truerbluer

The PlayStation brand has become so watered down that it's just become the generic gaming box for casuals now. There's little to no compelling exclusives that makes the platform distinct or utilises all of its features. And what little exclusives that do appear have a pipeline straight to PC where the games get to be showcased unencumbered by the limitations of the PS5, which ironically harms the selling point of a supposed PS5 Pro when there's already a better version of the game playable on PC.

Was massively disappointed with Alan Wake 2. I went in expecting an improvement on the original game's formula but instead what I got was L.A. Noire lite for Saga's gameplay and boring trial and error environmental puzzles for Alan's gameplay.

From the previews I've watched it seems like this game is largely a boss rush game in the disguise of a souls-like. If true that would be disappointing but it makes sense given the higher fidelity visuals than usual, especially coming from a studio with no console game history which would explain the restricted game design.

Avon Barksdale: "What I tell you about playin' them ******' away games? Yeah. They saw your ghetto ass comin' from miles away, *****!"

Netherrealm is in a really tricky position with MK. If they want the game to be taken seriously within the FGC they need to completely overhaul the stiff gameplay... but then they risk losing the massive casual audience who've made it the highest selling fighting game franchise.

And I don't think it's purely due to Japanese game elitism because Killer Instinct was well regarded in the FGC, but that game had the inverse problem of being a complete sales flop largely due to the platform it was stuck on.

@ChrisDeku The mouse aiming alone is a huge advantage over the PS5 version, all the other advantages are just a bonus for those willing to pay for it.

You might remember Quake III: Arena on Dreamcast had PC cross-play and it was hilariously disastrous for Dreamcast players who would get destroyed trying to compete with a single analog stick.

Cross-play might be optional but it will probably be enabled by default and encouraged to be enabled, especially if the projected playerbase isn't going to be very high in the first place.

Cross-play with PC would be fine if the game was PvE but this is competitive PvP where PC players gain a significant advantage with precision mouse aiming, unlocked frame rates for quicker response times, and ultrawide resolutions allowing a greater field of view.

It's also practically guaranteed that PC players will start another revolt against the PSN account requirement and the sales will suffer because of it.

To add insult to injury, it's the PlayStation players who get screwed over the most; only console players have to subscribe to PS+ to even play the game, but also get to receive a worse experience in every measurable metric.

All this demonstrates to me is Sony has little interest in making PS5 a desirable platform to own when they're voluntarily going 3rd party. Designing 1st party games for PC and now Switch means the games will fundamentally be made for the lowest common denominator going forward, and the PS5 (in its 4th year) is still just a glorified PS4 Pro Pro.

This remake has no art direction at all. It looks like when you give student developers a task to recreate a game and they use nothing but pre-built engine assets and don't even bother to add any flavour to the work.

To all those saying it's a strategic move that could entice Switch owners to get a PS5 for the main series, wouldn't they be better off just going to PC instead? Both mainline games are already there and look and perform better than on PS5. And like 90% of the PS5 library is already on PC along with 100% of the Xbox library making it a no-brainer decision.

Okay, this gameplay footage looks much better than what was shown during the State of Play. The environments look good but not entirely sold on the combat and character models.

Horrendous, Astro Bot was the only thing that piqued my interest and Silent Hill 2 was laughably terrible.

This game reeks of "how do you do fellow kids" energy and is one of the main reasons why I have little confidence in a Hermen Hulst led PlayStation. This is the guy who pre-emptively bought this studio despite not having released any games to prove their worth.

I've accepted that this is going to be the new normal for Sony and fully believe day and date PC releases for single player games will happen soon, it's just a matter of when.

I can easily wait the 2 years for the PC ports and have absolutely no desire to ever own a PS5 anymore. The first party output is already so horrendous that by the time the newest PC ports arrive there'll probably be like 2-3 games only playable on PS5 at that given time.

I'm already in the process of selling off my physical PS4 collection and re-buying the games I want to keep on Steam. It's pretty much an impossible task for Sony to win me over to their platform now other than explicitly bringing back the "Only on PlayStation" label.

Nintendo consoles only from now on.

Now that we know that bullying is an effective strategy and Sony are willing to fold so easily, why can't PlayStation people do the same when it comes to the PS+ requirement for online and the £70/$70 price of 1st party games compared to the PC versions?

If Concord and Fairgame$ require a PSN account to play on PC they'll be dead on arrival. There's no going back after this fiasco, you've broken the illusion that it was ever needed in the first place, no way will people ever accept it now.

So I guess the moral of this is that bullying works.

This is irrefutable proof that PC players are given special treatment over console players and console players are simply told to kick rocks and accept the PS+ requirement and price hikes that PC players will never worry about.

Honestly if I was a PS5 owner I'd be insulted to remain on console after seeing first hand that the company whose product I've invested in continues to give me the inferior product and experience while simultaneously charging more and taking it for granted that I'd never leave. There is no equity here.

Seen some comments from Arrowhead devs throw Sony to the wolves by encouraging the review bombing to make their distaste heard.

It's now within the realm of possibility that Arrowhead buys the IP from Sony and breaks off, à la Destiny and Activision. This is the consequences of relying on 3rd party devs instead of your fully owned studios because there would be no backtalk from them.

It's fair to say Sony has pretty much brought a death sentence to both Concord and Fairgame$ on PC now.

In this day and age 3rd party deals don't really make much sense when everyone knows they're only temporary and will be ported to other platforms, made all the easier due to the shared similar architecture of all modern platforms. These 3rd parties have no obligation to remain locked to a single platform unless Sony wants to shell out exorbitant amounts of money, which would be better spent on bolstering 1st party studios instead.

I'd vastly prefer if Sony gave up all 3rd party exclusives if it meant all 1st party games remained permanently PlayStation exclusive. The only way I'm going to buy PlayStation consoles again is if Sony brings back the "Only on PlayStation" label and actually mean it this time.

This has been spreading like wildfire all over the internet. If Sony doesn't contain the situation soon it can spell disaster for all the upcoming live service games launching on PC. We all know how fickle PC gamers are.

Loved RE2 and RE4 remakes, hated RE7 and RE:Village. Not interested in RE9 If it's a continuation from Village and still primarily designed for first-person gameplay or a non-linear open world as rumours would suggest.

Already seeing a review bomb happening on Steam. This is the audience Sony is so desperate to get in bed with so enjoy the consequences of not unconditionally bending to their will.

@Moparhippy420 The fact that it's coming to PC has literally affected the state of the previously functional versions on consoles broken. This wouldn't have happened if the console versions were just left alone. And it's wasting more dev time fixing what was fine before instead of cracking on with a new game that's long overdue.

Is this one of those benefits that PC ports would bring to console players that I keep hearing about? Because almost 4 years in since launch I've yet to see anything fruitful from this PC push for console owners.

Nothing will ever top the Dreamcast version of Virtua Tennis. That game from 24 years ago is still evergreen in its gameplay to this day.

I wonder if they'll retroactively add trophies to all the other PC ports now.

Gotta say Sony has unwittingly(?) helped facilitate players transition to PC with ease: native DualSense support, cross-platform multiplayer, no PS+ requirement, cheaper games, freedom to use any controller, DLSS, mods and now Trophy support, so you don't have to give up your longstanding PSN ID and trophies when moving to PC.

All that's left is day 1 PC ports of single player games, which I predict will happen now that Totoki is in charge.

As a kid I never found the Driver tutorial that difficult, but I have to admit it was badly designed with no clear definition of what was required to fulfil the checklist. I later found out that many didn't understand what "slalom" meant and was the main cause for failing.

I've always hated how the UK games media always undeservedly propped up the Tomb Raider series when the rest of the world rightfully saw it as just an okay franchise at best, e.g. OPM UK gave all 5 PS1 games a 10/10 while games that actually deserved it like Symphony of the Night were brushed aside as "outdated 2D SNES game" according to them.

If people thought the way Jim Ryan ran things was bad, they're in for a rude awakening with this guy.

Totoki probably doesn't care at all about PlayStation's gaming heritage or placating the ever growing concerns of the hardcore fanbase. All he's going to do is whatever will drive up profits, consequences be damned.

I hope they find a full time replacement soon before the PlayStation brand becomes further diluted.

The PS5 Pro will be more worthless than the PS4 Pro was last gen. At least when the PS4 Pro launched it was the only platform that allowed 1st party games to be played at their highest fidelity and served its purpose of retaining players who were contemplating moving to PC.

Now that we know Sony intends to port everything to PC, the PS5 Pro loses its appeal significantly, especially to the audience that would ordinarily be eager to make the upgrade. Enthusiast and hardcore gamers will just wait for the inevitable PC ports now that they've become accustomed, leaving just casual gamers who are more than happy to stay with the cheaper base PS5 and couldn't care less about what a Pro model offers.

Can anyone provide an example of a successful creative who left a major studio to go independent and continued to make spiritual successors that were as good or better than their previous games?

Keiji Inafune: Mega Man > Mighty No. 9
Koji Igarashi: Castlevania: SOTN > Bloodstained: ROTN
Alex Ward: Burnout > Dangerous Driving
Glen Schofield: Dead Space > The Callisto Protocol

None of the above lived up to their legacies.

Team Ninja is the prime example of a studio that puts all its eggs in one basket: combat because they absolutely suck at everything else.

Remember all the crying about Sony no longer concentrating on Japan-centric games? Well here is a full blown Japanese developed game focused on gameplay over visuals and presentation. Let's see just how well this game sells because it will finally expose all those whiners who claim that Sony needs to go back to its Japanese roots if they actually put their money where their mouth is.

I'm calling it now, Sony's next console will be their worst selling with only the casual sports/shooter bros buying it (which admittedly is a large percent of the market) but the hardcore and enthusiast gamers will move to PC. It's already happening right now and I can personally attest to that because I see no compelling reason to buy a PS5 other than early access to a very small number of first-party games, which I (and many others) can easily hold out 2-3 years for PC ports.

With Xbox already waving the white flag, the console market is entirely Nintendo's for the taking and all they had to do was maintain the status quo.

PS Store price for PS5: £69.99
PS Store price for PS4: £59.99
Steam/EGS price for PC: £49.99

Make it make sense.

Capcom launching this game on GamePass day 1 tells you everything you need to know about this game.

@get2sammyb If that's true then Sony 1st party is doomed.

Astro Bot would never cost as much as most of Sony's other 1st party offerings; it forgoes things like voice/performance capture, extensive writing for story, lore and characters, detailed real life models and simulations (Gran Turismo) or a constant drip feed for new content (live service).

How did Naughty Dog manage to release 4 high quality games in the span of 6 years during the PS3 gen (2007-2013) but Team Asobi aren't able to release a single game? Is the cost and scope of a new Astro Bot really more than a PS3 era Naughty Dog game that it requires over 4 years for release?

I don't understand how Team Asobi hasn't delivered a follow up to a tech demo from the PS5's launch. We still have no idea what they're even making 4 years on.

Astro Bot was universally loved and was exactly the kind of game that shut up all the whining about Sony's heavy focus on cinematic games. These kinds of games would be the perfect release between the heavy hitters; shorter, lower budget releases at a cheaper price point and would go a long way to satiate the increasingly starving 1st party landscape.

I think it's safe to say PS VR2 has been a complete dud. The sales must have been very weak to pull this desperate move. It's already been one year and a grand total of 1 first party game has been released, with no signs of anything else coming soon with regards to first party.

I also don't understand how they're going to recoup the costs of selling an already subsidised headset to an open platform where they can't take a cut from software sales.

@11001100110zero It's subjective but in general I'd say a combination of good critical reviews, positive playerbase reception and awards in recognition of its excellence.

Xbox fans aren't petitioning for Microsoft to deliver good games but to have the competition bring their games to Xbox. Just shows the state of the Xbox fanbase and where their priorities lie.

Some massive damage control from Phil here. First he tries to assure Xbox fans that only these 4 "smaller" and "old" games are being ported but later says that he envisions less exclusives being made in the future. That statement only makes sense if Xbox ceases production of games to halt exclusives altogether or they already plan on going multiplatform but are too afraid to outright say it right now.

@Godot25 "Why would be a development time longer? Like I get that optimising game for PC takes a time"
You just answered your own question. Even if the console release is ready, would you rather they hold off just to get the PC version up to snuff?

"Sony even has Nixxes (PC port studio) that can be thrown from project to project to optimise PC versions before release."
Nixxes is a small studio, it's simply unfeasible for them to work on every project. That's why other outside studios like Iron Galaxy were brought in to port Naughty Dog's games to middling/poor results and required multiple patches over time to get up to an acceptable standard.

"Same for "games will be worse." Spider-Man 2 was pretty buggy (for standard of PS Studios games) and it was PS5 release only."
And you think adding more platforms to the mix won't amplify this? If you thought SM2 was buggy on one platform it's only going to get worse with simultaneous PC releases.

"And that "build around PS5 SSD" argument is just laughable. You know that PC currently boasts way higher transfer speeds for SSD then PlayStation 5, right?"
I specifcially mentioned low-mid range PCs that don't use comparable SSD speeds. Even so the number of games on PC that require SSD for DirectStorage is a tiny handful and every Digital Foundry comparison has shown PS5 handily beating PC when it comes to loading speeds.

"And I mean, yeah. PC version will probably be cheaper and won't require PS Plus for online play. But I don't understand why it is a problem."
It's a problem because with simultaneous PC releases PS5 owners are no longer getting the 1st class treatment expected from a platform holder. They no longer get the games early and are being fleeced for more money for a lesser experience. You can ask Xbox owners how they feel about their games going multiplatform to gauge a similar response as Xbox console owners.

I hope all the PS5 owners that are indifferent about the idea of day and date PC releases understand the consequences of what these actions will bring:

• Development time will be further increased to ensure the game is up to standard on multiple platforms, so enjoy waiting even longer for 1st party games to come to PS5.
• If dev time is not affected then game quality certainly will be, and expect games to ship with more bugs due to less time being devoted to polishing a single version.
• Say goodbye to the idea of having games designed around the DualSense and PS5's SSD. Devs will be targeting the lowest common denominator from now on, which will be low-mid range PC owners who don't use DualSense or have comparable SSD speeds to PS5 owners. So essentially games will continue to be "held back" from their full potential just like that had been with the cross-gen releases.
• Games will still be priced lower on PC storefronts than on the PS Store with even cheaper options available from cd key sellers. Now the premium £70/$70 price for the console release is even more laughable because there's no longer any justification for it. You no longer get the game years early, instead you pay more for a lesser, more restricted version than the PC version available at the same time.
• PS+ will never be a requirement for online play on PC so in addition to paying more for the games alone you'll still need to be subscribed for online features on console.

A timeline and summary of everything Sony first party has released on PS5:

Astro's Playroom (2020) - Tech demo
Demon's Souls (2020) - Remake of a PS3 game, still fully exclusive
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) - Cross-gen, released on PC
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered (2020) - Port of a PS4 game, released on PC
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (2020) - Cross-gen, released on PC
Destruction AllStars (2021) - Dead live service game, fully exclusive
MLB The Show 21 (2021) - Cross-gen, day one on Xbox Game Pass
Returnal (2021) - Released on PC
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021) - Released on PC
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut (2021) - Port of a PS4 game
Death Stranding Director's Cut (2021) - Port of a PS4 game, released on PC
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (2022) - Ports of PS4 games, released on PC
Horizon Forbidden West (2022) - Cross-gen, scheduled to release on PC soon
Gran Turismo 7 (2022) - Cross-gen
MLB The Show 22 (2022) - Cross-gen, day one on Xbox Game Pass, also on Switch
The Last of Us Part I (2022) - Remake of a PS3 game, released on PC
God of War Ragnarök (2022) - Cross-gen
Horizon Call of the Mountain (2023) - PS VR2 exclusive
MLB The Show 23 (2023) Cross-gen, day one on Xbox Game Pass, also on Switch
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023) - Currently exclusive; leak revealed PC port is in development
The Last of Us Part II Remastered (2024) - Port of a PS4 game
Helldivers 2 (2024) - Live service game, released day and date on PC with no PS+ requirement for PC

You can judge for yourself if this output makes a compelling case to own a PS5, which is already at the halfway stage of its lifespan.

@Splat Shinji Mikami and the co-founder/studio director of Playground games, Gavin Raeburn also bailed.

See you in about 5 years when we'll probably see the first glimpse of this game.

I think it's fairly obvious that WB are to blame for Rocksteady being forced to create a game that they never believed in. It couldn't be more apparent when the 2 founders and main creative force behind the Batman Arkham games left mid-development.

Gran Turismo 7 will suffer this exact same fate a few years down the line. This is what you signed up for when you choose to accept always online games.

The only place on the internet where Spider-Man 2 will actually win awards.