@LogicStrikesAgain why wouldn't they put the time to optimize? many reasons.
1.sony is putting a lot of marketing bucks behind ps5 pro enhanced games and publishers will be compensated for their efforts with various business deals. the pro will be the new hot toy this holiday season and sony needs to find reasons to sell and in some cases re-sell people on the ps5 again.
2. as i stated previously, publishers will make their money regardless of how poorly optimized the base version of the game runs. most people are not going to watch DF videos to verify what it is that they are buying, nor will they protest if the performance is bad — only a vocial minority will complain AFTER they hand over their cash.
3. if the spec requirements have shifted with the introduction of the pro model, there is less of a reason to optimize for the base because it is that much easier to brute force their way through development with the pro and then simply remove feature sets for the base as they near completion. i'm sure s-e knew about the ps5 pro's specs during the development of ff rebirth. it never should have gotten released in its current state, but knowing that the pro was just around the corner, they settled with such disparity and compromise, while cheating its customers.
i don't buy the argument that by 2028 the console hardware would be too old and outdated. console gaming was always about a 5-10 year life cycle on the same piece of technology and hardware specs. since developers would spend so much time with the hardware, performance and ambition would steadily increase due to their improved knowledge base and familiarity. if you compare ps1, ps2 and ps3 launch games with those from the end of the life cycle, it is a night and day difference and never fails to impress me. that is what has been lost in the console space thanks to the introduction of the pro model(s) and trying to chase tech trends. what you get now is a box that never truly reaches its potential. you often get sloppy code and lazy developers who are tapping out without much thought to optimization. this is why pc has so many problems (due to the myriad of configurations available). that curse has found its way to the console space now.
all that is to say, if a smart developer works within its limitations of a single hardware spec, there is no such idea as "too demanding" (within reason of course) because they will usually take all necessary steps to make it run adequately. that is what game development is all about. these days, devs are trying to get away with a one size fits all approach and we have seen the results.
sounds like you have given cdpr a free pass for that disaster of a game . they didn't have a clue on how to optmize it due to their lack of knowledge in the console space at the time (being a pc centric developer for many years prior to the witcher 3), project mismanagment, marketing deception and a complete disregard for their customers. it was not the fault of the base hardware in itself that set them back. look at the switch... if you want to talk about archaic tech that somehow managed to run "impossible ports" such as doom (2016), doom eternal, alien isolation, various metro games, witcher 3 etc, then look no further. compromises, sure, but if there is a will, there is a way.
they have barely scratched the surface of the base ps5 and unfortunately we will now never know what it is truly capable of.
@LogicStrikesAgain yes, you would hope that publishers have more integrity than to leave its customers out in the cold... its not so much that the developers have malicious intent and saborage their own games... but they sure as hell won't give the base build as much time and resources if the ps4 pro era is anything to go by. sony was solid with its first party efforts, but many 3rd party devs let things slide when they shouldn't have once they realized that they could brute force their way to victory with the extra power of the pro. the real problem is that people will purchase a given game whether it runs well or doesn't if it is something they are anticipating. many gamers can't help themselves but pre-order afterall. they get what they are given. cyberpunk already proved this.
fairly certain less than 10% of all ps5's sold will be the pro variant due to the price tag and lack of interest. i hope it is FAR less than that so a pro lineup is no longer viable for sony going forward with the ps6. that means they will have no choice but to properly optimize their games for the base model. you know, the way console gaming should be...
better prepare yourselves for horrendous ports on the base ps5 now because developers have been paid by sony to shine a light on the enhanced ps5 pro features while the base versions fall by the wayside. we already saw evidence of this with ff rebirth, dragon's dogma 2 and presumably mh wilds among many other games. what a way to treat your customers.
@LogicStrikesAgain
"This gen has seen games that rival the best of last gen. Games like Baldurs gate 3 and Elden Ring to name just a few. And we’re still only halfway current gen."
yea, elden ring is also on ps4 so no loss there. bg3 is a rare current gen-only exclusive that made a mark in terms of innovation. we need more games that are willing to try something "new".
"Now if people cant enjoy games because they're also available on other consoles, PC or even last gen consoles. Well thats their prerogative. But that leads to a narrow path of fulfilment. And hardly warrants a “this gen has no games” comment."
that is the entire point i was making. what that means is, millions of people simply don't need a ps5 to enjoy their hobby right now. i wouldn't dare say this about the ps4 in 2013-2020 though which says a lot about the current state of playstation. sony has not given people a good reason to invest in a ps5. that is a big problem and will become more evident when sales slump unless, of course, gta 6 manages to save the industry (which in itself is sad to see).
"If your definition of true exclusives means not having any PC ports. That would mean Nintendo is the only one that has true exclusives, still followed by Playstation. Does the PC have any notable games or “system sellers” that are true exclusives to that platform?"
up until 4 years ago, sony was known just as much as nintendo for its exclusives and this translated into sales and excitement. that wasn't such a bad thing was it? to give people more reasons to own a console? i don't think there is any way to defend the current state of playstation by dismissing the importance of exclusives like that.
"Also, i dont get the ‘doesn't take full advantage of PS5 hardware if its cross gen’ argument. Cross gen games obviously run and look much better on PS5 because they use the extra power of the console."
well, people buy a console for new experiences... whether that means better graphics or new innovations that couldn't be achieved on older hardware, etc. the ps5 to this point has been stuck in cross gen territory for many of its 1st party titles. if you are limited in game design across the board (including physics, AI, animation etc) due to older hardware, a resolution or framerate boost is not going to fix that. we are 4 years into the gen and only NOW are we starting to see more games built from the ground up for the current gen. that is disappointing no matter how you slice it. don't see how the ps5 can be ranked higher than last place (currently) compared to its legacy and everything that has come before it. if that isn't disappointing, i don't know what is. now, if you never owned a ps4 and jumped into the sony ecosystem for the first time with a ps5 (and have the luxury of 100% backwards compatibility), then you would be in a different boat. for most of the playstation community, that is not the case.
@LogicStrikesAgain
you might be missing the context as to why people are underwhelemed with the ps5. this article is specifically about owning a ps5 and the "value" that it offers, even if you own other consoles such as ps4 or a pc.
1. half of those games listed are also on ps4 and vast majority are on pc and elswhere.
2. half of those games are not taking full advantage of the ps5 hardware as they are cross gen releases and need to cater to lower specs.
3. many of those games are run-of-the-mill sequels with absolutely nothing new to show and are creatively bankrupt in their design. i'd argue that none of those games are impressive enough to sell hardware. there are no "system sellers" to be found. where is the innovation and originality? MAYBE astro bot could be a "system seller" for a very hardcore group of platforming fans, but that's about it.
4. only 3 games on the list are exclusive to the ps5 and two of those (ff rebirth and stellar blade) will soon find their way to pc.
5. true exclusives matter to many people because it incentivizes one to purchase the hardware and brings "value" to the platform. the ps5 is almost completely void of this now and its hurt the perception of the brand.
one more thing i'll note is that in previous console generations, there was more risk taking and NEW ip being developed which made the industry that much more exciting. these days, it's mostly by the numbers and predictable. sony has yet to release a new ip on ps5 outside of returnal?! even astro bot (ps5) is not a new ip as it is based on the groundwork of astro bot rescue mission and astro's playroom.
to sum up my thoughts: this generation has been incredibly uneventful, predictable and expensive so far. not much to celebrate at the moment. hopefully that gives you a better sense of why people are not as excited as you are. that said, the indi scene continues to impress and there is always something worth playing in that space. my rant is mainly focused on the AAA space as we know it.
has there been a "system seller calibur game" released? debatable but in my opinion, no.
are things looking bright over the next few months with hotly anticipated releases? no. we don't even know what projects most of sony's 1st party studios are working on, let alone what the potential release YEAR will be for them. we do know that they have a bunch of service games in active development that will likely bomb just as hard as concord though!
the only exception to all of this may be gta 6 but that isn't even a ps5 exclusive and is likely a year away from release
things are rough for sony right now and they have little to no bullet points to entice potential customers to get a ps5 who may be on the fence and/or not impressed with how the first 4 years have gone for the platform. i would know, i'm one such potential customer. had a great time with the ps4 since 2014 and see no reason to throw it by the wayside anytime soon. this is probably the point of no return and i should save my money and invest it into the ps6 instead (if it can deliver what the ps5 couldn't)
@rick1987 they tried that with the getaway series on ps2. first game was passable. second game was a complete failure. getaway 3 for ps3 was outright cancelled during development. sony nor any other publisher is simply incapable of competing with gta... they would need a $1-2b budget and 10 years of development time to get even remotely close to gta in scope and production values.
sony is playing with fire. how many times do they need to be punched in the face before they flinch, let alone, re-think whatever it is that they are doing anymore?
concord and destruction all-stars wasn't enough. last of us factions cancelled after YEARS of development time wasn't enough. spiderman: the great web and many other live service projects being cancelled and presumably losing them even more money in the process... had no effect on their vision for live service games? really?
bring on horizon mmo and fairgame$ if you must, but just know that its very likely to cost sony well over $400m in additional losses when all is said and done. if the rumours are true and bend is working on a live service game, i think we can already see the writing on the wall — that is, it will be their last game before being shuttered. bend is one of sony's oldest studios and seeing them misused only to fall by the wayside like this is just real sad.
don't believe all the lies about there being no way to drop the hardware cost on ps5's due to supply chain issues, etc... the truth is, sony has lost an enormous amount of revenue over the past few years due to numerous failures incured by its live service projects (especially those that got cancelled after years of development and will never see the light of day). sony will continue to lose revenue for the next several years due to poor project management and the customer is expected to pay for its mistakes by way of higher hardware costs. at the same time, sony is not exactly keeping the platform interesting with enough games to even warrant a ps5 purchase (for many people) in the first place. the next 4 years are not going to be any better. get used to this era of playstation. the only bright spot is that they might be able to turn things around by 2028 when the ps6 launches, but that is not a given.
well, so long as you understand that most live service games will fail to last more than 6 months to a year, this isn't all that surprising. these days, it is just a matter of how long the publisher is willing to lose money before pulling the plug. the only difference here is that sony was pro-active in dealing with the failure compared to some other publishers. why bleed money for a year knowing the game will not survive based on all the early metrics? smart move by sony to be abrupt with this mess... of course, the game never should have been greenlit in the first place but sony was desperate to follow the trends. they earned this by way of their arrogance and mismanagement.
hate to say it (well, actually i don't), but fairgame$ will likely have a very similar fate. live for 2 weeks? maybe a bit longer... perhaps a few months. sony says it will keep making these kinds of games? complete nonsense when resources are finite.
surely, they must be working on the metaphor "complete" edition, while planning metaphor's sequel at the same time. that's just how it goes at altus... i'll be shocked if its another new IP so soon.
@NEStalgia true, but don't forget that metaphor (former working title: project re fantasy) was officially announced in the fall of 2016, right after persona 5 launched, giving it plenty of time to grow its own levels of anticipation. considering the success of p5, people were very excited about project re fantasy right off the bat. but after a teaser trailer a year later, the project went radio silent for years... i think many people moved on, completely forgot that this game existed or weren't aware of it in the first place. i bet many "casual" p5 fans don't even know that metaphor is created by the same core team. yes, the change in setting is definitely going to divide some of the persona community which could hamper sales to some extent. if metaphor manages to sell 5m copies, that will likely be considered a success for atlus all the same, especially for a new IP. they might even bring in some new players who are attracted to metaphor specifically because it is set in a fantasy world and not in another contemporary highschool.
@NEStalgia it is somewhat speculative on my part, but compared to persona 5 and its lead up to launch, i just did not see the same level of anticipation with metaphor (generally speaking) on social media. i have no doubt that persona fans will like the game as well, but i am not convinced there is as much crossover within the community as there should be. maybe its due to the major shift in setting? the highschool/student life aspect is completely gone here. in my opinion that is a good thing — we've seen that 4 times now (including persona 1) so a fresh take on it was warranted. of course, sales will tell the story. i'll be impressed if manages to sell even 50% of persona 5's 9m copies.
$113CAD for (3) noteworthy games and (3) historically important, but not so notworthy games from 30+ years ago, is not "reasonable" by any metric. easy pass. i wouldn't be able to justify the idea that i am supporting s-e' exploitative FOMO tactics alone. heck, i don't think they updated the font on console either? is it still arial instead of the classic pixel font? on pc, you don't have that problem thankfully
@LavenderShroud your guess is as good as mine. maybe they took notes from nintendo (when they too stopped caring about maintaining the family friendly facade) and opened the floodgates on the eshop haha. the accountants did the math: sony is better off letting it all in than not, if it means their revenue numbers go up.
i don't know what sort of changes have been going on at sony of late. a few years ago, they felt it ncessesary to censor trish' back side in dmc v (i think that was reverted back later with a patch?). doa xtreme 3 was never released in the west for being culturally inapproproate or something...
fast forward a few years... we are in an era with more DEI politics and censorship controversies than ever before, and yet, sony now has no issue with stellar blade and venus vacation — games that are pandering to certain demographics with sexual innuendo and fanservice to the point of no return... i mean, some of this stuff is quite cringe inducing.
so, my question is... what in the actual heck changed at sony to completely turn off its shame meter? is it as simple as MONEY?!
there was never any doubt in my mind that this game would turn out great with all the talent behind it. i'm a bit stunned by the lack of interest from the persona community, however. had no idea that such fans could close themselves in a box like that and not pay attention to a new, fresh IP that was planned entirely by ex persona members!
it's a little disappointing that the dungeon design can be bland in some areas since that was arguably the weakest aspect of the persona games as well. the performance and graphical issues don't bother me so much since this game was clearly designed and intended to be released on the ps4 long ago — delays brought it into the current gen and they decided not to take advantage of ps5's power. if you want a cleaner presenation for the ps5 port, wait for the "complete" edition in 12-18 months time.
congrats to the studio zero team for delivering on this long delayed project. currently sitting at 93 on open critic which should put it in the RPG of the year discussions with the possibility of establishing itself as a new tenpole IP for atlus.
@PALversusNTSC rayman origins/legends are incredible games, but it's been over 10 years since they got released... the franchise had been dead for a while anyways with no signs of a comeback. michel ancel (creator of rayman) has since left the company and that didn't help either
@MrPeanutbutterz these days, yes. it essentially stopped with the ps3 era, but even ps4 received multiple colour varients including black (base), white, camo and gold. other colour varients were game specific.
that said, the ps2 had an amazing selection (taken from wikipedia):
"Several variations in color were produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, transparent blue (ocean blue), and also Limited Edition color Pink, which was distributed in some regions such as Oceania, and parts of Asia"
it's sad those days are behind us now. instead of selecting a colour you like, you are expected to pay an additional premium on top of an already overpriced console.
can't sony at least give us the most basic choice: white or black SKU out of the box? no excuses for that.
now we know why sony opted for such a plain/generic colour for the base model and has not created any additional SKUs for people to choose from 4 years into the cycle.
@naruball it's hard to say how people would react to it today. one thing is for certain, though; afro samurai was never marketed as anything more than over the top fictional entertainment. ubisoft shot themselves in the foot by focusing too much on its own idea of "historical accuracy" on a subject that is widely debated and uncertain. afro samurai also had the benefit of appearing long before the culture of "DEI" politics, and as such, would not be subjected to the same level of criticism and skepticism (as to why it exists in the first place).
@Nepp67 james is the best in the bunch. but i really don't like the look of angela (looks incredibly generic and bland) and maria (missing that "it" factor) in the remake.
well, the problem began when ubisoft marketed the game as being "historically accurate/based on true events" simply because there is so much controversy and unknowns about the actual events that occured. no matter how you approach it, there are going to be major liberties taken with such an adaptation. as such, ubisoft should have taken a step back and not made those claims.
anyone remember the afro samurai anime/games from 15 years ago? well, nobody seemed to have a problem with that franchise. it featured a black samurai out for revenge. it was treated as fiction and escapism. perhaps people were more open minded back then? ubisoft easily could have gone the same route with its own game but it has pigeonholed itself with the whole "historical accuracy" slant that the creed series is known to have. all videogames that slap such a label should be taken with a big grain of salt.
personally, i couldn't care less about the politics surrounding yasuke. i would play the game knowing damn well not to take it seriously in the first place (if i was a big creed fan that is). who plays creed games looking for histoical accuracy? i don't much care for the creed series as it has long since been run into the ground and exploited as much as any game franchise can be. with ubisoft on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy, it doesn't look like this franchise will be around much longer anyways... or at the least, go on a long hiatus while the company is acquired, restructred, etc. so, for the creed fans out there, instead of complaining, might as well "enjoy" the game for what it is because it might be the last one for a very long time
it's true, but let's not forget that in japan, you cannot show a decapitations of any kind in video games. resident evil 7 was censored as were many other japanese games including shadows of the damned, etc. they have their own problems in that regard.
well, that is a fool's errand. sony (today) pressuring its own studio to support its TVs (15 years into the future) is idiotic. to be frank, i don't think 8k will ever be a thing with widespread adoption... other than TVs larger than 80" (which less than 3% of the population has the space for... then, finding someone with the space, money and desire to get one is slim pickings). even 4k adoption is stuggling due to diminishing returns in noticeable fidelity to the average person. stop wasting money sony! seems to be the only thing you are good at of late.
nomura is a legend. i think the storytelling in the kh games is incomprehensible and pedestrian at the same time, but nomura's character designs are among the best and most influential in gaming history. his work peaked with ff 10, but what a cereer. his definition of "a few years" in referring to retirement could mean another decade in the trenches, so i wouldn't read too much into that. whatever the case may be, giving cloud and sora closure would be a good sendoff to nomura's career. but what i really want to see is a reboot of a lesser known franchise — i'm talking about parasite eve, of course!
begs the question why sony couldn't just create a standard GREY ps5 without resorting to FOMO tactics to get one? just make a grey cover for crying out loud. it is the most aesthetically pleasing colour for a console and always has been.
at any rate, these will be sold out instantly. unless you know how to program bots or use AI to make the purchase within seconds of the listing going live, good luck
majority of these will be scalped on ebay for $5000 a pop (referring to the ps5 pro models).
most of those characters are re-skins of eachother and will play similarily, right? i find it hard to believe that they would code 182 unique move sets. unless, of course, the command list is incredibly basic and each character is mitigated to a few punch, kick and fireball commands, without a combo system. regardless, impressive roster which likely has never been done before on this scale.
@MikeOrator OK? if you don't see a problem with a 63% increase over the base ps5 (disc) version, all the power to you. but i gave you plenty of reasons why people are critical of sony over this. believe it and don't be surprised
also, most of the games you listed were first party. the takewaway was that 3rd party releases got sloppier as time went on for the base ps4 and that is expected to occur again on the base ps5.
@NEStalgia absolutely right about that. the era of optimization and devs putting in the effort is long over for the console space (outside of 1st party output mostly). that was one of the prime benefits of being a console gamer for decades. after the first half of the ps4 era, something changed. it's now all about bruteforceing to the finish line.
@carlos82 yea, that's brutal. i haven't looked into the japanese price, but considering the base unit continues to increase in japan 4 years on, it might be pretty bad there too.
@MikeOrator in canada, the price difference between the base ps5 (disc) and the pro ps5 (disc) is $460CAD (taking tax into consideration). that is a 63% increase versus the base model which is quite absurd all things considered. in europe, the optics are even worse. looking at this from an americancentric point of view is a little less damning due to the way currency works... with no price drop in sight on the base unit 4 years and counting, this situation couldn't possibly get any worse. people have good reason to be bitter. they will continue to voice their opinions and (hopefully) vote with their wallets so that sony course corrects.
there is also concern that the base model will become neglected (more likely with third party titles) in the same way the base ps4 was (i.e. poor optimization and lazy ports etc). so even those who aren't interested in the ps5 pro may be paying the price. this works out poorly for 90% of the install base, while the other 10% feels good about their shiny new toy.
@Yousef- the sequel, forbidden west, only sold about 1/3 of zero dawn's 24m copies. if that isn't damning for sony, i don't know what is. the IP is certainly in trouble and i wouldn't be surprised to learn that the lego game was designed with the sole intent of boosting awareness of the IP so that the third mainline entry doesn't fail to meet sales expectations again.
not a bad upgrade there. but keep in mind, most ps5 games/pro upgrades will not get this level of treatment as they will primarily be reserved to first party/sony published/timed exclusives only, with the odd multiplatform game. which means... just a handful of games in the grand scheme of things.
@NEStalgia yea, i'm not sure when or why keighley became that face of the entire gaming industry and the "voice of reason"? . it's odd to me that he would even get into the ring and defend this. we could just as easily create a chart of those console prices at their mid-life and end-life cycle to make a point. i think that would be eye opening to many people.
they were selling "psone" consoles for $49USD MRSP in 2002! with inflation, that is just $79USD! the console had a price reduction of 83% at end of life which boggles the mind. while i'm not expecting anything even remotely similar with modern gaming consoles, i sure as hell expected to see the ps5 with a $50-100 reduction by now.
the one thing we can say with certainty is: with the exception of the switch and the current gen consoles, every other console in history received a price cut (sometimes multiple) within a year or two of being on the market. that's just how it works with outdated tech and efficiencies on the production line. people are enabling sony to get away with this is what is most shocking to me.
and yes, you are absolutely right that sony underpriced the original ps1 considering the era and how advanced the technology was for the time. it appears that all the market leaders no longer want to subsidize or pass on the savings (from manufacturing/part efficiencies) to the customer like they used to. not sure why because more players in the ecosystem would net sony even higher margins in the grand scheme of things. i have a hunch that sony would still be in the green even with a price reduction of $100-125USD on the base ps5 slim.
@themightyant not only that. all those consoles keighley listed got significant price drops a few years into their life cycle...meanwhile the ps5... well, you know the rest...
@LifeGirl nice damage control by keighley. i haven't double checked those numbers... but even if true, those consoles had NUMEROUS MSRP price drops within a few years of release. the slim lines in particular got even cheaper. we will likely not get a single price drop on the ps5. where is the logic in buying into that argument about launch prices?
this is all so cringe inducing. most gamers either don't care about this stuff or are unaware of it at all. they will not be swayed in any way. those who want the pro have already made up their minds about it... those who don't have done the same. trying to convince people to be stupid with their money is counterproductive. sony will sell less than 10m units of the pro — they did the math already. if they feel like that is a worthwhile to their bottom line, then so be it. that said, it is sad that many games will be poorly optimized on the base ps5 now that the pro exists (many games were already poor long before the pro as well), particularly from 3rd party developers. that is what people should be upset about more than anything.
well, i think people will vote with their wallet on this one. sony is not getting its R&D investment back on the pro model and will take a major loss on it.
it feels like this entire console cycle is me saying that things cannot possiblly get any worse... and yet they do. sony has yet to deliver a compelling reason to own a base ps5 yet after 4 years.... they won't sell more than 10m of the pros at this price point if the ps4 pro data is anything to go by. console gaming is in a real bad place right now. it is more concerned with the tech arms race of the PC space than making actual games worth a damn. only nintendo will continue to do what matters most i suppose. with the exception of a handful of ps5 targeted games this entire cycle, there really isn't enough there to justify the buy-in.
best to avoid the ps5 altogether and see how the ps6 turns out. if it is fully backwards compatible with ps4/5, has a disc drive, reasonable price and sony goes back to basics of making good games at a reaosnable clip, then i'll bite. until then, 30 years of retro gaming is waiting for me
what can you say? WOW. that is an advance wars clone if i have ever seen one. a single pixel in the wrong place and you will have nintendo knocking at your door
@NEStalgia it was in production in some form since the wii u era? i did not know that! jim certainly had a big part to play, but the rest of sony HQ likely supported and encouraged this vision along with him which explains the departure of layden all too clearly.
my hope is they hit the ground hard and make it clear to their shareholders that this strategy is simply not going to work out for them and proceed to make internal changes to rectify this nightmare. if they want to dedicate 20% of their budget to a handful of service games for the sake of their shareholders, fine. but at least select those properties accordingly (gran turismo has been a service for a long time now and is doing well for them. a twisted metal GaaS project would likely have done reasonably well as well. a socom revival could have potential in this space. if they are going to take the risk, might as well go with an established IP that can generate some fanfare, instead of a generic (new) IP that looks like a side story out of guardians of the galaxy.
i would estimate that 50% of their gaming budget is currently (or was) tied up in service games — most of which are on the verge of failing if they haven't already. last of us factions and concord alone likely cost sony $500m? fairgame$ is destined to follow the same course as concord, and we haven't even considered all the (unannounced) service games behind the scenes that were cancelled a year ago (apparently 6 were canned, including the last of us). so are we talking about looses over $1b? probably.
anyways, better that they fail now than later. i hope the ps6 will be a clean slate for them and we can move on from this era of playstation.
@jrt87 you are probably right about that. i'm still content with my ps3 collection and have no reason to upgrade. had the new remaster been definitive and pushing 4k resolution, then maybe... but that was wishful thinking i suppose.
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Re: Insomniac Developers Psyched for PS5 Pro, Enhanced Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is 'Phenomenal'
these developer advertisements are getting so lame.
Re: PS5 Pro was a '5-Year Project', In Development Before PS5's Launch
@LogicStrikesAgain why wouldn't they put the time to optimize? many reasons.
1.sony is putting a lot of marketing bucks behind ps5 pro enhanced games and publishers will be compensated for their efforts with various business deals. the pro will be the new hot toy this holiday season and sony needs to find reasons to sell and in some cases re-sell people on the ps5 again.
2. as i stated previously, publishers will make their money regardless of how poorly optimized the base version of the game runs. most people are not going to watch DF videos to verify what it is that they are buying, nor will they protest if the performance is bad — only a vocial minority will complain AFTER they hand over their cash.
3. if the spec requirements have shifted with the introduction of the pro model, there is less of a reason to optimize for the base because it is that much easier to brute force their way through development with the pro and then simply remove feature sets for the base as they near completion. i'm sure s-e knew about the ps5 pro's specs during the development of ff rebirth. it never should have gotten released in its current state, but knowing that the pro was just around the corner, they settled with such disparity and compromise, while cheating its customers.
i don't buy the argument that by 2028 the console hardware would be too old and outdated. console gaming was always about a 5-10 year life cycle on the same piece of technology and hardware specs. since developers would spend so much time with the hardware, performance and ambition would steadily increase due to their improved knowledge base and familiarity. if you compare ps1, ps2 and ps3 launch games with those from the end of the life cycle, it is a night and day difference and never fails to impress me. that is what has been lost in the console space thanks to the introduction of the pro model(s) and trying to chase tech trends. what you get now is a box that never truly reaches its potential. you often get sloppy code and lazy developers who are tapping out without much thought to optimization. this is why pc has so many problems (due to the myriad of configurations available). that curse has found its way to the console space now.
all that is to say, if a smart developer works within its limitations of a single hardware spec, there is no such idea as "too demanding" (within reason of course) because they will usually take all necessary steps to make it run adequately. that is what game development is all about. these days, devs are trying to get away with a one size fits all approach and we have seen the results.
sounds like you have given cdpr a free pass for that disaster of a game . they didn't have a clue on how to optmize it due to their lack of knowledge in the console space at the time (being a pc centric developer for many years prior to the witcher 3), project mismanagment, marketing deception and a complete disregard for their customers. it was not the fault of the base hardware in itself that set them back. look at the switch... if you want to talk about archaic tech that somehow managed to run "impossible ports" such as doom (2016), doom eternal, alien isolation, various metro games, witcher 3 etc, then look no further. compromises, sure, but if there is a will, there is a way.
they have barely scratched the surface of the base ps5 and unfortunately we will now never know what it is truly capable of.
Re: PS5 Pro was a '5-Year Project', In Development Before PS5's Launch
@LogicStrikesAgain yes, you would hope that publishers have more integrity than to leave its customers out in the cold... its not so much that the developers have malicious intent and saborage their own games... but they sure as hell won't give the base build as much time and resources if the ps4 pro era is anything to go by. sony was solid with its first party efforts, but many 3rd party devs let things slide when they shouldn't have once they realized that they could brute force their way to victory with the extra power of the pro. the real problem is that people will purchase a given game whether it runs well or doesn't if it is something they are anticipating. many gamers can't help themselves but pre-order afterall. they get what they are given. cyberpunk already proved this.
Re: PS5 Pro was a '5-Year Project', In Development Before PS5's Launch
fairly certain less than 10% of all ps5's sold will be the pro variant due to the price tag and lack of interest. i hope it is FAR less than that so a pro lineup is no longer viable for sony going forward with the ps6. that means they will have no choice but to properly optimize their games for the base model. you know, the way console gaming should be...
better prepare yourselves for horrendous ports on the base ps5 now because developers have been paid by sony to shine a light on the enhanced ps5 pro features while the base versions fall by the wayside. we already saw evidence of this with ff rebirth, dragon's dogma 2 and presumably mh wilds among many other games. what a way to treat your customers.
Re: Sony Says the Best Time to Get a PS5 Is Now
@LogicStrikesAgain
"This gen has seen games that rival the best of last gen. Games like Baldurs gate 3 and Elden Ring to name just a few. And we’re still only halfway current gen."
yea, elden ring is also on ps4 so no loss there. bg3 is a rare current gen-only exclusive that made a mark in terms of innovation. we need more games that are willing to try something "new".
"Now if people cant enjoy games because they're also available on other consoles, PC or even last gen consoles. Well thats their prerogative. But that leads to a narrow path of fulfilment. And hardly warrants a “this gen has no games” comment."
that is the entire point i was making. what that means is, millions of people simply don't need a ps5 to enjoy their hobby right now. i wouldn't dare say this about the ps4 in 2013-2020 though which says a lot about the current state of playstation. sony has not given people a good reason to invest in a ps5. that is a big problem and will become more evident when sales slump unless, of course, gta 6 manages to save the industry (which in itself is sad to see).
"If your definition of true exclusives means not having any PC ports. That would mean Nintendo is the only one that has true exclusives, still followed by Playstation. Does the PC have any notable games or “system sellers” that are true exclusives to that platform?"
up until 4 years ago, sony was known just as much as nintendo for its exclusives and this translated into sales and excitement. that wasn't such a bad thing was it? to give people more reasons to own a console? i don't think there is any way to defend the current state of playstation by dismissing the importance of exclusives like that.
"Also, i dont get the ‘doesn't take full advantage of PS5 hardware if its cross gen’ argument. Cross gen games obviously run and look much better on PS5 because they use the extra power of the console."
well, people buy a console for new experiences... whether that means better graphics or new innovations that couldn't be achieved on older hardware, etc. the ps5 to this point has been stuck in cross gen territory for many of its 1st party titles. if you are limited in game design across the board (including physics, AI, animation etc) due to older hardware, a resolution or framerate boost is not going to fix that. we are 4 years into the gen and only NOW are we starting to see more games built from the ground up for the current gen. that is disappointing no matter how you slice it. don't see how the ps5 can be ranked higher than last place (currently) compared to its legacy and everything that has come before it. if that isn't disappointing, i don't know what is. now, if you never owned a ps4 and jumped into the sony ecosystem for the first time with a ps5 (and have the luxury of 100% backwards compatibility), then you would be in a different boat. for most of the playstation community, that is not the case.
Re: Sony Says the Best Time to Get a PS5 Is Now
@LogicStrikesAgain
you might be missing the context as to why people are underwhelemed with the ps5. this article is specifically about owning a ps5 and the "value" that it offers, even if you own other consoles such as ps4 or a pc.
1. half of those games listed are also on ps4 and vast majority are on pc and elswhere.
2. half of those games are not taking full advantage of the ps5 hardware as they are cross gen releases and need to cater to lower specs.
3. many of those games are run-of-the-mill sequels with absolutely nothing new to show and are creatively bankrupt in their design. i'd argue that none of those games are impressive enough to sell hardware. there are no "system sellers" to be found. where is the innovation and originality? MAYBE astro bot could be a "system seller" for a very hardcore group of platforming fans, but that's about it.
4. only 3 games on the list are exclusive to the ps5 and two of those (ff rebirth and stellar blade) will soon find their way to pc.
5. true exclusives matter to many people because it incentivizes one to purchase the hardware and brings "value" to the platform. the ps5 is almost completely void of this now and its hurt the perception of the brand.
one more thing i'll note is that in previous console generations, there was more risk taking and NEW ip being developed which made the industry that much more exciting. these days, it's mostly by the numbers and predictable. sony has yet to release a new ip on ps5 outside of returnal?! even astro bot (ps5) is not a new ip as it is based on the groundwork of astro bot rescue mission and astro's playroom.
to sum up my thoughts: this generation has been incredibly uneventful, predictable and expensive so far. not much to celebrate at the moment. hopefully that gives you a better sense of why people are not as excited as you are. that said, the indi scene continues to impress and there is always something worth playing in that space. my rant is mainly focused on the AAA space as we know it.
Re: Sony Says the Best Time to Get a PS5 Is Now
why is it a good time to buy exactly?
has the price dropped yet? no.
has there been a "system seller calibur game" released? debatable but in my opinion, no.
are things looking bright over the next few months with hotly anticipated releases? no. we don't even know what projects most of sony's 1st party studios are working on, let alone what the potential release YEAR will be for them. we do know that they have a bunch of service games in active development that will likely bomb just as hard as concord though!
the only exception to all of this may be gta 6 but that isn't even a ps5 exclusive and is likely a year away from release
things are rough for sony right now and they have little to no bullet points to entice potential customers to get a ps5 who may be on the fence and/or not impressed with how the first 4 years have gone for the platform. i would know, i'm one such potential customer. had a great time with the ps4 since 2014 and see no reason to throw it by the wayside anytime soon. this is probably the point of no return and i should save my money and invest it into the ps6 instead (if it can deliver what the ps5 couldn't)
Re: After a Tough Few Months, Sony Says It'll Keep Making PS5 Live Service Games
@rick1987 they tried that with the getaway series on ps2. first game was passable. second game was a complete failure. getaway 3 for ps3 was outright cancelled during development. sony nor any other publisher is simply incapable of competing with gta... they would need a $1-2b budget and 10 years of development time to get even remotely close to gta in scope and production values.
Re: After a Tough Few Months, Sony Says It'll Keep Making PS5 Live Service Games
sony is playing with fire. how many times do they need to be punched in the face before they flinch, let alone, re-think whatever it is that they are doing anymore?
concord and destruction all-stars wasn't enough. last of us factions cancelled after YEARS of development time wasn't enough. spiderman: the great web and many other live service projects being cancelled and presumably losing them even more money in the process... had no effect on their vision for live service games? really?
bring on horizon mmo and fairgame$ if you must, but just know that its very likely to cost sony well over $400m in additional losses when all is said and done. if the rumours are true and bend is working on a live service game, i think we can already see the writing on the wall — that is, it will be their last game before being shuttered. bend is one of sony's oldest studios and seeing them misused only to fall by the wayside like this is just real sad.
don't believe all the lies about there being no way to drop the hardware cost on ps5's due to supply chain issues, etc... the truth is, sony has lost an enormous amount of revenue over the past few years due to numerous failures incured by its live service projects (especially those that got cancelled after years of development and will never see the light of day). sony will continue to lose revenue for the next several years due to poor project management and the customer is expected to pay for its mistakes by way of higher hardware costs. at the same time, sony is not exactly keeping the platform interesting with enough games to even warrant a ps5 purchase (for many people) in the first place. the next 4 years are not going to be any better. get used to this era of playstation. the only bright spot is that they might be able to turn things around by 2028 when the ps6 launches, but that is not a given.
Re: PS5, PC Flop Concord Never Returning, Studio Closed Down
well, so long as you understand that most live service games will fail to last more than 6 months to a year, this isn't all that surprising. these days, it is just a matter of how long the publisher is willing to lose money before pulling the plug. the only difference here is that sony was pro-active in dealing with the failure compared to some other publishers. why bleed money for a year knowing the game will not survive based on all the early metrics? smart move by sony to be abrupt with this mess... of course, the game never should have been greenlit in the first place but sony was desperate to follow the trends. they earned this by way of their arrogance and mismanagement.
hate to say it (well, actually i don't), but fairgame$ will likely have a very similar fate. live for 2 weeks? maybe a bit longer... perhaps a few months. sony says it will keep making these kinds of games? complete nonsense when resources are finite.
Re: Metaphor: ReFantazio, Persona Director Katsura Hashino Is Already Grinding Out a New JRPG
surely, they must be working on the metaphor "complete" edition, while planning metaphor's sequel at the same time. that's just how it goes at altus... i'll be shocked if its another new IP so soon.
Re: Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5) - Brilliant, Memorable RPG Is One of Atlus' Finest Works
@NEStalgia true, but don't forget that metaphor (former working title: project re fantasy) was officially announced in the fall of 2016, right after persona 5 launched, giving it plenty of time to grow its own levels of anticipation. considering the success of p5, people were very excited about project re fantasy right off the bat. but after a teaser trailer a year later, the project went radio silent for years... i think many people moved on, completely forgot that this game existed or weren't aware of it in the first place. i bet many "casual" p5 fans don't even know that metaphor is created by the same core team. yes, the change in setting is definitely going to divide some of the persona community which could hamper sales to some extent. if metaphor manages to sell 5m copies, that will likely be considered a success for atlus all the same, especially for a new IP. they might even bring in some new players who are attracted to metaphor specifically because it is set in a fantasy world and not in another contemporary highschool.
Re: Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5) - Brilliant, Memorable RPG Is One of Atlus' Finest Works
@NEStalgia it is somewhat speculative on my part, but compared to persona 5 and its lead up to launch, i just did not see the same level of anticipation with metaphor (generally speaking) on social media. i have no doubt that persona fans will like the game as well, but i am not convinced there is as much crossover within the community as there should be. maybe its due to the major shift in setting? the highschool/student life aspect is completely gone here. in my opinion that is a good thing — we've seen that 4 times now (including persona 1) so a fresh take on it was warranted. of course, sales will tell the story. i'll be impressed if manages to sell even 50% of persona 5's 9m copies.
Re: Get Back to JRPG Basics with Physical Final Fantasy 1-6 Collection Anniversary Edition on PS4
$113CAD for (3) noteworthy games and (3) historically important, but not so notworthy games from 30+ years ago, is not "reasonable" by any metric. easy pass. i wouldn't be able to justify the idea that i am supporting s-e' exploitative FOMO tactics alone. heck, i don't think they updated the font on console either? is it still arial instead of the classic pixel font? on pc, you don't have that problem thankfully
Re: Fiona Feeds You Dessert in PS5, PS4's Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive
@BusyOlf that would be immensly more interesting than what appears to be the game being marketed to us.
Re: Fiona Feeds You Dessert in PS5, PS4's Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive
@LavenderShroud your guess is as good as mine. maybe they took notes from nintendo (when they too stopped caring about maintaining the family friendly facade) and opened the floodgates on the eshop haha. the accountants did the math: sony is better off letting it all in than not, if it means their revenue numbers go up.
Re: Fiona Feeds You Dessert in PS5, PS4's Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive
i don't know what sort of changes have been going on at sony of late. a few years ago, they felt it ncessesary to censor trish' back side in dmc v (i think that was reverted back later with a patch?). doa xtreme 3 was never released in the west for being culturally inapproproate or something...
fast forward a few years... we are in an era with more DEI politics and censorship controversies than ever before, and yet, sony now has no issue with stellar blade and venus vacation — games that are pandering to certain demographics with sexual innuendo and fanservice to the point of no return... i mean, some of this stuff is quite cringe inducing.
so, my question is... what in the actual heck changed at sony to completely turn off its shame meter? is it as simple as MONEY?!
Re: Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5) - Brilliant, Memorable RPG Is One of Atlus' Finest Works
there was never any doubt in my mind that this game would turn out great with all the talent behind it. i'm a bit stunned by the lack of interest from the persona community, however. had no idea that such fans could close themselves in a box like that and not pay attention to a new, fresh IP that was planned entirely by ex persona members!
it's a little disappointing that the dungeon design can be bland in some areas since that was arguably the weakest aspect of the persona games as well. the performance and graphical issues don't bother me so much since this game was clearly designed and intended to be released on the ps4 long ago — delays brought it into the current gen and they decided not to take advantage of ps5's power. if you want a cleaner presenation for the ps5 port, wait for the "complete" edition in 12-18 months time.
congrats to the studio zero team for delivering on this long delayed project. currently sitting at 93 on open critic which should put it in the RPG of the year discussions with the possibility of establishing itself as a new tenpole IP for atlus.
Re: Tencent, Guillemot Family Reportedly Considering Ubisoft Buyout
@PALversusNTSC rayman origins/legends are incredible games, but it's been over 10 years since they got released... the franchise had been dead for a while anyways with no signs of a comeback. michel ancel (creator of rayman) has since left the company and that didn't help either
Re: PlayStation Begins Pre-Orders for PS5's Chroma Collection, Horizon Remastered, More
@MrPeanutbutterz these days, yes. it essentially stopped with the ps3 era, but even ps4 received multiple colour varients including black (base), white, camo and gold. other colour varients were game specific.
that said, the ps2 had an amazing selection (taken from wikipedia):
"Several variations in color were produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, transparent blue (ocean blue), and also Limited Edition color Pink, which was distributed in some regions such as Oceania, and parts of Asia"
it's sad those days are behind us now. instead of selecting a colour you like, you are expected to pay an additional premium on top of an already overpriced console.
can't sony at least give us the most basic choice: white or black SKU out of the box? no excuses for that.
Re: PlayStation Begins Pre-Orders for PS5's Chroma Collection, Horizon Remastered, More
now we know why sony opted for such a plain/generic colour for the base model and has not created any additional SKUs for people to choose from 4 years into the cycle.
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Hasn't Removed Yasuke, But Dev Focused on Historical Accuracy
@naruball it's hard to say how people would react to it today. one thing is for certain, though; afro samurai was never marketed as anything more than over the top fictional entertainment. ubisoft shot themselves in the foot by focusing too much on its own idea of "historical accuracy" on a subject that is widely debated and uncertain. afro samurai also had the benefit of appearing long before the culture of "DEI" politics, and as such, would not be subjected to the same level of criticism and skepticism (as to why it exists in the first place).
Re: This Silent Hill 2 PS5 vs PS2 Comparison Will Blow Your Mind
@Nepp67 james is the best in the bunch. but i really don't like the look of angela (looks incredibly generic and bland) and maria (missing that "it" factor) in the remake.
Re: This Silent Hill 2 PS5 vs PS2 Comparison Will Blow Your Mind
the character designs of the lead characters looks pretty bad in the remake. that much is certain.
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Hasn't Removed Yasuke, But Dev Focused on Historical Accuracy
well, the problem began when ubisoft marketed the game as being "historically accurate/based on true events" simply because there is so much controversy and unknowns about the actual events that occured. no matter how you approach it, there are going to be major liberties taken with such an adaptation. as such, ubisoft should have taken a step back and not made those claims.
anyone remember the afro samurai anime/games from 15 years ago? well, nobody seemed to have a problem with that franchise. it featured a black samurai out for revenge. it was treated as fiction and escapism. perhaps people were more open minded back then? ubisoft easily could have gone the same route with its own game but it has pigeonholed itself with the whole "historical accuracy" slant that the creed series is known to have. all videogames that slap such a label should be taken with a big grain of salt.
personally, i couldn't care less about the politics surrounding yasuke. i would play the game knowing damn well not to take it seriously in the first place (if i was a big creed fan that is). who plays creed games looking for histoical accuracy? i don't much care for the creed series as it has long since been run into the ground and exploited as much as any game franchise can be. with ubisoft on the verge of collapse and bankruptcy, it doesn't look like this franchise will be around much longer anyways... or at the least, go on a long hiatus while the company is acquired, restructred, etc. so, for the creed fans out there, instead of complaining, might as well "enjoy" the game for what it is because it might be the last one for a very long time
Re: Dragon Quest Veterans on Dealing with 'Ridiculous Country' USA Amid Censorship Row
it's true, but let's not forget that in japan, you cannot show a decapitations of any kind in video games. resident evil 7 was censored as were many other japanese games including shadows of the damned, etc. they have their own problems in that regard.
Re: PS5 Pro's 30th Anniversary Bundles Are Getting Flipped for $5,000
haha called it... that exact figure... $5000. can't say i'm surprised. FOMO is a disease.
Re: Gran Turismo 7 Will Experiment with 8K, 60fps on PS5 Pro
well, that is a fool's errand. sony (today) pressuring its own studio to support its TVs (15 years into the future) is idiotic. to be frank, i don't think 8k will ever be a thing with widespread adoption... other than TVs larger than 80" (which less than 3% of the population has the space for... then, finding someone with the space, money and desire to get one is slim pickings). even 4k adoption is stuggling due to diminishing returns in noticeable fidelity to the average person. stop wasting money sony! seems to be the only thing you are good at of late.
Re: Rumour: Days Gone PS5 Remaster Speculation Starts to Spread
@Elitepatriot their next big game is likely to hit in the summer or fall of 2025. yes, it's going to be a while yet.
Re: Tetsuya Nomura Considers Retirement, and How to End Kingdom Hearts
nomura is a legend. i think the storytelling in the kh games is incomprehensible and pedestrian at the same time, but nomura's character designs are among the best and most influential in gaming history. his work peaked with ff 10, but what a cereer. his definition of "a few years" in referring to retirement could mean another decade in the trenches, so i wouldn't read too much into that. whatever the case may be, giving cloud and sora closure would be a good sendoff to nomura's career. but what i really want to see is a reboot of a lesser known franchise — i'm talking about parasite eve, of course!
Re: Rumour: Days Gone PS5 Remaster Speculation Starts to Spread
@Areus too late for that. the heads of the studio are gone. it is a dead IP in the same vein as the order: 1886. unfortunate, really.
Re: Jaw-Dropping 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Console and Accessories Will Bankrupt You
begs the question why sony couldn't just create a standard GREY ps5 without resorting to FOMO tactics to get one? just make a grey cover for crying out loud. it is the most aesthetically pleasing colour for a console and always has been.
at any rate, these will be sold out instantly. unless you know how to program bots or use AI to make the purchase within seconds of the listing going live, good luck
majority of these will be scalped on ebay for $5000 a pop (referring to the ps5 pro models).
Re: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Reveals Full 182 Character Roster Ahead of Next Month's PS5 Release
@Ludacritz ah, i see.
Re: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Reveals Full 182 Character Roster Ahead of Next Month's PS5 Release
most of those characters are re-skins of eachother and will play similarily, right? i find it hard to believe that they would code 182 unique move sets. unless, of course, the command list is incredibly basic and each character is mitigated to a few punch, kick and fireball commands, without a combo system. regardless, impressive roster which likely has never been done before on this scale.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
@MikeOrator OK? if you don't see a problem with a 63% increase over the base ps5 (disc) version, all the power to you. but i gave you plenty of reasons why people are critical of sony over this. believe it and don't be surprised
also, most of the games you listed were first party. the takewaway was that 3rd party releases got sloppier as time went on for the base ps4 and that is expected to occur again on the base ps5.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
@NEStalgia absolutely right about that. the era of optimization and devs putting in the effort is long over for the console space (outside of 1st party output mostly). that was one of the prime benefits of being a console gamer for decades. after the first half of the ps4 era, something changed. it's now all about bruteforceing to the finish line.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
@carlos82 yea, that's brutal. i haven't looked into the japanese price, but considering the base unit continues to increase in japan 4 years on, it might be pretty bad there too.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
@MikeOrator in canada, the price difference between the base ps5 (disc) and the pro ps5 (disc) is $460CAD (taking tax into consideration). that is a 63% increase versus the base model which is quite absurd all things considered. in europe, the optics are even worse. looking at this from an americancentric point of view is a little less damning due to the way currency works... with no price drop in sight on the base unit 4 years and counting, this situation couldn't possibly get any worse. people have good reason to be bitter. they will continue to voice their opinions and (hopefully) vote with their wallets so that sony course corrects.
there is also concern that the base model will become neglected (more likely with third party titles) in the same way the base ps4 was (i.e. poor optimization and lazy ports etc). so even those who aren't interested in the ps5 pro may be paying the price. this works out poorly for 90% of the install base, while the other 10% feels good about their shiny new toy.
Re: Horizon Zero Dawn's PS5, PC Remaster Is Very Much the Real Deal
@Yousef- the sequel, forbidden west, only sold about 1/3 of zero dawn's 24m copies. if that isn't damning for sony, i don't know what is. the IP is certainly in trouble and i wouldn't be surprised to learn that the lego game was designed with the sole intent of boosting awareness of the IP so that the third mainline entry doesn't fail to meet sales expectations again.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
not a bad upgrade there. but keep in mind, most ps5 games/pro upgrades will not get this level of treatment as they will primarily be reserved to first party/sony published/timed exclusives only, with the odd multiplatform game. which means... just a handful of games in the grand scheme of things.
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
@NEStalgia yea, i'm not sure when or why keighley became that face of the entire gaming industry and the "voice of reason"? . it's odd to me that he would even get into the ring and defend this. we could just as easily create a chart of those console prices at their mid-life and end-life cycle to make a point. i think that would be eye opening to many people.
they were selling "psone" consoles for $49USD MRSP in 2002! with inflation, that is just $79USD! the console had a price reduction of 83% at end of life which boggles the mind. while i'm not expecting anything even remotely similar with modern gaming consoles, i sure as hell expected to see the ps5 with a $50-100 reduction by now.
i found a neat wiki which documents all the price cuts of various consoles over history:
https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Price_cuts#PlayStation_1_price_cuts
the one thing we can say with certainty is: with the exception of the switch and the current gen consoles, every other console in history received a price cut (sometimes multiple) within a year or two of being on the market. that's just how it works with outdated tech and efficiencies on the production line. people are enabling sony to get away with this is what is most shocking to me.
and yes, you are absolutely right that sony underpriced the original ps1 considering the era and how advanced the technology was for the time. it appears that all the market leaders no longer want to subsidize or pass on the savings (from manufacturing/part efficiencies) to the customer like they used to. not sure why because more players in the ecosystem would net sony even higher margins in the grand scheme of things. i have a hunch that sony would still be in the green even with a price reduction of $100-125USD on the base ps5 slim.
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
@themightyant not only that. all those consoles keighley listed got significant price drops a few years into their life cycle...meanwhile the ps5... well, you know the rest...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
@LifeGirl nice damage control by keighley. i haven't double checked those numbers... but even if true, those consoles had NUMEROUS MSRP price drops within a few years of release. the slim lines in particular got even cheaper. we will likely not get a single price drop on the ps5. where is the logic in buying into that argument about launch prices?
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 'Hugely Improved' on PS5 Pro, a 'Night and Day' Difference
this is all so cringe inducing. most gamers either don't care about this stuff or are unaware of it at all. they will not be swayed in any way. those who want the pro have already made up their minds about it... those who don't have done the same. trying to convince people to be stupid with their money is counterproductive. sony will sell less than 10m units of the pro — they did the math already. if they feel like that is a worthwhile to their bottom line, then so be it. that said, it is sad that many games will be poorly optimized on the base ps5 now that the pro exists (many games were already poor long before the pro as well), particularly from 3rd party developers. that is what people should be upset about more than anything.
Re: Don't Worry, You Can Add an Ultra HD Disc Drive to PS5 Pro
well, i think people will vote with their wallet on this one. sony is not getting its R&D investment back on the pro model and will take a major loss on it.
Re: PS5 Pro Announced, Costs $700 and Out in November
it feels like this entire console cycle is me saying that things cannot possiblly get any worse... and yet they do. sony has yet to deliver a compelling reason to own a base ps5 yet after 4 years.... they won't sell more than 10m of the pros at this price point if the ps4 pro data is anything to go by. console gaming is in a real bad place right now. it is more concerned with the tech arms race of the PC space than making actual games worth a damn. only nintendo will continue to do what matters most i suppose. with the exception of a handful of ps5 targeted games this entire cycle, there really isn't enough there to justify the buy-in.
best to avoid the ps5 altogether and see how the ps6 turns out. if it is fully backwards compatible with ps4/5, has a disc drive, reasonable price and sony goes back to basics of making good games at a reaosnable clip, then i'll bite. until then, 30 years of retro gaming is waiting for me
Re: Fill the Advance Wars-Shaped Hole in Your Heart with Warside on PS5, PS4
what can you say? WOW. that is an advance wars clone if i have ever seen one. a single pixel in the wrong place and you will have nintendo knocking at your door
it does look pretty good, though.
Re: Talking Point: Can PS5, PC Shooter Concord Be Saved?
@NEStalgia it was in production in some form since the wii u era? i did not know that! jim certainly had a big part to play, but the rest of sony HQ likely supported and encouraged this vision along with him which explains the departure of layden all too clearly.
my hope is they hit the ground hard and make it clear to their shareholders that this strategy is simply not going to work out for them and proceed to make internal changes to rectify this nightmare. if they want to dedicate 20% of their budget to a handful of service games for the sake of their shareholders, fine. but at least select those properties accordingly (gran turismo has been a service for a long time now and is doing well for them. a twisted metal GaaS project would likely have done reasonably well as well. a socom revival could have potential in this space. if they are going to take the risk, might as well go with an established IP that can generate some fanfare, instead of a generic (new) IP that looks like a side story out of guardians of the galaxy.
i would estimate that 50% of their gaming budget is currently (or was) tied up in service games — most of which are on the verge of failing if they haven't already. last of us factions and concord alone likely cost sony $500m? fairgame$ is destined to follow the same course as concord, and we haven't even considered all the (unannounced) service games behind the scenes that were cancelled a year ago (apparently 6 were canned, including the last of us). so are we talking about looses over $1b? probably.
anyways, better that they fail now than later. i hope the ps6 will be a clean slate for them and we can move on from this era of playstation.
Re: Konami 'Aware' That Metal Gear Solid 4 Is Still Stuck on PS3
@jrt87 you are probably right about that. i'm still content with my ps3 collection and have no reason to upgrade. had the new remaster been definitive and pushing 4k resolution, then maybe... but that was wishful thinking i suppose.
Re: Konami 'Aware' That Metal Gear Solid 4 Is Still Stuck on PS3
@jrt87 good point. some people are accustomed to being played like a fiddle.