60°

Day of “Netflix for Games” May be Closer Than You Think.

Mike Rose, founder of No More Robots, may be the canary in the coalmine when it comes to game streaming services changing not only how games are consumed. Will this be the end of how we consume games? Natural evolution?

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duelscreens.com
ApocalypseShadow2319d ago (Edited 2319d ago )

It's not an overreaction. It's seeing the reality.

HOW DOES A DEVELOPER MAKE MONEY?

By SELLING you a product. And I've said this before, developers can't survive on hours played or how many looks. That don't pay the rent. And big AAA games would be few and far between unless you fill it with micro transactions. Or the service owner does it to get you to buy into the service. Third parties won't do that. You won't see games like GTA6 on a service day one. And not to sell someone else's product like a service without a huge paycheck. After a game sells what it's going to sell, then drop it on a service. Not before.

Netflix for games. Netflix doesn't get theater movies day one. Only when a producer believes that it won't make money at the box office is when they either toss it straight to DVD or drop it in services like Hulu or Netflix for any cash they can get back. Disney isn't putting Avengers End Game on Netflix. Ask yourself why? But they can make and release smaller, AA level shows like Daredevil and Luke Cage on it. It didn't cost as much and Netflix paid to have it.

We can talk all day on how cool the idea is and let the service owners worry about the economics. But a lot of companies will find that the service owner will be making the money while the little guys hope to stay afloat. Some say, "Well, the game can still be sold for you to buy." But why would you buy it when you can play it for cheap?

I didn't buy Netflix Daredevil on Blu-ray. There's no point. Which is another point. Let's say you can only watch it digital and can't buy it physical. You are no longer in the position of ownership. It can be taken away at any time or updated to not work through software.

Batchild272319d ago

I agree 100% from the consumer standpoint. But using this model will mean the demise of a LOT of the AA and Indie game space, don't you think?

ravinash2319d ago

The biggest thing I find annoying when companies say they need to create things like microtransactions, access pass or any other means in order to make more money. then claim that if they didn't, they would go out of business.

Gaming today is a bigger industry than music and film combined!
It's worth billions of dollars, so what the hell are you doing with all this money?

And now they say that in order to make the games more profitable, they will have to turn it into a service.
If you what to release a service like netfilx are will to pay for, then that's fine.
But if you start making your game exclusive to that service, don't ever expect me to play it, because I won't.

starchild2319d ago

And yet most people do most of their movie and TV series watching on streaming services like Netflix. Gaming will eventually go the same way. Console gaming especially will largely be supplanted by game streaming. The mainstream buyers that constitute the majority of the console demographic simply don't care that much about quality or framerate or input lag. It will reach a point where it's good enough for most people.

But there will still be options for those that do care about the quality of their gaming experience. The PC will likely continue to be the primary platform for people like that. Some kind of consoles might still be available, but they won't have nearly the number of buyers that they do now.

But we'll still see a wide variety of different kinds of games being made. Generally speaking, the greater the variety of ways for people to experience and access entertainment the greater the diversity and quality of that form of entertainment will be because it allows more people to more consistently access it in the way that they can or want to.

rainslacker2318d ago

A Netflix of gaming doesn't mean it would supplant the traditional models. Netflix hasn't supplanted the traditional models, and the bulk of all media on netflix still comes from producers other than Netflix, and were released through traditional means....TV, Movies, direct to DVD, etc.

A Netflix of gaming would be nothing more than older 2nd run games, with some content made exclusively for it. That exclusive content will vary in quality, but it costs a lot less to make a season of any Netflix special than it does to make a game. Unless we're talking about cheaper GaaS games, particularly those with other forms of making money. In other words, the Netflix of gaming is just going to end up being a bunch of old games, and a paywall some mid-tier to low tier games. It's what mobile offers for free, but apparently, the console and gaming community are keen on paying monthly or yearly for it.

Sure, the Netflix of gaming is coming. It has for a while. But it's not going to be what people expect, and even less likely what they would want. They can hype it up now to celebrate the demise of physical media, because apparently there is a need for that for some reason, or the demise of traditional models, because God forbid we have those. But, when it comes full circle, they'll be wondering why everything has gone to crap, then go back to traditional models which will likely still exist, because someone has to cater to the large market that exists for it. You don't give up your fan base for a trend. Ask Sega or Square about how that worked for them. Ask EA how that worked for them the past couple years.

Make products for existing markets, then get new markets at the same time. This one or the other mentality that seems to be prevalent nowadays is completely idiotic, and the press, and some in the community need to just stop promoting or acting like they have a clue.

DerekTweed2318d ago

Make Gaming Great Again!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2318d ago
AK912319d ago

If it happens I’ll leave gaming.

Eonjay2319d ago

It already exists with PSNow no matter how much we pretend otherwise.

Batchild272319d ago

a lot of games on PSNow and Xbox Game Pass are negotiated with flat rates. The crazy thing is some of these services mentioned are looking to pay based on time played. That is weird.

Batchild272319d ago

which part if the biggest worry? From a consumer part or the dev part?

Scatpants2318d ago

Yeah, since there have been several services like that already I guess it is sooner than you think as in it already happened.

70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

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videogamer.com
Jingsing1d 10h ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

60°

Glen Schofield: Dead Space Wouldn’t Be Greenlit Today—Publishers Are Afraid to Take Risks

Sector sat down with Glen Schofield—creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol—during the Game Developers Session (GDS) in Prague to discuss the evolution of the game industry, the current challenges of AAA development, and why it's become so hard to get original ideas off the ground in today’s risk-averse environment.

1nsomniac2d ago

It’s easy enough to say that, but why? It feels weird to me when developers say this but common sense would tell you everything about the idea itself should work.

The idea of the concept seems like a winner at whichever angle you look at it so why would publishers not greenlight it?

… it’s almost as if the majority of publishers are massively incompetent at their jobs. But there’s no surprise to anyone there.

150°

WILD HEARTS S Q&A - 'Switch 2 Is Closer to the Series S Than PS4'

Wccftech interviewed Koei Tecmo about their upcoming game WILD HEARTS S, gathering their first thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2 console.

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wccftech.com
Christopher4d ago

This new tech, in 2025, is more comparable to 2020 tech than 2013 tech.

*tip toes over that bar*

Also, why are all the comparisons to PS4 and not Xbox One?

Neonridr4d ago

PS4 is more powerful than the XB1, S2 is more powerful than both, so why not use the higher of the two?

Christopher4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Probably because people who owned an XBO and not a PS4 don't really know what it means. The assumption is that everyone is as knowledgeable as journalists or gaming news junkies. Gaming is mainstream, that means that mass majority of people don't know these specifics, only online talking points.

And the PS4 and XBO are the closest in power systems we've ever had, so this 'more powerful' is so small, it really isn't the big talking point people think it is.

RaidenBlack2d ago

I'd rather add, Xbox One X can be used as a good metric to gauge if a said system is more powerful than last gen.

VariantAEC1d 19h ago

It's pretty clear that Switch 2 isn't more powerful than PS4 Pro. Is the base model PS4 being beaten? Well, Switch 2 is hardly ever actually being compared to the base model PS4, but seeing as how it's yet to outperform PS4 Pro in basically any other way than loading data into RAM in video comparisons. I have to assume the individual developer being interviewed has very little experience with PS4 and Xbox One.

OtterX3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Which is great for a handheld/hybrid! Some people still stick to Digital Foundry's PS4 comparison comment as gospel, back when they were just watching trailers and hadn't even had their hands on it yet.

With that said, this interview doesn't go into very much depth on this. I'd like to see more analysis, but so far I'm really impressed with the performance since I got mine on Friday. Truth be told, having a PS4 Pro level handheld is enough for me. Anything beyond is icing. I'm not looking to replace my PS5 or PC.

VariantAEC1d 18h ago

In this case Digital Foundry is right. They didn't adequately explain or sound remotely confident when showing Switch 2's "visual" benefits in that HogLeg comparison was related to loading. Yes, sometimes two massive world segments can be connected by a smaller individual loading zone like how Jak 2 handled open world zones on PS2. There is a small room that in itself is it's own discrete loading zone that you wait inside as the next massive portion of the map loads in. Very common when going from Haven City to any part outside of the city owlr when descending into the sewers or entering the city from the outside or leaving the sewers. Anyway, the HogLeg skybridge loading zone is more detailed because Switch 2 could load in more varied textures. Models load pretty fast. It's probable that the decimated models that appear in the Switch 2 version were supposed to be visible on Xbox One and PS4 in that scene, which might be why they exist on Switch 2. Unfortunately, the same video showcased above shows PS4 Pro is basically ahead of Switch 2 in all other ways imaginable. Higher rendering resolutions with a sharper cleaner image, better effects quality, and a better distance all favor PS4 Pro. Both the Pro and Switch 2 seem to have a pretty solid 30FPS performance level.

MDTunkown3d ago

For how thin switch 2 is it’s impressive especially when it’s stronger than steam deck and cost less

Christopher2d ago

Steam Deck is cheaper at $399. Switch 2 also uses cheaper materials. See joycon drift still being an issue. You'll also save a ton more money on software alone with the Steam Deck.

Honestly, if the Steam Deck was released today, it likely would at least match the Switch 2 in areas where it outperforms the Steam Deck but still have more advantages. Main thing holding back the Deck is the cores and resolution, because it still has the better CPU and GPU otherwise.

Neonridr2d ago

@Christopher - I own one, no stick drift. My OG joycons never had drift either.

Steam Deck relies on FSR which is still inferior to DLSS. Not to mention that the S2 can push double the GPU performance in docked mode. Deck has more memory, which is nice.

I have both, but my S2 will be getting the lion-share of playtime in the near future. That being said, I can still appreciate being able to play my steam games on the go.

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago

For me, the game sales/prices and flexibility of the Steam deck outweigh the cost of the system itself, but I'll probably get a Switch 2 anyway.

OMNlPOTENT3d ago

And the ps5 was comparable to a PC that could be built over 5 years before it came out lol, how do you think consoles stay affordable?

Christopher2d ago

You're actually proving my point even more.

badz1492d ago

@omnipotent

PS5 comparable to a PC built OVER 5 years before it came out? let's see...

the best mainstream PC combo back in 2015/2016 would be the i7 6700K ($350) + GTX 1080 ($600). Sorry, but that setup is never going to outperform the base PS5 in games, especially modern ones.

you done lying yet or still want to continue lying so your precious Switch 2 doesn't get hurt by facts anymore?

CosmicTurtle2d ago

It’s a tech article speaking about specs people who care about this will know. I did not own an XB1 but know it’s at a similar tech level as PS4. PS4 has a far greater sales footprint, it makes sense to use it.

ABizzel12d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Technologically it’s closer to the Series S….. Raster-wise it’s closer to a base PS4 which has been the point.

Why Switch 2 is better:
The much better CPU allows for higher FPS than the last gen Jaguar CPUs could ever produce.
The 12GB of RAM prevents the system from being bottlenecked in most modern games (even SS fails here)
The storage while not NVMe Gen4 speeds, is significantly faster than the HDD in last gen
It’s a RTX 3000 hybrid, and DLSS is a better upscaling solutions than all other consoles even PSSR currently, and significantly better than checkerboard rending.

This is where the PS4 & PS4 Pro comparisons come into play. Natively it can’t compete with the PS4 Pro, and really closer to the base PS4, but due to the better CPU, more RAM, faster storage, and DLSS it can upscale resolution, image quality, and performance to get close, match, or certain cases exceed the PS4 Pro, and rivals the Series S.

DLSS is really the saving force behind Switch 2 getting current gen ports to acceptable resolution quality, and NVIDIA and Nintendo did it at 10w, so kudos to them, because many of the AAA 3rd party games are and will continue to be native 540p - 720p upscaled through DLSS.

Also this game would benefit from DLSS.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 18h ago
Sonyslave33d ago

I notice it always ps4 or ps4 pro but never xbox one x which is more powetful then the ps4 pro.

MDTunkown3d ago

And it’s also in someways stronger than series S. Xbox one x is a special console that was never fully utilised and has 1,5 times more teraflops than series s.

badz1492d ago (Edited 2d ago )

but the Bulldozer CPU is much weaker and inefficient compared to Zen2 used in the Series S

Neonridr2d ago

the CPU's were those crappy Jaguar based chipsets though.

jznrpg2d ago

Because most people don’t care about Xbox

repsahj2d ago

This is an ugly port, they should improve it more instead of releasing it early.

gold_drake2d ago

sooo ...

what this is telling us, is that it comes down to the game and the devs optimization.

VariantAEC1d 18h ago

There are already several games on Switch 2 coming up short in side-by-side comparisons. Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and HogLeg are just the first examples with the first game in this list only having better image quality due to DLSS and slightly more stable performance due to that lower resolution than last gen systems enabled by DLSS, but having simplified models at mid distances and fewer NPCs roaming around than on PS4 or Xbox One.