@rjejr My man, if you want to believe that, that's up to you. The fact is the UK said no. And they're highly unlikely to change their mind.
Do you think the UK didn't already consider all of this prior to their decision? This deal isn't happening. But if this is how you wish to torment yourself, more power to you I say.
@rjejr
Again that wouldn't be the case. Just because Xbox gets its funding from the corporation doesn't mean it's not a division within Microsoft that can be excluded.
That is indeed how it would work.
Both divisions operate with different product markets. Phil Spencer wouldn't have been leading the charge here if it was Microsoft as a whole. It would be Satya Nadella, the chairman of Microsoft Corporation. Not Phil Spencer, CEO of Xbox.
@rjejr
We're talking about gaming here. Note how I said "Xbox Products and Services" not "Microsoft Products and Services". Xbox is owned by Microsoft but it's a division that operates independently from Microsoft's computer software division.
So no, it would be a ban purely on Xbox because that's what's been rejected. It wouldn't affect the UK that much. Windows and other Microsoft products and services would be unaffected in the UK market.
This is pure humour on my part to say this but back when the deal was first announced Aaron Greenburg posted a profile pic on Twitter of him and Crash doing the 'X' symbol with their arms, mocking the competition.
Maybe I should make a meme of Crash pointing at him and laughing just for fun. 😂
(I won't but it would be funny) I'm just glad that these platform holders might start to think twice about publisher consolidation.
@NEStalgia
😂.
The weird thing is (I'm in the UK) if that madness happened and Xbox disappeared from the UK it would feel like the PS2 era here again before Xbox even existed. 😂.
After all this time it would feel so weird. I'd feel like I stepped back in time 22 years ago.
Edit.
Thinking back to 2001 I just had a very nostalgic flashback.
The scalpers we know today? Also existed back then, just without the internet. I've just remembered when the PS2 first arrived at the port of Dover 2000 of them went missing overnight and were being sold on the black market for 2k a piece 😂.
@NEStalgia
Weeeell, Candy Crush is a mobile game. So there is always APK's. It wouldn't be difficult for UK customers to access that game if they really wanted to.
But if Microsoft lost that market can you imagine how much money they'd lose without CoD players? The game is huge there. Then there will be the lack of growth of GamePass which leaves the US as their only major market. (I say major because it's their biggest where the UK is their second biggest)
Edit. For the sake of it I'm not condoning or encouraging piracy of any kind here to make that clear to moderators. It's simply an example of what potentially could happen.
@NEStalgia Let's be fair. There is enough competition in the UK and gaming market in general for it not to make much of an impact. Sony already hold a major foothold there. But with Amazon, Google, Apple and now Netflix wanting a slice of that pie it won't be a huge loss for UK consumers.
It will for MS though. Not only do they lose out on a lot of money and growth of GamePass. But it could create a domino effect in Sony's favour. Friends go where friends are. And friends exist in other countries too. Dominance in one can create, atleast potentially more customers in another if UK consumers have friends in say, the US. And their friends and so on.
A stretch I know. But either way it hurts Microsoft more than the UK.
@rjejr
Can the UK block one American company buying another? No, they can't.
But what they can do is rule in the interest of their own consumers and if Microsoft defy that decision and buy ABK then Xbox products and services would be banned from sale in the UK. Then Microsoft lose that market to Sony completely.
It wouldn't be worth it because they'd lose more money than they'd make losing the entire UK market. So if the decision is final, then the deal isn't happening.
@Total_Weirdo
With respect. If Microsoft couldn't make a CoD killer with 20 years on the market, exclusivity with two big names with Halo and Gears. Exclusivity and timed deals for shooters on the Xbox 360 and never ever made a dent in CoD in all that time.
What makes you think Sony can knock CoD off its pedestal in 10 years with no compelling shooters in their repertoire?
Microsoft telling them to make a competitor when MS couldn't do it in 20 years on the market is nonsense and they know it.
Why doesn't MS make a real CoD competitor rather than buy it? Because they can't and they know it.
Microsoft are like that spoilt rich kid on the playground that nobody likes who then buys all the toys in the store after school to make all the other kids play with him.
People who think Microsoft are the victim are truly hilarious. They've got more money than god and anyone who can't see their strategy of slowly buying up everything to force people over to their way of thinking is blind. They can't win fairly, they refuse to make any new IP's of their own and buy what's already established and popular yet have the audacity to take credit for releases they didn't create.
I tell ya, when Sony make a big acquisition I better not hear a single objection from PureXbox because every single one of them have been screaming all this time how this is the best thing for the industry but I guarantee that will change if Sony buys someone on the caliber of Square Enix because of how bad they want Final Fantasy.
Well, I want Spyro but I guess that's not happening anymore. Good for the industry? Why thank you Microsoft, thank you so much!
@nomither6
Not really. Ever heard of CFW? if Sony lock me out of MY games one day all bets are off and I mod the software. I've already prepared for that. There is a website that hosts all the patches and missing data from discs in an archive for download. Install CFW, FTP that data to the console with the installed disc and you're good to play. You're screwed if you're all digital though.
I already backed up the missing data to every PS4 game I own physically to an external drive just in case as PKG files. And will be doing the same with PS5 to prepare for the inevitable day we get screwed over by Sony.
As for scratched, lost or stolen. I've never had a broken game, scratched disc or lost one. There's these nifty things called cases. And you put them on shelves. It's awesome.
@KundaliniRising333 Hogwarts Legacy. No day one patch on PS5 when I installed it. Spyro Reignited Trilogy reprint. Had all game install data and patches on the disc, it was rereleased a year later. Original Persona 5 (not royal) still has no patches or download required.
It still happens sometimes. In the case of Spyro the disc and box art are identical and still says "download required" because they didn't change it. But if you check the disc print one has 2018 on it and one has 2019 on it. Subtly it was rereleased and required not a single piece of data to download. I found a copy on eBay (specifically zoomed in on disc images to find the right one 😂) and can verify this to be true.
SW:JS should have two discs if they couldn't be bothered to compress the data. There's no excuse.
I've said it before and I'll say it again there's a very simple way to end this practice of 'fake' review bombing once and for all.
Metacritic having a requirement to link your PSN or sign in via a PSN portal that then verifies the game is in your play history to grant access to leave a review. That way you know people have genuinely played the game, then they can be taken with some sincerity.
@Sakai
Definitely cheaper than London that's for sure. Rent costs in London are ridiculous now. In central London private rent can set you back anywhere from 2k-5k per month.
There are some of my friends that want out of London too. Some of them get jealous when I tell them I live next to a beach 😆.
Whitley Bay is nice I've been through there and I like Seaburn but that's more into Sunderland.
Completely off topic there. 😆. But on topic in regards to this article the whole situation is ridiculous. And that includes comments from both Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft claiming to be the underdog when they now already have more studios, IP's and resources than Sony is laughable. If they can't turn that into success with their vast resources then that stinks of very poor management. Which will only get worse the bigger they get.
On the flip side Sony have a lot of dormant IP's they really should revisit. Resistance as others have said can be made into a competitive shooter akin to Gears of War. Killzone used to have quite the following and MAG is more possible than ever given the stability of PSN these days compared to the PS3 day. That can be as big as Battlefield.
Heck, if this ABK deal is considered "competitive" and moral by gamers and other bodies alike then morally those folks surely can't be sour if hypothetically Sony made a deal with EA for Battlefield marketing and bonuses. Fair game if Microsoft buying ABK is considered "competitive".
What baffles me the most is how extremists claim that when Sony secures a third-party exclusivity deal it's the most evil thing ever but Microsoft buying a publisher as big as Sony Corporation (they're worth 80bn) that's justified and good for the industry. It isn't. And that's coming from someone who doesn't care about CoD or anything under ABK besides Spyro. Consolidation is bad. End of story. I do expect when and if news arrives of Sony possibly purchasing SquareEnix all those same people will scream and shout over it despite being fine with the ABK situation. Because most of these "extremists" are hypocrites.
Seems to be a common thing with a certain minority mindset of people like @Tasuki that even something like,
A hobo farted across the street, which set off a chain reaction with a match, that ignited an oil spill, that lit a dumpster ablaze, that killed a rat and left it's babies fatherless.
And it's somehow Sony/Jim's fault. Everything that happens in the world is their fault these days. To certain people.
@Markatron84 Tit-for-tat. If Microsoft want to play sleeze by saying one thing to the public and regulators buy in reality take one of the biggest IP's hostage where the majority of the player base actually is on PlayStation then I'd threaten them with something that is also popular that might tip a player base in your favour.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. It's not like the accounts of people on Xbox for destiny cannot be linked or transferred with all bought content along with it.
Pull Destiny then. If Phil is going to mince his words behind the scenes from his 'nice guy' act take his favourite game away from him. Do the same thing.
I'm just glad it's not Microsoft. Atleast I can still play Dragon Age and Mass Effect on PlayStation. Phil is nothing but a liar behind a smile. Always saying he's not taking games away from people while keeping them off two big platforms to force you into his 'ecosystem'.
If he wanted to, they could still make money with charging people on other platforms full price. But most people never see through his rubbish because he is "smiling nice guy Phil".
The only thing that's makes me ok about this is the IP's will not be tied to one platform. I'd rather an acquisition by them than Sony or Microsoft who would lock me out of a chosen platform somewhere.
@Vergil7
I just said that in my edited last post. It doesn't mean consoles are going to die. Does it hurt the brand? Absolutely. Too late now though.
My point still stands with me though. I've even known folks who build a PC thinking it's better after listening to the very vocal so-called PCMR only to regret it and go back to consoles. Then they tell me they regret paying all that money for the fancy parts.
For myself, it's not worth primarily going back. I no longer care about better fidelity and am fine with frame rates. I just can't be bothered with the headaches. I bought my newest laptop customised last month for £930 just because I needed an upgrade for some work from my aging 4th Gen Haswell CPU. Maybe I'll run a little emulation here and there, (old consoles only, I'm not a thief if a game is currently licenced and available) but it's mainly a tool for work and I'll stick primarily with my consoles both old and new until services take over. Despite being a little bitter over exclusivity Vs stealing.
@Vergil7
And yet every post from PC players I ever see claim 30fps is 'unplayable' '60fps minimum or no buy'. I see it all the time. Again, casuals are not going through the headache of PC gaming and compatibility and settings and parts and errors and graphical glitches and Nvidia drivers. And most of them don't even understand any of that.
Do you know how many people I've met during my years in the working industry who literally claim they don't even know how to turn it on? No, I'm not joking.
I've long been bitter since PS exclusives started going to PC but there's no stopping it now, that doesn't mean consoles are going to die, it just means they're not as special to people like me who saw the value in that. For casuals, they won't and don't care about any of that.
Edit. And for the record the main reason I feel bitter is because with the amount of begging that goes on they get pirated day one and eventually the piracy outweighs the sales, that's why I feel if you're going to moan 'exclusives are anti-consumer' then buy them when you get what you asked for.
@Vergil7
Dude you're not going to be able to buy a ready made PC for £350 that can match a PS5 in performance. It'll barely do low settings on the most modern titles. A laptop with a mobile GTX3050 sets you back £800 and higher.
And I would know, I've worked in the tech industry as a Cisco Certified Network Engineer and seen more hardware than you can imagine. It's one of the reasons why I don't game on PC. Coming home to one just felt like work, not chill out time.
I don't want streaming/service boxes to take over either, but they will because the majority are casual gamers. PC is an enthsiast area.
And when everything goes service based I won't go back to PC gaming, I'll just go back to retro gamings' golden days. Heck do you know what I was playing yesterday? GTA San Andreas on my PS2 because with a RetroTink hooked up it runs better than the so called "Definitive Collection".
@Vergil7
And are casual players really going to bother gathering parts and building a PC when they can just pick up a box from a shelf? Of course not because they're not enthusiasts and don't care, they just want their simple entry point to play that yearly crap.
The casuals make up the majority of hardware sales, just like the billions of phone users who spend fortunes on MTX's, they just want a pick up and go fix.
South Asia is one territory, not the whole world, and if that's all you're talking about South Asia isn't about to become the world dominant voice of gaming where the US is a major market for Xbox and Europe is dominated by PlayStation and East Asia for Nintendo.
Again, just give up dude, it's not going to happen. Consoles will eventually evolve into a small service streaming box under a TV as much as I hate services. They'll still be here in some form.
@Vergil7
That's where you're wrong because the Nintendo Switch is bigger than anything in Asian territories and broken all records.
Hey, those 17 million people you know, is one of them Michael Pachter? Because he's been saying 'the last console generation' since the launch of PS3 and it's only gotten stronger than each gen.
Just give up dude. You're clinging to your narrative and you know you're wrong. You're desperately trying to portray the death of consoles that are still going strong. Do you think the millions of casuals who just play yearly CoD and FIFA are going to build a PC for that? Nope. Consoles aren't going anywhere because those people won't invest in that expense for it and the MTX's and inevitable NFT's they bring in are too sweet for the platform holders' storefront to ignore their 30% profits.
@Vergil7 So 15 million units at last report despite shortages is bad? Almost 20 million PS5's at last count despite shortages is bad?
And you apparently know more people invested in PC gaming? You know over 17 million people? Wow, you must have one hell of a social circle dude. I'm glad I'm not as popular as you, it must be a headache.
I switched from PC myself in my teen years to console for convenience and couldn't be happier.
@Vergil7 Then why is the Series X always sold out the minute new stock drops? As is the PS5? why has Phil said that the Series consoles are their fastest selling generation of all time? And the Xbox consoles are their primary driver for GamePass subscriptions. The PC numbers for GamePass are nowhere near the users on console.
Sorry dude, you don't know what you're talking about. Consoles are as healthy as ever.
@Vergil7
If what you say was accurate then the Xbox would already be dead as all of it's games come out day and date on Steam and have done for a few years now. And yet Xbox Series S and X are doing better than ever for Microsoft.
@LiamCroft And the PS Platinum headset. By far the most uncomfortable things I've ever put on my head. I bought them at launch a few years back and they broke just after one year.
I've since been using the HyperX Cloud II. A wired headset but much more comfortable.
@MasterVGuides
Yeah I just responded to @mariomaster96 that his numbers are correct. Should have fact checked my numbers first. Still, it's an amazing feat. Considering the rocky ground of the WiiU Nintendo really made a comeback from that. I still have my WiiU hooked up just for LoZ Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD. If those got a port on the Switch I could put it in storage.
Just don't know if Nintendo would do a port of a port. People tend to criticize that.
@mariomaster96
The PS2 is the best selling console of all time. It sold 155 million units. Last I heard the Nintendo Switch was closing in at 120 million but I may have to double check that.
Edit. Yep, ignore that, not sure where I heard that but the Switch indeed sits at 107m. You're absolutely right. 😳
About 10m if the numbers are still accurate from the PS4. Would be crazy if it, or anything, beats the PS2.
It's exciting to see the absolute runaway success of the Nintendo Switch. If it stays on the market for a couple of more years and continues its momentum it could become the best selling gaming system of all time and dethrone the mighty PS2.
I'm sure it only has about, last I heard, about 25-30 million more sales to go to top it.
I think it was close to or has beaten the PS4 numbers. Amazing. I love the Switch.
That's what happens when you play dirty and pay for chip priority. C'mon, we all know it's true deep down. There has been no shortage of Xbox Series S/X's all year everywhere. I've seen them in stock on several websites for months on end and yet zero PS5's all year. If Microsoft can get stock without issue and PS5's are still practically non-existant then you know deep down it's true.
Fanboys can and will deny it but that's shady business practices for you and it happens. Microsoft are desperate, the consoles are the primary gateway to sell GamePass whether they want to admit it or not and GamePass is their last chance to be a success in gaming.
And when you consider all the journalist websites 'rumours' of the chip priority and the very sudden fact that Microsoft likes reporting console sales now despite saying 'sales don't matter' and not reporting them for an entire generation. Let's not kid ourselves.
Personally I don't really notice the frame difference between PAL-50 and NTSC-60. What I did/do surprisingly notice, atleast for native discs is the PAL-576i VS NTSC-480i.
I really don't miss E3. I can understand the people who do but when Nintendo started doing 'direct' I thought it to be a better approach simply because I (we) didn't have to wait a while year and sit through 90 minutes per platform to see the announcements.
Bitesize news every few months. Easy and quick to digest and I'm glad Sony have adopted a similar approach. In the end I didn't bother watching E3 and just read the highlights for 5 minutes instead, just don't have that kind of time.
I know many don't share my sentiment but I feel in the age of streaming it is an unnecessary relic that should go, especially given how much cost and effort it requires.
@JuggaloRazzam
I know that. But when you buy multiple copies with the intent to inflate and no guarantee they will sell then that's a stupid idea when you could have been 'feeding your family' right now if times were desperate. That's my point.
The same when they used that excuse for some who literally bought thousands of PS5's to sell at inflated prices. My point is it's a BS excuse to scalp and scam but I guess that flew over your head because they're not really doing that if they have that kind of money to spend in the first place.
@kyleforrester87
I've said before that selling them on PS at £60-70 a go would still get them money from the other platform while still making GamePass look like a cheaper attractive option for those who don't want an Xbox.
But given he eventually clarified that Elder Scrolls and Fallout will release "only where GamePass exists'" I would think that to be the case for all attained single player games going forward. Which upsets me because Activision (AFAIK) now owns Spyro, one of my favourites.
If I was in Phil's position I would sell them to other platforms at full price. It's a win-win either way for him/Microsoft. But I just don't see it happening as he wants everyone on GamePass and Sony will never in a million years allow a competing service on PlayStation, especially now they have their own.
Unfortunately they likely wouldn't come to PlayStation anyway. As single player games they'd likely end up GamePass exclusives after the buyout is complete. I'd expect multiplayer MTX filled games only on PlayStation in the future.
Phil said some games will still come. I'm certain that's exactly what his vague comments will mean.
@SerJosh97 Yeah, after the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One I read in the January 2014 that Epic and Microsoft's partnership during the Xbox 360 era had ended. Epic intended to port the Gears of War trilogy to PS4 which I also read and they had supposedly tested it on PS3, strange considering the vastly different hardware.
Within days after an article popped up announcing that Microsoft bought the Gears franchise from Epic. Understandably since it was one of the games that gave the Xbox 360 huge popularity. They then set up 'The Coalition' who made Gears Judgement and Gears 4 ,& 5 which imo were never as good as Epic's entries.
Epic then went on to create the Epic Game Store on PC. And since then they've been quite competitive with Steam and have grown popular. There are some people on Steam that won't touch it because of their Steam library and quite often Epic secures timed deals which infuriates Steam loyalists who say 'no steam no buy' etc. The most recent being a timed deal with FF7R after Sony's deal expired. Epic's deal is close to ending so I expect FF7R to arrive on Steam soon.
@GorosBat While I said in an earlier post I agree with your thoughts regarding the exclusivity I noticed your suggestion that if the publisher was bought it would be justified.
I see that as a worse situation though. Because while at present for whatever reason Sony have FF7 a buyout would take an entire catalogue of games away from all platforms. Dragon Quest in particular is popular with Nintendo fans. And Xbox only in recent years got Kingdom Hearts which if Sony bought SquareEnix would never happen again. I don't see that as being better.
@GorosBat I'm not disagreeing with you there, you're right and I want that too but people here will not say that however plenty of PlayStation gamers say it elsewhere on more 'neutral' websites.
I for one would like to play Octopath Traveller on PlayStation, but I can't because it's curiously only on Switch and Xbox yet Sony are seemingly quite close to Square Enix.
Comments 1,033
Re: Activision Blizzard Boss Bobby Kotick Warns Billion Dollar Buyout Saga Ain't Over
Thank god I read the article and re-read the title. I thought it said Sega buyout Almost spat my coffee out!
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@rjejr
My man, if you want to believe that, that's up to you. The fact is the UK said no. And they're highly unlikely to change their mind.
Do you think the UK didn't already consider all of this prior to their decision? This deal isn't happening. But if this is how you wish to torment yourself, more power to you I say.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@rjejr
Again that wouldn't be the case. Just because Xbox gets its funding from the corporation doesn't mean it's not a division within Microsoft that can be excluded.
That is indeed how it would work.
Both divisions operate with different product markets. Phil Spencer wouldn't have been leading the charge here if it was Microsoft as a whole. It would be Satya Nadella, the chairman of Microsoft Corporation. Not Phil Spencer, CEO of Xbox.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@rjejr
We're talking about gaming here. Note how I said "Xbox Products and Services" not "Microsoft Products and Services". Xbox is owned by Microsoft but it's a division that operates independently from Microsoft's computer software division.
So no, it would be a ban purely on Xbox because that's what's been rejected. It wouldn't affect the UK that much. Windows and other Microsoft products and services would be unaffected in the UK market.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
This is pure humour on my part to say this but back when the deal was first announced Aaron Greenburg posted a profile pic on Twitter of him and Crash doing the 'X' symbol with their arms, mocking the competition.
Maybe I should make a meme of Crash pointing at him and laughing just for fun. 😂
(I won't but it would be funny)
I'm just glad that these platform holders might start to think twice about publisher consolidation.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@NEStalgia
😂.
The weird thing is (I'm in the UK) if that madness happened and Xbox disappeared from the UK it would feel like the PS2 era here again before Xbox even existed. 😂.
After all this time it would feel so weird. I'd feel like I stepped back in time 22 years ago.
Edit.
Thinking back to 2001 I just had a very nostalgic flashback.
The scalpers we know today? Also existed back then, just without the internet. I've just remembered when the PS2 first arrived at the port of Dover 2000 of them went missing overnight and were being sold on the black market for 2k a piece 😂.
Sony were furious!! I remember it.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@NEStalgia
Weeeell, Candy Crush is a mobile game. So there is always APK's. It wouldn't be difficult for UK customers to access that game if they really wanted to.
But if Microsoft lost that market can you imagine how much money they'd lose without CoD players? The game is huge there. Then there will be the lack of growth of GamePass which leaves the US as their only major market. (I say major because it's their biggest where the UK is their second biggest)
Edit. For the sake of it I'm not condoning or encouraging piracy of any kind here to make that clear to moderators. It's simply an example of what potentially could happen.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@NEStalgia
Let's be fair. There is enough competition in the UK and gaming market in general for it not to make much of an impact. Sony already hold a major foothold there. But with Amazon, Google, Apple and now Netflix wanting a slice of that pie it won't be a huge loss for UK consumers.
It will for MS though. Not only do they lose out on a lot of money and growth of GamePass. But it could create a domino effect in Sony's favour.
Friends go where friends are. And friends exist in other countries too. Dominance in one can create, atleast potentially more customers in another if UK consumers have friends in say, the US. And their friends and so on.
A stretch I know. But either way it hurts Microsoft more than the UK.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
@rjejr
Can the UK block one American company buying another? No, they can't.
But what they can do is rule in the interest of their own consumers and if Microsoft defy that decision and buy ABK then Xbox products and services would be banned from sale in the UK. Then Microsoft lose that market to Sony completely.
It wouldn't be worth it because they'd lose more money than they'd make losing the entire UK market. So if the decision is final, then the deal isn't happening.
Re: Microsoft Dealt Major Blow as UK Blocks Activision Buyout
Maybe Microsoft can make a CoD competitor, like they said Sony should do. Create a new IP and competition!
Re: There's One Upcoming Call of Duty Game Xbox's Activision Buyout Can't Take Away from PS5, PS4 Owners
@Total_Weirdo
With respect. If Microsoft couldn't make a CoD killer with 20 years on the market, exclusivity with two big names with Halo and Gears. Exclusivity and timed deals for shooters on the Xbox 360 and never ever made a dent in CoD in all that time.
What makes you think Sony can knock CoD off its pedestal in 10 years with no compelling shooters in their repertoire?
Microsoft telling them to make a competitor when MS couldn't do it in 20 years on the market is nonsense and they know it.
Why doesn't MS make a real CoD competitor rather than buy it? Because they can't and they know it.
Re: CMA Expected to Rule in Favour of Microsoft's $69 Billion Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Tomorrow
Removed
Re: CMA Expected to Rule in Favour of Microsoft's $69 Billion Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Tomorrow
Microsoft are like that spoilt rich kid on the playground that nobody likes who then buys all the toys in the store after school to make all the other kids play with him.
People who think Microsoft are the victim are truly hilarious. They've got more money than god and anyone who can't see their strategy of slowly buying up everything to force people over to their way of thinking is blind. They can't win fairly, they refuse to make any new IP's of their own and buy what's already established and popular yet have the audacity to take credit for releases they didn't create.
I tell ya, when Sony make a big acquisition I better not hear a single objection from PureXbox because every single one of them have been screaming all this time how this is the best thing for the industry but I guarantee that will change if Sony buys someone on the caliber of Square Enix because of how bad they want Final Fantasy.
Well, I want Spyro but I guess that's not happening anymore. Good for the industry? Why thank you Microsoft, thank you so much!
Re: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor PS5 Physical Copies Require a Download to Play
@nomither6
Not really. Ever heard of CFW? if Sony lock me out of MY games one day all bets are off and I mod the software. I've already prepared for that. There is a website that hosts all the patches and missing data from discs in an archive for download. Install CFW, FTP that data to the console with the installed disc and you're good to play. You're screwed if you're all digital though.
I already backed up the missing data to every PS4 game I own physically to an external drive just in case as PKG files. And will be doing the same with PS5 to prepare for the inevitable day we get screwed over by Sony.
As for scratched, lost or stolen. I've never had a broken game, scratched disc or lost one. There's these nifty things called cases. And you put them on shelves. It's awesome.
Re: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor PS5 Physical Copies Require a Download to Play
@KundaliniRising333
Hogwarts Legacy. No day one patch on PS5 when I installed it. Spyro Reignited Trilogy reprint. Had all game install data and patches on the disc, it was rereleased a year later.
Original Persona 5 (not royal) still has no patches or download required.
It still happens sometimes. In the case of Spyro the disc and box art are identical and still says "download required" because they didn't change it. But if you check the disc print one has 2018 on it and one has 2019 on it. Subtly it was rereleased and required not a single piece of data to download. I found a copy on eBay (specifically zoomed in on disc images to find the right one 😂) and can verify this to be true.
SW:JS should have two discs if they couldn't be bothered to compress the data. There's no excuse.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC Is Getting Review Bombed on PS5
I've said it before and I'll say it again there's a very simple way to end this practice of 'fake' review bombing once and for all.
Metacritic having a requirement to link your PSN or sign in via a PSN portal that then verifies the game is in your play history to grant access to leave a review.
That way you know people have genuinely played the game, then they can be taken with some sincerity.
But they won't ever do that.
Re: Sony Claps Back at UK Regulator's 'Irrational' Reversal on Microsoft Activision Deal
@Sakai
Definitely cheaper than London that's for sure. Rent costs in London are ridiculous now. In central London private rent can set you back anywhere from 2k-5k per month.
There are some of my friends that want out of London too. Some of them get jealous when I tell them I live next to a beach 😆.
Whitley Bay is nice I've been through there and I like Seaburn but that's more into Sunderland.
Completely off topic there. 😆. But on topic in regards to this article the whole situation is ridiculous. And that includes comments from both Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft claiming to be the underdog when they now already have more studios, IP's and resources than Sony is laughable. If they can't turn that into success with their vast resources then that stinks of very poor management. Which will only get worse the bigger they get.
On the flip side Sony have a lot of dormant IP's they really should revisit. Resistance as others have said can be made into a competitive shooter akin to Gears of War. Killzone used to have quite the following and MAG is more possible than ever given the stability of PSN these days compared to the PS3 day. That can be as big as Battlefield.
Heck, if this ABK deal is considered "competitive" and moral by gamers and other bodies alike then morally those folks surely can't be sour if hypothetically Sony made a deal with EA for Battlefield marketing and bonuses. Fair game if Microsoft buying ABK is considered "competitive".
What baffles me the most is how extremists claim that when Sony secures a third-party exclusivity deal it's the most evil thing ever but Microsoft buying a publisher as big as Sony Corporation (they're worth 80bn) that's justified and good for the industry. It isn't. And that's coming from someone who doesn't care about CoD or anything under ABK besides Spyro. Consolidation is bad. End of story. I do expect when and if news arrives of Sony possibly purchasing SquareEnix all those same people will scream and shout over it despite being fine with the ABK situation. Because most of these "extremists" are hypocrites.
Rant over. 😆
Re: Sony Claps Back at UK Regulator's 'Irrational' Reversal on Microsoft Activision Deal
@Sakai
Jim is a Geordie? I didn't know that. I'm from London myself but live in S/Shields.
Re: US Justice Department, Activision Blizzard Settle Following Esport Wage Suppression Accusations
Seems to be a common thing with a certain minority mindset of people like @Tasuki that even something like,
A hobo farted across the street, which set off a chain reaction with a match, that ignited an oil spill, that lit a dumpster ablaze, that killed a rat and left it's babies fatherless.
And it's somehow Sony/Jim's fault. Everything that happens in the world is their fault these days. To certain people.
Re: Ubisoft Joins $70 Game Train, Skull and Bones the First
"Match the competition?" You know how you beat the competition? Don't match the competition. 🤯
Re: PlayStation Bites Back At 'Inadequate' Call of Duty Offer from Microsoft
@Markatron84
Tit-for-tat. If Microsoft want to play sleeze by saying one thing to the public and regulators buy in reality take one of the biggest IP's hostage where the majority of the player base actually is on PlayStation then I'd threaten them with something that is also popular that might tip a player base in your favour.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
It's not like the accounts of people on Xbox for destiny cannot be linked or transferred with all bought content along with it.
Re: PlayStation Bites Back At 'Inadequate' Call of Duty Offer from Microsoft
Pull Destiny then. If Phil is going to mince his words behind the scenes from his 'nice guy' act take his favourite game away from him. Do the same thing.
Re: Sony: Efforts Beyond Console Do Not Diminish Our Passion for Amazing Single Player Games
Meanwhile.
"Let's buy a bunch of mobile developers, porting studio's and service online devs."
"Because we love single player games."
-Sony.
Re: PlayStation Acquires Savage Game Studios, Focusing on Mobile Games
Great job Sony. 👏👏👏 Leaving the big publishers to be scooped up by Phil who just last week stated they're "not done with acquisitions".
So, other than 'Aloy Run' with abundance of MTX's what games are we going to get on PlayStation in the near future?
Re: Rumour: Amazon to Announce Acquisition of EA Later Today
I'm just glad it's not Microsoft. Atleast I can still play Dragon Age and Mass Effect on PlayStation.
Phil is nothing but a liar behind a smile. Always saying he's not taking games away from people while keeping them off two big platforms to force you into his 'ecosystem'.
If he wanted to, they could still make money with charging people on other platforms full price. But most people never see through his rubbish because he is "smiling nice guy Phil".
Re: Embracer Group Buys The Lord of the Rings IP, Maneater Dev, Limited Run, and More
The only thing that's makes me ok about this is the IP's will not be tied to one platform. I'd rather an acquisition by them than Sony or Microsoft who would lock me out of a chosen platform somewhere.
Oh, and remaster LotR: The Third Age please.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
I just said that in my edited last post. It doesn't mean consoles are going to die. Does it hurt the brand? Absolutely. Too late now though.
My point still stands with me though. I've even known folks who build a PC thinking it's better after listening to the very vocal so-called PCMR only to regret it and go back to consoles. Then they tell me they regret paying all that money for the fancy parts.
For myself, it's not worth primarily going back. I no longer care about better fidelity and am fine with frame rates. I just can't be bothered with the headaches. I bought my newest laptop customised last month for £930 just because I needed an upgrade for some work from my aging 4th Gen Haswell CPU. Maybe I'll run a little emulation here and there, (old consoles only, I'm not a thief if a game is currently licenced and available) but it's mainly a tool for work and I'll stick primarily with my consoles both old and new until services take over. Despite being a little bitter over exclusivity Vs stealing.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
And yet every post from PC players I ever see claim 30fps is 'unplayable' '60fps minimum or no buy'. I see it all the time. Again, casuals are not going through the headache of PC gaming and compatibility and settings and parts and errors and graphical glitches and Nvidia drivers. And most of them don't even understand any of that.
Do you know how many people I've met during my years in the working industry who literally claim they don't even know how to turn it on? No, I'm not joking.
I've long been bitter since PS exclusives started going to PC but there's no stopping it now, that doesn't mean consoles are going to die, it just means they're not as special to people like me who saw the value in that. For casuals, they won't and don't care about any of that.
Edit. And for the record the main reason I feel bitter is because with the amount of begging that goes on they get pirated day one and eventually the piracy outweighs the sales, that's why I feel if you're going to moan 'exclusives are anti-consumer' then buy them when you get what you asked for.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
Dude you're not going to be able to buy a ready made PC for £350 that can match a PS5 in performance. It'll barely do low settings on the most modern titles. A laptop with a mobile GTX3050 sets you back £800 and higher.
And I would know, I've worked in the tech industry as a Cisco Certified Network Engineer and seen more hardware than you can imagine. It's one of the reasons why I don't game on PC. Coming home to one just felt like work, not chill out time.
I don't want streaming/service boxes to take over either, but they will because the majority are casual gamers. PC is an enthsiast area.
And when everything goes service based I won't go back to PC gaming, I'll just go back to retro gamings' golden days. Heck do you know what I was playing yesterday? GTA San Andreas on my PS2 because with a RetroTink hooked up it runs better than the so called "Definitive Collection".
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
And are casual players really going to bother gathering parts and building a PC when they can just pick up a box from a shelf? Of course not because they're not enthusiasts and don't care, they just want their simple entry point to play that yearly crap.
The casuals make up the majority of hardware sales, just like the billions of phone users who spend fortunes on MTX's, they just want a pick up and go fix.
South Asia is one territory, not the whole world, and if that's all you're talking about South Asia isn't about to become the world dominant voice of gaming where the US is a major market for Xbox and Europe is dominated by PlayStation and East Asia for Nintendo.
Again, just give up dude, it's not going to happen. Consoles will eventually evolve into a small service streaming box under a TV as much as I hate services. They'll still be here in some form.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
That's where you're wrong because the Nintendo Switch is bigger than anything in Asian territories and broken all records.
Hey, those 17 million people you know, is one of them Michael Pachter? Because he's been saying 'the last console generation' since the launch of PS3 and it's only gotten stronger than each gen.
Just give up dude. You're clinging to your narrative and you know you're wrong. You're desperately trying to portray the death of consoles that are still going strong. Do you think the millions of casuals who just play yearly CoD and FIFA are going to build a PC for that? Nope. Consoles aren't going anywhere because those people won't invest in that expense for it and the MTX's and inevitable NFT's they bring in are too sweet for the platform holders' storefront to ignore their 30% profits.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
So 15 million units at last report despite shortages is bad? Almost 20 million PS5's at last count despite shortages is bad?
And you apparently know more people invested in PC gaming? You know over 17 million people? Wow, you must have one hell of a social circle dude. I'm glad I'm not as popular as you, it must be a headache.
I switched from PC myself in my teen years to console for convenience and couldn't be happier.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
Then why is the Series X always sold out the minute new stock drops? As is the PS5? why has Phil said that the Series consoles are their fastest selling generation of all time? And the Xbox consoles are their primary driver for GamePass subscriptions. The PC numbers for GamePass are nowhere near the users on console.
Sorry dude, you don't know what you're talking about. Consoles are as healthy as ever.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
@Vergil7
If what you say was accurate then the Xbox would already be dead as all of it's games come out day and date on Steam and have done for a few years now. And yet Xbox Series S and X are doing better than ever for Microsoft.
Re: Spider-Man PC Attracts Over 60,000 Concurrent Players at Launch
And it was cracked day one. And probably will be if not already more illegal downloads than paying customers.
Re: Sony's INZONE $899 Gaming Monitor Will Automatically Optimise PS5's HDR
@LiamCroft
And the PS Platinum headset. By far the most uncomfortable things I've ever put on my head. I bought them at launch a few years back and they broke just after one year.
I've since been using the HyperX Cloud II. A wired headset but much more comfortable.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Only Three Top 10 Games Are Available on PlayStation
@MasterVGuides
Yeah I just responded to @mariomaster96 that his numbers are correct. Should have fact checked my numbers first. Still, it's an amazing feat. Considering the rocky ground of the WiiU Nintendo really made a comeback from that. I still have my WiiU hooked up just for LoZ Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD. If those got a port on the Switch I could put it in storage.
Just don't know if Nintendo would do a port of a port. People tend to criticize that.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Only Three Top 10 Games Are Available on PlayStation
@mariomaster96
The PS2 is the best selling console of all time. It sold 155 million units. Last I heard the Nintendo Switch was closing in at 120 million but I may have to double check that.
Edit. Yep, ignore that, not sure where I heard that but the Switch indeed sits at 107m. You're absolutely right. 😳
About 10m if the numbers are still accurate from the PS4. Would be crazy if it, or anything, beats the PS2.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Only Three Top 10 Games Are Available on PlayStation
It's exciting to see the absolute runaway success of the Nintendo Switch. If it stays on the market for a couple of more years and continues its momentum it could become the best selling gaming system of all time and dethrone the mighty PS2.
I'm sure it only has about, last I heard, about 25-30 million more sales to go to top it.
I think it was close to or has beaten the PS4 numbers. Amazing. I love the Switch.
Re: PS5 Stock Shortages Force Format to Fall Behind Xbox for a Second Week in Japan
That's what happens when you play dirty and pay for chip priority. C'mon, we all know it's true deep down. There has been no shortage of Xbox Series S/X's all year everywhere. I've seen them in stock on several websites for months on end and yet zero PS5's all year. If Microsoft can get stock without issue and PS5's are still practically non-existant then you know deep down it's true.
Fanboys can and will deny it but that's shady business practices for you and it happens. Microsoft are desperate, the consoles are the primary gateway to sell GamePass whether they want to admit it or not and GamePass is their last chance to be a success in gaming.
And when you consider all the journalist websites 'rumours' of the chip priority and the very sudden fact that Microsoft likes reporting console sales now despite saying 'sales don't matter' and not reporting them for an entire generation. Let's not kid ourselves.
Re: PS5 Stock Shortages Force Format to Fall Behind Xbox for a Second Week in Japan
@Uncharted2007
Because the Switch is still using Tegra X1 chips from 2017. There is no shortage of those because no one wants them.
Re: Sony Will Roll Out Superior 60Hz NTSC Options for Majority of PS Plus Classics
Personally I don't really notice the frame difference between PAL-50 and NTSC-60. What I did/do surprisingly notice, atleast for native discs is the PAL-576i VS NTSC-480i.
I'd personally go with PAL versions.
Re: Sony's Latest State of Play Has Been Watched More Times Than Any of Its E3 Conferences
I really don't miss E3. I can understand the people who do but when Nintendo started doing 'direct' I thought it to be a better approach simply because I (we) didn't have to wait a while year and sit through 90 minutes per platform to see the announcements.
Bitesize news every few months. Easy and quick to digest and I'm glad Sony have adopted a similar approach. In the end I didn't bother watching E3 and just read the highlights for 5 minutes instead, just don't have that kind of time.
I know many don't share my sentiment but I feel in the age of streaming it is an unnecessary relic that should go, especially given how much cost and effort it requires.
Re: The Last of Us: Part I's Out of Stock PS5 Firefly Edition Fetching $450 on eBay
@JuggaloRazzam
I know that. But when you buy multiple copies with the intent to inflate and no guarantee they will sell then that's a stupid idea when you could have been 'feeding your family' right now if times were desperate. That's my point.
The same when they used that excuse for some who literally bought thousands of PS5's to sell at inflated prices. My point is it's a BS excuse to scalp and scam but I guess that flew over your head because they're not really doing that if they have that kind of money to spend in the first place.
Re: The Last of Us: Part I's Out of Stock PS5 Firefly Edition Fetching $450 on eBay
I see the scalpers are awake again. This is never going to stop is it? Whenever a sought out product arrives this will happen.
But remember guys, they're "trying to feed their families" by buying up loads of stuff with money they could have used to feed their families.
Re: Tony Hawk 3 + 4 Remasters Canned After Dev Merger, Says Tony Hawk
@kyleforrester87
I've said before that selling them on PS at £60-70 a go would still get them money from the other platform while still making GamePass look like a cheaper attractive option for those who don't want an Xbox.
But given he eventually clarified that Elder Scrolls and Fallout will release "only where GamePass exists'" I would think that to be the case for all attained single player games going forward. Which upsets me because Activision (AFAIK) now owns Spyro, one of my favourites.
If I was in Phil's position I would sell them to other platforms at full price. It's a win-win either way for him/Microsoft. But I just don't see it happening as he wants everyone on GamePass and Sony will never in a million years allow a competing service on PlayStation, especially now they have their own.
Re: Tony Hawk 3 + 4 Remasters Canned After Dev Merger, Says Tony Hawk
Unfortunately they likely wouldn't come to PlayStation anyway. As single player games they'd likely end up GamePass exclusives after the buyout is complete. I'd expect multiplayer MTX filled games only on PlayStation in the future.
Phil said some games will still come. I'm certain that's exactly what his vague comments will mean.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Is Remake 2, PS5 Exclusive, Out Winter 2023
@SerJosh97
Yeah, after the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One I read in the January 2014 that Epic and Microsoft's partnership during the Xbox 360 era had ended. Epic intended to port the Gears of War trilogy to PS4 which I also read and they had supposedly tested it on PS3, strange considering the vastly different hardware.
Within days after an article popped up announcing that Microsoft bought the Gears franchise from Epic. Understandably since it was one of the games that gave the Xbox 360 huge popularity. They then set up 'The Coalition' who made Gears Judgement and Gears 4 ,& 5 which imo were never as good as Epic's entries.
Epic then went on to create the Epic Game Store on PC. And since then they've been quite competitive with Steam and have grown popular. There are some people on Steam that won't touch it because of their Steam library and quite often Epic secures timed deals which infuriates Steam loyalists who say 'no steam no buy' etc. The most recent being a timed deal with FF7R after Sony's deal expired. Epic's deal is close to ending so I expect FF7R to arrive on Steam soon.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Is Remake 2, PS5 Exclusive, Out Winter 2023
@GorosBat
While I said in an earlier post I agree with your thoughts regarding the exclusivity I noticed your suggestion that if the publisher was bought it would be justified.
I see that as a worse situation though. Because while at present for whatever reason Sony have FF7 a buyout would take an entire catalogue of games away from all platforms. Dragon Quest in particular is popular with Nintendo fans. And Xbox only in recent years got Kingdom Hearts which if Sony bought SquareEnix would never happen again. I don't see that as being better.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Is Remake 2, PS5 Exclusive, Out Winter 2023
@GorosBat
I'm not disagreeing with you there, you're right and I want that too but people here will not say that however plenty of PlayStation gamers say it elsewhere on more 'neutral' websites.
I for one would like to play Octopath Traveller on PlayStation, but I can't because it's curiously only on Switch and Xbox yet Sony are seemingly quite close to Square Enix.