I guess from a practicality side of things, though, if everyone ditched Core and Ultimate, it would tell me, as a business, that people only cared about it because of online. But I guess that's why I don't run a business - lol!
At least on the PC side of things, the people subscribing to it are doing it because they see it as value, not because online is included - even if those numbers aren't huge.
Personally, I can take or leave Game Pass. Sure, I take advantage of it on the daily, but I wouldn't care if it disappeared either.
I would think it would save Microsoft a ton of money not worrying about maintaining Game Pass and just collect revenue for console sales, game sales, and microtransactions - as those would surely increase if people could just purchase the console and the games they want and pay for nothing else as even Cloud Saves are free.
The thing is, the Game Pass push just isn't working. I don't see Call of Duty changing that. Microsoft needs to make bolder moves if it expects people to be more drawn to its ecosystem.
So...remove the online paywall and just see what happens. If Game Pass tanks completely, well, so what if it does end up bringing in more people buying Xbox consoles and getting its cut from game sales?
I could totally see the budget-conscious crowd still stuck in the PS4 era buying a Series S and Call of Duty knowing that is all they have to pay for to play the game online (and significantly cheaper than upgrading to a PS5).
Think of it as Microsoft throwing money at the problem in a different kind of way.
@OldGamer999 I'd be curious why they chose PlayStation over Xbox if COD is their main game. My guess is either habit and they had a PS4 before, they just "prefer" PlayStation (for no real reason), or they prefer the controller.
It's not as if platform ultimately matters for COD. You can buy a cheap Series S and still play the latest Call of Duty just fine.
Sell your Series X|S with 1 year of Game Pass Ultimate (with Call of Duty 2024 logos all over that box).
That could court some of that crowd that are still playing on PS4 and even potentially convert them to Xbox ecosystem.
Another genius move would be to make online multiplayer 100% free to use on Xbox. I bet that would court a huge amount of people to the hardware knowing they wouldn't have to subscribe to ANY service to enjoy the main appeal to the game.
As long as Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, etc. are still supported on PS4, there is no point for these people to upgrade.
People in the comments section forget that they are a minority of a minority of consumers: about 20% of the sales for a console are the "core" group, and only a small % of that 20% are people commenting on gaming websites.
The rest are budget-conscious casuals playing Fortnite, etc. who don't need to upgrade because...there isn't a point.
@MisterNintendo Piracy on PC isn't as bad as people make it out to be.
Most of the time piracy is done because game [X] isn't available to be purchased on PC for some reason or another. Or, to put it another way, widespread piracy isn't because people want stuff for free - there is generally another reason.
So...in this games case...locking it out of 177 countries will probably lead to piracy in those 177 countries because the game was refunded and pulled.
If Piracy were such a significant problem, GOG would have shut down ages ago as everyone would just pirate the DRM-free version of the games it provides rather than spend money in the store.
I would say the main reason is because, unlike the console space, Sony games aren't the be all of gaming.
I loved Ghost of Tsushima. I thought it was an absolute masterpiece! I hope sales continue to grow as word of mouth spreads because it's that good of a game. But I also understand that, in the PC space, Sony games are a novelty product.
@Jaz007 I'm aware, but it's just weird that most news that's posted about the game feels more like an in-universe newspaper clipping...not news in real life.
Most would expect: "Helldivers 2 devs launching a new 'Season' after a bombastic conclusion that lead to players failing to meet their objective".
Not talking about High Commands, new recruits, and escalation of war.
Sure, it's all a bit of fun, but, at the same time, leaves those "not in the know" looking at this as an entertainment piece rather than parsing any news from it because we have no idea what any of it means.
Another Helldivers 2 article that sounds more like fanfiction than news (the first one had to do with some kind of friendly fire thing because...people not following orders and defending some base or something...I don't even remember).
I just hope that, wherever these developers land, they do great things.
While I have yet to finish Hi-Fi Rush, I really enjoyed its originality and charm! It's the kind of game the industry needs a little more of rather than "open-world this and GaaS that".
@Titntin I was a PC gamer for years and I stopped around 2011 and went all console for the very same reason - I just got tired of tinkering.
It seemed like the way settings have been handled on the PC side as more and more console games released on PC, 1080p/Medium to Low settings would be enough for steady framerate on most hardware configurations.
I still do light gaming on the Surface Book 2 I have for work (my company allows it) and, for the most part, it works well as long as I keep my expectations in check - it does have a mobile Nvidia 1060 w/ 6GB dedicated VRAM, but it's basically a potato in 2024.
I can run modern games like Starfield at Low at 720p and get 30fps. Sure, it's not PS5 or Series X, but it worked with no problem.
My dad got a laptop to do some video processing stuff and it has an Nvidia 3050. I installed and fired up Control on it once when I was visiting him and was able to run full RT plus Ultra settings at 720p and it looked like it was running quite well. He paid like $600 for it (on sale).
Time will tell, and, like you, the entire console market will need to collapse before I take that jump.
But if Microsoft's next "console" is a gaming PC that exceeds the ease of use of the Steam Deck and allows Steam/GOG/Epic storefronts to be used, that may be the only "console" I buy as Sony games release on PC (eventually) and I highly doubt it would ever get away with blocking a PC from playing its games from Steam simply because Microsoft manufactured it.
@NEStalgia All the more reason to maybe switch back to PC (and a Nintendo console).
If most of the gaming industry turns to garbage, I can at least rely on my Steam/GOG library of early 2000s and older games as well as emulation available on PC.
@Unlucky13 Oh it will have a bearing on you in some way shape or form when the engagement numbers aren't there and business decisions are made surrounding it.
@Martijn87 I had the same problem, but trust me, it's all worth it. The game became one of my favorite games.
As other's have said, some endings are jokes and easy to get. Dying right at the start of the game is an Ending. Walking off in a certain direction during a story beat is an Ending.
I don't even think you have to start the game all over after getting the Ending as the Ending is more of an elaborate "Game Over" screen (been a while since I played, though).
But that story...oh man that story.... If you like philosophical storylines, then you have got to keep going.
Congrats to Sony, but I am not sure what Microsoft can even do at this point to gain any market share. The mindset is too stuck on PlayStation - even for those who play games where platform doesn't even matter.
There is clearly a thirst for Microsoft's games (judging by all the comments about Microsoft porting games to PlayStation), but zero interest in buying the consoles (people would rather port beg).
Then again, Microsoft keeps shooting itself in the foot with a complete lack of direction and bad news - that certainly doesn't help and I am sure even less console will be sold this period with just how bad Xbox's reputation has tanked.
Thing is, I don't want Sony to go unchecked in the "premium console market", either. Microsoft has to figure out something or someone else needs to come in and stick it to Sony to keep it from getting complacent.
I know a lot of "chest thumping" happens when Sony is on top here - which is understandable - but this also is not a good thing, either.
Final Fantasy XVI was good, but it certainly wasn't GOTY material for me.
I have yet to really dive deep into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
It's probably significantly cheaper to plan for multi-platform release during development rather than focus on a single platform and port later.
So even if 10 million sales were on PS5, 8 million were on PC, and only 2 million were on Xbox, that's still $700 million on PS5, $560 million on PC, and $140 million on Xbox (at $70/game).
That's 20 million sales and $1.4 billion!
If a game costs more than that to make across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, you've got problems.
Even still, I highly doubt the included cost of porting to Xbox comes even close to $140 million - especially if it's included in overall development costs from the start and a PC version using DX12 is already being worked on.
Sure, it's not as much as PC and PlayStation, but it's still money (and probably still a good profit).
If Switch is on the table, then that's even more money in the pocket - but you have to plan for that during development, not port after the fact and spend tons of money figuring out how to "fit" on Switch.
My guess is that the new graphics option will be 1440p/60/Ultra setting in-game rather than having to set it at the system level to force the game to do it.
Interesting discrepancy of hardware sales numbers between NintendoLife and PushSquare:
Switch OLED Model – 72,592 (7,195,696) PlayStation 5 – 43,033 (4,808,908) Switch Lite – 16,247 (5,833,845) Switch – 11,199 (19,786,390) PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 6,501 (767,403) Xbox Series X – 2,982 (271,121) Xbox Series S – 2,353 (310,852) PlayStation 4 – 202 (7,925,781)
@Fiendish-Beaver Maybe I am just a humble guy, but if I made millions upon millions right now, I wouldn't care if I got canned or left of my own volition...it would be my retirement.
But...my house is paid off. My cars are all paid off. I have a healthy 401K. I am literally only working to save for retirement (and pay for my kid's schooling). Every paycheck I collect now is basically a retirement deposit (I'm only 43).
I'd just live the rest of my days off the interest in my bank accounts, sipping coffee and enjoying life if it came to being gone from a job that made me that rich. Screw work!
People just need to stop with the "I would have bought Alan Wake 2 if..." and just support the [expletive] developer. The game is worth the cost of admission!
I have been in Remedy's corner since Max Payne and have yet to be disappointed by its output!
@Fiendish-Beaver The problem is, if sales numbers came before doing the right thing at "Go", then Sony can plop itself right next to Microsoft on the "greed train" today.
Perhaps if the PSN requirement was there day 1 and banned from sale in countries where PSN isn't available, and it did sway results to significantly lesser sales, at least the PC metrics would have been accurate on Week 1 rather than reports that the game is so popular, it's blowing up the PC scene and riding that hype train for more sales.
And, if the PSN requirement on Day 1 didn't change sale metrics and it was still a smashing success, then great for Arrowhead and Sony - plus, no controversy.
The thing is, public perception will assume Sony was just going to take people's money regardless. So having the requirement - even if it meant having to overcome technical issues - would have been the better option for accurate purchase decisions and public opinion.
But, you're right, we'll never know the "what if".
Clearly something went wrong in the communication/expectations pipeline to have caused this in the first place. I am glad it was resolved for those who still want to enjoy the game "PSN free", but it shouldn't have ever happened to begin with.
"We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games."
Yeah, this is NOT the statement that makes it all better. You bought all these studios for their creative talent and various IP only to close some to focus a select few titles?!
@Fiendish-Beaver "I do have to wonder though, whether the reason behind the requirement to have a PlayStation account on the PC does not have something to do with some internal target to increase the number of people listed as part of the PlayStation userbase. Was this something to wave at the shareholders to say how they have been growing PlayStation? Maybe I'm just being cynical, or perhaps jaded, I don't know..."
I don't think you're being cynical at all. That is the reality in a world where player engagement is a huge metric for success.
Clearly the login wasn't a necessary step to connect to game servers run by Sony as the game worked just fine without it, so one can deduce that it's for no other reason than telemetric data used by bean counters to report to decision makers.
While I certainly don't agree with some of the reactions people had, I do think, to a certain degree, Sony over-played its hand and misunderstood its dominance in gaming.
Getting PlayStation games on PC was a cool novelty when Sony first started it, but the decline in sales since then show that its first-party output is extremely niche in the PC market.
PC Gamers aren't buying Helldivers 2 because it's a great Sony-published game, they are buying it because it's a type of game that is popular in PC circles.
Clearly, they were willing to abandon due to Sony screwing over countries that couldn't play the game anymore (without breaking ToS), despite taking their money at first (or was that Valves fault for not blocking those countries from sale? Did the two companies even talk about it?!).
I think, had the PSN requirement been in place on Day 1, this wouldn't have been such an issue. One could say, "well it's on the people buying the game not paying attention", but the reality is, there was a breakdown in communication somewhere as clearly a bunch of people didn't get the memo and a bunch of people were sold something they couldn't play after a couple months.
We can point fingers all day, but the reality is, all this could have been avoided had all considerations been made before release.
That "hubris" left the company when Yamauchi retired in 2002. Since then, its whole goal has just been making gaming fun and experimenting with how to deliver games to people. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.
Nintendo spent years rebuilding relationships with third-party developers it lost due to that hubris as well as rebuilding its brand.
The only real threat Nintendo has is people not being sold on their idea. But I'd hardly call that hubris. Quirky, sure, but not hubris.
@MikeOrator Seeing as how Nintendo never sells a console at a loss, Nintendo would do just fine with another failure. It's one of the richest companies in Japan.
I think there was a study done that said Nintendo could operate at a loss for like 30 years or something before going bankrupt.
@Tidus_g Why are people so bothered if a multi-billion dollar corporation wants to provide its own games on a service for its own console, PC, or mobile?
Buy the game if you want...or don't and use the service. That's Microsoft's option for the consumer!
As far as third-party games on said service, it's also their choice if they want to put the game on there and still understand the risk associated with it.
@truerbluer The first of the Big Three that is able to make PC-gaming into an affordable "premium" console experience (not a handheld like the Steam Deck - which is already the model for the concept) will be the only "console" I buy (well, except a Nintendo console as I will always own a Nintendo console).
The only reason I got out of PC gaming was 1) expensive and 2) spending more time "tinkering" with settings than I was actually gaming.
Otherwise, I prefer the PC ecosystem: games tend to be cheaper as Steam/GOG has sales all the time and Epic gives games way like candy. Each of those services also have their own Cloud saves for free. Plus, no paywall for online multiplayer.
Devs would probably love to have a dedicated set of hardware to use as a central point on the PC side.
Heck the UI could stay very console like with the company's store still being the default, but then let you link your Steam/GOG/Epic accounts and a new tab lists all the "verified games" you own on those platforms to install.
Verification could just be as simple as the default settings falling within hardware specifications and gamepad support or as complicated as having settings specifically tweaked for the console and having different menu behavior whenever running on this PC console.
For power users, have a special key combination to load the desktop (just like the Steam Deck does) and install games that may not be certified but can still run with some settings adjustments or older games that may be "wonky" due to limited gamepad support, or require community patches to run on [X] Operating System.
I am sure a metadata tag could be added to new games as part of the executable to check if the game is running on said "console" and automatically adjust to the "verified" settings as well as have a "console-like" menu with only minimal settings.
Let power users like hold down the L3/R3 buttons on their analog sticks or something in the Settings Menu to "unlock" the PC Settings Menu should they want more control.
On topic: Alls well that ends well, I guess.
While I certainly think some people were being absolute cry-babies about the situation - especially those whose argument was basically "Sony. Bad.", other arguments were valid (e.g. those in countries where PSN wouldn't be valid and therefore locked out unless they break the TOS).
This was probably the best solution for this game given how everything was handled over the weekend. I certainly understand Sony requiring it for Ghosts of Tsushima Legends (or any other online game in the future) just like I understand accounts for any other online portion of a game from a publisher where the publisher's servers are being used to host said game. Just, make sure it's enabled at launch.
How about don't release games until they are ready?!
This shouldn't have happened.
The game should have been delayed and released with the PSN requirement in place and only in countries where PSN is available - as I am sure there is some legal language somewhere that prohibits this being sold in countries where it's technically not "legal" to have PSN if it's required to play the game (despite being able to lie about your region when creating an account).
Now, I do think people have been blowing certain aspects of this out of proportion - it is the internet after all - but how it's being handled now certainly doesn't help things.
I hope the people from the pulled countries are allowed to get refunds, at least.
@nomither6 Yeah, but the chances of people already having Microsoft accounts on a PC is significantly higher than PC players having PSN accounts.
Plus, Microsoft has had a PC presence for significantly longer than Sony...as...you know...Windows and all that.
I still think they are being babies about it and I think that they might be feeling territorial about their gaming space and, unlike Microsoft, Sony is very much an outsider to them.
I don't think anyone batted an eye when Mojang was bought and eventually required Microsoft accounts for Minecraft.
It just seems odd to single out Sony for something that's been going on for years with other companies (including Microsoft).
All I see is a bunch of "PC Master Racers" holding up two keyboards in the shape of a cross and standing in front of Sony HQ yelling "You have no power here!" 😅
While I am sure it's useful for some, I have a laptop on a TV tray next to me in the living that I can quickly hookup my PS5 Controller to and use Remote Play when the TV is occupied by stuff I couldn't care less about.
Other than those in regions where PSN isn't officially supported, I really don't understand the issue here. There are plenty of online games on PC that require logging into a specific user account!
It's certainly an interesting social study as to why the backlash in this case is specific to Sony when no other publisher making online-only games has had this kind of reaction.
Maybe it's a PC Master Race vs. Console thing as Sony is still very much an outsider to that community?
@HonestHick The last time I talked to Xbox Sound Engineers about Dolby Atmos lag (this was when the PS5 finally released its Atmos lag-free) they told me that Dolby has a firmware update that it never supplied to Microsoft that would reduce that lag.
Now that was a while ago, so maybe it was implemented and there is more to it that still needs to be worked.
But I have noticed something odd. My receiver isn't an HDMI 2.1 receiver, so I plug my Xbox into my TV and rely on eARC.
I actually don't get Atmos lag when using eARC but I do if I plug directly into the receiver. 🤷♂️
You could try switching to DTS:X as it should work the same minus the lag.
Comments 2,366
Re: Microsoft Commits to Next Call of Duty Game on Xbox Game Pass, New Report Says
@Kevw2006 Yeah, that's the real kicker isn't it?
I guess from a practicality side of things, though, if everyone ditched Core and Ultimate, it would tell me, as a business, that people only cared about it because of online. But I guess that's why I don't run a business - lol!
At least on the PC side of things, the people subscribing to it are doing it because they see it as value, not because online is included - even if those numbers aren't huge.
Personally, I can take or leave Game Pass. Sure, I take advantage of it on the daily, but I wouldn't care if it disappeared either.
I would think it would save Microsoft a ton of money not worrying about maintaining Game Pass and just collect revenue for console sales, game sales, and microtransactions - as those would surely increase if people could just purchase the console and the games they want and pay for nothing else as even Cloud Saves are free.
The thing is, the Game Pass push just isn't working. I don't see Call of Duty changing that. Microsoft needs to make bolder moves if it expects people to be more drawn to its ecosystem.
So...remove the online paywall and just see what happens. If Game Pass tanks completely, well, so what if it does end up bringing in more people buying Xbox consoles and getting its cut from game sales?
I could totally see the budget-conscious crowd still stuck in the PS4 era buying a Series S and Call of Duty knowing that is all they have to pay for to play the game online (and significantly cheaper than upgrading to a PS5).
Think of it as Microsoft throwing money at the problem in a different kind of way.
Re: Microsoft Commits to Next Call of Duty Game on Xbox Game Pass, New Report Says
@OldGamer999 I'd be curious why they chose PlayStation over Xbox if COD is their main game. My guess is either habit and they had a PS4 before, they just "prefer" PlayStation (for no real reason), or they prefer the controller.
It's not as if platform ultimately matters for COD. You can buy a cheap Series S and still play the latest Call of Duty just fine.
Re: Microsoft Commits to Next Call of Duty Game on Xbox Game Pass, New Report Says
Want this to be successful Microsoft?
Sell your Series X|S with 1 year of Game Pass Ultimate (with Call of Duty 2024 logos all over that box).
That could court some of that crowd that are still playing on PS4 and even potentially convert them to Xbox ecosystem.
Another genius move would be to make online multiplayer 100% free to use on Xbox. I bet that would court a huge amount of people to the hardware knowing they wouldn't have to subscribe to ANY service to enjoy the main appeal to the game.
Re: A Lot of PS4 Owners Have Yet to Upgrade to PS5
As long as Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, etc. are still supported on PS4, there is no point for these people to upgrade.
People in the comments section forget that they are a minority of a minority of consumers: about 20% of the sales for a console are the "core" group, and only a small % of that 20% are people commenting on gaming websites.
The rest are budget-conscious casuals playing Fortnite, etc. who don't need to upgrade because...there isn't a point.
Re: Rockstar Co-Founder Dan Houser's Absurd Ventures Developing 'Open World Action-Adventure' Game
Yay...another open-world action-adventure game....
Re: Ghost of Tsushima on PC Attracts 57K Player Peak on Launch Day
@MisterNintendo Piracy on PC isn't as bad as people make it out to be.
Most of the time piracy is done because game [X] isn't available to be purchased on PC for some reason or another. Or, to put it another way, widespread piracy isn't because people want stuff for free - there is generally another reason.
So...in this games case...locking it out of 177 countries will probably lead to piracy in those 177 countries because the game was refunded and pulled.
If Piracy were such a significant problem, GOG would have shut down ages ago as everyone would just pirate the DRM-free version of the games it provides rather than spend money in the store.
I would say the main reason is because, unlike the console space, Sony games aren't the be all of gaming.
I loved Ghost of Tsushima. I thought it was an absolute masterpiece! I hope sales continue to grow as word of mouth spreads because it's that good of a game. But I also understand that, in the PC space, Sony games are a novelty product.
Re: Players Fail Helldivers 2 Major Order, 'The Second Galactic War' Begins
@Jaz007 I'm aware, but it's just weird that most news that's posted about the game feels more like an in-universe newspaper clipping...not news in real life.
Most would expect: "Helldivers 2 devs launching a new 'Season' after a bombastic conclusion that lead to players failing to meet their objective".
Not talking about High Commands, new recruits, and escalation of war.
Sure, it's all a bit of fun, but, at the same time, leaves those "not in the know" looking at this as an entertainment piece rather than parsing any news from it because we have no idea what any of it means.
Re: Players Fail Helldivers 2 Major Order, 'The Second Galactic War' Begins
Another Helldivers 2 article that sounds more like fanfiction than news (the first one had to do with some kind of friendly fire thing because...people not following orders and defending some base or something...I don't even remember).
Not complaining, mind you, just an observation.
Re: Hi-Fi Rush Director 'Emotional' As Xbox Shutters Acclaimed Tango Gameworks Team
I just hope that, wherever these developers land, they do great things.
While I have yet to finish Hi-Fi Rush, I really enjoyed its originality and charm! It's the kind of game the industry needs a little more of rather than "open-world this and GaaS that".
Re: New PS2 Emulator Appears to Be Imminent on PS5, PS4
Better late than never, I suppose.
Re: Microsoft Leadership Reportedly Want No 'Red Line' Stopping Xbox Games Coming to PS5
Why even have an "Xbox Leadership" at this point if these decisions are just going to get dictated by Corporate?
Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time I saw a console maker become a third-party publisher.
Re: Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
@Titntin Good luck with that. I guess you will be going Mac or running SteamOS or something?
It is almost impossible to be completely Microsoft-less this day and age given how many cookie jar it has its hand in.
Heck, for all we know, this site runs on a Microsoft backend of some kind.
But, yeah, Microsoft isn't exactly doing itself any favors right now, so I don't blame anyone for looking for different options.
Happy gaming, indeed! 👍
Re: Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
@Titntin I was a PC gamer for years and I stopped around 2011 and went all console for the very same reason - I just got tired of tinkering.
It seemed like the way settings have been handled on the PC side as more and more console games released on PC, 1080p/Medium to Low settings would be enough for steady framerate on most hardware configurations.
I still do light gaming on the Surface Book 2 I have for work (my company allows it) and, for the most part, it works well as long as I keep my expectations in check - it does have a mobile Nvidia 1060 w/ 6GB dedicated VRAM, but it's basically a potato in 2024.
I can run modern games like Starfield at Low at 720p and get 30fps. Sure, it's not PS5 or Series X, but it worked with no problem.
My dad got a laptop to do some video processing stuff and it has an Nvidia 3050. I installed and fired up Control on it once when I was visiting him and was able to run full RT plus Ultra settings at 720p and it looked like it was running quite well. He paid like $600 for it (on sale).
Time will tell, and, like you, the entire console market will need to collapse before I take that jump.
But if Microsoft's next "console" is a gaming PC that exceeds the ease of use of the Steam Deck and allows Steam/GOG/Epic storefronts to be used, that may be the only "console" I buy as Sony games release on PC (eventually) and I highly doubt it would ever get away with blocking a PC from playing its games from Steam simply because Microsoft manufactured it.
Re: Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
@NEStalgia All the more reason to maybe switch back to PC (and a Nintendo console).
If most of the gaming industry turns to garbage, I can at least rely on my Steam/GOG library of early 2000s and older games as well as emulation available on PC.
Re: Sony Increasingly Focused on PS5 Playtime Alongside Hardware Sales
@Unlucky13 Oh it will have a bearing on you in some way shape or form when the engagement numbers aren't there and business decisions are made surrounding it.
Re: Yoko Taro Making New Game with NieR Leads, But 'It Might Be NieR, It Might Not Be NieR'
@Martijn87 I had the same problem, but trust me, it's all worth it. The game became one of my favorite games.
As other's have said, some endings are jokes and easy to get. Dying right at the start of the game is an Ending. Walking off in a certain direction during a story beat is an Ending.
I don't even think you have to start the game all over after getting the Ending as the Ending is more of an elaborate "Game Over" screen (been a while since I played, though).
But that story...oh man that story.... If you like philosophical storylines, then you have got to keep going.
Re: Sony Shipped 4.5 Million PS5's Last Quarter, Almost Five Times More Than Xbox Series X|S
Congrats to Sony, but I am not sure what Microsoft can even do at this point to gain any market share. The mindset is too stuck on PlayStation - even for those who play games where platform doesn't even matter.
There is clearly a thirst for Microsoft's games (judging by all the comments about Microsoft porting games to PlayStation), but zero interest in buying the consoles (people would rather port beg).
Then again, Microsoft keeps shooting itself in the foot with a complete lack of direction and bad news - that certainly doesn't help and I am sure even less console will be sold this period with just how bad Xbox's reputation has tanked.
Thing is, I don't want Sony to go unchecked in the "premium console market", either. Microsoft has to figure out something or someone else needs to come in and stick it to Sony to keep it from getting complacent.
I know a lot of "chest thumping" happens when Sony is on top here - which is understandable - but this also is not a good thing, either.
Re: Shift Up Director Puts Stellar Blade, Sony Costume Conspiracy to Bed
I don't change her costume, so I don't care - the game is just fun.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Indie Hit Sea of Stars Breaks into a Top 10 Full of Juggernauts
Wow, good week for Team Red.
Re: Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Fail to Meet Expectations on PS5
Final Fantasy XVI was good, but it certainly wasn't GOTY material for me.
I have yet to really dive deep into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
It's probably significantly cheaper to plan for multi-platform release during development rather than focus on a single platform and port later.
So even if 10 million sales were on PS5, 8 million were on PC, and only 2 million were on Xbox, that's still $700 million on PS5, $560 million on PC, and $140 million on Xbox (at $70/game).
That's 20 million sales and $1.4 billion!
If a game costs more than that to make across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, you've got problems.
Even still, I highly doubt the included cost of porting to Xbox comes even close to $140 million - especially if it's included in overall development costs from the start and a PC version using DX12 is already being worked on.
Sure, it's not as much as PC and PlayStation, but it's still money (and probably still a good profit).
If Switch is on the table, then that's even more money in the pocket - but you have to plan for that during development, not port after the fact and spend tons of money figuring out how to "fit" on Switch.
Re: New Fallout 4 PS5 Update Is Available to Download Now
Interesting.
I think the next Starfield update also decouples resolution and target framerate selections.
I wonder if this will become Bethesda's default solution with these kinds of options.
Re: Fallout 4 PS5 Patch Dropping Next Week, with New Graphics Settings and Improvements
My guess is that the new graphics option will be 1440p/60/Ultra setting in-game rather than having to set it at the system level to force the game to do it.
Re: Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade Has a Slightly Disappointing PS5 Debut, Eiyuden Chronicle Sells Best on Switch
@ShogunRok Meh, blame Windows - it's easier!
Re: Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade Has a Slightly Disappointing PS5 Debut, Eiyuden Chronicle Sells Best on Switch
@ShogunRok So...in other words..."Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V" messed you up! 😅
Re: Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade Has a Slightly Disappointing PS5 Debut, Eiyuden Chronicle Sells Best on Switch
@UltimateOtaku91 I would hope so - especially as they're more favorable in the PlayStation department than the numbers posted here. 😅
Re: Japan Sales Charts: Stellar Blade Has a Slightly Disappointing PS5 Debut, Eiyuden Chronicle Sells Best on Switch
Interesting discrepancy of hardware sales numbers between NintendoLife and PushSquare:
Switch OLED Model – 72,592 (7,195,696)
PlayStation 5 – 43,033 (4,808,908)
Switch Lite – 16,247 (5,833,845)
Switch – 11,199 (19,786,390)
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 6,501 (767,403)
Xbox Series X – 2,982 (271,121)
Xbox Series S – 2,353 (310,852)
PlayStation 4 – 202 (7,925,781)
Re: This Year's Call of Duty May Not Be Included in Xbox Game Pass After All
@Fiendish-Beaver Maybe I am just a humble guy, but if I made millions upon millions right now, I wouldn't care if I got canned or left of my own volition...it would be my retirement.
But...my house is paid off. My cars are all paid off. I have a healthy 401K. I am literally only working to save for retirement (and pay for my kid's schooling). Every paycheck I collect now is basically a retirement deposit (I'm only 43).
I'd just live the rest of my days off the interest in my bank accounts, sipping coffee and enjoying life if it came to being gone from a job that made me that rich. Screw work!
Re: This Year's Call of Duty May Not Be Included in Xbox Game Pass After All
@Fiendish-Beaver For the money he makes, I'll be a punching bag for a few years and then retire quietly. 😅
Re: Arkane Lyon Director Calls Out Xbox Studio Closures: 'It's a F*cking Gut Stab'
Glad he has the courage to publicly say what he said. I hope there is no retaliation for it.
Re: Remedy Cancels Premium Co-Op Multiplayer Game Codename Kestrel
People just need to stop with the "I would have bought Alan Wake 2 if..." and just support the [expletive] developer. The game is worth the cost of admission!
I have been in Remedy's corner since Max Payne and have yet to be disappointed by its output!
Re: Helldivers 2 Blasted with Over 200,000 Positive User Reviews Following Sony's PSN Backtrack
@Fiendish-Beaver Time will tell. Gaming has become such a mess.
Re: PS5 Fans Mostly Happy with Sony's Third-Party Deals, But PlayStation Studios Need to Step Up
I'm not fussed either way, first-party or third-party.
The PlayStation is my "exclusive's only" machine and then it stays Off when I am done with said game(s).
I will say that my PlayStation has gotten more play this year than last year (where the only game I played the whole year was God of War: Ragnarok).
If that's thanks to third-party exclusives, then cool!
Re: Helldivers 2 Blasted with Over 200,000 Positive User Reviews Following Sony's PSN Backtrack
@Fiendish-Beaver The problem is, if sales numbers came before doing the right thing at "Go", then Sony can plop itself right next to Microsoft on the "greed train" today.
Perhaps if the PSN requirement was there day 1 and banned from sale in countries where PSN isn't available, and it did sway results to significantly lesser sales, at least the PC metrics would have been accurate on Week 1 rather than reports that the game is so popular, it's blowing up the PC scene and riding that hype train for more sales.
And, if the PSN requirement on Day 1 didn't change sale metrics and it was still a smashing success, then great for Arrowhead and Sony - plus, no controversy.
The thing is, public perception will assume Sony was just going to take people's money regardless. So having the requirement - even if it meant having to overcome technical issues - would have been the better option for accurate purchase decisions and public opinion.
But, you're right, we'll never know the "what if".
Clearly something went wrong in the communication/expectations pipeline to have caused this in the first place. I am glad it was resolved for those who still want to enjoy the game "PSN free", but it shouldn't have ever happened to begin with.
Re: Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, More Closed in Brutal Bethesda Restructure
"We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games."
Yeah, this is NOT the statement that makes it all better. You bought all these studios for their creative talent and various IP only to close some to focus a select few titles?!
Today is not a good day for Xbox at all.
Re: Helldivers 2 Blasted with Over 200,000 Positive User Reviews Following Sony's PSN Backtrack
@Fiendish-Beaver "I do have to wonder though, whether the reason behind the requirement to have a PlayStation account on the PC does not have something to do with some internal target to increase the number of people listed as part of the PlayStation userbase. Was this something to wave at the shareholders to say how they have been growing PlayStation? Maybe I'm just being cynical, or perhaps jaded, I don't know..."
I don't think you're being cynical at all. That is the reality in a world where player engagement is a huge metric for success.
Clearly the login wasn't a necessary step to connect to game servers run by Sony as the game worked just fine without it, so one can deduce that it's for no other reason than telemetric data used by bean counters to report to decision makers.
While I certainly don't agree with some of the reactions people had, I do think, to a certain degree, Sony over-played its hand and misunderstood its dominance in gaming.
Getting PlayStation games on PC was a cool novelty when Sony first started it, but the decline in sales since then show that its first-party output is extremely niche in the PC market.
PC Gamers aren't buying Helldivers 2 because it's a great Sony-published game, they are buying it because it's a type of game that is popular in PC circles.
Clearly, they were willing to abandon due to Sony screwing over countries that couldn't play the game anymore (without breaking ToS), despite taking their money at first (or was that Valves fault for not blocking those countries from sale? Did the two companies even talk about it?!).
I think, had the PSN requirement been in place on Day 1, this wouldn't have been such an issue. One could say, "well it's on the people buying the game not paying attention", but the reality is, there was a breakdown in communication somewhere as clearly a bunch of people didn't get the memo and a bunch of people were sold something they couldn't play after a couple months.
We can point fingers all day, but the reality is, all this could have been avoided had all considerations been made before release.
Re: Final Fantasy 14 Servers Suffer Sustained DDoS Attacks, Square Enix Investigating
This is why we can't have nice things.
Re: PS5 Launch Makes Sea of Thieves One of USA's Best-Selling Games
@MikeOrator Hubris? What year is it 1994?!
That "hubris" left the company when Yamauchi retired in 2002. Since then, its whole goal has just been making gaming fun and experimenting with how to deliver games to people. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.
Nintendo spent years rebuilding relationships with third-party developers it lost due to that hubris as well as rebuilding its brand.
The only real threat Nintendo has is people not being sold on their idea. But I'd hardly call that hubris. Quirky, sure, but not hubris.
Re: PS5 Launch Makes Sea of Thieves One of USA's Best-Selling Games
@MikeOrator Seeing as how Nintendo never sells a console at a loss, Nintendo would do just fine with another failure. It's one of the richest companies in Japan.
I think there was a study done that said Nintendo could operate at a loss for like 30 years or something before going bankrupt.
Re: PS5 Launch Makes Sea of Thieves One of USA's Best-Selling Games
@Tidus_g Why are people so bothered if a multi-billion dollar corporation wants to provide its own games on a service for its own console, PC, or mobile?
Buy the game if you want...or don't and use the service. That's Microsoft's option for the consumer!
As far as third-party games on said service, it's also their choice if they want to put the game on there and still understand the risk associated with it.
Re: Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
@GeeForce "Have a couple of games that now have the choice of HD textures."
What games are those? I thought that was more for drive space saving rather than actual performance differences.
"Won't be long before the choice of shadow detail etc creeps in so you can increase the frame rate"
Dragon's Dogma 2 lets your turn real-time RT on/off to try help with frame rate, so I guess there is precedent.
Re: Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
@GeeForce "Only to find out, graphics settings (albeit far fewer) have now crept into console gaming..."
At least they are simple settings.
But, yes, I agree. Developers should just make a "default" experience and be done with it.
Re: Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
@truerbluer The first of the Big Three that is able to make PC-gaming into an affordable "premium" console experience (not a handheld like the Steam Deck - which is already the model for the concept) will be the only "console" I buy (well, except a Nintendo console as I will always own a Nintendo console).
The only reason I got out of PC gaming was 1) expensive and 2) spending more time "tinkering" with settings than I was actually gaming.
Otherwise, I prefer the PC ecosystem: games tend to be cheaper as Steam/GOG has sales all the time and Epic gives games way like candy. Each of those services also have their own Cloud saves for free. Plus, no paywall for online multiplayer.
Devs would probably love to have a dedicated set of hardware to use as a central point on the PC side.
Heck the UI could stay very console like with the company's store still being the default, but then let you link your Steam/GOG/Epic accounts and a new tab lists all the "verified games" you own on those platforms to install.
Verification could just be as simple as the default settings falling within hardware specifications and gamepad support or as complicated as having settings specifically tweaked for the console and having different menu behavior whenever running on this PC console.
For power users, have a special key combination to load the desktop (just like the Steam Deck does) and install games that may not be certified but can still run with some settings adjustments or older games that may be "wonky" due to limited gamepad support, or require community patches to run on [X] Operating System.
I am sure a metadata tag could be added to new games as part of the executable to check if the game is running on said "console" and automatically adjust to the "verified" settings as well as have a "console-like" menu with only minimal settings.
Let power users like hold down the L3/R3 buttons on their analog sticks or something in the Settings Menu to "unlock" the PC Settings Menu should they want more control.
On topic: Alls well that ends well, I guess.
While I certainly think some people were being absolute cry-babies about the situation - especially those whose argument was basically "Sony. Bad.", other arguments were valid (e.g. those in countries where PSN wouldn't be valid and therefore locked out unless they break the TOS).
This was probably the best solution for this game given how everything was handled over the weekend. I certainly understand Sony requiring it for Ghosts of Tsushima Legends (or any other online game in the future) just like I understand accounts for any other online portion of a game from a publisher where the publisher's servers are being used to host said game. Just, make sure it's enabled at launch.
Re: Sony Doubles Down on Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement by Taking It Off Sale for PC in Numerous Countries
How about don't release games until they are ready?!
This shouldn't have happened.
The game should have been delayed and released with the PSN requirement in place and only in countries where PSN is available - as I am sure there is some legal language somewhere that prohibits this being sold in countries where it's technically not "legal" to have PSN if it's required to play the game (despite being able to lie about your region when creating an account).
Now, I do think people have been blowing certain aspects of this out of proportion - it is the internet after all - but how it's being handled now certainly doesn't help things.
I hope the people from the pulled countries are allowed to get refunds, at least.
Re: Korea Announces Bold Plan to Buff Nation's Nascent Console Market
@Futureshark Where is your imagination?!
He would totally be riding on the back of a T-rex holding a machine gun that is also riding on a tank!
Re: Helldivers 2 PC Players Blindsided by Seemingly Sudden PSN Account Requirement
@nomither6 Yeah, but the chances of people already having Microsoft accounts on a PC is significantly higher than PC players having PSN accounts.
Plus, Microsoft has had a PC presence for significantly longer than Sony...as...you know...Windows and all that.
I still think they are being babies about it and I think that they might be feeling territorial about their gaming space and, unlike Microsoft, Sony is very much an outsider to them.
I don't think anyone batted an eye when Mojang was bought and eventually required Microsoft accounts for Minecraft.
It just seems odd to single out Sony for something that's been going on for years with other companies (including Microsoft).
All I see is a bunch of "PC Master Racers" holding up two keyboards in the shape of a cross and standing in front of Sony HQ yelling "You have no power here!" 😅
Re: Sony Sings PS Portal's Praises with Accolades Trailer
While I am sure it's useful for some, I have a laptop on a TV tray next to me in the living that I can quickly hookup my PS5 Controller to and use Remote Play when the TV is occupied by stuff I couldn't care less about.
Money. Saved.
Congrats to Sony, though!
Re: Helldivers 2 PC Players Blindsided by Seemingly Sudden PSN Account Requirement
Other than those in regions where PSN isn't officially supported, I really don't understand the issue here. There are plenty of online games on PC that require logging into a specific user account!
It's certainly an interesting social study as to why the backlash in this case is specific to Sony when no other publisher making online-only games has had this kind of reaction.
Maybe it's a PC Master Race vs. Console thing as Sony is still very much an outsider to that community?
🤷♂️
Re: Stellar Blade PS5 Dev Thanks Fans for 'Passion' Following Censorship Controversy
All I know is, I haven't changed EVE's outfit once - I don't even craft them!
Cosmetics in games are such a weird thing, to me. How many man-hours were wasted on multiple types of pixel clothes for pixel people?
Perhaps game development would cheaper if stuff like this wasn't included?
Re: Talking Point: What's Next for Xbox Games on PS5, PS4?
@HonestHick Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider have INCREDIBLE Dolby Atmos.
Re: Talking Point: What's Next for Xbox Games on PS5, PS4?
@HonestHick The last time I talked to Xbox Sound Engineers about Dolby Atmos lag (this was when the PS5 finally released its Atmos lag-free) they told me that Dolby has a firmware update that it never supplied to Microsoft that would reduce that lag.
Now that was a while ago, so maybe it was implemented and there is more to it that still needs to be worked.
But I have noticed something odd. My receiver isn't an HDMI 2.1 receiver, so I plug my Xbox into my TV and rely on eARC.
I actually don't get Atmos lag when using eARC but I do if I plug directly into the receiver. 🤷♂️
You could try switching to DTS:X as it should work the same minus the lag.