I'm sick of that attitude, as well. "Suits", "board room", "management", and so on. Sure, the amount of responsibility scales the higher one is in the corporate ladder, but the blame is on everyone down to the janitor.
It's funny that, when a game succeeds, the "devs" are celebrated as the heroes and, when it fails, they are the poor victims.
Technical hiccups aside, Bloodborne is such an immaculate game that I get a little nervous with the idea of a remake. So, maybe a remaster and a full-on sequel.
This one should be good with the Pro, since it's apparently very GPU bound. The visual artifacts on the PS5, especially in performance mode, are quite distracting. Not to mention the now infamous input lag, which could be reduced if Game Science manages to get a native 60 fps out of the improved console. Or ideally, a 120 fps container with VRR.
As far as I'm aware, input lag or frame generation does not cause the game to ignore inputs. It just delays them. Aren't we conflating two distinct issues here? It might feel like they're correlated but, technically, they shouldn't be.
@naruball That's precisely the point. I have zero interest in playing this game but, as an observer of the gaming industry, I'm very interested in how Sony will react to its inevitable failure.
In fact, this might be the story of the year in how it will shape the future of PlayStation. Sony is about to burn a lot of cash.
And let's be honest: as you have pointed out, the fact that 70% of people voted for "not interested" in a poll inside the article about this very game, should really tell you something.
@OldGamer999 I have the exact same feeling. There may be a little of my 46 years of age playing its part, but it does feel like gaming has gone downhill in the past few years. But so has the world in general, and videogames are not disconnected from that.
VR has saved my interest in the hobby for the time being, but I wonder for how long.
Sounds like the perfect candidate for a Pro patch, since it seems more GPU than CPU bound. Also, the PC version is based on the Nvidia RTX UE5 branch, meaning it's heavy on the ray tracing goodness. For those in the know, the Pro is supposed to be much better at that. And last but not least, the base PS5 version seems to be employing FSR2 to upscale to 4K, which is fine, but PSSR should be a lot better.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this game featured at the Pro reveal event.
You'd think that first-party games such as HFW would be permanent mainstays on the service after fulfilling their standalone launch cycles. I get the strategy, but it greatly reduces the attractiveness of PS+.
"[...] as the developer was forced to delay the Xbox Series X|S version due to technical issues".
We know what that means. Xbox Series S is too memory bandwidth constrained for this game. And to think that that piece of junk is still regarded as a "great move by Microsoft", "very consumer friendly" and so on. Well, the truth is that Series S may not be the main reason, but it's definitely an important component of Xbox's implosion as a brand.
From a retrospective analysis, Sony did overpay. And so did Microsoft for ABK and Embracer for everything else. Not coincidentally, those deals happened around the same time, which doesn't justify those spendings, but explains why they were made.
@naruball And yet, unemployment is at one of its lowest levels ever. One can argue about the quality of those jobs, but that's beyond the point.
I'm not all in on AI for a number of reasons, but what I really wanna know from you is: should banks have not embraced automation over that last few decades to keep the jobs of people doing unnecessary paperwork?
Man, this "Sony is dropping support for VR" is really freaking tiring. Why can't people have a bit of nuance? Not commenters necessarily, but journalists at the least.
Remember that the truth is usually in the middle of opposing viewpoints. So, Sony is neither fully invested in VR nor clearing out stock to abandon the platform.
They clearly want to have a foot in VR in case the medium takes off, because it could become an important avenue of growth. This spike in sales just goes to show that VR is not dead, nor is PSVR2. There's definitely interest. But don't expect massive investments from Sony, because it's still a niche market and TLOU VR will not change this simple fact overnight.
VR was always going to be a slow burn. It keeps growing little by little, but it should still take many years to become mainstream. Sony knows that, and so does Meta and Apple.
And there are people like me, who've made the switch to VR and never looked back. After 40 years of gaming, I had seen and done it all on that flat screen. PSVR2 came to the rescue, along with a dream come true in the form of GT7 on a racing rig.
@LimitedPower I'd say go for it, but definitely get PSVR2. If you have any interest in VR and own a PS5, $350 is a steal. Don't listen to the doom mongers, as the library has enough great games to last for a lifetime. And more is on the way, with Metro, Behemoth, Alien, Wanderer and Aces of Thunder, just to name a few.
I got mine at launch and it completely changed my gaming habits. VR is so much more compelling to me, that I have barely played any flat games since. I was told the "magic" would quickly wane but, after 18 months, I still regularly get those unique "VR moments". And the actual dust gatherer in my home is the DualSense.
Ok... generally, I am very much against the substitution of people for AI, be it actors, writers, singers, and so on. And I actually think that this bubble will burst since consumers are as interested in the content as they are interested in the human connection with the author.
With that said, some substitution will inevitably occur, as there are use cases where AI will make sense as a tool. Same as with every other new technology, from the Gutenberg's press to autonomous vehicles.
But this article has a couple of quite ironic key-points:
1) The same people in the comments that are supporting the strike today will be moaning here tomorrow 'cuz, you know, "where are the gaaamez???".
2) The strike may well accelerate AI adoption, as studios and publishers will be cornered into looking for alternatives to real actors.
@NEStalgia Fair point. I guess it's a matter of taste, at the end of the day. Those games do appeal to an audience, but not to me as they mostly look quite dated or janky in VR. RE8 is just on another level IMHO.
The exception being Flight Simulator, and that is indeed a niche where PCVR does have a clear edge: sims in general, especially of the airborne kind. But again, I'd take GT7 over any racer on PC, so...
And of course, if you're willing to fiddle with mods and stuff, PC is the place to be. I'm strictly talking about the "official" library. So yeah, to each their own.
@VaultGuy415 I agree that GT7 is by far the biggest reason to buy a PSVR2. To be fair though, Sony's headset has a few other exclusives that, IMHO, make it the best headset for hardcore gamers: RE4, RE8, Synapse and Call of The Mountain. Horizon might be the most contentious, but I think all of these are better than anything on Quest or even SteamVR, except for Alyx.
@JuiceboxMeister That's typical of this inflection point moment we're experiencing. Up until very recently, gaming was dominated by one political side, but the pendulum is swinging back, which creates maximum tension.
I'm very excited to see how Polyphony will support the Pro, especially in VR.
The game already has a 1080p 120 fps VRR mode (flat), which suggests it's mostly GPU bound. So I'm hoping for a native 90 fps VR mode, which would be fantastic.
This game has fallen victim to the same problem as Concord: long development cycles. Both were designed inside a certain cultural context, but the culture is shifting as they come out.
@naruball That's absolutely not the reason why console prices aren't coming down. There are two factors at play here: firstly, the pandemic caused both a massive increase in demand for integrated circuits (ICs) and a total meltdown of the global economy.
While demand has receded somewhat, large language models training has kept it in a much higher water mark when compared to the last decade. And as for the global economy, the structural damage caused by covid (or by the response to it) was ultimately somewhat permanent (or very long term).
But the real reason is, funnily enough: physics. Transistor sizes have just got to a point where we're actually approaching the limits of the atom. Granted, we're not there yet, but the closer we get to it, the harder it becomes to shrink it further. And by "harder", I also mean "more expensive".
In other words: die shrinks (e.g. the SoC in the PS3 fat to the PS3 slim) used to make ICs cheaper, but now they get more expensive with each new node. That's the current reality, and there's no escaping from it. For now.
No matter how much you twist and turn it, this game is as DOA as DOA can be.
And the matter of fact is, it doesn't matter how well it plays. This game is the quintessential victim of long development cycles and trend chasing, as it looks horribly outdated even before it comes out.
Firstly, it relies on a totally saturated business model. And secondly, it falls victim to an ongoing cultural shift that makes it immediately unattractive to a now sizeable demographic. Without going into the merits of it, whether one likes it or not, that's just the reality of the situation.
@NEStalgia "the average gamer does not buy more than a few games a year and not a ton during an entire generation. The total spend by a game pass subscriber is GREATER than the average player. That's an INCREASE in per customer sales dollars for average customers."
Bingo! That's exactly why the subscription model has hit a plateau. People eventually realize they're wasting money, so they leave. And that's especially true in the games industry. GP would never hit the necessary subscribers base to be profitable in its old form.
But anyway, we're running in circles at this point. The fact is that Microsoft is finally pivoting, thankfully. And I feel vindicated.
Quality discussion, btw. Even if I don't agree, you raise some thoughtful arguments.
@NEStalgia That’s not the way you do this kind of math. The sum of budgets for all games in production does not equal the overall cost of running the platform. There's so much more to it you're ignoring. Again, Laiden would know. Straus Zelnick would too. And they've warned about subscription models not working with games.
You're conflating another point Shaun made regarding budgets, which is related but different. Actually, the budgets issue only makes GP worse from a business perspective. Yes, costs need to come down across the board, but day one releases on GP won't become a good strategy even if they do.
Here's another data point: according to the Insomniac leak, Sony estimates a loss of around $90 million for putting Forbidden West on PS+, and that is a full year after release. Now look at Sony's own margins and tell me PlayStation would be profitable if first-party games were released day one on the service. You know, it's still profitable doing it (mostly) the old ways, even if the retail model itself needs some course correction as you rightly mentioned.
Again, you're doing napkin math and failing to see the reality, which we can only infer from gathering all these tidbits that offer some insight into the whole picture when combined. I insist: why would Microsoft intentionally hide profitability numbers from the Xbox division in their earnings reports? Sony doesn't…
And about ABK, here's the conundrum that Microsoft has put itself into, which actually explains all that recent pivoting: COD might just be the missing piece to fully realize the GP vision if you only look at subscriber's numbers. But to realize that potential, they had to increase the cost of operation to a level of unsustainability that is unacceptable even to the almighty Microsoft.
Look, the problem is not the subscription model per se. It's day one releases on those services. And Microsoft knows that, so they've begun backtracking.
PS: sorry if I sound a little blunt, but I'm trying to be objective. You know, George is getting upset! 😁
Here's a prediction that bears no wishful thinking whatsoever: Bloodborne remake will be announced at the PS5 Pro reveal event that's coming up. "Running at 4K60 by the power of the Pro".
@NEStalgia Sorry to disagree buddy, but you're way off the mark here. You say GP is profitable and, to prove your point, goes straight on to revenue. Just like Microsoft, but there's a reason they obfuscate the profitability numbers of the Xbox division: because they don't look good.
Sure, there might a profit there, because they own Minecraft and COD, and they do sell a la carte. But GP alone is utterly unprofitable when you consider the cost of maintaining all those studios. And the proof is in the pudding: they've just tacitly admitted that by making all those seismic changes.
But hey, don't listen to me. Listen to someone who has maximum visibility into how this kind of business operates: Shaun Laiden once said that, to be profitable, the GP subscribers base should be in hundreds of millions. 500 million was the number he threw, to be accurate.
And lastly, Phill Spencer has never said that GP was profitable. He actually used the word sustainable, which is totally different. It implies profitability in the long term, which would make sense if you looked at the leaked documents from the ABK court case. It just so happens that those numbers were way off as we now know.
I'm not really into this new title's aesthetic but damn, Synapse was the game that proved the power of eye tracking beyond DFR. Using telekinesis for the first time was one of those rare moments when technology genuinely feels like magic.
@NEStalgia Surely this failed strategy derives from the mismanagement you're referring to. So yes, Xbox leadership is the root of the issue, but that doesn't make the Game Pass model a non-issue. It's a spectacular failure, made more catastrophic by the fact that thousands of random internet users with one millionth of the data Phill Spencer has access to, have been sounding the alarm from the very beginning. The whole story is truly baffling and quite educational.
It proves this is a sound near-term tactic to increase revenue. But I'm still convinced it's a bad long-term strategy as it weakens the platform's appeal.
@Andee Sure, and I'm right there with you: single player from stem to stern. And I do feel like the old man yelling at clouds sometimes.
What I'm trying to convey though, is that relaxing our stance a little can be beneficial to our own selves. Especially in the case of GT7 as, some have pointed out, is "live service done right".
@Andee I second @Critonic. Are you really that worried about protecting your $70 investment? I get the sentiment, but it makes no sense when you think objectively.
There will be a much better iteration of Gran Turismo years before the GT7 servers go down. Then again, I get the retro/nostalgia kick people get from playing old games, but that really shouldn't stop you from enjoying one of the best titles on the PS5.
@Andee The MTs are only an issue if you don't like racing. Which is another way of saying that it's a non-isue that's been widely overblown when the game came out. If you just boot up the game and play, you'll soon find yourself with plenty of money to buy whatever car you want.
As for the online requirement... is you ISP really that unreliable? What's your worry, specifically?
@DonkeyFantasy Dude... Do both. GT7 + PSVR2 + decent racing rig is the most magical combination I've experienced in gaming since I started back in the early 80s. And I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Maybe find a way to try it?...
@Ergoshotz Except that Game Pass will probably implode somewhere along the way. Not saying that Microsoft will eventually kill it, but it will morph into a very different proposition compared to what it is today.
I was actually surprised when he says that there's room for improvement for players that want to play From's games more organically. I always thought that those games were designed around 'water cooler' moments, which goes in line with Miyazaki's initial statement.
@Malaise Honestly, I'm not upset at all. PSVR2 has completely killed my interest for flat games, and I still have a backlog that could last for a lifetime.
Getting VR games on PS+ and PC compatibility are just the icing on the cake.
And btw, I'd be happy with GT7 alone. As a fan of the series from the very first iteration, GT7 VR is a dream come true.
The doom and gloom out there just seem to completely miss the point of this accessory. People need to understand that this is a niche product for ultra enthusiasts, and the fact that Sony would cater at all to the relatively few of us calls for celebration, not hate.
Comments 736
Re: Just Like Black Myth: Wukong, PS5 Action RPG Enotria Is Delayed Indefinitely on Xbox
We are simply witnessing the later stages of a death spiral that has been going on for years now.
Re: Players Complain of Lengthy PS5 Matchmaking Times As Concord Numbers Dwindle
@PloverNutter Bingo!
I'm sick of that attitude, as well. "Suits", "board room", "management", and so on. Sure, the amount of responsibility scales the higher one is in the corporate ladder, but the blame is on everyone down to the janitor.
It's funny that, when a game succeeds, the "devs" are celebrated as the heroes and, when it fails, they are the poor victims.
Re: A New Day, a New Bloodborne PS5 Rumour
Technical hiccups aside, Bloodborne is such an immaculate game that I get a little nervous with the idea of a remake. So, maybe a remaster and a full-on sequel.
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Has Sold an Astonishing 10 Million Copies in Three Days on PS5, PC
@naruball
"Dad, my leg hurts!"
"Which one, son? The left or the far right?"
Re: Black Myth: Wukong (PS5) - A Spectacularly Creative Action Romp
This one should be good with the Pro, since it's apparently very GPU bound. The visual artifacts on the PS5, especially in performance mode, are quite distracting. Not to mention the now infamous input lag, which could be reduced if Game Science manages to get a native 60 fps out of the improved console. Or ideally, a 120 fps container with VRR.
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Is Eating Your Inputs on PS5, and It's a Problem with Performance Mode
As far as I'm aware, input lag or frame generation does not cause the game to ignore inputs. It just delays them. Aren't we conflating two distinct issues here? It might feel like they're correlated but, technically, they shouldn't be.
Re: Site News: Where's Our Concord PS5, PC Review?
@naruball That's precisely the point. I have zero interest in playing this game but, as an observer of the gaming industry, I'm very interested in how Sony will react to its inevitable failure.
In fact, this might be the story of the year in how it will shape the future of PlayStation. Sony is about to burn a lot of cash.
And let's be honest: as you have pointed out, the fact that 70% of people voted for "not interested" in a poll inside the article about this very game, should really tell you something.
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced During Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024?
@OldGamer999 I have the exact same feeling. There may be a little of my 46 years of age playing its part, but it does feel like gaming has gone downhill in the past few years. But so has the world in general, and videogames are not disconnected from that.
VR has saved my interest in the hobby for the time being, but I wonder for how long.
Re: Hands On: Black Myth: Wukong PS5 Performance Isn't Perfect, But It's Perfectly Fine
Sounds like the perfect candidate for a Pro patch, since it seems more GPU than CPU bound. Also, the PC version is based on the Nvidia RTX UE5 branch, meaning it's heavy on the ray tracing goodness. For those in the know, the Pro is supposed to be much better at that. And last but not least, the base PS5 version seems to be employing FSR2 to upscale to 4K, which is fine, but PSSR should be a lot better.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this game featured at the Pro reveal event.
Re: 12 Major PS5, PS4 Games Leaving PS Plus, Including Horizon Forbidden West
You'd think that first-party games such as HFW would be permanent mainstays on the service after fulfilling their standalone launch cycles. I get the strategy, but it greatly reduces the attractiveness of PS+.
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Becomes Steam's Biggest Ever Single Player Launch
"[...] as the developer was forced to delay the Xbox Series X|S version due to technical issues".
We know what that means. Xbox Series S is too memory bandwidth constrained for this game. And to think that that piece of junk is still regarded as a "great move by Microsoft", "very consumer friendly" and so on. Well, the truth is that Series S may not be the main reason, but it's definitely an important component of Xbox's implosion as a brand.
Re: FlatOut Returns with PSVR2 Title Now in Development
@Mikey856 GT7 VR on a racing rig is my childhood's dream come true.
Re: Hands On: Black Myth: Wukong Is Brilliant, But We Have PS5 Concerns
Sounds like one for the Pro.
Re: PSVR2 Action Game Vendetta Forever Has Big Superhot Energy, Launches in October
This was definitely my highlight of the VR Games Showcase. Synapse is one of my favorite PSVR2 games, so nDreams has my trust.
It does remind Superhot, but I was also reminded of Deathloop.
Re: FlatOut Returns with PSVR2 Title Now in Development
This is the one to test your VR legs. I can handle GT7 just fine until I spin.
Re: Bungie Accused of Overselling Itself to Sony, Promising Success It Couldn't Deliver
From a retrospective analysis, Sony did overpay. And so did Microsoft for ABK and Embracer for everything else. Not coincidentally, those deals happened around the same time, which doesn't justify those spendings, but explains why they were made.
Re: Naughty Dog Allegedly Found Bungie's Feedback on Binned The Last of Us 2 Multiplayer Extremely Helpful
Schopenhauer's three stages of truth:
1) "on Twitter"
2) "on X (or Twitter)"
3) "on X"
Re: EA Sports College Football 25's Level of Detail Only Possible Through the 'Power of AI', Says EA
@naruball You're conflating so many separate things in one argument, that it doesn't even make sense. Post modernist discourse at its finest.
Re: EA Sports College Football 25's Level of Detail Only Possible Through the 'Power of AI', Says EA
@naruball And yet, unemployment is at one of its lowest levels ever. One can argue about the quality of those jobs, but that's beyond the point.
I'm not all in on AI for a number of reasons, but what I really wanna know from you is: should banks have not embraced automation over that last few decades to keep the jobs of people doing unnecessary paperwork?
Re: PSVR2 Sales Explode After Sony's Deep Price Cut, Up More than 2,000%
Man, this "Sony is dropping support for VR" is really freaking tiring. Why can't people have a bit of nuance? Not commenters necessarily, but journalists at the least.
Remember that the truth is usually in the middle of opposing viewpoints. So, Sony is neither fully invested in VR nor clearing out stock to abandon the platform.
They clearly want to have a foot in VR in case the medium takes off, because it could become an important avenue of growth. This spike in sales just goes to show that VR is not dead, nor is PSVR2. There's definitely interest. But don't expect massive investments from Sony, because it's still a niche market and TLOU VR will not change this simple fact overnight.
VR was always going to be a slow burn. It keeps growing little by little, but it should still take many years to become mainstream. Sony knows that, and so does Meta and Apple.
And there are people like me, who've made the switch to VR and never looked back. After 40 years of gaming, I had seen and done it all on that flat screen. PSVR2 came to the rescue, along with a dream come true in the form of GT7 on a racing rig.
Re: Deals: Sony Goes for the Jugular with Humongous PS5, PSVR2 Discounts in USA
@LimitedPower I'd say go for it, but definitely get PSVR2. If you have any interest in VR and own a PS5, $350 is a steal. Don't listen to the doom mongers, as the library has enough great games to last for a lifetime. And more is on the way, with Metro, Behemoth, Alien, Wanderer and Aces of Thunder, just to name a few.
I got mine at launch and it completely changed my gaming habits. VR is so much more compelling to me, that I have barely played any flat games since. I was told the "magic" would quickly wane but, after 18 months, I still regularly get those unique "VR moments". And the actual dust gatherer in my home is the DualSense.
Re: Video Game Performers to Strike Due to AI Concerns
Ok... generally, I am very much against the substitution of people for AI, be it actors, writers, singers, and so on. And I actually think that this bubble will burst since consumers are as interested in the content as they are interested in the human connection with the author.
With that said, some substitution will inevitably occur, as there are use cases where AI will make sense as a tool. Same as with every other new technology, from the Gutenberg's press to autonomous vehicles.
But this article has a couple of quite ironic key-points:
1) The same people in the comments that are supporting the strike today will be moaning here tomorrow 'cuz, you know, "where are the gaaamez???".
2) The strike may well accelerate AI adoption, as studios and publishers will be cornered into looking for alternatives to real actors.
Re: Polyphony Digital Is Eager to Fix Gran Turismo 7's Funniest PS5, PS4 Bug
Burnout Paradise mode.
Fond memories.
Re: PSVR2 App for PC Now Live on Steam
@NEStalgia Fair point. I guess it's a matter of taste, at the end of the day. Those games do appeal to an audience, but not to me as they mostly look quite dated or janky in VR. RE8 is just on another level IMHO.
The exception being Flight Simulator, and that is indeed a niche where PCVR does have a clear edge: sims in general, especially of the airborne kind. But again, I'd take GT7 over any racer on PC, so...
And of course, if you're willing to fiddle with mods and stuff, PC is the place to be. I'm strictly talking about the "official" library. So yeah, to each their own.
Re: PSVR2 App for PC Now Live on Steam
@VaultGuy415 I agree that GT7 is by far the biggest reason to buy a PSVR2. To be fair though, Sony's headset has a few other exclusives that, IMHO, make it the best headset for hardcore gamers: RE4, RE8, Synapse and Call of The Mountain. Horizon might be the most contentious, but I think all of these are better than anything on Quest or even SteamVR, except for Alyx.
Re: Fortnite Developers, Fans Team Up to Target Newly Added Cybertruck
@JuiceboxMeister That's typical of this inflection point moment we're experiencing. Up until very recently, gaming was dominated by one political side, but the pendulum is swinging back, which creates maximum tension.
Re: The Huge Gran Turismo 7 1.49 Update Drops on PS5, PS4 Today
I'm very excited to see how Polyphony will support the Pro, especially in VR.
The game already has a 1080p 120 fps VRR mode (flat), which suggests it's mostly GPU bound. So I'm hoping for a native 90 fps VR mode, which would be fantastic.
Re: Ubisoft Responds to Assassin's Creed Shadows Criticism, Apologises to Japanese Players
This game has fallen victim to the same problem as Concord: long development cycles. Both were designed inside a certain cultural context, but the culture is shifting as they come out.
Re: PS5 Simply Can't Match the Pace of 2023 in Europe
@naruball That's absolutely not the reason why console prices aren't coming down. There are two factors at play here: firstly, the pandemic caused both a massive increase in demand for integrated circuits (ICs) and a total meltdown of the global economy.
While demand has receded somewhat, large language models training has kept it in a much higher water mark when compared to the last decade. And as for the global economy, the structural damage caused by covid (or by the response to it) was ultimately somewhat permanent (or very long term).
But the real reason is, funnily enough: physics. Transistor sizes have just got to a point where we're actually approaching the limits of the atom. Granted, we're not there yet, but the closer we get to it, the harder it becomes to shrink it further. And by "harder", I also mean "more expensive".
In other words: die shrinks (e.g. the SoC in the PS3 fat to the PS3 slim) used to make ICs cheaper, but now they get more expensive with each new node. That's the current reality, and there's no escaping from it. For now.
Re: There's Already Concern Over Concord's Player Count as Open Beta Begins
No matter how much you twist and turn it, this game is as DOA as DOA can be.
And the matter of fact is, it doesn't matter how well it plays. This game is the quintessential victim of long development cycles and trend chasing, as it looks horribly outdated even before it comes out.
Firstly, it relies on a totally saturated business model. And secondly, it falls victim to an ongoing cultural shift that makes it immediately unattractive to a now sizeable demographic. Without going into the merits of it, whether one likes it or not, that's just the reality of the situation.
DOA. I just hope Sony learns a lesson or two.
Re: Talking Point: Was Sony Right to Resist Adding PS5 Exclusives to PS Plus Day One?
@NEStalgia "the average gamer does not buy more than a few games a year and not a ton during an entire generation. The total spend by a game pass subscriber is GREATER than the average player. That's an INCREASE in per customer sales dollars for average customers."
Bingo! That's exactly why the subscription model has hit a plateau. People eventually realize they're wasting money, so they leave. And that's especially true in the games industry. GP would never hit the necessary subscribers base to be profitable in its old form.
But anyway, we're running in circles at this point. The fact is that Microsoft is finally pivoting, thankfully. And I feel vindicated.
Quality discussion, btw. Even if I don't agree, you raise some thoughtful arguments.
Re: Talking Point: Was Sony Right to Resist Adding PS5 Exclusives to PS Plus Day One?
@NEStalgia That’s not the way you do this kind of math. The sum of budgets for all games in production does not equal the overall cost of running the platform. There's so much more to it you're ignoring. Again, Laiden would know. Straus Zelnick would too. And they've warned about subscription models not working with games.
You're conflating another point Shaun made regarding budgets, which is related but different. Actually, the budgets issue only makes GP worse from a business perspective. Yes, costs need to come down across the board, but day one releases on GP won't become a good strategy even if they do.
Here's another data point: according to the Insomniac leak, Sony estimates a loss of around $90 million for putting Forbidden West on PS+, and that is a full year after release. Now look at Sony's own margins and tell me PlayStation would be profitable if first-party games were released day one on the service. You know, it's still profitable doing it (mostly) the old ways, even if the retail model itself needs some course correction as you rightly mentioned.
Again, you're doing napkin math and failing to see the reality, which we can only infer from gathering all these tidbits that offer some insight into the whole picture when combined. I insist: why would Microsoft intentionally hide profitability numbers from the Xbox division in their earnings reports? Sony doesn't…
And about ABK, here's the conundrum that Microsoft has put itself into, which actually explains all that recent pivoting: COD might just be the missing piece to fully realize the GP vision if you only look at subscriber's numbers. But to realize that potential, they had to increase the cost of operation to a level of unsustainability that is unacceptable even to the almighty Microsoft.
Look, the problem is not the subscription model per se. It's day one releases on those services. And Microsoft knows that, so they've begun backtracking.
PS: sorry if I sound a little blunt, but I'm trying to be objective. You know, George is getting upset! 😁
Re: Random: Further Psychic Damage Inflicted on Bloodborne Fans, This Time via PS Stars
Here's a prediction that bears no wishful thinking whatsoever: Bloodborne remake will be announced at the PS5 Pro reveal event that's coming up. "Running at 4K60 by the power of the Pro".
Re: Talking Point: Was Sony Right to Resist Adding PS5 Exclusives to PS Plus Day One?
@NEStalgia Sorry to disagree buddy, but you're way off the mark here. You say GP is profitable and, to prove your point, goes straight on to revenue. Just like Microsoft, but there's a reason they obfuscate the profitability numbers of the Xbox division: because they don't look good.
Sure, there might a profit there, because they own Minecraft and COD, and they do sell a la carte. But GP alone is utterly unprofitable when you consider the cost of maintaining all those studios. And the proof is in the pudding: they've just tacitly admitted that by making all those seismic changes.
But hey, don't listen to me. Listen to someone who has maximum visibility into how this kind of business operates: Shaun Laiden once said that, to be profitable, the GP subscribers base should be in hundreds of millions. 500 million was the number he threw, to be accurate.
And lastly, Phill Spencer has never said that GP was profitable. He actually used the word sustainable, which is totally different. It implies profitability in the long term, which would make sense if you looked at the leaked documents from the ABK court case. It just so happens that those numbers were way off as we now know.
Re: PSVR2 FPS Promises Award-Winning Gunplay While You Duke It Out in Onesies
I'm not really into this new title's aesthetic but damn, Synapse was the game that proved the power of eye tracking beyond DFR. Using telekinesis for the first time was one of those rare moments when technology genuinely feels like magic.
Re: Talking Point: Was Sony Right to Resist Adding PS5 Exclusives to PS Plus Day One?
@NEStalgia Surely this failed strategy derives from the mismanagement you're referring to. So yes, Xbox leadership is the root of the issue, but that doesn't make the Game Pass model a non-issue. It's a spectacular failure, made more catastrophic by the fact that thousands of random internet users with one millionth of the data Phill Spencer has access to, have been sounding the alarm from the very beginning. The whole story is truly baffling and quite educational.
Re: 13 New Games Land on PS Plus Extra, Premium Next Week
It's awesome that another PSVR2 game has made it into Premium, so I won't complain it's Job Simulator.
If they keep adding VR games monthly, they'll have me captive. PS+ is the perfect vessel for VR titles, since they're harder to assess without trying.
And the proof is I've just become addicted to Walkabout, a game I had never considered buying.
Re: May 2024 USA Sales: Sucker Punch Classic Ghost of Tsushima Jumps 70 Places to Top Charts
"proving Sony’s porting strategy is sound"
It proves this is a sound near-term tactic to increase revenue. But I'm still convinced it's a bad long-term strategy as it weakens the platform's appeal.
Re: Next Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Update Could Be a Big One
@Andee Sure, and I'm right there with you: single player from stem to stern. And I do feel like the old man yelling at clouds sometimes.
What I'm trying to convey though, is that relaxing our stance a little can be beneficial to our own selves. Especially in the case of GT7 as, some have pointed out, is "live service done right".
Re: Next Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Update Could Be a Big One
@Andee I second @Critonic. Are you really that worried about protecting your $70 investment? I get the sentiment, but it makes no sense when you think objectively.
There will be a much better iteration of Gran Turismo years before the GT7 servers go down. Then again, I get the retro/nostalgia kick people get from playing old games, but that really shouldn't stop you from enjoying one of the best titles on the PS5.
Re: Next Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Update Could Be a Big One
This might be very unrealistic, but the main feature I'd like to see in GT7 at this point is the complete replacement of the regular AI with Sophy.
Re: Next Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Update Could Be a Big One
@Vault_Mcfly Exactly. A PC version is an unnecessary distraction both for Polyphony and for PC gamers who have far superior options, right? Right?
Re: Next Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Update Could Be a Big One
@Andee The MTs are only an issue if you don't like racing. Which is another way of saying that it's a non-isue that's been widely overblown when the game came out. If you just boot up the game and play, you'll soon find yourself with plenty of money to buy whatever car you want.
As for the online requirement... is you ISP really that unreliable? What's your worry, specifically?
Re: Sony Is Allegedly Pulling PSVR2 Funding, Report Claims
@DonkeyFantasy Dude... Do both. GT7 + PSVR2 + decent racing rig is the most magical combination I've experienced in gaming since I started back in the early 80s. And I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Maybe find a way to try it?...
Re: PSVR2 Puzzler Infinite Inside Blends AR and VR on 12th July
@thefourfoldroot1 Agreed. MR is in the same spot VR was back in 2014: a cool novelty that is years away from being great.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Is on Nintendo Switch Because It's a Game 'For Everyone'
@Sanquine I guess Xbox users do not qualify into the "everyone" category. Which, to be fair, could actually sound quite prophetic in a few years. 😏
Re: PS Store Sales Charts: Xbox's Sea of Thieves Is Massive on PS5, Helldivers 2 Finally Starts to Slip
@Ergoshotz Except that Game Pass will probably implode somewhere along the way. Not saying that Microsoft will eventually kill it, but it will morph into a very different proposition compared to what it is today.
Re: PS Store Sales Charts: Xbox's Sea of Thieves Is Massive on PS5, Helldivers 2 Finally Starts to Slip
@__jamiie "Bespoke consoles don't have a bright future for anyone, including Sony. Next gen is the last."
That rings a bell... 🤔
Re: FromSoftware Boss Says Using Guides to Beat Its Games a 'Perfectly Valid Playstyle'
I was actually surprised when he says that there's room for improvement for players that want to play From's games more organically. I always thought that those games were designed around 'water cooler' moments, which goes in line with Miyazaki's initial statement.
Re: PS5's Astro Bot Doesn't Support PSVR2 Because It Was Never Designed to Do So
@Malaise Honestly, I'm not upset at all. PSVR2 has completely killed my interest for flat games, and I still have a backlog that could last for a lifetime.
Getting VR games on PS+ and PC compatibility are just the icing on the cake.
And btw, I'd be happy with GT7 alone. As a fan of the series from the very first iteration, GT7 VR is a dream come true.
The doom and gloom out there just seem to completely miss the point of this accessory. People need to understand that this is a niche product for ultra enthusiasts, and the fact that Sony would cater at all to the relatively few of us calls for celebration, not hate.