Playstation 5 Console Discussion

[Dcubed]

https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-spec-analysis-playstation-5-pro-the-most-powerful-console-yet

Sounds like DF aren’t impressed with the leaked specs…

Essentially a 45% GPU raster improvement, a 10% CPU improvement and enough extra RT performance to turn on an extra PC feature or two.

Unless PSSR turns out to be a DLSS level miracle, this sounds like it’s gonna be a fairly minor upgrade (less of an upgrade than PS4 Pro was even).

[Sheikah]

I thought a 45% boost is bigger than PS4 Pro was, no? I do think the PS4 Pro was much more necessary though, given how weak the base console was even at launch.

 

I think it'll be interesting if all console rumours come true - i.e. the PS5 Pro and revised Xbox models. You'd have thought Xbox would release a Pro model too - I don't think it'll go down well if they're just launching discless models with no other upgrades.

[killthenet]

DF seem to think it won't be too much of a price increase (around £100 more than the base PS5) so I guess I was wrong on that score.

The PSSR definitely seems like the only interesting addition but probably won't be enough to get me to upgrade - I only play a handful of games on my PS5 each year as it is so I don't think it would make sense for me to buy the Pro.

[Dcubed]

8 hours ago, killthenet said:

DF seem to think it won't be too much of a price increase (around £100 more than the base PS5) so I guess I was wrong on that score.

The PSSR definitely seems like the only interesting addition but probably won't be enough to get me to upgrade - I only play a handful of games on my PS5 each year as it is so I don't think it would make sense for me to buy the Pro.

PS5's RRP is currently £479.99 (post price-increase), so that still puts it dangerously close to £599.99/$699.99 as I predicted.

PS4 Pro sold for the same RRP as what the base PS4 cost when it first came out (£349.99/$399.99), but I don't think that's gonna happen again in today's CPI hellscape.

[Sheikah]

PS5's RRP is currently £479.99 (post price-increase), so that still puts it dangerously close to £599.99/$699.99 as I predicted.
PS4 Pro sold for the same RRP as what the base PS4 cost when it first came out (£349.99/$399.99), but I don't think that's gonna happen again in today's CPI hellscape.

Almost certainly the PS5 base model will be officially reduced in price soon, so I wouldn't go adding £100 onto the current RRP. The base model is already unofficially reduced - being sold for £389 just this/last week on Amazon and reduced at many other places too.

I think the PS5 Pro will be £529 to £549 at most or thereabouts. Don't think they will go to £579 or £599 though, that would be just too much and put people off.

[Hero-of-Time]

24 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

I think the PS5 Pro will be £529 to £549 at most or thereabouts. Don't think they will go to £579 or £599 though, that would be just too much and put people off.

 

In recent years the PlayStation brand has pivoted to be seen as a manufacturer of premium products. I could be wrong but I don't think they would have an issue charging a very high amount. I mean, the PSVR2 launched at a very steep price, despite many saying it was too high and wouldn't sell. Granted, that's an add on and not a console. 

[Sheikah]

In recent years the PlayStation brand has pivoted to be seen as a manufacturer of premium products. I could be wrong but I don't think they would have an issue charging a very high amount. I mean, the PSVR2 launched at a very steep price, despite many saying it was too high and wouldn't sell. Granted, that's an add on and not a console. 

But look at how well the PSVR2 did...they've discontinued production because units are piling up. They must surely realise that people aren't in the mood to be spending so much at this time. They need to get the sweet spot right where enough people will buy it.

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, Sheikah said:

But look at how well the PSVR2 did...they've discontinued production because units are piling up. They must surely realise that people aren't in the mood to be spending so much at this time. They need to get the sweet spot right where enough people will buy it.

Very true. Hopefully they have learnt something from that scenario.

[Hero-of-Time]

A must have PS Stars item was added today...

Spoiler

 

[Hero-of-Time]

Like the story I posted yesterday in the Xbox thread, Chris Dring once again speaks about what he heard when talking to developers at GDC.

Quote

There have been two big stories on the ground at GDC this year: Xbox’s flatlining brand and the purpose of the PS5 Pro. Speaking as part of a podcast, GamesIndustry.biz’s well-connected reporter Christopher Dring noted that he didn’t meet a “single person” at the show that understood the point of Sony’s mid-gen upgrade, which is rumoured to release later this year.

He clarified that he expects “PS5 fans” to upgrade, and thus there are inherent advantages for Sony. But games makers are struggling to get excited about the system. “Developers don’t really seem to feel they need it, at least the ones I spoke to,” he revealed. “Many feel they’re not really making the most out of the PS5 in the first place.”

Due to the aftermath of the pandemic and extremely long development cycles, we’ve not really seen a huge number of tentpole PS5 exclusives yet. “A couple of companies said this isn’t going to grow the market – it’s not going to move the needle,” Dring shrugged. “This generation doesn’t even seem to have got started really, let alone feel the need for a mid-generation update. How about we just get some original, next-generation software up and spinning?”

The journalist later clarified that he imagines Sony has reasonable expectations for the refresh, and the company knows it’s probably going to have niche overall appeal. As we’ve reported previously, innovative new features like PlayStation Spectral Resolution likely exist to improve the capacity of Performance Modes in titles like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Therefore, if that sort of thing appeals to you, you probably belong to the small segment of the market PlayStation is targeting.

Pretty much what I and many others have been saying. There's simply no need for the upgrade when they've barely scratched the surface with the tech they are currently using.

[Hero-of-Time]

 

Quote

When the PlayStation 5 console launched in 2020, we introduced Game Help to enable players to easily access hints, tips, or walkthrough videos without leaving the game to help them progress through a level, obtain a trophy, or find a coveted hidden item.

We're always evolving the PS5 console experience, and today, we are happy to announce a new enhancement for Game Help launching later this year: Community Game Help. Community Game Help will add to the current Game Help experience by expanding the library of helpful game hints, incorporating videos that are automatically generated from gameplay footage of players who have opted in to contribute.

When the enhanced Game Help experience featuring content from the community launches, Game Help will be available to all PS5 players, with or without a PlayStation Plus subscription. In supported games, PS5 players will be able to contribute their gameplay, view hints from fellow gamers, or access Game Help hints created by developers. Game developers can also continue to create their own hint videos, as seen in popular titles available today like The Last of Us Part II Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

This process will be done automatically, so you don't need to edit or upload your clips for submission. Only your raw game footage will be uploaded, so images and audio from your webcam, microphone, or party chat audio will not be shared with the moderator or the community. Depending on the game you're playing, your video may include online IDs or chat messages that are shown on your game screen.

 

[drahkon]

I've been playing Mega Man via the Mega Man Legacy Collection today...was Mega Man always this...floaty? He seems to slide before coming to a halt.

Oh and will I consider every game in the collection as a separate entry in my gaming list? You bet your ass, I will (haven't had an entry in all of March...gotta crank those numbers up )

[Hero-of-Time]

Charging top dollar for a MediEvil 2 remake is a bold move. I guess this is why they keep releasing versions of the original game on PS+ but not giving us the sequel.

[Julius]

3 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Charging top dollar for a MediEvil 2 remake is a bold move. I guess this is why they keep releasing versions of the original game on PS+ but not giving us the sequel.

Couple of years ago:

Days Gone sells millions of copies following an admittedly mixed reception at launch due to being bug-ridden, but it's certainly popular. Plans for a franchise totally scrapped. PlayStation care about Metacritic scores just as much as sales, apparently. But they're still making a TV show, mind you! 

No-one: 

Absolutely no-one: 

PlayStation:

SO ANYWAYS I STARTED REMAKING EVERYTHING NICHE AND/OR UNPOPULAR AND/OR NOT-SO-GREATLY RECEIVED. YOU GOT YOUR GRAVITY RUSHING TWICE REMAKE, CREEPY HORROR HOUSE WITH WEIRD FACES KINDA FIXED REMAKE, AND MEDIEVALEVIL SKELETOR REMAKE. THAT'LL BE 70 SQUIDDEMS TA AND HUZZAH. 

 

I simply don't understand what they're doing these days. It's actually incomprehensible. This goes beyond not feeling like my own game preferences are being met as consistently last gen by PlayStation, it feels like they're actively tarnishing how everything but AAAA first-party games are received by pushing out everything and anything which can skip most of pre-production due to being remakes at lower levels of development. The same generally goes for their TV and movie plans. 

Feels like they're beyond being dangerously prideful at this point. Thank goodness the PS5 is backwards compatible and that third-parties seem to be having a decent gen, I guess? 

Edited April 19 by Julius

[Dcubed]

Hey! At least it’s some sort of acknowledgement of their legacy.  That’s always nice to see

I wonder if it’s being outsourced…

[Hero-of-Time]

2 hours ago, Julius said:

I simply don't understand what they're doing these days. It's actually incomprehensible. This goes beyond not feeling like my own game preferences are being met as consistently last gen by PlayStation, it feels like they're actively tarnishing how everything but AAAA first-party games are received by pushing out everything and anything which can skip most of pre-production due to being remakes at lower levels of development. The same generally goes for their TV and movie plans. 

Feels like they're beyond being dangerously prideful at this point. Thank goodness the PS5 is backwards compatible and that third-parties seem to be having a decent gen, I guess? 

Yeah, I feel pretty much the same. I can't see it getting any better either. There's only Shu that's left who seems to resonate with the PlayStation community. The rest just seem like a bunch of suits trying to nickel and dime the user base. As you said, the 3rd parties have done a lot of the heavy lifting and it's going to be interesting to see how things play out once the new Nintendo console arrives. If it's has enough power under the hood, I can see a lot of developers using that as their main platform, especially if it sells as well as the Switch.

2 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Hey! At least it’s some sort of acknowledgement of their legacy.  That’s always nice to see

I wonder if it’s being outsourced…

Apparently it's being worked on by the same guys who remade the first game.

[Nicktendo]

I don’t really get the point of PS5. Full disclosure: I haven’t owned a Playstation since around 2008 (PS3), so I may be a little biased, but what’s its unique selling point, outside of it essentially being a PS4 Pro+? It barely has any exclusives and has been mired with cross-gen titles from Sony 1^st and 2^nd party for the first 3 years of its life. I agree that 3^rd parties have been doing the heavy lifting, but Sony as a dev and a publisher seem to be in a really bad place.

The fact they’re launching another console this year is laughable to me. They’ve already said there are no big 1^st party hitters coming in 2024, so why are they doing this? PS4 Pro++? I can’t understand why the base model is selling so well on the back of basically nothing. Both Sony and MS have really dropped the ball this gen. Demon Souls, Astro, what else is a 1^st party PS5 exclusive?

I heard on Sacred Symbols that they are making ~6% profit on the PlayStation brand at the moment, which is very low. I don’t really get what their grand plan is. TLOU2 and Spiderman 2 seem to have fallen below expectations, and Ragnorok and Forbidden Wastes were both cross-gen titles that could have been so much more had they not been. Seems things are getting very stale in Sony land. Insomniac being tied to Marvel content until 2035 is a very, very bad idea IMO. 4^th year of a console launch and under 10 1^st party exclusives is absolutely terrible form tbh. What’s going on over there?

The fact a decent gaming PC costs roughly double the price of a PS5 is interesting too. I have picked up quite a few Sony games in the past 2 years and they are giving me absolutely zero incentive to buy another PlayStation, considering releases on PC to be happening sooner rather than later these days. Ghost of Tsushima is dropping in a couple of weeks or so and I will definitely pick it up, but if PS games are going to be dropping within 12-24 months of release, and are likely to run better on a mid-range PC, what incentive does anyone have to buy a PS5/pro?

[Hero-of-Time]

The PlayStation brand is very strong, especially in Europe. Plus, as we mentioned, 3rd party games do the heavy lifting and as far as consoles go, all the big 3rd party games usually hit a PlayStation console. Historically it's always been like this. It's really the 3rd party support that attracts the customers to the platform and not so much the 1st party support, the complete opposite of Nintendo platforms. Granted, that started to change last generation with the PS4, thanks to the likes of God of War, The Last of Us and Spider-Man doing big numbers.

Outside of the 360 generation, the PlayStation platform has always been seen as a mass market console. Games such as FIFA/ EA FC and CoD draw in the masses, despite being available on other consoles. JRPG fans often get served very well on the PS platform as well, especially when the Xbox seems to get sod all. Basically it's the console to get to play 3rd party games. PC gaming has come on leaps and bounds but the price and complexity (when compared to consoles) still alienates the mass market.

I've said it many times on here that the PS5 and Xbox Series X weren't really needed. They were needed in the sense that both companies wanted a new product on the shelves but not really needed in terms of being able to deliver new and exciting experiences. The PS4 Pro was more than enough and the fact that developers are still making PS4/cross gen games shows that they were fine with it as well.

As for 1st party exclusives that aren't cross gen, there aren't many. Ratchet, Spider-Man 2, Demon's Souls, Returnal and Astro's Playroom are all I can think of. 

[Hero-of-Time]

I forgot to comment on their games goingto PC.

Yeah, this is a tricky one and IMO, it's something that hurt the Xbox brand platform. As soon as you start putting your games on other platforms you weaken your own. It may be seen as gatekeeping but exclusives help sell your console. You think the Switch would have sold as well as it did if Nintendo games were available else where? Not at all. There's power in having exclusives. It forces the consumer to buy your product in order to play the game. 

It may be the old man in me talking but I honestly miss the amount of exclusives platforms used to get. They gave consoles their own identity and purpose. 

[Nicktendo]

Kudos to Sony for still believing in 3rd party exclusives. I honestly think that's a main pillar of delivering an enticing console experience. I've seen a lot of MS fanboys hating on them for taking this approach, but it is the bread and butter of the console industry, so if MS isn't willing to stump up the cash (as they did to a great extent in the OG and 360 days), they can pound sand. But outside of that, I really do see very little. PC and Switch is the place to be at the moment, and Sony seem to be losing ground and mindshare in a substantial way. You mention CoD, but that's likely to be "best experienced on Xbox" from October/November moving forward. 

And I do not believe that Nintendo games will ever be available anywhere but on a Nintendo system, and that's exactly the way I want it to stay. They are the only dev left in the industry and that builds their software to a specific hardware. 

[Hero-of-Time]

4 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

And I do not believe that Nintendo games will ever be available anywhere but on a Nintendo system, and that's exactly the way I want it to stay. They are the only dev left in the industry and that builds their software to a specific hardware. 

Nor do I but if they ever were it would certainly weaken the sales of their hardware.

Again, it may be seen as gatekeeping but its how the console business is ran. Xbox only started putting their games on PC because their console business was tanking. Sony have followed the same path because their current strategy is unstainable and they need another source of revenue. Nintendo have no such problems, especially now that they are diversifying their business with things like movies and theme parks. 

[Glen-i]

23 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

And I do not believe that Nintendo games will ever be available anywhere but on a Nintendo system, and that's exactly the way I want it to stay. They are the only dev left in the industry and that builds their software to a specific hardware.

Nintendo have curated an expectation of quality of gameplay over fancy shmancy graphics as soon as they realised they wouldn't be able to compete directly with Sony and Microsoft after the Gamecube, and it's paying off in spades. Now that graphical leaps are subject to huge diminishing returns with inflating costs, Nintendo are coasting along relatively smoothly on their reputation of "Hey, our games function at launch, and you know they'll be fun".

Very much, the long con, there.

[Sheikah]

PC and Switch is the place to be at the moment, and Sony seem to be losing ground and mindshare in a substantial way. You mention CoD, but that's likely to be "best experienced on Xbox" from October/November moving forward.

The majority will never take to PC as their main gaming platform. Expensive, inconsistent and not well suited to being used on a TV - which is important for many. Those who say it's superior to console are looking at a spec sheet and not the practicalities of modern life.

[Hero-of-Time]

3 hours ago, Sheikah said:

The majority will never take to PC as their main gaming platform. Expensive, inconsistent and not well suited to being used on a TV - which is important for many. Those who say it's superior to console are looking at a spec sheet and not the practicalities of modern life.

Indeed. The barrier for entry for the mass market is still too high. Until it becomes more of a plug in and play experience, I imagine it will remain this way.

Of all the people I've worked with over the years who were gamers, only a fraction of them done gaming on PCs. At my last job, the majority of the software team played exclusively on PC, which is probably because they have an understanding and interest of how things work on the platform.

[Glen-i]

3 hours ago, Sheikah said:

The majority will never take to PC as their main gaming platform. Expensive, inconsistent and not well suited to being used on a TV - which is important for many.

Yo!

This is exactly why I don't have a PC. Unlike PlayStation and XBox, PC has loads of games I want to play, but the cost is just far too high for me to justify it. Nintendo's cost to benefit ratio is just far more appealing.

Edited April 20 by Glen-i