Sony is preparing for a new PSP that will run PS4 games

[arvfab]

Switch didn't hold back the PS4 gen, and Switch 2 won't hold back the PS5 and eventually PS6 gens. I feel like this is the device that eats away at Nintendo's market share and provides a longer lifecycle for titles while the AAA audience continues following the power train. You expect mobile/handhelds to be lower power - it's why the series S approach to this problem never worked.

Switch was so different it’s basically a different device. Games were ported, not built in parallel.

If Sony keeps ps4 specs alive, devs will keep targeting that and simply scaling up. Less than optimal situation, and even worse than a Series S.

I feel like both arguments are valid:

With a "portable PS4", there is already a huge library available AND newer games can target it, too. Not all games are demanding enough to have to "drop" last-gen specs, especially if you think about indies or lower budget games.

On the other hand, the concerns regarding such a type of portable holding back games are also valid (and I share them), as greed often prevails and execs/shareholders might mandate for new games to support the platform, especially if it's a successful one.
We already have pubs like Activision and EA reluctant to give up on the past gen revenue with their yearly franchises.

The needle of the balance, IMHO, would be Sony. Will they support the platform with lower budget, but still high quality exclusive PS4/PS5 games (like Sackboy, for example), to give the platform some kind of identity, without gimping down all of their PS5 games (which could still be played via remote, like the Portal)?

 

[Nhomnhom]

I feel like both arguments are valid:

With a "portable PS4", there is already a huge library available AND newer games can target it, too. Not all games are demanding enough to have to "drop" last-gen specs, especially if you think about indies or lower budget games.

On the other hand, the concerns regarding such a type of portable holding back games are also valid (and I share them), as greed often prevails and execs/shareholders might mandate for new games to support the platform, especially if it's a successful one.
We already have pubs like Activision and EA reluctant to give up on the past gen revenue with their yearly franchises.

The needle of the balance, IMHO, would be Sony. Will they support the platform with lower budget, but still high quality exclusive PS4/PS5 games (like Sackboy, for example), to give the platform some kind of identity, without gimping down all of their PS5 games (which could still be played via remote, like the Portal)?

And these same greedy people wouldn't be tempted to put those games on the Switch 2? Sony themselves make so few games these days anyway and very few of them have the PS5 can't be played on inferior hardware when ported to PC.

 

[arvfab]

And these same greedy people wouldn't be tempted to put those games on the Switch 2? Sony themselves make so few games these days anyway and very few of them have the PS5 can't be played on inferior hardware when ported to PC.

Of course they would, especially if the rumored Switch 2 is in the same ballpark specwise as this rumored Sony handheld, which would further validate the concerns of these portables holding back games, same as - as you said - low spec PCs.

Maybe these are all signs of what's to come. We have rumors of handhelds and hybrids for next-gen too. Could be that Sony is seeing only a small "generational" jump tech wise + the success of the Switch and is considering to go a similar route, to improve hardware sales profit, lower dev budgets and to return to be an alternative to Nintendo in Japan for the remaining of this gen and the next one.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Of course they would, especially if the rumored Switch 2 is in the same ballpark specwise as this rumored Sony handheld, which would further validate the concerns of these portables holding back games, same as - as you said - low spec PCs.

Maybe these are all signs of what's to come. We have rumors of handhelds and hybrids for next-gen too. Could be that Sony is seeing only a small "generational" jump tech wise + the success of the Switch and is considering to go a similar route, to improve hardware sales profit, lower dev budgets and to return to be an alternative to Nintendo in Japan for the remaining of this gen and the next one.

Devs are taking 7+ years to make games and those games, spending a lot of money and even then they are having a hard time making games look more impressive that the best PS4 stuff. The days of huge generational gaps that all devs can easily take advantage of are long gone.

The studio that made Hellblade 2 has over 100 employees and apparently made a game that will average one hour of game per year of development and pretty much doesn't innovate on anything beside being bold enough to use black bars after The Order 1886.

Is there even a single Japanese studio that can make a game that justifies not having a PS4 version? FFVII Rebirth and FFXVI sure could've had a 30fps low res version running on PS4 and we'll see them running on very humble PC soon.

Dragon's Dogma II is an embarrassment when it comes to hardware use and optimization compared to the other Capcom games.

 

[arvfab]

Devs are taking 7+ years to make games and those games, spending a lot of money and even then they are having a hard time making games look more impressive that the best PS4 stuff. The days of huge generational gaps that all devs can easily take advantage of are long gone.

The studio that made Hellblade 2 has over 100 employees and apparently made a game that will average one hour of game per year of development and pretty much doesn't innovate on anything beside being bold enough to use black bars after The Order 1886.

Is there even a single Japanese studio that can make a game that justifies not having a PS4 version? FFVII Rebirth and FFXVI sure could've had a 30fps low res version running on PS4 and we'll see them running on very humble PC soon.

Dragon's Dogma II is an embarrassment when it comes to hardware use and optimization compared to the other Capcom games.

Don't get me wrong, I agree, but I also agree and in part share the concerns regarding the future being hold back. We maybe should accept that technical advancement is not given (and for console makers not important) anymore and that a "Switch-like" gen is necessary to return to sustainable dev budgets.

But people should also accept the consequences probably coming with it:

* Maybe a return to more 30fps games.
* No BC for people who are still buying games physically.
* Even more a degrade in quality, depending on the amount of platforms which will have to be supported.
* And of course the lack of graphical improvements.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Don't get me wrong, I agree, but I also agree and in part share the concerns regarding the future being hold back. We maybe should accept that technical advancement is not given (and for console makers not important) anymore and that a "Switch-like" gen is necessary to return to sustainable dev budgets.

But people should also accept the consequences probably coming with it:

* Maybe a return to more 30fps games.
* No BC for people who are still buying games physically.
* Even more a degrade in quality, depending on the amount of platforms which will have to be supported.
* And of course the lack of graphical improvements.

If anything 60fps is one of the easier least expensive ways to make good use of new hardware.

Devs would have a much harder time if they were trying to get the most out of the PS5 while targeting 30fps.

30fps on portables is different because if if you had a much more powerful hardware it would make sense to cap the frame rates to save battery.