Playstation The Official Playstation 5 Thread

[psylockolussus]

Gears of War, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Starfield and all those Xbox console eXclusives coming to PS5/6 would be the death of the XboX consoles.

Series X is already far behind Ps5's sales and Nintendo Switch has been proven as a good alternative for console gaming. So aside from loyal XboX players, there isn't a lot of reasons to buy a XboX, when those games finally come to the PS5. Crazy!

 

[Superhero 101]

I don’t know MSFT has a solid lineup of games this year they should have waited another year to see if the sale of the consoles picked up

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

it really just sounds like they have given up, or just de-prioritized console sales and I don't know why. maybe making PC releases of their exclusives made owning an Xbox less of a necessity to play Xbox games. but the thing is, Sony has been doing it too. maybe not day and date, but they still make their games available on PC. Helldivers 2 was a first

 

[psylockolussus]

I don't think console gaming is going anywhere. I'm more concerned about physical game discs going away.

I don't think physical game discs are going away. They will remain like vinyl records, though I could see them being more eXpensive than digital games in the future due to production cost of the physical material/shipping to physical stores, especially when streaming games finally takes off like NetfliX.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I don't think physical game discs are going away. They will remain like vinyl records, though I could see them being more eXpensive than digital games in the future due to production cost of the physical material/shipping to physical stores, especially when streaming games finally takes off like NetfliX.

I don't want physical media to cease, but evidence just keeps on pointing to this being the case. There was that leak of Microsoft's "adorably all digital" refresh of the Series X , and when Sony revealed that an all digital option of the Ps5 was available, it was a huge surprise.

The vast majority of their software sales is digital, too. They have less and less incentive to keep physical versions of their IPs going.

 

[Gee]

People buying physical music and movies still makes sense today and why they will/should still be around many years from now: You get superior quality compared to their digital counterparts.

CDs are much, much better than Spotify and ****ty MP3s (unless you listen to hi-fi digital music). For vinyl records, people go for the warm, analogous sound that you don't get from CDs and digital audio. Also, there's a novelty of looking at big album jackets and coloured discs when they're being played on the turntable.

Movies on Blu-ray discs contain 20+ GB worth of video data that gives you the best (compressed) picture quality that no streaming service can offer. Those digital copies with the codes that come with each Blu-ray are a joke.

Books? Similar deal. Bookworms like sniffing old books and touching actual papers or holding a softcover/hardcover. Comic book nerds prefer the beautiful original colouring on good ol' paper rather the ugly digital re-colouring through a computer screen or a tablet.

As for games, well... Whether it's on physical disc/cartridge or the digital version downloaded and installed to the HDD/SSD, you get the same game. Thus, it's the same assets, the same textures, the same audio, the same whatnots.

it really just sounds like they have given up, or just de-prioritized console sales and I don't know why. maybe making PC releases of their exclusives made owning an Xbox less of a necessity to play Xbox games. but the thing is, Sony has been doing it too. maybe not day and date, but they still make their games available on PC. Helldivers 2 was a first

Sony mentioned the GaaS are day and date on both systems. Thus, the multiplayer TLoU game would have been released on PC same day as PS5.

It is interesting how Helldivers 2 has become the top PlayStation game on Steam for peak concurrent players on launch day beating GoW 2018 (81k vs 73k). I can see the window for PC ports getting shorter and shorter eventually.

 

[psylockolussus]

I read an article Alan Wake 2 didn't sold much and the lack of physical release was a factor.

Also publishers love to release these eXpensive collectors' edition which I find impractical but there's a solid market for those who wants to own physical media. With the constant games leaving streaming platforms/subscription services, even if the games do eventually become unplayable due to obsolete hardware it would still be a nice memorabilia down the line which can't be said to digital library/account.

 

[Teelie]

I hope the lack of physical release hurt so it incentivices them in the future. The sooner physical is dead the sooner you lose ownership and just rent expensive games that can and will be yanked away when a license runs out or a new console comes out or someone decides to no longer support that game or any other on a whim decision made by a company over "ownership" of a digital product.

 

[henzINNIT]

I hope the lack of physical release hurt so it incentivices them in the future. The sooner physical is dead the sooner you lose ownership and just rent expensive games that can and will be yanked away when a license runs out or a new console comes out or someone decides to no longer support that game or any other on a whim decision made by a company over "ownership" of a digital product.

Yep all this. Long live physical. Even if you don't use it at all, everyone should want that option alive. There will no doubt come a day when a disc is your best, if not only option to play something you love. Game preservation has been mostly terrible, and a digital item is very impermanent.

 

[Gee]

Yep all this. Long live physical. Even if you don't use it at all, everyone should want that option alive. There will no doubt come a day when a disc is your best, if not only option to play something you love. Game preservation has been mostly terrible, and a digital item is very impermanent.

Eh, a reminder that physical discs/cartridges can also be damaged and they can degrade over time so they're not a permanent thing either. This doesn't concern the gaming console space, since it's a closed ecosystem, but DRM-free games are a thing which are basically like having your discs with you. All of these DRM-free games I have bought over the years are backed up on hard drives and I can access them anytime I want on any computer out there, with or without internet.

There's nothing inherently wrong with digital files. I guess it depends on what system/platform they're being distributed on. DC and Marvel lock their comics behind a wallgarden called Comixology, and then you have Image Comics and smaller publishers that sell theirs without any DRM so you can always access your comics library at all time as long as you already downloaded and stored them.

But if we truly want game/music/movie preservation, there's only one way to do it but many consider it "immoral"... Me? I have no issues with it.

 

[psylockolussus]

All things degrade in time that includes disk drives and everyone should just upgrade eventually (for older games, get the latest remastered version). I However I think having the physical artwork is a big plus. Like yeah I can no longer play my Ps2 copy of X-Men Legends 1 and 2, but seeing the physical copy I have in person, instantly brings memories from the teenage years.

With the games I downloaded online, I don't really have a piece of memorabilia that I could keep up to when I'm in my early 100s.

 

[Venom 1988]

All things degrade in time that includes disk drives and everyone should just upgrade eventually (for older games, get the latest remastered version).

The problem is this isn't possible for most games. There was a study released last year that show 87% of games released before 2010 were unavailable to play. For every Skyrim getting a remaster, there's 100 other games that won't be getting that same treatment. So unless they start releasing DRM-free copies of everything, physical is still the safest route.

Unfortunately we're not moving in that direction. Physical will remain but probably only as a niche market. Places like Target and Best Buy are already trying to either downsize or get rid of their physical media sections. So you'll probably only be able to buy them at specialty stores or places like Limited Run.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

PS5 shipments top 54.8 million, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sales top 10 million

PlayStation 5 has shipped 54.8 million units worldwide, Sony announced in its financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2023.

www.gematsu.com

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

People buying physical music and movies still makes sense today and why they will/should still be around many years from now: You get superior quality compared to their digital counterparts.

CDs are much, much better than Spotify and ****ty MP3s (unless you listen to hi-fi digital music). For vinyl records, people go for the warm, analogous sound that you don't get from CDs and digital audio. Also, there's a novelty of looking at big album jackets and coloured discs when they're being played on the turntable.

Movies on Blu-ray discs contain 20+ GB worth of video data that gives you the best (compressed) picture quality that no streaming service can offer. Those digital copies with the codes that come with each Blu-ray are a joke.

Books? Similar deal. Bookworms like sniffing old books and touching actual papers or holding a softcover/hardcover. Comic book nerds prefer the beautiful original colouring on good ol' paper rather the ugly digital re-colouring through a computer screen or a tablet.

As for games, well... Whether it's on physical disc/cartridge or the digital version downloaded and installed to the HDD/SSD, you get the same game. Thus, it's the same assets, the same textures, the same audio, the same whatnots.


Sony mentioned the GaaS are day and date on both systems. Thus, the multiplayer TLoU game would have been released on PC same day as PS5.

It is interesting how Helldivers 2 has become the top PlayStation game on Steam for peak concurrent players on launch day beating GoW 2018 (81k vs 73k). I can see the window for PC ports getting shorter and shorter eventually.

yeah, I think video games are comparable to other entertainments like movies, tv shows, music, and literature, but it's not all 1:1 comparable in every single aspect. video games are like books where you cannot always complete it one sitting like a film or an episode of a series. a lot of films and series are consumed via streaming and that hasn't exactly taken off yet with video games. right now outside of game pass, I think singular purchases is still the most common way they are consumed.

also, I didn't know Sony was releases GaaS day and date with PC. well, that's the same logic people use when saying it's pointless having an Xbox so if they do more and more of this, for GaaS titles or not or even just shortening the window for PC ports, I feel like this sentiment will only grow.

also, the PC ports release at full price iirc, so I think it would make sense that PC gamers interested in playstation games would rather pay full price for a brand new title rather than an old one so it makes sense that GoW4 is beaten.

PS5 shipments top 54.8 million, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sales top 10 million

PlayStation 5 has shipped 54.8 million units worldwide, Sony announced in its financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2023.

www.gematsu.com

the surprising thing to me is that this actually failed Sony's own expectations. they expected sales of 25 million consoles in the fiscal year of 2023 (which I expected them to achieve no sweat, given 2023 was the first full year the Ps5 was in stock), but they fell short of that goal and now they're changing their forecast to 21 million.

I didn't think Ps5 sales would slow down so fast given I've never seen demand for a console like this before. maybe it's time for a price cut, Sony.

 

[Iceman]

maybe it's time for a price cut, Sony.

Looks like it might be tough for now.

Sony Says Big PS5 Price Cut Would Be 'Very Difficult' - IGN

Sony has said a big PlayStation 5 price cut would be “very difficult” as the console enters into the second half of its life cycle.

www.ign.com

 

[Iceman]

Damn, Sony shares down 6% so far today.

 

[henzINNIT]

Sony need to take a hit tbh. They're doing well this gen but not for lack of trying. They made a lot a great choices at the launch of the PS4, and provided a great line up of exclusive titles during its life-span. PS5 has basically just coasted off of that good will, a sequel, a remake, while quietly raising prices where-ever they could. There is a distinct lack of fresh, eye-popping hooks like first seeing the lands of Horizon, or even the insane zombie hordes of Days Gone.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Looks like it might be tough for now.

Sony Says Big PS5 Price Cut Would Be 'Very Difficult' - IGN

Sony has said a big PlayStation 5 price cut would be “very difficult” as the console enters into the second half of its life cycle.

www.ign.com

I agree with @henzINNIT , though. Sony needs to take a hit, maybe a hit by means of taking losses. if they cut the price of the base Ps5 it'll be $400. they never should have increased the price of the All Digital so that would then become $350 when it should be $300. they'll have losses for a while, but their hardware sales will definitely skyrocket again.

 

[Superhero 101]

so much PlayStation news this morning…. “PS5 entering its last stage of its life cycle” has me scratching my head I feel like it just came out lol but man this generation sure has been a lot less quieter than PS4 hopefully Sony really has a better lineup if it’s First Party lineups stored for PS6 not to say PS5 lineup has been bad but it isn’t like 2016-2019 years where Sony was dropping banger after banger

 

[psylockolussus]

Ps5 Pro isn't even released yet...

 

[Iceman]

Feels like day and date with pc and live service will be here to stay if any of the others see numbers like Helldivers 2 on pc. IMO an added benefit of launching simultaneously on pc is that for eg with Spidey, the huge marketing budget is utilised for pc too rather than having a huge campaign during the PS release and a damp squib during pc - plus you are more likely to sell full price. Of course again you give up some of the benefits of exclusivity so I guess it's a balancing act (for everyone except Nintendo lol whose games are cheap enough to make and sell enough just on Nintendo to make big bucks).

 

[psylockolussus]

so much PlayStation news this morning…. “PS5 entering its last stage of its life cycle” has me scratching my head I feel like it just came out lol but man this generation sure has been a lot less quieter than PS4 hopefully Sony really has a better lineup if it’s First Party lineups stored for PS6 not to say PS5 lineup has been bad but it isn’t like 2016-2019 years where Sony was dropping banger after banger

Hmm the energy on IG comments made it looked like they only released 2 games this generaion

PlayStation Studios games from 2020 to 2025 (PS5 era)

2020
1. Astro's Playroom
2. Demons' Soul
3. Sackboy
4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

2021
5. Destruction All-Stars
6. MLB The Show 21
7. Returnal
8. Ratchet & Clank: Rifts Apart

2022
9. God of War Ragnarök
10. Gran Turismo 7
11. Horizon II Forbidden West
12. MLB The Show 22
13. The Last of Us Part 1

2023
14. Horizon VR Call of the Mountain
15. MLB The Show 23
16. Spider-Man 2
17. Firewall Ultra

2024
18. Helldivers II
19. MLB The Show 24
20. Rise of the Ronin
21. Stellar Blade
22. Until Dawn

2025
23. Death Stranding 2 On the Beach

I eXcluded remasters / eXpanded collections. With the PS6 eXpected to be released in 2028 (Q4 probably). I don't think we would see plenty of big games from "PlayStation Studios" from 2026 to mid 2028. I can only think of Wolverine, Ghost of Tsushima Returns and the neXt Naughty Dog game right now. There's still the neXt game from Bend Studio, Bluepoint and maybe Horizon 3? But not a lot.

But still not a lot. I don't know how is it in its last cycle unless they plan to launch the PS6 by late 2025 or 2026....

And according to reports/Microsoft estimates- its 2028. Like geez should I just wait on Ps6 then since its going to run ps5 games anyway.

 

[Gee]

All things degrade in time that includes disk drives and everyone should just upgrade eventually (for older games, get the latest remastered version). I However I think having the physical artwork is a big plus. Like yeah I can no longer play my Ps2 copy of X-Men Legends 1 and 2, but seeing the physical copy I have in person, instantly brings memories from the teenage years.

With the games I downloaded online, I don't really have a piece of memorabilia that I could keep up to when I'm in my early 100s.

True, but this is why you should get new drives after some years. Following the 3-2-1 rule of backups is also highly recommended. There are also alternatives to storage drives like magnetic tapes if you are serious about archiving your library. You could also set up a RAID-1 NAS with two HDDs. If you have the budget, there's always the option of paying for cloud storage.

I get the sentiment, but plastic cases from the last 20 years or so just don't have the same charm as PC and Nintendo game boxes from the 80s and 90s. But that's just me.

The problem is this isn't possible for most games. There was a study released last year that show 87% of games released before 2010 were unavailable to play. For every Skyrim getting a remaster, there's 100 other games that won't be getting that same treatment. So unless they start releasing DRM-free copies of everything, physical is still the safest route.

Unfortunately we're not moving in that direction. Physical will remain but probably only as a niche market. Places like Target and Best Buy are already trying to either downsize or get rid of their physical media sections. So you'll probably only be able to buy them at specialty stores or places like Limited Run.

That would be ideal and I'm all for it, but I have to wonder how DRM-free digital content could work on an ecosystem like a gaming console.

On PC, it's as easy as accessing any files on your computer and making unlimited copies.

 

[Venom 1988]

That would be ideal and I'm all for it, but I have to wonder how DRM-free digital content could work on an ecosystem like a gaming console.

On PC, it's as easy as accessing any files on your computer and making unlimited copies.

Not sure. I was mostly thinking of PC when I said that, but I wish there was a way for consoles to implement that as well. Barring some other company making a steam deck-esque console, I'm just not sure how that would even work. I could see Microsoft try to work some deal with a company like GOG though but logistically not sure how they could make it work.

 

[psylockolussus]

I've changed laptops/upgraded phones (and soon I plan to buy a harddrive just to copy my ps4 files for the ps5, I'll be buying in the summer), and checking if everything is there, sounds like a choir. I'm not even sure if my old flash drives are still working,thatshow I find backing up files tedious. Though I already upgraded to cloud storage since 2018 and they are quite organized.

A physical disc for a videogame (and the usual way of installing it/downloading the update) sounds less complicated to me.