MrGawain

Sony are treading water at the moment. They’ve committed to this console, the triple A system that now takes 6+ years to produce this quality of game, and have very little in unknown games to spark the business. Wolverine and GTA6 are the things that could sell some more consoles, but beyond that if you don’t have a PS5, I doubt much will push you to buy one.

The real story is does Sony keep pushing power on the next console, or cap it and be price (and development) conscious on the PS6?

I haven’t played or had the desire to play any of them. It’s been a bad year for the PS5 for me personally.

Guessing BBC iplayer wins then?

Don’t hope for much and don’t lose any sleep. The trailers will be on YouTube when you wake up.

To be fair there was probably 30-40% of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth content I never saw and I finished the game, and I’m guessing lots of other people didn’t. I think they could be a little more restrained with their budgets and customers wouldn’t notice.

Just imagine how disappointed people will be when they find he’s licensed U2’s music from the Joshua Tree to promote Doritos and Mountain Dew.

@RadioHedgeFund

Which was my point, if in a sarcastic tone. I find it amusing the narrative changes when it puts the company in a positive or negative light.

Remember, Playstation isn’t competing in the same market as Nintendo, they’re entirely different things.

Unless there is a story where Sony is winning then it is.

When you give everything and the kitchen sink in the original, where can you go? Spider-Man has all the powers and you can’t really give him a horse or car or a jet pack to advance the gameplay, and you can’t set it in the Sahara desert or Space. They painted themselves into a corner.

No excuse to not come up with more interesting ideas in the other games though!

The other day I saw a £85 bottle opener. I'm sure it's a very nice bottle opener, but it's far excessive than for my needs to open a bottle.

This is my mentality of a £750+ console or gaming PC. I don't need AI RAM to play 2D Mario and Tetris.

I like the fact I can watch Sky+ through it, but as a games console it leaves a lot to be desired. Not enough games I have enjoyed I’m afraid to say.

If you don’t like the sort of exclusive sand box narrative games Sony has- God of War, Horizon, Death Stranding, Spider-Man, Ghost Of Yotei, etc…

…How many reasons do you have to buy an expensive console? Playstation needs variety this generation has been lacking, and it’s deeply evident in the Japanese market.

Currently PlayStation isn’t a rounded business. Aside from Astrobot, Sackboy and (sort of) Ratchet and Clank there hasn’t been much fun, colourful family stuff to appeal to that audience which is a big part of Japanese gaming. I don’t think subsidising the console makes a damn bit of difference if you don’t have the games that this audience wants- just look at XBox in Japan.

They aren’t going to fix this overnight without investing in some studios to make these sort of games- and I question if they will do that?

It hits home now that the sort of games I play aren’t really the stuff the game awards wants to promote, and the stuff they promote rarely interests me at all.

Aside from Nintendo there is a definite homogenisation of video games heading towards PC gaming. The home console will just be using the TV as a window into these platforms. We’re likely to see $1000 consoles next Gen, and gaming is going to become a little more niche. I’m guessing people will choose a single console based on where their friends play and where their libraries predominantly are.

It was aimed at trying to get Japanese gamers and Nintendo owners to get interested in the PS5.

I’m interested in some of these titles, but would probably chose to get them on Switch 2 for the portability factor.

Nice to hear any company listening to its customers, let alone Sony.

Seeing the calls for cheaper, more sustainable titles with quicker turnarounds was already being discussed sometime in 2020, it wouldn’t have made sense to expect us to invest in a more expensive console with specs that inflated their problems even more.

I can’t help reading that as ‘people who own the PlayStation Portal are more likely to play on the PlayStation Portal than people who don’t own a PlayStation Portal.’

I’m now closer to 50 than 40, and although I still game there is definitely more competition for my time.

When I look at my 20 something nephew, he wants games but is not willing to pay for them- especially PlayStation, because beyond Astrobot nothing has interested him. He spends money on holidays, concerts, the cinema, and theme parks because he gets to do that with his friends. I see him come online with his Switch and has over 1000 hours watching YouTube on it. He still plays a bit of FNAF and Minecraft, but not much else.

I definitely think Playstation is ignorant to younger gamers at the moment, making expensive, long winded story games that kids aren’t willing to invest their time and money in.

A very niche event in a time where people have to worry about paying for the essentials. I get the feeling 2026 you’ll see bigger acts and live events have to cancel as prices scare customers off.

If all the Microsoft owned games are on PlayStation, but the Sony games aren't going to be ported to the Xbox, then there is no valid reason to own an XBox beyond brand loyalty.

But then it's more than likely all going to move to PC next generation except Nintendo.

I’ve yet to see an attach rate for games for the PS5. I’d like to know that.

I think all three companies have lost a lot of good will with their fans recently:

• Nintendo with prices, game key cards and some questions about the quality of some of the Switch 2 launch games.
• Xbox with uncertainty of how they are selling their product (subscription/console/3rd party) and laying off thousands of workers.
• Sony for pushing their hardware and prices when there is fewer interesting games this generation.

None of these companies can expect to grow or even keep all of their customers if they don’t address these problems.

The idea of a film of a girl fighting robot dinosaurs is a perfect summer blockbuster, but things will have to change from the game. Aloy is more robotic than the metal T-Rex she fights, and that’s why she’s disliked by some fans. If we could just have some humour, or vulnerability, or anger from the character in the game, you could relate to her.

Not just a slight on Sony, but modern gaming is less concerned on fun these days. It’s more concerned with making films that you wander through. Couple that with the cost, lack of games and push towards online really puts me off investing hundreds into a new PlayStation.

Hoping Nintendo has some fun Switch 2 games next year, because even they are falling foul to these criticisms.

This generation we learned ‘Play has no limits’ isn’t true. Time, Money, Human perception of super definition, lack of desire for more of the same and our Patience has limited what and how we play.

Next Gen all of gaming has to keep to attainable goals and shift from ‘more is better’.

I’ve never been tempted to buy an XBox, they don’t have the sort of games I like on their platform.

But then Playstation doesn’t either any more.

I think there is something to be said when a lot of these games are loosely ‘Open World’, and yet we’re forced to play through a narrative that for a lot of time feels more like a film than a video game. It’s very hard to make a character flawed or misguided when the player is controlling them, but has no choice in their actions for the cut scenes.

I’ve never been worried if Mario or Sonic are sadistic monsters, because there isn’t that depth of story colouring my interpretation.

Although I’m not a big Pachter fan, I would argue all 3 companies look a little lost at how to continue with their success. Nintendo seems to be aping some of the worst PS/XB practises and losing their family gaming identity, Microsoft are both moving away from hardware with their streaming service at the same time releasing a handheld and commiting to make another Gen of XBox, and Sony seem to care about having the most powerful box and a lack of must have games to play on it.

I don’t think it would take much for another company to come along with an easier accessible system or service with some fun, cheaper games that appeal to the generation coming up and steal away a big market share from these 3 lumbering dinosaurs.

My PS5 has pretty much been a streaming box for the past 6 months, and I don’t see it being much else next year. I don’t know how Sony manages to make almost everything in their SOP’s look so similar- hack and slash bad guys in a darkly lit space. The whole point of a showcase is to show the variety of games coming.

In my opinion Wolverine looks uninspired and held together with a bunch of QTE’s like Spider-Man 2 was.

I think quite a lot of base PS5 users are already feeling short changed, I know I am. There are definitely less exciting games than the PS4 had, and I would expect paying mid Gen for an upgraded console that has little benefit doesn’t make it any better.

Not to mention the recent PS6 talk.

I’m of the opinion that game prices have been inflated to squeeze day one customers, but companies expect most sales to happen when the prices are reduced after the first month-6 weeks. Most games drop to old RRP’s within that time frame these days, even Nintendo games.

I wonder if console prices were raised just so when the prices went back to where they were people would think they were getting a deal?

Logically for a developer who is putting their game on a subscription service it makes sense to make low budget games where people play hours on end (think candy crush or Roblox or an online shooter), than a $300m 3D sandbox narrative game people play for 25 hours once. This will influence what games the industry will lean towards.

They have a customer base willing to buy a $70 game every year and invest in microtransactions with FIFA and Madden. That extra $10 could easily scare off 10-30% of their customers, or make them question if they need the new version every year.

When PlayStation axed most of its Japanese studios it doomed the PS5 into being a one trick pony. It’s not just because of the visual look of Japanese games (although that adds some colour compared to the drab washed out western offerings), but it took away all the innovation and variety we had to choose from like Parappa, Ape Escape, Gravity Rush, and The Last Guardian. Now all that’s left is either Sandboxes with parental issues or shooters with live services.

Clone/reskin characters could take up a lot of spaces. US Agent, Miles Morales, War Machine… pretty much every classic hero has a replacement or a mirror image villain.

My TV is about 14 years old, and it’s stopped supporting the apps that came with it, so the PS5 is handy to watch streaming through.

Now if Sony could make a consistent stream of varied games for the thing, it would be a worthwhile purchase!

I have motion sickness issues, even with FPS games on the TV so VR isn’t for me. My only passing time with it was LABO VR, which was a short experience that was impressive and allowed me to take the headset away from my face, but was not going to replace TV gaming an RPG for me.

I think that’s the real thing about VR; it’s an experience, not a full time way to game or watch Telly.

@AhmadSumadi I own a PS5 and frankly I find very little on it I want to play on a TV, let alone on a Bus. These long narrative sandbox games that Sony focuses on are making them a one trick pony. There are more flavours to gaming than Sad Dad stories and finding beacons to open up a map. I think they’re ignoring a large customer base who want fun instead of drama.

As a Switch and Switch 2 owner, I’m dubious if narrative games with long cutscenes and lengthy fetch quests work on a handheld device where you only have a short time to play. But at least Nintendo are using these sorts of 3rd party games to add variety to their offering.

@get2sammyb

Exactly. And now they have nothing else to follow up the success of it. I very much doubt many under 16 year old are going to be playing either Death Stranding 2 or Ghost Of Yotei.

The fact Sony has stopped caring about family gaming just shows how thick as a brick the company is. A diverse profile makes you stronger in the long run.

The Switch 2 looks great on a big telly, but the reality is the next generation of gamers aren’t as fussed with graphical fidelity. That’s why they’re playing Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft of phones, tablets, Switch 1’s, laptops and base PS4’s.

Sony has dug themselves into a hole of aiming for more power that costs more money and resources. Every so often they say they’re aware the spiralling costs have diminishing returns, and then carry on what they’re doing.

At this point average looking product available to buy is far more profitable than cancelled jaw dropping triple AAA game that you spent 7 years developing.

Wouldn’t making games that appeal to younger people be a better idea?

I’m sorry but Horizon is devoid of any fun or joy whatsoever. Aside from watching soulless Aloy getting eating by robot dinosaurs.

I would say there were more games that looked fun instead of trying to win a visuals contest, and that’s what I want from the games I play these days- fun.

I’m not surprised kids are playing this on the PS5, because there’s so little else new aimed at a younger audience.

PS5 is really marketed to 18-50 year old men.

“We could cut our budget by $50m, or we could spend it on tech that enables us to have girls running around in their bra and pants in our studio.”

The price of the thing was never the problem, the problem the PS5 has is the selection and variety of games hasn’t really improved for a more casual gamer. I’ve been disappointed Sony has become so narrow minded in what games people want, and I do regret buying the PS5 for the little use I’ve got out the thing.

If you love playing games lie God Of War, Horizon, and The Last Of Us then more power to you, but the chances are you bought a PS5 early on.

I’m of the opinion you need a big game, 2 more reveals, 5 solid 3rd party games, a bunch of indies and some odd updates to make a worthwhile Direct-style presentation everyone is happy with. If you don’t have that then it feels like a bit of a round up of all the dregs.

With game releases few and far between for the past few years, I wonder if they can produce State of Play that feels worthwhile?

More 1st party games than last year, but for me personally this year is worse than the last with very little variety, humour or colour.

All the very expensive eggs in a very uncertain basket.

I think Xbox pretty much giving up with exclusives has given Playstation a bump this generation. I bought a PS5 because I assumed it would have the sort of games I like that the PS4 did, but this has been a very lacklustre generation. I doubt I would buy a PS6 if this is the way console gaming is going.

In general all tech is suffering from one thing lacking- the audience. Our eyes and ears aren’t strong enough to appreciate advancements, our lives are too dull to take advantage of all the extra QOL features, and our wallets are too empty to afford the things.