It’s been a quiet year for Sony with regards to its communication with consumers, something that we’ve criticised quite heavily in the past – but it clearly hasn’t been twiddling its thumbs. Whether the company is clearing the deck ahead of the PlayStation 5 or just working to ensure it retains its position of dominance in the marketplace, the Japanese giant may have shut up these past few months but it’s sure as hell putting up right now.
Some online pundits have been eager to pull out the ol’ “arrogant” phrase, but it’s becoming obvious just how busy the platform holder’s been working behind the scenes. The whole name change scenario, which has clearly proven a massive headache for the manufacturer, is about to be put to bed – and it’s not the only thing. Over the past few weeks, the organisation’s also added downloads to PlayStation Now and enabled cross-play.
While we don’t necessarily think the company deserves a pat on the back for incorporating features that arguably shouldn’t have been absent in the first place, you’ve got to give it kudos for keeping its ear to the ground and reacting to consumers’ wants and needs. PSN name changes aren’t going to have any considerable impact on its install base, but fans demanded it; cross-play was only bringing bad press, but it’s revised its business model to accommodate it.
In some cases these things are overdue, but it shows that the organisation isn’t just resting on its laurels. Given the recent moves that Microsoft’s made, there’s been a lot of talk about first-party acquisition, but Sony’s been quietly investing in first-party as well; Guerrilla Games is about to move to a gigantic new office where it will be able to expand its workforce, while similar things have happened at Days Gone developer Bend Studio. Then there’s also the rumoured new Uncharted developer that hasn’t even been formerly announced.
Sony may not be talking as much as it did at the start of the generation, but actions speak louder than words, and the company’s gradually crossing off concerns while continuing to deliver outstanding games. All is not perfect, and there’s still more that can be done to ensure that PlayStation remains the best place to play – but you get the impression that the Japanese giant’s not content sitting still, and that bodes well for the future.
Are you happy with all the changes that PlayStation’s been making of late? Do you have any quibbles right now that you’d still like the company to address? Keep moving forwards in the comments section below.
Comments 35
@LaNooch1978 Oh, you!
@LaNooch1978 and I'll still day one buy over the competition that will have equal requirements.
Sony has a direct line to my heart... and my wallet.
@LaNooch1978 well we will be streaming all of our games next gen so of course we need a permanant internet connection
I just want to see what the next thing is that everyone shouts about online. Cross-play is sorted, and suddenly no one cares about cross-play despite the fact that most developers will probably never implement it. Name changes are coming, PS Now is actually pretty good... We need something new to cry about and we need it now!
@ShogunRok How about backward compatibility with PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3 and PSV?
@Medic_alert Perhaps read the article again?
@HungryWolf That'll do. It's so impossible that people will never stop crying about it, so it's perfect.
@LaNooch1978 Yeah don't get me wrong, there's always room for improvement, but it does make me laugh when something like cross-play was supposedly such a huge deal, yet mention of it has dropped off the face of the planet now that Sony has changed its policy. Shouldn't we witch hunting developers or something now?
@LaNooch1978 Well duh! That’ll be because of the purple-ray player that will project 4 dimensional holograms. Bookmark it 🤓
@ShogunRok
Talking about people crying about. If, like a few think, PS5 doesn't get announced by E3, can Sony afford a dull E3 presentation next year?
If not, does it imply PS5 announcement? I think that's one more reason why they have to announce it.
@Medic_alert Okay, well that's one way of looking at it I guess.
@ShogunRok Arrogant Sony is back. I don’t care about exclusives like Spider-Man or The Last of Us 2, what I want is crossplay on Fortnite and that Fallout mmo.
@ShogunRok
Backwards comparability. Something I will never use, but I want more than the air I breath. Because.
@NintendoFan4Lyf with that company there’s a lot else to complain about like the Online Service, lack of some basic features, etc.
@NintendoFan4Lyf most things it’s whatever cus I’ll just play gaemz while others are whining but meh
@lacerz While Sony's buggered itself with PS3 backwards compatibility, I think PS5 will almost certainly have it for PS4 games. There'll be hell to pay if not.
I'd be happy with PS1 BC so I can pack up my PS3.
I'll be honest: this caught me completely off guard.
Not the article's subject matter itself, but rather its opening line.
@ShogunRok
Pick any consumer-friendly feature that's been warmly received on other platforms, remove it from the Sony ecosystem, and you should have months' worth of articles describing why it's not needed before the Blue Giant eventually gives in. Sour-graping, when practiced at length, requires a lot of effort, patience and dedication, so I can't say I envy you.
@JJ2 What was great at MS all the multiplatform announcements?
@AlexSora89 Ah ninty does get a pet on the back for everything. The great online service making you for backing up your saves which dont work with all games and which get deleted the day after your subscription ends.
I don't care for name changes and PS PLUS downloads and Cross-play, all I want is a PlayStation that can play all my PS1 and PS2 and PS3 and PS4(and future consoles)discs and that would be AMAZING and not SONY wasting their time trying to please idiots who picked a stupid name in the first place and me having to play with people who own other games consoles that i dislike
@Flaming_Kaiser
Implying Nintendo is safe from my criticism merely based on the fact I'm a Ninty fan.
Pats on the back when they're due; dope-slaps otherwise.
(Additionally, save files stay on the cloud for six months after the subscription expires.)
@Flaming_Kaiser
I didn't say Ms was great. I don't actually care much of Xbox. I do think Sony E3 was great in spite of a weird conference. Was one of the best with Spidey, Days Gone demos and a lot more. I'm saying a dull conference (even if there is a great E3 with hands demo of the big games) next year (with not much new announced) would be very criticised with full flak from the press.
@NintendoFan4Lyf What issues i can play online its almost always up in the Netherlands 99% of the time. It has a nice library of all kind off games. Damn its almost like a console.
I see solid road building for the next gen.
@NintendoFan4Lyf But you really cant backup saves any other way?
I just want more stability updates. They better not start slacking in that department now.
... they've really got a fight on their hands - Microsoft are going to come out of the gates swinging in the next gen battle... as they gobble up more studios (Obsidian next) and their Game Pass goes from strength-to-strength (free Horizon 4 anyone?!)...
PS5 (or whatever it will be) needs to be tip-top in the tech department (UHD player, atmos-enabled, possibly even dolby vision, TV pass-through would also be nice) otherwise it's going to lag behind on the hardware side...
PSVR 2.0 also (somehow?) needs to be backwards-compatible whilst also bringing in entirely new tech (better tracking / controllers)... this is no easy task... the next year or so will definitely be very interesting! (and a great time to own both systems!)
always knew crossplay was just a thing people complained about for no reason other then to have something to hate sony for.
besides sony being silent is not bad,just look at some other big console maker that does talk alot. most of the time its' just making false claims and making sure sony gets in the bad spotlight with some made up stories. (note that a sony spokesperson also did that ones a few weeks ago),so it's just best to keep silent but deliver,which sony is king at right now.
@jdv95
MICROSOFT: "We have a high level of expectation for our game developers to ensure that all Live experiences remain top notch. Because we can't guarantee this level of quality or control the player experience on other consoles or gaming networks, we currently do not open our network to games that allow this cross-over capability"
SONY: "On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play."
When Microsoft said this (at a time when Sony was all for cross-play), it was a foot-note. When Sony says the same thing (at a time when Microsoft is all for cross-play) its suddenly the end of the world and a "Classic Sony Move".
@thedevilsjester
this so much.
sony always gets hate for sometimes no real reason.
don't know why either.
Well, now all that's sorted, I insist that Sony change the laws of physics so that electronics don't generate static, and my PS5 will actually repel dust, or I'm buying an Xbox.
@thedevilsjester Spot on.
Hopefully they've been working on an internal fan for the PS5 that is so quiet it actually sucks other ambient noise out of the room.
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