Topic: Sony taking ‘L’s’

@nessisonett yeah it definitely sounds worth it if you have the time for all that. As you’ve undoubtedly noticed from most of my posts, time is something I struggle to find enough of for my Sony backlog. I just don’t think it would be healthy to add Gamepass to that 🤯.

@colonelkilgore my only issue with Sony lately is I don’t feel like they have been communicating effectively through all of the changes going on. I’m totally fine with change, but a lot of this “outrage” could be easily mitigated by Sony simply communicating better with it’s fan base.

While I don't think they are losing right now but Sony is doing some questionable things this generation. It's comes down mainly to who's in charge. I feel right now with Jim Ryan in charge PlayStation is at the same place Xbox was with Don Mattrick. They both seemed out of touch with gamers. Jim Ryan's comments about Gamepass sound just like something Mattrick would say, it so reminds me of Mattrick we have a system for people who don't have Online it's called Xbox 360, comment.

I think once Sony gets rid of Jim Ryan like MS did with Mattrick and get someone like Phil Spencer or Shawn Layden they will be better off.

As for me I will be honest PS5 right now does not interest me at all. I have a PS4, and games I want to play like Miles Morales I can on the PS4.

Also I won't lie Gamepass is a very nice feature. Right now I am at a point in my life where I have too much stuff and I don't want/need more. Even last.gen I found myself playing a new game once and feeling satisfied plus my backlog is so big I only have time to play a game through once. With physical games I play them finish them and then sit on my shelf to collect dust untill I sell them off just to get more room.

Another thing for me I went PS4 first last gen so I played all the elxcusives that I wanted yet I am still playing catch up on Xbox One elxcusives so there's that for me too.

But I don't think they are bad right now just at a bad place due to who's in charge and once they realize that they will be in a better place.

I will still be amazed if Bethesda games are truly exclusive to Xbox. Even if they take a year or two to come to Playstation, I won't mind (like FF16 as a PS5 "exclusive").

Xbox has had it's big name franchises in the past like Halo, Forza, Gears of War and it's a shame I've never been able to try them but there's been more than enough Sony exclusives that I've played so swings and roundabouts.

There have been some strange decisions recently but outside of the more interested gamers, I don't think it'll make too much of a difference. Stuff about TLOU remastered could be a bit overblown as I imagine the flagship Sony studios are big enough to be doing multiple things at the same time (Insomniac had enough manpower to bother with a patch to a five year old game to run 60fps on PS5).

Microsoft are doing better with PR at the moment and Sony could definitely improve there. For instance, plenty is made of GamePass having new games but PS+ has just given away a brand new game free and have done others over the last 12 months with Fall Guys and Destruction AllStars (from what I remember). Bundle deals of Plus and Now seems a no-brainer, particularly if they allow for download of Now games rather than streaming.

The lack of much else happening in the gaming world at the moment with regards to new releases is probably helping Microsoft too!

@Jimmer-jammer definitely agree on the communication front, their silence kinda worked on the build up to unveiling the PS5 but I think we would all like a bit more info on what’s to come.

It's unreal to me how simpleminded the media and masses are.

Everybody is riding the Xbox hype train and bashing Sony because of PR, meanwhile, irl PlayStation continues to deliver. That's what should matter.

Gamepass is a successful service, but that can not cover for every other deficiency. Xbox Series has launched with perhaps the most historically inept exclusive and new first party output in the history of generational console releases. Nearly six months in and there isn't one major exclusive with a date. The biggest new, exclusive is a timed walking sim with a 71 Meta.

The other criticism stems from the absolute exaggeration and embellishment of SXs power and performance ability. The entire SX marketing campaign was based on being in another league as far as power/performance are concerned. Ppl believed it. The argument was that multiplat games would be so far superior on SX that it wasn't worth getting a PS5. They sold pre-orders on this basis and if anything, PS5 has shown slightly superior performance and DualSense has made it the ideal console for multiplat games.

While Xbox far and away received the headlines as the superior hardware pre-release, ppl largely overlooked Mark Cerny's comments about power, tech, and performance. They also assumed more teraflops meant superior tech. That hasn't been the case, and when discussing technical prowess they ignored actual next gen innovation like the DualSense and SSD. While both consoles have largely performed the same, it's the innovative tech that looks to separate the hardware. DualSense is a revelation and the SSD while impressive in optimized games, looks to show it's worth in R&C. Overall, PS5 hardware has provided the more immersive next gen experience despite everyone kissing Microsoft's a** because of spec sheets.

Sony is taking L's in terms of PR, atm, but W's irl. Leading sales, demand, performance, games, revenue, and innovation. Look at the launch lineup for SX and PS5. Now look at the scheduled games from now to 2022. Sony is dominating. Look at DualSense, VR, and the excitement around the SSD with R&C around the corner. Is a Bloomberg rumor about Days Gone 2 more important than delivering great content in real time? Don't let the propaganda and PR blind u from reality. Xbox lied, manipulated, and underperformed all of last gen. Despite hype jobs and buzzwords, the only positive aspect of the current Xbox ecosystem right now is Gamepass. Did ppl forget that Games With Gold is an absolute joke these days? On the flip, PS+ has been fantastic.

I am in awe of Microsoft's ability to redirect, spin, and to manufacture hype while consistently disappointing fans on most major fronts. They truly are evil geniuses. They certainly have perfected the art of herding the cattle. On the other side, Sony continues it's legacy of great products and awful public relations. If Sony had half the media savvy of Microsoft, PlayStation would be untouchable.

@iamtylerdurden1 The thing is, referring to the ‘media and masses’ is exactly the arrogance that Sony are showing. Essentially calling people stupid for not seeing that Sony are better than Xbox is just a non-argument.

Sony definitely have their strengths. As consoles I prefer the PS5 in terms of form and function, as well as the fact their first party output isn't nearly as dry compared to Microsoft's but Xbox lately have been pressing all the right buttons in terms of getting the consumer to come to their side. It's even more impressive what they've done to repair the image of the company given they don't really have much in the way of first party yet. They've managed to corner the market with stuff like studio acquisitions, a super compelling value proposition with Game Pass and lots of publisher/developer deals like with Bloober Team on The Medium, SEGA with PSO2 and Yakuza, and Square Enix with bringing Final Fantasy to the service, in addition to supposedly whatever's going down between them and Kojima Productions, notably a pretty Sony-centric studio even well into the developer's post-Konami days.

Sony really needs to step up on their PR. They're practically as radiosilent as Nintendo at this rate and as a result stuff like the Bloomberg article which does a good job at shifting public perception without them saying a word starts to happen.

I treated myself to a series x through all access in January. As someone who doesn't have a pc and still enjoys older games (and never had a 360 or played much ps3), the backwards compatibility combined with features like fps boost and auto hdr plus instantly having a huge library of games through gamepass ultimate is great. The jim Ryan view that bc is often requested but little used certainly doesn't apply for me! My relatively basic laptop can even handle some of the less demanding indie games on gamepass ultimate, like gris when I can't get on the tv. I also find the streaming to pc from microsoft better than ps5. I have yet to play, gears, halo or fable but forza 4 has been genius. Having said that, ps5 is a fantastic machine, I'm such a fan of the haptics! Really, given the absence of any series x/s exclusives against ps5 with amazing haptics, possibly the best pack in game ever, decent bc to last gen, demon souls and miles morales and the ps plus collection and the play at home initiative, there really shouldn't be any sony negativity. Yet decisions around game pricing, poor communication, strange messaging around ps now and a sony developed game appearing day one on gamepass, combined with the recent Jason Schrier stories/sony Japan disbanding are leading to negativity. I'm just lucky to be in a situation that if there is a decent game, unless it's a pc exclusive, I'll be able to play it!

Sony's moves these last few years have absolutely been putting me off, and I don't really have much in the way of excitement for any of their upcoming confirmed exclusives other than Horizon 2 (which is also going to PS4 and probably PC at some point), but that doesn't really translate to additional fondness for the Xbox ecosystem for me. Xbox had nothing for me all last generation, and, to date, that is still true. Most of their upcoming first-party releases are years out, and I couldn't care less about the new Halo game.

I've been pretty happy with Nintendo's priorities and exclusives as of late, so I'll stick with them, play my backlog, explore the huge number of PS4 and PC games I never bothered getting around to, and see how this generation pans out. If GPU prices ever come down, I'll probably also grab one of the cheaper RTX cards so that I can play the occasional newer AAA game at 60fps. So I might not even need a power console, in that case.

If I get a PS5, it'll be because I want to play exclusives on that system or because my PS4 crapped out and, if I'm going to be spending hundreds of dollars anyway, I might as well get something faster and newer.

@R1spam Backwards compatibility isn't something that sells systems, but Jim Ryan basically insinuated there wasn't an audience at all for classic games, completely ignoring the irony in the fact that a lot of the PS4's library is made up of remasters, enhanced ports or remakes. Hell the PS5's premier launch title is a remake, and Spider-Man Miles Morales was accompanied by a remaster of the first game

This isn't enough to convert me over to Xbox or for me to go strictly into PC gaming but I am getting mixed signals from this new Sony already. Hell how could he say something like "who wants to play old games" and then seemingly greenlight a Last of Us remake, especially given the remaster is already natively playable on PS5 lol

@TheFrenchiestFry Never trust a man with two first names.

@nessisonett But Phil Spencer though

@TheFrenchiestFry Exactly. This is why we stan Reggie Fils-Aimé.

This is now a designated Reggie Fils-Aime and Mark Cerny stan thread

I'm already cross platform with PS4/5 and a switch lite for Mario Kart, Yoshi, and a few shmups that are exclusive.
MS is one of the companies that I don't support because I don't agree with how they do business. Gamepass saved me from buying Outriders before I knew it was mostly owned by Tencent, so thanks MS!

@TheDaddyOtaku Nintendo have an entire business with Tencent though.

Interesting discussion points here. I think most of my thoughts have been articulated competently by others already, but I’ll chime in. Agree that the “L’s” being taken are probably mostly PR flubs and poor reaction to what Microsoft is doing. Well, maybe not poor reaction, but a poor communication of their response to the MS model that is growing in popularity.

With regard to my personal gaming preferences, it’s a time issue and a backlog issue. Sony hasn’t lost any ground with my devotion and my plans for continued future commitment. I can’t imagine getting a SeriesX or a GamePass subscription at this point (perhaps my mind changes later on). My personal situation is geared toward needing to focus on my favorite games and the few I’m most excited about, rather than exploration of a huge GamePass library. I can barely keep up with the PS+ offerings in addition to my purchases. I just added another handful of backlog games when I bought a PS5, due to my instant access to the PS Plus Collection now (hello RE7, Days Gone, Crash -N- Sane Trilogy, and Monster Hunter World...). I do like this idea of a “greatest hits” type of collection of 10-15 games and maybe rotate those around a couple times a year.

If I had access to PS Now or GamePass, then would I try out some games I wouldn’t have otherwise? Sure, but I do that now with PS+. The only issue that creates slight jealousy is that of new releases going to GP. If Returnal, Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, and Ratchet & Clank were going to be on PS Now day 1, I probably would subscribe. But I’m happy to just buy them when I want to play them. I have a feeling if those types of games were on the service day 1, then we might quickly see a watering down of AAA quality output. I’m not sure though.

But I can definitely see the value of GamePass for gamers with more free time and less discretionary funds. It’s great for that crowd. By no means am I made of money, but I’m willing to pay a little more because time is money too, and is really my most precious commodity.

Overall, I think the competition is healthy for Sony, but I also don’t want them to over-react and start shutting down studios that can’t produce big sellers, or that don’t fit their creative strategy. I don’t want them to just copy every aspect of the Microsoft model, because we need both options, I believe. And also the Nintendo option. We need that one too.

Days Gone director denied that he left for reasons stated in Schreier's piece and says DG2 was in development. Schreier insists he knows better 🤷‍♂️
https://gamingroute.com/days-gone-director-says-that-the-sequ...

@Voltan I dunno, Schreier does tend to be right most of the time. I’m not sure he would have made that big a deal unless he was 100% sure about his sources.