Comments 2,908

Re: 'It's a Huge Upgrade': PS5 Pro Poised to Improve Massively in 2026

Rich33

@Frmknst
"Literally not a single end consumer sees or will see any difference"

I'm a single end consumer.

I can easily see the positive difference PSSR makes in the bulk of enhanced games, where the devs have done their job properly.

If this PSSR upgrade is even only partially as good as is being suggested/rumoured it is going to be very noticeable (to me, and others), and will top off this great mid gen refresh very nicely.

Re: 'It's a Huge Upgrade': PS5 Pro Poised to Improve Massively in 2026

Rich33

@gamepadnomad
I sort of agree - though I think GTA6 will boost Pro sales, its going to be very late in the generation so might not have a massive effect.

Though the current RAM issue could easily push PS6 back a year or more, so may have changed the landscape a bit.

Far better to buy the excellent PS5 Pro now (or as I did at launch) so you get to enjoy it for longer!

Re: 'It's a Huge Upgrade': PS5 Pro Poised to Improve Massively in 2026

Rich33

Really like my PS5 Pro. MUCH bigger/better upgrade(s) than the PS4 Pro in my opinion, particularly on non enhanced games. The 2Tb storage is useful too.

@graymamba
Glad you are enjoying it. There are some really good enhancements in a lot of 3rd party games.
Sadly those very few 3rd party games where the devs have done a poor job get an incredible amount of media attention, and the far more common excellent upgrades get very little media attention.

Re: PS5 Dominates UK on Black Friday, Sells More Than 60% of All Consoles

Rich33

@OldGamer999
And yet despite dropping the price, sales of the new Japan only cheaper digital variant dropped quite a lot in the last set of data from Japan.
In fact, if I remember right, Pro sales were almost the same as the Japan only cheaper PS5.
Price is not everything.

On the other hand, A short term price reduction will usually generate good sales purely as people know that price will not be available again for some time.

Re: Japan's New PS5 Model Suffers Sales Slump in First Full Week of Data

Rich33

Interesting that Pro at (presumably) full price is selling nearly as many units as the heavily reduced base digital model. To me this shows that low cost is not as big a driver of sales as some would have you believe.

NB I am not including time limited 'sales', as it is the time limited part which is the 'hook' for them.

Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets 'Incredible' PS5 Pro Frame Rate Boost Thanks to New Patch

Rich33

@LogicStrikesAgain
It often confuses me why it isn't used more if the game more or less locks to 60fps - eg Astrobot is as flawless a game there is terms of framerate. I would guess the overhead is such that on some levels you could expect framerates to hit 100fps, particularly on Pro where you could leverage the extra CPU clock if this becomes limiting. It just seems like a win win if you leave it as an option.
I am replaying Hogwarts at the moment, and after patches and the Pro enhancement that runs uncapped at around 80fps or (sometimes much) higher in a lot of areas (particularly outside Hogwarts itself).

Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets 'Incredible' PS5 Pro Frame Rate Boost Thanks to New Patch

Rich33

@themightyant @Hordak
Personally I'm a strong advocate of a lot more graphics settings.

Have a couple of pre-set 'profiles' for those that either don't want too many settings or don't understand them, then have a number of settings behind these in an 'advanced" settings menu that you can adjust should you want to, to tailor the game to your liking- for example I can literally 'see' framerates.
This would by far be the best set up to keep everyone happy.

Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets 'Incredible' PS5 Pro Frame Rate Boost Thanks to New Patch

Rich33

@DennisReynolds @LogicStrikesAgain
I'm a bit in 2 minds over this.

As you guys note, this game was released in a fantastic technical state - something that is becoming increasingly rare sadly.
The Pro enhancements are excellent allowing for example - either approx double pre upscale res in performance mode; or the addition of RT to the performance mode; and all using an excellent implementation of PSSR.

On the other hand, 120hz uncap using VRR seems such an 'easy win' to please owners of 120hz TVs - which are becoming far more common these days. Particularly on Pro versions and where you have such clear headroom inherent to a game that runs at practically locked 60fps.

Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets 'Incredible' PS5 Pro Frame Rate Boost Thanks to New Patch

Rich33

I tested it out the day of the patch - both the Pro RT mode, and the performance mode - and I was pretty impressed with the boost on PS5 Pro.

I tried out a few areas and it seemed to be much closer to 80-90fps most of the time.

NB - to all those NOT intending to uncap to 120hz - mine defaulted to VRR 'Off' when the patch came down, and if you have a VRR TV you will manually need to change to 'smoothed' (I think that is what it was called - its the middle option).

Re: PS5 Is Edging Out the Switch 2 in the UK So Far This Year

Rich33

@Member_the_game
Firstly apologies, I only just saw your reply to me - for some reason and only on rare occasion, the site fails to notify me when a post is directed at me.

I understand exactly what you are getting at.
I commented only as there were arguments (in particular on the side of PS5) being made that were based on data that to put it frankly was not fit to make any sort of comparison based on.

I did add that the article itself does not claim that the data is fit for the purposes on comparison. (I tend to ignore article titles for the reasons I see you and others discussed above.)

Part of my job (and university education) is around data analysis and use of that analysis, and despite the fact that I suppose you could say that I am firmly 'on the side of PS5' (because I have no interest in owning a S2), the 'conclusions' being reached were not what I would class as even partly 'robust', so I was agreeing with yourself and Mr/Ms Moose in this regard.

In fact, the only point of interest is the fact that in October PS5 outsold S2, but even that is somewhat dubious in its value - is there such a thing as a post launch slump (where shortages are non existent of course)? I also put no value on monthly sales comparisons where 1 item is on price reduction sale - thats just meaningless.

Just to answer a specific point you raised - I agree, the full year vs part year thing was just point of incomparable data.

Re: PS5 Is Edging Out the Switch 2 in the UK So Far This Year

Rich33

@Gunbeld
There is absolutely no need to be angry / rude.
You seem to be thinking for some reason that I am somehow on the 'side' of Nintendo. I do not own a Switch2, have no interest whatsoever in owning a Switch2, and game purely on a PS5 Pro (though my old PS5 is still in my household).

I understood perfectly well what you are saying.
The reason why "People seem to be hyper focusing on comparing them launch aligned" is that this is of FAR greater significance than an odd month or 2.
(I would add that with PS5 on heavy sale this month, and if S2 is not, if PS5 beats S2 this month it is absolutely meaningless anyway).

The articles source also compared sales over a different quantity of time (ie 'this year' when S2 launched mid way through), which is simply bad practice.

The thing is, if you were to look at launch aligned data, obviously considering the caveats in my previous post, it may just be that the situation looks much better in favour of PS5 - I very much doubt that sales of PS5 over the last few months are close to its 1st 6 months on sale. The main caveat being I don't know by how much PS5 sales were negatively affected by the supply issues at launch (a problem that has not really affected S2 sales, due in part to Nintendo's more robust planning) - certainly, Sony would have sold more in this early period had they not been supply constrained.

Re: PS5 Is Edging Out the Switch 2 in the UK So Far This Year

Rich33

@RoomWithaMoose @Gunbeld
Unless I'm missing something, or misreading something, none of this is a particularly valid comparison anyway.

The data is not launch aligned ie it is not a comparison of the 1st 6months of PS5 from launch, vs the 1st 6months of S2 from launch. Its not even 'how did it compare in month X after launch'.

Even then, that is not statistically valid because they launched at completely different times of the year eg the 1st 6months of PS5 included an Xmas period; and if you compare month 5 or 6 from launch we are coming towards Xmas period now for S2, whereas the same for Sony would have been Springtime.

Add into that that Nintendo were FAR more prepared for launch, with very little in the way of shortages - something that Sony really (really) need to improve ready for PS6, and even when the full first year sales data is available this will be skewed if you are looking to compare 'popularity' in a particular market.

All in all, the info provided here is just not fit for the purpose of any real comparison (and to be fair I don't think the article is claiming it is).

Re: Video: All the PS5 Games We Think Are 10/10

Rich33

@Matthewnh
Hogwarts Legacy is highly under rated, though I think to get the best out of it you need to play it on Hard.

It has a very deep combat system when you get into it, get a few spells, and start ignoring basic cast.

Re: Video: All the PS5 Games We Think Are 10/10

Rich33

I would add:

Hogwarts Legacy
Spiderman 2
Lies of P (particularly if Overture is included)

(All of which I think are genuine 10/10 's)

And Ghost of Yotei would be a very close 9.5

RE4 and AW2 - I wouldn't give 10/10 to. They aren't bad, RE4 is excellent, but not quite 10.

Re: Metal Gear Solid Delta Producer Is Hoping to Remake MGS4, Rescuing It from PS3 Jail

Rich33

"The hardware of that era required some extremely unique design choices to get good 3D performance with the tech available, and MGS4 ended up with some pretty unusual code because of that… Bringing it over now would be a real challenge, I think."

For the love of sanity, then - please use a different team or engine to the Snake Eater Remake, or wait for PS6 even.
I never played the original MGS4, and would like to play a remake.

Re: Japanese Ghost of Yotei PS5 Sales Are Just About Hanging On

Rich33

@johndoe89
How were you expecting more?
It was technically a fantastic game, with a practically flawless framerate, that as usual for Sony 1st party, but a rarity for others these days, didn't need weeks of patching after launch to get it into a decent state!
Excellent story which had somewhat different themes each chapter. Excellent gameplay. An open world which, unlike most (but not all), is interesting and worth exploring.

You are entitled to your opinion, but mine is that it is the best game of this year, and surpassed GoT (which I wasn't a fan of at all) by a fair margin.

Even if you don't like it - and I think I remember from various articles comments sections that you don't, that doesn't make it objectively a bad game.
I don't like lots of games eg racing games, but that doesn't mean I go around telling people that GT and Forza are bad games, because they are not.

Re: PS5 Roguelike Let It Die: Inferno Uses a Crapload of Generative AI

Rich33

Oh we have a new tool to play with!

Let's just see how many different ways we can use it - doesn't matter if it breaks everything in the process!

This is no different than using a mallet to tighten a screw... you may get lucky very rarely and save a bit of time, or more likely you will **** the whole thing up.

Re: Looks Like PS5 Is Going to Clean Up This Black Friday

Rich33

@MrPeanutbutterz
I bet he was horrified at how much series X is retailing for now.

The lack of permanent price reductions does make me wonder if those PS4 "long term holdouts" will just decide to skip PS5 and buy a PS6 when it launches, or if they think PS6 is too expensive (I'm still sure we are looking at £650-700), will buy a PS5 at that point in time, as I'm sure it will drop a lot in price once PS6 is announced (if not new, then certainly used).

This is part of my thoughts around GTA6 not making a massive impact on console hardware sales now it is so late - and I bet Sony were not pleased to hear of the delays.

My personal view is that cross gen will be here even longer next gen, particularly if Sony have more difficulty selling the PS6 than the PS5 (which will be magnified if it isn't powerful enough to convince PS5 owners to upgrade).

Re: PS5 Sales in Japan Quadruple as New Model Launches

Rich33

@Titntin (@Oram77)

To be fair I think the Pro is great (as you probably know lol), but even I was surprised that the 'special price' digital console is only outselling it 2:1.

It almost suggests that they put the reduction on the wrong console!

Good point on the 2Tb storage - I mention it from time to time, but so many people seem to forget this, and that it alone is worth approx £100 of the price (though to be honest, it wasn't exactly shouted from the rooftops (so to say) by Sony either).

Re: Looks Like PS5 Is Going to Clean Up This Black Friday

Rich33

@AverageGamer
I'm sure I read that Pro is also around £/$100 off at the moment.
If you have PS Plus I would check out the PS Direct store if you have it in your country as I also seem to remember you may get a 5% discount from them on top.

Hope you enjoy it - I've had mine since launch and have been very happy.

Re: Looks Like PS5 Is Going to Clean Up This Black Friday

Rich33

@MrPeanutbutterz
I doubt we will ever see that sort of price reduction over the course of a generation again.

I'm not convinced GTA6 is going to make a big impact on console sales any more.
PS5 is tracking more or less level with PS4 now, and with GTA6 likely launching so late in the generation I think all those that would care will likely already have PS5"s by the time it comes out. You might see a small surge for a week, but little more.

I did think it would cause a larger surge in Pro consoles, but again, I just think it will be too late in the generation, with PS6 only a year or 2 away by the time it launches (I still believe 2028 for PS6 is more realistic).

Re: Looks Like PS5 Is Going to Clean Up This Black Friday

Rich33

Sony just have to be a little bit careful not to end up being seen as - "don't buy, just wait for one of their over the top sales".

Could they drop their RRP when not on sale, but not have as big a reduction on sale?

Or, are they keeping the RRP high to (1) reduce price increases when they are eventually affected by RAM prices, and (2) reduce massive sticker shock when PS6 price is announced.

Re: Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem?

Rich33

For all of the games noted, I really enjoyed the sequels, and would happily buy a part 3 for all of them too - and an Atreus spin off for GOWR.

I would also add that I don't want massive changes for sequels, and felt all 4 of these games delivered enough, but thankfully not too many changes.

Sometimes, familiarity is a good thing, particularly in cases such as these where the games are this good - they are all absolutely top tier in my opinion.

Re: Lies of P Dev 'Will Not Disappoint' with Upcoming Games, Says Director

Rich33

@AdamNovice
NB SPOILERS

As I saw it, Overture more or less confirmed that Lies of P 2 will continue P's adventure, in an attempt to put right Krat via time travel - though the rules of this were very hazy - by the end it seemed that he had only made small changes as he was always meant to have interceded in that moment of the past.

If you return to the final boss area of overture Gemini mentions about finding a way to save people.
Also, if you grow the golden rose its entry includes a section about altering fate.
And, after Overture, Lady Antonia's letter to you gains additional text to find a path that can save everyone.

The character teased at the end of the main game (D) could be interesting, but a lot of people didn't want a character change as P is established, and I think they have realised it would be a mistake to outright change - though D could join P in his quest.

Re: Sony Poised to Publish PS5 Hit Death Stranding 2 on PC

Rich33

@get2sammyb
Though the world in which Sony started releasing games on PC was very different - I would have agreed with them back then that PC was no threat whatsoever.

Now they have PC Hybrids including (probably) the next Xbox just around the corner, all looking to continue to blur the lines as to what a PC actually is, and ready to run any PS game with PC code.

Obviously, as you point out in the article though, this game isn't owned by Sony so the normal 'exclusives' argument doesn't really mean much.

Re: Poll: Five Years of PS5 - How Would You Rate Sony's Console?

Rich33

@Stevemalkpus
100% agree with you that there should be, and that mass media should start outing this shameless behaviour. Perhaps if it does, the manufacturers may backtrack (if they can).

There is also a complex danger for the 2 companies that supply the RAM and signed deals, which becomes particularly relevant if, as you say, they didn't know the other was also making a deal:

A shortage of RAM worldwide could lead to other, currently minor producers (if any - I'm not sure) upping their production, or new producers entering the market to fill demand.

At the end of the signed deals the 2 companies who signed deals suddenly find that they lose 40% of their guaranteed sales, prices have normalised, and that 1 or more new competitors have entered the market as major opposition (and who may have signed longer term deals with other - as a result of the shortage - RAM starved companies); not to mention that the other current major opposition (who also signed a 40% deal with OpenAI) now having found themselves in the same position are more aggressively competing too.

I also wonder if the 2 companies will try and change course now, if they thought they were getting an exclusive deal...obviously not breaking contract, thats a big risk, but they themselves could lobby to get the contract voided by competition authorities.