Comments 560

Re: The Novelty of PlayStation's PC Ports Does Appear to Be Dampening

Art_Vandelay

@NEStalgia You're trying to make a point that the old console model is dying while failing to provide clear evidence of it. In fact, your last point kind of destroys the whole argument. Nintendo is the irrefutable proof that the old model still works, and works wonderfully. I'm sure Sony and Microsoft would die to be in their shoes. Because even though Nintendo might not be the biggest player, it is definitely the most lucrative one.

This whole narrative you're describing has been pushed down everyone's throat by Microsoft simply because they are on the losing side. Their strategy is to try and pretend their issues are everybody's issues in an attempt to flip the script. I don't fall for it. If anything, I'd guess the next Switch is going to be as successful as the current one, if not more.

Now, if the internet infrastructure ever gets in place, streaming may become a thing. But that could well take another couple of decades.

Re: The Novelty of PlayStation's PC Ports Does Appear to Be Dampening

Art_Vandelay

@NEStalgia You're focusing on the picture when you should be looking at the film when analyzing this. And the harder part is that most of the movie is yet to be revealed.

You're also conflating many different dimensions to construct your argument, but they don't quite fit together at the end. In my opinion, of course. I do respect your view, but I'm a little short on time to deconstruct it now. So, we'll have to go with "I disagree", sorry.

I'll just reinforce the crux of the matter, then: a platform is different from a publisher because there's this symbol to rally around. I'm referring to the console, or course. If you erode this idol, the whole thing colapses. And great first-party exclusives are the necessary support. It was in 1994, and it continues to be in 2024. There's simply no substitute.

Re: The Novelty of PlayStation's PC Ports Does Appear to Be Dampening

Art_Vandelay

The PC strategy is such a shot in the foot. It obviously devalues the brand, even if the negative ramifications will only be felt in the future, and gradually. Moreover, it adds a lot of unnecessary complexity to the already tumultuous game development environment.

Of course I understand the reasons. Margins are getting crushed, and Sony needs to extract more money from each game. But it's a shortsighted mistake.

This "PC gamers" and "console gamers" separation is total bs. These things ebb and flow when you give them enough time.

On the bright side, there are glimmers of Sony realizing it. So I hope they get to eventually revert it. But, why would I want fewer people to enjoy PlayStation games? Because I want better games, and that would come from a healthier industry.

Re: Vince Zampella Defends PS5 Pro Price, Says 'It's Actually Not That Bad'

Art_Vandelay

Entitlement really is one of the major widespread societal issues particularly on the West, a fact clearly demonstrated by this ridiculous outrage over the Pro's price tag.

1) It's totally optional. If you can't afford it, why do you care?

2) Most people complaining, do have the option to trade-in or sell their current PS5. If you paid $400+ for your current console, why is it such a big deal to shell out another $400 to cover for the difference? And if it is a big deal somehow, see point number 1.

3) The Neo Geo was introduced in 1997 for $650. Adjusted for inflation, it would cost $1,275 today. Yeah...

4) The 3DO launched in 1993 for $700. In 2024's dollars worth? $1,525. Hell yeah.

5) A GPU that would offer about the same level of performance and features of a PS5 Pro would cost, alone, around the same $700 of the Pro today.

"Ok, but it's still not worth it for me..." Well, it is for me. See point number 1 again, please.

Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'

Art_Vandelay

@InfidelFrigidstraigh It's subtle, for sure, as we've been deep into diminishing returns in graphics for years now. But it's certainly noticeable. The character's hair is the telltale here. It looks heavily dithered even in the base PS5's fidelity mode, whereas it's clean and natural in the Pro shot.

Most people won't care but, for the few (millions) of us graphics enthusiasts, the current way upscaling looks on the PS5 is quite distracting and well worth the upgrade.

Re: PS5 Pro Reveal Is Already Sony's Most Disliked Console Announcement

Art_Vandelay

People seem to miss the point of Pro consoles just like they do with VR headsets.

The PS5 Pro is a halo product. It's not meant to sell in volumes, but to provide a higher reference point in terms of brand image and recognition.

Having the world's most powerful (and expensive) console gives Sony a clear edge, even if the vast majority of people end up buying the standard model.

Additionally, the few enthusiasts who bite the bullet are usually the most vocal users, which helps amplifying positive buzz around the product line. Not to mention the Digital Foundry videos that will inevitably crown the PS5 Pro versions of games the "best" among consoles, further solidifying that superiority notion.

Circling back to VR, PSVR2 is a value add. When choosing which console to buy, many people will opt for PlayStation simply because it offers the option of jumping into VR in the future, regardless of they ever doing it.

Re: Talking Point: Is PS5 Pro Way Too Expensive?

Art_Vandelay

It's funny to see the reaction of people who got used to live in a world without inflation. I'm from Brazil, so I've seen my fair share of that.

Look, electronics have been raising in prices above inflation for many years now, and the lockdowns have just made it much worse. It's a complex supply chain issue with many dimensions, and there's no escaping from it.

The outrage here is the same we saw with many price announcements in the recent past: the iPhone X, the 2080ti, the 3090, 4090 and so on. But people eventually adjust their expectations and bite the bullet.

Re: Black Myth: Wukong's Sales Top 18 Million in Two Weeks on PS5, PC

Art_Vandelay

Now, here is the most important lesson from this game: originality matters.

Many, if not most hardcore gamers have been doing this (gaming) for decades now. There are too many games coming out these days, and not enough time to play them. Games have become too big, complex and bloated, forcing publishers to risk less and studios to adopt widespread tools. This, in turn, has made games too similar to each other, both from a visual and gameplay perspectives.

BMW is surely not a cornerstone of innovation, but it's the first game of its kind to come from China, and it is unique enough.

Sure, a large part of those sales originated from China itself, but there's no denying that this game has managed to garner a lot of attention across the west.

Re: Reaction: PlayStation Needs to Take a Long, Hard Look at Itself

Art_Vandelay

Alright, this game flopped for a myriad of reasons that combined into a perfect storm. But I see a lot of people pretending that the culture war had nothing to do with it. You may keep your head buried in the sand, but money talks. The pendulum is surely already swinging within Sony, and I'm glad future games will eventually lose that early 2020s stench.

Re: Jennifer Hale Says AI Is Coming for All of Us

Art_Vandelay

@riceNpea Since you mentioned Brazil, and I happen to live here, besides broadly agreeing with your points, here's another frightening fact: our Supreme Court has just imposed its biggest assault on our democracy yet (not the first one), and it feels like nothing has happened. Almost nobody around me would begin to care.

It's exactly the frog in the hot water analogy. And a cautionary tale, as you pointed out.

Re: Players Complain of Lengthy PS5 Matchmaking Times As Concord Numbers Dwindle

Art_Vandelay

@PloverNutter Bingo!

I'm sick of that attitude, as well. "Suits", "board room", "management", and so on. Sure, the amount of responsibility scales the higher one is in the corporate ladder, but the blame is on everyone down to the janitor.

It's funny that, when a game succeeds, the "devs" are celebrated as the heroes and, when it fails, they are the poor victims.

Re: Black Myth: Wukong (PS5) - A Spectacularly Creative Action Romp

Art_Vandelay

This one should be good with the Pro, since it's apparently very GPU bound. The visual artifacts on the PS5, especially in performance mode, are quite distracting. Not to mention the now infamous input lag, which could be reduced if Game Science manages to get a native 60 fps out of the improved console. Or ideally, a 120 fps container with VRR.

Re: Site News: Where's Our Concord PS5, PC Review?

Art_Vandelay

@naruball That's precisely the point. I have zero interest in playing this game but, as an observer of the gaming industry, I'm very interested in how Sony will react to its inevitable failure.

In fact, this might be the story of the year in how it will shape the future of PlayStation. Sony is about to burn a lot of cash.

And let's be honest: as you have pointed out, the fact that 70% of people voted for "not interested" in a poll inside the article about this very game, should really tell you something.

Re: Round Up: What Was Announced During Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024?

Art_Vandelay

@OldGamer999 I have the exact same feeling. There may be a little of my 46 years of age playing its part, but it does feel like gaming has gone downhill in the past few years. But so has the world in general, and videogames are not disconnected from that.

VR has saved my interest in the hobby for the time being, but I wonder for how long.

Re: Hands On: Black Myth: Wukong PS5 Performance Isn't Perfect, But It's Perfectly Fine

Art_Vandelay

Sounds like the perfect candidate for a Pro patch, since it seems more GPU than CPU bound. Also, the PC version is based on the Nvidia RTX UE5 branch, meaning it's heavy on the ray tracing goodness. For those in the know, the Pro is supposed to be much better at that. And last but not least, the base PS5 version seems to be employing FSR2 to upscale to 4K, which is fine, but PSSR should be a lot better.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this game featured at the Pro reveal event.

Re: Black Myth: Wukong Becomes Steam's Biggest Ever Single Player Launch

Art_Vandelay

"[...] as the developer was forced to delay the Xbox Series X|S version due to technical issues".

We know what that means. Xbox Series S is too memory bandwidth constrained for this game. And to think that that piece of junk is still regarded as a "great move by Microsoft", "very consumer friendly" and so on. Well, the truth is that Series S may not be the main reason, but it's definitely an important component of Xbox's implosion as a brand.

Re: PSVR2 Sales Explode After Sony's Deep Price Cut, Up More than 2,000%

Art_Vandelay

Man, this "Sony is dropping support for VR" is really freaking tiring. Why can't people have a bit of nuance? Not commenters necessarily, but journalists at the least.

Remember that the truth is usually in the middle of opposing viewpoints. So, Sony is neither fully invested in VR nor clearing out stock to abandon the platform.

They clearly want to have a foot in VR in case the medium takes off, because it could become an important avenue of growth. This spike in sales just goes to show that VR is not dead, nor is PSVR2. There's definitely interest. But don't expect massive investments from Sony, because it's still a niche market and TLOU VR will not change this simple fact overnight.

VR was always going to be a slow burn. It keeps growing little by little, but it should still take many years to become mainstream. Sony knows that, and so does Meta and Apple.

And there are people like me, who've made the switch to VR and never looked back. After 40 years of gaming, I had seen and done it all on that flat screen. PSVR2 came to the rescue, along with a dream come true in the form of GT7 on a racing rig.

Re: Deals: Sony Goes for the Jugular with Humongous PS5, PSVR2 Discounts in USA

Art_Vandelay

@LimitedPower I'd say go for it, but definitely get PSVR2. If you have any interest in VR and own a PS5, $350 is a steal. Don't listen to the doom mongers, as the library has enough great games to last for a lifetime. And more is on the way, with Metro, Behemoth, Alien, Wanderer and Aces of Thunder, just to name a few.

I got mine at launch and it completely changed my gaming habits. VR is so much more compelling to me, that I have barely played any flat games since. I was told the "magic" would quickly wane but, after 18 months, I still regularly get those unique "VR moments". And the actual dust gatherer in my home is the DualSense.

Re: Video Game Performers to Strike Due to AI Concerns

Art_Vandelay

Ok... generally, I am very much against the substitution of people for AI, be it actors, writers, singers, and so on. And I actually think that this bubble will burst since consumers are as interested in the content as they are interested in the human connection with the author.

With that said, some substitution will inevitably occur, as there are use cases where AI will make sense as a tool. Same as with every other new technology, from the Gutenberg's press to autonomous vehicles.

But this article has a couple of quite ironic key-points:

1) The same people in the comments that are supporting the strike today will be moaning here tomorrow 'cuz, you know, "where are the gaaamez???".

2) The strike may well accelerate AI adoption, as studios and publishers will be cornered into looking for alternatives to real actors.

Re: PSVR2 App for PC Now Live on Steam

Art_Vandelay

@NEStalgia Fair point. I guess it's a matter of taste, at the end of the day. Those games do appeal to an audience, but not to me as they mostly look quite dated or janky in VR. RE8 is just on another level IMHO.

The exception being Flight Simulator, and that is indeed a niche where PCVR does have a clear edge: sims in general, especially of the airborne kind. But again, I'd take GT7 over any racer on PC, so...

And of course, if you're willing to fiddle with mods and stuff, PC is the place to be. I'm strictly talking about the "official" library. So yeah, to each their own.

Re: PSVR2 App for PC Now Live on Steam

Art_Vandelay

@VaultGuy415 I agree that GT7 is by far the biggest reason to buy a PSVR2. To be fair though, Sony's headset has a few other exclusives that, IMHO, make it the best headset for hardcore gamers: RE4, RE8, Synapse and Call of The Mountain. Horizon might be the most contentious, but I think all of these are better than anything on Quest or even SteamVR, except for Alyx.