Sony to Take Action as PS5, PS4 Owners Play Less Than Anticipated

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yewles1

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True.

The Steam Deck is a PC. It will have backward compatibility of older games, indie games, and new games. It doesn't require PC knowledge for the most part since it's UI is loaded automatically. The only reason why the SD isn't a big splash hit is because Valve controls the distribution. You simply can't buy a SD in a Best Buy. Otherwise, it would be a big console seller competing with Nintendo Switch.


SD isn't a concept. It's a reality. I'm claiming that if Sony goes down that road to make a PS VITA, it would lose to the Steam Deck - royally.

No, I don't think they should position it like a PS Vita; it shouldn't be its own unique system with its own unique library of games separate from PS5. It should instead act for PS5 what the Series S is for Series X: an option for playing PS5 games at lower fidelity or cloud streaming (for those where native builds for the portable would still be too taxing), stream PS4 Pro version of games and natively play PS4 games, all on the go.

It's a no-brainer for markets like Japan, and in a way it offers a lease of life for the PS4 and could attract Japanese devs who specialize in lower-profile games for systems like the Switch to consider supporting the PlayStation again with those games, because even if say they target the new portable, that same game will be natively playable on PS4s, PS4 Pros, and PS5 systems. And such a portable with PS4-level performance would actually potentially force Nintendo to not skimp as much on whatever they plan with the Switch 2 spec-wise.

Which is important, because whatever that ends up being in terms of specs, will be the floor for what devs have to consider performance-wise for the next 6-7 years, which can also affect the types of games we get on PS5, Series X, even Series S. I'm not saying a new Sony portable is going to make Nintendo suddenly chase the power crown; it'd just be one more reason for them to be more mindful about what performance profile they build a Switch 2 with, because there would be not just the Steam Deck around but also Sony's own portable as well.

I think they think this effect will be minimal. I mean quite obviously they do, based on whatever data they ahve.

Most people forgoing a Playstation because games are coming to PC probably weren't big console gamers in the first place. As a "PC gamer" you buy a playstation for exclusives, those exclusives are largely single player experiences that don't require PS+.

IMO at least.

There's a clear divide between people who "want to play on PC" and people who "don't want to play on PC." The real effect on hardware sales will be to those who do both already.. and those people likely weren't big whales for Sony anyways.

Then of course you have all of the people who would never buy a console.. who are now potential customers, to offset any negative aspects of releasing to PC.

I just kind of have a hard time believing big PC gamers who are now showing an interest in games like TLOU or Spiderman, never in the past bought a console or never had a consideration to do so. I don't think the two audiences are that mutually exclusive, especially since over the past decade, I'd say from the 360/PS3 gen up to at least the mid-gen console refreshes last gen, loads of PC gamers were jumping into console gaming because traditionally PC-exclusive franchises and primary PC-devs were migrating to consoles.

And I still think part of the motivation behind the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X (in addition to being compatible with 4K TVs) was to appeal to some of those PC gamers who had since moved over into console gaming (if not as their exclusive or main gaming avenue, then a major one) but may've been shifting back to PC due to the 2013 hardware showing its age and more games getting PC ports, plus Steam growth.

I mean we can argue that if Sony used porting funds for HZD, GOW 2018 etc. and directed those instead into producing more PS4 consoles, they'd probably be past 120 million units by now. Yes the hardware itself doesn't present a profit margin the way the PC ports would've, but 3 million more PS4s could've also made for let's say 2 million more PS+ subscribers, additional peripheral sales, and maybe some extra 1P software & 3P software sales. Collectively, that could have been a much bigger pool of profits versus what they've gotten from the PC ports.

The trade-off is more than worth it based on their calculations.

Could they be wrong? Sure.. but it's not like Sony isn't watching this stuff like a hawk.

They can also... just completely stop their PC ports as a whole, any time they want..

This is all true, and I generally agree with the thought that Sony have the data which supports their PC initiative and their push for the model. BTW, I'm not saying I think they should STOP doing PC ports, I don't want anyone to get that idea. I'm just saying that they can still pursue alternatives that don't surrender so much control to hardware, storefront, and OS platforms where Sony has little leverage or ability to vertically integrate things.

Because if something happens to Steam, or happens to Windows, or to the PC hardware market etc. where it creates a hard negative impact for all companies, Sony's always going to be better off trying to retain as much into the ecosystem of hardware & software that they can actually 100% control, versus being at the whims of other vendors. These don't even have to be catastrophic things, either, but smaller stuff like changes to API access, user stat access, monetary percentage cuts, DLC/MTX policies, marketing/promotion privileges, OS features etc. that have a negative impact on game development on that platform.

Which is always the risk that's taken with PC, that consoles are much better at negating, since you're only dealing with one company as the source for everything instead of dozens or tens of dozens of companies providing the product in specific parts of the entire market. That's a big reason why I think Sony are better off filling out the lower-power end of their ecosystem with a new portable device, that can simply act to PS5 what Series S acts to Series X: a way of playing PS5 games at lower fidelity (and for games where versions can't realistically be made natively for the device, cloud streaming), and provide native BC for all PS4 games on the go.

Sony can still make something like that stand out against the Switch or Steam Deck because it's the PlayStation brand, plus they can tie it to PS+ and its features, what it offers etc at a native level. You simply can't do that with non-PlayStation devices (for business-related reasons on Sony's end, but still).

100%

I believe Sony has data that back up the PC strategy.
And it not set on stone… Sony choose of games tells me they are testing yet PC strategy… if they find out it is not worth they will just stop to release games on PC… if it works it will continue and increase the releases.

To be fair the chances of continue and be a lucrative experience for Sony is way higher than not working.

I just can’t see how Sony PC strategy can hurt PlayStation… any side I look I can only see increasing engagement, revenue and profit for PlayStation brand.

Generally agreed. But I guess we'll see how it all shakes out. A few other people have made mention on how they see games like TLOU Part 1 Remake, Spiderman 2018 and Spiderman: Miles Morales (but particularly TLOU Remake) being bigger tests for how Sony may take their PC ports going forward. Miles Morales because it'll be on shorter side of the stagger window (comparable with Ghosts of Tsushima), and TLOU Remake because I personally can't picture that game taking more than a year between the PS5 version and PC one (and I'm guessing Sony want to time the PC port closer to the show's release).

I know the recent quarterly results have been used for some hyperbolic & disingenuous narratives by certain people, especially considering the drops are very likely due to R&D costs for hardware & software, lower amount of 3P releases & 1P releases, and COVID lockdowns ending. So people shouldn't be reading too much into it considering total revenue was only down by 2%. But it's going to keep folks glued onto the Q3 fiscal results and see if there are any other drops, where those drops are etc. and draw conclusions from there.

Guess what I'm saying is that the PC strategy, particularly WRT shortening the porting window for the non live-service GaaS titles, has a very small chance of incurring any negative impacts on the division revenue, but that chance isn't 0%. It's just something to know that it's there, even if its probability in being tied to any specific drops is extremely low.
 
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IntentionalPun

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I just kind of have a hard time believing big PC gamers who are now showing an interest in games like TLOU or Spiderman, never in the past bought a console or never had a consideration to do so. I don't think the two audiences are that mutually exclusive, especially since over the past decade, I'd say from the 360/PS3 gen up to at least the mid-gen console refreshes last gen, loads of PC gamers were jumping into console gaming because traditionally PC-exclusive franchises and primary PC-devs were migrating to consoles.

I'm not saying that these 2 things are mutually exclusive, I'm saying that while PC + Playstation ownership is common, those people aren't big Playstation whales with PS+ accounts and buying 3rd party games.

So if you lose them from the Playstation ecosystem, and they instead buy your games on PC the "loss" for those people isn't big. You are unlikely to be losing a PS+ subscriber or a big 3rd party buyer.

Look at the wording of the 2 groups I did not say that PC gamers are exclusive to PC, I said that there are people who want to PC game and those who don't. The implication is you aren't going to have a lot of "console gamers" switch over to "PC gamers" because of PC releases.. you are going to lose existing PC gamers as PS customers and their revenue moves to PC purchases.

I do think there are quite a few PC gamers who will buy PS exclusives who never would have bought a Playstation though. Maybe they don't like enough of Sony's games to buy one.. maybe they just don't like using controllers but like mouse and keyboard, etc. In fact that's a lot of PC gamers.. one of the drivers for not console gaming is the lack of M&K support.

And I still think part of the motivation behind the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X (in addition to being compatible with 4K TVs) was to appeal to some of those PC gamers who had since moved over into console gaming (if not as their exclusive or main gaming avenue, then a major one) but may've been shifting back to PC due to the 2013 hardware showing its age and more games getting PC ports, plus Steam growth.

I think you guys take that Layden quote way too seriously.. he was asked if PS4 Pro was a response to Xbox, of course he's not going to admit that.. so he cites some "well the trend is this dip mid-gen of people going to PC".. I mean yeah, maybe? But even if they had that data, what generations even existed for this "trend" to be defined? In the PS1 era for instance PC and console had totally different games.. even into the PS2 generation the separation was far more defined.. it wasn't until the 360/PS3 generation when we started basically having the "same games" on console as PC (OG Xbox gen had Far Cry and Rainbow Six for instance, but they were TOTALLY DIFFERENT GAMES, then Xbox 360's versions of the sequels to these games were essentially identical outside of graphics).. but we had yet to really have "controller support" be a strong thing on PC either.. the world's were still pretty separate.

So the idea that this was actually some strong trend identified with data and that Layden wasn't just avoiding talking about Xbox as a factor in their decisions is far fetched to me. Back then console was "sit on the couch with a controller" and PC was "sit at a desk with a mouse and keyboard." It still is in most people's eyes despite all the PC gamers talking like couch gaming is some console-like experience (yeah until your Razer driver decides to update and windows pops that over your game and you need to go connect a mouse and keyboard) lol. But in the older gens? I mean compact PCs that actually had competent GPUs were barely a thing.

And in the end.. Sony decided to strongly adopt a PC port strategy.. so CLEARLY they don't think that factor actually matters that much.

I really don't buy the idea that people are that "mobile" between the platforms in general. There's people who do both PC + console, largely due to console exclusives.. and then there are people who do just one or the other. Yes some people do decide to "switch" from console to PC, but I think that group is pretty small.

And Sony, clearly, agrees.

I mean we can argue that if Sony used porting funds for HZD, GOW 2018 etc. and directed those instead into producing more PS4 consoles, they'd probably be past 120 million units by now. Yes the hardware itself doesn't present a profit margin the way the PC ports would've, but 3 million more PS4s could've also made for let's say 2 million more PS+ subscribers, additional peripheral sales, and maybe some extra 1P software & 3P software sales. Collectively, that could have been a much bigger pool of profits versus what they've gotten from the PC ports.

I don't agree with this at all.. Sony wasn't "lacking funds" needed to produce more PS4 units.. that's just, not true at all.
 
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Muddasar

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No, I don't think they should position it like a PS Vita; it shouldn't be its own unique system with its own unique library of games separate from PS5. It should instead act for PS5 what the Series S is for Series X: an option for playing PS5 games at lower fidelity or cloud streaming (for those where native builds for the portable would still be too taxing), stream PS4 Pro version of games and natively play PS4 games, all on the go.

It's a no-brainer for markets like Japan, and in a way it offers a lease of life for the PS4 and could attract Japanese devs who specialize in lower-profile games for systems like the Switch to consider supporting the PlayStation again with those games, because even if say they target the new portable, that same game will be natively playable on PS4s, PS4 Pros, and PS5 systems. And such a portable with PS4-level performance would actually potentially force Nintendo to not skimp as much on whatever they plan with the Switch 2 spec-wise.

Which is important, because whatever that ends up being in terms of specs, will be the floor for what devs have to consider performance-wise for the next 6-7 years, which can also affect the types of games we get on PS5, Series X, even Series S. I'm not saying a new Sony portable is going to make Nintendo suddenly chase the power crown; it'd just be one more reason for them to be more mindful about what performance profile they build a Switch 2 with, because there would be not just the Steam Deck around but also Sony's own portable as well.

Precisely.

If Sony are gonna release a handheld it should be an alternative to their current gen home console and play the same games like the XSS does in respect to the XSX.

A PS5 portable around the same power as a base PS4/Steam Deck will provide a great alternative to all gamers especially in Japan.

Porting won’t be an issue since Sony is already doing Cross Gen on PS4 which would be around the same power as the handheld.

HFW which is arguably the best looking game on PS5 is also Cross Gen.
 

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Completely agree about the portable.

Sony could have released a PS5 Portable with the same specs as the Steam Deck.

Wouldn't have an issue porting games since they are already releasing cross gen on the PS4 which is around the same specs wise.
The issue would be chips supply tho. I would love a new sony portable but I would want one when the sky is the ceiling sales wise.
 

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Just give it away, need a prepaid envelope, to dispose of it?
I actually sent some random "friend" on a forum an Xbox and a bunch of games as I wasn't using it.

So if this wasn't a gift from a friend, I'd totally give it to someone here lol

But he comes to my house sometimes and I just don't want it to come up lol So it wastes away on display on one of my entertainment center shelves.
 
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I actually sent some random "friend" on a forum an Xbox and a bunch of games as I wasn't using it.

So if this wasn't a gift from a friend, I'd totally give it to someone here lol

But he comes to my house sometimes and I just don't want it to come up lol So it wastes away on display on one of my entertainment center shelves.
You are terrible man. That device is such a beast. I don't see why you hate it so much. I'm getting good time out of it and it's not slow as you claim.
 
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ksdixon

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Not only that but by the end of the year they will have ported two huge games already which means Sony will likely get back whatever they paid in less than 24 months.

Nixxes is probably one of their smartest acquisition since Insomniac but let’s just cry over the fact that someone else will enjoy a good game and call it their biggest mistake.

We Are Doomed Reaction GIF
I think one can appreciate Nixxes taking some burden off main dev teams, whilst also disliking the PC port strategy overall.
 
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I think one can appreciate Nixxes taking some burden off main dev teams, whilst also disliking the PC port strategy overall.
But WHY? Why would someone honestly not like their strategy? Does someone who has had a season pass to Disneyland, every year since 1980, get mad at the couple that visits for just one single day? Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? That's what some of the people are getting upset at. They don't like the fact that some PC gamers didn't buy a ps4/5, but will buy their games on steam.


Do some of y'all warriors actually prefer











Or










for Sony pockets?
 

ksdixon

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You wildin' out with this opinion lol

I guess I just don't really get the Steam Deck fervor... the performance is pretty garbage IMO on a ton of games.

rb9un7l37ou81.jpg

OG Switch's buttons are far too tiny. Deck is so big its barely a portable. Im not taking that thing out on the bus.

I dont want to rag the arse off my phone battery playing games on their either on touchscreen or clipping a controller onto my phone. My phone's battery is needed for real life crap. And with media/WiFi/Bluetooth and how phones just seem to degrade battery performance over time anyway, its not really fit for purpose.

All I want is a slightly chunkier digital-only Vita. As you're widening the depth of the body to give us L2+R2 buttons along with clicks le LS+RS, you can probably expand the screen size a little too. Flash the PS4 OS onto it, or a retooled slim version of it like how PSNow had that restricted PS3 XMB mode.

A portable, with all the 1:1 buttons needed for PS4 level inputs for Remote Play and PS+ streaming. Local storage for downloading games etc. Just make the machine count as a PS4 SKU, ya know? It's cant be that hard.
 
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Precisely.

If Sony are gonna release a handheld it should be an alternative to their current gen home console and play the same games like the XSS does in respect to the XSX.

A PS5 portable around the same power as a base PS4/Steam Deck will provide a great alternative to all gamers especially in Japan.

Porting won’t be an issue since Sony is already doing Cross Gen on PS4 which would be around the same power as the handheld.

HFW which is arguably the best looking game on PS5 is also Cross Gen.

Yep, all of this. That is a good point with HFW as well because seriously, that game has no business looking as good as it does on a base PS4. It's almost like magic, how optimized the game is on a visual & performance standpoint there, GG truly are wizards and Decima Engine gets nowhere near the respect it deserves.

But yeah, all such a handheld would need to be is, is literally just Sony's own "Series S" type of device, in terms of its relation to PS5. Realistically speaking, let's say they have something like this late 2023 or early 2024. That is enough time for getting even better pricing on components, and bringing to market at a $299 or so MSRP.

All PS4 games natively playable on the go. Some PS5 games with native support on the device. PS5 game streaming. They can even put PSP and Vita native BC on there (PS1 & PS2 BC as well I'd imagine). Sony themselves may stop making cross-gen games soon but there are 3P devs who would still love to, and a system like that is naturally appealing to devs who've basically focused exclusively on Switch but want a real performance upgrade, it'd be a great way for them to get back into the PlayStation ecosystem too and their games would technically have an even bigger audience than on Switch because they can also be played on PS4, PS4 Pro and PS5 consoles.

Really can't see it as anything other than a win-win.

The issue would be chips supply tho. I would love a new sony portable but I would want one when the sky is the ceiling sales wise.

Supposedly Sony (and Microsoft too, I'd suppose) are allocating for 6nm this year, in addition to 7nm chips. There is also nothing potentially stopping them from moving PS5 & Xbox Series systems to 5nm in the future a few years from now if and when it is more freely available. So that already creates some breathing room.

Also, while Sony could make such a portable at scale, they don't really need it to be at MASSIVE scale, like what they're doing with PS5. They're still going to want to prioritize PS5 availability; this type of handheld is something more of a supplement to that ecosystem. It's different from Microsoft's strategy, where Series S is clearly making up the majority of production and Series X systems are closer to the supplementary box. If Sony could get good profit margins on the sale of the portable out of the gate, that's just more good news. Plus it would most likely be a digital system so they can make the lions share of money off digital software sales.

There are also packaging technologies and methods that can be used (that along with chipletization) to cut down on power consumption when designing the system, while still providing the necessary performance threshold.
 
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RE4-Station

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Yep, all of this. That is a good point with HFW as well because seriously, that game has no business looking as good as it does on a base PS4. It's almost like magic, how optimized the game is on a visual & performance standpoint there, GG truly are wizards and Decima Engine gets nowhere near the respect it deserves.

But yeah, all such a handheld would need to be is, is literally just Sony's own "Series S" type of device, in terms of its relation to PS5. Realistically speaking, let's say they have something like this late 2023 or early 2024. That is enough time for getting even better pricing on components, and bringing to market at a $299 or so MSRP.

All PS4 games natively playable on the go. Some PS5 games with native support on the device. PS5 game streaming. They can even put PSP and Vita native BC on there (PS1 & PS2 BC as well I'd imagine). Sony themselves may stop making cross-gen games soon but there are 3P devs who would still love to, and a system like that is naturally appealing to devs who've basically focused exclusively on Switch but want a real performance upgrade, it'd be a great way for them to get back into the PlayStation ecosystem too and their games would technically have an even bigger audience than on Switch because they can also be played on PS4, PS4 Pro and PS5 consoles.

Really can't see it as anything other than a win-win.



Supposedly Sony (and Microsoft too, I'd suppose) are allocating for 6nm this year, in addition to 7nm chips. There is also nothing potentially stopping them from moving PS5 & Xbox Series systems to 5nm in the future a few years from now if and when it is more freely available. So that already creates some breathing room.

Also, while Sony could make such a portable at scale, they don't really need it to be at MASSIVE scale, like what they're doing with PS5. They're still going to want to prioritize PS5 availability; this type of handheld is something more of a supplement to that ecosystem. It's different from Microsoft's strategy, where Series S is clearly making up the majority of production and Series X systems are closer to the supplementary box. If Sony could get good profit margins on the sale of the portable out of the gate, that's just more good news. Plus it would most likely be a digital system so they can make the lions share of money off digital software sales.

There are also packaging technologies and methods that can be used (that along with chipletization) to cut down on power consumption when designing the system, while still providing the necessary performance threshold.
If sony would give me a handheld that would let me play my PS1 classics, PS2 Classic, My Digital PSP Games, Stream PS3 games, My Digital PS Vita Games (Please have a rear touch pad for this), Play Digital PS4 Games, and Stream PS5 games I would be a happy man! I just would hate to see another Sony Handheld not sell 100 million plus.

Do you know what chips the xperia phones use? I recently got a Sony Xperia 5 iii because of its camera features and just curious if it was 7nm or smaller?
 

rofif

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Is their streaming supposed to be this terrible?
I have premium tier ps+ and tried some ps3 streaming games. I mainly wanted to paly gow 1 and 2... and it's terrible.
Compression galore, stuttering, slowing down and speeding up. Like a bad twitch stream.
But the worst is audio - it sounds incredibly compressed and there is a lot of crackling and popping all the time....

I have 600mbit connection... The router is a good asus in the same damn room. Yet I am never going over 200mbit on psn. Maybe I should try wiring the ps5...
 
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Is their streaming supposed to be this terrible?
I have premium tier ps+ and tried some ps3 streaming games. I mainly wanted to paly gow 1 and 2... and it's terrible.
Compression galore, stuttering, slowing down and speeding up. Like a bad twitch stream.
But the worst is audio - it sounds incredibly compressed and there is a lot of crackling and popping all the time....

I have 600mbit connection... The router is a good asus in the same damn room. Yet I am never going over 200mbit on psn. Maybe I should try wiring the ps5...
I streamed Ghost of Tsushima Director's and Gravity Rush Remastered and didn't have any issue with an ethernet connection besides the tutorial part in GOT because of the slight input delay and maybe controlling Kat in some parts was a bit iffy but I think that's because I had gyro on. I've only tied a few PS3 games tho
 
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