LectureMaster
Gold Member
https://www.techradar.com/features/theres-never-been-a-worse-time-to-buy-a-ps5
Mainly whining about prices, both hardware and subscription services, but not acknowledging enough that Sony's competitors are offering their hardware and services for exactly the same prices.
While most arguments are nothing but laughable ( and hence the lol reaction scores), the first party exclusive comparison is valid - XGP does have more values when it comes to launching their first party games day one on XGP. This does not seem much prominent right now as Microsoft still has much to prove in their talents for first party game developing.
But things are gonna change when MS finally bake out some universally acclaimed blockbusters and put in XGP for day one, the reception is gonna change. For myself as a hardcore PS fan (842 games in library according to PS5), will build a new PC and subscribe to XGP when Starfield drops. We will see how things pan out next holiday season.
But for anyone yet to buy into the PS5 ecosystem, astronomically high prices for both hardware and software make it a tougher sell than ever before.
As with any console, though, the investment doesn’t stop there. First and third-party AAA games on PS5 typically cost $70 / £70 / AU$109 brand new. That means that many of the best PS5 games like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West could be out of reach for buyers on a stricter budget, at least outside of sales events like Black Friday 2022.
Granted, the high cost of games isn’t exclusive to PS5. Brand new games on Xbox Series X|S typically match Sony on price. Sony is, however, leading the charge on grossly overpriced peripherals.
The DualSense Edge, the manufacturer’s debut ‘Pro’ controller, will launch at $199.99 / £209.99 in January 2023. Now, obviously the Edge isn’t required to fully enjoy games on PS5, but the point is that the pad looks to have only marginal improvements over the base DualSense, namely a couple of back paddle buttons and customizable profiles.
The controller’s adaptive triggers or haptic feedback don’t seem to have any improvements, and there’s still concerningly little info on the Edge’s battery life. Given the DualSense’s retail price of $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$109.95, you’re paying a lot extra for the Edge for relatively little in return.
That also goes for PSVR 2, which looks to be an even worse offender. At $549.99 / £529.99 (around AU$858), it costs even more than the PS5 itself. Regardless of the headset’s quality, that’s a bad look no matter how you slice it.
Again, PSVR 2 won’t make or break your PS5 experience, but its high cost, as well as that of other peripherals and games, does set the precedent that it’s an exclusionary console; its best and most valuable products only available to those with enough disposable income and who’re willing to track PS5 restocks.
It’s not impossible to get your money’s worth with PS Plus, but its revamp smacks of a product rushed out to compete with Microsoft’s cost-effective Xbox Game Pass. The same can be said of the woeful PlayStation Stars, Sony’s absurd rewards scheme earns players store credit and digital collectible figures for buying games and unlocking Trophies.
The problem? The credit to money spending ratio is horrendously weighted in Sony’s favor, netting you 4% of the cost of a game in store credit. As Kotaku points out(opens in new tab), that’s just $2.80 back when you buy a full-price game. By comparison, the My Nintendo rewards program on Nintendo Switch offers 5% back on every digital game purchase. That doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but it adds up. And given that the best Nintendo Switch games are typically cheaper than on competing platforms, your reward points go much further.
Mainly whining about prices, both hardware and subscription services, but not acknowledging enough that Sony's competitors are offering their hardware and services for exactly the same prices.
While most arguments are nothing but laughable ( and hence the lol reaction scores), the first party exclusive comparison is valid - XGP does have more values when it comes to launching their first party games day one on XGP. This does not seem much prominent right now as Microsoft still has much to prove in their talents for first party game developing.
But things are gonna change when MS finally bake out some universally acclaimed blockbusters and put in XGP for day one, the reception is gonna change. For myself as a hardcore PS fan (842 games in library according to PS5), will build a new PC and subscribe to XGP when Starfield drops. We will see how things pan out next holiday season.