Comments 174

Re: Poll: Will You Pay the PSVR2 Launch Price?

mikeym

If they confirmed PC compatibility or Trinus managed a good implementation, for example - it would be a day one purchase for me. PC VR has been stagnant for too long and no real worthwhile upgrade path for me from my Odyssey+.

Bare facts - this is a great HMD set, hassle free (single USB-C connection), great looking controllers and a great price for the tech that you're getting. Might be too much money for some to consider paying but for people like me that love VR, I think it is a good proposition.

Caveat for me - I had PSVR and used it quite a lot, but the amount of time I used it dwindled after I got VR for PC. I'm an avid sim-racer and wouldn't want to go back to flat-screen for that at any cost.

Re: First Photo of PSVR2 in the Flesh Emerges

mikeym

@Bismarck - I use VR more than flat screen. Mainly due to the fact that I enjoy realistic driving and flight simulators. Admittedly these are niche markets, within niche markets but there are many that love VR and could not go back to a predominantly flat screen experience. I and many other do also enjoy other more mainstream arcade/adventure type VR games but I agree there is still a long way to go before seeing mass adoption - price, ease of access, evolving technology, etc...

Re: First Photo of PSVR2 in the Flesh Emerges

mikeym

@themightyant - I know it is optimistic but there could be positives. Even if they do decide to make it compatible, I guess it's likely that won't be at the start of the products life-cycle. I'm sure the headset would be very popular with PC owners. Sony have their 'Playstation PC' brand, which the headset could help promote, particularly for later PC ports. Also, it may increase (in a small way) the no. of PS5's purchased - buy the headset for PC, then buy PS5 to take advantage of exclusives and the 'full' PSVR2 experience.

Even if it doesn't happen - at least it should push the other companies to innovate a bit more and provide new headsets with at least equal specifications at a reasonable price. I'm still sat here with my Samsung Odyssey+ and not seeing much to tempt me away from it...

Re: PS Plus, PS Now Merged Service Revealed, Goes Live in June

mikeym

So, I currently have a PS5 and...

PS+ (to April 2023)
PS Now (to Nov 2022)

I'm aware that:

PS+ = Essentials
PS Now = Premium

I'm contemplating getting some store credit @ 15% off and then extending my PS Now by 12 months.

Good idea? I'm not entirely convinced! Obviously a personal choice, but I guess I add 'Premium' for less than half price for a one year extension, until Nov 2023, albeit potentially an overlap with my existing PS+ subscription that runs until April 2023.

All too confusing but, depending on what games get added, I think the refreshed service sounds pretty good...

Sony really need to make it clearer what the upgrade paths/costs will be.

Re: PS Plus, PS Now Merged Service Revealed, Goes Live in June

mikeym

Seem good to me and Looks like I'm OK for Premium until end of October this year when my PS Now subscription runs out.

I have PS+ until April 2023 already. Assuming it might make sense to try and get a 'top up card' for my PS Now for about £40 to extend my current membership... only an existing PS Now subscription required to be automatically eligible for Premium for the same duration?!

Have I got that right???

Re: Gran Turismo 7 PS5, PS4 Patch Restores Servers After 24 Hours, Polyphony Digital Comments on Microtransactions

mikeym

Unfortunate that the game was down for so long, but I think there will be at least some form of 'compensation'.

I had an issue with GT Sport when playing on two different PS4s. The online system of progress saving messed up and I lost quite a lot of levels, a bunch of credits and some cars. They ended up giving me about 20million credits, a load of 'car passes' that I could use to purchase anything and a proper apology / recognition of the problem with the save game system.

Based on my experience above and what Kazunori has responded with, I'm happy to keep enjoying the game (loving it so far) and see what they have planned for special events / updates / etc.

Everything is going to be fine!!!

Re: Mini Review: Circuit Superstars (PS4) - These Circuits Are Well Worth Completing

mikeym

@Anke - LOL there is an extremely passionate community around this game. One guy by the name of Palladean has a series of in-depth YT videos that look at various technical aspects of the game, including track lengths and comparisons to real world circuits. He looked into how long it would take to achieve 50,000km if driving continuously and worked this out to be around 18 days and 6hrs!!!

Re: Mini Review: Circuit Superstars (PS4) - These Circuits Are Well Worth Completing

mikeym

@thefourfoldroot - no rubber-banding. Slip-stream effect got introduced recently but obviously you need to be in the right place to benefit from that. The AI needs some improvement, but the devs roadmap has a further update due this quarter, plus improved contact physics being beta tested tonight before general release. You really do need to think about fuel and tyre management to get the optimum strategy - plus oval racing which is a whole discipline in itself!

Re: Mini Review: Circuit Superstars (PS4) - These Circuits Are Well Worth Completing

mikeym

@Olmaz - Yes, local 4-player split-screen. You can all join an online lobby race together or just race locally. Also worth checking out the devs roadmap. Custom/Private lobbies coming soon, ranked matchmaking and more. On PC there is a beta tonight (for improved physics where cars contact each other) which, if successful, will be rolled out to all platforms. The game comes from a very passionate group of just 6 people I believe who are very active on the Discord

Re: Circuit Superstars

mikeym

A great game I can thoroughly recommend! Reviewed well on PC (Steam) and Xbox and is a lot of fun for both casual and more competitive drivers. A surprising amount of strategy is involved for a top down racer, with fuel, tyre wear and pitstops, etc. It might not be everyone's 'cup of tea' but for a nostalgic 44yr old like me, it's an amazing game - far too many hours already spent racing little toy cars around miniature race tracks!!! The Devs also have a decent roadmap for future updates including custom lobbies, etc..

Re: Fanatec's Gran Turismo 7 Racing Wheel Available to Pre-Order from $700 Now

mikeym

@eagletrippin - Great to hear they did respond to the online chat thing. $93 for 'Strengthening Kit' which they say is mainly shipping costs. Not terrible but still more than I would have expected! Guess I have to decide if I wait and go 'all in' on 8020 rig plus DD or do this and either wait or get the DD wheel at the same time and see how it goes...

I am likely moving house soon, so might just wait it out and get a new rig in time for setting up in the new house...

Re: Fanatec's Gran Turismo 7 Racing Wheel Available to Pre-Order from $700 Now

mikeym

@Dan_ozzzy189 - It has paddles on the wheel. It doesn't have an H-Shifter as part of the package I'm not aware of any cars with 8 manual gears. I have the Fanatec H-Shifter for PC and only use it on older, manual cars - so that it is authentic. The separate Fanatec H-Shifter has 7 gears + reverse, which I've only used fully in the past when I've played Euro Truck Simulator.

Re: Fanatec's Official Gran Turismo 7 Racing Wheel Revealed, Prices Start from $700

mikeym

@eagletrippin - I think you might be OK with F-GT and the CSL DD. Are you going 5nm or 8nm? My CSL Elite PS4 has 'up to 6nm' torque and is fine with the F-GT. My concern over flex is more if I end up getting a Simucube Pro with 25nm (not that I would run it anywhere near that!). The most benefit you get with a DD wheel is the fine detail, rather than brute force. I've also seen some people have made minor mods to their F-GT to strengthen them for use with higher torque DD wheel bases. There's a video somewhere showing the stock F-GT and an OSW without any noticeable flex - but don't think it was particularly independent, maybe even from NLR themselves...

Re: Fanatec's Official Gran Turismo 7 Racing Wheel Revealed, Prices Start from $700

mikeym

I have been sim-racing on PC for nearly 20yrs and have had a few different wheels. I haven't yet gone Direct Drive but, based on the type of wheel you get here + pedals, this is a good price for the tech that you're getting (believe it or not!). It's clearly not for everyone and I don't personally think it's worth it for a game like GT7 (I love the GT series by the way) - but the extra detail afforded by a DD wheel is likely better served by one of the more 'hardcore' PC simulators. I'm currently saving to upgrade from my CSL Elite PS4 wheel to a Simucube wheel (or maybe Fanatec DD1/2) but will need a stronger rig than my Next Level Racing F-GT to avoid movement/flex.

Re: Relaxing Sandbox Grow: Song of the Evertree Plants Some Fantastical Seeds on PS4 Today

mikeym

I got YCCC for my eldest son 2-3 yrs ago when it was on sale - he's now 13. He tried it but quickly got more interested in more serious city building things and Kerbal on PC! Got myself a 2TB expansion drive for my PS5 and was looking through my back catalogue and decided to download it again to see if my 9yr old would like it and he does - would go as far as to say he love's it. So money not wasted! This new game looks 'right up his street' too Look forward to the mini-review...

Re: Kena: Bridge of Spirits Patch 1.11 Is All About Hats and Bug Fixes

mikeym

Got this on release and slowly working my way through with a bit of playtime in the evenings every so often. Really enjoying it and look forward to each 'session'. I've heard the final boss fight is quite tricky/lengthy (10-15mins?), with multiple phases. However, if you die it re-sets to the 1st phase. Not sure if the difficulty is exaggerated by others but sounds like it could do with a 'fix'. Anyone else have experience / able to comment (without spoilers!)?

Re: Sony Pimps Perfect for PS5 Bravia XR TVs

mikeym

@Grimwood - Exactly. Game mode, frame creation, blah blah blah - always turn this stuff off. Doesn't take much effort to tweak the 'basic' settings to make the most of your TV. I also like tweaking

Re: Free-to-Play PES Successor eFootball Out Now on PS5, PS4

mikeym

@Integrity - watching the Spoony Pizza's live stream on You Tube earlier, doesn't look like there's any hope for gameplay either...

Guess there are a couple of options for me - make the switch to FIFA (change controls to mimic PES) or persist with PES 2021 and PES Universe latest Option Files (up to v9 currently)...

There was apparently a build made available for content creators that seemed to be a later version than the one released to the public. Apparently graphics and gameplay were better - so there is some hope I guess, maybe it will get sorted in time for Master League release, which is what I play mainly.

Re: Poll: Did You Buy Kena: Bridge of Spirits?

mikeym

Pre-ordered for PS5, working my way through it in the evenings and has me looking forward to going back and progressing a bit further each time (I have 4 kids, so gaming time is limited!).

I can easily recommend it to anyone that likes this type of game - looks gorgeous too, which makes searching for collectibles an enjoyable experience