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[R3TRO]

This can be good and bad.

 

[dzelly]

I'm continually getting more excited for the PS4.

 

[MeBecomingI]

Awesome forward-thinking move by Sony.

 

[somuchwater]

I'm not convinced consumers know what a quality game is lately.

But maybe that's why this is a good thing - the more variety of indie games there are, the more chance something that you or somebody else considers "quality" will bubble up.

 

[Dead Prince]

ps4 price will be key. devs can't make money if there's not enough people buying the games.

 

[Amir0x]

I agree. Sounds like they're trying to make things as painless as possible for developers to jump on board. They even licensed Unity for developers to use as well. The next couple of years will be interesting to see no doubt.

Yup. There's still much to find out about the system and their online network and some strategies toward expanding the userbase beyond traditional Sony fans and gamers, but I really can't think of much negative about PS4 at this point. Shit, they even largely avoided the negative publicity with CG trailers like they did for PS3.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This can be good and bad.

A glut of worthless freeware hasn't crashed mobile and PC gaming. Good games will always rise to the top.

 

[AdventureRacing]

It's going to be interesting how MS responds to all this. At the moment it looks as though Sony is taking over MS as having the most developer friendly console. I'm definitely liking pretty much everything Sony is announcing.

 

[SniperHunter]

Yup. There's still much to find out about the system and their online network and some strategies toward expanding the userbase beyond traditional Sony fans and gamers, but I really can't think of much negative about PS4 at this point. Shit, they even largely avoided the negative publicity with CG trailers like they did for PS3.

you made some good points, thnx for clearing it up

 

[Boogalogist]

Looking at their position compared to SCEE and SCEI, they deserved it. Although the UK division also deserves a kick in the face.

Sony Asia is the worst out of the lot. There are no comparison. New PSN store layout...3 months after every region has gotten theirs. Like WTF are they doing over there in their office?

 

[Eusis]

Meh. Quality > quantity.

Ideally, yes. The problem is that their "quality assurance" would frequently block entire genres or niche games that simply didn't look too amazing. But this was probably more a problem where they'd hold each region by different standards when it really should've been a free pass to get into each so long as one accepted it and there weren't any legal or at least extreme cultural issues. So seeing Sony kill it is a godsend for people who worried about, say, seeing Trails in the Sky on PS3 or remembered missing Soul Hackers for the last decade.

 

[Tokyo Rain]

Nice, hope MS will follow but they do like full control.

I'm sure they're shitting their pants

 

[Mr.Wreckless]

As long as there is a good way to weed through all the garbage to find something good then this is great. The app stores on iOS and Android are a pain to go through to find something good.

 

[R3TRO]

A glut of worthless freeware hasn't crashed mobile and PC gaming. Good games will always rise to the top.

Yeah, that's true but I was actually thinking about the trophy system.

 

[Router]

Good news as long as their marketplace isn't flooded with shit like android/iOS.

 

[QisTopTier]

And...

.

No ps2 was the start of their downfall actually. It made them think they could get away with whatever. It maybe their biggest thing with the best library they ever had. But that's more because of ps1's success carried over and they had no real rival at that point anymore.

PS1 came into being from a very very pissed off company.

 

[Dead Prince]

Yeah, that's true but I was actually thinking about the trophy system.

don't think these games will get trophies. it'll fall under like mobile games unless maybe they talk with sony if it's a bigger game.

 

[Slavik81]

I hope their PS4 game checklist is well-designed. The XBLA one is ridiculous.

 

[Orayn]

Good news as long as their marketplace isn't flooded with shit like android/iOS.

Even if it was, the quality software that would immediately rise to the top even more dramatically than on those platforms.

 

[chubigans]

Meh. Quality > quantity.

Talk about missing the point. Super Meat Boy on PS3 was shot down because of concept approval. It's entirely unneeded.

 

[R3TRO]

don't think these games will get trophies. it'll fall under like mobile games unless maybe they talk with sony if it's a bigger game.

Interesting, so like the indie games on Xbox, W8, and WP8; I dig it! Just didn't want to see a game called "Tropheez"on the store.

 

[Dead Prince]

Interesting, so like the indie games on Xbox, W8, and WP8; I dig it! Just didn't want to see a game called "Tropheez"on the store.

i'm just speculating ;P

 

[Iacobellis]

No ps2 was the start of their downfall actually. It made them think they could get away with whatever. It maybe their biggest thing with the best library they ever had. But that's more because of ps1's success carried over and they had no real rival at that point anymore.

PS1 came into being from a very very pissed off company.

Pissed because Nintendo went to Philips, right? Sony was huge prior to PlayStation, it's just made the brand even bigger. Yes, their downfall started in the early to mid 00's, but the PlayStation brand was still beating everyone else. PlayStation itself didn't become somewhat of a disaster until the PS3.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

PS4 sounds like its going to be a great.

Lots of good news lately.

 

[Eusis]

I hope their PS4 game checklist is well-designed. The XBLA one is ridiculous.

It should remain basic QA stuff and some features that are actually universally relevant for games, IE screenshots/streaming. None of this "Leaderboards in EVERY GAME" crap when you have something like Monkey island and struggle to find a way that even makes sense. And no one cares about except as a cheap way to see how many played. Though I guess you could allow a "has X number of achievements" leaderboard that's viewable from outside the game, so nothing has to be worried about on the game developers end.

Talk about missing the point. Super Meat Boy on PS3 was shot down because of concept approval. It's entirely unneeded.

Seriously, what the fuck?

Yeah, the problem is that's Sony's concept approval is A GIANT PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT. it may be possible to do that well enough so we only lose, say, Gingerbread Ninja, but if you're not going to be able to do one that actually allows either creativity or at least gives games an equal chance everywhere then it needs to go.

 

[R3TRO]

i'm just speculating ;P

Speculation provides hope my good Sir!

 

[Gorillaz]

Interesting... The concept thing could go both ways, glad to see devs get more breathing room but wondering if some devs actually need some help getting confirmation on certain ideas for sony but just don't know it yet.

 

[maltrain]

PS4 looks everyday more similar to Steam... and that's brilliant.

 

[RibMan]

Very interesting move. If history is anything to go by, the console with the most "shovelware" has always won.

 

[Ivan]

This was so important, well done. I don't want to talk too much in advance, but all this sounds almost perfect and we could end up with best playstation ever... It somehow reminds me of ps1.

 

[SolidSnakex]

don't think these games will get trophies. it'll fall under like mobile games unless maybe they talk with sony if it's a bigger game.

Sony has said that they'll be adding trophy support to PS Mobile games soon

In a conversation with The Verge, Sony’s Sarah Thompson, who is in charge of “content acquisition” for PlayStation’s new mobile initiative, confirmed that Trophy support is en route, along with online leaderboards. “It’s coming. I couldn’t tell you what the timeline is on that, but those kinds of features are definitely in our purview. We are hearing the feedback, and we take everything from what the gamers are saying and what the developers are saying to heart. Trust me, it’s a priority for us,” she told the website.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/10/sony-on-ps-mobile-trophy-support-its-coming

They've likely heard that devs think trophies would improve sales. That's what PS mini devs were telling Sony.

 

[Dead Prince]

Sony has said that they'll be adding trophy support to PS Mobile games soon



http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/10/sony-on-ps-mobile-trophy-support-its-coming

They've likely heard that devs think trophies would improve sales. That's what PS mini devs were telling Sony.

but that means there's another set of requirements to get trophies. can't have games that just unlocks trophies.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Hungry Sony is Best Sony.

 

[SiteSeer]

sony's already winning the battle of perceptions. what a turn around, all they gotta do is align their new ad people; could be a landslide for them next gen.

 

[Rhindle]

Remains to be seen what this means in practice.

If it means "We won't give you any indication whether we're going to approve your game until you send submit a fully developed release candidate" that's not exactly good news for developers.

If it means "We're going to open up it up for anyone to sell whatever they feel like" - that's just going to lead to an iOS/Android-style tidal wave, where good games get buried underneath all the crap.

 

[nib95]

And the hits keep rolling. PS4 hasn't really done any wrong yet on the news front.

 

[Eusis]

I hope they keep in mind leaderboards should stay strictly optional. Microsoft implanted them at a time when they viewed XBLA as being an extension of the arcade experience, thus the name. They didn't stop to think of the wider view of digital games period, or at least didn't consider it significant enough to permit less standardization.

 

[Killthee]

As long as there is a good way to weed through all the garbage to find something good then this is great. The app stores on iOS and Android are a pain to go through to find something good.

They did bring up content discovery via preloaded games based on your purchase history at the PS4 event. There's also friend recommendations/recent purchases via the friend feed.

 

[Dead Prince]

Remains to be seen what this means in practice.

If it means "We won't give you any indication whether we're going to approve your game until you send submit a fully developed release candidate" that's not exactly good news for developers.

If it means "We're going to open up it up for anyone to sell whatever they feel like" - that's just going to lead to an iOS/Android-style tidal wave, where good games get buried underneath all the crap.

the good thing about gaf and dedicated sites is someone will do the job for us. it's not always perfect but hey. it helps.

 

[Jadedx]

Oh nice.





Nah not when the community self-moderates.

That is a complete lie; go to the indie games section of xbla, tons of shit there.

 

[JABEE]

Pretty good news. Big step in the right direction if they want to get as much quality content as they can get.

 

[Dachande]

Remains to be seen what this means in practice.

If it means "We won't give you any indication whether we're going to approve your game until you send submit a fully developed release candidate" that's not exactly good news for developers.

If it means "We're going to open up it up for anyone to sell whatever they feel like" - that's just going to lead to an iOS/Android-style tidal wave, where good games get buried underneath all the crap.

Or it could mean neither of those. Talk about jumping to conclusions.

 

[davepoobond]

Sigh.... PATCHING SHOULD BE FREE!!!

no. they should make the game right the first time. since we're going to be moving to a "community moderation" format, the community is going to get screwed because every other game is going to need 5 patches the first week.



while i can appreciate that they need to let down some walls in the approval process, i dont like the prospect of having no filter on the console. its part of the appeal for me. if i wanted to play random shitty ass games from some nobody loser i'd play iOS games.

 

[Delusibeta]

While we're talking about lowering barriers, here's a similar story from Nintendo's side of the pitch, also from today.

Let's state this simply, to start. Is it possible for an indie to get a game onto the eShop service right now?

Dan Adelman: You know, it's crazy that there are so many developers who don't realize this, but yes, it is not only possible for an indie to get a game onto the eShop service, we've tried to make it as frictionless as possible.

Developers have always been able to make their content available on our systems since the WiiWare days, without the need for an intermediary publisher between the developer and Nintendo. Nor do they need to mount a big PR campaign just to be allowed onto the service. Our philosophy is that if you believe enough in your game to build it, we want to do what we can to support you.

Do developers need to be registered Nintendo developers? What does that entail?

DA: Yes, they do need to become licensed Nintendo developers, since they will need access to our development tools. It's actually pretty easy to become a licensed developer. We really have only a few requirements to sign up as a licensed developer with Nintendo. The most notable ones are that you have to have some experience making games, you have to be able to keep any confidential materials like dev kits secure and you have to form a company. None of these should be prohibitive to any indie developer.

In the past, you've required developers to have an office, but many indies work from home or are individuals. Is this policy changing?

DA: So that second requirement -- the ability to keep confidential materials secure -- was originally defined in terms of an office that was separate from the home. Back when that rule was created, that seemed to be an appropriate way of defining things.

As you point out, more and more people are working from home, and we recognize that developers are forming virtual teams around the world. I know we've shied away from talking about these things publicly in the past, so I'm glad that I can officially confirm that the office requirement is a thing of the past.

 

[Rhindle]

Or it could mean neither of those. Talk about jumping to conclusions.

That's my point. We don't know what it means.

 

[Eusis]

no. they should make the game right the first time. since we're going to be moving to a "community moderation" format, the community is going to get screwed because every other game is going to need 5 patches the first week.



while i can appreciate that they need to let down some walls in the approval process, i dont like the prospect of having no filter on the console. its part of the appeal for me. if i wanted to play random shitty ass games from some nobody loser i'd play iOS games.

They need a better system than Microsoft at least, cheaper prices on patching and perhaps a reset, IE if you're going to patch you get one free one, then a month or so later another free one... or immediately pay $1000. Slap on the wrist to give them second thoughts, unless they make an arrangement specifically for constant patching like Minecraft or Dungeon Defenders (though I guess many would be disabling THAT one.) Ideally you get it right out of the gate, but we don't need to have a game permanently screwed just because they want too damn much for a simple fix.

 

[Fjordson]

Definitely think this is a good move.

Sony's been saying a lot of good things about the direction of PS4. Should be a solid system if the execution all comes together.

 

[Dachande]

That's my point. We don't know what it means.

The way you worded your post made it sound like you were saying those were the only two ways it could go.

 

[davepoobond]

They need a better system than Microsoft at least, cheaper prices on patching and perhaps a reset, IE if you're going to patch you get one free one, then a month or so later another free one... or immediately pay $1000. Slap on the wrist to give them second thoughts, unless they make an arrangement specifically for constant patching like Minecraft or Dungeon Defenders (though I guess many would be disabling THAT one.) Ideally you get it right out of the gate, but we don't need to have a game permanently screwed just because they want too damn much for a simple fix.

i agree with something in the middle like that. the wait should be more like 3 months for the next free one though, because otherwise they'll just wait a month. in 3 months the game will have already become old news, so it wont matter if they give it another patch.

 

[Punkster_NY]

PlayStation Mobile GameJam - February 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45-Rvb-zfg

In February 2013, PlayStation Mobile organized its first GameJam in association with IndieCade. The event was held at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, over President's Day weekend. We brought together twelve amazing indie teams and watched as they worked tirelessly to try to create a game that would impress us. The theme of the GameJam was "Evolution."