@stu123 AC: Shadows has RTGI in quality mode on both the base PS5 and Pro…the only difference is the Pro has it across all modes. The standout feature on the Pro is RT reflections/specular in both quality and balance (since patch 1.0.2) modes.
I love my Pro. Initially, the thing that pushed me over the edge to pre-order it was that it would let my partner and I play BG3 split-screen at 60fps. This may sound like a small thing but we were putting serious time into BG3. It transformed the experience for us and made an amazing game that much more enjoyable.
Outside of BG3, I’ve really enjoyed the game improvements that have been made possible by the Pro. They’ve been great but very few (if any) of them felt truly transformational…until I played AC: Shadows. It is absolutely beautiful when running in balance mode at an unlocked 40fps with extended RT enabled. It is a great example of what the Pro is capable of just six months after release and bodes well for what we might see in the near future. I can’t wait!
When comparing UK/EU pricing to the US don’t forget that UK pricing includes 20% VAT...which comes to whopping £116.50 for the PS5 Pro. EU pricing also includes VAT from 17-25% depending on the country. US pricing does not include state sales tax (there is no federal sales tax).
Also, exchange rates can fluctuate wildly. To account for this volatility, pricing outside the US is generally calculated using a predicted average exchange rate over a set period of time.
A couple of possibly interesting tidbits: US state sales tax ranges from 0-8% depending on the state (not including city or county taxes in some states). Compare that to the EU where VAT the for the majority of member states is 20% or more…and cannot be lower than 15% by law.
Sony has owned the rights to the Spider-Man IP (including all related characters) since 1998. This gives them complete control over licensing, hence PlayStation exclusivity for their Spider-Man games (and Avengers).
Any hypothetical Marvel-mandated multi format clause Disney might impose would not have any effect on the Spider-Man IP.
Conversely, there has been talk that Bethesda renegotiated the Indiana Jones license to allow their upcoming game to be XBOX-only. If true, this would indicate that Disney may be open to the idea of platform exclusivity for at least some of their IPs.
Yep. We both got a permanent ban notification in the middle of a local co-op BG3 session Tuesday night. It did not impact the game but it did impact the mood…it was distressing. It wasn’t just a rogue notification either: I was logged out of PSN and couldn’t log back in on any device (PS5, Portal or mobile app).
Thankfully, it seemed to resolve itself overnight with no lasting effects. Regardless, Sony should at least acknowledge that it happened. An apology wouldn’t go amiss either.
Everybody makes mistakes; exceptional people own up to them.
I am sure Sony has developed features for Project Q to differentiate it from an Android tablet with a DualSense glued to it running Remote Play.
Some likely suspects: deep console integration, seamless transition between remote play and big screen, HDR, VRR, highly optimized streaming. Since they own both ends of this system they can do things that would not be possible on a generic tablet/phone setup.
If they have done this AND have managed to do it at a reasonable price point they may have a hit on their hands.
Ah, the power of words spoken by the almighty analyst: “…270,000 units…PSVR2 will fail…!” The analyst knows all!
The analysts has spoken so it is irrelevant that the original PSVR only sold around 228,000 in the first month (averaged from the reported 915,000 sold in the first four months) even though it launched later in the console’s lifecycle (2y 11m vs 2y 3m for PSVR2 launch), into larger install base, with a lower retail price during a better economic climate.
Sure, all of those facts may be completely irrelevant but should data analysis like this be done in a vacuum?
Also, a word on analysts and data: analysts find and write the story told by the data. The data can hold a multitude of stories but generally the analyst only writes the story that meets a particular need or goal. The problem is, the audience only reads this one story and is rarely aware of the need/goal that motivated the analyst to write it. To complicate the matter, data is a premium commodity: audience members do not usually have access to the resources needed to discover their own version of the story.
The analyst has had many titles throughout history: oracle, soothsayer, prognosticator, fortune teller, seer, prophet, diviner, astrologist. Almost certainly, the only thing that differentiates between them is the technology used to gather and store the data. History also shows us what can happen when people put too much faith in these “analysts.”
Microsoft has a long history of acquiring game developers ( as with the majority of their portfolio) and pulling/delaying/bastardizing games in development for other platforms.
Although not the first, as a longtime Mac user the one that instantly pops into my mind (ironically) is Bungie…nearly 23 years ago now. Halo was being developed for macOS (and Windows) when Microsoft snapped them up and made it an XB exclusive. It took licensing deals, third-party devs and two years to finally get it on Mac and Windows…where it languished and was eventually forgotten.
The most common fact gleaned from any history: repetition is nearly inevitable. Alas, that fact also seems to be the most commonly forgotten.
@Chibbie I found that, in Tentacular, the text inside speech bubbles is perfect for fine-tuning the sweet spot using chromatic aberration. The bold dark text on a pure white background seems to really highlight it, for me at least.
Comments 13
Re: Some PS5 Owners Might Be Paying More Than Others on PS Store
This is a stretch but it might be related to US state sales tax rules. Some states charge sales tax on digital purchases, some do not.
With that being said, there is no state that charges the 33.36% sales tax that would be required to account for the price difference shown for RDR2.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think of the PS5 Pro, Six Months Later?
@stu123 AC: Shadows has RTGI in quality mode on both the base PS5 and Pro…the only difference is the Pro has it across all modes. The standout feature on the Pro is RT reflections/specular in both quality and balance (since patch 1.0.2) modes.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think of the PS5 Pro, Six Months Later?
I love my Pro. Initially, the thing that pushed me over the edge to pre-order it was that it would let my partner and I play BG3 split-screen at 60fps. This may sound like a small thing but we were putting serious time into BG3. It transformed the experience for us and made an amazing game that much more enjoyable.
Outside of BG3, I’ve really enjoyed the game improvements that have been made possible by the Pro. They’ve been great but very few (if any) of them felt truly transformational…until I played AC: Shadows. It is absolutely beautiful when running in balance mode at an unlocked 40fps with extended RT enabled. It is a great example of what the Pro is capable of just six months after release and bodes well for what we might see in the near future. I can’t wait!
Re: Poll: Would You Buy PS5 Pro If It Was Cheaper?
When comparing UK/EU pricing to the US don’t forget that UK pricing includes 20% VAT...which comes to whopping £116.50 for the PS5 Pro. EU pricing also includes VAT from 17-25% depending on the country. US pricing does not include state sales tax (there is no federal sales tax).
Also, exchange rates can fluctuate wildly. To account for this volatility, pricing outside the US is generally calculated using a predicted average exchange rate over a set period of time.
A couple of possibly interesting tidbits: US state sales tax ranges from 0-8% depending on the state (not including city or county taxes in some states). Compare that to the EU where VAT the for the majority of member states is 20% or more…and cannot be lower than 15% by law.
Re: Pacific Drive (PS5) - The Car Is the Reasonably Priced Star of Deep, Dense Survival Game
@Quintumply Is there any indication that VRR has been implemented?
Re: Could Marvel's Blade Come to PS5? Bethesda Declines to Comment
Sony has owned the rights to the Spider-Man IP (including all related characters) since 1998. This gives them complete control over licensing, hence PlayStation exclusivity for their Spider-Man games (and Avengers).
Any hypothetical Marvel-mandated multi format clause Disney might impose would not have any effect on the Spider-Man IP.
Conversely, there has been talk that Bethesda renegotiated the Indiana Jones license to allow their upcoming game to be XBOX-only. If true, this would indicate that Disney may be open to the idea of platform exclusivity for at least some of their IPs.
Re: Sony Reversing PSN Account Bans, Still Hasn't Offered an Explanation
Yep. We both got a permanent ban notification in the middle of a local co-op BG3 session Tuesday night. It did not impact the game but it did impact the mood…it was distressing. It wasn’t just a rogue notification either: I was logged out of PSN and couldn’t log back in on any device (PS5, Portal or mobile app).
Thankfully, it seemed to resolve itself overnight with no lasting effects. Regardless, Sony should at least acknowledge that it happened. An apology wouldn’t go amiss either.
Everybody makes mistakes; exceptional people own up to them.
Re: PS5's Remote Play Portable Will Allegedly Launch in November
I am sure Sony has developed features for Project Q to differentiate it from an Android tablet with a DualSense glued to it running Remote Play.
Some likely suspects: deep console integration, seamless transition between remote play and big screen, HDR, VRR, highly optimized streaming. Since they own both ends of this system they can do things that would not be possible on a generic tablet/phone setup.
If they have done this AND have managed to do it at a reasonable price point they may have a hit on their hands.
Re: PS5's Remote Play Portable Will Allegedly Launch in November
@Lugia the PS5 doesn’t send control signals over HDMI during Remote Play so it shouldn’t turn on your TV.
Re: Soapbox: PSVR2 Already Feels Like It's on Course for Failure
Ah, the power of words spoken by the almighty analyst: “…270,000 units…PSVR2 will fail…!” The analyst knows all!
The analysts has spoken so it is irrelevant that the original PSVR only sold around 228,000 in the first month (averaged from the reported 915,000 sold in the first four months) even though it launched later in the console’s lifecycle (2y 11m vs 2y 3m for PSVR2 launch), into larger install base, with a lower retail price during a better economic climate.
Sure, all of those facts may be completely irrelevant but should data analysis like this be done in a vacuum?
Also, a word on analysts and data: analysts find and write the story told by the data. The data can hold a multitude of stories but generally the analyst only writes the story that meets a particular need or goal. The problem is, the audience only reads this one story and is rarely aware of the need/goal that motivated the analyst to write it. To complicate the matter, data is a premium commodity: audience members do not usually have access to the resources needed to discover their own version of the story.
The analyst has had many titles throughout history: oracle, soothsayer, prognosticator, fortune teller, seer, prophet, diviner, astrologist. Almost certainly, the only thing that differentiates between them is the technology used to gather and store the data. History also shows us what can happen when people put too much faith in these “analysts.”
Re: Microsoft Thinks It Hasn't 'Pulled Any Games' from PS5, PS4
Microsoft has a long history of acquiring game developers ( as with the majority of their portfolio) and pulling/delaying/bastardizing games in development for other platforms.
Although not the first, as a longtime Mac user the one that instantly pops into my mind (ironically) is Bungie…nearly 23 years ago now. Halo was being developed for macOS (and Windows) when Microsoft snapped them up and made it an XB exclusive. It took licensing deals, third-party devs and two years to finally get it on Mac and Windows…where it languished and was eventually forgotten.
The most common fact gleaned from any history: repetition is nearly inevitable. Alas, that fact also seems to be the most commonly forgotten.
Re: PSVR2 Early Adopters Are Struggling to Find the Sweet Spot
@Chibbie I found that, in Tentacular, the text inside speech bubbles is perfect for fine-tuning the sweet spot using chromatic aberration. The bold dark text on a pure white background seems to really highlight it, for me at least.
Re: Poll: We Want You to Rate Your Favourite PS5 Games
Please add:
Dysmantle
Phoenix Point