Topic: Answer the Question

@BAMozzy: Thats the point though - we are not PC Gamers. Incremental changes do not help in the long run, most developers will develop for the lowest common denominator. Its not as simple as flicking a switch and bingo you have better graphics. The bigger the pixel count the more work developers need to put into development of games. Which will effect everyone even the people without a ps4k. Wherever that is waiting longer for games to release or paying more. The PS4 is just about hitting its stride and developers are getting to grips with the hardware at last. I dont want the PS4K to turn into the Amiga 600 or 32X, The CPC 6128 or the N64 with added Ram. None of them worked, this wont either, completely pointless and although it could be a success - the PS5 will look less impressive as a result. Developers need to get a grip of the hardware and start making 1080p 60fps games. They can, its been proved. However they all suffer from a lack of programming talent and using bloated third party tools, more interested in a strand of hair than giving gamers 60fps. I think thats my viewpoint, but heck Im willing to be proved wrong.

Whos buying final fantasy 15?

@themcnoisy: Not me!

Games are already developed at higher resolution and most games already have 4K capability but are downscaled in the optimisation process to get them to run on console. Most developers make the game visuals at 4K and higher - thats things like Character Models, weapons etc. At the end of its development, they optimise down to a set level on PC - say 1080/60 and then see what PC spec will be needed to run that - if its too high a spec, they may tweak and optimise more. When it comes to consoles, they have to optimise even more - reduce the frame rate down to 30, take out unnecessary assets (like drivers etc), take out graphic options/control from the menu, tweak the lighting, particle, shading, texture effects until it runs 'consistently'. Point is this game development is done primarily on PC's and ported to console - even exclusive titles. In PC versions you have a slider to output in different resolutions etc so the information is there already. All developers would need to do is optimise for the PS4 and it will run on a PS4k. I expect they would check performance and adjust the graphic sliders accordingly - for example if a game is optimised to run at 1080/30 on PS4, PS4k may have the option to increase frame rate to 60 and resolution to 1440 (I think 4K is unobtainable at this price point but Polaris GPU is certainly impressive and can do 4K if they use it), Maybe tweak visual effects (lighting, particles etc) but if they run at 1440 with max effects, the game runs at 30fps - its not that different from PC games. The coding/information is already there from the development. Incidentally the N64 with more RAM was successful. DK64, Perfect Dark and even Majoras Mask (although this released too late in the N64's life to get the recognition it deserved at the time) all became classics and required the Expansion to run. All the other games like Turok 2, 3, Vigilante 8, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Shadow Man, Resident Evil 2 etc all benefited from the increased resolution the RAM gave.

What are you looking forward to most this year? (not necessarily in gaming)

Holidaying it up in Spain!

Carpet or Wood flooring?

A school chrome book looks like i'm dead.
With the recent GOW News were would you like it to take place?

Shropshire.

Serious answer: Ancient Egypt could be really interesting as a setting.

What will you name your first newly discovered planet in No Man's Sky?

I have no intention of buying it at the moment.

If you could own any pet (mythical accepted) what would it be and why?

@TripleGK: The fact that independent developers can be noticed, have an audience and be successful without traditional models of development and distribution.

What is the one thing you'd most like to change about the gaming industry?

Fanboyism. I think it shows 'gamers' in a bad light and is in essence a form of racism. If not that then maybe 3rd party deals exclusive deals for multi-platform releases and micro-transactions - particularly in AAA titles. Its difficult to pick a 'single' thing.

Who is your favourite female character in the DC/Marvel universe and why?

Wonder Woman from the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited Animated Series. Not only is she really strong, she's also beautiful, and incredibly confident. She's also generous and kind.

Justice League vs Avengers. Who would win in a impromptu (Batman doesn't have time to find out their weaknesses) fight?

I would say a Draw - although with Superman, you would think he has the power to beat all the Avengers alone (unless Tony Stark discovers Kyptonite but that's not in the Marvel universe) The one difficulty though would be the Hulk - if the JL can find a way to subdue the Hulk, then its definitely the JL who wins.

Uncharted 4 looks stunning but would you rather it ran at 720p and delivered 60fps to match the 60fps of the MP and remasters or glad they stuck to 1080p and 30fps is no different from the first Uncharted games?

900p, like the MP, is not an option as the campaign has much greater draw distances, bigger spaces etc.

To be honest, a game's technical performance has never been a real concern for me. For this question though I will say that I'd prefer 1080p and 30fps, because as you say, the original Uncharted games ran at 30, and I had zero issues with them on PS3. I think 30 suits Uncharted better anyway because it just feels more cinematic (vast majority of movies are shot at 24fps).

What was the game that got you into gaming?

@Quintumply: Pong! Only downside to this was trying to get my sister (or any other person) to play it with me. After this games like Space Invaders, Asteroids etc in Arcades started appearing, Home computers like the BBC and Vic 20 came out as well as Tabletop and handheld gaming devices - like Astro Wars and Nintendos Game and Watch series. But Pong was my first gaming devices and it basically started there.

Do you think 'market age' is more important than 'technological age' when it comes to releasing a new console?

For example the PS4 isn't yet 3yrs old from a market standpoint but technologically its 'older' (say 5-6yrs old) meaning that as every year passes, the gap between new technology and it is increasing. Its expected that a mobile phone could be more powerful in 12-18months (2TFLOPS predicted by 2017 on current growth compared to PS4's 1.84tflops)

@BAMozzy: That's a tough one to answer but for me technology has moved that fast over the last five years I dont think anyone has really harnessed the power suffice iPhones practically standing still and not as many people needing the next best phone. So market age is what I would pick but it doesn't necessarily mean size doesn't matter, its what you do with it that counts a touch more.

Pushsquare or Nintendo life?

Nintendo Life

Ted Cruz or Donald Trump?

Both are going to put us in a WW3, but I would say Trump the 'Take a dump'.

Would you be a contestant on the game show WIPEOUT?

@JLPick: Yes! Why not. Big Red Balls are not really my thing but I will give it my best shot.

Nightclubbing or quiet night in?

Quiet night in. Pubs and clubs are not for me, being teetotal and whatnot

Favourite book and why?

@Quintumply: The Little Book of Philosophy by Andre Comte-Sponville. Genuinely feel it changed my life when I read it as a 15 year old. Changed how I viewed the world, how I viewed several topics, got me deeply interested in philosophy and actually made me feel smarter after reading it funny enough. Great book.

Your GOTY so far?

@Hego: I don't think I've actually played a game released this year, with backlog, kids, work, msg pp, rocket league and one piece warriors 3 I've had no time for anything else.

Do games take too long to finish these days?

@themcnoisy: Personally for me - in general no! It of course depends on the game and what you consider 'finished'. I guess its hard to finish a MP only game for example and a lot of RPG's can be completed quickly if you forego all the side-quests etc but that kind of defeats the RPG experience. A 20hr campaign (in my eyes) is around acceptable for a AAA linear story mode although if it doesn't have an MP or co-op experience, I would expect at least replayability - alternative routes/time-lines, etc. I don't know how long Arkham Knight too to 100% it (All Riddler trophies) but that offers a new game+ option and I didn't feel 'cheated/ripped off/disappointed' by its cost because of a very short game.

I do find that a 10hr campaign leaves me feeling (generally) disappointed - regardless. If I have spent £40 on a game and completed/finished it in 1-2 gaming sessions, I do feel very disappointed - especially if the game offers nothing else - no MP/Co-op mode. In general I look for at least £1 per hour minimum so on a 10hr game there is no way I would pay more than £10. I have spent around 150hrs on the Witcher 3 (for example), over 2000hrs on Destiny (even though I spent £120 on it), These games offer a lot of 'potential' hours and therefore good 'value'.

Obviously it very much depends on the game but that's 'generally' how I feel

Do you have (or interested in) SkyQ or other 4k TV provider? I know SkyQ currently doesn't offer 4k but it will be this year.