should not be charging for upgrades to their own first-party games.

This is why I still genuinely feel that MS deserved to kick their asses this gen. It is a damn shame that it's not happening, because Lord knows MS deserves to be rewarded for their pro-consumer moves, and Sony deserves another slice of humble pie of the sort they received during the PS3 era.

Good thing I’ve owned a ps5 since launch

@Blacksmith1985 Who cares about Sony's sales figures when you are the consumer?

@The_New_Butler haha, that'll show em!

You do realise you sound like a whining child right now.

Pay or don't pay, nobody's forcing you to.

@BrainHacker
Are you presuming the PS4 and PS5 version will be the same price for some reason? Because, if not, you are effectively saying Sony should let people pay last gen prices on current gen (with a free upgrade). Now, there is an argument for that of course, but I don’t think PS4 players should be made to subsidise the extra cost of next gen games if they don’t have a next generation console.

@BrainHacker who cares about consumers when you have sales figures?

In all seriousness, seems like price tag is not the key factor in caring for consumer, after all.

@thefourfoldroot it's just not really a free upgrade in my mind. the PS5 version isn't a remaster or a port or some newly developed game separate from the PS4 version. they're essentially the same exact game.

if I buy a game on steam with my AMD Ryzen 3 and integrated graphics card it isn't cheaper than the person who owns an i9 with RTX 30 series.

Even the phrase "dual entitlement" is some straight up, haughty, let them eat cake type nonsense. Like, the audacity that some people would want to play on either of their Sony consoles. These uppity peasants, how dare they!

@The_New_Butler ha, yes that's exactly what I am.

🙄

At least you admitted to being a big manchild so that's progress I guess.

Don't buy it, wait or don't buy it and throw your PS out the window. Whatever man, nobody cares.

What’s concerning as well is that Sony surely saw there were some complaints about how the Ghost of Tsushima upgrade was handled (not the $10 fee but also requiring to buy the DLC to even access it). So now they actually went even further in an anti-consumer way. Either they weren’t listening or just don’t care. I’m guessing the latter.

@thefourfoldroot What are you talking about? it's a cross-gen game. The PS5 version is readily available day one as the PS4 version. It's not like Guerilla devs put more extra hours of work to patch a PS5 version for the PS4 game.

@Blacksmith1985
That's the thing. Sony doesn't care about the bad PR. They know that PS fans would still buy the PS4 version regardless of the price. It also helps that the pricing and upgradable path of the versions is confusing af.

I definitely see the problem with the big collector's editions not having a disc. The people willing to pay for that stuff want physical goods so I definitely get that. The no upgrade path unless you pay $80 is also a little scummy but also considering how many hours most people are going to get out of this game plus the production value it's not entirely unreasonable in my opinion.

If Persona 6 came out at an asking price of at least $80 I'd pay it happily. If we see Sony join the likes of 2K with big collector's edition with microtransactions out the *** then I'd say a comparison to them is warranted but until then I see little things that they do that are annoying but not a big deal, and thats enough for me.

No upgrade path from the PS4 version except buying the expensive editions is pure price gouging, particularly when you know they'll release one 6 months after launch after they've got everyone they can.

I thought Sony wanted to convert that big PS4 base to PS5?

This kind of move doesn't help, given you have to pay a premium to play the version that takes advantage of the features of your expensive PS5, despite it being from the maker of it...

@BrainHacker
You realise it costs more to make current gen games right? Hence the price increasing. Sure, they could have just said “same game, we’ll split costs equally across PS4 and PS5 players”, but that would hardly be fair on PS4 players would it. So I’m fine (as a PS5 player) paying more than those on PS4, and understand why Sony won’t allow tricks and workarounds so that we PS5 owners can just buy a PS4 game and get a free upgrade.

Admittedly I probably have less of an issue because I usually wait for sales these days. Too many games, too little time.

@Tulio517 well said. I wish more people here would do the same.

@Col_McCafferty touché

@oconnoclast " and even Game Pass isn't overflowing with things using it."

Of the 61 currently available games that are Series X|S Optimized on Game Pass, I only found 4 that weren't support by Smart Delivery: The Medium, Flight Simulator, Recompile, and MLB The Show.

Granted, I didn't go through every single one (so there could be a few more); but I went through probably about 20 - 25. I am not sure where you are getting that idea that it's not widely used.

@4kgk2 games look and run better on my 3070ti as opposed to a 1060 or even a PS5 or Series X but the games aren't more expensive because I bought more powerful hardware

In another universe, Nintendo is asking full price for Wii U ports. Maybe Sony was thinking: “Big N's gettin' away with greedy practices!? Hold my beer!” :/

Considering that I have the digital only PS5 I was hoping the collector's edition would have no disk. Good to see I'm being catered to lol

As I've said before, I don't see the problem with Sony charging a small fee for a PS5 upgrade on a game.

But in this situation where they aren't even offering an upgrade and are forcing people to buy the game twice if they want it on both consoles, that is a problem. They're just trying to suck the most loyal customers dry.

Another day, another outrage. PushSquare in a nutshell.

It does suck and I do hope Sony reconsider this for their loyal fans on PS4 that wish to play Horizon Forbidden West on that console.

Nothing to start a witch-hunt over though. Company wants to maximise its profits, that's capitalism for you. Xbox do what they do because they're owned by a trillion dollar company but once they're the only game in town, watch them suck you dry!

@thefourfoldroot Current gen game? It's a cross-gen game and a sequel. We don't even know how much money Sony invested for their next-gen games to justify the price hike.

You're entitled to your own opinion. But for me, gaming companies shouldn't charge extra for the next-gen version when it's literally the same game. You already paid $500 for the next-gen console and yet you need to pay Sony again to unlock the features included in it.

@BrainHacker
I did yes, but it’s not the same game I’m sure. There will be things in PS5 not possible on PS4, if only the controller and ray tracing work. Basically anything that wasn’t duplicated on PS4 cost extra. So I’m ok paying extra for it 🤷‍♂️

It's be much easier if they started dropping doing dual console games and focused on PS5 only games

Maybe this is all some kind of evil genius plan for Sony to come out with a statement and say “We heard you. Longtime fans will be pleased to know that we will allow PS4 Forbidden West buyers to upgrade to the PS5 version for a one-time $10 fee.” And everyone starts praising Sony, their hero.

No disc with the steelbook is like selling a comb to a bald man.

@thefourfoldroot Well. good for you. Unfortunately, most PS4 gamers will be force to pay the extra $20, if they want to upgrade their copy to the PS5 version.

Who really cares? Sony can do anything they want and people will keep buying their games and consoles and saying Xbox is the wrong side.

@bpomber You should see it as a problem when Xbox is giving free upgrades for their games. Why it's okay to Sony to charge for upgrades? Is Sony somehow so special? Imagine if this was with EA or Take-Two, how mad people would be.

Said this in another site but the way I see it, Sony is afraid of increasing the price of 70 across the board and instead pulls these stupid moves so they can charge $70 to PS5 users while “only” charging $60 to PS4 users.

I guess they afraid the kind of player that does not seek to upgrade their console immediately might also be a bit more budget conscious and are terrified of the impact on their bottom line if every potential user is forced to pay for the price hike.

In short: “we have a product for those that can’t afford the increased PS5 game price tags, it’s called PS4”

Anyways as usual, I have a PS5 and got one hell of a backlog across all my consoles. I’ll come back to HFW whenever it hits the bargain bins for Black Friday 2022.

@awp69 Lmao, I want to see this comment when the same happen with EA or Take-Two hahahaha

FOR THE PAYERS

Another perfect example of how little companies care about us. Is is that hard to be a little consumer friendly? Ffs Sony...

@Lyonjak Forza Horizon 5 has an amazing quality and you don't have to pay $80, Sony and their games are not that special, bro.

@AdamNovice As bad as 343i are for not completing their game before selling it, Sony charging fans double for Horizon is worse.

The co-op and forge will be added for free later on. The PS5 update won't come for free later (unless the backlash hits them).

(Though honestly, I'm not supporting either with my money as things stand.)

@Amusei They don't have to be consumer-friendly because their fans will literally pay for anything and defend those bs. The same happens with Apple and Nintendo. Sony is like a God for their fans.

@Col_McCafferty i agree it sucks but i have a ps5 so this isnt really an issue for me..if i was still using a ps4 and purchased the game and then bought a ps5 would i expect a free upgrade? I wouldnt expect one but it would be nice seeing as smaller devs have given free upgrades but then i do have a choice and can decide to purchase or not to purchase...by the way i'm a 48 soon to be 49 year old "manchild" and proud of it..

@Chief_Forasteiro if you want to know my thoughts on this all you can read my comments on this article:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/08/ghost_of_tsushima_directors_cut_is_superb_but_sony_shouldnt_be_charging_extra_for_ps5_upgrade

The world has indeed gone mad. Or atleast Sony have…

I’d like to say there’s no defending this, but fanboys prove me wrong again in how much they’ll play white knight for the company that’s fleecing them.

That’s the worst collectors edition ever. That’s insane. Sony’s lost it. I enter form it super hours to just divisors by this game. That CE better not sell. That’s insane. What? I’m dumbstruck.

@oconnoclast "An Xbox One getting a performance patch but essentially remaining an Xbox One game with a fancy label isn't 'Smart Delivery'"

Sony is calling it a Director's Cut and charges extra. Adding DualSense isn't a good excuse, either.

All Smart Delivery was designed to is just install the best version of the game available for a given platform. It doesn't matter if the "Optimized for Series X|S" is barebones. It's getting the best version for your specific platform installed without having to fiddle with menus or question which version of the game is installed. It took Sony MONTHS to figure it out and it's still convoluted. Smart Delivery means, when I click on the game's icon on my console, I am playing THAT console's version. It's not quality assurance, it's platform assurance.

So, because Microsoft took the time to consider cross-generation support and streamlined the development process to make development easier across it's platforms, Sony should push the extra cost to consumers because it didn't?

<rant on>
Jeez, chill people. No-one here is being forced to do anything. We were not forced into buying a PS4, or a PS5. No-one promised every PS4 game would have a free upgrade to PS5. We don't have to buy anything.

If you don't like it, fair enough, say so, but two hundred odd posts labelling Sony almost as the anti-christ is ridiculous. You think it's to expensive, don't buy it.

You want bad guys, look to the damn Taliban. Get some perspective!
<rant off>

This game should have been a next-gen exclusive as I said before. Now they are literally selling a ps4 game for $70😬

@Royalblues Not this ***** argument again. Sony make games, the likes of The Last of Us and God of War are games. Just because they take time crafting a story and writing well-written characters isn't a negative

Folks like you want gaming to return to some sort of Golden Age when it was all platformers and FP shooters where you just kill wave after wave enemies. You and some others on here are stuck in the past and would leave gaming as a child's medium only.

Frankly, your idea of what does or doesn't constitute a game is completely wrong.

@The_New_Butler There's another site for your ilk, use it mate.

I'm busy playing wonderful games like Final Fantasy VII remake, Miles Morales and The Last of Us on my PS5.

Don't care one joy about Halo or Forza (yawn) or whatever else Xbox have. Maybe one day I'll get one in order to play TES 6 as I loved Skyrim but in the meantime I'm having a blast on my PS5.

My only hope is that they become more prevalent and easier to purchase for the genuine PS fans out there as it's a great console.

Don't engage with me then, I couldn't give two hoots.

theres just no consistency from sony now they wont even let you pay to upgrade from ps4 to ps5

just do everything one way rather than different ways for different games. some get a free upgrade, others get a paid upgrade, others you cant upgrade at all

@oconnoclast But the game is technically "Optimized for Series X|S" as the game gets boosted with Series X|S hardware. It lets you know there ARE benefits to running the game on Series S|X even if it isn't using the new GDK.

Where on PS5....how would you know there are any benefits to game to a PS4 game if you didn't follow sites like this to tell you otherwise. The same can be said for FPS Boost games on Series X|S. The only way to know is to press Home during a game and see FPS Boost - or go into Manage game -> Compatibility Options. Most casual gamers won't notice that.

It may all be smoke and mirrors, but for those who are just casual gamers and don't follow gaming websites, they now know the game has benefits when running on Series X|S.

You have to remember that these types of features are developed for the most casual gamer in mind.

Sony isn't doing that.

I would almost bet someone like my brother-in-law who only plays the latest COD, Madden, MLB game every year on PlayStation would have absolutely NO IDEA how to claim a PS5 upgrade, transfer save files, or even know about any PS4 boosts as he inserts disc and plays game.

There is no need to explain that on Xbox. Install game, play, get the best experience based on platform. No room for error.

And really, "native" Series X|S is a very grey area with Microsoft's new GDK (for better or for worse).

@Barryburton97 there is no point buying day 1 anymore either

@SJBUK What does the Taliban have to do with this? Of course. Nobody is being forced to pay for Sony's first party title. But the question is, if you want to play the game and you only own the PS4 console. then you either need to pay an extra $20 more or buy it again when you upgrade to PS5. Is that justifiable for you?

Xbox almost doubled the price of their Xbox live gold from $60 to $120. But thanks to the backlash they received from it. They changed it back to $60. I'm really baffled why would anyone defend this. Unless you're a millionaire and don't care how much you spend for your hobby.

@SJBUK I didn't see anybody calling Sony the anti-christ. All I saw was people saying they didn't like it, which you are saying people should do.

It seems like you tried to exaggerate the backlash so that you could appear to be the one who's being reasonable.

Are Sony actually trying to push me towards Xbox and Gamepass? Talk about having your cake and eating it. If they wanted to go for the £70 version they should have made it a PS5 exclusive or made both versions £60. I am starting to develop a serious dislike for Sony this gen.

Wow. Just.....wow. What else can be said, but...wow?

PC, releases games for every hardware configuration under the sun. Xbox releases games for all supported platforms listed. Nintendo.....doesn't even remember what cross-generation is unless it's a full price port, but we know darned well this is the Nintendo-style approach. Sony sells the same game as two completely different products for two completely different hardware platforms, at launch. We went from "buy this game and get cross-buy with the Vita version developed completely separately by a different studio for entirely different architecture included" to "we added higher res textures and raytracing, so it's a whole new game, pay up."

If they're going to keep the product lines that separate, they should have just kept this as a PS4 swan song and forgotten about PS5. Let it run BC. They're almost literally telling people that have a PS4 but might in the future buy a PS5 to not buy this game.

A company running on a strategy of "try everything to see if we can get away with it and then when we're shredded publicly we'll issue a PR walking it back and how our priority is listening to what our customers want", it's not a pleasant company to do business with.

HFW looks good. I'll check it out in 2023 when it's on sales. Plenty of other great games that don't want to gouge me until then. Honestly, at this point, even if you're a hardcore died in the blue Sony fan, your cheapest path is buy another platform and play those games until Sony discounts theirs. They're just holding people captive at this point believing they'll never go anywhere else. The savings on games will pay for the second hardware platform within a year or two.

@Sakisa Thankfully the fanboys that white knight everything they do probably make a combined 0.8% of their actual market... I can't imagine fleecing them is even particularly profitable.

@SmooshyPeas If Sony is confident that this game is worth $70, then they should sell that game for $70, and not have weird artificial barriers between what machine you're playing on. There was no commitment that all games on PS4 will be $60. They seem comfortable enough changing their prices to $70 now and claim it's because of the development cost. Yet they're unwilling to release the game on PS4 at $70. Yet are willing to release this game, which was designed around the PS4 as the lead console at $70 on PS5. It's either a $60 or a $70 game, and it's bizarre they're trying to sell the same game at two price points, as two separate products, while all other competitors save oddball Nintendo who has no cross-gen with another platform currently, treat a game as a single product across hardware availability. I'm getting the sense they're not actually confident in $70 pricing at all and are afraid of losing the >100M units PS4 boxoffice by hiking the price, but they're comfortable that the current PS5 market consists of big-spending early adopters they can safely gouge.

@Royalblues TL:DR

@oconnoclast We’ll just have to agree to disagree on Smart Delivery.

Circling back, Sony charging $80 to get both versions of a brand new cross-gen game when Microsoft is charging $60 for it’s new cross-gen games (regardless how you feel about the games themselves) is inexcusable.

@oconnoclast Which only makes Sony look bad PR-wise especially when even smaller devs offer free upgrades. I just feel like they're taking advantage of PS4 gamers who can't upgrade yet.

@oconnoclast I kind of see it the other way. Ghost of Tsushima has a 60fps patch for PS5. It really is a PS5 game. As the player, I don't care that much if it's running on an emulation layer or is natively compiled for PS5. I care that the game looks and runs better on a PS5 than a PS4 Pro. It's an upgraded game for new hardware. They really ought to slap an "Optimized for PS5" label on there, because it really is, and the only reason they don't is because they'd rather sell "Real PS5 version" for more money even if it's scarcely different.

It's not new this generation, it existed to a lesser degree with both PS4 Pro and X1X last generation with the mid-gen, and that was just copying what already existed on PC since forever. Heck, one of the stated advantages of the doomed Sega 32X was that it would enhance your Genesis/Megadrive games. The idea of "free upgrade with hardware upgrade" has been around since the early 90's. Heck, even Nintendo's Super Game Boy could count along those lines as the original "cross-buy." Buy the handheld version get the color, home console version included! Generally Nintendo is the one that's gate-kept the generations since then, but largely due to hardware limitations, and until Switch they actually were ahead of the game on BC, including actual ports and slots for prior generation carts and controllers. Heck the ORIGINAL "Nintendo Play Station" was built around BC as it's entire purpose, though without enhancement (SNES slot, VHS slot, CD slot that eventually became the foundation of PS1 when Nintendo bailed.) Sony's not new at this. PS5 is really the first platform that actively goes out of its way to prevent that kind of upgrade from happening.

I think MS originally would have planned to follow the industry to $70, but after watching Sony's multiple self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the foot, if they're on-point with PR, they'll keep with $60 because A, they can afford it, B, it makes their competitor look that much worse, C, their main platform is Game Pass, and even $60 looks expensive compared to $15/mo for all of it, so they really gain little raising their prices at all where a lower price + GP discount might actually encourage more subscribers to also buy. I assume more than half of their game players are subscribers rather than buyers, and that's where they want them to be, so an extra $10 per sale would net them peanuts, whereas the PR as value leader and customer friendly couldn't be bought for any amount of money.

Of course, they're not always on-point with their PR, as the ill-fated Gold price hike proved.

@oconnoclast Oh I am fully aware about EA, Activision, etc. not supporting Smart Delivery - it was never a mandate only a strong recommendation from Microsoft.

However it was widely accepted by a lot of publishers/developers and I know that at least one EA Game (Jedi Fallen Order) supported Smart Delivery. No argument there. Control Ultimate Edition is another example where it wasn’t supported.

@oconnoclast Oh, yeah. It sounded less harsh than saying a “bro gamer”, but I see your point. “Bro gamers” won’t play games that would support Smart Delivery because “bro games” are cash cows milked by publishers.

I was trying to point that Smart Delivery exists because technologically deficient gamers exist.

There are still MANY games that support Smart Delivery and PS5 games where, especially at launch, you had to manually go to find the PS5 version and download it separately in order to get the upgrade. I know because I’ve had to do it many times on my PS5. And then there’s other things like not being able to get free upgrades on PS+ games, Greedfall, for example. On Xbox, they really wouldn’t even be able to block that thanks to Smart Delivery (not that they would).

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/06/ps_plus_version_of_greedfall_wont_upgrade_to_ps5_version_for_free

I have both consoles and love them for different reasons. But there’s no doubt in my mind which company has been more consumer friendly this gen.

@oconnoclast I think it's one of those things where MySpace was the norm and nobody involved in it noticed the trends why it was thinning out until it was too late.

Sony's been in their bubble, ignoring the outside world, and not realizing people had been getting used to the idea of cross generations, BC, upgrades etc. Then they pulled some of the technical limitations for that away by going all in on x86 with PS4 rather than unique, bespoke hardware, then doing the mid-gen bump and even requiring developers to support PS4 Pro upgrades in all PS4 games (!!) But then they think they can put the genie in the bottle again. They not only ignored MS shifting that focus, and the resurgence and growth in PC gaming, and the fact that the massive industry of mobile has had that as the default since the beginning, so that they and Nintendo sit alone in walled generational licensing....but, unlike Nintendo, they actually forced the process of upgrades onto devs and established it as the normal with the PS4 Pro. They're not maintaining status quo, they're actually turning back the clock to PS4 launch. Outrage ensues.

I think they didn't pay attention to the expectations they themselves set, and all the rest of the industry save Nintendo set since the PS4 launch era, and they were unaware that a lot of people that skipped the PS4Pro were expecting PS5 to continue that process, because they set the expectation it should, and the rest of the industry has followed that expectation as well.

TL;DR; Sony's management still can't read the room.

LOL, I owned 32x as well. For like a week or two....I realized how terrible it was and returned that sucker! Kinda wish I'd kept it now just for the obscure collectible value. I still have my Virtual Boy, though, so that's almost as rare as a Wonder Swan. They only sold the thing a few months.

@NEStalgia "They're almost literally telling people that have a PS4 but might in the future buy a PS5 to not buy this game."

Good point. I have both (though the PS4 doesn't get as much use these days), and I'm torn between buying the PS5 edition or spending another extra $10 to be able to play on both consoles.

If it wasn't coming out two days before my kid's birthday - the kid who LOVES Horizon Zero Dawn and has been drooling over this game for months - I'd just wait for Black Friday and get the ultimate super-duper GotY edition that supports both consoles for $20-40. But since I'm looking at a release day purchase, I've got to some decisions to make. It shouldn't be this complicated - and if I didn't have my PS5, I'd be MORE upset at this complexity and at having to spend an extra $20 now for the chance to upgrade to the PS5 version at a reasonable price, later. It's not great for those of us with the PS5, but it's a particularly awful thing to do to the PS4 community (especially those who have spent a year trying to get the PS5).

Way to go Sony, keep destroying all the good will you gained during the PS4 generation. Give this gen to Microsoft.

Even I'm considering going back to Xbox now. Whoever is making all of these ridiculous decisions over there has to go.

I don't get it, It's as if they arent even trying to gloss over their greed. My guess is they saw the demand for the PS5 and realized they just don't have to try. This is absurd and just another anti consumer step for Sony, that I assure you will start to backfire.

Way to go Sony, lie to sell a console, then make all of the exclusives cross gen to make more money, cut the cooling capability of the PS5 to cut cost, don't updated/communicate with us on really anything since launch, then release games hidden among the guise of a directors cut to rake in more cash, and charge a premium for those that supported your garbage launch. Then make that premium upgrade fee the business model going forward!

All the while have next to nothing first party releasing during primetime holiday.

but hey at least your answer to the competition is friggin price gouging, and anime, lmfao.

genius!

@Richnj I was trying to make a point. It's amusing you use the term backlash. You don't find it odd that, with all that's going on in the world, this warrants a backlash? It's nothing new and we have a choice. Personally, I would probably not stump up more than $20 to upgrade a game. In this case, I wouldn't. I don't see the need to have a rant at Sony or anyone else about it. I vote with my wallet.

@BrainHacker I'm not defending anything, other than my right to have an opinion. Same as everyone else here. At what point was I defending Sony? What needs 'defending' anyway? They have the right to charge what they want, we have the right decide whether we buy or not. In this case, if I had not got a PS5, I would not buy the game for my PS4. I would wait. Got plenty else to play.
I simply don't get the anger that comes over in some of these posts.
That's my opinion and it's as valid as anyone else's.

Wow! Some serious posts here, all I'll say is I'm glad my 2 year embargo on almost all new games seems sound.

The arrogance of Sony fanboys last generation? Here's your reward for shilling for Sony. 70 dollar games and anti consumer friendly practices. For the Payers indeed.

@naruball Yeah but that's pretty rare when it comes to Sony....

1, don’t preorder games. If you do, you are the problem.

2, if you have PS4, don’t buy it. Wait. In a couple of years it will be £15 in the sale. Buy it then when you have a PS5. It will be the same game in a couple of years as it is now.

Never buy games at launch. They don’t deteriorate with time, but the price drops like a rock.

@KundaliniRising333 Absurd. Lie. Anti-consumer. Price gouging. Garbage. Cut the cooling capability.

Bingo!

Jim Ryan's questionable leadership strikes once again.

This what happens when you bring business men to lead gaming companies, they nickle and dime for every Penney

Huge Playstation fan here but since Jim Ryan took over its been downhill for Playstation. Lack of communication, price increase for ps5 games and now these shady things with Horizon. I havent touched my ps5 in weeks. Playing gamepass on PC right now only.

Looking forward to playing this in 3 years when the price is reasonable. I'm not paying ridiculous Sony taxes just to play it on release, it's a digital product that doesn't degrade over time (and arguably gets better with updates), if you're paying the full £70 you might as well just be throwing cash into the fireplace, total waste of money.

Tbh this is the only feature i wish my ps5 had from the series S/X

But I suppose it stops people from buying the cheaper version (PS4) to play the more expensive version (ps5)

At the moment people are buying ps4 physical copies for £35-£40 and get the ps5 version for free instead of paying £60-£70 off the store and that's what I believe sony are trying to cut out, but it's those who genuinely have the ps4 version and then get a ps5 I feel sorry for.

And then there's those who also rent ps4 games and will basically get the ps5 versions of games for free.

EA, Sony and Activision can see how much money they will be losing and have put things in place to counter it

@SJBUK You are entitled to your own opinion. But are you sure you're not defending Sony? I mean you were basically calling out people in here who didn't like Sony's decision with HFW upgrade path. Of course Sony has the right to price their own games. However, it doesn't mean that we should just ignore their horrible pricing strategy, considering that there are still millions of PS4 gamers who can't upgrade yet to PS5. If third party developers and small dev teams can offer free upgrade to PS4 owners. Why can't Sony do the same thing for their loyal fanbase who will eventually upgrade to their next-gen console?

@PabloProuty I feel like PlayStation has so much momentum behind it from previous gen, Sony are getting cocky again and seeing how much they are able to get away with. No business or brand is ever your friend...

@Toypop The only negative with this, is just like with movies, you have to evade story spoilers for some time. For a AAA game like HZD, it will be neigh impossible.

@JapaneseSonic I'm so sick of Microsoft paying off Sony to do this stuff! Sony would never do things like this if Microsoft wasn't behind it!

After taking a bit of time to actually think about it all, I can't defend Sony for backtracking on this. They did say it was going to be a free upgrade, and obviously this combined with the Director's Cuts they are releasing isn't helping their greedy image in the slightest. True, it's no longer a launch game, but still, it's pretty weak if they will use that as an excuse since the only reason it's coming out next year is because of COVID.

Yes, it sucks. Yes, they deserve to be criticized for it, especially when they stated it would be free and the launch game wording is a really weak loophole. Still, is this something you would give up the great story driven games and go somewhere else? For me? No, there's a reason why I have a PS5 and it's because of the games. I don't have to like the people running PlayStation, but at the end of the day stuff like this shouldn't get in the way of enjoying your PS5 and their games.

Yes, again, it sucks and I am not faulting anybody for criticizing them. There's nothing you can do though other than wait on the game so you don't have to buy it twice or just buy it and enjoy it, unless you are willing to give up their games just because you rightfully don't like the company.

@RobN Yeah, same. I use remote play, but I don't want to put extra run hours on the hard to replace ps5, so I set up the pro as a streaming box. Now stuff like this and the cross gen saves makes that impossible. And I'm not paying $20 extra just to be able to stream my own game from my own older console.

Thank goodness I'm cross platform. Between all the big Ms and Nintendo games coming out, I won't even notice the missing ps games while I wait for sales. I still haven't finished the first hzd yet! Though I feel silly staying up frantically trying to get my 5 preorder last year only to put off most games for years. It improves my backlog though!

@Bleachedsmiles oh, man, I loled and loled 😂

@SplooshDmg Jim's ballsy. If he thought he could get away with $70 for PS4 he'd have done it already. Confident as they appear, clearly they're more afraid of ramifications of the price increase in the mass market than they let on. If they try it and it fails, that earmarks $70 as a failure and then risks backlash on the little PS5 gold mine as well. But instead of either betting it all against the house and hoping for a flush, or backing down and dropping prices, they're trying to have their cake and eat it too. Use both price points at once and avoid the risks. Instead of a worse look. Can't wait for Jim to pen his own blog apology about how much they listen to their fans and reevaluate policy again. "I'm sorry, honey, my hand just slipped. It won't happen again, I promise!"

This is ridiculously greedy.

We know it's doable for Sony to give people an upgrade path where they can pay a fee to gain access to PS5 upgrades for their games. That, in itself, is a bit questionable, considering their competitor is doing these next-gen upgrades for free, but it's still an option for when and if people get a PS5.

Now, if someone hasn't obtained a PS5 yet and wants to play this game ASAP on PS4, they either pay a massive premium at launch for upgrades on a console they might not be getting for years, or they have to pay full price for the game again down the road. That's... wow.

I love Horizon, and I do want to support the sequel, but this sort of nakedly exploitative policy is indefensible, IMO.

Does anybody know what the next ps5-only game is or when they'll announce something? I don't care about this nonsense. I just want to see some good next-gen graphics in games that are neither excruciatingly difficult (demon souls) or kiddie cartoon games (ratchet and clank).

@SplooshDmg You'd think Xbox would have known doubling the price of gold was a bad idea, but somebody felt cocky enough to sign off on it.

Sense doesn't always apply to someone seeking a quarterly bonus I guess.

I get the sense that Jim has Nintendo envy. He keeps imitating their most questionable policies. Nintendo gets away with it because they're Nintendo. They have everyone's childhood memories on a leash and no direct competition at all. He sees that ps has brand power. He equates the two as equal. Well,I say Jim, but it's a Japanese HQ and he reports to Ken Yoshida. Isn't "because we're Sony" standard operating procedure in their electronics? Look at their audio and photo business. They charge double their competitors for half the performance because they're Sony and they fill one niche their customers need that no other product has.

I'm sure the Nintendo model appeals to them. But they forget that while Nintendo is the Disney of games, Sony is just the Sony Pictures of games and is easily competed against. Their fans are loyal but....13+m for their biggest game ever.... They're no Disney. They want to seem premium bit they come across as stingy. They're trying the cable company model.

So Horizon as a franchise went from being a role model in an industry notorious for its anti-consumer practices to being a part of the latter in just one single instalment? Wow.

"Sony Will Make You Pay"

Sammy ought to work for Kotaku or Fox News.

Can you imagine a PC game where it is £50 for medium settings, £60 for High and £70 if you want to enable the Ultra pre-set. This must be why Sony games released on PC with so little in the options menu, they are waiting till they are able to charge extra. I mean come on, that dev has to be paid to flip those 0s to 1s in that conf file!

@VillaRosa-LVPx They fattened her cheeks up

@RobN
‘Smart delivery’ is also overhyped by the press who refuse to denounce it’s unacceptable flaws.
I agree that Sony could be more pro consumer with people who want both PS4 version and PS5 version for some reason but smart drm delivery is not the answer.

Queue all the raging fanboys who stick up for Sony no matter what they do. With Microsoft owning Bethesda, abd the potential for lots of exclusive games, free upgrades and Gamepass, Sony are making Microsoft look like a better option this gen. Sony are trying to pull a Nintendo and overcharge people for everything this gen.

I'll most likely still buy the game day one, but will settle for the Standard Edition...

@TooBarFoo That's exactly what Sony is doing. The PS5 version is only unlocking the features already available to the game. Meanwhile, their direct competitor has a feature that will automatically optimized previous gen games to its next-gen version for free. Sony knows that PS4 owners highly outnumber the PS5 early adopters and they are pretty much taking advantage of the situation. If Sony keeps this up. There is no doubt that majority of third party developers will do the same thing and this will become the norm. Sony is the market leader after all.

@naruball they won't because many many people will still pay for it I can guarantee it.
And that is the sad reality is seems so many people are in agreement with you and take their stand " I won't unless they lower the price or wait for a sale etc" and the countless forums that will appear about it but in comparison to how many will pay it won't even be noticeable

As someone with a PS5, this doesn't directly make a difference to me, but it's a scummy move for PS4 owners still struggling to get a hold of a PS5.
They essentially need to pay £80 to ensure they don't need to buy the entire game again on PS5.
Starting to get major PS3 vibes from Sony this gen and I hate to see it...

Look, it’s perfectly simple.
You get what you pay for.
If you want something - pay for it.

I will buy Horizon FW on the PS5, and it will undoubtedly be awesome. Because I want a game that will take full advantage of my shiny new console. And knowing just how good the other game was.

Yes, Guerrilla gave us all a FREE upgrade of Horizon ZD, and we should be grateful for that. They didn’t have to, nor should we (as consumers) be entitled to it.

Instead of counting ourselves lucky, people moan about not getting stuff for free - stuff that nobody has to give them, because doing so is expensive.

Owners of the PS5 (myself included) should all count ourselves lucky that we have managed to get hold of the console AT ALL.

We should not be moaning that software developers except us to actually pay for the games, too.

I fear that if this “entitled” attitude persists then developers will just stop making PS5 games - and nobody wants that, right?

If you want to play Horizon Forbidden West on the PS5 when it comes out, then buy the PS5 version - and please don’t try and argue that it won’t be value for money.

Sorry for the rant, I will now shut up for a while.

@Matthewnh Wow everyone should consider themselves lucky to have a PS5, and it's such a privilege that they must give Sony the rest of their money too?

How about these aren't some random indie software developers - they're the makers of that very console, who will now earn lots of money from you buying games on it for the next 5 years or more.

The fact you can't upgrade from the PS4 to PS5 version, unless you buy the £80 version (or more) on the off chance you do get a PS5 later is pathetic.

And that's before even considering the argument that paying extra to play a PS4 game on PS5 with extra resolution / refresh rate (free on PC games and most Xbox) and to use the PS5 features you've already paid hundreds for...

Sony don't need to be rinsing both their new console owners (who should be rewarded) or their huge PS4 base (who they should be encouraging to upgrade) like this...

@Amppari yeah, free stuff like the actual game disc for the game you bought. How entitled.

Sony is just about the only company doing this rubbish. Even most 3rd parties are generous with their next gen updates. But hey, keep on cheering for things that aren't beneficial for consumers.

@Matthewnh don't they have to start making ps5 games before they can stop?

Also, lol at "entitled".

@Xenomorph_79 I'll buy the game, but with no free upgrade, it'll have to be the PS5 version and I'm not getting a PS5 for at least a year.

@Uromastryx I think you're right. All I'm saying is that they have changed their mind over several decisions due to backlash.

This is not a good look for Sony to be fair. I get that they don't want ppl to buy the PS4 version and get a free upgrade to ps5 which would be cheaper, I wouldn't have minded a extra fee to upgrade but to make you buy the game again that's not good. For me personally it's not too bad as I have a ps5 so will buy that version, but if I still hadn't got a ps5 then I would be really angry.

I'm glad I have bought a series s to go along with my ps5 now as it will make it easier for me to wait for certain games as hopefully I will have enough things to play, but saying that I will probably get horizon day one. Never had a Xbox before but they do seem more consumer friendly, especially with the rewards program I actually don't think I will have to pay for my gamepass just due to the rewards points already got it up till Feb and already nearly got another month free crazy.

@Col_McCafferty never said that. You may wanna focus on what I actually said as opposed to what's on your mind.

When they announced that they were shutting down the store on psvita, there was a lot of backlash and they reversed their decision. Criticism =/ death threats

Wow, just wow. Not only do you pay different price for the same game on the same ecosystem (because owning PS5 is such a privilege and extra 10€/& is a simple flex), but not having an obvious upgrade path and making you pay even more money to buy the same game AGAIN just to be able to play them on any console of the current Sony ecosystem is anti-consumer to its core, disrespectful, and, quite honestly, just mad.

If any other company did that - Microsoft, EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Paradox - entire gaming community would be up in uproar, but Sony can evidently do to its fanbase whatever it wants and get away with it.

My decision to ditch PlayStation ecosystem entirely (after investing 20 years of my time and money in it) after TLOU2 fiasco is proving to be the best decision I made regarding how I spend my free time and money month after month. And to be fair, I will play games from Sony ecosystem where they are best played, and that is on Steam on my gaming PC, where this kind of money grabbing travesty is unheard of.

This site and its commenters are the most anti Sony place on the internet, they might as well show Xbox and Nintendo stuff here. Just remember, last Gen there wasn't many free upgrades either so we should be so lucky with what we do get. Keep begging to make everything free, and watch how terrible the quality of our games become.

@Gamakazil You ditched it huh, yet here you are. If you can't handle when a lead character dies in a video game then you should just quit gaming all together.

@GamingVeteran I'm not driving American cars as well, yet I read news about them regularly

If you think the only issue with that ridiculous game is how they crapped on Joe and made a golf ball out of him, I honestly pity you. Can't wait to see how any future game from Wokey Dog with it's one-dimensional character development sells.

And you will be surprised how many, many more "anti-Sony" posts you will see in this generation if Sony doesn't change its heading ASAP, as I honestly can't think of any other gaming company that is more predatory to its consumer base, Activision and Blizzard included.

Not to mention that this HZ game was promised to be PS5 exclusive just to be downgraded to cross-gen game. And instead of being happy with 100 million PS4 consoles out there paying 60$ for the game, they want to get 80$ out of remaining PS4 consumer base that can't get a hold on PS5 console. I honestly can't think of a single reason why should I give a single cent to Sony at this moment.

@rachetmarvel this type of game doesn’t really have plot spoilers. I’ve never seen spoilers for the original HZD, or say AC Odyssey or Valhalla. It’s the nature of open world titles. Bar say GTA.

You know Aloy doesn’t die and there isn’t a Joel character to care about as the supporting cast are nothing. Most people can’t name an NPC in HZD without thinking very hard or Googling.

Also unless you are a no lifer, games that do have spoilable plots get spoiled long before I’ve finished them.

But as I say, three or four years after launch I’ve not seen a single HZD spoiler. Only difference is it’s now £15 and 60fps, instead of £50 and 30fps.

Preorders are inexcusable and irresponsible consumer behaviour at all times. With rare exceptions of sports games or MMO’s, buying at launch is ridiculous and irrational.

@Gamakazil Then enlighten us, what is the issues with the game then? Because you and everyone else only say the same ONE thing. You probably don't even know why you hate it. And that is sad.

Sony will be just fine. I'm sure they don't care about this little site who's users apparently don't buy any games.

The entire "downgrade" arguments are probably due to the fact PS5's are being manufactured slowly due to shortages of materials. So to try to make money, they downgrade which is easy to do, in order to still make game sales. Seems simple to me.

@Deadcow if you wait, they pay you £10 to upgrade! Chill, don’t buy it.

By the time you have a PS5, the game will be 25% less than launch price.

I have the full DLC’d and PS5’d up version of Ghost of Tsushima and it cost me no more than people paid for the base game.

TLoU2 cost me what? £25?!?! It was 60fps by then. I wait a year and get a better product for less money.

As games age they get less buggy, perform better and are cheaper.

@GamingVeteran of course it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is overcharging the game to the same consumers that would really want to buy a new console from you, but they can't since you're unable to provide a decent supply of them. Making existing consumer base pay 20€ (or 70€) more just to be able to play them on both the inferior and current gen games? It does makes sense, just not to the consumer

You made your mind about that travesty of a game, I made my mind. I'm just happy the game leaked before I was able to buy it so I could see how the franchise died on Youtube Let's Play channels, instead of wasting my own money on it.

And I sincerely doubt Sony will be fine in the long run. Microsoft is currently much more consumer friendly, it has a much deeper pockets, and for a change, it has a great studio lineup in its sleeve. The only thing Sony had over Microsoft is the incredible good will of its consumer base (mine included). And they are losing it blazingly fast.

@Deadcow Wreckfest had a free ps5 upgrade though...I dunno what you spent your tenner on. But why do you want to spend extra to use the hardware you bought? That's what I don't get. You know Sony isn't giving away ps5s for free, right? Surely there's an expectation that when you spend £500 on a games console the games on it should use its features without adding additional chargers over the other versions. You don't expect to pay for higher pc settings do you? Or, if you were a pc game...bought a fancy new card, would you personally happily pay to unlock higher pc settings? Serious question...as I honestly don't get those that are fine paying extra for the same game just so it will use the features they've already paid for.

@Gamakazil I knew you wouldn't explain why you hate it. Typical. You got brainwashed by youtubers to hate a game you never played over some leaks. You are gaming's problem. When in reality, the story plays out perfectly.

@Gamakazil makes perfect sense that you are here. That's definitely one way to live your life.

@GamingVeteran game with atrocious writing compared to the first, shoving politics in game, 1D character development and complete and utter disrespect to the plot course first game set? If that is perfect to you, I sincerely and honestly pity you. Keep your TLOU2 to yourself, I will just replay Witcher 3 when I want to play the game with perfect writing, setting and character development. And I'm out regarding TLOU2 offtopic, you can now keep defending Sony being anti-consumer company.

Defending Sony over this is ridiculous; but to be expected from a certain bunch! All the other anti-consumer moves Sony has pulled have also been defended and that is why they know they can get away with things like this.

Also downplaying Smart Delivery is just a desperate attempt to knock the competition. Smart Delivery is extremely good (though it should be standard at this point). I can load up a game on my Series X, then go upstairs and continue on my One X (though in lesser quality, but as best optimised for that console as it can be). Also with many (but not all, I don’t think) you get the PC version included too. And it’s all part of the same ecosystem and basically like it’s one game, but plays as best as it can on each. And your save game comes with you. That is so good.

The fact that anyone without a Series X yet can buy games on their Xbox One and know they will get the Series X version waiting for them when they finally get a console; and with their save game ready for them to continue - is a huge peace of mind for the consumer.

But sure let’s defend having to buy multiple versions, no ease of backwards movement, and awkward save transfers. And look forward to what Sony pulls next 👌.

It really feels like Sony wanted PS5 to be another start from scratch gen like PS4 but they reluctantly added in backwards compatibility perhaps as a response to Series X|S primary focus being backwards compatibility.

The way Sony has handled crossgen this time is very much like how crossgen was handled with PS3 -> PS4 and 360 -> XB1 which I guess was more accepted back then because there was no backwards compatibility.

@BrainHacker Yep, very sure I'm not defending Sony. Why would I? They care not one jot about me, I care little for them.

I have owned every PS since the first. Not because I'm a Sony 'fanboy' or a 'loyal' customer, it's been for two reasons:

1) I'm a techie, I like new tech and I like people who innovate. Sony always seem to try and do something new with Playstation. Doesn't always work, true, but it's good to try and innovate.
2) I like the games available on the Playstation and think they offer good value for money. Most I can get elsewhere but the above keeps me on Playstation.

At the point I think Sony do not offer the above, I'll take my money somewhere else. Sony exist to make money. They do not exist to make me happy. I accept this, so I don't get my underwear in a twist when I think they may be charging too much for something. I just don't buy it.

If you think Sony owe us anything for being 'loyal' customers, you need a reality check. They exist to make money and they will do that any way they can.

.

@oconnoclast Until you realize, that Microsoft will be releasing two first-party games in 2021 that are cross-gen. Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. Both of them suports Smart Delivery and they won't charge you for next-gen version. Also you don't need to take care about ***** like "save transfer"

" and pricey collector's edition don't have a disc" wich is a shame as I'm preferring physical over digital but as a crossgen title it is understandable. They didn't want to release 4 different collector's editions ( Regalla for PS4 and PS5 and Collector's ed. for PS4 and PS5) instead they release one each with a code for BOTH platform! (Digital code : Full game for PS4™ and PS5™ included).
That's a shame but not a criminal offence against gamers although i always buy physical
Also Regalla Edition sold out in an hour yesterday an Collector's Ed is best selling on vendor site.
I'm not defending Sony i understand everyone's complain but these are the facts

@K1LLEGAL thats Sony simps for you. They’ll defend anything because they’re dead heads.

@Fenbops Unfortunately they are just shooting themselves in the foot in the long run. The only thing keeping Sony in check at the moment… is Microsoft.

Edit: and actually people in the industry like @get2sammyb who are speaking up against it.

@K1LLEGAL and you appear to prefer the MS/XBox environment, which yes, has it's advantages. So enjoy it, have fun with it. Why bother wasting time here?

@Fenbops. When you grow go up you'll understand that just because people have a different opinion to you, they are not necessarily 'defending' anyone or 'dead heads'.

I'll leave you two to the echo-chamber these forums have turned into. Have fun!

@SJBUK I do prefer their system. But I love video games and Playstation has some incredible experiences. But the cost and experience of playing them could be so much better. As someone who loves the video game industry - It’s actually a massive shame to me.

Anyway I just wanted to leave my comment on this thread just like the other 300 people have. I’m allowed to do so.

Dick move by Sony. Not really the friendliest of moves for the fans who had a PS4 and now have a PS5 (or who are planning to buy one once they are a bit more available).
It is bad enough that PS5 games are already at a premium price compared to PS4 games, but to not even give the option to upgrade from PS4 to PSt is really *****!

@SJBUK just because someone provides a criticism on something, doesn't mean it hates it or wants to see it burn. I don't know which echo-chambers you're speaking about, as this is the most Sony-friendly site I know of.

I am very critic about Sony for over a year now, not because I want to see Sony fail but because I want Sony to be great again. I grew up with PS1 and PS2, I played Jak and Dexter whole days and nights, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, God of War, Uncharted, everything. I care about IP Sony created in these past decades, deeply.

And in the last year and half (maybe two), everything they could do wrong, they did it. From non-existent communication, outright false advertising (making PS5 exclusives cross-gen in the last minute), anticonsumer act after anticonsumer act. Never did I think I will defend Microsoft, but the way MS handled generation transition was perfect. That every MS exclusive is also available day 1 on PC (and on the Gamepass itself) is mind shattering. I am currently playing Psychonauts 2, looking forward to play Age of Empires 4, and if MS continues to churn out games of this quality and cadence, Sony is indeed in deep trouble. And I hate to see that, and I really, really want to enjoy their IP like I did in the past 25 years (until last God of War, which was the last Sony game I enjoyed and payed for - GoT is a great game, I believe, but I'm done investing in Sony ecosystem for the time being and I can't wait to play it once it comes to Steam).

Oh Sony. You poor, misguided fools...

300+ comments 😂😂

@Gamakazil said: "just because someone provides a criticism on something, doesn't mean it hates it or wants to see it burn". Of course not, I never said it did.

The echo-chamber comment was triggered by the posts above mine.

I do agree with some of what you say, I get it. But given the profits Sony are making the statement "everything they could do wrong, they did it" is clearly not, objectively, correct. If it was, they'd not be making a profit and they wouldn't be selling PS5s as quick as they can make them. That's not being a fanboy or defending Sony, it's just stating fact.

The only way of making a difference and influencing Sony (or anyone other big organisation) is to vote with your wallet.

Maybe it's just me but it seems really hard to have a balanced discussion about anything these days. Probably best if I leave this particular one.

@SJBUK another way of making a difference is to comment about it. If there is enough outcry they might actually listen; but it sounds like you would rather I didn’t post my comment criticising them. That makes no sense.

When Xbox announced the XBL Gold price rise; the outcry got them to reverse it. It was a BS move and they were called out on it. If the Sony fanboys stopped blindly following Sony, it would actually do them some good.

It can be hard to have a balanced discussion; since everyone has their biases. But I try to be as objective as I can. You don’t need to tell me i’m wasting my time; I can decide that for myself.

@Fenbops
Well the people defending this don't speak for me. I have been a PlayStation fan since the very day one that the original came out in 1995 and I'm dead against the things they are doing. Not all of us are defending this. It's obvious why this is happening, it's Jim Ryan, he is all about money and he is leading PlayStation into the ground and simply has to go.

When they have no customers left because they push us too far they better not come crying, gamers have got a long memory. I still haven't forgiven Xbox for 2013, I know things are different now, but I still feel betrayed. Just like I will not forgive Sony for these terrible decisions even if they change their minds.

Sony, it's simple. Treat your customers right, make more money in the long term, treat your customers wrong and you push your customers away, then you get less money than your short sighted, short term profit. I'm not a corporate suit and yet it's simple how this works. In 2013 I said to Xbox, "screw you, there is more options out there". In 2021 I'm thinking of saying the same to you.

@SJBUK "If it was, they'd not be making a profit and they wouldn't be selling PS5s as quick as they can make them. That's not being a fanboy or defending Sony, it's just stating a fact."

A business is never looked upon using present-day data, trends are all that matter. Is Sony currently doing alright? It is, no doubt about it. Do investors and the community believes it will do the same or better given the current course and competition? I highly doubt that.

That is the same argument that TLOU2 was a commercial success, and I don't deny that. However, the game was falsely advertised, many, many people wouldn't even consider buying it knowing what are they paying for, and I am looking forward to seeing whether there will even be a sustainable community for TLOU2 multiplayer title, and for outlook on any other future Naughty Dog game. That will be the measure of their success, as much as the nature of current Sony's success, in general, will be visible in a year or two.

Given the current course, I wouldn't invest my money in Sony stock, and other investors are clearly agreeing with me as Sony's stock is a flat line for the entire 2021, with Microsoft's stock growing linearly (to be fair, a lot of other business are muddled in those stock and isn't the best indicator, but is indicative nonetheless).

@Gamakazil A quick Google shows Sony is doing fine at the moment and future forecasts look good. Investors don't look at it the same way we consumers do.

Look. I get why people are unhappy. I don't think they're doing a great job at communicating with us. I'd like far more information that I'm getting. I think free or cheap upgrades are a great idea. But I don't consider myself entitled to them, they'll either happen or not. Things change.

But that's it. I can't get as animated as many seem to. I really don't see the point. I don't get the extreme language some are using. I don't get why some (not all) seem to believe they are so entitled to get stuff for cheap or free. The more money Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo etc make the more likely we get new exciting kit to play with. It's balance, if they get it wrong for too long, they will lose market share, lose money. Just vote with your wallets people.

On this one i agree. Sony is playing with fire here and shoukd leave the greed at the door. It's not like the ps5 is widely available yet.

What many seems to miss is that you can still play ps4 version on your ps5.
As seen on ghost article upgrade many wouldnt pay for ps5 upgrade for little better graphics and dualsense support.
Why does suddenly all care for that now?

You probably get 4k60fps on your ps4 game playing it on ps5 later. Isnt that most important?

This whole "cross gen" generation is really hurting Sony and there loyal fans. There is no way this went well in the corporate meeting rooms but no one seems to be standing up for what's right to gain a bit more revenue. I'm sadly still a ps4 owner and I really feel left out. Come on Sony, do better. Don't become the new EA of gaming.

I want to play Sony's exclusive games, but I guess that means I'm going to have to wait even longer to be able to afford them.

@SJBUK Damn, You just don't get it. Sony shouldn't charge people $20 more for features that is already in the $500 gaming console they already paid for. Did Sony charge PC gamers for 4k resolution, unlocked framerates and dynamic foliage on Horizon Zero Dawn? No, they didn't because that is incredibly unfair and stupid.

Are you one of those people who buy something out of impulse? You just buy it because you like it without reading the fine print.

Like I've said. Sony is taking advantage of PS4 gamers who can't upgrade yet to the PS5. The Deluxe edition is digital. The only thing they will do is unlocked those features in the PS5 version and they are charging people for it. When third party developers and smaller studio like Ember Lab (Kena: bridge of spirits) are willing to give PS4 owners free upgrades. It blows my mind how people think this is okay, and we should just shut up about it like it will go away if we ignore it.

@BrainHacker You're absolutely right. I don't get it. I don't get why you're quite so animated about this. I also don't get why you care what I think.

"Are you one of those people who buy something out of impulse? You just buy it because you like it without reading the fine print.". No, not really, not sure how that's relevant, though.

"Sony is taking advantage of PS4 gamers who can't upgrade yet to the PS5". That's one way of looking at it. The way I see it is that if you haven't got a PS5 and really want the game, buy it for your PS4. Play it, enjoy it! When/if you do get a PS5 you can still play it on the PS5 in BC mode, it'll play even better (probably). If the native PS5 version is that much better, you have the option of waiting until you get a PS5 to play it.

Anyone, we're not going to see eye to eye on this, so I'll stop here.

I can’t understand how in the space of a year this whole “Free Upgrade” thing has transitioned from “nice to have” to an “unquestionable essential”. I don’t recall free PS4 upgrades for all those PS3 games also released on PS4 during the last generational overlap. This “no excuse” position that Push Square seems intent on pushing is a pile of BS the size of Olympus Mons and screams of Entitlement. You want an excuse? They don’t want to, they don’t have to, they’re not obligated to give it to you, I could go on and on. You have the option to buy for whichever platform you want it for or you’re welcome to wait if you don’t have access to a PS5 yet.

The fact they seemingly originally promised a free upgrade and then changed course, is frustrating at most.

Oh and the No Disc in Collectors Editions is tone deaf stupidity. Can’t wait to hear their excuse for that one as I need a good laugh. Probably to make it appeal to their all-digital PS5 buyers.

@SJBUK Yeah. let's agree to disagree. Personally, I don't care what you think. This is the comment section of the article. We are just having a discussion in here.

Well, that's one way to put it. Pay $80 for the PS4 version which is more than what PS5 owners are paying it for. Then, play it with 1080p resolution and 30fps while PS5 owners will enjoy all the bells and whistles for $10 less. Then, play it again when you finally get the PS5 for $500. so, you can enjoy the extra $20 you paid initially for the PS4 version.

@FX102A Yeah, I agree the collectors edition boxes not having a disk in is a bit bonkers. I'm not one for buying that sort of thing but having a special physical edition of a game, with a load of physical goodies but not the physical game, seems special in the wrong way.

Oh, is it like that? No problem, I'll wait till it's on PS+

@Deadcow Ah, I was under the impression Wreckfest was one of the few that got a free ps5 upgrade.

You really don't need to worry about Sony asking PS4 owners to buy this again full price rather than a £10 upgrade. They'll backtrack and offer their £10 ps5 tax and people will praise them for 'listening'. It's going to be the most genius move since Kojima started bluebox and made silent hills.
Think about it...they release the exact same game on different generations of hardware. The conversation should be why is it £10 more for the ps5 version? So they change the conversation. Then when everybody is upset they add the £10 option back...psychologically messing with the already mentally unstable fanbase so that now rather than question £10 charge for higher graphics settings (on a machine they already charge £500 to do higher graphics settings)...they're now grateful for the charge. I mean they already have you asking for the option...that in itself is crazy when you really think about it.

Sony are damn geniuses. I mean they're so smart they have people in this very comments section still refusing to praise xboxs 'smart delivery' - something that garentees you just pay one price once.

Reality is that Sony are the frontrunners. Playstation gamers' backlog alone (with performance boost) is better than upcoming Xbox games imo. You can't really blame Sony if their data indicates people are willing to spend a premium. Microsoft would do the same but they simply don't have the stature of Sony atm even with Gamepass. If xbox manage to deliver a series of high quality games, they may be able to pressure Sony eventually. Sony's exclusives are simply a more valuable commodity atm. It's not a case of one company been nicer. It's a case of one having the edge in games currently. Either way I hope they become full fledged rivals again rather than reversal to Xbox dominance as that's when the customer wins more often.

@Bleachedsmiles Comedy gold, thanks for the laugh

Sony a year ago:
“Additionally, we know that the PS4 community will transition to PS5 at different times, and we’re happy to announce PS4 versions of some of our exclusives. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy A Big Adventure, and Horizon Forbidden West will also launch on PS4. While these three games were designed to take advantage of PS5 and its unique next-gen features like the ultra-high-speed SSD and DualSense controller, PS4 owners will also be able to enjoy these experiences when they launch. The PS4 digital versions of launch games include a free upgrade on both PS5 consoles, while the PS4 disc versions of these games include a free upgrade on the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive.”

Jim Ryan in an interview:
“No one should be disappointed,” Ryan said. “The PS5 versions of those games are built from the ground up to take advantage of the PS5 feature set, and we have an upgrade path for PS4 users to get the PS5 versions for free. It’s about people having choice. I’m really quite pleased about the situation.”

There's nothing more to say..

@Fatewalker Indeed. Though I guess fans of the other games are quite happy as they were delivered as promised. It would be interesting to know when and why the decision was made to change the deal for HFW.

Reading through most of these comments I'm honestly not seeing a compelling argument for why Sony should offer a free upgrade for PS5 owners (or dual-entitlement), all I'm seeing is "company A is doing it so why can't company B do it too". I'll probably just wait until it gets a healthy discount as I've always been cheap like that.

@Bleachedsmiles Why ask what you're paying for? Just consume it lol.

Just insert Aloy's face above as my reaction to this.

@SJBUK Simply Sony owe us an explanation on this matter. It was told on their blog explicitly that the PS5 upgrade of HFW will be free.
Moreover, Jim Ryan also stated the following:
"we have an upgrade path for PS4 users to get the PS5 versions for free"

WTH are you doing Sony? Not everyone that wants a PS5 can find one, and there are others that will buy one later. This generation with the game upgrades should not be this complicated, or costly. This means some of us are better off to just wait until we have a PS5?

Sony are becoming such a greedy company.
I'm not supporting this or any of thier games till the UK gets a price cut to be in line with the US prices anyway.

@get2sammyb Is the Collectors edition with a PS4/PS5 code is this with a free upgrade included or is it with activation for one system?

If it was with a free PS4/PS5 upgrade you cant do it with the disc because you sell the code and keep the disc making them lose sales.

I dont know how it works or is it with a code for PS4 or PS5 its a little confusing for me its a little hard for me to understand because it says PS4/PS5 game code. If its a code for one version of the game then its a rippoff.

@Fatewalker He’s the perfect salesman and CEO, he promotes great value, stress worry free purchasing to drive up sales. And does it so well it sucks many a fan right in, many still defending him and Sony even now, despite the facts he blatantly lied through his teeth to them and has indeed done the total opposite of what he publicly claimed. If that’s what Sony fans want then you deserve to be ripped off.

@S1ayeR74 Indeed, well said!

357 comments says it all..

@get2sammyb said "

Just to update you all (because I don't think this is really worth adding to the article) Sony got back to me and pointed me to the FAQ.

So I think we can surmise from this, if you do buy Horizon's Standard or Special Edition on PS4, you'll have to buy it again to get the PS5 version.

I think they'll backtrack and offer an upgrade option, but it doesn't seem like they have one planned at the time of typing."

You thinking on backtracking turned out to happen and was my initial thoughts as well before they updated the official PS Blog post on preorders.

@get2sammyb said "Sadly, the only thing to understand here is that they think they can get extra cash out of people, and that's why they're doing it.

I know we're all PlayStation fans here so it's hard to come to terms with, and I do appreciate that Horizon is a high budget game, but this is nickel-and-diming."

Yes it is greed.

@get2sammyb said "We don't live in a vacuum. If other companies can do it, so can Sony.

If this was an article about Call of Duty or FIFA, the tone would be totally different in here.

Sony can do no wrong apparently.

Fair enough! We'll still call out Sony when they make moves like this, because they deserve it. 🤷‍♀️"

Yes to love something such as PlayStation you must also be honest and upfront not to be afraid of stating the facts.

Your honesty and calling them out is to make PlayStation better for all. Love it and keep doing. We all love PlayStation and not be afraid to state dissatisfaction.

I don't even see a PS4 only option. There is only standard (PS5) and deluxe (PS4&PS5)
What was s this for serie stunt they are pulling?!!