Hongo

Xbox is a brand that Microsoft has wanted to rid itself from for the last decade, especially in terms of hardware. They are just stuck with it on the backend where the real money they are now making within gaming is from the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and Bethesda. GamePass is part of that via GaS but has stalled in its current state. They want out of dedicated hardware, hence why they are licensing the Xbox brand to Meta, ASUS, etc.

I feel bad for all of the employees involved with this shift, as Microsoft is truly a bland company with just ok consumer products. Windows alone has shown that in the last 15 years.

They don’t make money off consumers, their main business is enterprise and contracts. The gaming industry in its current state is a sinking stone for Microsoft, especially as the third choice in the consumer space. Xbox is out, Activision-Blizzard, Bethesda, etc. are in.

The last 5 years of PlayStation have been more questionable decisions and massively dull directions for the entire brand. I’m honestly impressed that the PS5 has garnered the sales that it has given the slate of games. It’s still riding on the coattails of the PS4. It’s the weirdest juxtaposition when the hardware and accessories are solid and varied.

They truly lost their way with software. Funneling money into something they hope is the next Fortnite for maybe 3 weeks before it completely caves in. Buying up and establishing questionable studios and closing / cutting staff of the studios that made their prior consoles something to own because they put out software worth playing or checking out.

At this rate, the PS6 is a hard sell unless the ship steers into anything but the current path Hulst and Ryan have had it on. They want the next Fortnite and will burn up everything to try and get it, exhausting what made them so good a decade ago.

This isn’t to discredit Astro Bot, Returnal, etc. but even 5 years into the PS5, there’s a tiny selection of titles that carry the system.

I was looking at the PS5 section at Walmart when I got the email about the program ending earlier this evening.

This generation of PlayStation has been a massive wet fart. There’s a few exceptions, sure, but those are months and months between one another. I also feel that it has to do with going into my 30s at the start of the PS5’s launch, work and just life keeping me from playing or even sinking my teeth into a game like I could in my 20s. Change of priorities and everything else.

Plus, the push from too many publishers to have the next Fortnite has ruined a lot of modern gaming. The suits in charge want that so badly at the cost of unraveling the industry and the developers who work within it.

Fatal Fury has always been a relatively niche franchise. SNK in general has always been (though good) niche. Throwing celebrities at the wall, let alone at the roster isn’t a winning marketing formula.

It’s like weird sports league endorsements for products.

“The official car insurance of this sports league.”

“The official potato chip of this sports team.”

Do those endorsements actually sell product? Maybe to some but not enough to be that big of a factor.

The last 5 years of PlayStation as a brand has been pretty lackluster. The whole live service push and follow up fumbles really makes one question the direction of the whole platform. Some majorly poor decision making happened when things shuffled around a few years ago.

It’s weird, how the brand as a whole went from the highs of the late-PS3 era and PS4 era to the current PS5 era is night and day. The PS5 hardware is great, the accessories are some of the best Sony has made but the software side has taken a major backseat and it’s baffling how they can fumble it as much as they have.

Exclusivity only worked if the platform you released on was outselling the competition 10:1. The PS1 and PS2 did this.

Nowadays with budgets and costs it makes no sense to be platform exclusive unless that said platform holder is funding part if not most of the development.

A new week, a new studio. I miss the PS3/PSP era of PlayStation where you got a truly mixed bag of games and experiences. You had your Uncharted and God of War and got one offs like Puppeteer and Patchwork Heroes. Or something weird but amusing like Eye of Judgment or Wonderbook.

Nowadays, it’s seeing what will last more than a month as a live service venture and the studio is shuttered after 6 to 12 months.

After how Konami treated him, I don’t blame the man for buying the full rights to his IP.

Plus, with the Herman Hulst era of SIE, it’s probably a smarter move now than later.

Yes and no. Vita TV is still very attractive, although I'm likely biased due to owning an imported model. While limited and gimped, you can see the potential if there was a real push with it.

That said, Vita TV was announced back in September. We are now in April. The old way of announcing products and piddle crapping around on it for over half a year allows the competition to get a one up on you.

Vita TV received a FW update to support DS4 back last week, so it's compliant. Patch the biggest Vita sellers to support it and set it up with the PS4 kiosk, demonstrating the ecosystem that is possible.

Plus, with PS1 classics and PSP titles, it already has more appealing titles than Fire TV or a Roku does. Market it with nostalgia for the West, with a bundled game, built in 8 GB flash memory and have it available in black, while pushing the fact that PS Now will grant you even more gaming possibilities down the road.

It still has a chance. The PlayStation name is on a high streak now. Take chance or don't bother at all if we are still here a year from now.

The fact that Nintendo and SCEI, people who actually make games, are letting these other, less involved companies stomp all over them, both angers and concerns a fan like me.

@Splat Spartacus was always the "this is what a God of War TV show would be like" to me.

Which made it awesome.

I always thought Resistance would make a good TV series.

Kinda like Falling Skies, but better and set in the past, following the storylines of a few characters trying to survive.