PS5 Pro developer verdict: ‘I didn’t meet a single person that understood the point of it’

Roxkis_ii

Banned
The PlayStation 5 will be celebrating it's fourth birthday this autumn, but it really doesn't feel like the mid-point of the generation – given the stock problems that marred the first two years and the recent paucity of first party releases.

That's just one reason why rumours about the PS5 Pro being released this year have enjoyed such a muted response, with few gamers feeling a mid-generation upgrade is necessary. And it seems most developers agree with them.

Shortly after returning from GDC, GamesIndustry.biz editor Christopher Dring appeared in a podcast, in which he claimed that when speaking to developers, 'I'll be honest, I didn't meet a single person that understood the point of it.'

'Developers didn't seem to feel they needed it', he said. 'They weren't really making the most of the PS5 in the first place,' he added.

That's pretty much exactly what most gamers have said, but while Sony has not made any official announcements the new console model has been rumoured for over a year now. Detailed technical specifications also recently leaked, which suggested it would be a smaller upgrade than from the PlayStation 4 to PS4 Pro.

Considering how obsessed publishers have become with growth recently, Dring also added that, 'A couple of companies said: 'This isn't going to grow the market. This isn't going to move the needle.'

'This generation doesn't even seem to have got started, let alone needs a mid-generation upgrade,' he concluded.

Your thoughts neogaf?
 
feel the same way, I don't understand why it exists. Ps4 pro was the first to benefit from 4k televisions. But now? It will also be significantly more expensive than the Ps5 is right now. And more expensive than the ps4 Pro back then. The market for it will be significantly smaller than the small ps4 pro market back then also.
 
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Max Greenfield Reaction GIF by CBS


but


200w.gif
 
*fails to take advantage of PS5 hardware, now forced to support a premium SKU*

So…they brought this on themselves? More work for them and Sony reaps all the profit
 
Uh, isn't the real question here actually why the hell are developers saying they weren't really making the most of the PS5 in the first place? Why haven't they been doing that? Why are the ones responsible for making the most of the PS5 casually saying they aren't making the most of the PS5 without any sort of explanation?

"This generation doesn't even seem to have been started" YOU ARE responsible for that! He needs to ask the damn publishers why they apparently haven't started the generation ffs
 
Soooooooo talk to me like I'm a 5 year old.

Sony made a machine which devs couldn't use to it's full potential due to programming. So they release a stronger PS5 which allows devs to circumvene this by giving them more raw power!?
Thereby forcing the graphics purists to switch to a more expensive console when the og PS5 has all the potential?


No Way Wtf GIF by Harlem


Sony hasn't learned from the PS2 Emotion Engine era.
Fuck em.
 
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I wholeheartedly agreed before I played Helldivers 2. Quality mode is borderline unplayable and the performance mode is having frame rate issues when there's too much going on simultaneously. It also doesn't look nearly as crisp as the PC version. Give me a PS5 Pro.
 
I guess those devs aren't running their performance modes at 720p. And if they are but think that's fine they're very dumb. It's very obvious why a Pro is needed, even if it won't do much on the CPU side.
 
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PC : Release new hardware every year for more performance and features in games

Everyone : Yay!

Playstation : Release new hardware after 4-5 years for more performance and features in games

Everyone : "wHat'S tHe pOINt oF tHis"
 
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Your thoughts neogaf?
Well there is really no need for such a small jump. Ps4 pro had 4k TV's and more than doubled the power (while base consoles were underpowered from the start). But this time, there is nothing but the old stuff just slightly better. Even the jump to PS5 was already small when you look at games like horizon that also looked good on the old gen. Yes it looks better on the current gen, but with 5-8x the power.

So yes, I don't see the point of a mid gen refresh with this small jump. Games won't get better just look a bit better.
 
I mean we don't need consoles or videogames in the first place anyway.

You buy it if you want it. It's better hardware and it's not mandatory to play any PS5 game. Better resolution, better framerates, better ray tracing. That's all.

So much drama over nothing lmao.
 
Would the same argument apply to any new graphics cards too? This narrative shift has been bizarre.

Also why are those devs pulling their punches when it comes to getting most out of the system? Some feature parity agreement with another competitor perhaps?
 
maybe get to work on fixing "900p to 4k fsr pixel soup" performance modes then, lol

i bet they don't see the point of 60fps either, must be so much work.
 
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Thae PC version of Horizon Forbidden West is almost a pixel for pixel copy of the PS5, with nothing extra available. I don't see many 1st party games using the Pro's extra capability.

Need the list of 1st Party games that will be updated to use the extra power.
 
Uh, isn't the real question here actually why the hell are developers saying they weren't really making the most of the PS5 in the first place? Why haven't they been doing that? Why are the ones responsible for making the most of the PS5 casually saying they aren't making the most of the PS5 without any sort of explanation?

"This generation doesn't even seem to have been started" YOU ARE responsible for that! He needs to ask the damn publishers why they apparently haven't started the generation ffs
Maybe just because games are now to big projects to really optimize them.
Just look at the development cycles. Most games that get out now were in production before this generation started.
 
PC : Release new hardware every year for more performance and features in games

Everyone : Yay!

Playstation : Release new hardware after 4-5 years for more performance and features in games

Everyone : "wHat'S tHe pOINt oF tHis"
I buy a console for 7-8 years because I don't expect to have to upgrade it every few years. On the PC, however, it looks quite different after a few years you almost have to upgrade unless you don't play the latest games or had the most expensive computer possible.
 
That's like saying you don't understand the point of a 4090 when there is the 4070. The answer is: we can. This is America and we do things big here, sucka!
 
I really want it and I need it to keep playing on these games. More advanced ray tracing I want it. More frames per second I need it. Please god let naughty release their games already or give us a trailer.
Also I want to see
Something new from house marquee. And please let insomiac get rid of the marvel games. We don't need more super hero movies and games.
 
Uh, isn't the real question here actually why the hell are developers saying they weren't really making the most of the PS5 in the first place? Why haven't they been doing that? Why are the ones responsible for making the most of the PS5 casually saying they aren't making the most of the PS5 without any sort of explanation?

"This generation doesn't even seem to have been started" YOU ARE responsible for that! He needs to ask the damn publishers why they apparently haven't started the generation ffs
Because they've been working on cross-gen titles mostly. Hard to push new hardware when you're shackled by old hardware.

This isn't surprising news. DF were saying the same thing (and getting dragged from some reason), as were many people on this forum. What I'm wondering is if the PS5 Pro can sell as many units as the PS4 Pro, or if we see a drop.

Also, assuming Xbox doesn't have a mid-gen refresh, I wonder if people there had the same question, which ultimately led to them deciding against it? Still, I think it's better to have one for your enthusiast customers. It may only push more P's and give slightly better FPS, but that stuff matters.
 
Right.... When you ship a game and you have to bounce the resolution all over the place to maintain your frame rate target, that indicates a lack of underlying power. PS5P on day 1.
 
I buy a console for 7-8 years because I don't expect to have to upgrade it every few years. On the PC, however, it looks quite different after a few years you almost have to upgrade unless you don't play the latest games or had the most expensive computer possible.

That's your own expectations - and that's fine. Consoles would of course only release every 7 years ish but the industry is evolving and many people, myself included will happily pay for a more premium experience. , especially if it means I can play games like FF7 Rebirth in 60 FPS and a crispy 4K.
 
What I'm wondering is if the PS5 Pro can sell as many units as the PS4 Pro, or if we see a drop.
It won't. In that interview he also mentions how people he talked to said the PS5 Pro would be lucky if it made up 20% of the sales like the PS4 Pro did.

This whole thing seems unnecessary and every dev he talked to at GDC agreed.

Internet forum posters know better tho, clearly.
 
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That's your own expectations - and that's fine. Consoles would of course only release every 7 years ish but the industry is evolving and many people, myself included will happily pay for a more premium experience. , especially if it means I can play games like FF7 Rebirth in 60 FPS and a crispy 4K.
4k 60 I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that won't happen with the Pro console. You're expecting far too much.
 
It won't. In that interview he also mentions how people he talked to said the PS5 Pro would be lucky if it made up 20% of the sales like the PS4 Pro did.

This whole thing seems unnecessary and every dev he talked to at GDC agreed.
But with out knowing who he talked to this is baseless.

Third parties just got their hands on it. Did he talk to teams who were using it. Did he talk to devs that are making games with it
 
But with out knowing who he talked to this is baseless.

Third parties just got their hands on it. Did he talk to teams who were using it. Did he talk to devs that are making games with it
The guy is the head of Gameindustry.biz

He wasn't talking to random indie devs.
 






Your thoughts neogaf?

He's not wrong.

The PS5 is like what, 4 years old? I'm not entirely sure we've come close to seeing what the OG PS5 can do when pushed to it's absolute limits.

Maybe they got some intel that MS is working on a new console(that portable Xbox rumor just hit) and want to get out ahead of it?!

Seems like they could have waited closer to the launch of GTA 6. Let's face it, people are going to want to upgrade for that game and a "Pro" model would
make sense at *that* time. But it releasing this year? I just don't see the need for it as the PS5 is more than capable.
 
yeah. Devs need to focus in better optimization for example.

I also wonder if one of the factors for Sony to release a PS5 Pro is to further harm Xbox. With so many SKUs, this could exacerbate the decision for devs to not even release Xbox version of games or to drop the series S port... which will be another PR cluster fuck.
 
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