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[Guilty_AI]

Is it?

Or don't people own multiple platforms anymore?

So now they want to use PC ports to attract players... who already own a playstation?

 

[XXL]

PC gamers arent starved for games to the point of shelling out ~500 dollars for a console then shelling out another 70 dollars to play a single exclusive.....140 if Sony keeps going with two tentpole titles per year.

There are actually a ton of PC gamers who also own other consoles.

Just go look at the two threads on here asking that very question right now.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Id rather wait

 

[Ulysses 31]

So now they want to use PC ports to attract players... who already own a playstation?

Isn't it obvious? They want people to double dip!

/s

 

[Guilty_AI]

Or maybe some people lack the intellectual capabilities to comprehend it.

So entertainment is the same as drugs huh. I guess books and hopscotch are also drugs, those kids are all getting high out of their minds during literature classes or playing with their friends during lunch break.

 

[Kazdane]

Games and drugs aren't that different from eachother, really.
Once you realize that, everything else starts making sense.

"Don't do games, kids"

Surely you realize what you've just said is insane, right?

And it wouldn't be logical to shorten time-windows, because even PC gamers claim they have no problem waiting.

Think like a stakeholder, not like a player. Shortening time-windows to promise higher profits makes all the sense in the world (doesn't mean it's going to happen, though, Sony is doing plenty well).

 

[midnightAI]

Yep. it's too late now. They opened the Pandora box. Everybody knows they can just wait a bit for those games to come to their PC. Soon in pursuit or more profits (and more bonuses for execs that are going to leave soon) they are going to shorten the time for those PC ports. From 2 years they'll eventually make it 1 year, then no time at all. Playstation consoles will be dead by this time, like Xbox now.

So, this happy to wait, does that mean there won't be any whinging, moaning, begging for games like Bloodborne from PC gamers?

(For as much as there are a few of you happy to wait 1 year plus, there will be many who won't, and Sony know that)

 

[ProtoByte]

Gamers are super impatient by definition, just take a look at how many of them buy pre-orders or early access. So I'm fully confident people writing here "I can wait, I've got other games to play" are in minority.

Problem is that we're not talking about the average gamer.

If you're going to play PS Studios games on PC, or really, anything AAA these days, it's probably going to match or significantly exceed the PS5 in performance. That type of person is rare (which we'll get to) and definitely has a set of games and a backlog that allow him to wait for PS Studios games.

That being said, why on earth Sony would continue to do this at all going forward is confusing. The contigent that would be doing this, small as they are (as evidenced by the sales numbers of PS4 game ports) are likely to be double dippers, and as the PS5 and PS6 come out, will have more and more powerful hardware.

It would all start to make sense if Killjoy-NL 's theory of cutting off ports in the future becomes the policy, but I doubt that's the plan.

 

[Edgelord79]

If I didn’t have a PS5 also, I’d wait too. Sony is grossly overrating their titles in the PC market. Most PC players aren not going to rush out and buy a PS5. We’ve been conditioned to wait lol.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Isn't it obvious? They want people to double dip!

/s

You joke but what you said is still far more logical than anything he argued so far.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

So now they want to use PC ports to attract players... who already own a playstation?

Why would they want to attract those players?

It's the people on the fence, which could be former console gamers.

They literally discussed this for almost 5 years now.
Those on Playstation are already there, they want to reach new audiences as the console installbase as a whole has a ceiling.

And for that they want to attract people outside of the Playstation console installbase, through PC releases and movies/series.
Consoles are their core business, so that's where they ideally want everyone to play.

That's what the whole Playstation Beyond Borders was about.

And if you don't get it, you're not their main target, outside of potential PC releases you might buy.
They're already a healthy platform-holder, so it's a non-issue if people like you don't buy their game or console.

 

[DForce]

Mat deleted his tweet, but this was info back in 2021.

Mat Piscatella: According to The NPD Group's PlayerPulse, only about 1/3 of PC players in the US owns a PS4, and only 8% own a PS5.​

Mat Piscatella: According to The NPD Group's PlayerPulse, only about 1/3 of PC players in the US owns a PS4, and only 8% own a PS5. Sony - PC

In reply to another twitter user, Mat also said this: I thought this was interesting info since this thing is talked a lot here whenever PS PC stuff is discussed.

www.resetera.com

Things have changed since the PS4 era, but PC players in the US are still buying PlayStation consoles.

If the majority are willing to wait then it won't change if they decide to release their single player games at a later date.

 

[coolmast3r]

You aren't the one to decide what Sony considers tentpole, Sony is and by Sony's metrics it is a tentpole game (existing hit franchise from a studio with a proven track record)

I love how confidently (read - arrogantly) you mention "Sony's metrics" (which I assume are an internal use only information, not available for general public), and then even go into further detail explaining what a 'tentpole' game is according to Sony. And yes, I (and any other of the millions of potential Playstation customers) are indeed the only ones who decide what a 'tentpole' game is, simply because I'm the only one who decides if a certain game is worth my hard earned money or not. Plus, of course, as I mentioned, there's a secondary metric that is tied to the "vote with your wallet" one - general hype around a game which of course reflects a game's desirability in the eyes of potential buyers. And I'm sorry, but I just don't see much hype for Spider Man 2 or GoW Ragnarok among the PC-only players, judging by how little media coverage those titles get in terms of their ports to PC and how little discussion there is of those ports online.

 

[Hohenheim]

This tactic works.
I never bother waiting a year or two for a game I really want to play now.
If Death Stranding 2 would come to PC day 1, I would get it there. But i'll get a PS5 Pro to play that day 1. And for some games I definitly double-dip as well. (Returnal). When playing that on PC I was kinda blown away by how good it looked/felt compared to the PS5 version, so I would of course love to see these games on PC day 1.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Problem is that we're not talking about the average gamer.

If you're going to play PS Studios games on PC, or really, anything AAA these days, it's probably going to match or significantly exceed the PS5 in performance. That type of person is rare (which we'll get to) and definitely has a set of games and a backlog that allow him to wait for PS Studios games.

That being said, why on earth Sony would continue to do this at all going forward is confusing. The contigent that would be doing this, small as they are (as evidenced by the sales numbers of PS4 game ports) are likely to be double dippers, and as the PS5 and PS6 come out, will have more and more powerful hardware.

It would all start to make sense if Killjoy-NL 's theory of cutting off ports in the future becomes the policy, but I doubt that's the plan.

Thank you. At least someone who gets it.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is their plan or whatever, I'm saying that if I were Sony, that's how I would do it. Because as a business, that would be a very smart thing to do, if your goal is to get people on their consoles (and going by various statements, that seems to be their ideal situation).

Either way, as it stands now, GaaS will come Day 1, singleplayer won't, because Sony understands the importance of exclusivity.

 

[Physiognomonics]

So, this happy to wait, does that mean there won't be any whinging, moaning, begging for games like Bloodborne from PC gamers?

(For as much as there are a few of you happy to wait 1 year plus, there will be many who won't, and Sony know that)

Bloodborne is just one game. People who wanted to play this game would have already bought a cheap PS4 at this point. We are talking about big games like God of War or Spider-man. Now people would have bought Playstations and entered the ecosystem for those few games alone. Not happening anymore as they'll be able to play those game on PC and spend their money there (GPUs, Fortnite money etc) instead of on Playstation Store. This is what is actually happening for many people I see talking on forums. Many just won't double buy the same game on PC. They'll just not buy the PS tax, wait and instead spend even more money on upgrading their PC etc.

 

[Sentenza]

A fools errand. It was uncertainty that made us buy consoles. Being guaranteed they are coming to PC irregardless of a staggered release removes the FOMO.

And waiting so long for the port also kills the hype around games that after the honeymoon often turn out to be not-that-special as the initial hype cycle make them sound.
Which is why they have so many release performing mediocrely.

But there's another more subtle issue I already pointed minutes ago in another thread: the risk that this type of strategy will inherently help to paint GAAS games in a better light in the eyes of the publisher and harm the popularity of their single.player reelases.
Think about it: "We are releasing GAAS titles day one on PC and they are doing tremendously well + We are releasing single player ports way later and they aren't doing so hot" = "Maybe moving forward we should focus less and less on SP games and more on GAAS that do well on both platforms?"

 

[Sentenza]

So, this happy to wait, does that mean there won't be any whinging, moaning, begging for games like Bloodborne from PC gamers?

(For as much as there are a few of you happy to wait 1 year plus, there will be many who won't, and Sony know that)

Talk about a bad example.
Are you actually using "the demand for Bloodborne" (a game that people are waiting for almost TEN years at this point) as some sort of evidence that PC players won't be able to help themselves and rush out to buy their next console?

 

[MonkD]

Even if they don't entice new fans to buy a console in order to play the games early, they'll be able to sell their (now old) games full price again. Wouldn't be surprised if they have more console players double dipping than PC players buying consoles. I'd be interested to see those statistics.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

"Don't do games, kids"

Surely you realize what you've just said is insane, right?

So entertainment is the same as drugs huh. I guess books and hopscotch are also drugs, those kids are all getting high out of their minds during literature classes or playing with their friends during lunch break.

My god, people really are narrow-minded.

Even with a quick google search of 3 seconds you can already find something like this:

Study: Brains Of Children Hooked On Video Games Share Similarities To Drug, Alcohol Addicts

A recently released California State University study suggests that addictive video games may change children's brains in the same way as drugs and alcohol.

www.cbsnews.com

And I'm not saying games and drugs are literally the same, I was talking similar concepts.

Then again, this is Gaf, where people also fell for Spencers PR and believe MS can make a comeback, so maybe I should've realized who I was talking to.

 

[Heisenberg007]

That last part was directly cited to me by a friend as to why he's not going to upgrade his pc for what he thinks is an exorbitant cost to have the privilege of playing bad ports.

Yep. People underestimate this aspect. PC gaming can be awesome, but it has a looooot of cons as well. It's not all a bed of roses.

• Pay 300% more costs to build a gaming PC.
• Wait for 2-3 years to get a PS game
• Deal with bad ports when the games eventually come
• It's never as plug-and-play as it is with consoles

The pros is cheaper rate (sometimes) and better graphics and performance (if you spent more upfront).

PS5 has had amazing ports, and the difference b/w PS5 and PC has been negligible this generation anyway. And a reasonably-priced PS5 Pro will further minimize that difference.

 

[ProtoByte]

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is their plan or whatever, I'm saying that if I were Sony, that's how I would do it. Because as a business, that would be a very smart thing to do, if your goal is to get people on their consoles (and going by various statements, that seems to be their ideal situation).

I meant to say "I don't think that's the plan right now." Because I do think it's realistic that this does happen.

I just don't really know who Hulst thinks he's fooling with the statement about luring PC players over is all, and if he isn't yet planning to cut of this initiative, I wonder what the real justification is. It's not like its integral to their business or ever will be. Even that misreportrd 700 million "earned from PC ports" number is a drop in the ~30 billion (correct if wrong) Sony earned in revenue last fiscal year.

Well, the previous regime started it (even Shawn Layden tacitly admitted that this wasn't a disagreement between his faction and Jim's), so we're just scraping money off the top in the medium term and we'll kinda play it by ear, maybe?

 

[Guilty_AI]

Why would they want to attract those players?

It's the people on the fence, which could be former console gamers.

They literally discussed this for almost 5 years now.
Those on Playstation are already there, they want to reach new audiences as the console installbase as a whole has a ceiling.

And for that they want to attract people outside of the Playstation console installbase, through PC releases and movies/series.
Consoles are their core business, so that's where they ideally want everyone to play.

That's what the whole Playstation Beyond Borders was about.

And if you don't get it, you're not their main target, outside of potential PC releases you might buy.
They're already a healthy platform-holder, so it's a non-issue if people like you don't buy their game or console.

And they'll "expand their borders and reach new audiences" by... delaying their games further and further and going back to exclusives altogether?

 

[Killjoy-NL]

And they'll "expand their borders and reach new audiences" by... delaying their games further and further and going back to exclusives altogether?

Long-term, not short-term.

Gotta get em hooked first. One step after the other, young Padawan.

 

[Guilty_AI]

My god, people really are narrow-minded.

Even with a quick google search of 3 seconds you can already find something like this:

Study: Brains Of Children Hooked On Video Games Share Similarities To Drug, Alcohol Addicts

A recently released California State University study suggests that addictive video games may change children's brains in the same way as drugs and alcohol.

www.cbsnews.com

And I'm not saying games and drugs are literally the same, I was talking similar concepts.

Then again, this is Gaf, where people also fell for Spencers PR and believe MS can make a comeback, so maybe I should've realized who I was talking to.

A study that utilized a specific game called Fortnite that happens to be a GAAS and preys on these exact patterns?

Games and drugs aren't that different from eachother, really.

Even trulier, the worldview shared by GAAS advocates everyone. Now with sources.

 

[BaneIsPain]

GTA should be nice indicator whether FOMO still exist or not.

 

[midnightAI]

I love how confidently (read - arrogantly) you mention "Sony's metrics" (which I assume are an internal use only information, not available for general public), and then even go into further detail explaining what a 'tentpole' game is according to Sony. And yes, I (and any other of the millions of potential Playstation customers) are indeed the only ones who decide what a 'tentpole' game is, simply because I'm the only one who decides if a certain game is worth my hard earned money or not. Plus, of course, as I mentioned, there's a secondary metric that is tied to the "vote with your wallet" one - general hype around a game which of course reflects a game's desirability in the eyes of potential buyers. And I'm sorry, but I just don't see much hype for Spider Man 2 or GoW Ragnarok among the PC-only players, judging by how little media coverage those titles get in terms of their ports to PC and how little discussion there is of those ports online.

What do you mean internal, it was in the livestream what a tentpole game for Sony means....

Experimental opportunities

 

[Sentenza]

This tactic works.
I never bother waiting a year or two for a game I really want to play now.

Right, it's hard to wait more than a year for something you *really* want...

You know when it doesn't work, though?
When I don't really "WANT" to play your flagship titles. I'm just open to the idea of purchasing them EVENTUALLY the day you'll sell them to me in a format that I find convenient and enticing enough.
Which incidentally happens to be how I feel about most of Sony's tentpole titles.

 

[P.Jack]

Day 1 on PC would just be stupid businesswise.

First of all, lots of people double-dip. If they can keep the uncertainty of ports going, this will still be the case going forward. “I’ll just wait a year”. Well maybe it’s two years, maybe it isn’t getting a port at all. It is in Sonys best interest to have you guessing.

Secondly, they get two hype/marketing cycles. I bet many people picked up Tsushima on PlayStation recently because of the PC port.

And lastly, there are people who won’t wait for the sequel to whatever game they just played on PC to be ported. They might pick up a PlayStation console. Most won’t but even if 1% did, that is a huge win for Sony.

 

[ClosBSAS]

Makes sense NOW...not in the future if they start losing customers to PC. Their games are good but nothing spectacular honestly.

Its just a matter of time. 5 years ago you never thought they would say this, in 5 years anything can change.

For now ot makes sense yes.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

A study that utilized a specific game called Fortnite that happens to be a GAAS and preys on these exact patterns?


Even trulier, the worldview shared by GAAS advocates everyone. Now with sources.

Is that a thing now? "GaaS advocates" lol

Great rebuttal.

 

[midnightAI]

Talk about a bad example.
Are you actually using "the demand for Bloodborne" (a game that people are waiting for almost TEN years at this point) as some sort of evidence that PC players won't be able to help themselves and rush out to buy their next console?

I was being sarcastic,I know full well they'll still be begging for it

 

[Guilty_AI]

Long-term, not short-term.

Gotta get em hooked first. One step after the other, young Padawan.

Hooked to what? 10-20 hour campaigns that come out every other year?

 

[Sentenza]

I was being sarcastic,I know full well they'll still be begging for it

The point is not the "begging", nor if it continues or stops.

The point is that for all the "I'd want that" you hear from them, these people are still waiting for it rather than rushing out of the door to buy the version currently available.
Which disproves the argument that PC players will precipitate in droves to the closest store to buy the next PS (timed) exclusive.

 

[Holammer]

Sony is not the only game in PC town and they're just another hopeful starlet on this particular stage.
Despite its impressive success with Helldivers 2, more people play Stardew Valley and it's jostling for the #35 spot with Terraria, a game from 2011.

 

[Kazdane]

Then again, this is Gaf, where people also fell for Spencers PR and believe MS can make a comeback, so maybe I should've realized who I was talking to.

And with this I'm out. Have fun.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Hooked to what? 10-20 hour campaigns that come out every other year?

Gaming as a whole.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Is that a thing now? "GaaS advocates" lol

Great rebuttal.

I could just use "Fortnite fanboy" if you prefer.

 

[midnightAI]

The point is not the "begging", nor if it continues or stops.

The point is that for all the "I'd want that" you hear from them, these people are still waiting for it rather than rushing out of the door to buy the version currently available.
Which disproves the argument that PC players will precipitate in droves to the closest store to buy the next PS (timed) exclusive.

Well there will be some who want certain games earlier, that's why I said 'like' Bloodborne, meaning other games (mentioning Bloodborne I was being sarcastic though as it keeps getting brought up whenever a new PC game is announced from Sony). As I said, many will wait, but there will also be many who won't want to if the right games come along and that's all Sony wants.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I could just use "Fortnite fanboy" if you prefer.

You could, but I don't play Fortnite.

Still, great rebuttal. Keep it up, soldier.

 

[Famipan]

I own PS5 but I rather wait for the PC version since I don’t like being forced to use DualSense over DualShock 4

 

[Guilty_AI]

Gaming as a whole.

The same Gaming they had been enjoying before Sony unleashed their masteful bait-porting plan?

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

A significant portion of PC gamers play on laptops or low end hardware. It's not going to be hard get them to buy a PS5 for newer games, especially as GPU prices skyrocket.

 

[Sentenza]

A significant portion of PC gamers play on laptops or low end hardware. It's not going to be hard get them to buy a PS5 for newer games, especially as GPU prices skyrocket.

People keep mentioning this stat, but conversely there's also the fact that the 20% of the most active users on Steam is the one doing 80% of all the software purchases.
Basically, enthusiasts are the one driving the market, not casuals with the 10 years old used laptop.

 

[OverHeat]

 

[Braag]

I'm good. Even if they stopped bringing them to PC completely, I'd be fine. I have a PS4 Pro which I bought cheap in around 2018. I thought I would play some games on it, yet it did nothing but collect dust. Didn't even finish Bloodborne despite playing through all other From souls games on PC.
Eventually I just packed it up and put it in the storage. Lesson learned, I guess. Nothing wrong with consoles, but I'm just too used to PC gaming.

 

[Ozriel]

I'm saying that if I were Sony, that's how I would do it. Because as a business, that would be a very smart thing to do, if your goal is to get people on their consoles (and going by various statements, that seems to be their ideal situation).

Actually would be a poor business decision.
Establish a delayed port pipeline that earns your business hundreds of millions of dollars annually…then cut it on a vague hope that player go out and buy your console?

You’d be laughed out of the board meeting if you suggested that.

The middle ground that makes more sense is what Mibu no ookami has long been touting: get PC players used to those franchises then make a PlayStation PC store where you don’t have to pay Steam cuts.

 

[IDWhite]

PC players have his library build from years on Steam, Ubisoft Connect... Making multiplatform games and releasing them on consoles first won't make those PC gamers buy a PS console and spend their money there. The only thing they are going to achieve is devalue their console and the quality of their games to earn a little more money.

I like consoles and always jump to a "next generation" with PS consoles first because of their exclusives. But with this new approach I am definitely leaving the console ecosystem and moving everything in one to PC. I know more people are going to do the same.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Actually would be a poor business decision.
Establish a delayed port pipeline that earns your business hundreds of millions of dollars annually…then cut it on a vague hope that player go out and buy your console?

You’d be laughed out of the board meeting if you suggested that.

The middle ground that makes more sense is what Mibu no ookami has long been touting: get PC players used to those franchises then make a PlayStation PC store where you don’t have to pay Steam cuts.

Says the guy that stood by Xbox hardcore, despite them running your favorite brand right into the ground.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

That's what they're saying to convince you PS5 owners that they value you as a gamer.

But we know that's bullshit.