@Dynamiq
That is in effect mostly true, but there were PS5 exclusives in the first few years of this gen.
This time around Sony would need to lay down rules, and make it clear to consumers what the plan is.
They also need to plan roughly when full PS5 support will end so devs have an idea, then keep them up to date with this.
(Unfortunately the one thing Sony have been bad at these last years has been communication).
More and more I think the PS6 should pivot to being an 'optional upgrade' with Sony mandating PS5/Pro/PS6 versions of all games. Once a more affordable price can be achieved, then they can drop the PS5/Pro requirement.
The hardware can't launch too late or it will be out of date, but some consumers really need to manage their expectations of just how low Sony can realistically price it, and Sony need to set realistic expectations for sales at that price.
Oh and well done to 007 First Light - a thoroughly enjoyable Bond game.
@Optimus I noticed that too. Equally as daft is that with the new prices a 1Tb Series X, with 1Tb Expansion drive, would likely cost you more than a 2Tb PS5 Pro.
@Haruki_NLI Of course you are welcome to not purchase any product if you don't agree with the price - and I never mentioned anything even related to that.
But to complain about a UK price being high, compared to other countries, applying exchange rates, but completely ignoring VAT and local taxes, is factually wrong and completely misrepresentative. Particularly if you are 'calling out' a worldwide supplier. You might as well ignore exchange rates as well and apply the same argument.
Even though I buy digital, I don't agree with Rocktar games putting a download code in a box and calling it a physical edition. If its to prevent spoilers, just release the PE a week or 2 later (with discs).
On the other hand, I'm not sure why retailers are refusing to stock - its not that different to selling top ups, subscription codes, etc.
@tselliot Now I'm confused - I was being sarcastic; were you? This site could really do with a sarcasm text colour - another non game related site I use, uses blue.
@Llamageddon I do, and I really don't think locking trophies behind the 'normal' difficulty would worry those who just want to be able to play the game, and enjoy it.
I enjoy soulslikes and am better at them than average (some far more than others), yet I just cannot understand the mentality of why some people are so intent to gate them off, intentionally, and unnecessarily from others.
This is why I love to see Insomniac (and others too) go the extra mile (or 10 miles in Wolverines case lol).
@Nepp67 I don't think excluding gamers, for no real practical reason increases the 'quality' of a game. If anything, it degrades the whole industry, and reinforces stereotypes.
Given the cost of making games these days, and despite their history, it really wouldn't surprise me to see FS add difficulty options, or simply reduce challenge levels, in their next game (the former being the much better choice imo).
I like the challenge, and enjoy the genre, but why on earth devs (or some gamers) want to exclude others just baffles me. This is a niche genre, and doesn't need to be. I may not use difficulty options in Soulslikes, but want them added for others.
I'm not saying gameplay should be changed, and I thought the trophy point is fair and needs a compromise.
I would also add, now I think about it, that I am fully behind some visible mark showing the difficulty level a game is being played at for game streaming purposes. A game did this recently, but I cannot think which.
On the other side of the spectrum, you have devs like Insomniac who try to ensure their games are as inclusive as possible. I mean, good grief the list above is massive - and for example I will leave gore at full, but I can see some users might want/need to turn it down. Other devs are getting better too, although Sony studios in general are very good.
One of the recent accessibility options I like (which doesn't seem needed here) is 'auto pick up' - such a faff removing option that helps you not tire your hands when playing long sessions on games with a love of loot drops. In the same way, hold instead of mash is a massive improvement in my opinion, and is listed here. I cannot see the 'fun' in mashing buttons or wasting time picking up hundreds of items. But these are just 'comfort' items. A bigger concern is trying to make your game able to be played by as many players as is possible - sure, it's extra work, but also extra potential sales, and a 'good' thing to do.
@MrPeanutbutterz
Having a difficulty setting doesn't necessitate allowing the unlocking of some/all trophies for those easier difficulty levels.
I don't really disagree with what you have said about trophies, and I'm sure that not being able to unlock trophies on easier difficulty levels is not going to be a dealbreaker for most.
If that is the only objection to difficulty levels in these games then I think there is an easy compromise.
I do disagree with what you have said in your 3rd paragraph (about a 'certain crowd') .
Some people are just not that good at games, or have a physical impairment (as my partner does, and a user above). Why should a game not be accessible to them, because of something that is not their fault.
@Nepp67
(As above) And we are only talking about a simple difficulty level for those less able, not a change to how the games play for those that don't want to use lower difficulties.
FromSoftware are not the only company making Soulslikes (as you point out), in fact (personally) I think others have made better games. They may be 'Okay' with where they are, but they could do better, and make more money - so a bit of a silly choice on their part.
Anyway, good on Insomniac for taking care of as many gamers as possible.
@Nepp67 I play a decent amount of Soulslikes and I'm not bad. I have never been stuck on the games, have completed the likes of Lies of P, FB Khazan, and Nioh 2 (including all dlc / optional content where applicable) all the way to at least NG+. In ER, I beat Malenia on about try 20ish.
Yet, I firmly believe Soulslikes, including all FS games should have far more accessibility options, including difficulty settings. In fact, some of those games I list have have added difficulty options (even though I don't use them).
You don't HAVE to lower the difficulty if you don't want to, and not wanting them to add difficulty just 'gatekeeps' the games away from some less able players. The genre would be far more successful if they did.
@Balaam_ @Oram77 They make it almost ridiculous that some games don't even have on/off toggles for motion blur (though more common these days), and depth of field!
@get2sammyb I totally agree with what you have said about them having to launch (imo by end 2028), and your reasons why, but I have changed my opinions around pricing recently.
I think PS6 will launch as effectively an optional upgrade to begin with, with all games required by Sony to have PS6/PS5/Pro versions. This will continue until such time (which may be years in) that they can get the price down enough, then they will remove the cross gen requirement.
I think it may well launch at approx £1000, but I also believe they will heavily subsidise at the start (as early adopters are likely to spend more on games, subs etc), but then back off to light subsidising, possibly incrementally, slowing the price reduction, so early adopters don't feel cheated.
I will probably be there day 1 as I can't go back to 30fps.
@LogicStrikesAgain All the 'build a PS5 Pro capable PC for less than a PS5 Pro" video's etc were just such fantasy, I didn't know whether to be annoyed at them for being misleading, or just laugh.
They all relied on 2nd hand parts or missed key components / costs out - then compared to an all-in brand new price for the Pro.
Early last year, I looked into a pre-built PC for my partner for mostly office type work, but some game functionality. Best I could find for around the same price as a PS5 Pro was just above the capability of a PS4 Pro, with a modest speed SSD.
@Dogbreath Its an interesting point, but it is the way consoles have worked for years.
Without reducing the outlay costs, people will not buy (or will complain heavily about it). Everyone just compares prices to those of previous generations, without considering anything else (including, often, inflation, and the price of comparable tech).
Just look at the the backlash against the Pro's price when it launched (and I do believe an awful lot of the negativity was people who wanted it, but found the price too high), or the backlash against recent price rises. And don't even get me started about those that claim they can build a PC for cheaper, but then miss parts, or use 2nd hand parts etc.
NB I fully agree with @LogicStrikesAgain 's post above about how some are quick to malign Sony for price rises that are in line (and often much later) than others. It does seem like they just can't win sometimes.
I would also add that I find it likely that those buying consoles towards the end of a generation, will provide far less revenue for the likes of Sony than those who buy early on.
The big problem is that there is just no real mechanism for splitting up those who will spend money in the ecosystem, from those who will not.
My current thought process is that PS6 might not follow traditional 'expectations'. It may well launch as an 'optional upgrade' at a very high price (c£1000). With Sony stipulating all games must have PS5/Pro/PS6 versions until such time when they can lower the price of the unit enough, and at that time remove the PS5 requirement.
There may even be some unusual pricing for PS6, as they may subsidise somewhat heavily initially (where most purchasers will be those that spend the most), then drop back the amount subsidised 6-12 months after launch.
@Northern_munkey
I think what @get2sammyb is saying is that:
When they put the price up, yes, they were expecting lower unit sales.
Despite the higher price (and contrary to what some believe) they are still losing significant money on each unit sold, and are probably losing more per unit than they envisaged. This becomes a much higher loss for Sony if they put the console on (price reduced) 'sale'.
Also, with it being so late in the generation, and late adopters are likely to spend less on games etc, they won't see a huge amount of money 'back' (through subs, game sales, etc) from any user buying a unit now.
They are therefore reluctant to put units on price reduced 'sales' , and maybe even reluctant to sell large numbers at normal price, even if this means significantly less new customers, because they will end up losing more money subsidising than they will make back from the new users purchasing units at this time.
If things continue, I can see a strong possibility that PS6 will be sold as an 'optional upgrade' when it launches. A PS5 PRO Pro effectively, but only to begin with.
It will include a hefty price tag, possibly of approx £1000.
They will subsidise, but only to a certain monetary value.
They will attempt to get this price down over time.
All games will launch requiring PS5/Pro versions until such time that Sony believe they have got the price down to an acceptable level, then Sony will remove that requirement.
(NB I will still probably buy at launch as 60fps+ is a must for me, and when PS6 launches this expectation for PS5 will likely be dropped).
I still think the biggest question here is will you be able to Single Player and Local split screen Co-op whilst not being online, or does this "cross-platform progression" require you to be always online?
(Beyond this, the requirement for BOTH users to have Xbox accounts for local just seems like Xbox trying to push up likely flagging active user numbers).
1) The damage to brand - the only place to play PS Studio games is on a Playstation. 2) Low software sales on PC, against the cost of porting to a platform that has no standard hardware config. 3) The rumours of Helix being able to play games on Steam. 4) They are starting to see that with Xbox effectively dead as a platform that can compete, PC is where they can look to gain users from.
I tend to play games until I have played through once (if a massive game), or twice or more (if not), and always intend to 100% a game (not trophies though).
I nearly never 'pause' this routine - except where the game I am pausing to play instead is a game I have REALLY been looking forwards to (then I go back to the paused game after). RE Requiem ticked that box, and I paused a playthrough to play RE (a few times).
By the time I was ready for my next new game, 007 was only a day or 2 away, and after reading/watching reviews, I just wanted it more, and I am still playing it.
I'm sure I will play Pragmata at some point, hopefully before the autumn bloodbath!
@Bob_Tempura It seems to me that Xbox have taken the choice to make at least some elements of progression completely tied to their servers - this "cross-platform progression".
I suspect the next news on this game will be that you can't play local split screen unless online, and the more I think about it, the more sure I am that single player won't be possible without being online too.
(This has then led to the PS Plus requirement)
It all just seems very ridiculous on Xbox's part, and as you say, the option to turn this off and have progress saved to the PS5 only should be included.
@get2sammyb I just wrote a comment above, but then read yours.
It sounds to me like you need to be online to play split screen co-op, and maybe even (ridiculously) single player, from what I read here. All because of this "cross-platform progression" system they mention. Thus forcing the Xbox and PS Plus accounts situation.
This feels like it is all because of the way Xbox have built the co-op / cross platform functionality.
It also sounds like you always need to be online to play this game in split screen co-op, and maybe even single player mode - all to facilitate this "cross-platform progression".
Xbox want all players to have an Xbox account for local play, which is ridiculous, and the only way Sony can/will facilitate this is via linking to PS Plus accounts.
Are we sure he was being "cagey" in the first place. This may be a translation issue?
Ie a Japanese person reading the Japanese version reads it completely unambiguously, but to an English speaker reading the English version, it has a slightly different meaning.
I don't have a problem whatsoever with people taking days off for whatever game they wish, but for a business to shut - that just sounds ridiculous in my opinion.
@DennisReynolds Your quite right - I had completely forgotten that they had done this before. Even then (and I know your not disagreeing with this), I do really like the thought involved - new film, so they include the suit for everyone - a lot of studios would try and charge for something similar.
Considering this game has been out a while now, they didn't have to do this - and it's certainly not as though the game didn't have plenty of choice in the first place - so it's a nice touch, and appreciated.
Amazing game. I replay it every once in a while, and its in my top 5 for this generation,.
@themightyant Quite agree - and yes, it is weird how no one considers the extra storage (the base is back to 667Gb usable I think).
It really is no wonder Sony had to put the Pro's price up when they did, but I do wonder if Sony wish they had gone with 1Tb for the Pro - not that they could have really forseen just how much damage AI was going to do to prices.
@awp69 I don't think Gamepass could afford / justify big name games such as Persona as exclusives now.
Remember, Xbox would have to pay the devs a massive amount for exclusivity, compared to what Sony would have to pay for the same, as you have to effectively pay for lost sales (and lost sales on PS would be far higher than on Xbox).
Reducing internal development on games for the service, then reducing spending on 3rd party games for the service as well is far more likely at this stage, given the position they are in, regardless of their plans. I'm just wondering whether this gives any indication as to a potential closing down of Gamepass.
@HonestHick Given what we hear about the unsustainability of GP, along with Xbox's much smaller userbase, I would think that paying for exclusives is unlikely (unless we are talking very low value, in which case, maybe).
Paying to put 3rd party games onto GP, whilst also allowing them to be sold multiplatform - thats certainly possible. It will be interesting to see if we start to see a general drop in the perceived value of games being added.
Comments 3,883
Re: Price Hiked PS5 Endures Sony's Worst May in Over 25 Years
@Leonardo_Turtles
Ah, yes, your talking about the rumoured sequel to Rise of the Ronin - I don't think thats out for a while yet.
(Lol)
Re: Price Hiked PS5 Endures Sony's Worst May in Over 25 Years
@Dynamiq
That is in effect mostly true, but there were PS5 exclusives in the first few years of this gen.
This time around Sony would need to lay down rules, and make it clear to consumers what the plan is.
They also need to plan roughly when full PS5 support will end so devs have an idea, then keep them up to date with this.
(Unfortunately the one thing Sony have been bad at these last years has been communication).
Re: Price Hiked PS5 Endures Sony's Worst May in Over 25 Years
More and more I think the PS6 should pivot to being an 'optional upgrade' with Sony mandating PS5/Pro/PS6 versions of all games.
Once a more affordable price can be achieved, then they can drop the PS5/Pro requirement.
The hardware can't launch too late or it will be out of date, but some consumers really need to manage their expectations of just how low Sony can realistically price it, and Sony need to set realistic expectations for sales at that price.
Oh and well done to 007 First Light - a thoroughly enjoyable Bond game.
Re: Romeo Is a Dead Man Getting Hotline Miami Crossover, Photo Mode in Free PS5 Update
@_camo_
Not well enough at launch.
I was ready to buy it before the DF review, and decided not to buy because the performance wasn't good enough.
Re: GTA 6 Screenshots Unlikely to Be Running Real-Time on PS5, Tech Experts Warn
As long as they keep to 60fps for the performance mode, I wouldn't care if they did scale back the visuals (and anything else needed).
Re: PS5 Costs Too Much, But These New Xbox Price Increases Are Just Absurd
@Optimus
I noticed that too.
Equally as daft is that with the new prices a 1Tb Series X, with 1Tb Expansion drive, would likely cost you more than a 2Tb PS5 Pro.
Re: Onimusha: Way of the Sword's September Release Date Hasn't Changed, Despite Rumours
I am (still very much looking forwards to it), but Wolverine will come 1st if I have to make a choice.
Re: UK GTA 6 Buyers Pleasantly Surprised by No PS5 Pre-Order Price Hike
@Haruki_NLI
Of course you are welcome to not purchase any product if you don't agree with the price - and I never mentioned anything even related to that.
But to complain about a UK price being high, compared to other countries, applying exchange rates, but completely ignoring VAT and local taxes, is factually wrong and completely misrepresentative. Particularly if you are 'calling out' a worldwide supplier.
You might as well ignore exchange rates as well and apply the same argument.
Re: UK GTA 6 Buyers Pleasantly Surprised by No PS5 Pre-Order Price Hike
@Haruki_NLI
I don't think you are accounting for VAT.
A £70 game only nets the supplier £58 (rounded).
Re: Physical Retailers Refuse to Sell GTA 6 Over Decision to Skip Discs
Even though I buy digital, I don't agree with Rocktar games putting a download code in a box and calling it a physical edition. If its to prevent spoilers, just release the PE a week or 2 later (with discs).
On the other hand, I'm not sure why retailers are refusing to stock - its not that different to selling top ups, subscription codes, etc.
Re: GTA 6 'Plays Best on PS5', All Console Features Revealed
Was hoping they had announced the framerate on Pro - if its not 60fps its a definite no buy from me.
Re: PS5 Shovelware Dev Confirms 'Stricter' Publishing Guidelines from Sony
@tselliot
Now I'm confused - I was being sarcastic; were you?
This site could really do with a sarcasm text colour - another non game related site I use, uses blue.
Re: PS5 Shovelware Dev Confirms 'Stricter' Publishing Guidelines from Sony
@get2sammyb
"The kind of console exclusives I'll never complain about"
No, but someone will count them as a win for Xbox in a comment lol.
'Xbox had 902 exclusives this generation while Sony only had ...'
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@Llamageddon
I do, and I really don't think locking trophies behind the 'normal' difficulty would worry those who just want to be able to play the game, and enjoy it.
I enjoy soulslikes and am better at them than average (some far more than others), yet I just cannot understand the mentality of why some people are so intent to gate them off, intentionally, and unnecessarily from others.
This is why I love to see Insomniac (and others too) go the extra mile (or 10 miles in Wolverines case lol).
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@Nepp67
I don't think excluding gamers, for no real practical reason increases the 'quality' of a game. If anything, it degrades the whole industry, and reinforces stereotypes.
Given the cost of making games these days, and despite their history, it really wouldn't surprise me to see FS add difficulty options, or simply reduce challenge levels, in their next game (the former being the much better choice imo).
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@Dogbreath
I agree with everything you have said.
I like the challenge, and enjoy the genre, but why on earth devs (or some gamers) want to exclude others just baffles me. This is a niche genre, and doesn't need to be.
I may not use difficulty options in Soulslikes, but want them added for others.
I'm not saying gameplay should be changed, and I thought the trophy point is fair and needs a compromise.
I would also add, now I think about it, that I am fully behind some visible mark showing the difficulty level a game is being played at for game streaming purposes. A game did this recently, but I cannot think which.
On the other side of the spectrum, you have devs like Insomniac who try to ensure their games are as inclusive as possible. I mean, good grief the list above is massive - and for example I will leave gore at full, but I can see some users might want/need to turn it down.
Other devs are getting better too, although Sony studios in general are very good.
One of the recent accessibility options I like (which doesn't seem needed here) is 'auto pick up' - such a faff removing option that helps you not tire your hands when playing long sessions on games with a love of loot drops. In the same way, hold instead of mash is a massive improvement in my opinion, and is listed here. I cannot see the 'fun' in mashing buttons or wasting time picking up hundreds of items.
But these are just 'comfort' items. A bigger concern is trying to make your game able to be played by as many players as is possible - sure, it's extra work, but also extra potential sales, and a 'good' thing to do.
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@MrPeanutbutterz
Having a difficulty setting doesn't necessitate allowing the unlocking of some/all trophies for those easier difficulty levels.
I don't really disagree with what you have said about trophies, and I'm sure that not being able to unlock trophies on easier difficulty levels is not going to be a dealbreaker for most.
If that is the only objection to difficulty levels in these games then I think there is an easy compromise.
I do disagree with what you have said in your 3rd paragraph (about a 'certain crowd') .
Some people are just not that good at games, or have a physical impairment (as my partner does, and a user above). Why should a game not be accessible to them, because of something that is not their fault.
@Nepp67
(As above) And we are only talking about a simple difficulty level for those less able, not a change to how the games play for those that don't want to use lower difficulties.
FromSoftware are not the only company making Soulslikes (as you point out), in fact (personally) I think others have made better games. They may be 'Okay' with where they are, but they could do better, and make more money - so a bit of a silly choice on their part.
Anyway, good on Insomniac for taking care of as many gamers as possible.
Edit: removed unintentional emoji
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@Nepp67
I play a decent amount of Soulslikes and I'm not bad. I have never been stuck on the games, have completed the likes of Lies of P, FB Khazan, and Nioh 2 (including all dlc / optional content where applicable) all the way to at least NG+. In ER, I beat Malenia on about try 20ish.
Yet, I firmly believe Soulslikes, including all FS games should have far more accessibility options, including difficulty settings. In fact, some of those games I list have have added difficulty options (even though I don't use them).
You don't HAVE to lower the difficulty if you don't want to, and not wanting them to add difficulty just 'gatekeeps' the games away from some less able players.
The genre would be far more successful if they did.
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@AhmadSumadi
The controller remapping on 007 recently was VERY welcome!
Re: Wolverine PS5 Will Win Awards for These Outstanding Accessibility and Difficulty Options
@Balaam_ @Oram77
They make it almost ridiculous that some games don't even have on/off toggles for motion blur (though more common these days), and depth of field!
Re: Opinion: The PS6 Cannot Come Out in This Era of $1,000+ Consoles
@get2sammyb
I totally agree with what you have said about them having to launch (imo by end 2028), and your reasons why, but I have changed my opinions around pricing recently.
I think PS6 will launch as effectively an optional upgrade to begin with, with all games required by Sony to have PS6/PS5/Pro versions.
This will continue until such time (which may be years in) that they can get the price down enough, then they will remove the cross gen requirement.
I think it may well launch at approx £1000, but I also believe they will heavily subsidise at the start (as early adopters are likely to spend more on games, subs etc), but then back off to light subsidising, possibly incrementally, slowing the price reduction, so early adopters don't feel cheated.
I will probably be there day 1 as I can't go back to 30fps.
Re: Valve's New Steam Machine Costs Almost Twice as Much as a PS5
@LogicStrikesAgain
All the 'build a PS5 Pro capable PC for less than a PS5 Pro" video's etc were just such fantasy, I didn't know whether to be annoyed at them for being misleading, or just laugh.
They all relied on 2nd hand parts or missed key components / costs out - then compared to an all-in brand new price for the Pro.
Early last year, I looked into a pre-built PC for my partner for mostly office type work, but some game functionality. Best I could find for around the same price as a PS5 Pro was just above the capability of a PS4 Pro, with a modest speed SSD.
Re: 'Absolutely Sensational': Tom Holland and Zendaya Love the Marvel's Spider-Man Games
Good taste - all 3 games are excellent, and in my opinion are only getting better. Can't wait for Part 3.
Re: Valve's New Steam Machine Costs Almost Twice as Much as a PS5
I think I will stick with my Pro then!
Re: Rumour: GTA 6 Price Potentially Leaked by European Retailer
If it isn't 60fps it can be £0.99, I still won't buy it!
Re: Sony May Mitigate Hardware Pricing Nightmare by Simply Selling Fewer PS5s
@Dogbreath
Its an interesting point, but it is the way consoles have worked for years.
Without reducing the outlay costs, people will not buy (or will complain heavily about it).
Everyone just compares prices to those of previous generations, without considering anything else (including, often, inflation, and the price of comparable tech).
Just look at the the backlash against the Pro's price when it launched (and I do believe an awful lot of the negativity was people who wanted it, but found the price too high), or the backlash against recent price rises.
And don't even get me started about those that claim they can build a PC for cheaper, but then miss parts, or use 2nd hand parts etc.
NB I fully agree with @LogicStrikesAgain 's post above about how some are quick to malign Sony for price rises that are in line (and often much later) than others. It does seem like they just can't win sometimes.
I would also add that I find it likely that those buying consoles towards the end of a generation, will provide far less revenue for the likes of Sony than those who buy early on.
The big problem is that there is just no real mechanism for splitting up those who will spend money in the ecosystem, from those who will not.
My current thought process is that PS6 might not follow traditional 'expectations'.
It may well launch as an 'optional upgrade' at a very high price (c£1000). With Sony stipulating all games must have PS5/Pro/PS6 versions until such time when they can lower the price of the unit enough, and at that time remove the PS5 requirement.
There may even be some unusual pricing for PS6, as they may subsidise somewhat heavily initially (where most purchasers will be those that spend the most), then drop back the amount subsidised 6-12 months after launch.
Re: Sony May Mitigate Hardware Pricing Nightmare by Simply Selling Fewer PS5s
@Northern_munkey
No problem - I hope you are feeling better tomorrow. It does seem like others have been a bit 'short' too.
Re: Sony May Mitigate Hardware Pricing Nightmare by Simply Selling Fewer PS5s
@Northern_munkey
I think what @get2sammyb is saying is that:
When they put the price up, yes, they were expecting lower unit sales.
Despite the higher price (and contrary to what some believe) they are still losing significant money on each unit sold, and are probably losing more per unit than they envisaged. This becomes a much higher loss for Sony if they put the console on (price reduced) 'sale'.
Also, with it being so late in the generation, and late adopters are likely to spend less on games etc, they won't see a huge amount of money 'back' (through subs, game sales, etc) from any user buying a unit now.
They are therefore reluctant to put units on price reduced 'sales' , and maybe even reluctant to sell large numbers at normal price, even if this means significantly less new customers, because they will end up losing more money subsidising than they will make back from the new users purchasing units at this time.
Re: Sony May Mitigate Hardware Pricing Nightmare by Simply Selling Fewer PS5s
If things continue, I can see a strong possibility that PS6 will be sold as an 'optional upgrade' when it launches. A PS5 PRO Pro effectively, but only to begin with.
It will include a hefty price tag, possibly of approx £1000.
They will subsidise, but only to a certain monetary value.
They will attempt to get this price down over time.
All games will launch requiring PS5/Pro versions until such time that Sony believe they have got the price down to an acceptable level, then Sony will remove that requirement.
(NB I will still probably buy at launch as 60fps+ is a must for me, and when PS6 launches this expectation for PS5 will likely be dropped).
Re: Halo PS5 Backtracks PS Plus Co-Op Demands, Says They Were a Mistake
I still think the biggest question here is will you be able to Single Player and Local split screen Co-op whilst not being online, or does this "cross-platform progression" require you to be always online?
(Beyond this, the requirement for BOTH users to have Xbox accounts for local just seems like Xbox trying to push up likely flagging active user numbers).
Re: Hermen Hulst Allegedly Said Sony's PC Ports Didn't Make Enough Money
Personally, I think it was a number of reasons:
1) The damage to brand - the only place to play PS Studio games is on a Playstation.
2) Low software sales on PC, against the cost of porting to a platform that has no standard hardware config.
3) The rumours of Helix being able to play games on Steam.
4) They are starting to see that with Xbox effectively dead as a platform that can compete, PC is where they can look to gain users from.
Re: Feature: The 10 Best PS5 Games of 2026 So Far
@Oram77
I haven't yet (and it does).
I tend to play games until I have played through once (if a massive game), or twice or more (if not), and always intend to 100% a game (not trophies though).
I nearly never 'pause' this routine - except where the game I am pausing to play instead is a game I have REALLY been looking forwards to (then I go back to the paused game after).
RE Requiem ticked that box, and I paused a playthrough to play RE (a few times).
By the time I was ready for my next new game, 007 was only a day or 2 away, and after reading/watching reviews, I just wanted it more, and I am still playing it.
I'm sure I will play Pragmata at some point, hopefully before the autumn bloodbath!
Re: Uproar as Halo PS5 Demands 2 PS Plus Subscriptions for Local Co-Op
@Bob_Tempura
It seems to me that Xbox have taken the choice to make at least some elements of progression completely tied to their servers - this "cross-platform progression".
I suspect the next news on this game will be that you can't play local split screen unless online, and the more I think about it, the more sure I am that single player won't be possible without being online too.
(This has then led to the PS Plus requirement)
It all just seems very ridiculous on Xbox's part, and as you say, the option to turn this off and have progress saved to the PS5 only should be included.
Re: Feature: The 10 Best PS5 Games of 2026 So Far
RE Requiem and 007 First Light are my top 2 picks.
I have played other games this year, but none came close enough to those 2 to vote for.
Re: Uproar as Halo PS5 Demands 2 PS Plus Subscriptions for Local Co-Op
@get2sammyb
I just wrote a comment above, but then read yours.
It sounds to me like you need to be online to play split screen co-op, and maybe even (ridiculously) single player, from what I read here. All because of this "cross-platform progression" system they mention.
Thus forcing the Xbox and PS Plus accounts situation.
Re: Uproar as Halo PS5 Demands 2 PS Plus Subscriptions for Local Co-Op
This feels like it is all because of the way Xbox have built the co-op / cross platform functionality.
It also sounds like you always need to be online to play this game in split screen co-op, and maybe even single player mode - all to facilitate this "cross-platform progression".
Re: Uproar as Halo PS5 Demands 2 PS Plus Subscriptions for Local Co-Op
@4fold
I think that sounds about right.
It certainly seems like an issue caused by Xbox.
Xbox want all players to have an Xbox account for local play, which is ridiculous, and the only way Sony can/will facilitate this is via linking to PS Plus accounts.
Re: 'There's No Ambiguity in Sony's Strategy': Trusted Journalist on PS5's Exclusivity Approach After Wishy-Washy CEO Statement
Are we sure he was being "cagey" in the first place. This may be a translation issue?
Ie a Japanese person reading the Japanese version reads it completely unambiguously, but to an English speaker reading the English version, it has a slightly different meaning.
Re: This Business Is Observing a Day Off for GTA 6 Launch, and It Won't Be the Only One
I don't have a problem whatsoever with people taking days off for whatever game they wish, but for a business to shut - that just sounds ridiculous in my opinion.
Re: 'Gamers Don't Want It': Palworld Dev Against Generative AI as It Grows More Common in Games
Sony really need to include something on their store front so you can filter to exclude seeing any games that use Gen-AI in the finished product.
Re: 'Some Analysts Believe Sony Is Considering Pushing the PS6 Back': Embracer Report Hints at Later Than 2027 Launch
I have thought for a long time now that it will be the latter half of 2028 - 4yrs from PS5 Pro.
Re: Spider-Man 2 PS5 Gets New Suit from Brand New Day Movie on 28th July
@get2sammyb
I totally agree. I think it helps that the style of the films and games feel quite similar in this case.
Re: Spider-Man 2 PS5 Gets New Suit from Brand New Day Movie on 28th July
@DennisReynolds
Your quite right - I had completely forgotten that they had done this before. Even then (and I know your not disagreeing with this), I do really like the thought involved - new film, so they include the suit for everyone - a lot of studios would try and charge for something similar.
Re: Spider-Man 2 PS5 Gets New Suit from Brand New Day Movie on 28th July
Considering this game has been out a while now, they didn't have to do this - and it's certainly not as though the game didn't have plenty of choice in the first place - so it's a nice touch, and appreciated.
Amazing game. I replay it every once in a while, and its in my top 5 for this generation,.
Re: How About a New PS5 SSD Upgrade? That'll Be $3,000
@themightyant
Quite agree - and yes, it is weird how no one considers the extra storage (the base is back to 667Gb usable I think).
It really is no wonder Sony had to put the Pro's price up when they did, but I do wonder if Sony wish they had gone with 1Tb for the Pro - not that they could have really forseen just how much damage AI was going to do to prices.
Re: How About a New PS5 SSD Upgrade? That'll Be $3,000
The PS6 should contain just 1Tb, and an expansion bay (similar to PS5/Pro) ready for when prices come down.
Re: How About a New PS5 SSD Upgrade? That'll Be $3,000
Their 2Tb version costs around the same as my 2Tb SSD containing PS5 Pro cost me...
Re: New Senua Game Reveal Used as a Way to Sell Ninja Theory to Suitors
@awp69
Ah, apologies - I took 'locked down' to mean locked as in exclusive, as opposed to just included.
Re: New Senua Game Reveal Used as a Way to Sell Ninja Theory to Suitors
@awp69
I don't think Gamepass could afford / justify big name games such as Persona as exclusives now.
Remember, Xbox would have to pay the devs a massive amount for exclusivity, compared to what Sony would have to pay for the same, as you have to effectively pay for lost sales (and lost sales on PS would be far higher than on Xbox).
Reducing internal development on games for the service, then reducing spending on 3rd party games for the service as well is far more likely at this stage, given the position they are in, regardless of their plans.
I'm just wondering whether this gives any indication as to a potential closing down of Gamepass.
Re: New Senua Game Reveal Used as a Way to Sell Ninja Theory to Suitors
@HonestHick
Given what we hear about the unsustainability of GP, along with Xbox's much smaller userbase, I would think that paying for exclusives is unlikely (unless we are talking very low value, in which case, maybe).
Paying to put 3rd party games onto GP, whilst also allowing them to be sold multiplatform - thats certainly possible.
It will be interesting to see if we start to see a general drop in the perceived value of games being added.