Tag: Reaction
Reaction Sony Continues to Fumble the State of Play Format
We've been here before
The curtain has closed on another State of Play, and this wasn’t a vintage one, to put it politely. In fact, at the time of writing, just 21 per cent of you said it was better than okay in our Push Square poll – a statistic we can’t imagine the bigwigs at PlayStation will be particularly impressed with
Reaction The Game Awards Finally Fulfils Its Potential
The Keighley to success
For a few years now, we’ve argued The Game Awards is just about as good as it can be – after all, there’s a ceiling to how engaging an industry awards ceremony, organised by an independent third-party, can possibly be. It’s clearly an expensive production that needs funding, and so the advertisements aren’t going...
Reaction Sony Poised to End 2022 without Major Press Conference
Show and tell
Sony is poised to end 2022 without a major press conference. Before we elaborate, it’s important to clarify what we mean here: we’re excluding shorter livestreams like State of Play or major events the platform holder has participated in, like Gamescom Opening Night Live or Summer Games Fest. We’re referring specifically to...
Reaction PS Stars Is Overdue Yet Appreciated, But There's Lots of Room to Improve
Star studded
The console landscape is changing. While the PS5 – despite all of its pandemic-induced inventory issues – remains one of the fast-selling formats of all time, the so-called “network effect” that determined previous generations is eroding. With crossplay surging in popularity across many of t
Reaction Sony's Struck State of Play Gold Not Once, But Twice in a Row
Two for two
So much for lowering our expectations, eh? Sony's latest State of Play — broadcast on the 13th September, just to be clear — was another near perfectly paced and packed showcase. Sony itself had framed the event as a kind of lead-up to Tokyo Game Show 2022, which kicks off this week. We were promised updates on ten PS5, PS4, and...
Reaction Publishers Are Getting Worse at Nintendo Direct-Style Livestreams
Tune out
Publishers need to better understand their audiences before hosting insipid livestreams. While we’re hesitant to criticise companies too hard – after all, we’re not owed semi-regular broadcasts from the likes of Ubisoft, EA, et al – the reality is that these Nintendo Direct-inspired marketing drops are getting worse. It would appear...
Reaction PS5 Price Hike a Sobering Sign of the Times
But Sony needs to work harder to justify costs
As energy bills skyrocket and grocery prices soar, we greeted today’s PS5 price increase news with a shrug: of course it’s gone up. The reality is that everything is getting more expensive, from essentials like fruit and vegetables to luxuries like your Netflix subscription – why would video games...
Reaction Meta Quest 2's Price Hike Will Have PSVR2 Relieved or Rubbing Its Hands
VRy interesting
As Sony slowly continues to peel back the curtain on its PSVR2 headset – revealing a selection of neat new user interface features earlier in the week – Facebook made the unprecedented move of increasing the price of its Meta Quest 2 headset overnight. The standalone device, which originally released over two years ago, will now...
Reaction WTF Is Going on with The Last of Us PS5?
Naughty Dog needs to respond to leaks
We’re getting déjà vu, because once again The Last of Us series is subject to another damaging leak. How this keeps happening to Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise is hard to understand, but the very real reality is there’s well over a month until The Last of Us: Part I launches, and we’ll have probably...
Reaction PS Plus’ Revamp Is Hours Away, But Sony Still Has a Game Pass Problem
Xbox showcase leans heavily on day one inclusions
Microsoft did its big annual E3 shindig today. Of course, it’s not E3 because that’s in a graveyard somewhere being pointed at by industry know-it-all Jeff Grubb. But unlike Sony, the Team in Green has decided to retain its Sunday evening summer showcase slot, so if you ignore the fact this was a...
Reaction Sony Kickstarts the Summer with Sizzling State of Play
All killer, no filler
Pound for pound, this was comfortably the best multi-game State of Play to date. No doubt. The content does the heavy lifting, of course – there won’t always be multiple titles with mass appeal to reveal – but this broadcast, modestly anticipated after past disappointments, was a handful of PS Studios additions away
Reaction Why You Shouldn't Worry About Sony's New Strategy
Additional investment is exciting
PlayStation is steering its business in a new direction, and gamers are renowned for their reluctance to change. A recent mid-term strategy meeting elaborated on Sony’s intention to look beyond its traditional walled garden, bringing its content to more platforms and mediums. This, as is perhaps predictable, has...
Reaction Sony's Positive PS Plus Reboot Proves the Value of Catalogues
A lovely library
Sony took its sweet time revealing the full extent of its PS Plus reboot – and, frankly, with only approximately 150 of All PS Plus Games confirmed, we’re still not getting the complete picture. According to the company, PS Plus Premium subscribers will get access to about 750 games at launch, so it still has plenty more to...
Reaction Sony's Biggest Problem Is Consumer Relations
PS Plus revamp reveal yet another example
Sony announced a rather exciting PS Plus revamp this week, but it’s a reminder that it’s forgotten the art of consumer relations. The organisation, which was unrivalled in this area during the early days of the PlayStation 4 era, seems utterly unable to effectively connect with its core customers right...
Reaction PS Plus, PS Now's Makeover a Necessary and Positive Step for Sony
But Sony still has plenty to prove
There was no way on God’s green earth Sony could convey today’s PS Plus paradigm shift without a hearty helping of criticism. Microsoft – the second largest company on the planet with a warchest in the trillions – has changed the game with its Xbox Game Pass business model, and there’s nothing that...
Reaction Sony's Bungie Buyout Means Little for PS5, PS4 Fans Right Now
Destiny unknown
Well, here we are again – another domino has dropped in the unstoppable march towards corporate consolidation. This time, though, our team has won: Bungie, the legendary creator of Halo and Destiny, is a PlayStation Studio! Except it’s not, but it also kinda is. The industry is weird these days so you’re going to have to stick...
Reaction We Need to Talk About Tiny Tina on PS Plus
Dragon weep
The reaction to PS Plus ebbs-and-flows depending on the lineup. For example, the vast majority of subscribers were pretty happy with Deep Rock Galactic, DIRT 5, and Persona 5 Strikers last month – all decent, recommended games. The response to February 2022’s PS Plus lineup, with UFC 4 and
Reaction Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
The end of an era
Is this the end of PlayStation? It’s always easy to get apocalyptic in situations like this, but it’s obviously not. Sony’s gaming division remains a wildly popular brand globally, and no single publisher can ever detract from that. Make no mistake, though, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $70 billion is a...
Reaction Can We Chill Out About Sony's Commitment to PS4, Please?
🙄
This week it was reported that Sony would produce a further one million PlayStation 4 consoles through 2022, and the Internet lost its mind. This agenda was partly pushed by an increasingly irritating media, with some of the headlines including Expect More Cross-Gen Games As Sony Orders 1 Million PS4s. There aren’t enough eye-rolling emojis...
Comparisons will be made
Such is the discourse among enthusiast gamers that Sony will either have to introduce an Xbox Game Pass competitor or Microsoft will have to pull the plug on its own before fans shut up about it. Despite breaking industry sales records, there’s a sentiment among the most engaged players on social media that PlayStation...
Reaction Sony Has Quietly But Confidently Grown Its First-Party Lineup
The company keeps it short but sweet
It's abundantly clear Sony isn't interested in making a big song and dance out of its business deals. Rather than saving acquisition announcements for the big stage at digital events, the company treats them more like "blink and you'll miss it" moments with a simple PlayStation Blog post and some comments from...
Reaction PlayStation Showcase 2021 Was Good, But Not Good Enough
Lopsided livestream leaves us wanting more and unsure when we'll get it
Prior to the PlayStation Showcase, we dropped a garbage time Soapbox, explaining that Sony couldn’t afford any dead air in its press conference today. But a bizarrely lopsided livestream had us sweating with ten minutes to go: the manufacturer had fallen into every single...
Reaction It's Time to Accept We Can't Predict PlayStation Anymore
The company's doing its own thing
We don’t have a clue what to expect from PlayStation anymore, and neither should you. A lot has changed over the course of the last generation, and Sony’s communication strategy – or, perhaps, lack thereof – is most prominent of all. The organisation was once talkative – chatty, even – during the early...
Reaction Messy Ghost of Tsushima Upgrade Makes PS5 for the Payers
Cough up
Sony may see itself as the premium platform in the marketplace these days, but it’s up for debate how long dedicated fans will continue to pay for the privilege of playing on the PlayStation 5. While the Japanese giant’s main competitor Microsoft continues to offer outrageous value through its Xbox Game Pass program, the PlayStation...
Reaction E3 Is a Relic Desperately Clinging to Relevancy
Let it go
E3 has been the event around which the video game industry revolves for nearly three decades now, but it’s time to admit it’s a relic that has long passed its sell-by date. There will be critics of this article that will point to the pandemic as justification for this year’s inept event, but such a response ignores the very real...
Reaction Xbox Game Pass Is the Thorn in PS5's Side
Jim Ryan, we have a problem
The curtain has closed on a very strong Xbox briefing, which saw its beefed up first-party roster – and a lot of timed exclusives – deliver the first real E3 2021 livestream of the year. The event has been on life support thus far, but with good pacing and plenty of content, Microsoft proved that there is still a...
Reaction Partnerships Show PlayStation Empowering Creators, And Avoiding an Acquisition War
Sony's direction
On the eve of a Microsoft press conference, it’s hard not to be wary of the dreaded ‘a’ word if you’re a PlayStation fan: acquisitions. Oh, the dreaded acquisitions. Xbox’s well-publicised buyout of Bethesda changed everything; all bets are off when it comes to the Redmond juggernaut now, and it has the luxury of deep...
Reaction Days Gone Was PS4's Black Sheep, But a Darn Good Open World Game
Freaker on a leash
A sequel to Days Gone, the Sony Bend survival horror open world, was pitched but never given the go-ahead. That’s according to a Bloomberg report, and it’s certainly corroborated by the departure of long-
Broken bat
“Putting into a subscription model on day one, for us, just doesn't make any sense,” Sony bigwig Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz prior to the launch of the PlayStation 5, when asked about Xbox Game Pass. “For others in a different situation, it might well make sense, but for us it doesn't. We want to expand and
Reaction Sony's Storefront Closures Put PS5, PS4 Backwards Compatibility Efforts Back in Focus
It hurts to see PlayStation's history left behind
Alongside long overdue confirmation of the closure of its PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP storefronts today, Sony noted that the changes will allow the organisation to “refocus our resources for PS Store on PS5 and PS4, which will enable us to enhance the customer experience even further”. It’s...
Reaction Why Did PlayStation Buy Evo?
Kings of competition
In single player focused communities like Push Square, esports get overlooked. But make no mistake, this sector of the market is enormous: BBC regularly hosts Rocket League and League of Legends tournaments live on its website now, while UKIE pegs the sector’s overall global revenue at $1.1 billion as of 2020 – and that...
Reaction What Next for PlayStation?
The state of play
It’s been a strange year for PlayStation, hasn’t it? Objectively, the organisation is arguably at the peak of its power right now: revenue is ridiculous, it’s raking in more award nominations than the rest of the industry combined, and
Reaction Japan Studio's Disbandment Is Disappointing, But Not Surprising
Sammy argues the writing was on the wall
Back in 2013, when Allan Becker – the former head of Sony Santa Monica – was convinced by then-Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida to run Japan Studio, he told Kotaku his ultimate ambition: “For Japan Studio to be relevant globally in two and a half years.” In the seven plus years since that...
Reaction Sony's New PS Store Is Actively Preventing Fans from Spending Money
Cash saver
Goodness gracious, the new PS Store is an absolutely flabbergasting heap of horse doo, isn’t it? Look, we understand: coronavirus, new consoles, complicated – we recognise that rolling out a new iteration of the PlayStation Store can’t be easy. But after the previous versions – which were also rubbish, for the record – we liked...
Reaction How Does It Keep Going Wrong for Big Game Launches?
Beware the hype train
Well. This is a fine mess CD Projekt RED has found itself in over Cyberpunk 2077. We went from enormous levels of hype to outright damage control in just over a week. After that initial announcement 8 years ago and many delays, the long-awaited RPG finally arrived on 10th December but, put bluntly, the PS4 version has been...
Reaction Cyberpunk 2077 Debacle Proves Sony Needs a Better PS Store Refund Policy
Inconsistency causing confusion
The debacle surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 has, not for the first time, highlighted a gaping flaw in the PlayStation Store. We’ve talked about refunds before – amusingly, when No Man’s Sky was underfire for failing to deliver on its promises – but another anticipated title has fallen short of expectations, and so...
Reaction PS5's User Experience Is Made for Modern Games
The way we play
Sony occasionally gets criticised for being a bit out of touch with the wants and needs of gamers, but we don’t think you could lobby that criticism at the company when it comes to the PlayStation 5’s user experience. Announced today after months of enthusiastic speculation, it’s alarming that we’re still learning new things...
Reaction Spider-Man PS5 Debacle Shows Sony Is Out of Touch
Read the room
You know you’ve done goofed when you’d get a better response by not doing anything at all. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, the PlayStation 5 re-release of 2018’s open world smash hit, has been handled atrociously by Sony – and it’s emblematic of a disastrous week for the Japanese giant, that’s seen it scramble from one...
Reaction Bethesda Acquisition Is a Kick in the Balls for PS5, But Sony's Goals Won't Change
Content is king
Xbox has acquired Bethesda for a frightening sum of money, putting that oft-referenced Microsoft warchest to use at last. The purchase price, an eye-watering $7.5 billion, eclipses the sum Disney spent on Marvel and Star Wars combined – it’s a frankly flabbergasting figure. It’s also potentially a giant blow for the PlayStation...
Reaction The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Today's PS5 News
What Sony's doing right and wrong
Sony peeled back the PlayStation 5 curtain a fraction more today, confirming the PS5 price and PS5 release date, as well as its selection of launch games and more. It was a strong showcase overall,
Reaction Why Hasn't PS5's Price and Release Date Been Revealed Yet?
What are we waiting for?
Why hasn’t the PS5 price and PS5 release date been announced yet? We’ve been talking about the same topic for the best part of the year now, and we’re still none the wiser really. Sony had an excellent PlayStation 5 unveiling, but outside of some minor driblets of information, it’s failed to really follow up on the...
Reaction PS5 Price Under Scrutiny After Disruptive Xbox Series S Reveal
A new challenger approaches
Sony’s yet to announce the PlayStation 5’s price, but it’s going to have to execute whatever it’s been planning flawlessly after overnight revelations. If you’ve been living under the sea, then you may not be aware that the oft-rumoured Xbox Series S leaked overnight. Regardless of whether the Redmond firm...
Reaction The Spotlight Is Now on PS5's Launch Lineup
As main competitor Microsoft goes commando
Wow! We would have given our last Pringle to have been in the boardroom when Microsoft made the decision to delay Xbox Series X launch title Halo Infinite, because that can’t have been an easy call to make. Judging by its gameplay reveal earlier in the year, it’s probably for the best, but the Redmond...
Reaction Sony Wants PS5 to Be the Best Place to Play, And It'll Open Its Wallet to Achieve It
Maybe get used to it
There have been rumours for over a year now that PlayStation has been particularly aggressive behind closed doors as it transitions to a new generation. Timed exclusives are part and parcel of platform launches, and while Microsoft has spoken out against them, its Japanese rival has never exactly hidden t
Reaction PS5 Reveal Event Plays to Sony's Strengths
First-party fire
As far as introductions go, it’s hard to imagine one much stronger than PlayStation 5’s long-anticipated reveal presentation. Where the PlayStation 4 was introduced to the world with, well, Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack, Sony really went to town with its first slate of next-gen releases: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales,...
Reaction State of Play's Ghost of Tsushima Deep Dive Feels Like the Future of the Format
An entertaining and informative broadcast
Sony’s State of Play livestreams have largely divided opinion over the past year – well, up until yesterday. Whatever your thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima – and, according to our poll, the vast majority of you plan to buy it – last night’s 18-minute broadcast was excellently executed, with a deep...
Reaction Sony Needs to Show Us a True, Next-Gen PS5 Exclusive After Lukewarm Inside Xbox
It's getting tiresome now
Today’s hotly anticipated Inside Xbox broadcast was supposed to be our first taste of next-gen gameplay, but it proved to be anything but. Microsoft, to its credit, had attempted to calibrate expectations prior to the show airing, but even as PlayStation fans we were desperate to get a glimpse of what the Xbox Series X...
Reaction DualSense Reveals Sony's Unrivalled Ambition for PS5
Going further
You could forgive Sony for offering more of the same with the PlayStation 5 – after all, its current generation console is one of the most successful platforms of all time. While the PlayStation 4 will be hard pushed to match the PlayStation 2’s astronomical install base, it will end the generation much more profitable, thanks to...
Reaction PS5 Will Solve All Your PS4 Pet Peeves Once and for All
Fixing the future
Isn’t it funny how fast we forget? The PlayStation 4 felt like a revolution after almost a decade of PlayStation 3’s unwieldy game installs and barely functional PlayStation Store, but Sony’s current-gen console is considered tedious by contemporary standards. Huge patches, update copying, and a flaky operating system have...
