I don't have trouble pressing triangle, circle and square, but the "X" button is confusing if you also play on Xbox and/or PC. It's even more confusing switching between Nintendo and Xbox/PC. If that wasn't enough, Nintendo changed the accept/jump button when Nintendo DS launched. I will never get used to that because it's not ergonomic, you have to slide your finger towards the edge and then push.
It's true what some say about Square Enix's exaggerated expectations, but I think that with their new CEO and strategy, that will also change progressively.
@J-Dubs Not really. The best thing about Final Fantasy games is that the games are barely connected to each other, except the obvious sequels, but keep some common elements like the name of the spells. The first FF game I played was VII and I was curious about the older games soon after. I know that VII and XV were the first FF for many players and they played older games afterwards.
The good thing is that Final Fantasy titles won't be locked by Sony, as most of them are available everywhere. Besides, if XVI was the most successful, XVII would be even shallower in terms of gameplay. Exclusivity wasn't the only problem with XVI, but exclusivity fatally hurt sales of Final Fantasy games like VII Rebirth, a better one. The also controversial XV is one of the most commercially Final Fantasy games ever and it launched on PS, Xbox and PC. XIV is also successful, even on Xbox where it arrived very late. So yes, exclusivity knock Final Fantasy sales down. Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco and From Software are more intelligent.
Like others have said, some of the conclusions of this review don't make sense. I can't complain about the price because I got it free as a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. Episode Aigis starts a bit dull, almost like restarting the dungeons part of Persona 3 Reload with almost nothing in between, but then it picks up the pace and hooked me as much as the main game. The story is intriguing and left me wondering what would happen after every session. Being longer than I expected, it also allowed me to try different abilities for the same characters I played in February. The new character is a neat addition. The expansion is carefully crafted to explain the lack of certain aspects and it blends the two stories masterfully.
My favourite is Geoff Keighley's meme because he always plays that role, licking Sony's boots at every video games ceremony. It's also funny because before knowing what he said, we were joking about that kind of thing, @NEStalgia. We are lucky not to pay 6,000 for the console and 2,400 for each game.
@UnlimitedSevens Right. My experience with PS and Xbox is limited, since the PS4/Xbox One generation, but when I was a child I would play on Nintendo, Sega and Sony systems because of friends and family. I got a PS4 before an Xbox One and I hadn't had a Sony or Xbox console before that.
Criticising the changes that you are not liking is absolutely fair. I'm satisfied with what Xbox One and Series X have given me compared to PS4, but I have criticised Nintendo the most, precisely because I grew up with Nintendo consoles. I feel that nobody can take that right away from me and that's exactly how you feel about PS.
I can't believe how evil and miserly Nintendo has become and how their new games reflect that, but also their geniuses are no longer making the games. It's shocking reading other fans justifying anything that they do. Back in the day, a fan tried to convince me of New Super Mario Bros. 2 being as good as Super Mario World. On NL, you read people justifying Nintendo suing fans because they make fan art. That's how you know if an adult is totally nuts.
Overall, the business has changed so much in recent years. I think it was PS4 and Xbox One that started the change, with consoles built as PCs. I admit that right now it's the only way their business can be profitable. It's not about consoles sold anymore, but software and subscriptions, but that shouldn't affect the quality of games or the value perceived by customers.
What I miss the most is what has been lost for gamers. Now, when they make a game, it's often what they think will make the most money. This is very obvious to me with Nintendo casualising their games and ignoring or outsourcing IPs that aren't as popular as Mario and Zelda. It's sad how low the quality and creativity can go and how little it matters, as long as people pay.
I don't understand what Sony is doing either. Basically, it was all about real generations and exclusives when they marketed PS5, trying to make a difference because Microsoft said that they would support Xbox One for three more years. Then it was all about supporting PS4 and PS5 simultaneously with cross-gen releases and remasters. Then, the Call of Duty World War against Microsoft using the most hypocritical reasoning I have ever heard, while paying Activision for Call of Duty exclusive content and third parties for excluding Xbox from multiplatform games. Then, hiring studios and making online games as service for PS5 and then switched to PS5 and PC (Helldivers 2, Concord) and now, the new CEO is after a multiplatform strategy including all games, while Square Enix decides to also reboot their platform strategy. Since PS5 launched until now, Sony has had like five different strategies.
It's nice that they are welcoming PC players, but I can't help thinking that they are releasing the Windows ports later on purpose and including their flagship games late in their subscriptions to first sell an upgraded console and justify the £$700/€800 price, the £$€100 disc drive and the £$€70 tag per game that they started, before the players are able to play somewhere else or can benefit from the subscriptions they pay anyway. For the players. They couldn't have chosen a more cynical slogan, unless "l" is removed.
@UnlimitedSevens Thank you. I respect all genuine respectful fans like you and remember their names and comments after I bought the PS4 soon after launch and posted my questions first and complaints some time later.
I'm intrigued by any new hardware, so I wanted to hear everything that Cerny said before posting anything. Generations are blurred and consoles are progressively becoming gaming PCs. There are no exclusives, not even first-party, but that's not a bad thing at all. Only Nintendo keeps doing exclusives and stays away from PC, precisely the only one that needs better hardware to run games on.
Back to PS5 Pro, not only the PS4 and PS5 disc drives are suddenly useless for those that have them, but they need a separate disc drive and connect it to the newest console to enjoy their old games in AI-upscaled 4K-8K resolution. How much sense does it make? I said this elsewhere, the PS4 Pro made more sense because of its price and because it became a pseudo-4K replacement for PS4 and even had an overclocked CPU. If the PS4 Pro found a relatively small audience, I don't know what PS5 Pro is after, considering the price and how is marketed as a backwards enhancements machine without a disc drive. Of course, new games and updated games could benefit from the extra GPU power, but expecting a game changer like the upcoming current-gen GTA at double frame rate and with some kind of next-generation ray tracing with the same CPU is guileless. Like you said, it's a rushed and cheap to develop PS5 Digital Edition with a GPU upgrade, not even marketed properly.
Pricing aside, Cerny himself says that developers will need to update their games to make the most of PS5 Pro. He also said that 75% of users choose performance mode. He said both things trying to sell the Pro, but in my opinion both statements reveal that it's not worth it, because:
1) Not many games will have an optimised Pro mode.
2) Most console gamers don't care about visual fidelity as much as a £$700 upgrade (€800 in EU?), as long as performance is good.
3) It has the same CPU, so users won't get double the frame rate as stated above by some users. GTA running at 30fps on PS5 and 60fps on PS5 Pro is impossible.
4) You're stuck with Sony's digital store.
Moreover, since it lacks a disc drive, the most enthusiastic PS fans will have lots of PS4, since he also discussed the benefits of playing PS4 games, and PS5 discs that they won't be able to use, unless they also get a peripheral. So if you have a PS4 or a regular PS5, you probably need a separate disc drive on top of the new console.
Last but not least, Microsoft and Sony still need to make the most of Series X and PS5, so a pro model that is £$250 more expensive (the comparison should be between the digital PS5 and PS5 Pro unless you add the price of the disc drive) is pointless.
Bit weird that it was the same judge who oversaw the original case who had the decision on the appeal? I mean are any American appeals successful under those circumstances? But whatever. Enjoy paying £10 a month to rent call of duty I guess Xbox fans.
The first appeal has to go to the same judge but the FTC's appeal has also been denied by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. About Game Pass, you can pay just for Call of Duty on Xbox, if you wish so.
And Nintendo doesn't do 3rd party excslusives? You're all hypocrites.
I'm trying but I don't understand your answer. How does the fact that Nintendo pays for third-party exclusives invalidate my comment or make me a hypocrite?
It cost Sony a lot less with other publishers to make a game exclusive, then it does Microsoft and the difference is is Microsoft actually loses money because they don’t have the consumers to balance it out.
You hit the nail on the head. If Sony is the market leader and pays a little price to keep Zenimax and ABK games or content off Xbox as they have been doing in recent years, the only solution for Microsoft is to buy those publishers. Paying for exclusion deals doesn't make sense for Microsoft because they are a multiplatform business and need games for Game Pass.
Moreover, Sony doesn't do the exclusion deals thing because is "better" for consumers. If they could afford it, they would buy ABK. When the acquisition started, they contacted both ABK with an special offer (not disclosed but probably more money for early access and exclusive DLC) and Microsoft, crying about the future of Call of Duty. When Sony was asked by the judge if they would make Call of Duty a Playstation exclusive if they could, they didn't give a straight answer because the real answer is, "Yes, we would. That's why we pay for what we can afford: early access and DLC."
If only Microsoft’s devs had the same talent as Sony’s 1st party studios, they wouldn’t have to resort to buying publishers with established IP to remain relevant.
If Sony's first-party IPs were that awesome, they wouldn't need to pay third parties to keep games and DLC off Xbox in order to remain so relevant.
The huge difference I see here between Wii U and Project Q is that the GamePad is connected directly to the Wii U while this Project Q is connected to the router and the router connected to the console and that adds a certain amount of latency. The router works as a bridge between the two devices. Also notice the resolution difference that means many more data packages. The Wii U GamePad resolution is 854x480 and it doesn't use any bridge.
Yes, remote play and cloud gaming on smartphones/tablets always need a bridge or a server but you get many perks like using any controller and console and even playing anywhere with the console off.
Coincidentally, I watched the Digital Foundry review a few days ago comparing the Steam Deck and Asus Rog Ally, the latter being more powerful and more expensive but both have roughly the same battery life depending on CPU/GPU load. I'd rather have a Steam Deck or an Asus Rog Ally that can do remote play and not limited to a console and can also play games on their own.
@Ralizah I remember the hack with a remastered soundtrack for Game Boy Advance and it makes a huge difference (with headphones LOL). The introduction of this game is incredible because of the music.
@NEStalgia It makes even less sense when you remember that Sony called Microsoft and still is asking them and are worried about the Activision deal and criticising things in the regulating reports that they started doing first, when you remember that they're watching Microsoft from the shadows before making/showing any move like the PS5 console design and specifications (that were overclocked at the last minute) and the pricing, all of them revealed after Microsoft's. It's incongruous, to say the least. Suddenly, PS5 is the most expensive yet not the most powerful console of the generation, with the most expensive games.
@Flaming_Kaiser It was already expensive in there and it's not something really necessary. You clearly ignore the fact that most people are saving some money. If you have fewer customers in a business where you don't pay extra for materials (scissors, trimmer), I don't know if that's going to increase income.
But yeah, everybody needs a PS5 and a cool hairdresser.
@IonMagi Your comment reminded me of my hairdresser, last time, "We have increased the haircut price because of electricity bills hike", as if I wasn't paying a fortune for electricity as well.
@NEStalgia I remember the official announcement. Iwata with GamePad in hand, "This is Wii U". Wait, that oversized controller is a Wii what? Even Nintendo fans didn't know if it was a peripheral since the console was not shown at that moment. Wii U had third-party support but briefly and mostly last-gen ports. It had good first-support in the beginning, better than Switch. Then Switch comes with Wii U ports and becomes a craze. We learnt there are only 13m Nintendo unconditional fans in the world. Of course, the hyped PS4 with fake trailers didn't help. Meanwhile, Don Mattrick was sinking the X-boat. Everything was favouring PS4.
"PS4 relied too heavily on 3rd party multiplatform".
Not just that but as @ferago42 said above (spot on), they got too cocky moneyhatting but without realising that they would not be able to do what others could and then they woke up the sleeping behemoth. Now Sony has to focus on development like Nintendo, if they keep playing dirty they might trigger more acquisitions that they can't afford. If Sony focus on development, they will be alright.
@ThomasCasson Yep, Iwata presented the Wii U as if it was a Wii peripheral with a GamePad in his hand but, afterwards, Nintendo fans realised it was the new Nintendo console and still only 13m bought it (myself included). Most console gamers are agnostic or casual players and these sites represent a tiny bubble of the global market. Most gamers play Fortnite, Call of Duty, FIFA or GTA and don't care if it's PS or Xbox. Nintendo is all about exclusives but still can tank.
@NEStalgia Yep, people forget that Xbox 360 was more popular than PS3. Most people don't care what console to play on but where's Call of Duty, in this case. Inertia will keep PS afloat, though.
Off-topic: The thing that really puzzles me is Wii U, how come only 13m in the world supported a Nintendo console when Nintendo software is only playable on Nintendo hardware. Makes you think how few brand fans there really are.
@Ben_Rage_V2 Wii U was very underrated when Switch is praised for being Wii U Pro. That's the thing, probably Sony needed something like this to react because they had become too arrogant and Jim Ryan hasn't helped. They still have their studios that are specialised in cinematic semi-open world games, not my favourite Sony games because I'd rather play Wipeout (I pre-ordered it for PS4) but games that have an audience, regardless. They can make things right even if they're no longer the default platform like PS4 was. They should focus on development and waste less money on buying third-party timed exclusivity.
@bbauer36 "microshaft is very short on talent, so they buy buy buy. Guess what? Nobody wants xbox still. Lol @Banjo- completely disagree, xbox has to buy all the studios to try and keep up with ps. Nobody wants xbox still. Lol".
Many people prefer Xbox games over PS games (not on this site for obvious reasons and not trying to convince fanboys of anything). Truth is, last year, Xbox games were better received than Sony's in terms of sales and reviews. Even if Horizon Forbidden West is a great game, it will sell 10m at best which is what the prequel shipped on the most popular platform of the last generation. Bear in mind that most of PS4 owners bought it for Call of Duty, FIFA and GTA according to the software sales charts. Those are the games that drive hardware sales. Sony's exclusives are not as important as they seem and will be less important for the platform this generation. The biggest Sony game right now is MLB The Show 21 that is multiplatform and most Sony exclusives are coming to PC as well. Anyway, the acquisition is good news considering that the alternative was Facebook and that Activision Blizzard were looking for that kind of buyers and that's the only thing I really wanted to say on here. If Activision Blizzard games will come or not to PS5 in the future (2023 and beyond) is something that we don't know for sure but it seems quite unlikely. Last but not least, Sony would have bought Activision Blizzard if they could.
So it seems that Microsoft are not an evil shark after all since Activision looked for other buyers before such as Facebook and others that haven't been disclosed (Tencent?). So good news for the Activision Blizzard staff that will work in a better environment once the process has been completed and for the industry.
Today's news confirm that Activision Blizzard looked for other buyers before Microsoft, including Facebook. I wonder if there will be an article about this on PS.
It's as @NEStalgia and @Stragen8 say, this guy has been disliked for a very long time for ruining IPs and introducing egregious monetisation. It's obvious that Microsoft will remove him from his role, regardless. The thing is, if this deal will take a year and a a half because of regulations, Activision Blizzard will be autonomous for a year and a half.
It's lovely to see Konami coming back to video games. On top of that, it would very nice of Konami to re-release old Silent Hill games properly, including 2 and 3, and not the cheap mess that the Xbox 360/PS3 HD collection is.
Besides, another Japanese IP is coming back this month, if you are interested in Project Zero/Fatal Frame you might want to support the Maiden of Black Water remaster on the platform of your choice. Goodies for pre-ordering are included and the digital deluxe edition adds a digital book and soundtrack.
@lacerz There is no mystery surrounding Series X. Microsoft showed the tear-down months before Sony and explained how the cooling works. They have sent hundreds of consoles to journalists and everybody says that it's doesn't get "crazy hot" like you claim, it just expels hot air like any console/PC which is how cooling is supposed to work.
@JJ2 We might finally agree, Series X expels air like a "hurricane" through the top holes so even if PS5 run hotter because of the throttling or SSD, the expelled air goes through the heat pipe and out of the whole rear side. You might notice less air streaming out on PS5 because the surface is bigger.
@lacerz "not an ideal situation for a family room".
Right and PS5 runs even hotter as have been explained by other people (including The Verge). You need a Switch or perhaps a Series S if you don't want to add hot air to your living room.
@lacerz "Reports on the XSX is that it's quiet, but crazy hot".
That has been confirmed to be Sony fanboys FUD. What they said is that the expelled air is hot like any powerful console or PC but the Series X doesn't overheat. It actually means that the cooling solution removes all the heat efficiently.
I wouldn't be too optimistic about those dust catchers, the end of Sony's tear-down video says, "The dust catcher does not guarantee the hardware clogging from dust". That doesn't sound reassuring.
Comments 211
Re: Random: Xbox Boss Complains About X Button After Being Handed PS5 Pad
It is pronounced 'eks' like the letter since the first PS, as @smoreon said. Besides, your phonetics spelling is wrong. 😊
https://imgur.com/Rsiv7bx
I don't have trouble pressing triangle, circle and square, but the "X" button is confusing if you also play on Xbox and/or PC. It's even more confusing switching between Nintendo and Xbox/PC. If that wasn't enough, Nintendo changed the accept/jump button when Nintendo DS launched. I will never get used to that because it's not ergonomic, you have to slide your finger towards the edge and then push.
Re: PS5 Exclusives Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Failed to Meet Expectations
@J-Dubs Wow, you took my comment way too seriously. I was just giving another point of view.
Re: PS5 Exclusives Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Failed to Meet Expectations
It's true what some say about Square Enix's exaggerated expectations, but I think that with their new CEO and strategy, that will also change progressively.
@J-Dubs Not really. The best thing about Final Fantasy games is that the games are barely connected to each other, except the obvious sequels, but keep some common elements like the name of the spells. The first FF game I played was VII and I was curious about the older games soon after. I know that VII and XV were the first FF for many players and they played older games afterwards.
Re: PS5 Exclusives Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Failed to Meet Expectations
The good thing is that Final Fantasy titles won't be locked by Sony, as most of them are available everywhere. Besides, if XVI was the most successful, XVII would be even shallower in terms of gameplay. Exclusivity wasn't the only problem with XVI, but exclusivity fatally hurt sales of Final Fantasy games like VII Rebirth, a better one. The also controversial XV is one of the most commercially Final Fantasy games ever and it launched on PS, Xbox and PC. XIV is also successful, even on Xbox where it arrived very late. So yes, exclusivity knock Final Fantasy sales down. Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco and From Software are more intelligent.
Re: Mini Review: Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis (PS5) - Expensive Expansion Is a Flawed Affair
Like others have said, some of the conclusions of this review don't make sense. I can't complain about the price because I got it free as a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. Episode Aigis starts a bit dull, almost like restarting the dungeons part of Persona 3 Reload with almost nothing in between, but then it picks up the pace and hooked me as much as the main game. The story is intriguing and left me wondering what would happen after every session. Being longer than I expected, it also allowed me to try different abilities for the same characters I played in February. The new character is a neat addition. The expansion is carefully crafted to explain the lack of certain aspects and it blends the two stories masterfully.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Astro Bot?
@nomither6 Not that it deserves 1/10, but it seems that at least two votes have been removed because people have noticed that weird thing twice.
Re: Feature: PS5 Pro's Been Clowned on By the Entire Internet, and the Memes Will Make You Laugh
@NEStalgia So former Square Enix's incarnation and loyal Sony's pet. 😜
Re: Feature: PS5 Pro's Been Clowned on By the Entire Internet, and the Memes Will Make You Laugh
My favourite is Geoff Keighley's meme because he always plays that role, licking Sony's boots at every video games ceremony. It's also funny because before knowing what he said, we were joking about that kind of thing, @NEStalgia. We are lucky not to pay 6,000 for the console and 2,400 for each game.
Re: PS5 Pro Reveal Is Already Sony's Most Disliked Console Announcement
@UnlimitedSevens Right. My experience with PS and Xbox is limited, since the PS4/Xbox One generation, but when I was a child I would play on Nintendo, Sega and Sony systems because of friends and family. I got a PS4 before an Xbox One and I hadn't had a Sony or Xbox console before that.
Criticising the changes that you are not liking is absolutely fair. I'm satisfied with what Xbox One and Series X have given me compared to PS4, but I have criticised Nintendo the most, precisely because I grew up with Nintendo consoles. I feel that nobody can take that right away from me and that's exactly how you feel about PS.
I can't believe how evil and miserly Nintendo has become and how their new games reflect that, but also their geniuses are no longer making the games. It's shocking reading other fans justifying anything that they do. Back in the day, a fan tried to convince me of New Super Mario Bros. 2 being as good as Super Mario World. On NL, you read people justifying Nintendo suing fans because they make fan art. That's how you know if an adult is totally nuts.
Overall, the business has changed so much in recent years. I think it was PS4 and Xbox One that started the change, with consoles built as PCs. I admit that right now it's the only way their business can be profitable. It's not about consoles sold anymore, but software and subscriptions, but that shouldn't affect the quality of games or the value perceived by customers.
What I miss the most is what has been lost for gamers. Now, when they make a game, it's often what they think will make the most money. This is very obvious to me with Nintendo casualising their games and ignoring or outsourcing IPs that aren't as popular as Mario and Zelda. It's sad how low the quality and creativity can go and how little it matters, as long as people pay.
I don't understand what Sony is doing either. Basically, it was all about real generations and exclusives when they marketed PS5, trying to make a difference because Microsoft said that they would support Xbox One for three more years. Then it was all about supporting PS4 and PS5 simultaneously with cross-gen releases and remasters. Then, the Call of Duty World War against Microsoft using the most hypocritical reasoning I have ever heard, while paying Activision for Call of Duty exclusive content and third parties for excluding Xbox from multiplatform games. Then, hiring studios and making online games as service for PS5 and then switched to PS5 and PC (Helldivers 2, Concord) and now, the new CEO is after a multiplatform strategy including all games, while Square Enix decides to also reboot their platform strategy. Since PS5 launched until now, Sony has had like five different strategies.
It's nice that they are welcoming PC players, but I can't help thinking that they are releasing the Windows ports later on purpose and including their flagship games late in their subscriptions to first sell an upgraded console and justify the £$700/€800 price, the £$€100 disc drive and the £$€70 tag per game that they started, before the players are able to play somewhere else or can benefit from the subscriptions they pay anyway. For the players. They couldn't have chosen a more cynical slogan, unless "l" is removed.
Re: PS5 Pro Reveal Is Already Sony's Most Disliked Console Announcement
@UnlimitedSevens Thank you. I respect all genuine respectful fans like you and remember their names and comments after I bought the PS4 soon after launch and posted my questions first and complaints some time later.
I'm intrigued by any new hardware, so I wanted to hear everything that Cerny said before posting anything. Generations are blurred and consoles are progressively becoming gaming PCs. There are no exclusives, not even first-party, but that's not a bad thing at all. Only Nintendo keeps doing exclusives and stays away from PC, precisely the only one that needs better hardware to run games on.
Back to PS5 Pro, not only the PS4 and PS5 disc drives are suddenly useless for those that have them, but they need a separate disc drive and connect it to the newest console to enjoy their old games in AI-upscaled 4K-8K resolution. How much sense does it make? I said this elsewhere, the PS4 Pro made more sense because of its price and because it became a pseudo-4K replacement for PS4 and even had an overclocked CPU. If the PS4 Pro found a relatively small audience, I don't know what PS5 Pro is after, considering the price and how is marketed as a backwards enhancements machine without a disc drive. Of course, new games and updated games could benefit from the extra GPU power, but expecting a game changer like the upcoming current-gen GTA at double frame rate and with some kind of next-generation ray tracing with the same CPU is guileless. Like you said, it's a rushed and cheap to develop PS5 Digital Edition with a GPU upgrade, not even marketed properly.
Re: How to Pre-Order PS5 Pro
@kyleforrester87 "I thought this article was going to be job interview tips and stuff."
Didn't Sony say, "Get a second job to buy the PS3"? 😜
Re: PS5 Pro Reveal Is Already Sony's Most Disliked Console Announcement
Pricing aside, Cerny himself says that developers will need to update their games to make the most of PS5 Pro. He also said that 75% of users choose performance mode. He said both things trying to sell the Pro, but in my opinion both statements reveal that it's not worth it, because:
1) Not many games will have an optimised Pro mode.
2) Most console gamers don't care about visual fidelity as much as a £$700 upgrade (€800 in EU?), as long as performance is good.
3) It has the same CPU, so users won't get double the frame rate as stated above by some users. GTA running at 30fps on PS5 and 60fps on PS5 Pro is impossible.
4) You're stuck with Sony's digital store.
Moreover, since it lacks a disc drive, the most enthusiastic PS fans will have lots of PS4, since he also discussed the benefits of playing PS4 games, and PS5 discs that they won't be able to use, unless they also get a peripheral. So if you have a PS4 or a regular PS5, you probably need a separate disc drive on top of the new console.
Last but not least, Microsoft and Sony still need to make the most of Series X and PS5, so a pro model that is £$250 more expensive (the comparison should be between the digital PS5 and PS5 Pro unless you add the price of the disc drive) is pointless.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@BANJO Thank you very much! Me too! You're great.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@HonestHick @Shepherd_Tallon @BANJO Unfortunately, some people can't be reasonable so they become angry towards others.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@Shepherd_Tallon Not "replied", he attacked, see #157.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
Balosi wrote:
The first appeal has to go to the same judge but the FTC's appeal has also been denied by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. About Game Pass, you can pay just for Call of Duty on Xbox, if you wish so.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@crazykcarter What benefits would you get from that? All third-party games come to PS anyway and PS is the market leader already.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
Sil_Am wrote:
I'm trying but I don't understand your answer. How does the fact that Nintendo pays for third-party exclusives invalidate my comment or make me a hypocrite?
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
Deshalu wrote:
You hit the nail on the head. If Sony is the market leader and pays a little price to keep Zenimax and ABK games or content off Xbox as they have been doing in recent years, the only solution for Microsoft is to buy those publishers. Paying for exclusion deals doesn't make sense for Microsoft because they are a multiplatform business and need games for Game Pass.
Moreover, Sony doesn't do the exclusion deals thing because is "better" for consumers. If they could afford it, they would buy ABK. When the acquisition started, they contacted both ABK with an special offer (not disclosed but probably more money for early access and exclusive DLC) and Microsoft, crying about the future of Call of Duty. When Sony was asked by the judge if they would make Call of Duty a Playstation exclusive if they could, they didn't give a straight answer because the real answer is, "Yes, we would. That's why we pay for what we can afford: early access and DLC."
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
Sekijo wrote:
If Sony's first-party IPs were that awesome, they wouldn't need to pay third parties to keep games and DLC off Xbox in order to remain so relevant.
Re: Sony's Portable PS5 Streaming Handheld Launches Later This Year
The huge difference I see here between Wii U and Project Q is that the GamePad is connected directly to the Wii U while this Project Q is connected to the router and the router connected to the console and that adds a certain amount of latency. The router works as a bridge between the two devices. Also notice the resolution difference that means many more data packages. The Wii U GamePad resolution is 854x480 and it doesn't use any bridge.
Yes, remote play and cloud gaming on smartphones/tablets always need a bridge or a server but you get many perks like using any controller and console and even playing anywhere with the console off.
Re: Sony's Portable PS5 Streaming Handheld Launches Later This Year
Coincidentally, I watched the Digital Foundry review a few days ago comparing the Steam Deck and Asus Rog Ally, the latter being more powerful and more expensive but both have roughly the same battery life depending on CPU/GPU load. I'd rather have a Steam Deck or an Asus Rog Ally that can do remote play and not limited to a console and can also play games on their own.
@eltomo I was wondering exactly the same thing.
Re: Mini Review: Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster (PS4) - One of the Greatest 2D RPGs of All Time
@Ralizah I remember the hack with a remastered soundtrack for Game Boy Advance and it makes a huge difference (with headphones LOL). The introduction of this game is incredible because of the music.
Re: PS5 Price Increase Confirmed for UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, and More
@Flaming_Kaiser What's your problem? LOL Do whatever you want, I don't care. I'm not here for anyone's hostility nor for anyone to agree with me.
Re: PS5 Price Increase Confirmed for UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, and More
@NEStalgia It makes even less sense when you remember that Sony called Microsoft and still is asking them and are worried about the Activision deal and criticising things in the regulating reports that they started doing first, when you remember that they're watching Microsoft from the shadows before making/showing any move like the PS5 console design and specifications (that were overclocked at the last minute) and the pricing, all of them revealed after Microsoft's. It's incongruous, to say the least. Suddenly, PS5 is the most expensive yet not the most powerful console of the generation, with the most expensive games.
Re: PS5 Price Increase Confirmed for UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, and More
@OrtadragoonX The cheap PS3 revisions that were sold when the generation had already ended also helped.
Re: PS5 Price Increase Confirmed for UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, and More
@Flaming_Kaiser It was already expensive in there and it's not something really necessary. You clearly ignore the fact that most people are saving some money. If you have fewer customers in a business where you don't pay extra for materials (scissors, trimmer), I don't know if that's going to increase income.
But yeah, everybody needs a PS5 and a cool hairdresser.
Re: PS5 Price Increase Confirmed for UK, Europe, Japan, Canada, and More
@IonMagi Your comment reminded me of my hairdresser, last time, "We have increased the haircut price because of electricity bills hike", as if I wasn't paying a fortune for electricity as well.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
UE won't stop this either.
@NEStalgia I remember the official announcement. Iwata with GamePad in hand, "This is Wii U". Wait, that oversized controller is a Wii what? Even Nintendo fans didn't know if it was a peripheral since the console was not shown at that moment. Wii U had third-party support but briefly and mostly last-gen ports. It had good first-support in the beginning, better than Switch. Then Switch comes with Wii U ports and becomes a craze. We learnt there are only 13m Nintendo unconditional fans in the world. Of course, the hyped PS4 with fake trailers didn't help. Meanwhile, Don Mattrick was sinking the X-boat. Everything was favouring PS4.
"PS4 relied too heavily on 3rd party multiplatform".
Not just that but as @ferago42 said above (spot on), they got too cocky moneyhatting but without realising that they would not be able to do what others could and then they woke up the sleeping behemoth. Now Sony has to focus on development like Nintendo, if they keep playing dirty they might trigger more acquisitions that they can't afford. If Sony focus on development, they will be alright.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
@ThomasCasson Yep, Iwata presented the Wii U as if it was a Wii peripheral with a GamePad in his hand but, afterwards, Nintendo fans realised it was the new Nintendo console and still only 13m bought it (myself included). Most console gamers are agnostic or casual players and these sites represent a tiny bubble of the global market. Most gamers play Fortnite, Call of Duty, FIFA or GTA and don't care if it's PS or Xbox. Nintendo is all about exclusives but still can tank.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
@NEStalgia Yep, people forget that Xbox 360 was more popular than PS3. Most people don't care what console to play on but where's Call of Duty, in this case. Inertia will keep PS afloat, though.
Off-topic: The thing that really puzzles me is Wii U, how come only 13m in the world supported a Nintendo console when Nintendo software is only playable on Nintendo hardware. Makes you think how few brand fans there really are.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
@kabal82 @NEStalgia I agree.
@Ben_Rage_V2 Wii U was very underrated when Switch is praised for being Wii U Pro. That's the thing, probably Sony needed something like this to react because they had become too arrogant and Jim Ryan hasn't helped. They still have their studios that are specialised in cinematic semi-open world games, not my favourite Sony games because I'd rather play Wipeout (I pre-ordered it for PS4) but games that have an audience, regardless. They can make things right even if they're no longer the default platform like PS4 was. They should focus on development and waste less money on buying third-party timed exclusivity.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
@bbauer36 "microshaft is very short on talent, so they buy buy buy. Guess what? Nobody wants xbox still. Lol @Banjo- completely disagree, xbox has to buy all the studios to try and keep up with ps. Nobody wants xbox still. Lol".
Many people prefer Xbox games over PS games (not on this site for obvious reasons and not trying to convince fanboys of anything). Truth is, last year, Xbox games were better received than Sony's in terms of sales and reviews. Even if Horizon Forbidden West is a great game, it will sell 10m at best which is what the prequel shipped on the most popular platform of the last generation. Bear in mind that most of PS4 owners bought it for Call of Duty, FIFA and GTA according to the software sales charts. Those are the games that drive hardware sales. Sony's exclusives are not as important as they seem and will be less important for the platform this generation. The biggest Sony game right now is MLB The Show 21 that is multiplatform and most Sony exclusives are coming to PC as well. Anyway, the acquisition is good news considering that the alternative was Facebook and that Activision Blizzard were looking for that kind of buyers and that's the only thing I really wanted to say on here. If Activision Blizzard games will come or not to PS5 in the future (2023 and beyond) is something that we don't know for sure but it seems quite unlikely. Last but not least, Sony would have bought Activision Blizzard if they could.
Re: Reaction: Activision Blizzard Buyout Is Devastating for PS5, PS4
So it seems that Microsoft are not an evil shark after all since Activision looked for other buyers before such as Facebook and others that haven't been disclosed (Tencent?). So good news for the Activision Blizzard staff that will work in a better environment once the process has been completed and for the industry.
Re: Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
Today's news confirm that Activision Blizzard looked for other buyers before Microsoft, including Facebook. I wonder if there will be an article about this on PS.
Re: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Leaving Role Once Microsoft Buyout Is Done, Says Report
It's as @NEStalgia and @Stragen8 say, this guy has been disliked for a very long time for ruining IPs and introducing egregious monetisation. It's obvious that Microsoft will remove him from his role, regardless. The thing is, if this deal will take a year and a a half because of regulations, Activision Blizzard will be autonomous for a year and a half.
Re: Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Leaving Role Once Microsoft Buyout Is Done, Says Report
Good riddance!
Re: Alan Wake Remastered (PS5) - Compelling Thriller Derailed by Tedious, Repetitive Combat
Wow, Push Square still at it at full speed 🙄.
Re: Rumour: Konami Planning Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Castlevania Revivals
It's lovely to see Konami coming back to video games. On top of that, it would very nice of Konami to re-release old Silent Hill games properly, including 2 and 3, and not the cheap mess that the Xbox 360/PS3 HD collection is.
Besides, another Japanese IP is coming back this month, if you are interested in Project Zero/Fatal Frame you might want to support the Maiden of Black Water remaster on the platform of your choice. Goodies for pre-ordering are included and the digital deluxe edition adds a digital book and soundtrack.
Re: Western Digital Reveals First PS5 Compatible SSD
@Menchi Yep I understand.
Re: Western Digital Reveals First PS5 Compatible SSD
@Menchi @thefourfoldroot The 1TB SSD with heatsink costs $250 but I don't know which one the PS5 uses.
https://shop.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd#WDS100T1XHE-00AFY0
The Series X/S expansion card includes the heatsink and costs $220.
Re: PS5 Stand Solution Is Seriously Nifty
@ShaiHulud Indeed. Is the screwdriver included, though? 😁
Re: PS5 Stand Solution Is Seriously Nifty
@Octane I believe you, I had missed that 😂. It seems it's safer to use the stand no matter what, it's not flat like PS4.
Re: PS5's Crazy Cooling Solution Should Make for One Quiet Console
@lacerz "Where there's smoke, there's fire...or a Xbox Series X".
Or so Sony fanboys say...
Re: PS5's Crazy Cooling Solution Should Make for One Quiet Console
@lacerz There is no mystery surrounding Series X. Microsoft showed the tear-down months before Sony and explained how the cooling works. They have sent hundreds of consoles to journalists and everybody says that it's doesn't get "crazy hot" like you claim, it just expels hot air like any console/PC which is how cooling is supposed to work.
Re: PS5's Crazy Cooling Solution Should Make for One Quiet Console
@JJ2 We might finally agree, Series X expels air like a "hurricane" through the top holes so even if PS5 run hotter because of the throttling or SSD, the expelled air goes through the heat pipe and out of the whole rear side. You might notice less air streaming out on PS5 because the surface is bigger.
Re: PS5's Crazy Cooling Solution Should Make for One Quiet Console
@lacerz "not an ideal situation for a family room".
Right and PS5 runs even hotter as have been explained by other people (including The Verge). You need a Switch or perhaps a Series S if you don't want to add hot air to your living room.
Re: PS5's Crazy Cooling Solution Should Make for One Quiet Console
@lacerz "Reports on the XSX is that it's quiet, but crazy hot".
That has been confirmed to be Sony fanboys FUD. What they said is that the expelled air is hot like any powerful console or PC but the Series X doesn't overheat. It actually means that the cooling solution removes all the heat efficiently.
Re: PS5 Stand Solution Is Seriously Nifty
@Octane How can they sell the stand separately if you need it however you place the console?
@ShaiHulud They borrowed the idea from Ikea 😂.
Re: PS5's Dust Catchers Will Make for Easy Cleaning
I wouldn't be too optimistic about those dust catchers, the end of Sony's tear-down video says, "The dust catcher does not guarantee the hardware clogging from dust". That doesn't sound reassuring.