1060°

PS4 10x power of PS3 and Xbox to release in June

More news from a UK daily national tabloid newspaper which makes some bold claims for its readers gleaned from suggested Internet rumors, leaks and its own sources.

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thesun.co.uk
bunt-custardly4093d ago

The thing is, The Sun has millions of non gaming savvy readers who will take their claims as gospel.

gaffyh4093d ago

@bunt - Definitely.

A lot of this is old rumors, and conjecture and nothing that has actually been substantiated.

Also Xbox June release, really doubt it.

Gamer19824093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

Indeed the amount of crappy football rumours people take as truth I hear is insane.. I would love to See PS4 in June and hell its possible but its doubtful. It would really annoy the crap out of MS though if they did.. It may explain why GTA was delayed as they could have told Rockstar its launching in June so rockstar delayed to game to make a PS4 version. Imagine if GTA was an exclusive (nex gen) to ps4? That would be huge for Sony and releasing early would possibly net that.

-Superman-4093d ago

New Xbox likely to launch in June 2013 - Fake
Will have film quality graphics - like real life? I don´t think so

SonyStyled4093d ago

i imagine they will be close to film quality graphics. theres already a few PS3 exclusives that are comparable to film quality as it is. god of war and killzone for example

FlyingFoxy4093d ago

I always said 2015-2020 would be the year of graphics that take a huge leap.

KwietStorm_BLM4093d ago

@Sonystyled

LOL there is nothing "film quality" about God of War or Killzone. They have very good graphics and that's it. Be serious.

user39158004093d ago

Wait a minute 10x more powerfull? I thought the PS3 was already had supercomputer power, does this mean its a quantum calculation now? Lol, whatever, Im tired of bs numbers with poor results.

ZoyosJD4093d ago

Quantum computers should take over right around the time transistors gates hit low single digit atom counts, sometime around the year 2025. But they may never become consumer products, as the process of transmitting quantum data requires "teleportation" due to the fragility of quantum bits(qbits, which are know to be destroyed after each operation), and some of the components are physically rare(something like diamond, crystal, etc. would be required).

As a quick example of the exponential power of qbits, a terabyte of data is 2^43 0/1 values, while 500 qbits is 2^500 "complex" values. They can be analogized to vector calculus, while today's computers would comparatively be addition and subtraction by 1.

meganick4093d ago

The PS3 certainly is no supercomputer, but it was quite a powerful console when it came out, and it still holds up well today. But today's high end PC's (which are also not supercomputers) trounce the PS3.
But anyway, I'm eager to see what Sony reveals about PS4 later this month.

Shadowstar4093d ago

Supercomputer is a moving target. Your dumb phone is probably an advanced supercomputer compared to the first supercomputer in the 1960s.

3-4-54093d ago

Why do the English over sensationalized everything?

The media that is.

FlyingFoxy4093d ago

British, not english.. the UK isn't just england.

GalacticEmpire4093d ago

One crappy tabloid rag does not represent an entire country.

British journalism is a mixed bag like most other countries and, proudly, some of the most unbiased of any country.

3-4-54093d ago

Obviously it doesn't represent a whole country and I know the difference between England & Great Britain alright.

admiralvic4092d ago

You need to get out more...

This is no different than Famitsu saying "check back for a scoop on a popular game fans want next week." Typically these are followed up by some lame game no one cares about, a game we never heard about and won't care about or in some cases a genuine scoop.

Wesley854092d ago

The Sun is a very despised paper in the UK. They are known to lie and create stories to sell papers. And it is a paper owned and run by American Rupet Murdoch.

frjoethesecond4092d ago

Rupert Murdock is Australian.

Wesley854092d ago (Edited 4092d ago )

He is dual nationality Australia/American.

I just googled and found out he lost his Australian citizenship when he aquired his American citizenship in 1985.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4092d ago
4093d ago Replies(1)
KingKevo4093d ago

Definately lol. Those 'journalists' just collected every rumor that is on the internet, no matter how dumb it is. But hey, it's The Sun, so nothing much to expect from them anyway, but for us who are informed it's funny, but the regular reader might even believe it.

Bigpappy4093d ago

If they were to truly release in June, that would be a very interesting move. I would really like to see how it sells, right after the E3 hype. But alas, this will not happen.

Nafon4093d ago

perfectly sums up the article and title.

Matt06114093d ago

Love how he definitely just googled PS4 images and took the first two he found.

hotrider124093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

720 release date JUNE?? lol so much flamebait the SUN must be sooooooo bright

they will post anything for hits.

lfclee4092d ago

So is my laptop I paid £399 for and so are the graphics !

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 4091d ago
xursz4093d ago

Isn't the Wiiu like 300. Ps4 will probably launch at like 450.

juandren4093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

Read again. It's in pounds, not dollars. Don't think the PS4 will be $700...

CaptainN4092d ago

That was regarding it being 10 times the power not price!

kneon4093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

Madness?

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Probably not what you meant :)

Anyway launching in June does have some advantages. By launching so early they can take advantage of the current slowing in Wii U sales. They will hope to capture some of those that may have gone for a Wii U. And of course they would be out before the Xbox.next so they would get a jump on Microsoft.

But I don't expect it in June, most likely September or October.

Ju4093d ago

Doesn't make sense. But maybe they'll do it just to be out "first". Big business will pick up for or around the holidays. You can't build headway by releasing that early. And both specs will be available by then. People will make up their mind and probably wait the couple of month. And, nobody buys consoles in summer...

dcbronco4093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

Ju, I'm not sure you're right. It could make sense. A June release is right around E3. The 360S released around that time and did big sales. A new console with a lot of new games would get people in the stores. Hardcore gamers don't check the month before they buy.

If you had a tiered release schedule like the Sony rumors it really makes sense. The US and Japan in June and Europe by the Holiday season. Though for Microsoft, you don't have to worry about Japan. Sell direct to the US military personnel. But this way you also take care of the hardcore early and leave the Holiday for mainstream purchases. This gets the consoles in the hands of your base with less worry of "this year's hot items" purchasers in the way. June is a very good release time. Add that Summer job money and extra free time and it's ideal.

On the power thing. People seem to forget the advances in GPU's and CPU since 2004-5. This is 2013. GPU's definitely 10 times the power. And with HSA and programming built around it CPUs won't be far behind that. So 10 times makes perfect sense. Look at benchmarks for a R520(ATI card 360 GPU based on) and compare it to a Southern Islands card. Southern Islands is more than ten times the power.

rainslacker4093d ago

I don't see a June release happening. E3 is June 11-13, which means Sony would have to either announce a launch date for that on the 20th along with a plethora of games, and then hype it up at E3 while units may just sit on the shelf and retailers scramble to get ready. It is possible, just not probable.

I remember the Saturn launch where Sega just came out one day and said "you can now buy it in stores" only a few months after announcing it, and several months before their original launch date. It was disastrous for them. If the PS3 launch is announced on the 20th, then it wouldn't be that bad, but June is only 4 months away, and it's only 1 month after their big release of The Last of Us. Still may be possible if PS4 is completely BC, but highly unlikely.

OTOH, I wasn't expecting the teaser a couple days ago, so who knows.

b_one4093d ago

what a shitty times, i think now even i can be a journalist.

Conzul4093d ago

Yes, if you put in the "effort", you could b_one.

=D

b_one4093d ago

News, News, read all about it!!! Playstation 4 11x times faster than Xbox 360 - unfolding lies behind cramgaming.com article!!!

What about it Conzul is it good?

Conzul4093d ago

@b_one

Y'ah dun good, son. Yah dun good.

Jreca4093d ago

If XBOX is launching in June, they are pretty late in advertising and hyping things. And I can't see any console predating the market before GTA5 release date (not that I care about it, but the industry does).

steve30x4093d ago

I'm pretty sure that if GTA5 is going to be a next gen game then the consoles will need to be available to buy. Otherwise it will be a next gen console game that cant be played because theres no hardware to play it on.

FlyingFoxy4093d ago

if there is anext gen release they will obviouslyjust up the texture quality which would be easy, just like altering in game settings on PC.

rainslacker4093d ago

It's not always that simple Flying. Even a texture swap would require a complete retesting of the game. Anything released in June would have to be going gold within the next 2 months, particularly for a title that will sell big.

Also if the architecture is vastly different than the PS3, which is already being assumed, then there is a lot of programming involved, unless they have some parity with the 360/720 version. Too many unknowns to make an accurate guess.

If GTA5 was always intended to be a next gen title though things could be different. I find this may be possible given that the news for GTA seems to be rather sparse for such a big title.

next gen GTA5 would be a mega-bomb if it was released on launch though, and would really help drive console sales. It is one of those few games that really is a system seller.

dcbronco4093d ago

But if there is a next gen version why not be the only system on the market for it. You would clean up with the hardcore for June, July and August. GTA5 brings you a boost in September. Then the holiday season carries you the rest of the year. June actually makes perfect sense. Your main audience in the Summer would be the hardcore gamers and we all know that they will know it's out there. And they won't have to worry about housewives and their Christmas list yet. Plus the software market is slow but people will still have money.

I know the Summer has always been considered bad. But that's because people have accepted it as being that way. But I also know that me and a lot of people I know have always complained about the lack of software during the Summer. Summer is a perfect time if you are first and definitely if you are the only one.

rainslacker4093d ago

I like that thinking. I don't believe the actual hardware matters which time of year it's released. Those first few months are usually made up of the ones that will buy it no matter what. I always hated the software drought of summer, and wish more publishers would take advantage of it, particularly with niche and new IP's. Get sales in the summer and then for the holidays seems logical to me, although I'm sure release practices are pretty well backed up with statistical data over the past 30 years.

dcbronco4093d ago (Edited 4093d ago )

I think it's backed up by data because of the lack of any data to contradict it. In the US, I believe retail makes 40% of it's sales during the holiday season. But thinks like new phones and tablets aren't released during the holiday season. And they make major sales. The 360S was released right after E3 and sales rose substantially. Same for every new PS3. I believe people think you need to wait for the holiday because no one has tried anything else.

There are alway shortages at the beginning of most new consoles because of the holiday release schedule. Why not eliminate that. You'd still get the Christmas sales and will have a bigger install base for those holiday releases. Plus a Summer release means Europe doesn't have to wait with no Christmas sales to worry about.

Also, in reference to your comment above. Back when the Dreamcast was launched, Gaming was a far smaller entertainment product. Not it is the main entertainment product. I'm sure gaming is a well over 60 billion now. Back then I wonder if it was even ten billion. Even the mainstream press follows gaming. They don't train their reporters on it. But they follow it.

rainslacker4092d ago (Edited 4092d ago )

True the lack of data may be because few big games release in the Summer, and most try to cram it in in Q1 or holiday sales...hell just look at the next 2 months, it has a bigger release schedule than this holiday had...possibly due to trying to get out before the PS4. It's sort of a self fulfilling prophecy int his regard. Really big IP's can sell at any time, but most publishers still go for that holiday season to capitalize on sales, like say Assassins Creed.

This wasn't really always the case though. In the PS2 days you generally saw a pretty solid line up all year long, which did dip a bit in the summer, but not the trickle like we've seen this gen.

I'm all for a summer release, and have money saved up already for my next system. However if there won't be any games to go with it then I'd rather they wait.

In reference to above(The Saturn), yeah Sega screwed that up royally. It did release in the summer as I recall. The bigger problem they had wasn't the size of the market, as people were interested in the system, but rather the fact they just said "it's now available" without enough units being shipped out to retail. Some stores didn't even have them and it pissed off retailers. On top of that many developers weren't ready to ship their games with the launch, which left a very limited supply of games available, and developers were pissed because they wanted those launch sales that come with new systems. Obviously this kind of thing wouldn't be the case with the PS4, as it was a lesson learned back in the day.

If Sony says on the 20th, it'll release this Summer, the consumer, retailers, publishers(who likely already know), and developers will be ready for it.

dcbronco4092d ago

The belief seems to be that Microsoft will release this Summer. But I wouldn't be surprised to see them both do it. Sony stated sometime ago that they wouldn't be the last to the market this time so they could release this Summer too.

As far as software goes. I think the Xbox will be very similar in a lot of ways to the 360. I think it will use Power7 cores, not Steamroller. But they will be modified for HSA. Or they might be using a combination of both. I believe they will have two APUs, while the PS4 will have one and a discrete GPU.

MS seems to want the ability to do more than one function at a time. An APU with a Power7 CPU and a AMD GPU for full BC and to assist the other APU where needed. The other would be a full HSA Steamroller core AMD APU. That would still be two GPUs, but it would also be a lot more CPU power. That makes sense if the rumors of 3gbs of RAM are for the OS.

If all of the features like Kinect,voice(Skype), messaging and networking are handled by one APU( a light load for a 4 core Power7 CPU) the majority of that GPU and the other entire eight core Steamroller APU would be used to handle strictly the game itself. And I don't think the cost would be that different from using a discrete GPU like the PS4 rumors.

Remember the rumors of a two APU Xbox that had both used for the same process but seemingly for two different things. I think that could be off-loading all functions but the game itself to the other APU.

Plus While the rumors are that the PS4 is slightly more powerful, I believe the Xbox will have an advantage. AMD doesn't have full HSA parts yet. I believe Microsoft might be closer to that than they are. Though the first full HSA APU could be in the PS4. AMD released the first Unified Shader GPU in the 360 months before it hit discrete GPUs. It could do that with HSA on the PS4. But an article I read years ago about a conference with CPU engineers from various companies makes me think MS might be ahead of AMD. The lead AMD engineer commented that they were following the MS roadmap on what became their Fusion line.

The chip in the 360S was the first APU or CGPU as MS called it. And it had to be dumbed down to keep it compatible with the 360s already in the wild. So I think MS has some surprises that AMD doesn't even know about. Plus they release C++ AMP a year or so ago. I believe that was to get programmers ready for HSA and to work the bugs out of the tools for the next Xbox. But. it's all speculation.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4092d ago
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280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple1015d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref4d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde4d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander19724d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff21834d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos4d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
isarai5d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref4d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan4d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0073d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander19725d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

4d ago Replies(3)
Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

4d ago
4d ago
Zeref4d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde4d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander19724d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander19724d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier4d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto4d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff21834d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto3d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Hofstaderman4d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts4d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts3d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic3d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies14d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken14d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga14d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken14d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6414d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long13d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197213d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic13d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
DivineHand12514d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91314d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer14d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91313d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit13d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 13d ago
Christopher14d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6913d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit13d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher14d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken14d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197213d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic13d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2314d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218314d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder14d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts14d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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370°

Could Xbox Soon Become The Next Dreamcast?

Microsoft's future in the video game space is murky right now, so let's break it all down.

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
ApocalypseShadow17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Not anytime soon. But they're on that path.

One thing not mentioned in the article is Microsoft's money bags. If Sega had Microsoft's money, they would have still been around as a hardware manufacturer. Xbox as a platform only survives because of the money bags. They can continue making consoles for the core and port to PC.

The multiplatform strategy is only the result of arrogance and misguided leadership that blew up in their face. They thought gamers would jump on Xbox in droves if they knew that many of their favorite games would be only on Xbox. But that's not happening at all. Sales didn't increase. They decreased. Why? Because the dumb asses thought giving away these expensively made games in a cheap service would also turn the tide.

Gamers on other platforms are willing to buy quality. They don't need to be handed nearly free games in a service that aren't even finished and sometimes average in their development. Gamers buy Nintendo games. They buy Sony games. Microsoft groomed their base to not buy games. Even the quality ones. It has always been their plan to go digital. But most gamers still like single player gaming. Still like physical releases.

Microsoft's problem has always been that they don't produce high quality games at the same output as Nintendo and Sony. Actually, they should be producing quite a lot more because they're worth over 2 TRILLION. How they don't have more is ridiculous and no excuse. Buying publishers to take away from competition only backfired. Because it still takes millions of dollars to continue to make those games from the publishers they snatched. Their only choice was to crawl back to their competitors to help sustain those developers because Nintendo and Sony platforms were the ones buying games.

Am I sorry for Microsoft? Hell no! They deserved last place for putting in the least effort. They deserved the fallout for buying up the industry and didn't make a single blip on the radar against their competitors where they now need those same gamers they took away games from to support them. Part of it may have been to cash in on their competition. But the result is the slow death of their platform. They may go 3rd party. They may keep making hardware. I don't give a shit about them to worry about it. I only give a shit about the destructive nature of their industry moves that only negatively affect gamers. They could sell and drop out of the industry and I wouldn't blink. Probably laugh. But not blink. They deserve whatever comes to them. At least Sega put in the effort when it came to games. They just had poor leadership. Microsoft has poor leadership and barely makes memorable games. That's a killer combination. And not in a good way.

Cacabunga16d ago

That would be an insult to Dreamcast.. it had a crazy line up of legendary critically acclaimed games.

Crows9016d ago

I was thinking the same. Dreamcast had incredible games in such a short amount of time. It was truly exceptional.

darthv7216d ago

...and yet all those great games were not enough to sway people from the looming release of the PS2 at the time. Sony just has that kind of brand loyalty.

Cacabunga16d ago

Darth

I do not agree.. Sony had even better games thanks to an unprecedented 3rd party support..
DC had amazing lineup but 90% were arcade games..

88316d ago

@darth:
And Sony showed off "The Emotion Engine" and their real time demos that made everyone think they would miss out on REAL next gen 128bit magic if they jumped in before PS2s polygon pushing monster (and early lack of anti-aliasing with a healthy heap of shimmer + DVD playback) stepped up. PS2 was a fantastic system though with amazing games.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 16d ago
blacktiger16d ago

That's not true. Just because Microsoft has the money doesn't mean Microsoft can allow xbox to bleed entire Microsoft money. It doesn't work like they. Also SEC will be watching and investor won't allow it. Lot of reasons why Microsoft can not continue even if they wanted to. SEC regulations is expensive.

fr0sty16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

Exactly this... Microsoft is a publicly traded company, mostly owned by their shareholders (Approximately 59.24% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 33.03% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.). Their shareholders call the shots on the business decisions, and their shareholders want one thing and one thing only, for their stock price to go up. Losses do not make stock prices go up... so if the division continually posts losses on hardware, but shows profits on software and services (which has been the case with Xbox its entire lifespan, for over 20 years now), the shareholders are going to grow impatient and demand they stop making hardware and focus on the only thing that has ever made them money, software and services.

When Microsoft bought Blizzard and Activision for almost 100 billion, I knew that was the nail in the coffin for Xbox as a console... as the shareholders were going to expect a quick return on that investment, and when it didn't materialize, they were going to be out for blood... out to force Xbox to sell those games on as many consoles as possible, "and while you're at it, sell those first party exclusives that aren't selling well on other consoles as well... hell, just stop making consoles and sell games."

If there is another Xbox console generation, it will definitely be the last, but I doubt there even will be one at this point. I think the Xbox division planning on it just in case, but I don't think the project has been greenlit from Microsoft itself. The rumors that they have not yet even secured the chips needed from the chip fabrication facilities ties into this.

shinoff218316d ago

While I usually agree with you . Alot of what was said can just also be asked before any of that.

How long will the shareholders wait? It doesn't appear long at all

Babadook716d ago

I think I get your point. Like just because MS has money does not mean they are content to throw it away on a dying ecosystem. Xbox has to be profitable or “what’s the point?”

ifinitygamer16d ago

Money bags, yes, but are we ignoring that Xbox actually makes a profit on games and GamePass? Hardware is often a loss leader, and they're probably making profit 4 years into the life cycle, but games and services revenue have been very profitable while other parts of Microsoft's business is struggling. Say what you will about the quality of those games, of course, but this is kind of a reverse Dreamcast situation, where the console was dragging down the company and put it at risk of shuttering entirely. Killing that console saved the business and allowed it to continue to make games on multiple platforms. In this case, the service is very profitable, as are the games, and they're also double-dipping into Multiplatform to extend this further, while their hardware is just sort of what they believe to be the best for gamers and their own titles (whether that is the case or not...)

fr0sty16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

The issue is, they aren't selling enough hardware to make their exclusives profitable, and now that they've bought half the gaming publisher/dev industry, they have no choice but to go third party to make a profit... and that is making their shareholders take a real close look at their hardware division under the microscope... why keep making the hardware if the software is all that is making them money, and they continually, generation after generation come in dead last with hardware sales?

Look at a game like Spiderman 2... if it had been an Xbox exclusive, with the amount it cost to develop, it would have been a huge failure... simply not enough consoles out there to sell it on. They would have been lucky to break even.

ifinitygamer16d ago

@fr0sty agreed completely, which is why they're hedging by releasing other games to multiplatform, plus they have PC to make up for the difference in a lot of ways, which is why their games are not complete money pits. It brings up the question of whether or not those exclusives would drive sales of consoles, though. Let's say Spiderman 2 was an Xbox exclusive, it would certainly have pushed console sales, though who's to say how much is anyone's guess.

fr0sty16d ago

That's why you can't rely on just one exclusive, Sony has always delivered on a wide range of solid exclusives, even this generation (even if they haven't been strong on the first party exclusives, they've made up for it with third party). They don't rely on just one "system seller", they have a portfolio of them.

16d ago
JBlaze22616d ago

ApocalypseShadow To be honest Sony has more of a chance to go 3rd party because like you said Microsoft has money, Sony does not. Sony does not have games, Only games they have come from 3rd party. Sony has been losing money for years and you. Saying Microsoft has been putting the least effort just proves you have no idea what's been going on. All Sony has done is repeat and recycle, never innovating or doing something new. All Sony has is brand loyalty nothing else and it shows.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 16d ago
LG_Fox_Brazil17d ago

Not sure about that. It's been two decades and I still think about Power Stone, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman and others, but I'm not sure I'll remember Xbox Series X/S games in a few years from now... Maybe I'll remember about the franchises that the Xbox brand spawned, but I don't believe that the Xbox Series lives up to the late Dreamcast or even to the Xbox name itself. I do have great memories about the 360 with Blue Dragon, Gears 2 and Lost Odyssey though

isarai17d ago

Nah, sega actually makes good games

Becuzisaid16d ago

No, Dreamcast was ahead of it's time and most still have very fond memories of it that had one. It also had some good games on it even in it's short lifespan. Xbox has none of these qualities.

Profchaos16d ago

I remember it coming out at the time in a really bad place they hit the market before the PS2 but it was during this transitional time when Sony was promoting the power of the PS2 and so many of the Dreamcast games were awesome but often third parties simply ported the PS1 version increased resolution and performance but rarely fully utilise the capabilities of the console.

I think in the end bad marketing done it in and like the GameCube so many people are fond of it now but at the time it was looked at in the lense of the day and it didn't stack up.

Personally I miss Sega in hardware they took risks that many companies won't

Becuzisaid16d ago

I never owned it, and got the PS2 right when it launched. But there were certain games it had that I was always jealous of that I didn't have access to - Sonic adventure, crazy taxi, power Stone, code Veronica, shenmue, skies of Arcadia. I always thought it was a really cool machine though. I've never heard a bad thing about it though from those that had it.

FinalFantasyFanatic16d ago

I only ever saw one Dreamcast, and that was one my friend owned, pity I never got to play it, I wonder what games he had for it?

It would be nice if some of those games got ported to modern systems.

Profchaos16d ago

Oh man sonic adventure on the Dreamcast made me so jealous as a huge sonic fan on the mega drive who also moved to PlayStation 2 I never got the chance to play it back in the day either. The Dreamcast in Australia where I am was always relegated to the smallest corner of EB Games it was kind of a strong first indicator that things were not going well at the time.

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