Comments 380

Re: Jan 2026 USA Sales: 5-Year-Old PS5 Nudges Nintendo's New Switch 2 Aside

Carnage

@PuppetMaster Bluepoint is known as the master of remasters of single player games but before that they made an original game whose expansion was multiplayer focused and when they were bought by Sony they talked about they were now able to move beyond remasters.

Clearly gamers were happy with Bluepoint’s remasters but given their history and their old public statements it’s possible that they wanted to make a multiplayer game.

Of course that doesn’t make the dissolution of Bluepoint less of an outrage (I don’t know what happened in the year between project cancellation snd studio closure but Sony should have worked out something).

Re: Incoming Xbox Boss Promises a 'Renewed Commitment to Console', and 'Hears' Fans on Skipping PS5

Carnage

@StitchJones I’d argue MS’s immense size, wealth and profitability are an impediment to success in other sectors. Sure they have lots of money to burn and lots of people to throw at any problem but when it becomes clear they can’t achieve a Windows level of dominance and profitability they tend to move onto the next fashionable thing.

Which isn’t to say I expect MS to completely abandon gaming but I think the era of them burning tens of billions in the hope of Xbox being their stepping stone to dominance of the tv or a game streaming service to rival Netflix are over.

Re: Jan 2026 USA Sales: 5-Year-Old PS5 Nudges Nintendo's New Switch 2 Aside

Carnage

Helldivers 2 having strong legs doesn’t surprise me. Great game. Doable solo but the chaotic fun is even better in multiplayer.

I’m also glad Ghost of Yotei continues to thrive. It’s a really fun, well paced open world game whose side missions were always interesting/lovingly crafted.

I’m sure Switch 2 will do fine. It hasn’t had a Pokémon game yet.

Re: Sony Makes Shocking Decision to Shut Down Bluepoint Games

Carnage

I am not as high on remasters or as opposed to multiplayer games as most of the people on this forum seem to be but buying a studio known for high quality remakes of single player games and shuttering them because they couldn’t make an original multiplayer game is utterly insane.

Re: Opinion: The Euphoric Reaction to PS6's Rumoured Delay Really Confuses Me

Carnage

I am a huge PS5 fan who thinks most developers haven’t pushed the hardware and never will because nowadays most live within the constraints of UE5 (which is a great engine but is a layer that keeps developers away from the metal that developers used to code to) and on a related note most are working on multiplatform games aimed at lower spec hardware (nods towards Valve’s recent comments about the average PC gamers as well as the success of mobile and the Switches).

It’s also worth noting that once upon a time arcade games and/or high PC games created hunger for future tech but arcades died decades ago and games built for high end PCs are no longer a thing.

Coupled with the spiraling price of computer components I think Sony would be wise to hold off on the PS6 for a while. Figuring out a way to make the PS5 more affordable (it’s crazy it’s a bit pricier than it was at launch) would do much more to grow the market than releasing even pricier more powerful hardware.

Re: Here Is Why Sony Put Helldivers 2 on Xbox

Carnage

I’m an avid Helldiver who is glad to see H2 succeed anywhere. Super Earth is a benevolent beacon of democracy in a hostile galaxy (though it fights for liberty all of its enemies happen to be sitting on critical resources) and needs all the soldiers it can get.

The new faction, a subfaction of the automotans named the cyborgs (they are the bot’s masters and creators) are exceedingly nasty but also kinda funny because they speak distorted English and the lowest level troopers use kung fu (and shotguns and smoke grenades). The nastiest of the lot is certainly the Vox Engine, which is essentially a tank the size of a large building. The Vox are not as tough or nasty as hivelords but they are unpleasant and they come in swarms.

For what it’s worth Alinea Analytics recently provided a sales estimate of H2. 5.6 million sales on PS5, 1.6 million on Xbox and 13.1 million on PC.

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/01/helldivers-2-xbox-vs-ps5-sales-data-shared-as-game-reportedly-hits-20-million-copies-sold

Re: Fear Effect 2 Raises Heart Rates on PS5, PS4 Later This Month

Carnage

I greatly enjoyed the first two Fear Effects due to their memorable characters (everybody but Rain), dark and bizarre plots and gameplay/game design that was a bit creaky (early REish, but the world was FMV and the characters were polygons) but didn’t get in the way (there were a lot of weird camera angles but the games were pretty good about not letting stuff kill you from off camera).

While I have fond memories of the games I don’t feel a need to play higher definition versions of them. Of course a revisions and remasters sometimes draw in people who merely heard of the original games.

Re: It's Not Looking Good for Fighting Game 2XKO, Just Weeks After PS5 Debut

Carnage

I’m not a LoL guy and just a casual fighting game fan (SF6 and Guilty Gear) and nothing I saw of 2KXO caught my interest.

Hopefully the newly unemployed find work soon and those remaining at the studio successfully reconfigure the game for success. The roster looks small to me though perhaps I’m expecting too much of a free to play fighter.

Re: Helldivers 2 Adds a Tank in Major Update, More Hard-Hitting Weaponry in New Warbond

Carnage

The new warbond’s leveler (a powerful one shot rocket) is a beast. I don’t think it’s quite as powerful as a nuclear bomb but it’s more powerful than a 500 pound bomb.

One can only call one down every two minutes but one hit kills even a factory strider (and thus probably everything but a hive lord) and everything in its vicinity.

Drop off is pretty severe though so you either need to aim high or be a lot higher than your target. If you are close enough to your target that drop off isn’t a factor you are probably too close and will die in the resultant explosion.

Re: PS5 Officially Outsells PS3, Now at 92.2 Million Units

Carnage

@twitchtvpat Granted not every PS3 game sold well but based on the data I’ve seen the tie in ratio was good (roughly 11:1). There is a lot more data at the link if you are curious. If you have other sources that say different I’d like to read them.

https://sonyinteractive.com/en/our-company/business-data-sales/

Cumulative Worldwide Hardware Unit Sales (Sell-in)
PlayStation 5 More than 92.1 million
(As of December 31, 2025)
PlayStation 4 More than 117 million
(As of June 30, 2022)
PlayStation 3 More than 87.4 million
(As of March 31, 2017)

PlayStation Software

Cumulative Worldwide Software Unit Sales (Sell-in)
PlayStation More than 962.0 million
(As of March 31, 2012)
PlayStation 2 More than 1537.0 million
(As of March 31, 2012)
PSP (PlayStation Portable) More than 331.0 million
(As of March 31, 2012)
PlayStation 3 More than 999.4 million
(As of March 31, 2019)
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5* More than 1.566 billion
(as of December 31, 2025)
*Including physical and download-only titles, PS VR titles as well as software bundled with PS4, PS5, and software for PS VR
Sales data on PlayStation® Vita are not disclosed

Re: PS5 Officially Outsells PS3, Now at 92.2 Million Units

Carnage

I’ve been gaming for 48 years and the PS5’s success makes sense to me. Consoles have done well by being an affordable way to play games on tv at a reasonable cost and with little fuss and while times are tough for developers as a whole due to an abundance of strong competition, they have been great for games/gamers.

I’ll also say that whiles times have been tough for game studios that is because successes have longer tails (in the form of post launch content, both free and paid) than ever. That ability of existing games to update and even radically change post launch doesn’t preclude new games from succeeding (tips hat to Unicorn Overlord, Cronos: The New Dawn, The Elden Ring, Dispatch and Arc Raiders) but logically it must make things a little tougher.

Tariffs and soaring component prices are a huge issue for Sony and everyone else trying to sell hardware to consumers but Sony seems to be trying to keep things in check. Of course the fact the PS5 unlike its predecessors is slightly more expensive than it was at launch as opposed to much cheaper is a huge issue which no doubt will keep many parents and/or people without much money to burn from buying one.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps5-price-increase-unlikely-for-now-as-sony-moves-to-protect-supply/1100-6537958/

Amid an ongoing global memory shortage driven by AI companies, will the PS5 console see another price hike? Sony isn't saying yes or no to that question, but it has confirmed it has a supply of memory to meet demand for PS5 consoles throughout 2026.

"As for securing a supply of memory, we are already in a position to secure the minimum quantity necessary to manage the year-end selling season of next fiscal year--October to December 2026," Sony CFO Lin Tao said (via This Week in Videogames). "Going forward, we intend to further negotiate with various suppliers to secure enough supply to meet the demand of our customers."

Re: Rumour: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Skips PS5 Exclusivity, Will Be Multi-Platform Straight Away

Carnage

I have been a big fan of jrpgs since Phantasy Star and love Squenix (and Atlus and NiS and lots of other jrog makers) but as I’ve said before I thinking breaking the remake into three very large, expensive, time consuming, parts was a huge mistake.

The quality of the games is fine but it’s insane that we have gotten one new FF (which I personally enjoyed) in the timeframe that three similarly sized parts of FF7 will hit.

That being said I enjoyed FF16 and the first two chunks of FF7 and will be there day 1 for the third chunk.

Re: Helldivers 2 Adds a Tank in Major Update, More Hard-Hitting Weaponry in New Warbond

Carnage

That hammer is really fun. Everyone including me is probably overusing it at the moment but being able to take out a tank, hulk or turret with a single strike of the hammer (whose explosive tip can be replaced seven times IIRC) is really great. Of course running up to those big mechs often ends badly because they have big guns, big feet and buzzsaws and suchlike😋.

However this morning I ran around in stealth armor with a bubble shield backpack and used my hammer to good effect. If something was looking at me I retreated and contented myself with killing it from afar with thermite, 500 lb bombs, my laser shotgun and orbital barrages. When an enemy was focusing on a teammate or had its back to me, it was hammertime.

Re: GDC Survey Reveals Developers Are Twice as Interested in Making Games for PS5 Than Xbox

Carnage

@TrollOfWar I agree the introduction of the SSD and the single login/user ID to console gaming by MS vi the Xbox hugely changed the console landscape but I don’t think it made things more complicated. On the contrary I’d say it helped simplify things for developers and gamers.

I can imagine scenarios where people want to play different games or even the same game under different names but generally having one online login rather than have to construct a new one for each game is easier for both a player and people in their social circle (of course that doesn’t mean requiring subscription fees).

One could say something similar about hard drives. Physical has its merits (I own a couple hundred disc based movies and games all mixed together on two bookshelves) but being able to start downloading a game while eating breakfast and having enough of it ready to start playing the game when I go downstairs twenty minutes later is pretty cool as is the ability of a designer to patch in new content (free or paid) without needing me to buy a new ‘special’ edition of the game (shakes fist at Street Fighter 2).

I concede different currency valuations and tariff rates and trade restrictions and suchlike can change the value proposition of consoles vs PCs quite a bit from country to country and I agree if one owns a PC for gaming, work or school, jumping into a PC storefront is cheaper than buying dedicated hardware provided you aren’t looking to play anything too demanding.

Re: GDC Survey Reveals Developers Are Twice as Interested in Making Games for PS5 Than Xbox

Carnage

@nomither6 1) I agree most hardware is just getting plugged in once. Still while PCs are far better than they used to be, ease of setup and use are still higher on consoles.

2) I agree online co-op is bigger but the fact that couch co-op options persist in games like Split Fiction, sports games, kart games, Double Dragon and Diablo type games show that the appetite for couch co-op is still quite substantial.

3) I agree the fact PC online gaming being free is a huge point in its favor when looking at affordability though I stand by my point that PC gaming hardware generally quite pricey.

4) I agree with you that most developers meet gamers where they are at rather than build for hardware most don’t own. One can do well making games aimed at (broadly) current gen console specs like Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, Clair Obscur, Cronos: The New Dawn, Astrobot, Stellar Blade and Helldivers 2, but those requirements put many gamers out of reach. Roblox (which rivals Steam in daily player count), Minecraft, Schedule 1 and lots and lots of games made by small or even single person teams can run on pretty much anything including the phones everyone has in their pocket.

Last of all, as I’ve said before (including in this thread) the fact console prices for even the PS5 and Switches (let alone the Xboxes) are higher than they were at the start of the generation is a huge issue. Historically most consoles are bought years after launch, at which point their price points have fallen multiple times (the PS1 started at $300, but fell to $100 by the end of the generation). No doubt millions of kids are now gaming on their cellphones (which when I was a teen were viewed as luxuries for the ultra rich but are now regarded as basic necessities) and maybe whatever old hardware (be in consoles or PCs) their parents have lying around because their parents aren’t willing or able (broadly prices are rising, wages are flat and layoffs are common) to splash out several hundred on dedicated hardware.

Re: GDC Survey Reveals Developers Are Twice as Interested in Making Games for PS5 Than Xbox

Carnage

@TrollOfWar I agree with you about PCs being more flexible and customizable than consoles but I think ‘plug and play’ is a big part of the appeal of consoles.

It’s true some people love to tinker but some just want to get into it. That is why so many rival storefronts have had problems getting traction against Steam though all offer free access and some hand out free games periodically.

Another big part of the appeal of consoles is the subsidized hardware. While consoles are pricier than ever and thats bad, the problem is the skyrocketing price of computer components. The makers of consoles not named the Xbox are willing to sell their hardware at a loss (making profits through cuts of 3rd party sales, first party sales and of course subscription fees) but computer hardware sellers (even Valve during its forays into hardware selling) refuse to eat losses.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 618

Carnage

I started Battlemarked: Demeo x D&D, a squad based strategy game which mimicks the look of a board game with very detailed miniatures.

You pick up the pieces, move them around and roll dice to determine how effective a move is. Each character’s moves are executed via a deck of cards. Some cards are single shot (think a consumable object like a potion) some are limited (certain spells) some are infinite (arrows for an archer). I’m playing on whatever the default difficulty is but past the tutorial level it quickly gets tough. I love the abundant, well done yet somehow cheesy voice work.

I’m also still playing Helldivers 2 (the squid part of the current major order might not get done because they are a lot of diver’s least favorite faction though they are arguably the weakest), Roboquest VR (a fast moving roguelike fps whose half a dozen classes and dozens upon dozens of weapons and enemies make it highly replayable) and Demon’s School (an indie game inspired by Persona but which feels very different especially in terms of combat and tone).

Re: These 10+ PS5, PS4, and PS Plus Games Are Coming Out Next Week (2nd-8th February)

Carnage

After being impressed by the demo, I’m jumping into DQ for the first time this week.

I’m also probably picking up Aces of Thunder, a VR flight combat simulator featuring WW2 and 1 planes (fighting separately iagainst their historical opponents). It’s been in development seemingly forever and delayed multiple times but the final version (now with a meaty campaign and a mission creator though the initial focus was MP) is in the hands of reviewers and it’s slated to hit on the 3rd for 30 bucks.

Most of the previews floating around center on the PC version but there is an hour plus of PSVR2 gameplay at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/live/nsbrFXxqeSk?si=mLpqyw-eSlBdOdYT

Re: GDC Survey Reveals Developers Are Twice as Interested in Making Games for PS5 Than Xbox

Carnage

Consoles have controlled access to devkits and certification so PCs being the default choice makes perfect sense.

I think the Xbox’s big problem is the forced parity between the S and the X which makes their console the hardest one to develop for. The current Xbox is neither the first nor the last console to offer two different iterations but forcing support for both raises costs. Below is a five year old article but there are lots of more recent ones saying similar things.

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/75258/playstation-5-is-easier-to-make-games-for-devs-having-issues-on-xbox/index.html

Streamlining the transition from PS4 to PS5 is the most important thing Sony can do, and it actually solved that issue a while back. The PS5 has not only been built from the ground up to play, support, and boost PS4 games on a logical level, but it's x86 architecture is also extremely similar to the PS4's. This means devs can easily carry their PS4 games over to PS5 for cross-gen play and ramp up resolution and technical features accordingly. Cross-gen will remain extremely important until 2024, Sony says.

———
Leadbetter also says that some Xbox devs are having issues with Microsoft's new General Development Kit (GDK) software, namely because it's spread across multiple platforms like PC, Xbox Series S/X, and the Xbox One family. This is something we've expressed concern with in the past, namely with Microsoft devs having to scale and optimize games across six different platforms in 2020: PC, Xbox One (2013), Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S, and the Xbox Series X.

Re: Highguard Is Already Struggling to Hold Players' Attention

Carnage

Struggling to hold onto audience is pretty much the day to day reality of online games. I listen to The Game Business podcast quite a bit and last year they talked (separately) with two guys involved with games that massively overperformed commercially (Arc Raiders and Helldivers 2) who had previously made games in the same space that were commercial successes with much smaller player numbers (The Finals and Helldivers 1).

Both guys talked quite a bit about planning for lean times and striking the right balance between sustainability, fidelity to one’s creative vision, and giving people what they want.

Interestingly while Helldivers 1 largely flew under the radar of the press The Finals had been subject to years of doomposting (‘The Finals started off good but saw a 90% drop off with a few months! Stick a fork in it!’). It’s probably relevant that H1 came out long before The Finals (and never came anywhere near its numbers) , back when multiplayer games were getting less intense day to day scrutiny.

Of course it’s possible Highguard isn’t/won’t achieving the numbers it needs to be viable and I just don’t enjoy PvP anymore but I have nothing against the game and wish it well in the same vague sense I wish most people and things well. I might be indifferent to, bored by or even disgusted by a new restaurant, brand of coffee or book but that doesn’t mean I am going to be happier or my life is going to be better if it fails 🙄.

Re: Gran Turismo 7's Free Updates Keep on Coming After First Paid DLC, New Cars This Week

Carnage

Cool. My first acquisition will probably be the Xiaomi just because I already have a couple Porsches.

I participated in a Power Pack race this morning that went pretty well until it didn’t. I raced ten practice laps, then when I got a good feel for the track and the car, did the qualifying laps and placed pretty high (6th) but during the proper race against 19 (AI) opponents I made the mistake of focusing too much on my opponents and not enough on proper braking and wound up skidding out twice in a row early in the series when the pack was tight and lost several spots. Good times and decent virtual money though.

Re: Larian CEO Swen Vincke Sticks His Foot in It Again, Thinks Game Reviewers Should Also Be Reviewed

Carnage

I love what I’ve experienced of Larian’s work (Divinity and BG3) but that complaint is idiotic. Reviewers are people who like all people come to everything with their experiences and preferences. All we can reasonably demand of them is honesty.

I ignore numerical scores because I find a lot of reviews even those with widely divergent scores/tones all agree on a lot of stuff, they just disagree about what’s important.

The only sorts of reviews which piss me off are the ones which omit tech issues because the developer has told the reviewer that said stuff will be solved soon so there is no point immortalizing it in a review (nods towards some early reviews of Star Wars Fallen Order and Cyberpunk 2077).

I want to know what the reviewer experienced and why they did or didn’t enjoy it, not be told what he thinks I want to hear or to not be told about stuff the developer has promised will quickly go away.

Re: Sony's Sending Messages to PS4 Players Encouraging Them to Upgrade to PS5

Carnage

I view the messages as reasonable but likely to be ineffective. The problem is while Sony isn’t the worst out there is terms of raising hardware prices the PS5 is $50 more expensive than it was at launch. Historically most PlayStations sold years after launch at which point the price had been cut several times.

I have been an avid gamer for 48 years (first started gaming on my dad’s Magnavox Odyssey) and love my PS5 but honestly life is getting more expensive and that is going to force some people to opt out of or never opt for dedicated hardware. If a family is struggling to pay bills or even if they are just on the edge it’s better to game and let your kids game on ubiquitous generalist appliances like cellphone and tablets rather than splash out several hundred dollars.

Of course I speak as an American but I think the pricing trend/problem is broadly true globally.

Re: Poll: Are You Playing Highguard?

Carnage

It doesn’t interest me because I don’t enjoy team based PvP like I used to. *Scratches increasingly gray beard * Trolling and throwing in competitive multiplayer seem to be more common than I remember in the days of Warhawk and Overwatch 1 though I recognize the problem might be me getting old and fussy rather than the world getting worse 😋.

While my multiplayer poison of choice is Helldivers 2 but I bear Highguard no ill will and hope it finds enough of an audience to keep it going.

Re: Helldivers 2 Support Continues in the Latest Warbond Drop, Out Next Week

Carnage

Another warbond has been unveiled. It’s named Siege Breakers and seems to be the opposite of Redacted in that it focuses on heavy armor, a new stationary bubble shield, a sledgehammer with an explosive head (looks hilariously badass), and a multibarrel laser gun whose beams are so powerful they powerful they slice through normal robots. Last but not least is what looks to be the most powerful Expendable Anti-Tank missile (nuclear warhead, single shot) in the game.

https://youtu.be/z2q23CtnqUA

Re: Sony Set to Delay PS6 Release Date, Claims Financial Report

Carnage

Fine by me. Due to skyrocketing component prices in particular and inflation in general consoles are now more expensive than they were at launch. That is insane. Until/unless things change rolling out new hardware at higher than ever price points would be a very bad idea IMHO.

Re: Xbox Will Try to Deliver PS5 Ports on Launch Day More Consistently

Carnage

Shrugs Staggered ports can improve the quality of ports since they allow a team to focus and test versions more thoroughly rather than hoping the XBX, PS5, PS Pro, XBS, Switch 2, PC, and Steambox versions all run the same. I understand there is a lot of overlap nowadays in terms of development (more so than ever before) but there are clearly still lots of quirks/points of differentiation.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 617

Carnage

I’m enjoying the new stealth warbond and stealth oriented ‘commando’ missions in Helldivers 2. The missions are radically different than the norm due to extremely limited air support and reinforcements being stored in cryo chambers scattered throughout the map. Still while there are inevitably a rage quitter or two in every new group, those spots get filled quickly and teams collectively tend to succeed.

Right now the commando missions are specific to one bot planet but I expect they’ll find a way to add stealth missions to the squid and bugs eventually.

I’m also continuing to chip away at Roboquest VR. I’m focusing more on unlocking all the classes and their abilities than winning. That’s how I console myself each time my run comes up short anyway 😋.

Re: Despite Its Price, PS5 Pro Enjoyed a Very Respectable 2025 in USA

Carnage

I’m not surprised the Pro has held up its end. We are in rough economic times with no end in sight but gaming remains a popular hobby and the sorts of high quality TVs that can benefit from a Pro are relatively cheap. I sold my PS5 for $500 right before the Pro hit and I’m happy with the jump.

My most played games on the Pro include but are not limited to Helldivers 2 (in the unending war for liberty the extra clarity helps), Gran Turismo 7 (which I play in VR), BG3, Ghost of Yotei (whose lighting is ridiculously gorgeous), Stellar Blade, Days Gone Remastered, RE4 and Roboquest VR (the postlaunch 90 fps native patch might be an option for base PS5s but it certainly helps the game’s visuals on the Pro).

Re: Helldivers 2 Support Continues in the Latest Warbond Drop, Out Next Week

Carnage

The Redacted Regiment warbond hit today. I haven’t unlocked the explosives yet but the stealth armor and the silenced weapons work well (enemies not staring at you as you take somebody down tend to miss you).

There are new (thus far robot specific) commando missions which give you extremely limited air support and thereby encourage you to play stealthy. Unusually for H2 there are cells of dormant soldiers implanted in the ground scattered around the map. You need to activate each cell to make their contained reinforcements (a couple soldiers) available. Once a soldier dies and a reinforcement order is put in someone in the activated cells is randomly defrosted.

The missions are challenging tough but doable even for randoms (which is how I play multiplayer most of the time and how I played this morning). There were a few rage quitters but most people got the hang of things (stay moving, strike bases hard but judiciously, try to avoid getting into it with patrols) pretty quickly.

Re: PS3's Sly Cooper Team Shut in Oculus Layoffs, Two Other Devs Closed

Carnage

@HotGoomba I think the problem isn’t big companies per se but big companies that spend crazy amounts of money hoping for unrealistic levels of market growth. Facebook was burning over a billion a month in the hopes that VR was going to become a ubiquitous appliance like cellphones have become. That spending was great for lots of VR developers but meant they weren’t scaling for the actual (modest) size of the market, they were building for the mass market Facebook hoped for.

I love VR but realistically its immersion is a double edged sword that means it only appeals to a fraction of core gamers (who are of course greatly outnumbered by casual gamers). There is money to be made but expectations need to be realistic because the biggest pots of money are elsewhere (though there are no easy, safe, big bets anywhere).

I don’t think anybody is going to replace Facebook but I’m hoping Valve’s headset grows the ecosystem and Sony steps up a bit though there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm in its current stable outside of Polyphony Digital and Media Molecule (bows towards Dreams). Team Asobi did wonderful things in VR but realistically they don’t seem to want to come back.

https://youtu.be/jFe5ZGIQMxo