Runex2121

I always buy all the consoles, its kind of irrelevant to me who holds the crown. I didnt touch my PS5 for the first 3 years though, half of that time I didnt even have it plugged in. Wasnt until the portal came out that I started diving in. Its a solid console, but I still much prefer the xbox and its ecosystem. its the little things that I like, like the resume features(xbox allows several games to be held in resume, ps5 allows 1) and the pick up and play ability. (ie. I can play on my series x downstairs, turn it off, and resume without any issues on either my steam deck via remote play or series x in my master) Litle quality of life things that just aren't as good on the PlayStation.

I was excited to read casual mode as I hate hard games, but after reading what it did, im still passing. Dd1 was okish, but too hard.

Ive had the top tier since it came out and finally pulled the plug on cancelling it. Runs out later this month.

I dont play online, and ive already got too many titles on my backlog across all platforms. The price increase across the board was the final straw.

For the first time since ps+ came out, ill be without a paid sub. The value of the base tier just isnt there for me anymore.

The lineup this month is a prime example. Im getting old games ive seen 100 times or have no interest in. Plucky squire could be good, but ill hold and see.

The biggest loss will be all the monthly games ive built up over what feels like 15+ years. But thats a blessing in disguise.

Ill never understand the hate for live service games. I love them personally. The idea that I can play a game that will constantly be updated but isnt as time consuming as an mmorpg is great.

The problem has been more on the execution side. Content has to be quality and balanced. Otherwise you end up with anthem. It also has to remain fresh or you wind up with the division.

No clue if its true, but ive been holding off on buying it. I dont like shady practices and have plenty to play, so ill just keep holding until its clear.

@x3King84 I love my portal, mainly because as someone with kids and a busy career my gametime is often very limited. I use it before i go to sleep at night, so never outside, but its let me appreciate my ps5 a lot more. (And its a lot better than the remote play option for xbox that ive implemented using my steamdeck)

Its hard to complain about something free, but sony does seem bent on removing any incentives to further spend on the ecosystem.

They cancelled sony rewards, are nerfing stars which was already pretty poor to begin with.

Ive already started altering my purchases as a result of these changes. Preordered visions of mana yesterday and went xbox on my xbox credit card. Points on the card and with ms rewards. (Sonys card had the program pulled)

Ive also decided to cancel my ps premium since it went up so much and i dont play online.

I almost feel as if sony is actively trying to lose the gamers like me who are platform agnostic by removing incentives to stay.

More fun for everyone. Ill play it on gpu as well, but love seeing options like this.

@Member_the_game Yeah, 4 would definitely not be coming. Its already a dead game walking. (Not that it's a bad game, it's an amazing game, though id argue 3 and 5 are better, but I'm not British or even European for that matter so I've no ties to the games location.)

@x3King84 I dont mind games on other platforms, but id prefer xbox produce hardware. I much prefer it to sony hardware, always have. Im comfortable enough to buy multiple consoles from each maker, so its really just a preference on where to play. Currently my time is split between remote play on steamdeck for xbox and my ps portal(and switch handheld), but the xbox gets most of my time. (oddly enough, FH5 is one of the games I play the most often.)

I think its probably because I prefer the xbox OS and controller layout over the PS one. Also, the PS5 is hideous so I put it in a closed cabinet so noone has to look at it. (with proper airflow)

Diatribe aside, I think FH5 would be a great fit for PlayStation. There really isn't another game out there like it and its immensely enjoyable. Id probably even buy another copy just to replay it. (even with GPU I always purchase the forza games and their upgrades to support the makers and keep the copy when it expires after 4-5 years)

3.6 bil for a company that owns 1 IP, but has a history of solid games. On paper that sounds great, but with sonys shift away from live service, and the subsequent completion of destiny, it sounds a bit less solid. Then they lay off a lot of the talent which makes the games, and you diminish the only real asset you had.(with Destiny IP closing)

So its hard to call it a good purchase at this time. Its different than AB for MSFT because there were several very profitable IPs they now own along with access to the talent and tech.

Each acquisition should be(and usually is) vetted on an ROI basis. It looks like Sony is trying to extend the ROI on this because it hasnt met expectations, but is reducing the overall value of the asset in the process.

I want my babalities and friendships back. Also, I didnt see any stage fatalities so far, are they still present?

Had mine since day 1, it turned my ps5 from a dead weight to a daily device. I rarely turn on my ps5 on the big screen.

Really hoping msft follows suit. Using xbplay on my deck for that, but the deck is nowhere near as nice as the portal.

Wow, Only took a few months but Sony fixed whatever it was that broke. Its working for me now.

Its not exactly the greatest rewards program, but at least its something.

I am confused by the polish prime minister part. Am I missing something? I thought the polish prime minister was an old white dude.

@Rob_230 I think its a great deal personally. I relate it to renting titles that I would never play otherwise. In the 90s we paid $5 for 1 game for just a couple days. Now we have access to hundreds across multiple platforms(PC and Console) for $20 a month. The selection is diverse and I am always finding something new to play, but that I wouldnt want to buy. Additionally, given the current state of platforms, if you want to play online you need the base account, which is $80 for PS or $70 for xbox, thus you should subtract that from the Total cost. (ie. GPU = $170 a year + Online($70)) Not a bad deal really.

Still not up here in the us, and the other rewards service is now discontinued, so sony currently has no rewards system. (Which is why i buy all multiplat on xbox or switch for now)

Stars isnt terrible though, when it works.

Gtav is a classic and a great game, the gto component of that game less so, but still fun.

However, its not 11 years later still topping the charts fun. I really dont understand, and ive bought the game multiple times on different consoles due to friends. But not since 2017. By todays standards its a very dated game, even with the updates. 6 cant come soon enough.

Enjoyed it a lot, which was a pretty big surprise for me. FF hasnt been stellar in a while, Ive been playing them since the first came out, and definitely prefer the classics. (4 being my favorite)

However, they did an admirable job of making the game feel final fantasy while being more action based.

It has a lot of room for improvement, but i rank it higher than anything post X (including sub series games like crisis core and x-2) as well as better than 8 or 9.

Hopefully they keep this path and just layer in more depth. (Id like to see a return to rare item drops and rare monsters like you had with early versions. I loved the pink puffs in iv)

Sonys on a roll. Psvr2 essentially killed, ps stars program has been down for a while, and they just axed their rewards program.

I wonder whats next? A secodn price increase for ps plus is my guess.

Im holding off purchases until its back. Plenty of backlog to get through and those points do add up.

That said, as many others have said, its not likely to get fixed anytime soon. What incentive do they have? Its not like its a real revenue driver. Wait 6 months and everyone, including me, will just go back to normal and they wont have to pay to support it

@Gamer_X

In a more eloquent way of saying it, MS is offering the product to more players while creating value for gamepass subscribers.

Its really a win win. Gamers who either dont want or cant afford multiple consoles now have access to a game and those that can or have the xbox or pc as their primary platform can gain more affordable access to the games.

I own all, love all, and really like the model ms is building here.

I fully envision a world in 10 years where tvs are embedded with gamepass by default and the consoles themselves are optional devices sold at cost for those who want or need local play. The potential to expand the business line is exponential.

@feral1975 a good network is important. I have 4 aps, wired consoles, and a 1gb fiber connection. Needless to say, i have no dead areas and a 600-800mb wifi connection with low latency and on rare occasions I still experience some lag. I also live in the suburbs of a major hub city in the us, so no latency to the servers. (Im not sure if its purely console to device or if it routes out to in)

So if your connection is less than ideal than id be hesitant.

@lacerz For me atleast, i bought a backbone first and even got a dedicated phone with its own line for it, but the lack of it being a dedicated device made it less than ideal. More of a mental thing, but i find the portal a much better experience than the backbone.

Bought mine day 1, its become a staple for me. Ive had a ps5 since launch but always found when i sat down to play games id default to my xbox, the portal has helped change that by moving where i play from my media room to anywhere in the house.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but for parents like me who have jobs and family obligations that consume most of our time, its a very good way to get some gaming in.

@Darude84 I think it depends on how you want to play. I picked it up at launch, and do enjoy it, but i dont like multiplayer at all. Once i cleared the campaign i found little reason to return. Its certainly getting better with each update, but as far as racers go I’ve enjoyed the competition a lot more.

@ParaSupaman Stutter issue? Been playing the portal a lot, never noticed any stutter.

Bought mine day 1 because I knew it was going to match play habits. Definitely a niche device, but for those of us with younger children it can be a great way to get gaming in.

It is slightly surprising to see its popularity though.

@DanteDevilHunter

Here in lies the difference though. I have never had an issue with completing gamepass games and all first party games (almost)never leave. I prefer not to own my games because despite having plenty of room, I dont like clutter. Further, once i clear a game im done with it in 99% of instances. I do still buy games, but only digital and they always just get archived for eternity once done.

Point is, as long as we still have a choice of buying, there is nothing wrong with a sub. It provides the ability to try new things without having to incur much cost.

Id argue it depends on how you view the choice.

As a consumer Im much happier with my gamepass package than my ps premium one. Not that the ps top tier is bad, at the $10 a month i paid it was a good value. However, at the new price tier i wont be renewing. Given jow I dont play mp games, im actually going to cancel my entire ps plus sub in sept when its up unless i find a hefty discount, where as ive no intention of cancelling my gpu sub. Ive had ps+ since day 1, so ill lose acess to a lot of titles, but im just following sonys model and switching to full purchases.

So from a consumer point, id argue sony made the wrong choice. From a business perspective though, id say its a tossup. Sony could charge 15-20 a month if they included day 1s, but not as it is now. They are looking for the balance.

Was torn on the demo. I played it entirely in my ps portal, so looked great on that. Loved the combat, music, and lively sounds throughout.

However, the pacing is off. There are parts that feel completely slowed down intentionally to add time. The vacuums, following, and even just running all felt just slightly slower than id expected.