Uncharted Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

[psylockolussus]

Uncharted 4 5th Anniversary, Reaches a Milestone of 37 Million Players

 

[Gee]

Coming to PC! I'll gladly double dip. Hopefully the rest of the series follows as well.

https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/irday/pdf/2021/GNS_E.pdf

 

[psylockolussus]

Yikes. What are you doing Sony?

 

[Gee]

Making easy money? The report mentions they have made 250% ROI at the end of last March from porting Horizon to PC.

It's another revenue stream for them.

 

[Iceman]

When they see this money, everything else is bound to follow lol.

 

[psylockolussus]

I'm sure these games will make money for them, I doubt they are spending 7 digits porting these games to pc for them not to earn a profit. Its also why most publishers don't let their games be eXclusive to 1 platform.

But then, losing the "Playstation eXclusive" title imo loses the prestige of owning a ps4 and 5 now that games that were supposed to be "eXclusives" "only on playstation" can now be played in a pc. Uncharted 4, Days Gone, Detroit Become Human, Horizon and Death Stranding all have "only on Playstation" in the packaging iirc. Everytime I look at those cases, I will be now like "they aren't Ps only though". I don't see how this benefits the Ps loyalists and even the console, when these games are eventually going to be playable in PC just like the Xbox games.

Who knows how many people are now going to act that upcoming PS eXclusives would later be playable on pc after more or less 5 years, that owning a ps console have less value to them now unlike before. For Pc players, I'm sure its good news as this means more games to choose. But it would be like that as well if Microsoft and Nintendo releases their games to PS owners.

If its all about money then Sony should have ported their games to pc long time ago. But these games are/were eXclusives in the 1st place, in order to sell the Playstation hardware and give another reason to buy a playstation. But now, ps fanboys could no longer say "Playstation has eXclusives" now as people would just say Sony is porting their games to pc now. And Sony didn't really need to do this IMO as their sales aren't in downward trend and they aren't in a desperate situation for more profit. There's a reason why 360 sold more copies than Xbox1, and 360 having plenty of eXclusives compare to X1 is definitely a big factor to their sales.

At least Nintendo is consistent with keeping their games to their gaming system. We can't no longer say that to Sony.

 

[Marvolo]

Playstation exclusives are one of the hallmarks of the PlayStation consoles. Abandoning that, and allowing these games to be released on Microsoft PCs, for easy money is exactly the sort of thing I expect from this greedy industry.

 

[psylockolussus]

To me, its like if one day Disney+ releases their D+ originals to NetfliX and vise versa. The difference though the buying the console and the game itself are much eXpensive than a monthly streaming fee.

NeXt thing, they'd be announcing a pc port of Spider-Man 2018, God of War 2018, Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima in a few years.

I don't care if it makes Sony more money but I'd be more satisfied as a Playstation player if some of the games I'm playing is only playable in the gaming platform I chose to spent my money on.

 

[Gee]

No, D+ won't release their exclusive shows on Netflix since the latter is a direct competitor. However, those exclusives are not locked behind a platform/device; you can watch D+/Netflix on any smart TV, tablet/smartphone, computer, game console...

PC is not a direct competitor to the PlayStation and as long as the ports aren't hurting hardware sales, then Sony can (and will) continue to port old PS4 games. Maybe they'll even do PS5 exclusives down the road...

I agree that Sony's marketing should be more clear about this. "Play first on PlayStation" would be more ideal...

 

[metaphysician]

*cough* I would highly disagree with the "PC is not a direct competitor". Yes, there are fewer people doing high end PC gaming than own consoles, but this release plan means that they suddenly have zero good reason to buy a PS5. That's basically writing off bringing people into the PS ecosystem, all to get some quick money. And these are absolutely people in the same market niche, seeing as "high end AAA games" are the big selling point for a Playstation console, and will become even moreso as more and more Japanese developers abandon ship ( as they seem to be doing ). Yes, Sony doesn't make money on the hardware itself. . . but if you don't buy into the ecosystem? They also aren't making money on any subscriptions, or on any of the *other* games you might buy elsewhere but are now buying on the PS5 because you have it.

Or to put it differently: I'm a guy with a decent gaming PC. Why should I spend money on a PS5 when the handful of exclusive titles that might interest me will probably come to PC eventually, anyway?

 

[OutOfBoose]

Not many will want to wait for 5 years for a possible PC port. Some will want to play a new shiny game on release.

 

[psylockolussus]

PC players didn't need to wait 5 years though for Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, Death Stranding and Detroit Become Human.

And I imagine IF Sony releases more (because of super quick money), the gap between the ps5 release and the pc release isn't going to be that long. Its basically going to end up like Xbox, but at least Xbox is owned by Microsoft. This is going to hurt Sony's home console in the long run more than it will help Sony's pocket.

Edit: Just looking at this link
PS4 Exclusives

PS4 has a lot of eXclusives, but if you are going to take consideration people's taste in games and how many games they are actually going to buy, not all games in the list we would be bought. From that list, I have 9 so far. And with Sony now porting their big eXclusives to pc, there's more possibility that pc owners would just wait for those games to come out in pc, rather than buy a PS5. And I think we could say that to Xbox/Nintendo owners as well as there are more likely to already own a pc than a playstation. Even MLB (starting from the new game) is no longer a Ps eXclusive as they were forced by the owner of MLB to release it on Xbox and its game pass.

If Sony was porting an unknown ps4 eXclusive game, this wouldn't be such a big deal. And I bet some people are probably eXpecting now that Forbidden West will come out to PC as well because the first one had a pc port.

 

[Gee]

*cough* I would highly disagree with the "PC is not a direct competitor". Yes, there are fewer people doing high end PC gaming than own consoles, but this release plan means that they suddenly have zero good reason to buy a PS5. That's basically writing off bringing people into the PS ecosystem, all to get some quick money. And these are absolutely people in the same market niche, seeing as "high end AAA games" are the big selling point for a Playstation console, and will become even moreso as more and more Japanese developers abandon ship ( as they seem to be doing ). Yes, Sony doesn't make money on the hardware itself. . . but if you don't buy into the ecosystem? They also aren't making money on any subscriptions, or on any of the *other* games you might buy elsewhere but are now buying on the PS5 because you have it.

Or to put it differently: I'm a guy with a decent gaming PC. Why should I spend money on a PS5 when the handful of exclusive titles that might interest me will probably come to PC eventually, anyway?

PC and home consoles have different end-user experiences. A console player won't find on a PC what attracts them to a console (e.g. hassle-free plug and play). A PC gamer won't find on consoles what attracts them to a PC (e.g. full customizations). Thus, a PS player won't suddenly drop their console and switch over to PC the next morning because some first-party titles may be ported few months/years later.

As for buying into the ecosystem... I primarily play on PC but I do have a PS4. As of today, I only bought three exclusives: UC4, Lost Legacy and HZD. Not a single penny in PSN/PS Store/PS+... As for other exclusives, I either borrowed from friends/colleagues or from public libraries. Same story with the PS3 (only bought UC2, UC3 and TLoU). I don't know how Sony perceives me as a customer, but I sure don't consider myself who has bought into the console ecosystem. Like you said, consoles are barely selling at a loss and maybe the fact Sony knowing many PC players buy their plastic box just for their exclusives is one reason for them to port these titles. Are we still a good source of revenue if we only buy the box for the exclusives?

To answer your last question, there's a few reasons to own a console even if you have a capable PC rig... Do you primarily play on consoles (first-parties and multi-plats)? Like @OutOfBoose said, are you an impatient gamer that must play these exclusives launching day and date? Are you fine with double dipping? Because you could play first on console and play again later on PC with all the bells and whistles the platform can offer that the console can't. That's what I did with HZD and will do with UC4 whenever that comes out.

 

[metaphysician]

I suppose I just have a hard time understanding the willingness to spend upward of $500 on a piece of hardware, just to play a specific game *sooner*. Not when there are countless games in existence and more released every day.

 

[psylockolussus]

And a $500 console that is hard to buy. PC players who don't plan to buy a ps5 have another reason not to buy a ps5.... Sony's eXclusives are coming to Pc. PC isn't Stadia and Luna not to be seen as a direct competitor.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

 

[henzINNIT]

I have no problem with PC ports down the line. Exclusivity benefits no-one.

I suppose I just have a hard time understanding the willingness to spend upward of $500 on a piece of hardware, just to play a specific game *sooner*. Not when there are countless games in existence and more released every day.

The specific games you're referring to are considered some of the best in the industry, and the 'sooner' is a difference of several years. Not that hard to understand. It's not even like a great gaming PC is much cheaper, certainly not if you're looking for convenience.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I have no problem with PC ports down the line. Exclusivity benefits no-one.

Exclusive software adds value to the hardware. System sellers don't often come by but a lot of people seem to believe that the Ps4's success is due to Sony's exclusive games

 

[I Am The Knight]

Not a fan of porting these to PC. I really like that "PlayStation Exclusive" prestige. You won't see Nintendo porting Breath of the Wild to PC. It's why I got myself a Switch (and to play retro games like the Sega Genesis Collection in portable mode ) despite the fact that 90% of my gaming hours are spent on my PS4.

 

[psylockolussus]

Yeah eXclusives add value to the console. There's a reason why PlayStation appeals to me more than X-BoX, its their games that are/were only playable to PlayStation.

But get that money Sony Microsoft Studios and Nintendo aren't porting their games to Playstation, and probably never will.

 

[Gee]

A "leaked photo" from 4chan? Eh, I'll wait for a better source. We do know UC4 is coming, so the question is when are the other four games of the series coming?

Exclusive software adds value to the hardware. System sellers don't often come by but a lot of people seem to believe that the Ps4's success is due to Sony's exclusive games

I'm one of those who believe that if you have to sell exclusive software to sell your hardware, then your hardware isn't worth ****.

Not a fan of porting these to PC. I really like that "PlayStation Exclusive" prestige. You won't see Nintendo porting Breath of the Wild to PC. It's why I got myself a Switch (and to play retro games like the Sega Genesis Collection in portable mode ) despite the fact that 90% of my gaming hours are spent on my PS4.

Because Nintendo apparently designs their games around their hardware. And if they were making their first parties multi-platform, would you still get BotW on the Switch or on the PS4?

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I'm one of those who believe that if you have to sell exclusive software to sell your hardware, then your hardware isn't worth ****.

well what does sell hardware then? if 100% of software was available on 100% of video game consoles, there would be very little for there to be several different video game consoles on the market.

also, you are entitled to your opinion, but as others have pointed out Nintendo's software stays exclusive to the Switch and it's currently on pace to outsell the Ps4 at over 100 million consoles sold

 

[I Am The Knight]

I'm one of those who believe that if you have to sell exclusive software to sell your hardware, then your hardware isn't worth ****.

You need both software and hardware to go hand in hand for a compelling console. The numerous and great exclusives help to set PlayStation apart from Xbox and give it that edge, especially considering that both Sony and Microsoft don't rely as heavily on the "gimmicks" for lack of a better word, that Nintendo uses for it's consoles.

Because Nintendo apparently designs their games around their hardware. And if they were making their first parties multi-platform, would you still get BotW on the Switch or on the PS4?

Well, it's not as simple. I would probably play BOTW on a Nintendo console since the franchise has always been a Nintendo IP. However, if the more powerful PS4 version gave me 4K and 60 FPS Zelda? I would go with the PlayStation port

 

[Jick]

I'm one of those who believe that if you have to sell exclusive software to sell your hardware, then your hardware isn't worth ****.

That doesn't make sense.
If your hardware isn't worth ****, then it can't run a high performance exclusive. If it can't run it, there's no point in making it, so they need a powerful hardware to run their highly demanding software, which is the case, or they'll just be selling the same games as the competition and then the players will start buying consoles for other functionalities that they provide, instead of doing it for the games.

I have no problem with PC ports down the line. Exclusivity benefits no-one.

It does. Not only it benefits the console, but the player themselves. To bring people in because of the exclusives means that they will have to put out amazing games, not half-assed crap that any third party can do, which means that they'll have to invest important time and money on this asset.

That means great games for us.

If the competition wants the players to buy their hardware instead, they'll have to step up their game and start cranking up great software as well. Not just an exclusive, but a great exclusive. Then, the first company, to avoid losing their playerbase, will have to keep releasing amazing experiences.

We have incredible exclusives, like God of War, Uncharted, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne, Spider-Man, Persona 5 and so many others because of exclusivity, not despite.

 

[henzINNIT]

I should have been more clear. I mean it benefits 'no-one' as in none of us people. It does benefit the giant companies who are selling the hardware, but I don't care about them.

I disagree that exclusivity has given us better games. Better funding and resources gave us those great console exclusives. The extra care and attention is what matters, the correlation between that and exclusivity is just the sad state of the industry and how it funds projects.