Having a hard time deciding if Digital Foundry is a good or bad thing for the industry. On one hand, it holds devs to a higher standard, which I am all for. On the other hand, it seems to turn a lot of people into wanna-be-analysts who no longer enjoy their games because they noticed a slight pop in or a frame dip. There’s definitely a balance to be struck here.
Having worked for an ad agency, I would guess there’s probably like 2 people having the time of their life and 100 people having the exact opposite haha. Jokes aside, great campaigns. Big time $$$.
Could be cool if they give this to the right creators, but I’m sure it’s probably just another built-in audience play where they’ll put the bare minimum into it knowing enough fans will tune in to guarantee some return.
@munstre I mostly agree with everything you are saying, but to suggest that Sony didn’t have at least a hand in producing these unrealistic expectations is a stretch.
@munstre a gap between expectation and reality exists with the ps5, you even addressed it in your comment. This is because the system was heavily touted as being capable of more than it is during the marketing lead up to its release. Maybe they’re careful now, but they weren’t in their marketing campaign for the system. It even says 8k at 120fps on the box, which is absolutely daft.
Sony shot themselves in the foot just a little bit advertising 4k@60 as somehow being the norm the PS5 would perform at. It simply defies the laws of physics. I’ll gladly play this one at 30fps because it’s more of a visual, narrative experience that isn’t going to test my reflexes in the way a Returnal or Demon’s Souls will. Perfectly playable for this kind of game.
I would love to see something like Monster Hunter: World, within the Horizon universe, as a service. With more of an MMO/social hub over world and a faster release schedule, a la something like Sea of Thieves when they did monthly updates.
I’m excited to see where this goes, but my guard will be up. Huge potentials outside of just some copycat games. I think we will get both if they’re developing that many. I think an MMO or survival crafter or some other genre is just as likely as some sort of competitive shooter thing. I also think a fighting game is a real potential given their interest in EVO and the FGC.
I think this is a fair take given what we know, but I think it’s what we don’t know that might have been the deciding factor. What does Bungie have up their sleeve? How far back has this partnership been brewing? That would make it more of a gamble than an overpayment.
Very curious to see what the first fruits of this partnership will be. I was a massive Halo/Halo 2 fan, but my interest in Destiny couldn’t be any less. Still, an intriguing development.
@frankmcma I think ps+ can be both of those things, which is kind of troubling IMO. If that high subscriber base eventually gets PO’d over a gulf in value or seeks better value elsewhere, that’s big damage potential.
An expected move but the number seems a bit high. I just hope there’s actual variety and not just a dozen Sony-branded battle royales. Such a fickle market, I guess that’s one way of making sure one sticks around long term.
I feel like this game is a really tough sell in 2022 for anyone who isn’t already a fan, and I doubt 30 mins of additional footage is going to change that.
Make it free with Plus. Nintendo Switch Online benefits greatly from things like Tetris 99, Mario 35, Pac-Man 99, etc etc. PS+ desperately needs value adds IMO.
Sony acting like they have no competition and it’s just insane to me. I really don’t think Sony has THAT kind of brand loyalty where they can just shed the platform agnostic players who just want their latest yearly titles at the best price and most convenient. Nintendo can play those kinds of games but I just don’t think Sony can maintain that long term. Don’t get me wrong, Sony are riding REALLY high from a very strong market position in the previous gen, and it’ll take a long time to see the full effects. But there is slow and steady/incremental damage happening here, anyone who’s been paying attention will know this. It just seems like Jim Ryan is legit asleep at the wheel sometimes. As a big industry nerd, very interesting to see it play out, at least.
I know they probably negotiate these deals months and months and months in advance, so the read I get here is Sony has a hard time pivoting or reacting, or doesn’t see the need to. Both scenarios are troubling to me, frankly.
The pressure on this game to succeed must be absolutely immense right now. Sony needs a killer app right now above all else, proof they can weather the storm on the strength and QUALITY (see: all the broken AAA releases in last two years) of their IPs. That’s a lot of eyes on Aloy.
Reevaluating their value proposals for this gen could go a long way. 90$ CAD titles, lacklustre ps+ monthly games, the price of plus and now, I think they took the wrong approach by sort of positioning themselves as this premium product (remember the all the diamonds in the branding?). The industry around them is quickly making that look ridiculous now, IMHO. It’s not just Microsoft. Epic gives away SO many good games a year for the price of simply signing up, Steam sales are impressive and frequent, etc.
This is really cool but I think it’s also a reason why Dreams never took off like a Minecraft or a Roblox. The ceiling is too high, it makes for an imposing room. People look at anything made in a Roblox and they feel… I can do that! Even if they can’t. This, this is like… looking at an Unreal Engine tech demo or something. “I can do that” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
The chatter on here is really focused on Sony vs Microsoft, when really the other company hoovering up the industry is Tencent. I think a Tencent buyout of EA is much more likely than a Sony one because of the multi platform nature of the sports franchises.
What they are choosing to highlight on their socials has me real worried, ngl. Was “big” their only goal? How many resources during development were devoted to simply “big”?
The headset IS a huge barrier for a ton of people, I doubt VR will ever get the buy in that flat gaming has because of it. Not until they are as unobtrusive as a pair of reading glasses.
They put so little effort into this, it was a guaranteed success regardless of what bad press they had to have known was going to happen. Hollywood pulls the same trick over and over again with its own notions of “built-in audience”. An equally big problem to the peak capitalistic behaviours of AAA developers we are seeing more and more of, is the willingness of people to accept absolute horse droppings on all fronts because of their devotion to brands, fandom in general, nostalgia, etc. It takes two to tango.
Crazy days ahead! Does Sony stay the course? Sit idly by? Go to all out war? I’ve been following the machinations of this industry intensely since 1991, worked as a dev for a time, and this is up there with some of the bigger seismic shifts. It’s difficult to even parse the possibilities of how this plays out. Looking forward to Sammy’s continued coverage on this topic. It just got real!
I expect we will see regulation on micro-transaction heavy/gatcha mobile business models at some point. These are bubble numbers. Too addictive, too successful at separating people from their money. It’s just Slots 2.0, only somehow more pathetic because at least you can win some money at a casino. It’s sad to see and I want no part of it. Big loss of respect for anyone doubling down in this space, Sony and Nintendo included.
Let me download every title on whatever their PS Now replacement is and I would be onboard day one. I understand the challenges, but it is what needs to happen IMO. It would be a way to SIGNIFICANTLY increasing the value of PS Now without having to take a huge hit in added overhead.
“hopeful fans in a bit of a frenzy” describes half of what you read on the internet nowadays, and “it all seems like a bit of a reach” describes the other half.
Please don’t let it be grindy, please don’t let it be grindy. When I see him using the term “max out”, it makes me really worried they have somehow padded the progression systems with an absolutely EPIC grind just to be able to write that tweet.
@get2sammyb agreed, I think “creative” is going to be the right play here. I don’t think they can or need to compete 1 to 1 with Game Pass, just… something. Something, rather than nothing, will go a long way. I know the current offering isn’t exactly nothing, but it might as well be the way the optics have been playing out.
I am going to guess it’s at least as expensive as a no disc ps5. Very interesting, though. It’s a bigger leap than I expected. Price is going to be a serious issue though, unless they start selling them below cost.
Comments 593
Re: Playing Elden Ring's PS4 Version on PS5 Might Be Your Best Bet for a Stable Framerate
For a studio obsessed with difficult gameplay, you’d think performance optimization would be a higher priority for them.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West's PS5, PS4 Visual Issues a High Priority, Patch Incoming ASAP
Having a hard time deciding if Digital Foundry is a good or bad thing for the industry. On one hand, it holds devs to a higher standard, which I am all for. On the other hand, it seems to turn a lot of people into wanna-be-analysts who no longer enjoy their games because they noticed a slight pop in or a frame dip. There’s definitely a balance to be struck here.
Re: The Quarry Could Be the Next Game from Until Dawn Dev
A Damon Galgut video game adaptation?!? haha
Re: Capcom Fighting Collection Combines 10 Classic Games on PS4 in June
Niiiice, I’m a huge fan of vintage Capcom, I foolishly buy all their arcade rereleases and bundles, this will be no different.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West Reaction GIFs Are Just the Best
@djlard @Snick27 absolute trash tier comments, fellas.
Re: PlayStation's Marketing Department Is Having the Time of Its Life Right Now
Having worked for an ad agency, I would guess there’s probably like 2 people having the time of their life and 100 people having the exact opposite haha. Jokes aside, great campaigns. Big time $$$.
Re: Netflix Nabs Rights to BioShock Movie Adaptation
Could be cool if they give this to the right creators, but I’m sure it’s probably just another built-in audience play where they’ll put the bare minimum into it knowing enough fans will tune in to guarantee some return.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West PS5, PS4 Graphics Modes Analysed by Digital Foundry
@munstre I mostly agree with everything you are saying, but to suggest that Sony didn’t have at least a hand in producing these unrealistic expectations is a stretch.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West PS5, PS4 Graphics Modes Analysed by Digital Foundry
@munstre a gap between expectation and reality exists with the ps5, you even addressed it in your comment. This is because the system was heavily touted as being capable of more than it is during the marketing lead up to its release. Maybe they’re careful now, but they weren’t in their marketing campaign for the system. It even says 8k at 120fps on the box, which is absolutely daft.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 PS5 Version Likely Launching Tomorrow
Strange timing if true.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West PS5, PS4 Graphics Modes Analysed by Digital Foundry
Sony shot themselves in the foot just a little bit advertising 4k@60 as somehow being the norm the PS5 would perform at. It simply defies the laws of physics. I’ll gladly play this one at 30fps because it’s more of a visual, narrative experience that isn’t going to test my reflexes in the way a Returnal or Demon’s Souls will. Perfectly playable for this kind of game.
Re: Sony More Likely Than Microsoft to Acquire a Japanese Game Company, Analyst Explains
I have been predicting Capcom to anyone who’ll listen.
Re: Demon's Souls' Old Monk Boss Fight Is Hidetaka Miyazaki's Favourite
Getting the Old Monk head piece is one of those gaming moments I’ll never forget
Re: Remember to Buy Horizon Forbidden West on PS4, And Not PS5
Haha, cool, I’ll definitely be taking whatever advantage I can of Sony’s baffling cross-gen delivery strategy.
Re: Talking Point: What PS5, PS4 Live Service Games from Sony Do You Want?
I would love to see something like Monster Hunter: World, within the Horizon universe, as a service. With more of an MMO/social hub over world and a faster release schedule, a la something like Sea of Thieves when they did monthly updates.
Re: Soapbox: Sony Is Making More Live Service Games for PS5, PS4, And I'm Excited
I’m excited to see where this goes, but my guard will be up. Huge potentials outside of just some copycat games. I think we will get both if they’re developing that many. I think an MMO or survival crafter or some other genre is just as likely as some sort of competitive shooter thing. I also think a fighting game is a real potential given their interest in EVO and the FGC.
Re: Sony 'Vastly Overpaid' in 'Desperation' for Bungie, Says Outspoken Analyst Michael Pachter
I think this is a fair take given what we know, but I think it’s what we don’t know that might have been the deciding factor. What does Bungie have up their sleeve? How far back has this partnership been brewing? That would make it more of a gamble than an overpayment.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Thoughts on Sony's Buyout of Bungie?
Very curious to see what the first fruits of this partnership will be. I was a massive Halo/Halo 2 fan, but my interest in Destiny couldn’t be any less. Still, an intriguing development.
Re: PS Plus Reaches Record Number of Subscribers on PS5, PS4
@frankmcma I think ps+ can be both of those things, which is kind of troubling IMO. If that high subscriber base eventually gets PO’d over a gulf in value or seeks better value elsewhere, that’s big damage potential.
Re: Sony Plans to Launch 10 PS5, PS4 Live Service Games by March 2026
An expected move but the number seems a bit high. I just hope there’s actual variety and not just a dozen Sony-branded battle royales. Such a fickle market, I guess that’s one way of making sure one sticks around long term.
Re: Battlefield 2042 Delays First Season on PS5, PS4 to Add Key Features, Like a Refined Scoreboard
I wish game companies didn’t see goodwill and community as something to be exploited.
Re: Random: This Is How PlayStation Consoles Would Look if They Rendered Themselves
Basically no difference between ps4 and ps5 haha, quality troll post.
Re: New and Existing Bungie Games Will Not Become PS5, PS4 Exclusives
I wouldn’t trust the pr immediately following announcements of this magnitude
Re: Sony Buys Ex-Halo, Destiny Developer Bungie for $3.6 Billion
Love a good twist!
Re: Abandoned Dev's YouTube Hacked, PS5 Pre-Orders Are a Hoax
How convenient, just as everyone stopped talking about them.
Re: State of Play Announced, Featuring 30 Minutes of Gran Turismo 7 PS5 Gameplay
I feel like this game is a really tough sell in 2022 for anyone who isn’t already a fan, and I doubt 30 mins of additional footage is going to change that.
Re: Hands On: They Made Destruction AllStars on PS5 Good
Make it free with Plus. Nintendo Switch Online benefits greatly from things like Tetris 99, Mario 35, Pac-Man 99, etc etc. PS+ desperately needs value adds IMO.
Re: Sony's PS Plus, PS Now Cross-Gen Bullsh*t Continues
Sony acting like they have no competition and it’s just insane to me. I really don’t think Sony has THAT kind of brand loyalty where they can just shed the platform agnostic players who just want their latest yearly titles at the best price and most convenient. Nintendo can play those kinds of games but I just don’t think Sony can maintain that long term. Don’t get me wrong, Sony are riding REALLY high from a very strong market position in the previous gen, and it’ll take a long time to see the full effects. But there is slow and steady/incremental damage happening here, anyone who’s been paying attention will know this. It just seems like Jim Ryan is legit asleep at the wheel sometimes. As a big industry nerd, very interesting to see it play out, at least.
Re: PS5's PSVR2 Will Seemingly Have a Cutting-Edge Display
If this thing is cheaper than the console itself, it’ll be a bloody miracle.
Re: PS Plus February 2022 PS5, PS4 Games Announced
I know they probably negotiate these deals months and months and months in advance, so the read I get here is Sony has a hard time pivoting or reacting, or doesn’t see the need to. Both scenarios are troubling to me, frankly.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West Will Have Strong Moral Choices Leading to an Impactful Ending on PS5, PS4
The pressure on this game to succeed must be absolutely immense right now. Sony needs a killer app right now above all else, proof they can weather the storm on the strength and QUALITY (see: all the broken AAA releases in last two years) of their IPs. That’s a lot of eyes on Aloy.
Re: Sony Partner Deviation Games Expands with New Canadian Studio
Nice! So much tech investment happening in Canada these days. You just love to see it.
Re: Analyst Expects PS5 to Seriously Outperform Xbox This Year
Microsoft’s threat to Sony isn’t exactly the Xbox Series X/S.
Re: Poll: Does Sony Need to Take Action After Microsoft's Activision Buyout?
Reevaluating their value proposals for this gen could go a long way. 90$ CAD titles, lacklustre ps+ monthly games, the price of plus and now, I think they took the wrong approach by sort of positioning themselves as this premium product (remember the all the diamonds in the branding?). The industry around them is quickly making that look ridiculous now, IMHO. It’s not just Microsoft. Epic gives away SO many good games a year for the price of simply signing up, Steam sales are impressive and frequent, etc.
Re: This Dreams Recreation of Returnal's Archonact Is Staggering
This is really cool but I think it’s also a reason why Dreams never took off like a Minecraft or a Roblox. The ceiling is too high, it makes for an imposing room. People look at anything made in a Roblox and they feel… I can do that! Even if they can’t. This, this is like… looking at an Unreal Engine tech demo or something. “I can do that” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
Re: EA Is the Next Major Publisher Tipped for a Takeover
The chatter on here is really focused on Sony vs Microsoft, when really the other company hoovering up the industry is Tencent. I think a Tencent buyout of EA is much more likely than a Sony one because of the multi platform nature of the sports franchises.
Re: Dying Light 2 Has Found More Really Big Numbers to Boast About
What they are choosing to highlight on their socials has me real worried, ngl. Was “big” their only goal? How many resources during development were devoted to simply “big”?
Re: PlayStation Creator Ken Kutaragi Not a Fan of VR Headsets or Metaverse
The headset IS a huge barrier for a ton of people, I doubt VR will ever get the buy in that flat gaming has because of it. Not until they are as unobtrusive as a pair of reading glasses.
Re: GTA Trilogy Has Done 'Just Great', Exec Says 'Glitch Was Resolved'
They put so little effort into this, it was a guaranteed success regardless of what bad press they had to have known was going to happen. Hollywood pulls the same trick over and over again with its own notions of “built-in audience”. An equally big problem to the peak capitalistic behaviours of AAA developers we are seeing more and more of, is the willingness of people to accept absolute horse droppings on all fronts because of their devotion to brands, fandom in general, nostalgia, etc. It takes two to tango.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
Crazy days ahead! Does Sony stay the course? Sit idly by? Go to all out war? I’ve been following the machinations of this industry intensely since 1991, worked as a dev for a time, and this is up there with some of the bigger seismic shifts. It’s difficult to even parse the possibilities of how this plays out. Looking forward to Sammy’s continued coverage on this topic. It just got real!
Re: Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
I’m speechless, folks. Literally floored by this announcement.
Re: This Is Why PlayStation Wants to Make Smartphone Games
I expect we will see regulation on micro-transaction heavy/gatcha mobile business models at some point. These are bubble numbers. Too addictive, too successful at separating people from their money. It’s just Slots 2.0, only somehow more pathetic because at least you can win some money at a casino. It’s sad to see and I want no part of it. Big loss of respect for anyone doubling down in this space, Sony and Nintendo included.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Realistically Expect from PS5, PS4's Game Pass Inspired PS Plus Reboot?
Let me download every title on whatever their PS Now replacement is and I would be onboard day one. I understand the challenges, but it is what needs to happen IMO. It would be a way to SIGNIFICANTLY increasing the value of PS Now without having to take a huge hit in added overhead.
Re: Updated PlayStation Patent Has Fans in Backwards Compatibility Frenzy, But It's a Reach
“hopeful fans in a bit of a frenzy” describes half of what you read on the internet nowadays, and “it all seems like a bit of a reach” describes the other half.
Re: GDC Reveals Its GOTY 2021 Nominees, Voted for by Game Developers
I dunno, seems like the same bs everywhere else is putting out.
Re: Dying Light 2 Takes 500 Hours to 'Fully Complete', Official Twitter Has to Clarify
Please don’t let it be grindy, please don’t let it be grindy. When I see him using the term “max out”, it makes me really worried they have somehow padded the progression systems with an absolutely EPIC grind just to be able to write that tweet.
Re: Deep Rock Galactic (PS5) - There's Gold in Them There Hostile Alien Caves
I had a great time with this on PC, hopefully they iron out those network issues. Great active official Discord too with lots of dev updates.
Re: Red Dead Online's Paltry PS4 Updates Continue to Frustrate Fans
They’ll put horses, revolvers and dusters in GTA Online before they put any more work into RDR Online.
Re: No Plans for Ubisoft+ on PS5, PS4 At This Time, Rainbow Six Extraction Full-Price on PlayStation
@get2sammyb agreed, I think “creative” is going to be the right play here. I don’t think they can or need to compete 1 to 1 with Game Pass, just… something. Something, rather than nothing, will go a long way. I know the current offering isn’t exactly nothing, but it might as well be the way the optics have been playing out.
Re: PS5's New PSVR Headset Officially Named PlayStation VR2, Full Specs Revealed
I am going to guess it’s at least as expensive as a no disc ps5. Very interesting, though. It’s a bigger leap than I expected. Price is going to be a serious issue though, unless they start selling them below cost.