SMJ

It would be a strange move in my opinion. I'm all for software becoming more accessible than less.

I also think that Sony should keep trying to expand their reach rather than close it off.

Well this news will go down well with everyone I'm sure.

I'm still so angry about the Bluepoint closure.

I really don't understand this site's obsession with these kinds of games.

@dskatter Fair enough. The thing is that most Xbox exclusive games will never be on PlayStation.

I'm genuinely looking forward to a time when I can buy an Asus or TCL or whatever box, sit it under my TV and play any game I want. Whether that be Uncharted, Crimson Skies, Ninja Gaiden Black or Spider-Man.

@WhensDinner I disagree to an extent. Surely any time or money not spent on PlayStation is a threat to Sony.

@dskatter Is there anything Xbox could do to make you buy their next console (if it does actually happen)?

@dskatter I agree it seems like that's a likely option.

The Series X is a great piece of hardware but I genuinely don't understand why Microsoft have never tried to tell anyone about it (at least where I am in the UK).

It's an exciting time in the games industry for certain. I was around when Sega left the hardware market and that was seismic.

Because of how big the industry is now, I actually think Xbox leaving would be an even bigger deal.

On the other hand, if they try to get back to what made Xbox great in the first place, I think they have a chance to do something very special.

But I still stand by my thoughts that the next gen will be the last group of dedicated consoles. The way that gaming is going and the pace that technology is moving, I can't imagine anyone wanting to shell out £600/$600 on a machine that only plays certain games in the year 2034.

@UltimateOtaku91 If they go fully 3rd party (which I think is 50-50 at this point) why would you care which studios they bought?

This is a genuine question for any PlayStation only gamers and not intended to start console war debates.

Would you like to see the end of Xbox consoles?

@PuppetMaster You've just reminded me how pissed off I am about Bluepoint. 😥

@Oram77 Absolutely. I don't think anything at Xbox can be guaranteed because the company has flip flopped so many times.

As I said in another post here, this will either mean that Xbox completely leaves the hardware market and solely develop/publish or they will try to claim the console market the traditional way by going all in on console and pushing the brand.

I can't see how anything in-between can work for them.

Time will tell but I think it would have been a far easier move to have Phil and Sarah do the damage rather than bring someone new in to do so.

I actually have liked a lot of the things Asha has been saying regarding what she wants to do with Xbox. I also think that the industry needs a traditional competitor for Sony to keep them on their toes.

But I also still believe that the next console generation will be the last from Sony too.

Does anyone know of any way to buy brand new replacement controllers? Sony seem to be hesitant in bringing those to market for some reason.

@StonyKL I love my PSVR and PSVR2. I have hundreds of games across both headsets and they're incredible.

However, I've tended to buy multi-platform games on my Quest 3 recently because of the fact I'm fairly sure there won't be a PSVR3 but I'm equally sure there actually will be a Quest 4.

@lazarus11 @Northern_munkey I completely got it and just played along because I thought it was really funny. I love The Royle Family.

Now go and get me those biscuits Anthony! Ya lazy get!

@Northern_munkey @lazarus11 Retired someone's arse. 😥 Phil has a lot to answer for but that's a new low.

Her statements do make me question who was behind the multiplatform drive.

Was it Phil? I doubt it, given his constant drive towards Xbox as its own platform.

Was it Satya? Highly likely as he's CEO of Microsoft - an historically "software only" company.

Or. Was it Sarah? Most likely as the whole shift towards multiplatform releases (and her new role) came about after the ABK acquisition.

Most Xbox fans have pointed the finger at Satya because he's an easy target as the big bad boss with the wallet.

But what if it was Sarah all along.

I've been reading over the last few days that she was the one who decided "everything is an Xbox" and pushed out anyone who disagreed.

Either way, this is an exciting time in the games industry.

I can see one of two things happening.

1 - Xbox completely leaves the console market and focusses on development and publishing.

OR

2 - They try to claim the console market by being better, keeping exclusives and making a far better product/offering than Sony.

I genuinely don't see how a middle ground can happen.

But also, I genuinely think that the next PlayStation and Xbox will be the last "console" generation regardless.

The hope of creating another Fortnite is such a lightning in a bottle task, I wonder why so many companies are willing to make that bet. It's such a huge gamble especially for an industry that is currently so against taking creative chances.

I really think that some people need to check the dictionary definition of the word "abysmal" because these results are an absolute joke.

@GamingGod "Practically All" suggests what? 90%? 95%? Show me 90% of Xbox exclusives playable on PlayStation.

I genuinely think you should edit the article further because saying that Xbox have "ported practically its entire portfolio to PS5" is factually incorrect and journalistically poor.

Xbox has "ported practically its entire portfolio to PS5". Really??? 😂

@Flaming_Kaiser Fair enough mate. 👍 I personally think he did a lot of good for Xbox and deserves to be credited for it. He always struck me as an actual gamer too. The last CEO that actually played games after Satoru Iwata.

@OldGamer999 😂😂😂 They need to change the Xbox start up noise to the EastEnders drum beat.

@OldGamer999 "Leave it out Phil! He's not worth it!"

I've never understood the hate Phil Spencer got and actually thought he did a great job following on from Don Mattrick. Sarah Bond also seemed a good fit for her role.

However, I think it's quite clear to anyone that they haven't had any kind of say in what Xbox does for a very long time.

This news makes me almost certain that Microsoft will cancel the next Xbox, any future hardware plans and turn solely into a 3rd party developer/publisher.

Things like this, rising hardware costs, rising development costs and memory shortages make me think that the games industry may heading for a crash.

@get2sammyb Great article Sammy.

@get2sammyb It's genuinely awful and it has made me really mad.

I'm kind of hoping Atari step in and save them and add them to their teams of remake studios.

This is absolutely shocking from Sony and it actually pisses me off more than Microsoft's closure of Tango Gameworks. I loved their work and having them making more PS5 ports should have been a complete no brainer for Sony.

Hopefully something can be salvaged in the same way that Tango was.

Anyway, I'm of to replay The Nathan Drake Collection and Gravity Rush Remastered. ☹️

@Alps_Stranger This is exactly how I feel. I love my PSVR2 but I tend to buy multi-platform games for my Quest 3 because of that same reason.

@Kriandis It's surely not the dumbest thing you've ever heard? 😂 I'm not looking forward to a digital only future but I think the PlayStation brand is so strong that the majority of existing fans would follow.

I have a backlog going all the way back to Atari 2600 and pretty much everything in-between. I'll be set with my physical collection until the day I can no longer hold a controller (or die). But I know that my younger family members couldn't give a **** if a game is physical or digital and they will buy the next PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo regardless of whether there's a disc/cartridge available.

And from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo's point of view, they want a digital only future as soon as (physically 😂) possible. They'll do everything they can to migrate everyone to their stores as the only way to buy their games.

@nomither6 Thanks mate. 👍 I'm glad you managed to save yours though.

@PuppetMaster Very true. I just played a lot more of their NES/SNES games compared to their PS1/PS2 games.

@nomither6 Sony also upset me about paying for cloud saves via PS+. I had to sell my launch PS5 when I lost my job and lost hours of gameplay because I hadn't realised that cloud saves weren't automatic.

It's my own fault to be fair but when I was back on my feet and bought a PS5 slim, I was genuinely gutted to see all of those hours gone and never to return. 😥

The thing is, if Sony decided to go discless for the PS6, there's nothing anyone could do about it. I also believe that most diehard PlayStation fans would follow regardless because the brand is in such a strong market position.

"Boldest bet"? Sticking a God of War badge onto a reasonably decent game in a massively overpopulated genre?

Instead of a weaker version of DOA6 they should have made modern versions of 4, 5 and 6 and bundled them as a trilogy. Similar to how they bundled 1&2 together for DOA Ultimate way back when.

It's a game that would disappear without anyone even realising it existed if it didn't have God of War branding.

I've been happily playing my PS3 way more than my PS5 this whole generation. Yes loading times take a little getting used to and the DualShock 3 feels tiny, but the graphics still hold up and the variety and quality of games easily beat the PS5 in my opinion.

@Balaam_ If the winner is the company who sells more consoles, Nintendo wins. If the winner is the company that makes the most revenue from software sales, Xbox wins.

I really don't understand so many people who will blindly align themselves to a ****ING plastic box! Seriously? Grow up and realise that all consoles will end after the PS6/next Xbox.

Everything will be an app/storefront after that.

I think this seems fine as a thing but doesn't appear to do anything to add to the God of War franchise.

Konami in the NES and SNES days were absolutely legendary. I'm so glad to see them getting back to their best.

@Bunchesopuppies Weird for you to bring up Xbox completely unnecessarily. Why not mention the fact that Switch 2 is closing in on PS5 sales after a few months?

I still believe that any game with an online focus should be released on as many platforms as technically possible to give them the best chance of survival.

I can't wait for this. Low/Mid budget retro FPS goodness set in the Starship Troopers universe. Yes please!

It seems that Sony has forgotten that certain genres even exist.

It's quite bizarre that Rave Racer never received a single home console port.

@get2sammyb I think they coped fine with the variety, volume and quality during the PS3 generation. Something that can't be said for the PS5 generation.