Support NeoGAF

[deeptech]

I just want to argue the abysmal "1st party exclusivity drives innovation" point. What the hell did they innovate in the last 15 years with exclusives that were never going to be possible if these games were multiplatform? I can't think of one game, one feature even, and I played most of them, they're fine some of them but still. Yes they published and funded work like DeS, BB, Death Stranding, the last being on PC now and honestly the most innovative game since forever imo, but idk if that is solely because it was 1st party Sony game at first.

 

[Fabieter]

I just want to argue the abysmal "1st party exclusivity drives innovation" point. What the hell did they innovate in the last 15 years with exclusives that were never going to be possible if these games were multiplatform? I can't think of one game, one feature even, and I played most of them, they're fine some of them but still. Yes they published and funded work like DeS, BB, Death Stranding, the last being on PC now and honestly the most innovative game since forever imo, but idk if that is solely because it was 1st party Sony game at first.

That studio is long gone but you think big pubs would publish games from previous japan studios or dreams. Most of them flopped and sony dropped those projects anyway but the intend was to diversify the first party portfolio. There is no reason to in the future. Just release the most hyper focustested games and strip all creativity.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That studio is long gone but you think big pubs would publish games from previous japan studios or dreams. Most of them flopped and sony dropped those projects anyway but the intend was to diversify the first party portfolio. There is no reason to in the future. Just release the most hyper focustested games and strip all creativity.

That pretty much goes for any company. Once they find some cornerstone product that are giant sellers, you dont rock the boat. It just took Sony longer to find those pillars.

Sony spread their game making so thin (at one time they had more shooter IPs than MS, EA, Activision combined during the PS3 days), the only standout sales way back were GT and GOW. Nintendo has had gigantic Mario, Zelda, Kart, Smash sales since the NES/SNES/N64 days so they already know which IPs are the golden goose. MS's big seller was Halo. Then Gears was a big surge. Fable and Forza were decent too. So they found their golden tickets.

Sony they realized all those quirky games, JRPGs and shooters werent cutting it. But UC and LOU did. So more of those games were made. Then Horizon and Spiderman were giant sellers. So those are now key sequel games.

No different than Nintendo and MS.... once there's some big hit IPs, that studio pretty much gets pigeon holed to make those kinds of games for life.

 

[NickFire]

I really suspect the risks of releasing games close to day 1 on PC are overblown by enthusiasts. Obviously a lot of enthusiasts play console and PC. But I think enthusiasts underestimate how much value the non-enthusiasts see in the simplicity of console. There are even plenty of enthusiasts (like me) who don't play on PC at all. To the extent that Xbox lost console market share after PC day 1 became a thing, I would argue that the correlation did not equal causation in this instance. Sometimes a game is so good that people will buy hardware to play it. Sometimes a game is good enough that people will play it if they don't need to buy hardware to play it, but not good enough to sell hardware. I would argue that MS biggest problem is they had an abundance of the latter, and very little of the former. Just look at how much attention their business update is getting. Lots of people out there willing to play some of their games as long as they don't have to buy hardware for it.

 

[truth411]

You make more money on software day 1 at the expense of some console sales. Number of consoles sold isn't the most important number any more.

No, sony don't make as much money on its exclusives in comparison as the 30% cut from all content in its ecosystem. That's the point of exclusives to get you in there ecosystem where they make 80% of its money from 3rd party content, exclusive are 20%. The exclusive are just a Trojan horse for the ecosystem buying the box.
There PC software sales are pretty abysmal across the board. But there making record revenue through PSN.
Don't follow MS. Misstep in undermining the console.

 

[CertifiedKiwi]

I feel like Sony is at a crossroad or not sure with where they want to head to with their gaming division. Its obviously a cashcow for them but is their current model sustainable or provide the returns expected by shareholders in the long run.

https://www.thestreet.com/technology/sony-is-struggling-to-sell-a-product-that-was-once-in-high-demand-

 

[64gigabyteram]

Also very likely most of the HD2 Steam buyers would've bought the game on PS5 if that was the only platform it was on. So it's less like whatever the Steam customer numbers are, being pure additions, and more like at least half of those being PS5 purchasers if that was the only system available for the game at launch.

The pc version did numbers though, you think tbat many people would buy a ps5 for that game?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

The pc version did numbers though, you think tbat many people would buy a ps5 for that game?

Thats the Trojan Horse theory some gamers bring up.

If a PS game is exclusive to the ecosystem (or timed exclusive), PC gamers will amp up and buy a PS5 and buy the game there.

 

[SneakersSO]

Going by everything he said, I do not think what he is stating is Day 1 releases on PC for their whole catalog. I think the main issue is both tightening that release timetable of their new releases on console to PC release (6months to 1y) and increasing their outreach to the PC audience.

There are loads of Devs, Rockstar in particular, that make a boatload of money on Double-Dipping with staggered PC releases. Heck, GTA6 is about to undergo this. I think folks who are thinking this is gonna result in a day & date multiplatform release shift are just doing a bit of wishful thinking.

 

[64gigabyteram]

Don't you mean 20 million PS4 Pros?

That was the number in the Insomniac data, anyway. So about little over 1 in every 6 PS4s was a Pro model.

ok then 20 million sales supposedly lost to pc. You still have 97 million ps4 casuals, and you're 3 million away from selling 100 million like usual which would be made up in a couple of months anyways. Sacrificing 20 million console units sold* for the potential money of an audience of 130+ million seems like a good deal to me.


*which btw Sony usually takes a loss on, adding on top of the fact a PC player who bought a console is most certainly only doing it for the few exclusive games that Sony releases, no ps plus subscription or third party games. considering jailbreaking, piracy and used copies, all of which are methods of obtaining games without giving money to Sony.... they likely are not going to be making much money off those supposed lost Playstation sales.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

It's getting there slowly. Mlb the Show is already day one on Xbox and switch. And Helldivers 2 is Sony's first new gaas game and already day one PC.

If this was 2019, nobody would had guessed Horizon and Days Gone would be PC, or the other games on PC, xBox or switch by Feb 2024.

Things can change a lot: look how much Sonys multiplat game strategy changed from zero in 2019 to now.

Well I guess the question now can be: is that shift negatively affecting PS5 sales? As of yesterday, PS5 is 2 million behind PS4 launch-aligned, and chances are Sony will miss their FY target for units sold-through by 2 million. In isolation that looks not bad; great even if you consider the FY target was unrealistic.

However, they're now forecasting a slowdown of sales into the next FY. That could be due to a multitude of reasons, such as consoles (PS systems in particular) peaking the 3rd/4th years and then gradually tapering off. However, there could be other factors, and considering where Xbox console sales are at right now, AND Switch sales declining, you'd think Sony would be able to have easily hit the 25 million FY 2023 target. But they aren't.

So where are those 2 million other people going? If I had to guess, it's a combination of them staying on PS4s (due to so many cross-gen games still around and very few current gen-only PS5 exclusives to entice them), going to mobile (this could be some of the Nintendo folks, tho not many), possibly waiting for the new consoles (Switch 2, PS5 Pro), and the elephant in the room no one wants to say exists: going to PC. And out of those four, I'd say "going to PC" is probably the popular answer.

What does that mean? Well it means Jim Ryan was right (again), for starters, when he said PC is a competing platform for PlayStation. It also means, like others who replied to you have said, that Sony's multiplatform growth strategy on PC could have longer-term negative impacts on demand for the console. In fact, it could already be having small negative impacts on selling demand for the console. Just because it took Xbox ~ 7-8 years to see a slow build-up rapidly increase into a collapse, doesn't mean it'd take PlayStation as long to see something similar. Because PlayStation and Xbox have been competing for a very similar audience for so long, people otherwise exclusive to one or the other are generally aware of "telltale signs" that could be occurring with the other if one has already exhibited them, and thus act sooner with that learned knowledge.

I.e, if someone who had both an Xbox and PlayStation last gen, bought that Xbox in 2014 and then bought a One X in 2017 only to decide not to buy an Xbox Series S or X because they went with a PC this gen instead, also bought their PS4 as a secondary console in 2016 (maybe the PS4 Pro) and were in the market of picking up a PS5 or PS5 Pro, what took them 6 years to decide Xbox consoles wasn't worth invest in (even if Day 1 for all MS 1P on PC didn't really kick off until maybe 2017-2018), might only take 2/3 the time to decide a similar decision for PlayStation consoles. Perhaps going through what they did with XBO gen and getting a gaming PC in 2020 delayed them getting a PS5, but seeing more Sony 1P games go to PC between 2019 and today convinces them to not get a PS5 OR a PS5 Pro.

That's what Sony risks if they continue with the 2-year/1-year window for the big 1P AAA traditional tentpole releases going from PS5 to PC, because we also know from the Insomniac hack that PC versions are now being developed simultaneously with the console ones. That's been the case with Wolverine, for example, as well as Spiderman 2 IIRC and maybe even HFW tho in that game's case the PC port didn't start dev 'till later. Wit Wolverine for example, this strategy has not only resulted in a rather damning (illegal) playable build of the game on PC, but also means PS5 owners have to wait longer for the game, as dev time, resources and optimization are shared with the PC version. One of the marketing points Sony used to justify the PC ports in the past (that some fans have latched onto) is that the revenue from those games would result in more games for console players. Well, they forgot to mention those games would take longer to make in part because of PC simultaneous development.

Whoops :/

Anyway, again I have no issue with Sony expanding out onto other platforms. It makes sense, and it can lead to good things. But they can't devalue the appeal of their own console to do so. Another possible factor into the console sales not hitting the FY target could be pricing; there's a price cut planned for areas in Europe seemingly, and we'll be able to tell if it indeed is just a slight overpricing that caused sales targets to be a tad softer-than-expected, depending on the European numbers at the end of the quarter when the price cut goes into effect. If, though, the price cut needs to be too steep in order to hit projected targets, or fails to help hit projected targets regardless, then at least some of the other factors mentioned above have to seriously be taken into consideration. And as you can clearly see, getting even more aggressive with porting the big tentpole releases to PC is NOT going to resolve those issues. It'd just kick the problems down the road and PC in that sense would only be a temporary solution that could cause long-term wider damage.

Because of the increasingly large demo crossover between console and PC, Sony have to be very careful how they leverage that platform in particular for growth. They don't have vested interests in PC like Valve (Steam), or Microsoft (Windows, DirectX, Azure, Office etc.) do. They used to in a sense with the VAIO computers, but they got rid of that over a decade ago. It isn't relevant. They don't even have their own storefront or launcher on the platform. So any gaming focus from them on PC, for the time being, would just at most be a lateral transfer of ecosystem activity with a potentially growing negative impact depending on how aggressive efforts for PC get. For example people are pointing to Helldivers 2 on Steam and, yes, it's been very successful there. Glad for the game. Very successful on PS5 as well. It deserves all the success it's seeing, and more.

However, the Steam players aren't actually 100% additions to the PlayStation players. A lot of them are actually either PlayStation players who chose to get the Steam version for various reasons (pricing deals, free online, better performance through brute-forcing for starters), or are PC/Steam players who would have gotten it on PS5 if that was the only platform available. Meaning in both cases, Sony traded away 100% revenue and larger profits per copy sold, for 70% revenue and lower profits per copy sold. That's not as great of a trade-off when you think about it.

A similar issue could arise for the single-player ports, and it will grow in time if the current cadence of port releases between console & PC for 1P AAA games and GaaS titles continues, or the timing between versions shrinks dramatically. Over time it'll also mean Sony risks more core enthusiasts opting to go PC altogether and not purchasing future PlayStation hardware like a PS5 Pro or PS6. Why bother, when you can get a console-equivalent PC experience for only a few hundred bucks more, get access to Steam, GOG, EGS, tons of retro emulators, productivity software and upgradability opens for that extra price PLUS all of Microsoft's games and a growing number of Sony's games with short & shortening windows for the ports? Long-term the PC just looks like the better investment in that scenario.

Ideally, their multiplatform strategy should look like the following:

GaaS​

​

*Most Day 1 between PS, PC and (if able) mobile​

*Some Day 1 between PS, PC, other consoles (Nintendo, Xbox), and (if able) mobile​

*Tie in free perks and bonuses for PS+ subscribers (who are only on the PS4/PS5 consoles)​

​

non-GaaS 1P AAA​

​

*All PS console exclusive​

*All with a minimum 4 year window between console and PC, 6 year window preferred​

*PC ports should be within 1-2 years of new equivalent game from studio or 1P (whether a sequel or new IP) exclusive to console​

*PC ports should be cheaper than the console launch versions​

*Any additional QOL/performance upgrades for PC should if possible have equivalent matches for console version available for buyers on the console​

​

non-GaaS 1P AA​

​

*Some mobile-exclusive but based on existing IP, i.e Nintendo strategy with Pokemon GO!​

*Others should be console-like AAA-indie to mid/high-level AA games for mobile & PS5​

*Some could also come to PC​

*Most that are mobile & PS5 should be Day 1 on both​

*Some can be mobile/PS5/PC Day 1​

​

1P Remakes​

​

*If original game is at least one console generation old and more than 4-6 years old, Day 1 on console/PC should be okay​

*If possible, some should also be on mobile​

*Even so, for strategic purposes some should still remain console exclusive for at least 4 years if they're remakes of really big games (i.e a MGS)​

*In the case of ones that are console exclusives, once they get ported to other platforms, make sure a new remake is coming as a console exclusive within 1-2 years​

​

1P Remasters​

​

*Make sure they have great QOL improvements and additional features/content where able​

*Most can likely be Day 1 between console, PC and mobile​

*Some can probably go to other consoles (Nintendo, Xbox) maybe six months-one year after launch elsewhere​

*Try to make sure for key remasters, new PS-exclusive entries in the IP are released 1-2 years from time of remaster release​

*Remasters should target games from early PS4 gen and earlier (primarily PS3 and earlier), preferably as small to medium-sized collections​

​

3P AAA exclusives​

​

*Try to lock down for at least 1-2 years as console exclusives​

*Try to lock down some for at least 1 year - 18 months as full exclusives (no PC Day 1 version), for non-GaaS titles​

*In exchange, make sure there are sound investments (co-funding, co-development etc.) in those titles​

​

3P AA exclusives​

​

*Try to lock down for at least 1 year as console exclusives (depending on game scale and/or early success)​

*Try to lock down some for at least 6 months - 1 year as full exclusives (no PC Day 1 version)​

*In exchange, make sure there are sound investments (co-funding, co-development etc.) in those titles​

 

[64gigabyteram]

On the plus side, if AAA gaming dies, we can get back to playing games rather than movies

Not every AAA game is made by naughty dog. Also, people like those types of games. I may not be the biggest fan myself but they have their fanbases and are valid approaches to making a game.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Well I guess the question now can be: is that shift negatively affecting PS5 sales?

SP games day one are the million dollar question which hasnt been tested yet.

But everything else has. And since they continue to do it, it means it cant be that bad. If it was, they'd stop all the PC ports already, and would had made Helldivers 2 PS only.

 

[64gigabyteram]

going to PC. And out of those four, I'd say "going to PC" is probably the popular answer.

And not staying on PS4? The 117 million sold platform that's still usable and in many people's homes? The platform that is still capable of playing many of the games released today? You think there are more console gamers jumping ship to PC than just using the console they already have and waiting for more ps5 games??

I think you are only saying this to try and help your point that PC is somehow some competitor for consoles.

 

[yurinka]

I just want to argue the abysmal "1st party exclusivity drives innovation" point. What the hell did they innovate in the last 15 years with exclusives that were never going to be possible if these games were multiplatform? I

A few examples of Sony 1st party game innovations in the last 15 years, many of them were only possible on their hardware:

Pokemon Go with better AR usage than Pokemon Go but 7 years before than Pokemon Go: Invizimals
One of the only decent motion sensor usages with a gamepad: Folklore
Table card games using a camera (Eye of Judgement)
First console metaverse, with stuff unlockable in games: PlayStation Home
3D tv applied to games (like Stardust HD, Killzone 3 and many others)
Demon's Souls
Little Big Planet: 4P coop+competitive MP platformer, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: user generated levels with in-game editor, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: worlds made of cardboard, whool, etc. later copied by Nintendo
Buzz: a game that is like a tv contest show where you use a specific controller
Full HD 60fps gaming (Wipeout HD)
The only good usage of pressing both analog sticks at the same time: GoW3
Great visuals allowing games to communicate emotions via face expressions and good acting, by David Cage and Uncharted
Cinematic action set pieces by Uncharted 2
AR pet: Eyepet
Platformer as a puppet theatre show: Puppeteer, later copied by Nintendo
Side-goals to win or get rewards in racing game without ending firt: not sure if Motorstorm Apocalypse or Rift
256 players MP shooter: MAG
Playlink games like Hidden Agenda
Flower, Journey, Sound Shapes, Unfinished Swan concepts
Until Dawn's adaptation of the slasher movies to videogames
Many things in Sony VR games
Adaptative triggers and haptic feedback in games like Astro, Returnal or Helldivers 2

 

[Fabieter]

And not staying on PS4? The 117 million sold platform that's still usable and in many people's homes? The platform that is still capable of playing many of the games released today? You think there are more console gamers jumping ship to PC than just using the console they already have and waiting for more ps5 games??

I think you are only saying this to try and help your point that PC is somehow some competitor for consoles.

Its totally competition to consoles. Sony themselves said so multiple times.

 

[64gigabyteram]

Its totally competition to consoles. Sony themselves said so multiple times.

Ok. Sony is wrong. What next?

 

[Fabieter]

Ok. Sony is wrong. What next?

So in this case sony is wrong. How convenient. Wtf dude.

 

[deeptech]

A few examples of Sony 1st party game innovations in the last 15 years, many of them were only possible on their hardware:

...

Please have mercy, I yield, I yield.
I mean, Demon's Souls, Full HD 60 fps, 256 players shooter, Until Dawn,etc. These could never be even dreamed of on PC or Xbox or whatever, especially cinematic Uncharted scenes, these are really only possible IF the game is exclusive to Sony. What the fuck man?

 

[64gigabyteram]

A few examples of Sony 1st party game innovations in the last 15 years, many of them were only possible on their hardware:

Pokemon Go with better AR usage than Pokemon Go but 7 years before than Pokemon Go: Invizimals
One of the only decent motion sensor usages with a gamepad: Folklore
Table card games using a camera (Eye of Judgement)
First console metaverse, with stuff unlockable in games: PlayStation Home
3D tv applied to games (like Stardust HD, Killzone 3 and many others)
Demon's Souls
Little Big Planet: 4P coop+competitive MP platformer, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: user generated levels with in-game editor, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: worlds made of cardboard, whool, etc. later copied by Nintendo
Buzz: a game that is like a tv contest show where you use a specific controller
Full HD 60fps gaming (Wipeout HD)
The only good usage of pressing both analog sticks at the same time: GoW3
Great visuals allowing games to communicate emotions via face expressions and good acting, by David Cage and Uncharted
Cinematic action set pieces by Uncharted 2
AR pet: Eyepet
Platformer as a puppet theatre show: Puppeteer, later copied by Nintendo
Side-goals to win or get rewards in racing game without ending firt: not sure if Motorstorm Apocalypse or Rift
256 players MP shooter: MAG
Playlink games like Hidden Agenda
Flower, Journey, Sound Shapes, Unfinished Swan concepts
Until Dawn's adaptation of the slasher movies to videogames
Many things in Sony VR games
Adaptative triggers and haptic feedback in games like Astro, Returnal or Helldivers 2

Sorry but this really ain't it. Full HD 60fps gaming? Something that existed on PC years beforehand?

Little Big Planet was innovative in consoles sure, but even then you could argue that software like DOOM Builder for doom and lunar magic for Mario World realized the concept years before LBP. and later attempts at a community focused game with level editors (mario maker, Geometry Dash, Gmod) proved themselves wildly more successful.

 

[64gigabyteram]

So in this case sony is wrong. How convenient. Wtf dude.

They are. Sorry lol but their competition is Nintendo more than anything else.

 

[Fabieter]

They are. Sorry lol but their competition is Nintendo more than anything else.

Well agree to disagree than.

 

[DeepEnigma]

@Ass of Can Whooping meltdown incoming

*reads OP and thread update*

 

[DaciaJC]

No, sony don't make as much money on its exclusives in comparison as the 30% cut from all content in its ecosystem. That's the point of exclusives to get you in there ecosystem where they make 80% of its money from 3rd party content, exclusive are 20%. The exclusive are just a Trojan horse for the ecosystem buying the box.
There PC software sales are pretty abysmal across the board. But there making record revenue through PSN.
Don't follow MS. Misstep in undermining the console.

Exactly how many PC gamers are buying multiplatform games on console? The answer is almost certainly near zero, a minuscule number. Platform holders are making next to no money from those customers because they couldn't give a shit about an inferior "ecosystem" when they have a gaming PC.

Console gamers will continue to furnish Sony and the others with that 30 percent cut from buying third-party games because the vast majority of them will continue to prefer console as their primary platform because there are plenty of reasons to choose a console over a PC besides exclusives. Meanwhile, by bringing exclusives to PC, Sony opens up their catalogue to a massive segment of the gaming population who has no interest whatsoever in getting a console. They can advertise to a whole new market, essentially, which makes great business sense.

Why have the PC port sales so far been unimpressive? Might have to do with the fact that they're coming out years and years after the initial launch. Then you have Helldivers II, released date-and-date with the PS5, which is blowing up the Steam charts. Interesting...

 

[ProtoByte]

Why have the PC port sales so far been unimpressive? Might have to do with the fact that they're coming out years and years after the initial launch. Then you have Helldivers II, released date-and-date with the PS5, which is blowing up the Steam charts. Interesting...

It's not that, and I think you know it. If otherwise, then we'd have to ceded the idea that PC players are "willing to wait as long as it takes" as they largely claim.

Single player games, particularly in the "template" Sony makes, just aren't the average PC gamer's cup of tea. Shove a first person RPG in front of them, maybe it's different.

 

[DaciaJC]

It's not that, and I think you know it. If otherwise, then we'd have to ceded the idea that PC players are "willing to wait as long as it takes" as they largely claim.

Single player games, particularly in the "template" Sony makes, just aren't the average PC gamer's cup of tea. Shove a first person RPG in front of them, maybe it's different.

There are multiple factors at play, of course, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. But I don't think anyone can seriously contend that lag time to the order of multiple years doesn't have at least some effect on interest and uptake - PC gamers are not a monolithic hivemind, after all.

 

[{insert code here}]

Just gonna throw it out there that if Sony ported Spiderman to the Switch they'd sell another 20M copies atleast.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Just gonna throw it out there that if Sony ported Spiderman to the Switch they'd sell another 20M copies atleast.

Probably not 20 million, but definitely 5+ million.

 

[iHaunter]

Margins on consoles are negligible, sans Nintendo. They make money on software.

They make money on reselling the same software for 20 years.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Has anyone figured out how much Sony makes from third party fees on Playstation Store?

How much money is actually at risk by them trying to lean more into other platforms like PC?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Also - what happens if Sony launches their own PC store?

The PC audience seems to be "Steam or Bust". Will Sony make Playstation games exclusive to their own store?

 

[yurinka]

Sorry but this really ain't it. Full HD 60fps gaming? Something that existed on PC years beforehand?

We were talking about console exclusives innovations that weren't achieved in the other ones. I might be wrong but I'd bet it was the first one to achieve it in console.

Little Big Planet was innovative in consoles sure, but even then you could argue that software like DOOM Builder for doom and lunar magic for Mario World realized the concept years before LBP. and later attempts at a community focused game with level editors (mario maker, Geometry Dash, Gmod) proved themselves wildly more successful.

I was talking about games with level editors inside as a core part of the game and shareable online inside the game (as later Mega Man Powered Up did and Mario Maker even later did), not about fan made apps to make mods.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

A few examples of Sony 1st party game innovations in the last 15 years, many of them were only possible on their hardware:

Pokemon Go with better AR usage than Pokemon Go but 7 years before than Pokemon Go: Invizimals
One of the only decent motion sensor usages with a gamepad: Folklore
Table card games using a camera (Eye of Judgement)
First console metaverse, with stuff unlockable in games: PlayStation Home
3D tv applied to games (like Stardust HD, Killzone 3 and many others)
Demon's Souls
Little Big Planet: 4P coop+competitive MP platformer, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: user generated levels with in-game editor, later copied by Nintendo
Little Big Planet: worlds made of cardboard, whool, etc. later copied by Nintendo
Buzz: a game that is like a tv contest show where you use a specific controller
Full HD 60fps gaming (Wipeout HD)
The only good usage of pressing both analog sticks at the same time: GoW3
Great visuals allowing games to communicate emotions via face expressions and good acting, by David Cage and Uncharted
Cinematic action set pieces by Uncharted 2
AR pet: Eyepet
Platformer as a puppet theatre show: Puppeteer, later copied by Nintendo
Side-goals to win or get rewards in racing game without ending firt: not sure if Motorstorm Apocalypse or Rift
256 players MP shooter: MAG
Playlink games like Hidden Agenda
Flower, Journey, Sound Shapes, Unfinished Swan concepts
Until Dawn's adaptation of the slasher movies to videogames
Many things in Sony VR games
Adaptative triggers and haptic feedback in games like Astro, Returnal or Helldivers 2

You sure got a knack (no pun intended) for stretching anything into blue ribbon award, including vague stuff like "many things in Sony VR games" and "GOW used two analog sticks at the same time"

By the way, a lot of the stuff you listed doesn't even apply anymore as Sony junked it.

Here, I'll do a master list of innovations like you for that trashy VCR tape game system Action Max.

- First console to hook up to a VCR
- First console to specialize in light gun games
- First game system to have matching console and gun that are both grey
- Console had an LED scoring light
- Scoring a hit in a game lights up the LED and you get a beeping noise as feedback
- First VCR game system to use jet fighter setting
- First VCR game to use submarine setting
- Only Blue Thunder game made that is a light gun game
- All games released are cinematic
- Many things in gun games

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

Please have mercy, I yield, I yield.
I mean, Demon's Souls, Full HD 60 fps, 256 players shooter, Until Dawn,etc. These could never be even dreamed of on PC or Xbox or whatever, especially cinematic Uncharted scenes, these are really only possible IF the game is exclusive to Sony. What the fuck man?

Funny your attempt at sarcasm is helping support his points ..Sony backed all supported all those projects ..or are you one of those elitist types that can't recognize the merits of cinematic games? Too "walking sim" for you?

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Was this posted?

Shhhh, don't bring facts and logic into this thread.

We're too busy whipping ourselves up into a mouth-frothing insensate frenzy over horseshit speculation from disappointed Xbox fans. SonyToo™ is all we're allowed to chant... it's our mantra.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Was this posted?

Exec statements about gaming are rarely believable until it's time for them to officially announce the news to the public. All the while, workers had been working on stuff secretly for years.

Horizon Zero Dawn was Sony's first big PC port on Aug 7, 2020. Googling it, Sony announced it publicly Mar 10, 2020. If anyone asked any Sony employee if a first party game (like Horizon) before Mar 10 is coming to PC, they'd all say no. But then suddenly it's announced.

Same goes for MLB The Show 21. Suddenly announced for Xbox on Feb 1, 2021, launched Apr 20th. You wont get one Sony employee saying it's coming to Xbox before Feb 1.

When PC ports were coming out years ago, nobody would had believed day one PC ports would come, yet here we are in 2024. Helldivers 2.

 

[yurinka]

You sure got a knack (no pun intended) for stretching anything into blue ribbon award, including vague stuff like "many things in Sony VR games" and "GOW used two analog sticks at the same time"

I didn't went into detail because the real list would be way longer.

But yes, Sony's contribution to modern VR with PSVR1, PSVR2 and the games they made or funded is insane and everyone who played knows how innovative and different modern VR is.

Regarding GoW, I was mentioning/joking about this GoW3 scene, which has the greatest L3+R3 usage ever, probably the most hurtful, badass and epic QTE ever:

When PC ports were coming out years ago, nobody would had believed day one PC ports would come, yet here we are in 2024. Helldivers 2.

Back in 2015 Sony already released Helldivers 1 in PS3, PS4, Vita and PC in the span of 5 months.

Now they had only 2 versions, very similar compared to how the HD1 were, and is GaaS, where it's key to have the biggest amount of players specially at launch.

It will happen with some other GaaS like MLB or the Bungie ones (didn't happen with GT7, which according to the studio head aren't even planning a PC release), but the non-GaaS are being released around 2 years or more after their original PS release (the original one, not counting re-releases/remasters/remakes) and seems it will continue being the case.

 

[Hudo]

Just make a new Wipeout and Motorstorm. Release these for PC as well.

I would even sacrifice a Bloodborne remaster for these.

 

[truth411]

Exactly how many PC gamers are buying multiplatform games on console? The answer is almost certainly near zero, a minuscule number. Platform holders are making next to no money from those customers because they couldn't give a shit about an inferior "ecosystem" when they have a gaming PC.

Console gamers will continue to furnish Sony and the others with that 30 percent cut from buying third-party games because the vast majority of them will continue to prefer console as their primary platform because there are plenty of reasons to choose a console over a PC besides exclusives. Meanwhile, by bringing exclusives to PC, Sony opens up their catalogue to a massive segment of the gaming population who has no interest whatsoever in getting a console. They can advertise to a whole new market, essentially, which makes great business sense.

Why have the PC port sales so far been unimpressive? Might have to do with the fact that they're coming out years and years after the initial launch. Then you have Helldivers II, released date-and-date with the PS5, which is blowing up the Steam charts. Interesting...

Lol, Helldivers 2 is fundamentally a live service game, of course that make since to come out day and date with P.C. but not Sonys AAA Single Player narrative games. That will devalue the box, this isn't rocket science. There is a reason MS console base have been shrinking and there PC efforts have NOT been picking up the slack.

Edit: The point is that they will buy PS5 for the Exclusives.

 

[DaciaJC]

Lol, Helldivers 2 is fundamentally a live service game, of course that make since to come out day and date with P.C. but not Sonys AAA Single Player narrative games. That will devalue the box, this isn't rocket science. There is a reason MS console base have been shrinking and there PC efforts have NOT been picking up the slack.

Why does it make sense for GAAS to come out day one to PC but not AAA singleplayer games? Interest in narrative experiences dwindles over time just the same - people spoil the plot online, upload hours of cinematics to YouTube (how I ended up experiencing GoW Ragnarok's story in place of waiting for a port), etc. By the time a port comes out years later, the level of interest has cratered. Makes much more sense to me to release such games on console and PC at the same time to capitalize on the hype and capture as much of the audience as possible when interest and sales prices are at their highest.

If, as you claim, the Xbox playerbase has shrunk but there hasn't been a corresponding increase in their PC revenue, then clearly there's something going on other than a 1:1 transfer of console players going to PC. Could it be perhaps that Microsoft's game quality in general has been pretty damned lackluster this generation?

Edit: The point is that they will buy PS5 for the Exclusives.

Who are you referring to, exactly, PC players or console players?

The great majority of the former has no interest in buying a console whatsoever, that much is obvious. The few who do are heavily outnumbered by PC gamers who refuse to get a console but would be interested in first-party games coming to PC on day one.

And the great majority of the latter would continue to buy consoles because, as I explained above, there are plenty of reasons why one might prefer consoles over PC regardless of exclusives: cost, convenience, portability, game sharing/reselling, friends, etc.

 

[XXL]

Also - what happens if Sony launches their own PC store?

The PC audience seems to be "Steam or Bust". Will Sony make Playstation games exclusive to their own store?

Dont bother.

If they're going to put them on PC, just put them on Steam.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Dont bother.

If they're going to put them on PC, just put them on Steam.

Well getting an extra 30% is certainly worth the bother

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

why this kind of update was not coming from the Xbox side?

 

[IDappa]

I really suspect the risks of releasing games close to day 1 on PC are overblown by enthusiasts. Obviously a lot of enthusiasts play console and PC. But I think enthusiasts underestimate how much value the non-enthusiasts see in the simplicity of console. There are even plenty of enthusiasts (like me) who don't play on PC at all. To the extent that Xbox lost console market share after PC day 1 became a thing, I would argue that the correlation did not equal causation in this instance. Sometimes a game is so good that people will buy hardware to play it. Sometimes a game is good enough that people will play it if they don't need to buy hardware to play it, but not good enough to sell hardware. I would argue that MS biggest problem is they had an abundance of the latter, and very little of the former. Just look at how much attention their business update is getting. Lots of people out there willing to play some of their games as long as they don't have to buy hardware for it.

I think you're right, I'm one of those guys that has a beast pc and still mainly console game or at least chop and change. Having a family and pc gaming doesn't mesh well tbh. Easier to just pick up the controller play a few games quickly and switch off again rather than saddling up to the pc.

 

[WitchHunter]

I just want to argue the abysmal "1st party exclusivity drives innovation" point. What the hell did they innovate in the last 15 years with exclusives that were never going to be possible if these games were multiplatform? I can't think of one game, one feature even, and I played most of them, they're fine some of them but still. Yes they published and funded work like DeS, BB, Death Stranding, the last being on PC now and honestly the most innovative game since forever imo, but idk if that is solely because it was 1st party Sony game at first.

The time traveler from a very dark place.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

why this kind of update was not coming from the Xbox side?

I just came in to say this.

This is how easy it is to set shit straight if it's wrong. This is what clear and transparent looks like.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Also - what happens if Sony launches their own PC store?

The PC audience seems to be "Steam or Bust". Will Sony make Playstation games exclusive to their own store?

I doubt it. Only thing exclusive would be trophy support and/or cross platform entitlement like MS and the MS Store/Xbox.

 

[Ozriel]

why this kind of update was not coming from the Xbox side?

I just came in to say this.

This is how easy it is to set shit straight if it's wrong. This is what clear and transparent looks like.

If the 'update' you're referring to is the thread in the OP, isn't that just analysis from a fan online? Or is there an official statement you're referencing?

 

[DJ12]

News just in bean counter wants to make more money in a market he doesn't understand yet or will ever.

 

[Midn1ght]

Well getting an extra 30% is certainly worth the bother

Actually it starts from 30%. Once the game generates 10M USD, Steam takes a 25%. Once the game generates 50M, Steam takes 20%.
Most big games (GOW, Spiderman, Horizon, etc...) will easily reach that threshold. They also sell on Epic who only takes 12%.

If people are that concern about how much money Sony is leaving on the table on PC, why am I not seeing the same energy about physical copies where they lose 40-50% each time a physical disk is sold? And that's not even counting the fat zero they make each time a physical copy is being sold second hand.

Sony's strategy makes sense. They have their own console digital store, subscription service, they sell physical copies since they're still popular and they sell on the two most popular PC store front out there. Having their own store on PC would not be the worst idea (trophies, early access, sales, etc...) but making their games exclusive to it would be a bad idea. Same if they decide to go full digital on console ala Xbox, bad idea.