PCs will be the ideal platform for Sony devs over the PS5

[Deleted member 51]

Here's the reality though, that $500 limit is complete BS. That's not the cost of what these things are or what it takes to manufacture them, the PlayStation 5 and Series X are without a doubt a few hundred more than they are charged for.

Console manufacturers eat cost because they have software to make money on. You never see the real price of what these things cost, in the PC market the entirety of the cost is offloaded to the customer.

Consoles are usually subsidized, as they know they will sell boatloads, compared to the high end GPU 's which are cutting edge. Consoles definitely cost more than they are sold for, for at least a year or so. Then they can start to save money with later models.

 

[Old Gamer]

Interesting take! I actually can agree with that. But how many PC gamers would want to use PS launcher over Steam?

Over Steam? They can install both launchers. They don't have to choose...

 

[xor]

I'm mostly dispassionate about this because being a fan of large electronics companies is generally a bad idea. I just buy whatever hardware seems best for me.
With that said- knowing that the handful of PS5 exclusives I'm interested in will eventually come to PC makes me much less likely to buy the console.

I bought a PS4 only reluctantly, expecting that Bloodborne and TLOU2 were unlikely to ever be ported.
I would have bought a PS5 by now if I thought the likes of Returnal, Demon's Souls, and TLOUp1 were perma-exclusive to it, but now I probably never will. Might rent one for TLOU3 just to avoid spoilers, but I think that's it. I can wait for everything else.

But I also refuse to pay the same price for a PC port 2 years later as I would for a physical console copy at launch. Partly because it's just an old game by that point, and partly because digital copies that can't be resold are inherently less valuable than physical copies that can. So I'll buy the PC ports, but rarely if ever at "full" price. That probably contributes to the idea of PC gamers being stingy, but I think it's a fair attitude.

 

[Hezekiah]

All:

This is a click-bait thread so if you can stomach some of my claims, you are more than welcome to participate in this comparison. However, if it develops some hatred for what I'm about to claim, then ignore the thread.

With the leak of Returnal's graphics settings in the port of the PC version, we've finally made the biggest fear of Sony gamers about this shift in porting to PC come true. Before, most people were assuming that the PC ports will only have small incremental changes to the graphics settings from the PS5 such as high resolution resolution framebuffers, faster FPS, and a few features that crank up the quality of the rendered images like 16x anisotropic filtering, higher LOD, etc.. Now we are seeing the full power of high-end GPUs being put to use. Ray-tracing features for Returnal are coming to the PC that are not available for the PS5 (shadows, reflections and lighting).

This is the biggest concern for Sony fans about the porting because with Sony doing this, it's letting gamers know what their primary platform of choice will be. If other developers follow suit with their ports (ND, Insomniac, GG, etc..), it will be made clear that Sony devs will utilize the power of the high-end GPUs and generate true next-gen features for the PC over the PS5. I believe this will start to pick up steam by year end of 2023 and we'll see closer release dates on top of significant graphical enhancements that will be noticeable across the board.

People act like PC is a single spec.

The majority of Steam users own 1000 series Nvidia cards . Sony devs might be special, but the majority of any significant graphical enhancements won't even be seen on release or even ever.

Enthusiasts seem to erroneously think they represent the majority.

I say this as a PC gamer.

 

[rofif]

I am not sure.
There is plenty of wrong with pc and making a game for pc or ONLY for ps5 is a way different thing.
PCs got a lot of different hardware and APIs. A lof of not game related/controlled environment and cheaters of course.
Coding to the metal is still a real thing and clearly visible by ps4 greatest games.

If making games for ps5 and pc day 1 will make the games worse? nah. I dont want

 

[Darth Vader]

Consoles are usually subsidized, as they know they will sell boatloads, compared to the high end GPU 's which are cutting edge. Consoles definitely cost more than they are sold for, for at least a year or so. Then they can start to save money with later models.

The disk PS5 was breaking even by June last year.

PS5 Broke Even and Started to Turn Profit for Sony

Sony has confirmed that the standard version of PlayStation 5 broke even. So the Japanese company has reasons to be happy.

www.gamepressure.com

The PS4 was profitable for most of its lifetime.

What @DynamiteCop said is just bullshit.

 

[Deleted member 13]

Over Steam? They can install both launchers. They don't have to choose...

Right but the issue comes when there is a game only on PS launcher and won't be available on Steam for a year. Similar to what Epic does because they hated that Valve had a corner of the market.

 

[Deleted member 13]

The disk PS5 was breaking even by June last year.

PS5 Broke Even and Started to Turn Profit for Sony

Sony has confirmed that the standard version of PlayStation 5 broke even. So the Japanese company has reasons to be happy.

www.gamepressure.com

The PS4 was profitable for most of its lifetime.

What @DynamiteCop said is just bullshit.

I think DC is saying is that right out the gate, it's at a loss. Of course if they sale a bunch of units, it will reach parity a lot sooner than selling slowly.

 

[Deleted member 13]

I am not sure.
There is plenty of wrong with pc and making a game for pc or ONLY for ps5 is a way different thing.
PCs got a lot of different hardware and APIs. A lof of not game related/controlled environment and cheaters of course.
Coding to the metal is still a real thing and clearly visible by ps4 greatest games.

No it is not. If you have to lower resolution in order to reach a FPS target, then your code to the metal isn't doing what it should. There is no evidence that the PS4 is doing something special 3d-wise that no other platform could sacrifice the ms to do. It's just completely false. In fact, the PS4/X1 was so underpowered that Sony/MS had to introduce, for the first time ever in videogame history, mid-gen hardware to keep up with games' demands.

 

[Yurinka]

The PC revenue for Sony is peanuts compared to the PS revenue, meaning that you have to be thankful that they make the effort of releasing their games on PC and on top of that to make some small extra stuff.

What makes sense is to focus their games and effort on the hardware that give them the most money, and this is PlayStation. And unless Steam and Epic store decide to remove their revenue cut and go from 30% to 0%, or until Sony releases their own PSN PC store and they get a huge PC store market share with their PC store (something won't happen and if it ever happens may take like more than a decade), their main business will continue being PS, so they will continue focusing on PS and PC will continue being a small 2nd tier market to get some extra revenue.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

 

[IntentionalPun]

Just small food for thought.

Revenue cut isn't 100% on Playstation or anyone's consoles. It's probably closer to 97%

Maybe 95.. they still have to pay payment processors, and Valve of course eats that as part of their cut. Hell for some payment methods the cost is much higher than 3-5%. That's why EGS makes the consumer pay extra money for some purchase options because it's actually higher than the 12% cut they take.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I think 1yr is the sweet spot imo. And yes, not all the PS exclusives will be ported. I don't see Demon Souls being ported over for some reason. Only the big name titles.

But it's not just the big name titles, now is it? Sackboy is absolutely not a big name title, and that's getting ported, albeit two years after the initial release.

I'm gonna be honest...for my own personal use-case, I'm having to consider a few things here given the ramping up of Sony ports to PC. I don't suffer from FOMO, so I don't need to buy games Day 1, I can wait. I'm picking up GOW Ragnarok Day 1 but that's an exception...and it'll be the PS4 version anyway. Otherwise I've got no problem waiting months or even years to play games, I'm still clearing out Saturn and PS1 titles FFS!

Now I have to consider the longer-term. I've already resigned the idea of picking up a Series X; there is literally no reason for me to do so since all games are Day 1 on PC, then there's also PC GamePass I can take advantage of. Right now Sony isn't doing Day 1, but I get the feeling they eventually will for the live-service GaaS titles, especially any F2P ones. But if they start establishing a clear pattern where I can reliably know I "only" have to wait a year or maybe two for a 1P AAA release to end up on PC, with more features, better graphics settings and a cheaper price (if there's any online MP I don't have to pay on PC versus console), AND mod support on top of that, all on one singular device where I can do all of my other gaming too...

That's why I say, for my particular use-case, it's making me postpone a few upgrade plans. I'm seriously weighing the option to just build out a semi-powerful PC, get an eGPU for something I can swap between a desktop and my laptop, and just call it a day. Any Xbox 1P games I want, I can pick them up on Steam or take one of the many cheap routes to get PC GamePass and play that way. Any PlayStation 1P games I want, if they're Day 1 I can just pick them up on Steam; if not Day 1, I can guess with maybe 80% certainty they'll be on PC in 1-2 years and since I don't suffer from FOMO, I have the patience to wait especially if it's a single-player game (pretty good at avoiding spoilers).

I'm not going to say owning a console for my planned gaming habits/setup is going to be as redundant for PS as it is for Xbox, but I think Sony are treading a line where that could be the case very soon, and I'm just...surprised, is all. Maybe this PC push of theirs was on the fear they wouldn't be able to fix PS5 supply, but that problem looks like it's resolving itself, so I wonder if they will in fact pare back some of these plans WRT the ports. I have to imagine losing a customer who would've bought the game on a PS5 and given Sony 100% of the 1P sales revenue plus any number of 30% cuts from 3P software purchases on the console, to that person deciding to buy those games through Steam instead, isn't what they would ultimately prefer.

I still think Sony maybe should've tried a slightly different approach to PC. Instead of porting their marquee PS games, why not develop a new exclusive for the PC market? Something that would be a perfect fit for that market, give it some space and time to see if it takes off. You can maximize revenue for the usual marquee PS titles through the console anyway or by tying availability of those games through cloud streaming on non-PS devices like mobile and PC. You don't risk bleed of the console customer base in any way to PC, you still get your PC revenue through let's say an MMO live-service F2P game with those Sony 1P AAA production values that are extremely rare in the PC gaming space anyway, then if THAT game does solid enough, port it over to PS5.

Honestly I think that would've been the better approach to take when it comes to PC, oddly enough Sony had that strategy during the PS2 and PS3 days, I think it was worth considering again. All I know is the strategy they seem to be taking now, makes me consider if just swapping fully to PC is the best approach similar to what I plan to do with Xbox content. The funny thing is, I'm not actually begging Sony to support PC in such a manner whatsoever; if they had no plans for PC ports at all, I'd very gladly be picking up a PS5 this year, I've had opportunities to do so. I go where the games are, and that has usually always involved a PlayStation console.

But if those games, those 1P games, are coming more frequently and more quickly to PC, if there's a pattern forming giving me that sense, and if 3P games (particularly Japanese ones) are expanding to support PC more now than they ever have in the past....well, MS is also bringing all their games to PC, and if by some freak miracle of a chance Nintendo ever follows suit...well I go where the games are, where I can maximize my dollar as a customer and where I can have as minimalist a setup as possible, and that's looking like to be PC.

Eh, I'll see, anyway. Sentiments can change, I'm gonna see what feeling I can get for Sony's 1P release strategy going forward, what release strategy they have planned for 3P exclusives on the console side, and make some final decisions from there.

 

[PropellerEar]

Sony/MS had to introduce, for the first time ever in videogame history, mid-gen hardware to keep up with games' demands.

Completely false, mid-gen refresh wasn't done due to games demands but perceived demand from gamers.

How many games did Sony release on PS4 Pro that didn't run on PS4?

 

[riesgoyfortuna]

this thread is delusional and out of touch with reallity,most sony gamers dont give a fuck about pc gaming,its just a "forum thing" and with all the price raises of the nvidia cards ,high end pc gaming is a niche on a niche

pcs vs consoles are like cars
normal people have normal cars to run on normal roads,these are console players
sports cars users have big fancy cars to run on normal roads to do normal things,none of these idiots will use a sports cars on a racing circuit,but they can brag about it

to be honest,i was a pc player myself when i see dudes buying a 4090 i dont feel any envy,i feel pity for them, fools and his money are easily parted

 

[Muddasar]

Completely false, mid-gen refresh wasn't done due to games demands but perceived demand from gamers.

How many games did Sony release on PS4 Pro that didn't run on PS4?

PS VR also played a big role in that.

 

[Deleted member 13]

The PC revenue for Sony is peanuts compared to the PS revenue, meaning that you have to be thankful that they make the effort of releasing their games on PC and on top of that to make some small extra stuff.

What makes sense is to focus their games and effort on the hardware that give them the most money, and this is PlayStation. And unless Steam and Epic store decide to remove their revenue cut and go from 30% to 0%, or until Sony releases their own PSN PC store and they get a huge PC store market share with their PC store (something won't happen and if it ever happens may take like more than a decade), their main business will continue being PS, so they will continue focusing on PS and PC will continue being a small 2nd tier market to get some extra revenue.

I was more meaning that the developers would make their ideal platform the PC to push out the best bells and whistles. Not really Sony - but I agree that if Sony makes a PC store, then all bets are off.

 

[Deleted member 13]

Completely false, mid-gen refresh wasn't done due to games demands but perceived demand from gamers.

It's not false because there was no in-between hardware before in a console's lifecycle that was more powerful than the intro console. I'm not talking about why they did it but more so that they did.

How many games did Sony release on PS4 Pro that didn't run on PS4?

PS4 Pro wasn't going to be a completely new architecture of course.

 

[Deleted member 13]

this thread is delusional and out of touch with reallity,most sony gamers dont give a fuck about pc gaming,its just a "forum thing" and with all the price raises of the nvidia cards ,high end pc gaming is a niche on a niche

Irrelevant to the thread topic.

to be honest,i was a pc player myself when i see dudes buying a 4090 i dont feel any envy,i feel pity for them, fools and his money are easily parted

They get to play games in the best possible scenario. If the PS and Xbox could run games the same way with the same performance for $500, I'd agree with you - it would be a waste of money. But that's not the case here nor will ever be.

 

[Yurinka]

I was more meaning that the developers would make their ideal platform the PC to push out the best bells and whistles. Not really Sony - but I agree that if Sony makes a PC store, then all bets are off.

Well, it's something many people always mentioned in general, not only for Sony. But the reality is that AAA games sell mostly on consoles, so devs put their efforts on where their games will sell more. And typically is in console, and particularly the best selling one (PlayStation).

And even in PC, games are mostly played on mid range specs or low tier potato pcs, a tiny portion of the total players play the games on high end PCs where they can use all the latest stuff. So as a results, devs put more efforts on keeping the best quality on where most of their players are, and then for the rest they try to give them a good enough quality but without dedicating too much effort.