PlayStation 4 Console Discussion

[Ganepark32]

So I've been getting a NP-32091-5 error in my PS4 for the last couple of days and games crashing, with the console signing my user out completely. I've noticed that things are crashing a bit more recently and that my console seems to be running a bit on the slow side but seems I've now got corrupted trophy data from some game. No idea which one as I've got hundred of games in my PS4 library so it could be anything really.

Was intending to spend the day playing through Batman: The Enemy Within but sadly it looks as though my day will be spent uploading all my saves to the cloud as back ups in the hope that recreating my user sorts the problem when I go to sync up my trophies. If not, I'll have to initialize the whole console and hope that things work after that.

Annoying when I'm just wanting to play through some of the games I've picked up recently. Fingers crossed it resolves with this.

[Hero-of-Time]

Cracking year. Roll on the onslaught of games in 2019. 

[drahkon]

Bought the Megan Man X Legacy Collections 1 and 2.

Started playing Mega Man X and got my ass handed to me. I remember playing/beating the SNES version some time ago. How can I suck so bad at this now?  

[drahkon]

 

[dwarf]

The PS4's last big year?

Sekiro, Death Stranding, and The Last of Us 2 top the list for me. 

Will consider Ghost of Tsushima, Control (if the writing isn't as bad as the trailer makes out), and Doom Eternal (if it stays on track for this year).

[Ronnie]

Sadly not many of those appeal to me personally, at all. My PS4 has been gathering dust since Spider Man but hopefully Concrete Genie and Dreams can pull me back cause there's not much else, especially since the indie scene has migrated to Switch.

Edited January 3, 2019 by Ronnie

[Ashley]

On 03/01/2019 at 3:54 PM, Ronnie said:

Sadly not many of those appeal to me personally, at all. My PS4 has been gathering dust since Spider Man but hopefully Concrete Genie and Dreams can pull me back cause there's not much else, especially since the indie scene has migrated to Switch.

I think the last part is unfair. The indie scene is supporting both, it just appears that the Switch is getting more support at the moment because it's getting a back catalogue from the last few years.

But I agree about Dreams. Looks like a fantastic user-generated game. Perhaps the biggest since Mario Maker. 

[Ronnie]

50 minutes ago, Ashley said:

I think the last part is unfair. The indie scene is supporting both, it just appears that the Switch is getting more support at the moment because it's getting a back catalogue from the last few years.

Indies are going to want their game in as many places as possible so of course most games come to both (apart from exclusives like GRIS, The Messenger etc)

What I meant by the indie scene has migrated to Switch was more A) the same game sells far, far better on Switch than PS4 but more importantly B) Nintendo actually promotes them. Also, you walk around EGX and every dev will tell you the number 1 question they keep getting asked was "When's it coming to Switch?"

[Ashley]

16 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Indies are going to want their game in as many places as possible so of course most games come to both (apart from exclusives like GRIS, The Messenger etc)

What I meant by the indie scene has migrated to Switch was more A) the same game sells far, far better on Switch than PS4 but more importantly B) Nintendo actually promotes them. Also, you walk around EGX and every dev will tell you the number 1 question they keep getting asked was "When's it coming to Switch?"

Oh yeah sure thing there's a demand, but markets are going to naturally migrate which is why Switch is currently enjoying more indie titles (because they are a mix of new ones and old ones that have been ported).  A 2 year old console is going to be more appealing than a 5 year old one as the storefront will be less crowded and discoverability is easier (an issue that Nintendo is now facing - the perils of popularity).

[Ronnie]

43 minutes ago, Ashley said:

Oh yeah sure thing there's a demand, but markets are going to naturally migrate which is why Switch is currently enjoying more indie titles (because they are a mix of new ones and old ones that have been ported).  A 2 year old console is going to be more appealing than a 5 year old one as the storefront will be less crowded and discoverability is easier (an issue that Nintendo is now facing - the perils of popularity).

So like I said, the indie scene has moved to Switch at the moment. It also helps that Nintendo actually promote and publicise those games. Sony did at the start of the gen but now they just seem to completely ignore it.

I don't think crowded storefronts are the reason Thimbleweed Park as one example sold 10x more than on PS4. People are buying indie games on Switch because it's simply a better console to play them on. Game runs the same (in most cases) but the hybrid nature of the console instantly makes it better.

[S.C.G]

I'm wondering if those sales for Thimbleweed Park include the physical release from Limited Run games?

Probably not I guess and even if it did, that would probably only up the percentage by 00.1% but still, it's an impressive number of sales all the same.

If anything, it just reminds me that I still need to play Thimbleweed Park as I've heard that it's a fantastic title regardless of platform.

[Happenstance]

I still need to get back to Thimbleweed Park. I bought it on PC ages ago and then barely touched it.

[Goafer]

Probably easier to promote indie games when there's not much other third party stuff to promote...

[Ronnie]

26 minutes ago, Goafer said:

Probably easier to promote indie games when there's not much other third party stuff to promote...

Yeah I must have missed all that Asssassin's Creed, Red Dead and Fallout 76 promotion on Sony's E3 or PSX stages.

47 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

I'm wondering if those sales for Thimbleweed Park include the physical release from Limited Run games?

Probably not I guess and even if it did, that would probably only up the percentage by 00.1% but still, it's an impressive number of sales all the same.

If anything, it just reminds me that I still need to play Thimbleweed Park as I've heard that it's a fantastic title regardless of platform.

You should definitely play it, I really loved it. Some of the puzzles were typically obtuse towards the end but the whole vibe of the game was fantastic.

[Goafer]

20 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Yeah I must have missed all that Asssassin's Creed, Red Dead and Fallout 76 promotion on Sony's E3 or PSX stages.

At least we can look forward to Nintendo promoting them all when they get inferior ports of 3 year old games.

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, Goafer said:

At least we can look forward to Nintendo promoting them all when they get inferior ports of 3 year old games.

Not sure the fastest selling console of the generation needs them tbh. Plus aren't reviewers talking about how impressive the Switch can fit current gen games in something that can fit in your pocket? My PS4 meanwhile sounded like it was going to take off every time I went into the map in God of War.

Anyway, this thread is about Playstation. Indie wise the only games I still want to play on mine are GNOG and Swords of Ditto, though apparently the latter isn't very good

Edited January 6, 2019 by Ronnie

[Goafer]

54 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Anyway, this thread is about Playstation. 

Ah, there it is. The moral high ground, even though it was you that first mentioned the Switch. Classic Ronnie.

[Ronnie]

When discussion is about the industry, talk usually turns to what the big three are doing. There's been plenty of Nintendo/Xbox mentions in this thread. Anyway...

Edited January 6, 2019 by Ronnie

[Ganepark32]

Speaking of indie games (to bring us back on topic), I've been playing a few over recent weeks. Picked up Dangerous Golf just before Christmas and have really enjoyed the laidback nature of the game. Have been playing it with the missus and it's been great just seeing who out of us can grab the highest score from all the carnage we've created in screen. Such a simple idea but executed really well. Contemplating picking up one of the Danger Zone games but I was never that fussed for the crash mode in Burnout Paradise (I know, sacrilege but I just loved speeding about and trying to nail the races or best times on the streets more) so not so sure about that.

I played and platinumed Subnautica as well a few weeks back and that was a fantastic indie game. One of my favourite games of last year. Even with the crashing issues and bugs that the PS4 version had (most of which were patched out by the time I'd finished up), it was just a great experience. I can either take it or leave it with survival games and resource management but I loved it in this. Exploring the planet in your little submarine, seeing all the different biomes, coming across your first leviathan and it destroying your ship and then rebuilding it and all the other toys you can build. It was great. Was genuinely saddened that I'd finished the story mode as I really enjoyed my turn as Jacques Cousteau. Can't recommend it enough if you're into survival games. Trying to decide on whether The Forest will be a suitable replacement but seems like it's more multiplayer focused.

Also been trying out Mutant Year Zero. Not very far into it but again, I'm really enjoying this. Love me some Xcom style gameplay and this nails that while giving a more narrative push to things. Sure, it's nothing massively original in the story and theme department but it feels a bit more engaging on that front than some of its contemporaries. Can't wait to play more.

For once I don't have a massive backlog of indie games to get through, though I've certainly got plenty of them to play on my PS4 (last I checked, I've about 200 plus indie games that I've bought myself). Seem to be getting mire bang for my buck from them over the last few weeks than some of the bigger games anyway.

@Ronnie, Gnog was a fun little game but it's over really quickly, with very little replayability which is a shame as they could so easily have released new puzzles for it in the format it's in. And yeah, Swords of Ditto was a disappointment for me. So looked forward to it but once I started, I just couldn't get into it because of the "you die, you start over" mechanic. Lovely art style but that's about it really.

[Ronnie]

59 minutes ago, Ganepark32 said:

@Ronnie, Gnog was a fun little game but it's over really quickly, with very little replayability which is a shame as they could so easily have released new puzzles for it in the format it's in. And yeah, Swords of Ditto was a disappointment for me. So looked forward to it but once I started, I just couldn't get into it because of the "you die, you start over" mechanic. Lovely art style but that's about it really.

Yeah I would be playing Gnog just for the art style and puzzles really, I'm fine with it being quite short. As for Swords of Ditto, what a waste of such a gorgeous art style, shame the game design can't match it.

[bob]

Speaking of indie games (to bring us back on topic), I've been playing a few over recent weeks. Picked up Dangerous Golf just before Christmas and have really enjoyed the laidback nature of the game. Have been playing it with the missus and it's been great just seeing who out of us can grab the highest score from all the carnage we've created in screen. Such a simple idea but executed really well. Contemplating picking up one of the Danger Zone games but I was never that fussed for the crash mode in Burnout Paradise (I know, sacrilege but I just loved speeding about and trying to nail the races or best times on the streets more) so not so sure about that.
I played and platinumed Subnautica as well a few weeks back and that was a fantastic indie game. One of my favourite games of last year. Even with the crashing issues and bugs that the PS4 version had (most of which were patched out by the time I'd finished up), it was just a great experience. I can either take it or leave it with survival games and resource management but I loved it in this. Exploring the planet in your little submarine, seeing all the different biomes, coming across your first leviathan and it destroying your ship and then rebuilding it and all the other toys you can build. It was great. Was genuinely saddened that I'd finished the story mode as I really enjoyed my turn as Jacques Cousteau. Can't recommend it enough if you're into survival games. Trying to decide on whether The Forest will be a suitable replacement but seems like it's more multiplayer focused.
Also been trying out Mutant Year Zero. Not very far into it but again, I'm really enjoying this. Love me some Xcom style gameplay and this nails that while giving a more narrative push to things. Sure, it's nothing massively original in the story and theme department but it feels a bit more engaging on that front than some of its contemporaries. Can't wait to play more.
For once I don't have a massive backlog of indie games to get through, though I've certainly got plenty of them to play on my PS4 (last I checked, I've about 200 plus indie games that I've bought myself). Seem to be getting mire bang for my buck from them over the last few weeks than some of the bigger games anyway.
[mention=4353]Ronnie[/mention], Gnog was a fun little game but it's over really quickly, with very little replayability which is a shame as they could so easily have released new puzzles for it in the format it's in. And yeah, Swords of Ditto was a disappointment for me. So looked forward to it but once I started, I just couldn't get into it because of the "you die, you start over" mechanic. Lovely art style but that's about it really.

I would love to play Subnautica, but don't think I would get very far due to my thalassophobia. The game looks terrifying.

[Ashley]

On 06/01/2019 at 4:56 PM, Ronnie said:

I don't think crowded storefronts are the reason Thimbleweed Park as one example sold 10x more than on PS4. People are buying indie games on Switch because it's simply a better console to play them on. Game runs the same (in most cases) but the hybrid nature of the console instantly makes it better.

That is not the point I was making though...

I said that part of the reason there are more indie releases on Switch is because there is ample past material to port.

Yes, it's form factor helps (its also why the Vita was an indie darling) when it comes to sales/appeal etc but my point was about why the release numbers are different.  As do factors such as Nintendo being more open to them now.  It is due to multiple factors, but absolutely one reason is because of store front discoverability.  It has been talked about as a potential problem (and the number of titles has doubled since that article), devs have spoken about their discoverability worries and it is clearly something Nintendo is trying to address...just not in the eShop. This isn't a criticism of Nintendo, it's a problem that all platform holders (of successful platforms anyway) have gone through. It's working well for them at the moment, but if the market continues to flood and there's only three options to browse games (New, Coming Soon and Reduced) then by the time the PS5/Xbox Two come out the support could dry up. Not end, but they won't be the young console with the growing market any more.  They will be where Sony is now.

[Ronnie]

7 minutes ago, Ashley said:

That is not the point I was making though...

I said that part of the reason there are more indie releases on Switch is because there is ample past material to port.

Ok?

I never really suggested or questioned that there were more indie releases on Switch. Just that the Switch is seen as the place to play indies these days.

9 minutes ago, Ashley said:

Yes, it's form factor helps (its also why the Vita was an indie darling) when it comes to sales/appeal etc but my point was about why the release numbers are different.  As do factors such as Nintendo being more open to them now.  It is due to multiple factors, but absolutely one reason is because of store front discoverability.  It has been talked about as a potential problem (and the number of titles has doubled since that article), devs have spoken about their discoverability worries and it is clearly something Nintendo is trying to address...just not in the eShop. This isn't a criticism of Nintendo, it's a problem that all platform holders (of successful platforms anyway) have gone through. It's working well for them at the moment, but if the market continues to flood and there's only three options to browse games (New, Coming Soon and Reduced) then by the time the PS5/Xbox Two come out the support could dry up. Not end, but they won't be the young console with the growing market any more.  They will be where Sony is now.

There's more than just New, Coming Soon and Reduced. There's a Featured section which Nintendo use to highlight the big titles and a Bestselling section that gives a top 10 (or is it top 20?) of the whole store and just the digital exclusives. Yes the store is being flooded with shovelware but whenever I turn my Switch on the sidebar highlights the best new games and I know where to look to get to the quality games. But yeah, it's absolutely a problem, for every store.

Basically, all I said was that the indie scene had moved to Switch since it's release, that's all really.

[Hero-of-Time]

The other 2 console makers had their financial briefings yesterday. Today Sony announced their numbers.

Quote

Insane numbers for a console in it's 5th year. It really shows the importance of both strong 3rd party support and online system. What's even crazier is that the price of the console could easily come down further. No wonder Sony aren't in a hurry for the next generation to start.

[Julius]

Another day, another report (this time from  HobbyConsolas, in Spain) about how the PS5 might have backwards compatibility for PS, PS2, PS3 and PS4 games — though this time, it’s based on a patent by Sony Japan. 

Quote

Sony Japan has just registered a new patent that allows the retrocompatibility of the hardware with previous consoles. It is a system to be applied in a future machine, PS5, and that allows the CPU of the new console to be able to "interpret" the central unit of the previous machines. The author of the development was Mark Cerny, the architect who designed the PS4 structure, and the patent, which has been filed under number 2019-503013, briefly explains what it consists of. 

The aim is to make the applications designed for the previous consoles (legacy device) run perfectly on the most powerful hardware, and is focused on eliminating the synchronization errors between the new consoles and the behavior of the previous ones (PS4, PS3, PS2 and PSX). For example, if the CPU of the new console is faster than the previous one, data could be overwritten prematurely, even if they were still being used by another component. 

Thanks to the new system, PS5 would be able to imitate the behavior of the previous consoles, so that the information that arrives at the different processors is returned in response to the "calls" of the games. The processor is able to detect the needs of each application and behave as if it were the original "brain" of each machine, cheating the software. This technology does not prevent PS5 could also have additional processors to have compatibility with machines whose architecture is difficult to replicate, as in the case of PS2. 

In this blog you can see the most detailed information of the patent, with the diagrams in Japanese. Yesterday we explained the SRGAN process that allows you to perform "remastering by emulation" (another of the elements that Sony has patented, and converts images in SD resolution in 4K using artificial intelligence.

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Julius