Playstation 5 Console Discussion

[Dcubed]

Excellent news all around.  I'm shocked that Sony are honouring past PS1/PSP PSN purchases! That's absolutely huge for me!

That honestly may have sold me on a PS5 (or at least encouraged me to hook up my PS4 again).  Of course, that all depends on the execution, so jury's still out on that front.

Edited May 16, 2022 by Dcubed

[Sheikah]

This really does look to be shaping up nicely. I'll be getting 3 years of this because of the Now technicality.

Do we know how much it will cost to upgrade from Plus Essential? Just wondering as Plus Essential (or regular Plus as it is now) is often discounted, so may work out cheaper to just continue to buy that and upgrade as needed.

[Julius]

3 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

Do we know how much it will cost to upgrade from Plus Essential? Just wondering as Plus Essential (or regular Plus as it is now) is often discounted, so may work out cheaper to just continue to buy that and upgrade as needed.

I don't think we have official confirmation through anything on the PlayStation site itself, but I see this floating around where someone emailed PlayStation support with a similar question a while back, and they provided this response:

Quote

[...]

You can easily upgrade to a higher benefits plan at any time. To do so, you'll need to pay the difference between your current plan and your new plan, adjusted for the remaining time of your subscription. 

[...]

So pretty much the same solution Nintendo have in place when upgrading from standard NSO to the Expansion Pack, from what I gather 

[Julius]

More PS5 plates inbound -- Starlight Blue, Galactic Purple, and Nova Pink:

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Julius

[bob]

Starlight? Galactic? Nova? 

Those aren't Dulux sanctioned colour names are they?

[Ashley]

 

 

[Julius]

The new Bend logo continues the growing trend of generic studio/publisher logos and introduces more straight lines than bendy ones? Also further confirmation on and new details on the new IP they've got in the works:

Quote

Today, we are excited to share just a snippet of news on our current project. We are currently working on a new IP that includes multiplayer and builds upon the open-world systems of Days Gone, but brings you a whole new world that we are extremely excited to craft for you. We cannot wait to reveal it to you when the time is right.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I'm more disappointed with what their new game is. Open world with a multiplayer component doesn't really get me excited.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

The rumour going around at the moment is that The Last of Us remake is getting prepped for a September release. God of War was also rumoured to be hitting in that month as well but now this has popped up.

 

[Julius]

52 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The rumour going around at the moment is that The Last of Us remake is getting prepped for a September release. God of War was also rumoured to be hitting in that month as well but now this has popped up.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Ragnarök has been moved seemingly from September to October or super early in November in light of this (which makes sense to me - I mean, when I think "Ragnarök" I think late autumn/winter, not late summer/early autumn!) -- just because if it is coming out this year, you know they want it to be a firm part of the GOTY discussion and get out prior to the TGA's deadline in mid-November, otherwise it'll get buried next year.

I do also think there's a small possibility that they just moved it to December 31st so that it was clearly a placeholder date and coming by the end of the year, but not in a specific window, as before I think it was floating around that it was going to come in September based on the order of someone's registered interest on the PS Store? Which, if they're not ready to share a date yet, could be smart to just not put additional pressure on the team. 

September makes total sense for the TLOU Remake in my mind, though, because it's well placed for Factions to get strong attention in the multiplayer sphere (assuming they're launching alongside one another) as it's a decent distance (and different enough) to the big games we'd expect to see around it, it's a great game to play through in October, and also because, well, Last of Us Day is September 26th, and you know Naughty Dog would love to stick it as close to that date as possible 

 

I've actually been thinking a lot about The Last of Us remake since it first came up last year, and I've kind of held back on throwing my thoughts out there out of the blue, but I suppose this is as good a time as any to return to the topic. 

My view is still similar to before on the plan to remake the game: it's not really an asked for remake, there are other Naughty Dog games like the first Uncharted which I think could do with it more, but the leak was totally unwarranted and it could still turn out to be a spectacular showpiece and tighten the continuity between the original game and Part II mechanically. 

I actually think a remake just effectively with The Last of Us Part II tech would be a huge missed opportunity -- and it's a shame, because I feel it's a near certainty that this is the direction they've gone in. A direction I think they could have gone in to flesh out the world more and keep the original game intact would be to go back to one of the biggest criticisms of the original game: the lack of player ownership in the ending.

Now, I love the ending of TLOU and think a first playthrough of the remake should be kept as is, but I think it would've been really cool if you saw an option to make a decision at the end of the game during a replay -- just how would that have played out? To extrapolate that further, I feel like you could then just continue to add more threads to the story like this to further drive a desire to replay the game multiple times, rewarding the biggest fans of TLOU - more decisions to make throughout the story could become available every time you replay the game, stretching further and further back into the story as you go having a greater impact on the story (multiple endings, different sets of characters the game could end with based on your decisions, etc.) and you could also get some alternative views of the story (for example, playing through a section as a different character or getting some more background on characters). 

Again, don't think this is the direction they're going in at all, but I think beyond remaking the game, this could have helped people come to terms with the idea of a remake (because of the additional content that makes this the definitive version, and because it's an affordable way in a relatively small scaled and tightly packed story to stretch it out further). 

Could totally see how a first trailer for this idea would go too...

Spoiler

Just imagine we get to the end of Summer Game Fest, the screen goes black, and you see the silhouette of a man making his way through the dark halls of St Mary's hospital. 

"Oh, it's Joel! It's The Last of Us Remake!"

And then he steps into the red flashing light, pushes the door open into the operating room, and the camera swivels to show the man now pointing a gun but not showing the rest of the room (you know, to not spoil the end of TLOU for those that haven't played the game): it's Tommy. Hard cut to black. 

September 2022

State of Play in August

But yeah, anyways, that's my scattered pie-in-the-sky "man, I wish they would've done this rather than what we'll probably get as a close to 1:1 remake" that completely details the thread 

Back to TLOU Remake as we think we know it, I know it's a decision driven obviously by sales and wanting to tie into the HBO series coming next year, but something which really confuses me about this is that I feel like it does limit the scope of potential expansion for the audience -- let's be honest, because TLOU is on PS4, a TLOU Remake on PS5 is very likely to have a whole lot of players returning to the game, rather than getting new players into the IP.

I feel like what they could have done - and hey, maybe will still do - is make a super simplified version of The Last of Us, like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition or Telltale games, for mobile. Pop that onto app stores at £9.99 when the HBO series launches and just rake it all in. I love The Last of Us, but that game certainly feels like it could be scaled down in such a way, and it would be in line with PlayStation's recent moves in wanting to expand to other areas of the market. Especially in light of the continued limitation of component shortages on the sales of the PS5. 

Lastly, there is one thing in particular in the TLOU Remake that I'm really curious to see how they'll handle, assuming that they are making it in line with the mechanics of Part II:

Spoiler

And that's the fight against David as Ellie in Silver Lake. I just feel that portion of the game - and probably others, but this one comes to mind in particular - would need to very fundamentally be changed if the dodge button comes across from Part II. 

Anyways, that's all I've got to say about TLOU for now. That was unnecessarily long, but think I'm clearly in the mood to replay the game regardless before the Remake arrives 

Edited June 8, 2022 by Julius

[Julius]

Oh lord we leaking! 

Spoiler

From PS Direct, TLOU Remake is apparently coming 2nd September. There will be a deluxe edition called the Firefly Edition. 

Quote

Get The Last of Us Part I Firefly Edition, only available to buy as an exclusive directly from PlayStation®.

Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters of Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us, winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards and now rebuilt for PlayStation®5.

Enjoy a total overhaul of the original experience, faithfully reproduced but incorporating modernized gameplay, improved controls and expanded accessibility options. Plus, feel immersed with improved effects and enhanced exploration and combat.

The Last of Us™ Part I Firefly Edition includes the complete The Last of Us single-player story (PS5™) and celebrated prequel chapter, Left Behind; limited edition SteelBook® display case; The Last of Us: American Dreams #1 - #4 comics reprint with new cover art; and early in-game unlocks*.

Screenshots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

SGF Live seems all but confirmed...

Edited June 9, 2022 by Julius

[Dcubed]

Heads up, Nioh 3 Wo Long is NOT an Xbox exclusive...

 

[Julius]

So uh this is on the PlayStation Store out of the blue, Square Enix you fools what are you doing? Rhymes with Lactic's Odour. 

Spoiler

Tactics Ogre: Reborn! Had to grab the screenshot from the app just to capture the "dummy" at the bottom 

The Nvidia prophecy is truth. 

Posted it here because it's in the PS Store, but wonder if this is turning up at the next Nintendo Direct? Or some completely unannounced Square Enix thing, which I doubt. 

EDIT: there are a few more images:

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Julius

[Dcubed]

I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume that this is a port of the PSP remake.  Which would be just fine

[Julius]

Tom Henderson is reporting that PlayStation are working on a PS5 Pro-styled controller:

Quote

Pictures of the controller keep the classic PlayStation 5 style, but show a few key differences. One of the biggest changes is buttons under the analog sticks, which allow you to completely remove the analog sticks; which Sony refers to as "removable stick units".

Another feature includes the trigger stops at the back of the controller, in addition to flappy paddles/buttons that have become increasingly popular over the years with players turning to companies such as SCUF Gaming and NACON for such controllers.

The prototype also features grips to help hold the controller, which also seems to be removable.

[drahkon]

And I just got gifted a new DualSense  

But yeah, great news. Back buttons please!

Edited June 15, 2022 by drahkon

[Ashley]

I'm sorry are we supposed to just skip over "flappy paddles"?

[Aperson]

So Omori was supposed to come out on all consoles yesterday.

 

However, despite the fact that the Xbox and Switch got it (the Switch in some regions) the game is mysteriously absent on the Playstation despite the fact that it was supposed to come out yesterday...

[Julius]

48 minutes ago, Aperson said:

So Omori was supposed to come out on all consoles yesterday.

 

However, despite the fact that the Xbox and Switch got it (the Switch in some regions) the game is mysteriously absent on the Playstation despite the fact that it was supposed to come out yesterday...

I don't have an Xbox so can't comment there, but even on the Switch yesterday it wasn't up until later on in the day; I know as I checked a few times because I was curious about the pricing, but it was still only available to wishlist based on its previous reveal(s). 

It's pretty bizarre that it's still not up on the PlayStation Store. Their Twitter asked for a bit of patience a day ago...

...but it's still not anywhere to be seen, despite, like you said, already being up on the Switch and for Xbox. 

Still undecided on what platform I'll play this on, and got a game or two to finish up before I get around to it, but it's been very bizarre to see this go from an underground Japanese indie darling that everyone was praising to getting barely any coverage here in the West the last few months, and now having these launch issues 

Either way, still very excited to get stuck in when I'm ready to! Heard that it's a heavy game, so might be one I need to mentally prep for 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Julius

[Julius]

Late last night I found myself in the mood for The Last of Us, I know Part I is just around the corner, but I've been in the mood to go back for a while, so lazily got to downloading the digital PS+ version of the game instead of throwing my disc in. Wait the 20 minutes for it to download, then boot it up; I figure I'll play Normal+ to pick up a couple of trophies to mark this playthrough, and just because I was looking for a chill time. 

Well, for some silly reason, the option to start a New Game+ playthrough wasn't there, only the option to start a New Game. Double- and then triple-checked that my save from my last playthrough was actually downloaded from the PS+ cloud - it was - but noticed that if I viewed the product in the PS+ Store, it would treat the PS+ and disc versions of the game separately.

Waited the 10 minutes to install the disc version, and what do you know, I can start a New Game+ on that version. 

Just...WHY IS THIS A THING?!

(this is a rhetorical question, I imagine it's an SKU thing, but still: WHY IS THIS A THING?!)

To make it even better, it was late when I started the game, but boy does that disc drive love to sing, even when I cleaned it just a few weeks ago, and even with just a PS4 game  I actually had to put the volume up pretty loud to compensate for this, so feel sorry for the nightmares that the click-clack of Clickers will now be giving my neighbours the next few nights! 

Is this the start of my transition to digital story, I wonder? 

On 18/06/2022 at 9:38 PM, Julius said:

It's pretty bizarre that it's still not up on the PlayStation Store.

Omori is still not up on the PlayStation Store, and the game's Twitter has been radio silent since Friday. I'm sure that a good sign 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Julius

[Julius]

You'd think the new PS Plus going live with PS3 games available only through streaming would mean the PS3 emulation on PS5 rumours stopped, at least for a little while...but no, here we go again. 

From VGC:

Quote

A new patent has suggested that Sony may be attempting to make old hardware, such as peripherals or handhelds, compatible with modern PlayStation consoles.

The patent (spotted by Game Rant) seems to show old Sony hardware, such as old media remotes, DualShock controllers, and even a handheld console, likely to be the PSP Go, being used via emulation with a PlayStation 5.

The image, which can be seen below, shows a DualShock, a Sony Media Remote, what appears to be a PlayStation Mouse, an EyeToy, a PlayStation Move wand and a memory card.

Much of this tech has long been discarded by Sony, with the most modern of the bunch being the PlayStation Move wand, which is still used to control the first iteration of PlayStation VR.

What makes the patent even more interesting is that the peripherals mainly appear to be from the PS3 era, which could suggest that this is part of Sony’s reported effort to emulate the system, which has been relegated to streaming-only as part of Sony’s recent PlayStation Plus rebrand.

While it’s possible to imagine that Sony is exploring how to make this older tech work through emulation, due to none of the equipment, aside from the PS Move Wands, currently being available for purchase, it may be simply a process for emulating the functionality of these items in software, rather than compatibility with the PlayStation 5.

See you next month for more rumours on PS3 emulation 

Edited July 3, 2022 by Julius

[drahkon]

I need this like right now.

[Julius]

Updates on SCHiM and Cult of the Lamb too:

 

20 minutes ago, drahkon said:

I need this like right now.

Yeah, Sea of Stars looks fantastic! Glad it's coming to PS 

I'm just hoping it doesn't fall into the usual pitfalls of games so heavily influenced by games recognised as masterpieces, where it puts itself into a position where it's hard not to compare it to its influences, as that's always one hell of an uphill battle. 

[Hero-of-Time]

59 minutes ago, Julius said:

I'm just hoping it doesn't fall into the usual pitfalls of games so heavily influenced by games recognised as masterpieces, where it puts itself into a position where it's hard not to compare it to its influences, as that's always one hell of an uphill battle. 

The guys done an amazing job with The Messenger. Even though that was heavily inspired by the 8bit and 16bit platformers it still managed to be it's own thing. 

 

[Glen-i]

Yeah, I need Sea of Stars. Glad that's coming to Switch!