Comments 47

Re: We Now Know the First Game Confirmed for The Game Awards 2025

aethermath

I am really excited to see this trailer. Exodus is at the top of my wishlist. I bought their TTRPG books and their novels. Ex-Mass Effect developers are working on this game. I sincerely hope the game releases next year and that it’ll have a superb collector’s edition cause I’m an absolute sci fi fan and I want this game to succeed.

Re: Destiny 3 Allegedly in 'Extremely Early Development', Could Be a Tentpole Title for PS6

aethermath

Well, since they fully integrated Bungie into their own studios lately, I am not surprised but Bungie initially wanted to focus on other projects and not do another Destiny. It seems Sony made the final call. Perhaps Destiny 2 is generating enough money for them to justify this. I suppose it could be another “Sony” exclusive in the near future.

I used to love the original campaign (The Red War) and the mix of mythology and sci fi was very appealing, it’s the only online multiplayer game that I genuinely enjoyed back then. The gameplay is addictive and the overall design is top tier for an online game. It became such a mess since then and the super repetitive missions didn’t help.

What killed it for me was when the seasons became story related and you had to do the same couple missions over and over to keep it interesting. I did enjoyed the expansions though. Last one I bought, I didn’t even use my included four seasons passes cause I lost interest in the game.

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

aethermath

I’m relatively new in the PlayStation ecosystem. The PS5 being my first complete experience, not counting the brief period I had a PS2 when I was young. I was and remain a Nintendo guy mostly, but some games on the PS5 made me switch over from Xbox. I don’t know if I’m gonna keep up with consoles, just because gaming as a whole is becoming increasingly pricey to maintain. I’ve foregone my Switch OLED to go back to having only one console (two games libraries is too much for my budget), but it’s possible I might drop PS entirely to go with the Switch 2 if nostalgia hit really hard in 2026. I really don’t know.

That said, I think PS5 has been amazing and I continue to really love my experience with the Pro, plus the DualSense many features are just amazing and absolutely worth it, I enjoy the phone calls in Cyberpunk 2077 coming out of the controller’s speaker and the haptic feedback is a must have to me. I will probably hold onto that console a little longer, since I upgraded to the Pro this year. I am not ready for another generation of consoles right now. I spent thousands on rebuilding my game library from my old days with Xbox and also tons of accessories such as the PSVR2 and usually consoles don’t support old accessories entirely when a new gen is released so I’ll wait, I don’t want to feel like I’ve wasted too much time and money on a console. Would be sorely disappointed if they announced the PS6 right after they release their officially branded PS5 speakers and monitor.

Bottom line, I am having lots of fun with my PS5 Pro and all its features, I won’t spend another thousand on a new console next year or the next two years either. I have enough games and enough fun with what I have right now.

Re: Valve's Steam Machine May Not Be As Affordable As a PS5

aethermath

I dunno if anyone noticed but Valve clearly said they wanted to price it accordingly, cause they view this as a gaming PC and not a console at all. Emphasis on: "they view this as a gaming PC".

So it'll be a great entry level gaming PC for anyone who wants something reliable, but I fully expect the thing to cost at least 1000$ CAD, considering the high end Steamdeck cost 819$ + taxes in Canada. The main advantage is the console-like experience, the compact size and the easy access to Steam, plus all the other advantages like mods, Windows OS, etc.

It won't make a dent into PS5 or Switch sales, cause let's be honest, Nintendo has carved their own market and PS5 is still viewed as the premium console experience. Microsoft will follow that with their hybrid device but they also said they'll price it accordingly, so maybe more than 1000$ CAD, who knows? Soon, there'll be another "premium" console on the market, with both access to Steam and Xbox games, that one will probably make a dent into PS5 sales, but let's not be hasty about it.

We're past the point where consoles will cost less than a thousand bucks, I believe. That's becoming a very pricey hobby for a lot of gamers out there. I won't be surprised if one day a console cost at least 1200$ or 1500$ in a bundle. I do hope I'm wrong. The impact is greater for countries with non-US prices, as often the prices will be much, much higher overall.

Re: PS5 'In the Middle' of Its Lifecycle, Claims Sony

aethermath

Glad to read that, I didn't buy the PS5 Pro this year to have it replaced in 2027 without even going through at least half my backlog of amazing games. I even got a few PS4 games I intend to play and fully finish. I always wait 1-2 year into a new generation to decide if I'm gonna buy the new console or not. But we're at a crossroads with Microsoft preparing some sort of hybrid of PC/Console and no idea what Sony has planned next, aside from a traditional console. I'm more excited at the prospect of having a handheld that can locally play PS5 games as the rumours suggest. Not sure if I'm gonna keep gaming if the costs keep rising either, cause I have a life outside of gaming and it's getting harder to justify spending hundreds (maybe thousands) every year for the new games and a couple older ones. There's a point where you gotta ask if the cost is worth it overall, especially if you're fully equipped with lots of accessories like I do right now with my PS5 Pro.

Re: Be Sure to Download The Outer Worlds 2's Day One Patch Before Playing on PS5

aethermath

Obsidian may have not checked correctly, the "Consumerism" flaw work if you simply travel back to the Incognito after applying the hotfix on the PS5. At least, it worked for me. I went to open a high security box with my decryption keys and I was immediately granted the "Consumerism" flaw, which I rejected, of course, but I had a good chuckle out of it. The game also correctly loaded all my preorder and bonus items as soon as I loaded my save.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 604

aethermath

Ghost of Yotei, although I’m at roughly 45% completed. A little bit of the campaign of Jurassic World Evolution 3, which I love. Just started The Outer Worlds 2 and I love it too. Staying with the newly released games since I finished Hell Is Us and Yooka Re-Playlee two weeks ago. Also tried a bit of Into Black on my PSVR2.

Oh! And since I no longer have my Switch, I added Monster Hunter Stories 2 to my backlog, but that’s for later. It’ll scratch my itch for a Pokémon-like game on my PS5.

Re: 'There's No Real Need for a PS6': Industry Veteran Weighs in on Next-Gen Debate

aethermath

I was always a late adopter, never bought a console at launch. I wait until I have at least ten interesting games I can enjoy on it. I bought my PS5 Pro this April, traded my base PS5 for it, that I had since August 2024 last year, I have nearly 90 games, I finished a dozen, I am in no rush at all to buy the next generation console. I would probably buy a handheld that can locally play my PS5 games, however. It is getting expensive and even if I am more and more picky with my purchases, I need to balance these expenses with the rest of my life. I love my current PS5 Pro and I will keep it a bit longer. I am happy for those who really want the next generation console.

Re: Action RPG Lords of the Fallen 2 Reveal Confirmed for Next Week

aethermath

@ear_wig The game is good! I got my ass kicked easily by the first boss but I loved the general aesthetic and the design. I didn’t like being invaded randomly and killed by overpowered players who kept teabagging me as if they were playing Call of Duty. That’s annoying! I disabled multiplayer after that.

Re: Lost Soul Aside Shouldn't Be Delayed Anymore, PS5 Game Goes Gold

aethermath

@rjejr Good point! Some developers use shared assets (reworked) and there might be elements of the same game engine across the board. But I think it’s just a trend, mostly. I wouldn’t say they all look the same but have a similar palette in terms of design. Some will use that as a marketing tool to appeal to the masses, so you can say: “Hey! This game looks similar, let’s check it out!”

Re: Smartphone Destiny Spin-Off Attracts Over 5 Million Pre-Registrations

aethermath

Just like with Diablo Immortal, I’ll try it out, play for a couple hours and then sign off and delete the game. I am not a fan of “free-to-play” games full of micro transactions and cosmetics, I even despise them. I am just curious to see how it hold up graphically on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Anyways, Destiny is not what it was and I used to enjoy this game years ago.

Re: BioWare Flop ANTHEM Dies January 2026, Servers to Be Turned Off

aethermath

I played it when I was on Xbox, it was the most fun I ever had with the flying mechanics, really. The game was full of potential, the whole cataclysm premise was interesting but yeah, the game suffered from a lack of content and repetitive tasks, in my humble opinion.

I just hope there’s going to be another game with similar flying mechanics in the future.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 583

aethermath

I am playing Elden Ring, not Nightreign. I will also try Monster Hunter Wilds for the first time since I bought it. I’ll definitely try Nightreign soon. I am eager to start Shadow of the Erdtree cause I didn’t have the chance to play when I was on Xbox, so it’s something I am really looking forward to.

Re: Marathon a 'Premium', Paid for Game on PS5, But It's Not $70

aethermath

I smell another live service disaster. Sure the game look great but there’s already well implemented titles around like Fortnite, and even if they’re not the same type of games, they’ll still compete for the attention of players. I am not sure the game will still be alive after release to six months to one year. A lot of live service games aren’t profitable and close early. Those who remains are the ones people are already accustomed to.

Personally, I don’t like battle royale games and I don’t even play multiplayer. Helldivers 2 was different, the players were cool and you actually play like a team there.

Re: Kids Aren't Dreaming of Owning a PS6, Says Netflix Games Boss

aethermath

Not everyone wants to game on their cellphone and play Fortnite/Minecraft or cheap f2p games. I understand kids today have a shorter attention span but they don’t know better if all they’re playing is a “cashgrab” game on their iPad.

I want my consoles and I want my variety of experiences. I don’t want the new generation of mobile games everywhere. I don’t need to play games during breaks at work, or when I am a passenger in a car and I can perfectly walk around without wearing damn headphones like everyone else. Yeah, I’m a dinosaur, I guess.

Re: Xbox Games on PS5 Is a Win for PlayStation Owners, Says Yoshida

aethermath

Problem is that Microsoft depends too much on its Gamepass to push the Xbox brand. Many Xbox gamers, quite a large percentage, will only use Gamepass to play games and won’t buy games at full price. On PlayStation, gamers will spend more cause PS+ doesn’t offer big titles on day one, like Gamepass, so there’s a whole “fear of missing out” going and those who want to play the newest titles are more willing to spend money on them. On Xbox, the mentality is focused on using Gamepass first and spending money years later when a game is on a big discount, thus affecting sales and affecting developers revenue. Microsoft make money with Gamepass no matter what, but a game at full price at launch, especially now as more and more people don’t preorder, is indicating that gamers will prefer using the limited catalog of Gamepass instead of paying more for a brand new game, even if that game isn’t on Gamepass. I often see comments like: “I’ll wait till it’s on Gamepass…”

It’ll ultimately affect launch revenues for some studios and they often need to step back when a game isn’t commercially successful at launch, but it’s not always indicative of the game quality as a game like Star Wars Outlaws found its fans nevertheless, for example.

Microsoft will need something really special, like a branded Xbox gaming computer to distinguish themselves in the next generation. It could works, their Surface line of products is doing well and a Xbox Gaming system that support PC games while offering the same easy to use interface that make consoles appealing would be a big hit for some out there.

Re: Video: Over 60 of the Most Essential PS5 Games So Far

aethermath

Most of the games featured here, I already own, so glad to see I know which ones are must haves! I would've included more PS4 games into the mix too, like Mass Effect Legendary Edition and a couple others, but that's a good list overall! Some of the games don't really appeal to me, but that's just me.

Re: Rumour: Ubisoft Turmoil Continues as Shareholders Consider Buyout

aethermath

That’s sad, Ubisoft have good ideas for their games, sometimes the execution isn’t there, they’ve become too much commercially focused and less creative. Doesn’t mean their products are that bad, but they need to step up their game, they can do it. They’re big and they still have resources to turn things around. Maybe thinking differently will help.

Anyway, I hope it doesn’t come to that. I was thinking this ridiculous idea, but what if Sony or Microsoft buy them out? Maybe they can save enough of the company and rethink their whole process at the same time.

Here’s a plan for relaunching Ubisoft: start investing more money in what fans want - finish developing the Prince of Persia remake, the Splinter Cell reboot, Beyond Good & Evil 2. Also, rethink the whole Assassin’s Creed formula by removing the futuristic backstory and making the series about exploring different eras with different gameplay for each one, make them shorter but meaningful and interesting, you can use your Infinity idea to tie them together with a single launcher. You can bring back some classics in need of a remaster, that way you won’t overspend, I know it cost money but still less than producing a new IP. Restart development on Immortals sequel and make a brand new 3D platformer with Rayman, we’ll all buy it, especially since Astro Bot showed us there’s still a market for good platformers. Ok Crash 4 didn’t perform well, but you can still take a chance there! All these ideas are doable if you want to take the time to look into them. As for your financial woes, cut the fat on redundant stuff and lower the salary for managers like Nintendo did, temporarily, it’ll be fine! In a couple years of doing all that, Ubisoft will be back!

Re: Sony Still Working on PSVR2, Full Hand Tracking Tech Is On the Way

aethermath

@Americansamurai1 I grabbed one during the Black Friday sale and so far, I noticed that it's getting out of stock almost everywhere in stores, except Amazon. The headset suddenly became popular due to the price cut. Sony said it wanted to liquidate the overstock first but there's not confirmation if they'll resume production for now. It's not abandoned, but it's not a priority I would say. At almost half price, it's still a good price for the kind of device.

Re: Ex-PlayStation Boss Thinks the Days of Consoles Are Numbered

aethermath

Regarding cloud gaming... I don't understand the appeal of a permanent subscription to a service. Paying 50$ a month, just pitching a bad example, but wouldn't be surprised if this fake price is actually the real one someday. Can you imagine the restrictions that come with it? Like, keep paying or you lose your save files, you may even have your account closed. It won't be like Netflix, where you can just stop paying for a while and come back and it's all there. PS+ make you lose your cloud saves if you stop paying, Nintendo do the exact same thing. The only one offering that for free is Microsoft, cause they have the largest infrastructure, Azure is big as hell, it powers the whole Microsoft ecosystem and beyond. But I digress. I am now only realizing that some of the services I pay for today are well overpaid, I pay for the privilege to be able to access them, not for using them on a daily basis. Companies lock features behind subscriptions. Cloud gaming will inevitably suffer from the same paradigm. Plus, there'll be a plethora of services that offer each some exclusives, so you end up paying, just like for streaming, for several services at once, for as long as you want. The easy access is tempting, but it means you need to constantly pay for something you could buy once and access whenever you want. I've seen ridiculous things when Apple pushed the shift toward the app subscriptions. I know apps cost money to develop, but making people pay 89.99$ a year for a calendar app is outrageous, even if the app is really that awesome. The same problem will occurs if cloud gaming take over, we'll face the exact same issues we currently face with app subscriptions and streaming services saturation. Pay more to enjoy it all, that's what they want. The other model, the one where you pay for streaming every games, one price per game, we've seen where Google failed hard with that model. Nobody wants to pay for the right to stream one game. The service could decide to pull the plug on that one game you bought, due to licensing issues. Of course, they'll try to mitigate the severity and maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who can still stream the game, but it makes you entirely dependent on a company's plan regarding how they give you the service. They could jack up the price, make some important changes and then ask you for an upgrade fee to keep using that one game you "bought", but it's just for the right of streaming. I don't think a cloud gaming future is ever so bright for consumers, it'll only benefit companies in the long run. Plus, it opens the door to putting commercials in your streaming experience, which I loathe profusely.

Re: Ex-PlayStation Boss Thinks the Days of Consoles Are Numbered

aethermath

People buy consoles for the easy plug and play experience. I, for one, can appreciate the possibilities of a PC used for gaming, but I hate dealing with drivers, plugins, hardware issues, the many launchers for every game out there and buying my games on multiple digital stores, cause some are not on Steam and the alternatives to Steam aren't really on par for what they offer. Sure, things are better today, but I remember back in the days of Windows 7, I was still dealing with games crashing due to bad drivers, problems with some Windows updates, specific issues that needed me to completely reset my PC even, so my experience wasn't all that perfect. A console will be consistent. Sure, there are bugs, but I believe they have a place for people who want simplicity. Personally, I already own a Mac for work and school, I don't see the point of buying a PC "cause you can do more than gaming", I just won't use it for that and my favourite softwares are Apple-only so aside from gaming, I just don't see the point. But that's me. Maybe in the future we'll see the comeback of some simple interface you can enable to use a PC exclusively for gaming, like Media Center did back in the days to put a PC in the living room. It would need something like that to simplify the experience. Steam did experiment with that, but it was Linux based and it prevented a lot of games to be fully available, except through emulation. Also, a lot of console gamers love collecting physical games so they don't want to be limited to digital only with a PC. Lots of points here in favour of having a console. Sure, the entire cost of owning several accessories, games, the console, additional controllers, it all add up to the point of being the same cost than for a gaming PC, but with a PC you need to choose every component aside from the tower itself, which makes it a little bit harder for people who don't want to take the time to build their setup. I can't picture the father of a family of two kids taking the time to setup a PC in a living room for his kids just so they can play Minecraft or something, besides the kids will inevitably encounter issues that will need dad to intervene, more than once. Buying a console like a Switch solve the problem in this situation. With a PC in the living room, there's also the risk of kids misusing the device cause the kids don't know how to properly use it. The console world still has appeal to younger audiences and people who don't like messing around with settings, hardware and stuff like that. I think they will coexist for a long time before we talk about something else. The big change that's coming is cloud gaming, cause it would enable companies to get more revenues from subscriptions and also make a lot of devices compatible with gaming. Not saying I agree with the strategy, cause I think I overpay Netflix and all the other streaming sinkholes out there, subscription is a pain to manage, so I hope it won't come to that. I need my gaming on console and PC for the others who prefer that.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 554

aethermath

I’m still going strong in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, playing it for the first time, but at around 30-40 hours already. Clearing up parts of the map before I keep the story going and also doing tons of side quests and upgrading my different capacities. Just bought Astro Bot Deluxe and looking forward to check it out. I usually play a couple games in rotation, so also on Alan Wake 2, but took a break after starting the Old Gods chapter. Also looking forward to Lego Horizon, but that’s next weekend. Surprisingly, I started Dragon Age and liked it but decided to keep my focus mainly on Horizon Zero Dawn. I will get back to it as soon as I finish a couple of these games. Horizon Forbidden West was my very first PS5 game and the one that made me buy the console. I’m a full convert and have all my favorites multi platform titles already and a couple more. Also got the DualSense Edge and admiring the PS5 Pro but the price tag in Canada is too much for me right now, maybe next year.