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[HeresJohnny]

It means everything, it means that $400 in 2006 is $508 right now, so it's not more expensive, it's exactly the same.

$400 is $500

And $500 and $600 in 2006 was X dollars adjusted for inflation too. Didn’t make a damn bit of difference did it? No one cares.

What you’re really angry at is that people could afford to buy more expensive consoles but won’t. That is the bigger issue at play here. It’s not a money thing or an inflation thing.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

And $500 and $600 in 2006 was X dollars adjusted for inflation too. Didn’t make a damn. It of difference did it?

No $500 and $600 in 2006 was the result of building a stupid console that cost them $850 a unit to build.

 

[HeresJohnny]

No $500 and $600 in 2006 was the result of building a stupid console that cost them $850 a unit to build.

The public wasn’t aware of that. They saw the next PlayStation and decided it cost too much. You’re overthinking this. You’re thinking the public busts out an egghead inflation calculator to decide if they want something or not. They don’t.

They either want it more than they want the money to stay in their pocket, or they don’t. It’s simple really.

 

[DynamiteCop!]

The public wasn’t aware of that. They saw the next PlayStation and decided it cost too much. You’re overthinking this. You’re thinking the public busts out an egghead inflation calculator to decide if they want something or not. They don’t.

They either want it more than they want the money to stay in their pocket, or they don’t. It’s simple really.

You can't base your product pricing around ignorance. If that were the case everyone would be broke.

 

[HeresJohnny]

You can't base your product pricing around ignorance. If that were the case everyone would be broke.

You either release a product within the confines of what the market will bear, or you sit at the sidelines and watch someone else do it. Or you try to release at a price higher than the market will bear and you spend 60 months tripping over your dick.

 

[FranXico]

Value of money goes down, wages go up, prices on literally everything around you goes up... Consoles stay $400 forever. Genius.

It doesn't matter what the objective value of currency is. Consumers have historically always determined that consoles should not cost more than $400. People refer to it as some kind of "psychological barrier", because that's mostly what it is.

You can't base your product pricing around ignorance. If that were the case everyone would be broke.

Sadly, that's what console manufacturers have to do. In order to meet a pricing target, they make concessions and partially take in a loss.

 

[Mista]

Hardcore gamers buy 1000$+ RtX 2080ti not consoles lol especially 399$...lol

Oh is that so? I’m sorry that gamers only applies to the people that games on PC

 

[Boss Mog]

So you mean they're not gonna talk about TV and the NFL at their reveal event?

 

[Starlight Lotice]

I read that Sony is pushing towards making stronger relationships with big publishers today, also from the Wall Street Journal.

Probably EA, Ubisoft and Activision because the Japanese side aren't large enough. XD

 

[mejin]

the big difference between Sony and MS right now is a clear objective.

 

[FStubbs]

I guess this is a sign Sony is aiming for the most powerful console again?

 

[yurinka]

I think it's quite obvious that as always at launch they will target the tech-savvy player and fans, who traditionally are always the early adopters of a high end console.

In addition to this, the hardcore players are the ones who spend more and they want a console focused on great games, so I understand that it makes sense to continue with their current strategy of appealing this type of player. It's working really well since they are breaking records.

the big difference between Sony and MS right now is a clear objective.

I think PS5 and Scarlett are going to be more and more similar. After announcing the MS version of PS Now with GamePass and xCloud, now they also announced the MS version of Remote Play (xCloud streaming from your console instead of from MS servers), also announced the same CPU and CPU than PS5 and that they also going to have a SSD on steroids.

I bet the next MS big announcement is going to be that Scarlett is also going to support VR.

 

[Deleted member 738976]

So you mean they're not gonna talk about TV and the NFL at their reveal event?

That comes after the banjo and flute players.

 

[recursive]

A game console is a big investment, and I doubt most casuals will shell out the cash to buy one and the games that you can play on it. Hardcore gamers will.

For me, a casual gamer will play a game on a device most readily available to them but wasn't intended for games. That being their mobile phone.

A $200 game console is a big investment every 7 years but that $1000 iPhone every 2 isn't right?

 

[game_nomad]

This feels like a simple marketing trick on positioning. We gamers like to call ourselves "hard core". You feel elite this way.

I am 33 years old. I own 800+ original titles on various platforms. I have finished around 500 games. But I play primarily retro and indie stuff, so I am most definitely not Sony's target audience. These are just buzzwords.

 

[llien]

Hardcore gamers that like censored games.

Damn, spot on.
And it hurts.

 

[xPikYx]

A $200 game console is a big investment every 7 years but that $1000 iPhone every 2 isn't right?

Yeah indeed, especially iphone which they make you think it's the best but there are much better phones for less...

The important is not the cost per se, but what they offer for that price

 

[Clear]

Damn, spot on.
And it hurts.

Not really, the market for the sort of content that's being censored is miniscule in terms of sales/importance. Which is why Nintendo right now is letting it slide, and keeping their flagship content and IP's squeaky-clean.

When Ninty starts allowing titty-fondling mini games featuring Peach or the like, then you've got an argument to say Sony are out of step. But we all know that's never happening!

 

[Deleted member 738976]

When Ninty starts allowing titty-fondling mini games featuring Peach or the like, then you've got an argument to say Sony are out of step. But we all know that's never happening!

Sign me up.

 

[yurinka]

A $200 game console is a big investment every 7 years but that $1000 iPhone every 2 isn't right?

Right, because the console market is way smaller than the smartphone one, and both markets are very different.

The smartphone market is so big that there is a profitable niche market for high end devices, which is a small part of the total smartphone market.

In consoles people spend their money mostly on the games instead of in hardware, and in smartphones people spend their money mostly on hardware instead of in games.

In addition to this, there is the story of similar products. In consoles, when you ask for $600 nobody buys it because it's perceived as too expensive because people is used to get cheaper consoles, and when it's discounted under $200 there is a sales spike.

For the same reason, most guys who spend $1000 for an iPhone don't want to buy for 4 bucks a mobile game because thinks it's too expensive because almost every other game in the AppStore is "free".

 

[DigitalScrap]

OP, you only posted half the stories. This is the rest of the stories:

"Sony aims to market the Playstation 5 to “serious players”. To achieve this, the company intends to focus more on the big-name publishers and blockbuster titles such as Red Dead Redemption and Fallout, with less emphasis on smaller independent games. The reasoning provided was that “resources are limited” and that people mainly buy consoles to play more “graphic intensive” and “high quality games” "

This sounds terrible.

 

[HeresJohnny]

This sounds terrible.

It does because some of the best hardcore games were downloadable on PSN early on in the PS4's life. Strider and Resogun alone were fucking awesome.

 

[sainraja]

That's not censorship, that's rating compliance. For full nudity they would have to designate their games as A/O which would be a product death sentence.

Come on, it is still censorship.

That's not censorship, that's compliance, they're two completely different things.

Censorship is the unwarranted masking or omission of content which falls in line with a products rating.

Censorship is censorship.

I am not trying to support the argument for censorship but you guys are trying to make a silly distinction which I don't see the point of. Any kind of censorship where they are 'taming' it for a specific audience due to [insert reason here] results in a corporate company treating you like 'kids'. Do you want that to happen?

 

[kegkilla]

Can someone fill me in on the "censorship" that some in this thread are up in arms about? Completely lost.

 

[Whitesnake]

So you want more generic Japanese shit with yamates and kawaii pantsus?

 

[JimiNutz]

Focusing on the 'hardcore' especially at the start of the gen makes perfect sense and is business as usual for Sony.

I don't get why this is even a story, it's exactly what Sony has pretty much always done and it worked wonders this gen. There will of course still be indie and AA games, Sony just want to ensure that they deliver for the loyal hardcore console gamers early on, establish a decent install base and then everyone else will follow.

I hope they continue to support VR significantly also. Sony's support of VR is something that will keep me with their platforms while the competition ignores it.

 

[rəddəM]

So basically that means more generic Western AAA crap.

 

[ResilientBanana]

What influential paradigm breaking game has been censored?

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I am a Hard core gamer and i want Gravity rush 3!!!!

do not be cynical Sony and stop uncensored thing!!!!

 

[sainraja]

Can someone fill me in on the "censorship" that some in this thread are up in arms about? Completely lost.

I haven't been following it that closely but it has to do with some recent games that Sony has censored. Conan was one game that was censored on (probably) both Xbox & PlayStation.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Well that angle was the PS4's strategy until it wasn't, it was in 2013, in 2014, in 2015 and in 2016... Indie this, indie that, look at all the support and how much we love indie developers, blah, blah, blah... And then big games started coming and they no longer gave a shit.

They have no strategy, they didn't even know why the PS4 was successful for the first few years.

You are wrong. The PS4 was a success because Sony asked developers what they wanted out of the console, something that was the complete opposite of the Xbox One at the time.

"And then big games started coming out"

Except they never stopped coming out. From 2013 to 2016 there was Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack, Driveclub, inFAMOUS: Second Son and First Light, The Last of Us Remastered, Until Dawn, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, and The Last Guardian. Big games, not indie titles.

It was the PS Vita that showed the most love for indie games, not the PS4.

 

[DigitalScrap]

I am a Hard core gamer and i want Gravity rush 3!!!!

Based on the quote about Sony aiming for "serious players" while at the same time saying that: "the company intends to focus more on the big-name publishers and blockbuster titles such as Red Dead Redemption and Fallout, with less emphasis on smaller independent games. " tells me that their definition of serious players is different than ours. Based upon that, it seems unlikely that we will get many more gems like Gravity Rush, Flower, Journey etc., and the focus is going to be on the big budget, cinematic movie type games.

This messaging seems strange to me, as the "serious players" or "hardcore gamers" to me are the players who play a greater diversity of games, where casuals are the ones who only play the AAA recycled tripe that are basically the same game with different characters and settings.

If this messaging doesn't change and this is really what they are planning to do, this could very well be the first generation where I don't own a Playstation.

 

[YukiOnna]

All I ask from Sony is to give me my games like Catherine Full Body and Persona 5 Royal untouched. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it?

If Nintendo can do it so can Sony.

Pretty much my stance. I'm not sure why they decided to go this route, if it's true HQ moved to America over Japan, but these regulations have brought frustration to developers who've had to employ it due to being vague anyway. And really, it should be up to the consumer. Censoring a niche game really does nothing.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Based on the quote about Sony aiming for "serious players" while at the same time saying that: "the company intends to focus more on the big-name publishers and blockbuster titles such as Red Dead Redemption and Fallout, with less emphasis on smaller independent games. " tells me that their definition of serious players is different than ours. Based upon that, it seems unlikely that we will get many more gems like Gravity Rush, Flower, Journey etc., and the focus is going to be on the big budget, cinematic movie type games.

This messaging seems strange to me, as the "serious players" to me are the players who play a greater diversity of games, where casuals are the ones who only play the AAA recycled tripe that are basically the same game with different characters and settings.

If this messaging doesn't change and this is really what they are planning to do, this could very well be the first generation where I don't own a Playstation.

How many casual players do you know that play Fallout? Madden, NBA 2K or the latest Call of Duty are typically what I hear the guys at work talk about. I would say that serious players would be better defined as how much time someone is willing to invest in playing games and not so much about diverse gaming preferences (for example, someone who plays mobile games and Fortnite and Call of Duty would be no less diverse than someone playing JRPGs and action-adventure linear experiences).

 

[DigitalScrap]

How many casual players do you know that play Fallout? Madden, NBA 2K or the latest Call of Duty are typically what I hear the guys at work talk about. I would say that serious players would be better defined as how much time someone is willing to invest in playing games and not so much about diverse gaming preferences.

Fallout 4 did INSANE numbers, so apparently more people are into it than you think. I remember being shocked at how well it did. Articles like this were everywhere:

http://fortune.com/2015/11/16/fallout4-is-quiet-best-seller/

Anyway, all I'm saying is that if Sony is going to double down on pretty 3rd person formulaic cinematic games, I'm not personally interested. I guess I'm just old - I still like to have new interesting gameplay mechanics/experiences and not just good looking homogenous games. For me, we got to a great level of graphics a while ago - I don't really care about things being more and more pretty, I just want them to be fun. I don't need every game to be a movie.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Fallout 4 did INSANE numbers, so apparently more people are into it than you think. I remember being shocked at how well it did. Articles like this were everywhere:

http://fortune.com/2015/11/16/fallout4-is-quiet-best-seller/

Anyway, all I'm saying is that if Sony is going to double down on pretty 3rd person formulaic cinematic games, I'm not personally interested. I guess me being old, I still like to have new interesting gameplay mechanics/experiences and not just good looking homogenous games. For me, we got to a great level of graphics a while ago - I don't really care about things being pretty, I just want them to be fun.

I feel like it wouldn't be anything new though, because The Last of Us released in 2013 around the same time Sony was showing indie developers love with the PS Vita. And let's not forget about Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Until Dawn etc. I agree that gameplay is more important than graphics but good gameplay is often subjective and some games that try something new aren't always good.

 

[Geki-D]

Man, it blows my mind that some people's lives have this massive reserved time slot dedicated to campaigning against Sony on GAF in any and all threads about Sony. I mean seriously, the dedication would be admirable if it wasn't so pathetic.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

More of the same is great in my book. I’ve been gaming since NES with a little Atari before that and PS4 is right up their with SNES in terms of console with the most games I’ve enjoyed. As a lover of cinematic, narrative driven single player games there’s been no topping their exclusives for me the past several years. I enjoy a lot of Nintendo’s stuff as well. MS first party I really ever liked Halo and Gears and just for the campaigns. Lots of great games there, especially for people who love online gaming. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[Genx3]

Sony letting people know that the PS5 won't have that $400 Casual price ahead of time. $500 - $600 it is.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Focusing on the 'hardcore' especially at the start of the gen makes perfect sense and is business as usual for Sony.

I don't get why this is even a story, it's exactly what Sony has pretty much always done and it worked wonders this gen. There will of course still be indie and AA games, Sony just want to ensure that they deliver for the loyal hardcore console gamers early on, establish a decent install base and then everyone else will follow.

I hope they continue to support VR significantly also. Sony's support of VR is something that will keep me with their platforms while the competition ignores it.

I agree. I hope PSVR 2 is even more successful. There's still a lot of potential with VR game experiences.

 

[DigitalScrap]

I feel like it wouldn't be anything new though, because The Last of Us released in 2013 around the same time Sony was showing indie developers love with the PS Vita. And let's not forget about Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Until Dawn etc. I agree that gameplay is more important than graphics but good gameplay is often subjective and some games that try something new aren't always good.

Yes, I'm fine with the cinematic/AAA games existing - lots of people like them (and I even like some). It's just that this messaging literally saying that they aren't going to focus on "smaller" titles just makes me feel like the future direction just won't be for me. A lot of my favorite games have been smaller titles that are simply fun, or offer a great experience in a way that isn't what amounts to a movie to me.

I'm not saying that Sony can't be successful with this approach, just that I very well may not be on board this next cycle.

If it gives you any context, the game I am most excited about that is coming out soon is thatgamecompany's Sky, which isn't even coming to consoles surprisingly, so it looks like I will be playing that on the Nvidia Shield .



Granted, this sort of game is definitely not for everyone, but my point is that Playstation historically has been the absolute best place to play these sorts of games. Now it is beginning to feel like everything is trending towards only big AAA pretty blockbusters, and that is disappointing.

I just want to be assured that there will still be some diversity in games. Their current messaging is not making me feel that way.

We'll wait and see, but I definitely will not be a day one PS5 customer - which will be a first time for me with any Playstation console. Things just seem to be heading in the wrong direction IMO.

 

[Chozofication_]

You're not getting a 2TB SSD, it will at most be a 256GB drive.

You kill me dood

Maybe not 2tb but a 1tb minimum

 

[DynamiteCop!]

You kill me dood

Maybe not 2tb but a 1tb minimum

No, because I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding as to how these SSD systems are going to work.

They won't be system storage, they will have an auxiliary drive for general storage that will dump segments to the SSD with intelligent delivery revolving around the particular section of the game you're in, it will swap sections on the fly in the background and pre-cache it so there will be no loading between data swaps. This will allow them to keep the SSD size down to maybe 128GB which will dramatically cut its cost but still be able to provide every loading benefit in any particular game.

I'm assuming a more general purpose HDD will be used for main storage with compression and algorithmic wizardry to be able to dump files rapidly to the SSD for operation.

 

[DigitalScrap]

No, because I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding as to how these SSD systems are going to work.

They won't be system storage, they will have an auxiliary drive for general storage that will dump segments to the SSD with intelligent delivery revolving around the particular section of the game you're in, it will swap sections on the fly in the background and pre-cache it so there will be no loading between data swaps. This will allow them to keep the SSD size down to maybe 128GB which will dramatically cut its cost but still be able to provide every loading benefit in any particular game.

I'm assuming a more general purpose HDD will be used for main storage with compression and algorithmic wizardry to be able to dump files rapidly to the SSD for operation.

Yeah, this is kind of what I'm expecting too - just as is done on computers now. I doubt that they will want the expense of putting a large custom SSD (since they have said they are not using a traditional M.2) in there when doing smart caching will be just as efficient. I'm expecting 240GB of SSD and then a large traditional drive. I guess we'll see when specs are finally revealed.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Yes, I'm fine with the cinematic/AAA games existing - lots of people like them (and I even like some). It's just that this messaging literally saying that they aren't going to focus on "smaller" titles just makes me feel like the future direction just won't be for me. A lot of my favorite games have been smaller titles that are simply fun, or offer a great experience in a way that isn't what amounts to a movie to me.

I'm not saying that Sony can't be successful with this approach, just that I very well may not be on board this next cycle.

If it gives you any context, the game I am most excited about that is coming out soon is thatgamecompany's Sky, which isn't even coming to consoles surprisingly, so it looks like I will be playing that on the Nvidia Shield .



Granted, this sort of game is definitely not for everyone, but my point is that Playstation historically has been the absolute best place to play these sorts of games. Now it is beginning to feel like everything is trending towards only big AAA pretty blockbusters, and that is disappointing.

I just want to be assured that there will still be some diversity in games. Their current messaging is not making me feel that way.

We'll wait and see, but I definitely will not be a day one PS5 customer - which will be a first time for me with any Playstation console. Things just seem to be heading in the wrong direction IMO.

Yeah, that does look amazing. It reminds me of Journey on the PS3. I know what you mean though, the PS1 and PS2 had a great balance of blockbuster games and unique experiences. I think it started to change with the advent of HD graphics on the PS3 and games like Gears of War and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare being massively successful.

Personally, I'm really excited for games like Death Stranding which also looks creatively inspiring. There actually aren't too many new games coming out that I'm interested in playing.

 

[DigitalScrap]

Yeah, that does look amazing. It reminds me of Journey on the PS3. I know what you mean though, the PS1 and PS2 had a good balance of blockbuster games and unique experiences though I think it started to change with the advent of HD graphics on the PS3 and games like Gears of War and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare being massively successful.

Personally, I'm really excited for games like Death Stranding which also looks creatively inspiring. There actually aren't too many new games coming out that I'm interested in playing.

Yep, it is made by thatgamecompany, who brought us Journey and Flower, so I already know I am going to love it.

 

[Ar¢tos]

It wouldn't be a Sony/PlayStation thread without the censorship crybabies!
IF ONLY there were 2 or 3 threads already SPECIFICALLY about the censorship issue...

 

[alabtrosMyster]

They are essentially doubling down on PS4 strategy... that is all. Even the article recognised it right away.

Not sure why a group of people replying to this thread is trigger finger ready to start talking about Sony arrogance and stoking PS3 launch fears, uncertainty, and doubt.

Edit: if you call yourself impartial lol...

Thanks, now you stole my answer to the thread

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Yes? I think so.

She is definitely an attractive woman, just not displaying it clearly, I'd say some titstreamers will cosplay her with only the portions of the metal armor hiding the sensitive parts .

Yet, they will complain about being "objectified"... I can objectify this character with her whole armor on if I want to, and I don't care for sex workers pretending to cosplay.

 

[DigitalScrap]

Okay, I was hopping back and forth between this thread while working on something, but I just read the entire WSJ article, and my feelings are reinforced. I'm sure not too many people pay WSJ for a sub, so I'll put some of what I consider to be telling snippets here.

Sony’s latest thinking puts less stress on overall sales numbers and more on the most-profitable segment of the market: the devoted fans who buy big-budget titles

A second Sony official said the company believes people buy a videogame console to play graphics-heavy games. The strategy partly resembles that of Hollywood studios

At the Tokyo Game Show in September, Nintendo is supporting events to showcase independent game developers. Sony used to do the same, but isn’t planning to this year, the first Sony official said.

The thinking is, the official said, that people buy a console to play high-quality games available only on that platform, not smaller games also available on smartphones.

So yeah, reading these comments directly from Sony executives, I'd say that they are going to go in a direction that is not for me.

Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute, said he believes Sony’s stress on large-budget games could lessen variety and lead some customers to switch to rivals such as Nintendo.

Hopefully they will change their thinking and go for more of a balance.