Comments 395

Re: Take a Look at the New PS Store for Web Browsers, Slowly Rolling Out Globally

koffing

Wow. I am in the US and it just hit. It’s bad. Search for a game with a lot of expansions and add ons like Witcher. The results are baffling. You can’t tell what anything is — you just get an image and price. There is no rhyme or reason to the ordering — the original game shows up before the GOTY edition which shows up before the expansions, The product sub pages don’t link to each other so you can’t tell if you have found the newest or most complete version. It’s so information sparse it’s maddening.

Re: PS5 UI Revealed in New State of Play Presentation

koffing

nice first look. I hope they can make temporary parties or something to shore that part up. it’s funny how Sony says things like “we are running out of time” when they could just livestream someone using a PS5 from now until launch and people would watch. There are no length limitations in digital media.

Re: Devil May Cry 5 Takes Four Seconds to Load on PS5, 22 Seconds on PS4

koffing

@Trajan it’s kinda ironic that Nintendo may soon have the slowest loading times AND the least capacity. Also, I think saying SSDs have been around for a decade is kinda misleading and unfair to our new consoles. Yes, there has been solid state storage but it wasn’t fast. Also, DLSS is amazing and I hope Nintendo adapts it for the inevitable New Nintendo Switch 4K or whatever they will call it and MS/Sony/AMD counter with something.

Re: Cross-Save Between PS4 and PS5 Games Is Up to Developers

koffing

kinda mentioned this in Ghosts discussion, but this is one big problem with remastered Ps5 games. If the saves don’t transfer, that is a big deal. I don’t subscribe to appointment gaming or games that demand I redo the title from scratch. Some games take a hundred hours to beat, it’s lame to be halfway there and be asked to start over. And it would be nice to see this as a nonissue for at minimum all first party titles.

Re: Ghost of Tsushima Supports 60 Frames-Per-Second on PS5, Better Load Times

koffing

@thefourfoldroot I am with @NEStalgia on this but a slightly different bent. I am new to Playstation and interested in many PS4 titles, and I want the best version and I will happily pay for it. But I don’t want to buy a Ps4 title (with or without boost mode) and later find that they are “remastering” it and my save files won’t transfer.

I don’t have that issue with Spiderman because I am new, but I would be pretty disappointed to be pay $70 and be forced to redo the game. I imagine that is not an issue for many people, but i think it’s crappy. I have limited time to game.

Re: Watch Lots of Brand New PS5 Gameplay with Japanese YouTube Videos

koffing

@God_of_Nowt Another thought. I used to play online in the late 90s and I remember all the modders and cheaters and threats and just people going on and incoherently cursing everyone out. At the time, I was befuddled like.. who are these people? That was my first real experience with the internet pre-social media. Then fastforwadd to the early 2000s where I ended up in an internet cage in a South American country. And I saw high schoolers and middle schoolers doing exactly what I observed those years ago and realized that I had only thought North Americans were playing (dumb me) and never imagined that foreign speakers learning english — who had no understanding of the seriousness of what they were or weren’t saying and struggled to speak english — were probably a large part of what I was experiencing online back in the 90s. Ahhhh the world is so big.

And yes I want more Bugsnax.

Re: Watch Lots of Brand New PS5 Gameplay with Japanese YouTube Videos

koffing

@SirAngry Microsoft is getting away with it because they have a good relationship with the press (Digital Foundry got to play Series X and S in March!) and imo the press is so enamored with GamePass that they lost their critical thinking skills. Also, Microsoft handled their failures well (Halo delay, leaks) and in some sense they are the gaming underdog after XBONE so they get a pass. They have done a very good job since Series S leak at sharing new info weekly (packaging, storage expansion prices, Dolby support, etc.).. heck I have even seen a “how XSX fits in Ikea furniture” article.

I get the sense that Sony is crashing right now and is behind on hardware and software just like Cyberpunk. There is some evidence for that. Airlifting hardware. The Spiderman Remastered ray tracing pics were old (devs said they had already improved the fidelity over what they shared).

Now, I am a Nintendo gamer so I am used to poor communication and higher prices. I think a lot of people here feel the way I do about Nintendo products. I would think “it has Zelda, what else do you need to know?” and I am sure some people here feel that way about Playstation. But I don’t feel that way. I am Playstation-curious, not committed. It would be nice if people opened their minds that we are all in different spaces and don’t think the same. The gaming world is big.

Re: Watch Lots of Brand New PS5 Gameplay with Japanese YouTube Videos

koffing

I was disappointed — but not surprised — by today’s non-event. I preordered a PS5 and I am wondering when I will actually find out more about what I paid for. I don’t think I have ever bought something this expensive with so little info. @SirAngry, I am totally with you on this. Launch in 39 days, wonder what I am going to know before it arrives. I get some people like surprises. I don’t when I pay $500. I like assurances and confidence. This is not pocket change to me. When I see no information, heavily controlled and staged events, and cryptic teasers ... that doesn’t work for me (or a lot of other people.). As Tom Warren said: they didn’t even remove the plastic protector on the front of the device and it’s like nails on a blackboard. Yeah, that old metaphor works for me.

Re: Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered Has Been in Development for a Year on PS5

koffing

It looks good and they should have shown more and more. Show the ray tracing in motion. This game obviously needs a new tech trailer with side-by-sides highlighting each feature cause otherwise people don’t get it. It took me a minute to realize why distant shadow detail was missing (dynamic system vs baked). Show don’t tell.

Re: Spider-Man PS5 vs PS4 Comparison Shows Off a Generational Leap

koffing

I think it looks nice. I am very confused why Sony doesn’t release HDR YouTube videos. I am really looking forward to some potential future Digital Foundry comparison between PS4 Pro original, vs PS5 BC Boost Mode, vs Remaster with Ray Tracing vs 60fps version. I never played this game and have no allegiance to either character model. Happy to pay $20 for whichever is the better version. I will likely wait until the price drops though.. $50 for MM seems steep. Maybe once reviews come in and I have more confidence.

Re: Soapbox: The Week After PS5's Showcase, Sony Told Us Nothing About Its Next-Gen Console

koffing

YES. The pandemic is not a valid reason. Microsoft is killing it this week. Everyday I see something new about Series X. Storage. Dolby support. Developer comments. Influencer and gaming sites powering it on. But Sony is silent. It does not build confidence or excitement. The best I got was a Spiderman remaster mess that was so convoluted that everyone made fun of Sony (But of course no footage of the game Or even a screenshot). Maybe this strategy works for some people but not for me. I am new to Playstation and I preordered and I am wondering if it was a mistake. Most of the games I want to play right now are Ps4 games and I am wondering will I have to buy them twice? I want to use the UHD blu ray and I am wondering what HDR formats it supports? I’d like to better understand how long the controller battery is going to last to figure out if I should buy a second one. I would like to hear more and instead Sony is doubling down on PS4 news. I get that. It’s just... not what I want.

Re: Reaction: Spider-Man PS5 Debacle Shows Sony Is Out of Touch

koffing

mistakes:
-not showing it
-not having answers from day 1 announcement for basic questions
-save files not transferring
-no standalone purchase or paid upgrade option

charging is fine for most people, yes it “looks cheap” next to MS’s choices but clarity could have made up for it. Keep it simple Sony.

Re: Your Marvel's Spider-Man Saves Can't Be Carried Over to the PS5 Remaster

koffing

really they and every other PS5 dev needs to be sharing like crazy. every day should provide more info. wrap up vids every Friday. It’s weird how little we know about the games and the platform. Microsoft is doing a much better job on this. Maybe because Halo broke, but it’s helping them focus. Jim Ryan’s secrecy approach isn’t working for me. Let me hear from the devs! Free the devs!

Re: Horizon Forbidden West Built from the 'Ground Up' for PS5

koffing

Yes, this is a PR problem. PR is taking advantage of the confusion around their own wording by “assuring” people that the graphics will be better. But this is not about graphics. It’s about the core game design which in 2020 is limited by CPU, memory, and disk — not the GPU. I am upset that Horizon FW is on PS4 because it means the level design, physics, AI, and gameplay mechanics are limited to what also works on a 2013 design. It was .. less surprising for Spiderman MM, but the June messaging on Horizon was that it was PS5 only and people started imagining flying through the levels, better physics, etc. Now that seems unlikely. It’s weird cause Sony can read gamer concerns — all they have to do is send out a tweet or a blog post to clarify — but instead we get silence. Their current PR strategy is eroding trust. Silence might work when they have an E3 blowout, it is not working during a global pandemic.

Re: PS5 Game Install Sizes Revealed, And They're Enormous

koffing

Is the math for Spiderman: Remastered just taking the Ultimate: MM edition and subtracting Standard:MM? If so, that assumes they don’t share any art assets and that’s a really shaky assumption. I am guessing that’s what you did because we don’t have any info on Remastered as a separate thing. I would guess Remastered is 60-76GB standalone.

Re: Sony Considered Xbox Series S-Style PS5, Doesn't Think Lower Spec Models Have Had Success

koffing

How many people had sub 4k tvs? Or can’t tell the difference? Lots. Series S is for them. As several people have pointed out the past three years has been developers making two different versions of the game just for one platform (one s and one x, ps4 and ps4 pro). And most games are cross platform (ios, android, switch, pc, etc.) so developers are used to scaling effects to match gpu power. This is an interesting experiment. In 4 years when Microsoft wants to release a pro series x model, how will series s owners fare? Will Series S be limited by its reduced system RAM? Will Series S limitations inhibit Series X development and, if so, would those developers choose to only release on Series X? So many questions..

Re: Reaction: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Today's PS5 News

koffing

Mixed feels. Sony is right that particular games move hardware. BotW sold so many Switches, etc. But, today’s trailers didn’t grab me. Worse, they felt like filler. Like the PS3 announcement that dragged on because they knew the price was high. I wanted to hear about the platform. I am worried it is half-baked. Show the boot sequence and launching a game. Show how backwards compatibility works, movie playback (does PS5 support Dolby Vision for UHD?), what new features will the OS have? Show a teardown of the console. Why is it mid September and it’s a mystery? It shakes my confidence. The event could have been 3 hours.

Re: PS5 Pre-Orders Start Tomorrow at Select Retailers

koffing

DualSense™ Wireless Controller (standalone) – US$69.99/¥6,980/€69.99 (RRP)
PULSE 3D™ wireless headset – with 3D audio support and dual noise-cancelling microphones US$99.99/¥9,980/€99.99 (RRP)
HD Camera – with dual 1080p lenses for gamers to broadcast themselves along with their epic gameplay moments US$59.99/¥5,980/€59.99 (RRP)
Media Remote – to navigate movies and streaming services with ease US$29.99/¥2,980/€29.99 (RRP)
DualSense™ Charging Station – to conveniently charge two DualSense Wireless Controllers US$29.99/¥2,980/€29.99 (RRP)

via https://blog.playstation.com/2020/09/16/playstation-5-launches-in-november-starting-at-399-for-ps5-digital-edition-and-499-for-ps5-with-ultra-hd-blu-ray-disc-drive/

Re: Talking Point: Did the PS5 Showcase Event Deliver?

koffing

Meh. “Covid makes it hard to show you what’s unique about our system” -> “here is a bunch of gameplay free trailers”. system comes out in 62 days and we haven’t seen boot to a game. backwards compatibility is a confusing mystery (it’s there but who knows what works, how). upgrade paths are confusing. does Ps+ cost more? Accessories pricing? Bueller?

(edit: ok accessory pricing is here https://blog.playstation.com/2020/09/16/playstation-5-launches-in-november-starting-at-399-for-ps5-digital-edition-and-499-for-ps5-with-ultra-hd-blu-ray-disc-drive/ and yeah a lot of thus stuff will eek out over the next month, but if they wanted to get me excited show me the platform)

Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want to See at PS5's Showcase Event?

koffing

They can’t share what I want in 40 minutes.

-UI (boot, storage management, launch games, switch games)
-Full system specs
-price/date
-blu-ray media playback (uhd, hdr formats)
-show holiday launch titles
-show tempest audio setup
-pick the system up
-show performance options in spiderman, etc.
-game install sizes, release dates
-show ps4 games and bc in full
-details on launch shipments, preorders
-etc

Re: Reaction: Why Hasn't PS5's Price and Release Date Been Revealed Yet?

koffing

Possible reason for the delay? I think the most likely reason is that since they lost on lowest price (imo they knew that months ago but now they know by how much) they have to justify their price. But it could be manufacturing or distribution issues, launch title delays, or just wanting to tightly control messaging. But yeah, if we don’t hear more by 22 Sep then imo it’s probably delayed.

Re: PS5 Won't Play PS3, PS2, or PS1 Games

koffing

you should do a poll. I bet almost no one cares as long as PS4 compatibility works. There are many ways to play past games (remasters, buy older hardware), we want new shiny stuff. PS Now is the future for backwards compatibility.

Re: 505 Games Attempts to Explain Control's PS5 Upgrade Scandal

koffing

@Sunsvsmoon I haven’t been following Control’s development so that’s helpful context. I know Control is a beautiful cross platform game that won a ton of awards and I think I want to play it on PS5. But we don’t know how much work it is to make a PS5 version (agreeing with @madcow78). Is it a simple patch? Are they doing ray tracing? We don’t know. That’s why this is such a stupid marketing move. Their job is to tell a story. The story everyone is hearing is “you have to repurchase our game a second time if you want a PS5 version because we want more cash.” But there could be a different story out there. Give people 60fps with ray-tracing contact shadows or reflections and I think most gamers would happily pay $5-10. I think a lot of the problems we have in our society stem from demanding things for free. When that happens we become the product, not the customer. Ride sharing services that don’t have employees. Social media that sell out our information. Softball journalism that isn’t asking hard questions and let’s the powerful get away with .. anything. Crap games that are full of ads, microtransactions, and loot boxes. I guess my main point was this, I don’t know what 505 is doing but at a minimum their marketing department screwed up. I think gamers will pay money if there is perceived value, 505 has currently failed to demonstrate value while demanding more money. They also should — and I think this is your point — demonstrate empathy and loyalty to their existing customers. They haven’t done that, and they need to think harder about the messages they are sending. Will their be actual consequences for them? Maybe, but I doubt the sales team will notice. This is where gaming journalism has to push and demand real answers and call them out, but the state of journalism in gaming suggests that won’t happen either.

Re: PS5 Launch Is a 'Massive Challenge on Every Front'

koffing

For me it’s less about knowing the price than preparing for preorders, launch shortages, etc. Having time to figure out how to acquire one is useful. They seem to think they need to convey the “experience” but the reality is that momentum alone will get them high sales this year and they are going to run out of whatever stock they can make. Playstation gamers are going to buy it for new Playstation games regardless. I want to believe Sony execs are just that blown away by their new controller and they want to share it, but the cynic in me think it’s just nerves over the price they are going to set. Reason tells me it’s going to be something like $450 digital and $500 or $550 disk, but the longer they wait the more I think hmmm.. maybe $650 or $700. How much are those controllers going to cost? Hmmm...

Re: New PS5 Advert Appears via PlayStation Hungary

koffing

This teaser trailer would have been appropriate in June, but not “leaking“ out late-August. Sony won’t even tell us when we get to learn more. It would not surprise me if we conclude August with no additional information. Whether you think that is indicative of a delay or not, this is a weird shift from previous generations. I think it sucks.

Re: There's Been a Big Scandal About Whether PS5 Can Run Games in 4K

koffing

It makes sense. Sony has for whatever reason decided to keep their stuff under lock and key. Since there is nothing useful to say we get fluff pieces and speculation from legitimate sites and negative comments from trolls. Normally that would be drowned out by facts, but we have almost none since... June. Or maybe you can count the PS5 controller demo in July? That’s why John from DF gets depressed, it’s not fun when all we have is empty speculation and trolling. I mean PS4 Pro did true 4k so... why are we amplifying stupid?

Re: Poll: What PS5 Information Do You Want Most?

koffing

BC is big for me.This will be my first Playstation. I want to play a ton of PS4 games and I hope they will run better than ever. Witcher 3 with better frame rates and shorter load times? Spiderman at 60fps? Horizon Zero Dawn at native 4k? Just waiting Sony... it’s August. Sigh.

Re: Poll: What PS5 Information Do You Want Most?

koffing

price guess: digital for $450, disk for $550. DF suggests actual price difference is between $25-50 per unit accounting for disk and digital revenue. I think Sony will charge more for disk model to subsidize the digital model and drive its price down (eg they both cost around $500 all things being equal). They will probably run out of stock either way given covid.

Re: Soapbox: Sony's Next PS5 Showcase Needs to Be a Scorcher

koffing

Things I want to know between now and launch:

  • Release date (and game releases)
  • Cost
  • Final specs (not subject to change)
  • Accessories (release date/cost)
  • Operating System walkthrough (I wish there was a soundtrack jukebox mode for games)
  • Show me actually turning the machine on and putting in a game
  • Backwards compatibility with PS4 games and your personal collection.
  • UHD playback options (HDR formats?)
  • Preorder options
  • Digital store/PS Plus/PS Now (are they changing?)

Notice I did not say anything about Xbox because they are a separate thing. If Sony wants to compare/contrast/spar with them fine, I don’t care. I can understand others who are trying to choose between the two might want that, but I think that’s a small number of people. I just want deets and I want them now!