Considering an Xbox Series S used to occasionally be available for sub-£150 (at least the 512gb version) during Xmas and sale periods, the price being nearer £300 (and RRP having increased by 50% since release) seems like MS are done with the idea of consoles.
Even allowing for these trends reflecting UK pricing, there are offers for PS5 slim consoles below £300 in a lot of shops so I can't see anyone really buying Xboxes.
@Pequod - excellent point, and RAM pricing might make the console prices rise again too if they aren't stockpiled on inventory.
@KoopaTheGamer - Good point on the thermals, as from experience i know underclocking/undervolting on PC can really reduce temps with only small percentage losses to performance (from needing to make do with a rubbish stock cpu cooler when AIO died at peak covid, and couldn't get stock of replacement for couple months!).
It would sort of fit with Sony working on something portable, particularly if trying to optimise for battery life, and easy enough to just implement to ps5 too (for the shareholders & greenwashing! . )
Having played through it for a few hours - got to say 7/8 out of 10 really does feel about the mark. Its mostly a good game on its own merits, but as a remake it does leave quite a bit on the table. Looks great (on PC at least), mechanics are solid and the fun aspect is definitely there. As other have mentioned, the physics/collision elements do have some weirdness (and have resulted in the odd unexpected bail for me, or awkward SKATE letter); but my real gripe is that this could just have been an expansion of THPS 1+2 as its core elements seem extremely similar (not a bad thing, just more of the same really). THPS 4 goals do seem a bit off too and some levels dulled down to fit a more 'structured' experience (London and Zoo in particular; but Waterpark is brilliant and Pinball works too).
Soundtrack changes aren't the end of the world IMO, as whilst core to the experience, I can just stream a playlist in the background; but def not as strong as what made the originals great to me.
Its also easy to overlook that THPS 1+2 is actually quite a departure from the original games in terms of mechanics and QoL (albeit a welcome modernisation). Trick extensions, the depth of manual/lip/grind tricks, reverts and spine transfers - these didn't really become so core until THPS 3, and mostly THPS 4 before the formula was largely perfected.
@Medic_alert - Late to the conversation, but feel almost exactly like my sentiments about the game.
I don't really care either way about the controversial story elements either - but after around 15 hours the game just devolves into a miserable slog with unlikeable characters who overstay their welcome; and tired of the unimaginative writing (we all get people do bad things/are *****, and its a cycle, etc...)
I never actually finished it, got to about 20hrs or so (probably 75-80% through) - just didn't play for a few days and had no desire to go back to it. Technically brilliant (it looks fantastic, and the gameplay elements fit really well) but just couldn't make up for the drudgery, and bleakness for me.
@jrt87 - On the other hand, I don't think PS Sstore credit ever expires (unless you don't use the account for multiple years) so at least there's no rush to spend them.
@themightyant - Early access in particular is a really tricky aspect. One one hand it's great as it helps fund the cost of ongoing production and planning of dev time, and I've supported a few games I've really enjoyed from pretty early in their 'Early Access' period, which I don't know if they would have been viable without it (for example, Teardown and Satisfactory).
However, most of us do see the big elephant in the room is how much of a bait and switch exercise it facilitates, especially when it comes to releases that are very much unfulfilled and incomplete (and which devs may not even intend on seeing through). I'm not sure how that can really be tackled or addressed short of just not buying early access, but it also does potentially ruin the opportunity for something really great to succeed against the odds and without massive publishers to fund them.
@themcnoisy I also reckon they got the business model wrong too for something like this.
It would have made more sense to include it in PS Plus after a few months (or even F2P of some form, with say a premium tier of features or to access certain creation tools) to boost the user base massively. Not everyone is going to be creative, particularly for a more niche experience with learning curve, but allowing more users to play the games would probably have really grown its appeal/sustainability. Some of the games created on there were great and original, but it just felt under baked if you weren't into the creation engine.
@theheadofabroom - Why not just buy woodgrain vinyl and wrap it with that? It won't be quite as nice as a veneer, but unless you look closely it can probably be fairly close, and is easy to apply.
You can get about 2m x 50cm for under £10 (I've just lined a bunch of kitchen cupboards hence knowing this random fact!)
@Thrillho - Indeed, and given digital releases are so prevalent, its not even really so practical to have full manuals unless someone wants to direct a player away to a separate document or website, and it does interrupt the flow of the user experience. Some of the manuals were really nicely made - the old Nintendo ones come to mind, as they were fully illustrated in colour for a time. It was a nice thing to have as a kid especially - where you could read the manual in the car home after being bought a game before playing it.
Also to the article author - you mention Sonic and Mario game having no real tutorial, but are from the era when everything released with its own manual! Also, the likes of Super Mario World on SNES is full of info boxes a player can activate which describe controls and features really well.
Comments 10
Re: You Can Buy a Fully-Fledged PS5 for the Same Price as a Less Powerful Xbox Series S Right Now
Considering an Xbox Series S used to occasionally be available for sub-£150 (at least the 512gb version) during Xmas and sale periods, the price being nearer £300 (and RRP having increased by 50% since release) seems like MS are done with the idea of consoles.
Even allowing for these trends reflecting UK pricing, there are offers for PS5 slim consoles below £300 in a lot of shops so I can't see anyone really buying Xboxes.
@Pequod - excellent point, and RAM pricing might make the console prices rise again too if they aren't stockpiled on inventory.
Re: PS5's New Power Saver Feature Confirms Its First Supported Games
@KoopaTheGamer - Good point on the thermals, as from experience i know underclocking/undervolting on PC can really reduce temps with only small percentage losses to performance (from needing to make do with a rubbish stock cpu cooler when AIO died at peak covid, and couldn't get stock of replacement for couple months!).
It would sort of fit with Sony working on something portable, particularly if trying to optimise for battery life, and easy enough to just implement to ps5 too (for the shareholders & greenwashing! . )
Re: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 (PS5) - An Imperfect Remake, But a Great Skateboarding Game
Having played through it for a few hours - got to say 7/8 out of 10 really does feel about the mark. Its mostly a good game on its own merits, but as a remake it does leave quite a bit on the table. Looks great (on PC at least), mechanics are solid and the fun aspect is definitely there. As other have mentioned, the physics/collision elements do have some weirdness (and have resulted in the odd unexpected bail for me, or awkward SKATE letter); but my real gripe is that this could just have been an expansion of THPS 1+2 as its core elements seem extremely similar (not a bad thing, just more of the same really). THPS 4 goals do seem a bit off too and some levels dulled down to fit a more 'structured' experience (London and Zoo in particular; but Waterpark is brilliant and Pinball works too).
Soundtrack changes aren't the end of the world IMO, as whilst core to the experience, I can just stream a playlist in the background; but def not as strong as what made the originals great to me.
Its also easy to overlook that THPS 1+2 is actually quite a departure from the original games in terms of mechanics and QoL (albeit a welcome modernisation). Trick extensions, the depth of manual/lip/grind tricks, reverts and spine transfers - these didn't really become so core until THPS 3, and mostly THPS 4 before the formula was largely perfected.
Re: Poll: How Do You Feel About The Last of Us Part 2, 5 Years Later?
@Medic_alert - Late to the conversation, but feel almost exactly like my sentiments about the game.
I don't really care either way about the controversial story elements either - but after around 15 hours the game just devolves into a miserable slog with unlikeable characters who overstay their welcome; and tired of the unimaginative writing (we all get people do bad things/are *****, and its a cycle, etc...)
I never actually finished it, got to about 20hrs or so (probably 75-80% through) - just didn't play for a few days and had no desire to go back to it. Technically brilliant (it looks fantastic, and the gameplay elements fit really well) but just couldn't make up for the drudgery, and bleakness for me.
Re: Sony to Short-Change PS Stars Members with PS Plus Renewals Starting Next Year
@jrt87 - On the other hand, I don't think PS Sstore credit ever expires (unless you don't use the account for multiple years) so at least there's no rush to spend them.
Re: Helldivers 2 Blasted with Over 200,000 Positive User Reviews Following Sony's PSN Backtrack
@themightyant - Fair enough & 100% with you on that one (sorry about confusion!).
Re: Helldivers 2 Blasted with Over 200,000 Positive User Reviews Following Sony's PSN Backtrack
@themightyant - Early access in particular is a really tricky aspect. One one hand it's great as it helps fund the cost of ongoing production and planning of dev time, and I've supported a few games I've really enjoyed from pretty early in their 'Early Access' period, which I don't know if they would have been viable without it (for example, Teardown and Satisfactory).
However, most of us do see the big elephant in the room is how much of a bait and switch exercise it facilitates, especially when it comes to releases that are very much unfulfilled and incomplete (and which devs may not even intend on seeing through). I'm not sure how that can really be tackled or addressed short of just not buying early access, but it also does potentially ruin the opportunity for something really great to succeed against the odds and without massive publishers to fund them.
Re: Media Molecule to Cease Live Service for Dreams, Now Working on a New Project
@themcnoisy I also reckon they got the business model wrong too for something like this.
It would have made more sense to include it in PS Plus after a few months (or even F2P of some form, with say a premium tier of features or to access certain creation tools) to boost the user base massively. Not everyone is going to be creative, particularly for a more niche experience with learning curve, but allowing more users to play the games would probably have really grown its appeal/sustainability. Some of the games created on there were great and original, but it just felt under baked if you weren't into the creation engine.
Re: Sony Is Releasing Official PS5 Console Covers in 2022
@theheadofabroom - Why not just buy woodgrain vinyl and wrap it with that? It won't be quite as nice as a veneer, but unless you look closely it can probably be fairly close, and is easy to apply.
You can get about 2m x 50cm for under £10 (I've just lined a bunch of kitchen cupboards hence knowing this random fact!)
Re: Soapbox: Some Games Assume You Know How to Play Them, and It's Kinda Weird
@Thrillho - Indeed, and given digital releases are so prevalent, its not even really so practical to have full manuals unless someone wants to direct a player away to a separate document or website, and it does interrupt the flow of the user experience. Some of the manuals were really nicely made - the old Nintendo ones come to mind, as they were fully illustrated in colour for a time. It was a nice thing to have as a kid especially - where you could read the manual in the car home after being bought a game before playing it.
Also to the article author - you mention Sonic and Mario game having no real tutorial, but are from the era when everything released with its own manual! Also, the likes of Super Mario World on SNES is full of info boxes a player can activate which describe controls and features really well.