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Sony's first party games on PC is a good thing

Sony's first party games on PC

  • I support this decision

    Votes: 139 79.0%
  • I'm against that

    Votes: 37 21.0%

  • Total voters
    176

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
I guess their data shows PC consumers and console owners are largely distinct at this point, and maybe they’re right. Or if you already game on PC and own a console, you will buy all multiplats on PC anyway, with a large audience of PC gamers that will never own a console

their studios are so big now that it’s worth getting an extra 10% in sales or whatever, on the surface

what confused me is that Sony boasted 250% ROI on Horizon PC, but that seems pretty paltry if the “investment” was to simply port it. But maybe porting it is more expensive than I thought. It did sell well though. But even so 1M PC sales is only 10% of what it sold on PS4, maybe less.

btw, how has analytics ruined baseball?
Game is run by analysts in the front office instead of by mangers. Nerds from MiT who have never swung the bat in their lives.

It's all about launch angles and exit velocity. Everyone is being trained to go hit a homerun at every at bat. No matter if they are down 0-2 in the count or up 3-0. It was fun for a couple of years when everyone was hitting homeruns like they are on steroids but then the analytics guys taught the pitchers to exploit hitters swinging for the fences. Now no one can hit and everyone strikes out. They are on pace to break the strikeout records. The batting average is down to its lowest levels in 50 years across the major leagues.

And the worst part is that they don't course correct. They trust that the data will sort itself out. So no changes are made. They basically gamble. It's infuriating.
 
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kretos

Banned
Why? I mean realistically they won't release them same day but honestly why would it matter? The people saying they will leave the Playstation brand will still buy the games day one, Sony would make even more money for these games that are expensive as hell to develop, plus it doesn't effect the console exclusive players experience one bit.

more people might switch to PC as PS will be irrelevant to them same as xbox, and they will end up loosing money instead of getting 100% cut they get less after steam cut or whatever store on pc, they also will lose the 3rd party sales from these people
 
I've never got the outcry. It makes sense both markets are quite different in terms of their users and it's only what SONY did quite a lot of before in the PS generation
Did it hurt SONY or the PS the fact that the likes of G Police, F1, FF 7, MGS Tom Raider 2/3 and the like were all on the PC too?

It when a console exclusives makes the jump to a rival console that it becomes a big deal
 

vkbest

Member
Why? I mean realistically they won't release them same day but honestly why would it matter? The people saying they will leave the Playstation brand will still buy the games day one, Sony would make even more money for these games that are expensive as hell to develop, plus it doesn't effect the console exclusive players experience one bit.

Sony get a 30% from every software sold on Playstation, Physical or Digital. Sony porting games to Mobile and PC, means Sony don't trust that business can be profitable enough on the future, so this is pretty bad news for Playstation. I remember people here and other forums, talking about Sony was wasting resources making games on Vita. Now you have they are porting games to several platforms.

Also, what will happen when a strong game with only capabilities release such as Bloodborne what requires PSN to play on PS5, PC games can play for free? how Sony will explain that their first party games dont need PSN on PC but they need on Playstation? The last, people is angry you can't play Horizon on Playstation 5 at 60fps but you can on PC, because Sony dont have time to patch their old games, but they have time to making ports.

You can watch for yourself what happened with Xbox sales when they announced they was porting their games to PC. Sony will make Playstation irrelevant in this way
 
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Seeing this thread, it is safe to say that this decision is... divisive to say the least. But you need to look at it as an opportunity.
First: for players. It bring a bigger audience to Sony IP's and offer a large player base. For example, Steam alone had 120 millions active users in 2020. It also help brand recognition as it bring people that are not interested by buying a console at first.
Secondly: for Sony. Knowing your game is gonna release on PC is a very good opportunity for Sony, but also for the investors and the developers. Already successful games will make a ton more profit like Horizon Zero Dawn and more disappointing release could get a second chance with minimal investment (Days Gone is the perfect exemple)
And if PC can help recoup development costs, It can also help allow the greenlight of more risky and originals games.

All of this is a win-win situation and bring more and more players into Sony's wallet.


Theres no downside for this at all. But what will tribals say now when they engage in console wars on the internet against the hated nintendo and xbox rivals ? Nintendo fan comes and says - hey, ive got the 2 highest rated games this generation, what do you have ? What will the sony tribal say now ? Ive got some multiplaform games ? These are the only types of people who are bothered.
 

yurinka

Member
I think their current strategy of releasing ports of old previous gen games after they already sold all they could on console and has been included in PS+ is great for everybody:
-Extra revenue for the games, some profit with no cost/risk
-Sony and their IPs get new fans both from countries were consoles aren't big or from potential future buyers of a PS5
-More players being able to enjoy these games
-It's only with old games, previous gen games. So it doesn't affect console game sales or console sales.
 

phil_t98

#SonyToo
It’s a good thing that the games are available for more players but when Microsoft did the same move it got widely panned by sony fans. They even said that games aren’t exclusive anymore but now sony do it then its a good thing.

I see it as a good thing and PC players get to play some great games
 
Game is run by analysts in the front office instead of by mangers. Nerds from MiT who have never swung the bat in their lives.

It's all about launch angles and exit velocity. Everyone is being trained to go hit a homerun at every at bat. No matter if they are down 0-2 in the count or up 3-0. It was fun for a couple of years when everyone was hitting homeruns like they are on steroids but then the analytics guys taught the pitchers to exploit hitters swinging for the fences. Now no one can hit and everyone strikes out. They are on pace to break the strikeout records. The batting average is down to its lowest levels in 50 years across the major leagues.

And the worst part is that they don't course correct. They trust that the data will sort itself out. So no changes are made. They basically gamble. It's infuriating.

True for some teams, of course, but look at the Astros... their lineup is lethal because they get hits, not necessarily HRs

and that team wrote the book recently on analytics

I think the game is still fine. Those that moneyball the wrong way (it was always about OBP over pure slugging) will see bad results

I don’t think Sony is making a bad decision necessarily, but they are acting in a way that indicates they feel that their games transcend their platform now, which is obviously a huge shift.

but if everything in the future does go streaming and generations cease to exist, they will wall that garden up again fast
 
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DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Ghosts of Tsusima will do huge numbers on pc. I’m surprised if that doesn’t come this year. It’s an excellent stream of extra revenue for Sony and I look forward to double dipping.
 

@gkTH

Member
Nothing damages Sony IP with this decision, even more beneficial.
They just expand IP to PC players (supposed they aren't a fan of console) and sure if they're ended up a Sony IP.

Business model has changed over time and this strategy is well accepted.
 
Next good decision by sony will be dropping hardware business. Why sell consoles at loss?
 

bitbydeath

Member
As long as they’re made first to take advantage of PS hardware and later ported then I don’t mind. I wouldn’t want weak PC hardware holding back consoles.
 

EDMIX

Member
I'm ok with it.

The more that can play Days Gone, Horizon etc the better. For all we know, Days Gone takes on a whole new life on PC and gets enough support to get us Days Gone 2. So long as it doesn't fuck with their normal development on console, I don't care. When they are first putting it out, I do want the team solely focusing on 1 platform and simply porting later on so we still get the best title we can and the PC community also gets a title that fully focuses on them when it comes out too. That being said, I don't really see me playing much of their games on PC, but the option is nice down the road.

I think I'm just use to MS WRPGs on PC more so it feels pretty normal to play like Fable or something on PC. I don't really know what Sony title I'd pay on PC tbh, but happy the community is getting much needed love and support.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
I think it damages potential ps5 sales if they do same date releases. Lost ps5 sales loses more than just "a customer", it means sony no longer makes money (thier cut) on any third party game or addon that customer woukd have made on ps5.

Here's an example customer. Joe is 18.
He loves sony, had a ps3, and a ps4 pro.
Thinking about getting a ps5. Sony announces his favorite games will not be on PC. He buys a ps5, 4 controllers, psvr, and 8 sony games. He also buys 15 3rd party games and some guns/skins/game cash over 7 years. Total Cash to sony, let's say $2600, minus hardware costs of $900, and third party cut of $500. Net to sony, $1200.


Scenario 2:
sony announced exclusives on PC day and date so this pushes him over the edge towards pc, as he knows games are a bit cheaper and he can do xbox too.
He buys the same 8 sony games, and the same 15 third party games/add ons etc.
He buys oculus quest 3.
No hardware costs, net to sony is $560.

Both scenarios don't take into account development costs, would likely cost sony more in scenario 2 since they are making games for ps5 and pc. Also didn't take into account a cut for steam or epic store 🤔

So while I personally would find it convenient from time to time, or maybe even to go all pc myself, I think its actually a mistake.

They could also lose some of the narrative of being the clear console leader that has served them well in terms of pr.

Now of course they will also gain sales they never saw before, but I'm not sure that makes up for what they lose.
 

SSfox

Member
more people might switch to PC as PS will be irrelevant to them same as xbox, and they will end up loosing money instead of getting 100% cut they get less after steam cut or whatever store on pc, they also will lose the 3rd party sales from these people
Finally someone that GOT it.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
I been playing through HZD at 144 fps. This game looks way better than Ghost of Tsushima on PS4. So much so that I've decided not to finish GoT on PS4 and instead wait for an inevitable PC release.
 

sublimit

Banned
It's crazy that we need to make threads explaining the most obvious things...

Sony's games cost a lot and the PC platform is a great opportunity for some extra profit from old games. In the end these are money that they will be put into the development of more NEW games for Sony's platforms so i don't see why it should be considered a problem.
 
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muteZX

Banned
T2 has sold / will sell 150 mega copies of GTA5. Everyone wants those numbers. Everyone wants a rich company and sustainable growth. No one can sell 150 mega copies on just one platform. SONY also wants the money. SONY must put its games on all platforms. From console to calculator and freezer.

However, if the game goes to all platforms, you can forget about hyper-optimization and perfect use of HW. PS5 only games will fall to the AA level /hardly AAA/. Very high budget AAA and AAA + class games are doomed to a multiplatform destiny.
 

NahaNago

Member
typical console to pc port begging thread hyping up pc. It is still so ridiculous that the dozen or so games that aren't ported to pc each year creates some much discussion when hundreds of games don't come to console every year.
 

Gaelyon

Gold Member
- Adapting your flagship games years later on PC : I'm fine with it, it's a second life for the game and it gives an opportunity for PC gamer to try great games.
- Releasing exclusives games on PC at the same time or very close to the PS release : A big no for me. Exclusive PS games must be design specifically for the PS hardware, to take advantage of it. If games are designed from the start to run on PC, they lose any reason to have tailored hardware...
 

sunnysideup

Banned
Its a great thing for pc gamers. For console fans its not going to benefit their platform of choice.

Its going to make pc more dominant. And console adoption slower.
 

FunkMiller

Member
If all Sony exclusives start to come out on PC, then I won’t buy another Playstation again, as I always tend to have a decent gaming rig as well.

Doesn‘t bother me if they do it because of this, but they’ll sell less consoles, same as Xbox.

Maybe the future is no consoles, and PCs better suited to sitting under a TV. A proper multitasking machine, able to sit in both the desktop and console space.
 
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nbkicker

Member
Wish i had waited with horizon and days gone as bought them when they first came out and still sat on ssd on ps4 pro to play, could have just waited and played on my pc with it looking and playing miles better
 
Oh it's a great thing. Sony finally living up to to their moniker "For Teh Players" ! :messenger_ok:

If someone likes their walkie talkie games then the very best place to play them is on PC.
 

PaintTinJr

Member
Obviously there could be upsides to PlayStation customers - as well as massive negatives - but my main reason for being against this, is that it makes Cerny look like a liar - and in fairness, if he moved to consult on another console system for some else, with the state of meta-driven policy on PlayStation, I'd probably look at that system seriously as my main gaming option.

Hopefully this move is just about improving PS numbers in Japan - going portable - and Chinese market expansion to western games - with PC being their main platform IIRC - and possibly ,defending the PS development ecosystem on PC through ensuring that the DualSense has an even share of the controller market on PC, rather than the xbox pad becoming the IE4.

It could well be that Sony/Epic are already seeing a convergence of smartphone/netbook/laptop/consoles in hardware capability looking forward - now that nanite is bringing per pixel polygon capability to this-gen, and ultimately Sony need to get in on the PC train in software and possibly later with hardware - as a GPU/IO board manufacturer - so that when consolidation happens, their studios will have a target market big enough to cover their development costs.

Deep down it still feels a little like the advert for new customer sign ups getting the same broadband you are paying double for, with no regard for existing customers. hopefully the build cost of the Dualsense pads is about $5/£5 so everyone that buys one without a console is directly helping fund PlayStation's first party games like console customers already do. I do wonder if some PC release features will need a DualSense making it a suitable PS gamer tax for PC.
 
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I could understand if Sony fanboys were salty over exclusives coming to PC at the same time, but 2 years later, and even then only a few of them, doesn't really seem like anything to get upset about.
 

mejin

Member
We all saw how great it meant for Xbox hardware. It doesn't work. Nintendo is the only who gets it.
 

XXL

Member
The Port Begging for PlayStation games is out of control. It's actually hilarious.

Cat Begging GIF


People don't even hide it anymore. 😅🤣😂
 

Bryank75

Banned
Why even own studios if you're going to do this?

What is the point?

Never saw Nintendo feel they had to put their games on PC..... I hope Nintendo mash everyone else this gen. I'll definitely be getting a Switch Pro.
 
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Topher

Gold Member
The Port Begging for PlayStation games is out of control. It's actually hilarious.

Cat Begging GIF


People don't even hide it anymore. 😅🤣😂

Sony porting their games to PC is port begging?

Why even own studios if you're going to do this?

What is the point?

Never saw Nintendo feel they had to put their games on PC..... I hope Nintendo mash everyone else this gen. I'll definitely be getting a Switch Pro.

The point of studios is still making games. Why would porting games to PC negate the need for studios?
 

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
once they get a taste of the $$$$ from PC gaming the flood gates will open. Angry fanboys can’t stop the money train.
 

DavidGzz

Member
more people might switch to PC as PS will be irrelevant to them same as xbox, and they will end up loosing money instead of getting 100% cut they get less after steam cut or whatever store on pc, they also will lose the 3rd party sales from these people

Nah, there won't be a mass exodus from console to PC. Consoles gamers are console gamers. Casual gamers who buy consoles aren't going to all of a sudden go to buying and building their own PCs. Come on. All MS games are on PC and the XSX is still selling out everywhere. I am a PC gamer yet I have the XSX because Game Pass is better on it and the value is there. I can't get a PC as powerful as the XSX for anywhere near $500. If Sony keeps the value good for the console, people will keep buying it.
 
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BaneIsPain

Member
I don’t care about other players. I just want to play game that I enjoyed.
I don’t mind exclusivity or not.
 
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sainraja

Member
Day One would be even better. It's basically free money for Sony which would allow them to invest even more into PlayStation which only benefits us gamers.
They might do that at some point but I don't think that's what their plan is right now. I believe it will continue to be games after a set period of time (they are experimenting right now anyway.)
 

Agent X

Member
I don't see any problem with Sony wanting to release at least some of their games on PC. I have confidence that they'll continue to put forth their best efforts on their consoles. As long as PC game development doesn't impact the quality and quantity of console games that we've enjoyed throughout recent years, there shouldn't be a problem.
 
An argument can be made that the focus on developing just for one gaming platform improves the quality of the game. But then again, Sony is in a business of making money and putting games on PC seems like a no brainer with the direction the market is currently heading.
 
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