Art_Vandelay

"this game will launch on the PS5 at some point"

Most probably PS6, actually. Or maybe both.

I don't get hyped often these days, but GTA 6 is truly a once in a lifetime kind of event. And judging by how much I enjoyed RDR2, I think GTA will be awesome.

@Rich33 Exactly. I'm tired of hearing analysts talk about this venn diagram where there would be very little overlap between the audiences (PlayStation/Xbox, PC, Switch). Therefore, according to them, PC and Switch would pose no real threat to PlayStation.

This is frankly idiotic and lazy, because it ignores a basic fact about reality: things are always in flux, and generation transitions present both an opportunity and a threat, as we've seen time and time again.

Single player exclusives is what bring people in. They might not make rivers of money directly, but they do indirectly by growing the platform user base.

Sony totally lost sight of this fundamental principle in recent years, but there are encouraging signs that they now realize it.

And this is why some of us actively cheered for games like Concord to fail. We can see the forest for the trees.

To focus solely on that 2% revenue figure is to miss the forest for the trees. If that money was free, it would the great for Sony and I bet they would work to increase it.

But the cost is high, and I don't mean the direct costs involved in porting, marketing and distributing it. Exclusivity has been the driving force that took Sony to the top of this industry.

@Dalamar Sony does not put AAA first-party titles at launch onto the service. That's where the unsustainability comes from, and you know it.

The way they're going to make the PS6 more cost-effective is by offering more than one SKU, a la Series S/X. Probably three in this case: a higher end, a lower end and a portable, although the latter might be released later.

That's the only way they'll appease both cost conscious users and enthusiasts.

@Rich33 I think these machines will be optimized to run PC code, but Microsoft wouldn't get away without offering an emulation layer for native Xbox games.

If they technically can't do that for next gen, they'll have to offer a traditional Xbox SKU. Which I think is still very much in the cards.

And as you rightly pointed out, they have a lot of work to do with Windows. Valve is light years ahead in this department, and I don't discard the possibility that Microsoft's endeavor here might not even be feasible.

@Rich33 Right, recent rumors point precisely to that approach. I actually think they'll go with three SKUs, unless the handheld gets a later release date for marketing and operational reasons.

It would be pretty funny to see Sony "copy" Microsoft with years of delay again, with a launch "S" model. But to be fair, MS is usually too early with this stuff, to a fault.

I believe Xbox will differentiate itself not only with the "Xbox PC" approach, but also with a wider array of models at different price brackets.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this model. The necessity for software scalability has two very negative effects on the end product:

• It dramatically raises the cost and complexity of development.
• It sets a low baseline that inevitably holds back the evolution of graphics and gameplay.

@Rich33 Exactly. I see people throw around this fallacious argument that console and PC players are completely separate groups. They might sort of be right now, but these things ebb and flow.

Sony is caught between a rock and a hard place, in that typical situation that publicly traded companies often get. I'm sure they know that spreading the field jeopardizes their long-term future, but shareholders are constantly pressuring for short-term dividends.

Not only will Xbox become a consolized PC, but Steam is following the same path. If I were at Sony, I would advocate for the Nintendo approach. Stick to your guns. Concord should have taught you that lesson.

I always find this 'haven't fulfilled its potential' justification for not releasing new hardware very weird. The reason that makes sense to me is simply that hardware manufacturers are having a very hard time producing meaningful upgrades.

It's not about power anymore. It's all about features. For the PS5, it was the SSD and the controller haptics. For the PS6, it will probably be advanced ray tracing and AI.

Now, longer development times do play a role, because it makes it harder to incorporate these new features in games at launch.

A quick note to the editors: I know this game has a rather robust set of difficulty options, but it's not mentioned in the review. I think this point is very relevant for this kind of game, especially to us aging gamers.

"[...] the company’s live service push clearly has been poorly executed, even if it’s not necessarily a bad idea".

It has always been necessarily a bad idea, and the poor execution is the proof. You see, one of the hardest decisions executives have to make is when to stick to your guns and when to expand to adjacent markets.

Sony obviously went all in with the latter, while Nintendo chose the former. Who had the better idea?

The web client is a joke. Not sure if it's a local issue, since I access the Brazilian store, but often a search will not return any results even for exact matches.

And I second the complaint about not being able to see prices for games that have a PS+ demo. Super annoying.

Humans function essentially by incentive mechanisms. This is a universal, unescapable truth. Moreover, these incentives compound.

Wanting to deliver compelling products is an incentive alright. But the potential financial reward is a powerful motivation multiplier.

Yes, Layden is right on the money (pun intended).

@Ricky-Spanish Cool, thanks!

Should I play the original to be able to enjoy this?

I have no great interest in fighting games, but this could be a dream for arcade emulation (on PC, of course).

How ironic that these tech bubbles sometimes cancel each other's effects.

Covid caused a massive interest in gaming because people suddenly would get paid to lay on their couches and play videogames. Hence, enormous investments were made which then created thousands of jobs.

Now, all those jobs are being sacrificed on the altar of the AI god.

@naruball That's a good question, but I don't think they would. The covid rush has inundated the market to a point where a new game based on an IP that doesn't have a captive audience has to include a number of key ingredients:

• Mass market appeal.
• Good enough gameplay.
• Some differentiating factor.

Simply being corky and weird just won't cut it. And sure, anomalies such as those viral Steam games are the exceptions that prove the rule.

I guess my point is that being good or even excellent from a pure gameplay perspective is not enough these days. And maybe my perspective doesn't represent the general audience, but it does represent a substantial chunk, I believe.

@Rich33 This is purely empty virtue signaling targeted at people also prone to empty virtue signaling. A giant waste of engineering resources if you ask me.

People are rightly pointing out the average quality of the game as a key factor for its lack of success, but I'd go a bit further and focus specifically on its derivative aspect. This game could be well above average in terms of gameplay and I would still not be attracted since it looks like a thousand other games I've played before. Originality is the key differentiator these days.

@Seredesderedee That's a reasonable argument, but this time it's definitely different.

Every other disruptive tech has impacted one or maybe a dozen industries at different scales. AI has the potential to deeply impact every single industry in ways that society is just not structured to accommodate.

The only parallel that might make sense is the industrial revolution, which completely reshaped humanity for better or worse. The problem with AI is the timeframe in which it is taking place. We're talking years instead of centuries.

I agree that this is no reason to reject AI as a tool, because that would be shooting oneself in the foot. But my adoption as an individual doesn't stop me from being extremely worried for society in general.

@Ssimsim Hi, mate.

I did get another unit but, unfortunately, it behaves the exact same way. I did a bit of research so, here's the deal:

The jitter is inherent to the tech that PSVR2 employs. Few people are aware of this, but most of the headset tracking is actually done by the internal sensors (gyro, accelerometer) because they are super low latency when compared to the cameras (2.000Hz versus 60Hz, I think). The cameras are there to actually correct the position in VR, because the sensors are not precise enough. And the jitter is in fact the manifestation of those micro-corrections. As the engineers would say: it's a feature, not a bug.

Now, the better your environment is for the cameras, the less noticeable the jitter will be. But it's always there, and it seems some people are simply more sensitive than others (I know I am). Also, the closer to you objects in VR are, the more noticeable the jitter will be (because of perspective in stereoscopic 3D). And it's also more noticeable when you're stationary, and that explains why it's so annoying in Puzzling Places.

Do a bit of research on Reddit about room setup (lighting, contrast, etc.) if you haven't already. And now, to the good news: I used to obsess over this in the beginning, but now I barely notice it. I play VR several times a week, and the jitter isn't an issue 99% of the time. You just come to accept the limitations of current technology.

Hope this helps. Cheers.

Sega Ages would be a slam dunk.

Despite the campaign to make it look like a massive success, AC Shadows really came and went like a fart in the wind. No long tail at all. Right along Veilguard, SW Outlaws and a few other duds that the legacy media unsuccessfully tried to push.

Regardless, it's time for Phill to go. I just don't think Sarah looks like much of an improvement. Xbox desperately needs a full-on overhaul that is long overdue.

@Whately86 Lol congress... Dude, there are over 600 politicians there between congress and senate, and there might be, maybe, a dozen that are truly ideological (both left and right). The rest thinks about nothing but their own bellies and will simply go with the flow.

Yeah, unfortunately I'm Brazilian. I've been buying fewer and fewer games because it's been getting ridiculous. But honestly, this has nothing to do with Sony. And sorry, but it's impossible to not get political. The Brazilian socialist government simply thinks public money is endless, and fiscal irresponsibility will always result in rampant inflation. It's basic math/economics.

“There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers' money.” - Margaret Thatcher

What a tour de force Gran Turismo is. It's the only game I've been consistently playing since the original on PS1. It's PlayStation's most valuable IP hands down. I tip my hat to Polyphony.

I couldn't handle one minute of GT7 when I got my PSVR2 at launch. Now, I can play for hours. Going in reverse is the only thing that gets me. So, growing one's VR legs is definitely a thing.

With that said, this game does involve a lot more movement with the constant leaning on curves. And I still can't stomach a couple specific games like Subside and Kayak VR.

Anyway, VRider looks awesome, so I'm willing to give it a go.

@Trousersnake I know, right? What really fascinates me is why VR hasn't taken off yet. I have my theories and the reasons are multifaceted, but it's mind-blowing enough that it should be more popular. Cheers.

@Dodoo Both the PC and live service initiatives have been fool's errands from the outset. Sony should stick to their guns instead of blindly chasing the latest trend. Nintendo has been mightily successful by doing exactly that.

Nietzsche's "Become who you are" is one of the most powerful quotes ever, and it totally applies here.

Fact: the climate is changing.
Also fact: it's been changing since the dawn of Earth.

What smart people disagree about is the extent of mankind's contribution. Some believe it is insignificant, whereas others believe it is mostly man made. The truth is somewhere in the middle, as always.

Well, if in doubt, shouldn't we tackle the problem from the more conservative side (not politically)? That is, if there's any chance we're destroying the planet, shouldn't we be doing everything in our power to avoid this potential catastrophe?

Sure. What people in this side of the argument fail to understand is that this point has been abused to death by those in power to justify all manners of tyrannic measures. In turn, that's been causing the erosion of that originally fair point.

@StonyKL Yep, super overlooked and underrated. To me, it's right up there at the top along with GT7 and Tetris Effect.

It's amusing to read the comments blaming Sony for a decision that is 100% Meta's. Could PSVR2 have had better support from PlayStation? Theoretically, yes. Financially, no.

Ironically, ending Beat Saber's support for the platform is a result of Meta (not Sony) deprioritizing VR gaming in favor of VR computing.

People love to complain. But to me, PSVR2 has been the reason I'm still into gaming this generation.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

That's cool and all to whoever wants a portable PS, but supporting another device adds additional burden on developers thus further lengthening dev cycles.

Not only they have to split the code base to target multiple similar SKUs, but now they have to worry about the complexities of scalability from the outset of a project.

And no, it's not like the Pro. Scaling up is way easier than scaling down. And yes, this also applies to the PC version, and that's why the PC initiative also sucks.

Long gone are the good old days of developing to a fixed platform and extracting every ounce of power from them.

@DennisReynolds I don't think the word "wise" should be seen anywhere near this train wreck.

@Dodoo Yeah, it kinda feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy: by fear of consoles going away in the future, Sony starts releasing games on PC. And by doing that, it slowly erodes the value of its own brand, pushing people towards the other platform. And that drives growth in the PC ecosystem, attracting not only players by also investments, thus creating a virtuous cycle.

I don't know, by this statement sounds a bit like backtracking to me.

Some of those screenshots look uncomfortably similar to my Windows desktop.

@HonestHick Yep. For me, Sword of The Sea and especially Lumines VR, given both studios' pedigree. I also love Hitman, but the 007 trailer failed to impress me for some reason.

Which is all weel and good but again, pretty meager when compared to the mythical E3 press conferences from the PS4 era. Third-party has always been the bread and butter of every generation, but the first-party tentpoles are paramount to drive the general sentiment, and they've been lacking.

@HonestHick "if you can’t find one game you like from the latest State of Play, then perhaps you’re in the wrong hobby"

When you get sentences in the article that belong in the comments section, you know it has become a battleground. And when this happens, people become emotional and irrational, overreacting and exaggerating every point.

It's been like that from both sides. There's a disillusioned group that is all doom and gloom, and there's Push Square & Co. that behave like gaming is at its finest.

And as always, it's neither here nor there.

"we’re not sure we fully understand the criticism about the lack of first-party"

If you don't fully understand the criticism, you guys are really losing connection with the audience. Yes, there are reasons: ridiculously long development cycles and the ill-fated live service initiative, but there's no denial that firsty-party output on the PS5 pales in comparison with the PS4 era.

"this was excellent"

You're entitled to your opinion but when, according to your own poll, only 14% of the audience of Push Square agrees with it, it's time to take a long look in the mirror. Sorry, I used to love this site and still do to an extent, but the "toxic positivity" (for the lack of a better word) is hurting it. I'm not even suggesting this State of Play was bad by any means, but behaving like it was the greatest thing sounds disingenuous.

Really excited for this. That cliché of Tetris Effect being a "religious experience" on PSVR2 is actually a pretty apt description.

@wildcat_kickz EA is neither good nor bad, it is simply behaving like any other private business does and should. You can't have the good of capitalism (videogames) without the bad (cycles of growth and contraction).

@wildcat_kickz Apart from government and a few exceptions, pretty much every industry works this exact way. Yes, it is more notable in the creative industries especially in times of contraction, but any private company would (and should) be cost conscious and get rid of teams that don't perform. It's not greed, it's meritocracy, which is one of the bedrocks of modern civilization. This is the exact reason why the State is so dysfunctional.

@Ajbr8687 Sure, it's all conjecture. My opinion is based on how the industry has been trending over the last few years. You know, investments made during the covid bubble now need to be adjusted. At the end of the day though, the reason was probably manifold as you've pointed out.

@wildcat_kickz In fact, it is crazy because you're thinking backwards: those people weren't laid off because the game was cancelled. The game was cancelled because they needed to lay off people.

Videogames are a business, and businesses need to make a profit in order to be viable. When a company's financial expectation is not met, costs need to be cut. I know it sounds harsh and all, because it is. Life is harsh.

Sorry, but EA is not a jobs program. Crazy, I know.