Game Informer recently did an interview with Lorne Lanning from Oddworld Inhabitants, and during their interview, Lorne brought up a conversation he had with Sony Worldwide Studios President, Shuhei Yoshida, during a dinner mere days before the DICE 2015 convention. In his conversation with Sony’s president, he asked him “What does the PS5 look like?” Shuhei Yoshida responded simply by saying, “You mean if…” Whoa, what does this mean for the PS5? Should we panic? Let’s discuss. Put Down Your Pitchforks and Torches, There’s More to This Alright, before you gather a mob and attack Sony’s headquarters, let’s take a step back and look at the facts. Yes, this did happen, but no, it does spell the end of PlayStation. Don’t worry, I had my pitchfork and torch ready to go when I first read about this, but I looked into it and the reality is far less daunting than most outlets may tell you. After Shuhei’s comment, Lorne asked him “Are you willing to say that on stage?” and Shuhei nodded, “Yeah, it’s an if.” Lorne went on to elaborate on what Sony’s president meant by his comment: “It was really interesting thing, he really didn’t give me a clear answer. He’s hinting at ‘we need to be more agile, none of us know what the future really looks like, so how do we adapt to it faster?’ To me that’s the way he was sort of thinking about it, which I think is the right way to think about it.” As the interview went on Lorne, made the same comparison we’ve been seeing from other gaming executives in the industry when he pointed to smartphones as an example of how the future is going to progress. As we all know, cell phones are moving forward at a rapidly expanding rate, with new models coming out much, much faster than any console we’ve ever seen. Lorne points out in the interview that the major cell phone companies are putting pressure on game developers to release their games on both mobile and console simultaneously with equal image quality. This has led publishers like Square Enix to publish on mobile first, and then go to consoles. Lorne points out that this isn’t because of better graphics, but simply a choice based on where Square’s audience is playing their games. Lorne explains the difference between consoles and cell phones at another point in the interview: ”The idea that you’re going to release a piece of technology that’s going to last for seven years into the future is becoming, I think, less and less viable even though the generations of platforms are lasting longer. So it seems like it’s in conflict.” That’s what was said in the interview, but I have my own observations I’d like to make. Give me a moment to put out the flame on my torch before I burn my house down. The PS5 is Still Coming: 4 Reasons Why I would recommend checking out the actual interview between … Read More
The Gamepocalypse: Are Single-Player Games Dying?
I’d like to start this article by being honest with you readers. The truth, is that I don’t like multiplayer. I started playing games when I was a kid and I continue to play games to this day for one simple reason: to immerse myself in a story and a world that isn’t my own. For me, the only way to do that is in a game with an amazing story and a well-crafted world. I know I’m not the only one either, but my friends, our beloved single-player is in danger. Which brings me to the question of the day: are single-player games dying?. It’s a scary thought, but one that has been brought up more times than I’d care to count. Today we face the beast head on and find out once and for all if our beloved way of gaming is dying. Echoes in Time: Industry Expert Predictions From Recent Years Industry experts have already tackled this subject in the past, and the trend wasn’t good. Back in 2011 during the Game Developer’s Conference, Mark Cerny Gave journalists a heart attack when he said “the traditional single-player experience will be gone in three years. Right now you sit in your living room and you’re playing a game by yourself. We call it the sp mission, or the single-player campaign. In a world with Facebook, I just don’t think that’s going to last.” This comment came during a time where games that had no business having multiplayer (Bioshock, God of War, etc) were receiving shoehorned multiplayer modes that ultimately detracted from the single-player experience. Meanwhile, the opposite seemed to be true of games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. These games were 90% multiplayer and 10% single-player in the form of a blockbuster campaign that lasted an average of 4 hours. Not even a day after Mark Cerny’s comment, a contractor for Activision by the name of Keith Fuller said in an interview with CNN that “90 percent of players who start your game will never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube.” Now that opens an entirely different discussion on Let’s plays, but we’ll cover that another time. Also I would like to point out that Activision would blame the gamers for a problem they helped create. As more and more developers felt the pressure to put multiplayer in their games, that responsibility fell to the single-player team. Instead of devoting 100% effort into the story of the game, now teams were split and the overall quality suffered as a result. To try and combat that, sometimes the multiplayer was developed by an entirely different team which caused even worse differences between the single-player and multiplayer quality. Speaking of corporate giants who like to make sweeping decisions, if you look at EA, they have the same mindset, albeit a little less “multiplayer only.” They, like Ubisoft are more interested in “connected experiences” where you’re always online in some way, shape or form. … Read More
The PS4.5 would be Bad: Sony Should Focus Efforts on the PS5
We’ve already covered rumors about the PS4.5 here on PS5 Gamers, and whether or not Sony is stalling for time, but now that these rumors have become more prevalent, I’m starting to get a little annoyed. Another round of rumors has stated that the announcement of this new console could come before the launch of PlayStation VR in October 2016. Okay guys, it was fun at first, but this needs to stop. We don’t need a PS4.5, it’s a waste of time. In my opinion Sony should be working on then next quantum leap in gaming, not a mild step forward that will ultimately cause more problems than it solves. Whether you agree or not, read on and I’ll tell you why. Why I think the PS4.5 is a BAD Idea! The PS4.5 is (thankfully) still a heavy rumor, but as more time goes on, it’s becoming apparent that Sony is seriously considering this. We don’t have details on what it will do, how much it will cost, and whether or not it will have exclusive titles, but these possibilities even existing is troubling to say the least. Justin Mikos posted an article on Game Informer where he mirrored my concerns about these rumors. In his article, Justin makes an excellent point about the whole argument for 4K gaming. Right now the PS4 supports 4K videos and pictures, but not games. Part of these PS4.5 rumors state that the system will support 4K gaming. There’s a few problems with that: Most PS4 games don’t hit 1080p/60 FPS because they use other resources for graphics and effects (excellent point by Justin) 4K gaming requires a significant hardware jump (which means more cost) 4K TVs aren’t mainstream Increased file sizes for 4K games would raise the hard drive space needed Developers don’t want or need the extra work PS4.5 exclusive games would shatter the market The entire point of consoles, is to provide a one-size-fits-all solution that you won’t need to upgrade for a significant amount of time. Introducing another, more powerful PS4 mid-cycle will ruin the appeal of consoles as people will feel the need to upgrade, especially if new games run poorly on the PS4. Combine this with the release of the PlayStation VR this year, and you have way too many moving parts for consumers. With the PS5 slated for 2020, the last thing we need is a confusing crack in the market during the final stretch of the PS4’s lifecycle. Furthermore, if the PS4.5 is truly designed to offer increased VR experiences, this puts even more strain on developers who have been creating games based on the PS4’s hardware. We’ve already seen how bad of an idea this is with the New 3DS which is Nintendo’s more powerful handheld. It may run games better, but titles like Super Smash Bros. and Hyrule Warriors: Legends run horribly on the older hardware, thus leaving those owners out of the loop. Sony has enjoyed massive success thus far with PS4 sales, … Read More
PS4.5 Rumors: Is Sony Suddenly Stalling For Time?
Recently, gaming outlet Kotaku revealed that their developer sources told them Sony is working on an enhanced version of the PS4 known as the PS4.5 (no word if this is an official title or not). This upgraded PS4 is supposed to have 4K support and more powerful hardware. Kotaku seems to think these sources are legitimate and that Sony is actually working on this project. Assuming it’s true, do these PS4.5 rumors suggest that Sony is stalling for time in the face of rapidly advancing technology? Does this news delay or hasten the arrival of the PS5? Let’s discuss! What is the PlayStation 4.5? At face-value, the PS4.5 is supposed to be an enhanced PS4 console with a more powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) that would allow it to play games in 4K resolution and offer more power for PlayStation VR and games in general. Think of it like the “New” 3DS Nintendo did that was more powerful. Of course, in the case of the 3DS, there were games that could only be played on the new system and even multiplatform games suffered on the old hardware. On the one hand, a system like PS4.5 could give Sony the edge they need to stay relevant into the future while they no doubt plan PS5, but introducing another console this early into the cycle that’s more powerful will also fracture the market. Two separate sources have confirmed the existence of such a machine, while several other writers on the Kotaku staff also confirmed with their sources. Odds are looking pretty good that Sony is considering this or downright working on it. The question that come to light are whether it will be an upgrade you can install into your current PS4, or an entirely new console. As it stands, the sources suggest that Sony is still exploring the idea and hasn’t committed to anything. Even so, critics have said that the PS4’s hardware doesn’t have legs for an entire generation, let alone support for virtual reality. This may be Sony’s only chance at staying relevant until the time is right for release PS5. What do Gamers Think? These rumors have caught fire around the web with multiple PS4 outlets reporting on the suspected console upgrade. I went to Facebook to take a look at some of the reactions from gamers. Let’s see what they had to say before I offer my opinion: No, I would be annoyed, we accept a new console I.e ps5 in another 5 years or so is inevitable, but a ps4.5 is an insult to all those who went out and bought the ps4 which as yet has failed to live up to all the hype, Sony are only doing this to make more money and copying Microsoft with their xboxone variations they have announced. – Sean Homar It’s a good idea only if they release a cheap upgrade that can be installed in our own consoles. Otherwise, users – including myself- will be very disappointed. – … Read More
PS5 Begins Rolling Out Before 2020? PlayStation VR is the Missing Link
For the longest time we’ve been under the assumption that the PS5 will release in 2020, but new rumors are making it sound like the PS5 isn’t that far away. In fact, it’s looking like the first signs of the PS5 will start appearing at the end of 2016 when PlayStation VR arrives in October. I know what you’re thinking, what does a virtual reality headset have to do with the PS5? Ladies and gents, it is (or will be) the PS5! I know, your mind just got blown, but I’ve looked at the factors and considered the rumors and it’s all starting to make sense. Read on as we discuss the evidence and signs that the next generation game experience from Sony is coming much sooner than we all thought. 4 Reasons Why PlayStation VR Represents the First Stage of PS5’s Launch Let’s assume that PlayStation VR is the first step in an ongoing rollout leading to the PS5. What would that mean? Are we looking at a VR only console? Will there even be a console? When will Sony stop beating around the bush and call it a PS5? Questions without answers my friends, but the clues are lying in wait. You simply have to look in the right places. Here are four reasons that suggest the PS5 and the PS VR headset are one and the same: 1. PS5 is a Cloud-Based Console We’ve discussed the prospect of a prospect of a cloud-based console on PS5 Gamers before, but the signs have been growing stronger and stronger. It started with PlayStation Now, a cloud streaming service that is best described as Netflix streaming, but for video games. While that service hasn’t exactly taken off, it’s not going anywhere either. It’s paired with a gaming culture that is slowly pushing digital downloads over discs. It’s likely that the PS5, if it is a console, will have an optical drive for the sake of making people happy, but who will use it in that scenario? How often do you download games instead of going out and buying them at launch? When we stop to think about it, we’re being conditioned to prefer digital content and furthermore we’re being taught to prefer things like streaming over downloads. And why not? It’s more convenient, except when the internet goes down. Still, the world is embracing the change faster than we ourselves realize. Is it some grand conspiracy theory, or is this truly what we want? The answer is still up in the air, and that’s why Sony is taking this route. It’s clear, judging by PlayStation Now, that Sony likes the idea of a streaming game service. They wouldn’t have invested so much time into it otherwise. Sony is good about testing the waters before they push out a new product. They still have their flops, but mostly the gradual introduction of new hardware like PlayStation VR and new services like PS Now gives them the opportunity to test the waters. … Read More
The Destiny of VR vs TV’s Battle: Only One Survives
Virtual reality lived and died over twenty years ago. Simply put, thing like the Virtual Boy didn’t cut it. Now, after Oculus Rift was swiftly Purchased by Facebook for $2 billion dollars, suddenly virtual reality is making a comeback. Everyone and their grandmother is bringing out a VR headset, which begs the question: “Will virtual reality replace television?” The answer, as you can imagine, is complicated. Should VR succeed, it was most certainly take over. Then again, there’s always the chance it will flop. Let’s take a look at both sides of the coin and decide which device will rule your living room. Goodbye 60-inch, Hello VR Headset! There’s most certainly a crowd that believes televisions will become a relic. Among them is the founder (and recently made very rich) owner of Oculus Rift: Palmer Luckey. While the price of his headset is astoundingly high, the fact that it has Facebook backing it up means it will have massive mainstream exposure. Then you have Sony who is going all in on PlayStation VR which is a similar headset for the PS4. On top of that, Microsoft is slowly but surely perfecting their HoloLens augmented reality headset. Sprinkle in the HTC Vive which is being sponsored by Steam/Valve, and you have yourself a growing market of devices ready to do battle with one another. Palmer Luckey, in an interview with Maximum PC said some interesting things on the subject: “Why in the world would you buy a 60-inch TV that, even if it were dirt cheap for that, it’s still going to cost a lot to ship it and make it from raw materials. A VR headset is going to be much better and much cheaper and you can take it anywhere.” Luckey has some points, but his claims are clearly based on his infatuation with VR seeing as how he started a company about it. Like many other radical claims, the quote was met with plenty of scorn and a few attacks at Luckey himself. People tend to react drastically to major changes like this. Palmer Luckey isn’t the first person to make a bold claim about his industry is going take over, and he won’t be the last. For someone who is just entering the industry, a major win like Facebook purchasing you is bound to go to your head, and it also adds a huge amount of pressure to convince the people you interact with that your product is the one and only option for the future. Realistically, the future Palmer Luckey envisions won’t be here anytime soon. Nothing in the gaming/electronics industry is drastic. Sure, you have plenty of upgrades and iterations, but its very rare that a technology is swept under the rug overnight. It’s a gradual change, with HD-DVDs being the exception (sorry, but does anyone actually remember those?). The issue that people have is they are comparing the Oculus Rift launch model with, say, a 4K TV that just hit the market. To put … Read More
PS5 to Release in 2020 With Two Versions and VR Portability
In the gaming industry, it’s not uncommon for consoles to release with several versions either at the beginning of the cycle, or later in its lifespan. Now that gaming has become as huge and mainstream as, say, smartphones, rumors are speculating that the PS5 will take a hint from the major cell phone companies and release two versions of the console at different price points, and with different features, to reach a wider audience. One version of the PS5 will be a core setup with only the most basic of features and capabilities. The other version will offer a more robust setup for hardcore gamers. For both versions of the console, an option will also be present to make the option portable via a virtual reality headset similar to the upcoming PlayStation VR. Join me as we look at the two widely different versions of the PS5 and how VR will replace the traditional handheld system like the 3DS or the PlayStation Vita. PS5 Version One: The Core Experience The PlayStation 4 is already outselling the Xbox One by 2:1. It’s clear that there are a healthy amount of gamers who love the PlayStation brand. The problem is that past consoles have come out as price points upwards of $600. When the PS4 released at $400, the average gamer saw a next generation console within reach. Meanwhile, the Xbox One comes out at $500 and, well, we all know how that ended. Even so, it still sold, just not quite as well as PS4. Turning our perspective for a moment, let’s take a look at the smartphone industry. There’s never a single version of a phone. At launch there may be one, but soon they’ll introduce another, and another. In the case of the iPhone, there’s almost always two versions at launch. So, let’s fast forward to 2020. The PS5 is coming out and Sony is offering two options to reach the most gamers possible. The first is one called the The Core Experience. This version of the console contains all of the hardware needed to run the games (and connect to the cloud). It will have a massive hard drive upwards of 5 Terabytes or more. This is just the storage space for standard hard drives. What’s more likely is that the Pro version of the PS5 will feature a Solid State Drive (SSD) that is quickly outpacing the hard drive technology we have. Nobuo Hayasaka, a managing executive director at Toshiba and chief engineer of its Semiconductor & Storage Company spoke at the SEMI Members Day in Tokyo on August 20, 2015. During this time, he made the bold comment that SSD drives would reach a capacity of 128 terabytes in 2018. By the time the PS5 releases in 2020, this type of storage could be included in a more premium system package. The console will come with the new controller and all of the equipment needed to play your games in 4K resolution. It will probably retail … Read More
Ex Criterion Game Dev Predicts ‘Interactive’ and ‘Believeable’ Worlds For PS5
It seems game developers are already thinking about the PS5. Paul Ross, the former Criterion tech director, recently spoke with EDGE about the next-generation consoles and he had a lot of interesting things to say about what he thought would define the PS5, and how his studio, Three Fields Entertainment, is preparing for this future in their debut game: “Dangerous Golf” With each generation of consoles, the graphics become more powerful, the games get bigger, and the standards go up. Over the past few consoles, things have made strides forward, but not leaps and bounds. The difference between the PlayStation and the PS2, for example, was far more pronounced than the difference between the PS3 and the PS4. Let’s find how Paul’s predictions line up with our own. PS4 to PS5: The Leap We’ve Been Waiting For? It’s becoming more and more clear the PS5 will represent the quantum leap we’ve been waiting for. Growing technology and the introduction of new innovations like PlayStation VR have triggered a lot of predictions among ourselves and PlayStation fans. It seems that developers have also been looking to the future. After leaving Criterion in 2014 to co-found Three Fields Entertainment, Paul Ross recalled during his interview that he sat at his desk “thinking, OK, what does a PlayStation 5 game look like? What does an Xbox Two game look like? And how can we start to build for that future now?” A Screenshot from Dangerous Golf During his thoughts, he touched upon something we’ve yet to discuss here on PS5 Gamers, and it’s amazing how it was always there, but a gamer like me would never think of it. It’s the physics engines. Paul says quote: “Physics engines haven’t changed since I did the physics on TrickStyle for the Dreamcast. They’re all about rigid bodies and solid objects. This is a real paradigm shift because it’s about simulating physics at a molecular level. It’s been a really hard problem to solve for quite a while.” He’s right. Our physics engines have done their best to simulate things like liquid, light, and solid objects, but we still need monster PC machines just to get cloth and hair right? Physics are way behind the ball, and that’s not anyone’s fault. It simply means that new tech and stronger processing power can bring us worlds and not only look real, but feel real as well. Paul puts it perfectly when he says: “So what does a PS5 game look like? With PS4 we’ve seen some fidelity put into the worlds, but PS5’s going to be about more dynamic worlds, far more interactive worlds that are more believable in the way they behave.” We can make it look pretty amazing, but we still haven’t nailed down the feel of the real world in terms of physics. This missing piece is crucial to creating a world that is indistinguishable from the real thing. Three Fields Entertainment’s Debut Title: Dangerous Golf I was skeptical when I heard that Paul’s … Read More
Will the PS4 Be Sony’s Last Console?
Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter is one of those people who you either love or hate. He makes a lot of bold statements about the game industry and about games in general. Some people clench their fists when he makes a sweeping claim about a game’s sales when it’s not even out yet, but others will take what he says to heart. Now he’s talking about the PS5, so of course we had to lend an ear. He’s predicting the fall of consoles, which is nothing new, but what he’s predicting will replace them is another story entirely. Let’s take a look at his predictions and how Sony has reacted to them. This should be fun. Pachter: “Growth Will Require Leaving Traditional Consoles Behind” Michael Pachter took the stage during DICE Europe in 2015 and claimed that the consoles have hit a wall in terms of their growth. In his words: “The console installed base is as big as it’s ever going to get.” He believes that this generation will not surpass any previous ones, and a generation after that would do the same. No more growth, period. Here are his predictions for this generation: The Wii U is going to sell 20 million units compared to 100 million for the Wii The PlayStation 4 is going to sell 120 million or 130 million The Xbox One will sell 100 to 110 million Xbox 360 and PS3 combined sold 270 million, this time around the total will be 260 million Pachter says that the surge of new gamers playing on their smartphones and on casual consoles like the Wii opens up a huge avenue for more people to play Sony and Microsoft’s games, but these experiences are out of reach since they don’t own a console to play them on. He clarifies by saying quote “This is the last real console cycle. I don’t mean that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will go bankrupt and shut down, they will not. Each of them will make another console, some people will buy them, and the next console cycle will be to this console cycle what the 3DS is to the DS (15 million per year compared to 26 million per year for the DS).” All-in-all, pachter’s stance is thus: “So when I say that this console cycle is the last console cycle, the reason is that console games shouldn’t require a console. And I’m not talking about the cloud.” No Consoles? No Cloud? Explain! Pachter argues that games only need a CPU, a GPU, storage, and a controller. As smartphones and set-top hardware become more powerful, all of these thing will be present in devices besides the consoles. By the time the PS5 is supposed to release, Pachter says that “you’re going to have a CPU/GPU in your house that is connected to your television.” He is of course referring to devices like the Roku box, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV which allow you to purchase and play apps on your television. … Read More
Will the PS5 Have a Disc Drive? How do Cartridges Sound?
There are certain things in life that we’ve always come to expect: the sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, space is big, and games always come in a physical form. Whether it’s a cartridge or a disc, games have always been something we can hold in our hands and put on a shelf. The prospect of that going away is terrifying for many of us. Change isn’t something that gamers really like. Look at the Xbox One for example. They tried to turn it into an online-only console and we all know how that ended. Case and point, taking away an optical drive or removing the option entirely is something that may not go over well with gamers in the grand scheme of things. Is it truly possible that the PS5 will ditch discs altogether, or will we still have the option between digital and physical like we know and love? It’s time to start asking the hard questions, so let’s discuss the elephant in the room. Will the PS5 have an optical disc drive? A New Patent Points to…Cartridges? In the beginning of gaming, games were delivered to us on cartridges. True old school gamers will remember the old method of blowing into the bottom of it when the games didn’t start (which isn’t a good idea, by the way). Things transitioned over to discs for the most part, but consoles like the Nintendo Switch still use a different format. When it comes to portable systems, discs aren’t the best idea because they’re bound to get jostled or shaken during the course of play. This can lead to skips in the data and damage to the disc itself. So, if we think about the PS5 as a portable/console hybrid, then it would make sense for the format to change. We also need to talk about the fact that games are far too big these days for Blu-ray discs to hold. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, comes on two discs when you buy it. One disc to install the game, and one to play it. There’s also this quote from PlayStation boss John Kodera, who mentioned this during an investor meeting in May 2018: “Rather than separating portable gaming from consoles, it’s necessary to continue thinking of portable gaming as one method to deliver more gaming experiences.” There’s also this South Korean patent filing that was made public recently. In this patent, Sony describes an “electronic game cartridge.”This was first revealed by TechTastic. It was later revealed that this design is intended for the existing Sony Toio, a robotics toy crowdfunded by First Flight, which produces concepts from Sony employees. Even so, this concept could also apply to the PS5. This is purely speculation on my part, but my prediction would be that Sony could achieve something using a combination of discs and cartridges. For those who buy the physical copy, your game will still be on some sort of high-capacity disc, but when you want … Read More