Sony plans to bring PS+ to PC, browser, mobile and TVs

[shrike0fth0rns]

They do all that just so PC players can pirate the game multiple times for every copy sold? Sound like a terrible business plan, all that effort to produce content to sell PlayStations to them handle it to their direct competitor and even give them 30% of the revenue.

Why is Nintendo so profitable without releasing their games on PC? Maybe the console market isn't growing because Sony is porting their games to PC? PS5 is about to outpace PS4 in sales.

I myself am a PC player and that must be why I don't fall for this narrative, PC is not where AAA single player games go to make money, it's where publishers decide they rather make F2P/GaaS instead so their expensive game doesn't get pirated to death.

A portable selling 15m wasn't worht their time but porting their strongest IP to just sell 2m/3m tops is worth it?

Most vita games didn’t even crack 500k in sales and the best selling ones didn’t even crack 1.5mil so those numbers are nothing to brag about

 

[Vertigo]

This was always the plan with psnow. Tech still needs a ways to go but whatever. What’s the issue here? Or rather… is this something new?

 

[Yurinka]

This was always the plan with psnow. Tech still needs a ways to go but whatever. What’s the issue here? Or rather… is this something new?

I assume that they waited to implement it due to several reasons:

• Server costs would be important, so they'd want to improve the business model before. Since the PS+ merge/relaunch they've been improving its revenue as subbers kept migrating to more expensive tiers. Maybe they are waiting for a critical point.
• They recently acquired iSize, who own an AI supersampling and image reconstruction tech that would help them increase image quality while significatively decreasing server costs. It's interesting to have this implemented before scaling to a way bigger market as is mobile + smart tvs
• They could have been waiting to see the 5G coverage and home internet connections + routers improved, something each year keeps evolving
• Their team in charge of it maybe was busy with something else. As an example, recently released a PS+ cloud gaming improvement to add 4K, HDR, 3D audio and PS5 games. They also relesaed PS Portal, which even if not cloud gaming is a streaming device so they may have done some work there. They also recently implemented/are implementing the feature to stream PS games bought and not included in the PS+ Games/Classic catalogs. In addition to being busy with these things, they may also can be tracking the results of all these things before doing the next step. They also released and improved the PS1/PSP classics for PS4/PS5, and had job offers to work on emulators, so maybe they'll continue improving them or may released them on PC or mobile

I think there's no issue. I think they have been simply waiting for the optimal time to do it, and were busy until then other things they thought made more sense to release them before.

They are also building their mobile gaming team, who plans to publish 3P select stuff. They also plan to maybe include mobile gaming content in PS Plus for the subbers. Recently the gates were opened to allow a PSN store or PS Plus app in Android skipping the 30% cut. So maybe want to get all this stuff ready before releasing it on mobile.

 

[Valvados]

Not a fan of it. PlayStation was always a thing of unique and spacial hardware with with suitable software (games). As a service they will die.

 

[MScarpa]

This is awesome. Can't wait. I really hope it goes with the Portal. Picked 1 up so that would be a plus .

 

[KiryuRealty]

Not a fan of it. PlayStation was always a thing of unique and spacial hardware with with suitable software (games). As a service they will die.

*spEcial

 

[Etifilio]

Not a fan of it. PlayStation was always a thing of unique and spacial hardware with with suitable software (games). As a service they will die.

unfortunately that is not how they view things anymore, i just hope they know what they're doing, cause just like the PC ports, there is no turning back, if they stop selling as much consoles as they sell due to lack of exclusives, they'll suffer major consequences in a subscription based future where Microsoft dominates due to day and date releases and publisher acquisitions, i think Sony should really follow Nintendo in that aspect...

 

[Yurinka]

Not a fan of it. PlayStation was always a thing of unique and spacial hardware with with suitable software (games). As a service they will die.

Their console will continue being the only place to play all (not only some of ) their games natively (and day one) and their main business.

This is an extra on top, not a replacement.

 

[Etifilio]

how will this affect PlayStation console sales? i predict PS5 might be the last PlayStation console to surpass 100M+, looking at the state of Xbox console sales

what will be the differenciential for us console players that invest 400/500 on a console to play?

i really hope Sony knows what they're doing, they don't have the money to back PlayStation like Microsoft has for Xbox, they cannot screw the community they've spent the last 30 years building

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Is there a link to a video or article with extra information?

 

[Bryank75]

Is that top image real or a mockup?

Where is this info coming from? Reddit?

The whole pc initiative is so self destructive and stupid.

It's the same customers but they are pushing them to pc, where they will buy all their 3rd party software on steam.... So they actually lose money.

But that is typical of the idiots running PlayStation ATM.

 

[Etifilio]

Is that top image real or a mockup?

Where is this info coming from? Reddit?

The whole pc initiative is so self destructive and stupid.

It's the same customers but they are pushing them to pc, where they will buy all their 3rd party software on steam.... So they actually lose money.

But that is typical of the idiots running PlayStation ATM.

it's a concept for a PlayStation Launcher i found on google, the info came from internal documents in the Spiderman Remastered PC version https://www.eurogamer.net/looks-like-playstation-trophies-are-on-the-way-for-pc-players

 

[Etifilio]

Is there a link to a video or article with extra information?

for the PC launcher with Trophies "PSPC"
https://www.eurogamer.net/looks-like-playstation-trophies-are-on-the-way-for-pc-players


for the PS Plus expansion, in the Insomniac leaks

Kenichiro Yoshida saying November last year they'll expand to Mobile, PC and Cloud

 

[Bryank75]

it's a concept for a PlayStation Launcher i found on google, the info came from internal documents in the Spiderman Remastered PC version https://www.eurogamer.net/looks-like-playstation-trophies-are-on-the-way-for-pc-players

Hmm I'm not sure that it means they will make their own launcher but maybe just for trophy support.

They already sell very little on pc and if they sold games through their own store, I think they'd sell even less. Even if margins would be a bit higher.

But this is massive risk to their main I come on the PlayStation console and really annoys me as a playstation fan.

The argument was that pc ports would fund even more games and we would have so many exclusives but instead ports have become more common than new exclusives for ps5.

We seem to have less new exclusives overall, especially single player ones.

So I have not been happy tbh and I've been playing less.

 

[ethomaz]

If they want to continue the bravata in PC a PS launcher is a must.
Plus removing titles from Steam and allowing only the PS Web store to be used together with that launcher.

Most of the releases titles are failing in be profitable in PC and that 30% cut more hurt than help the strategy.

You are doing something really wrong when you can count in a hand the exceptions that made money to Sony.

 

[Yurinka]

PC ports are generating them hundreds of millions in profits with no negative effect in game sales, which are selling better than ever with a 50% of new users who never had a modern PS console before (or at least did use a new PSN account).

They also achieved last month a record MAU in PS, meaning their userbase is growing. Sequels of games previously ported in PC like Spider-Man 2 or GowR had all-time record sales.

If there is any effect is positive, increasing console hardware and 1st party game sales in console.

I think that if they use their own launcher will be to integrate a portion of their ecosystem: things like trophies, PlayStation Stars, cloud saves, friend lists or maybe even unify it with the already existing remote play and cloud gaming PC apps in a single one.

If this is the case, and specially if they also implement stuff like cross-save and cross-buy between PS and PC (only for this launcher, not with Steam and Epic Store) it will be more likely that some PC users may do the jump and get a PS specially after having built some catalog on PC.

The launcher and PC store may need some time because they need to build first a big enough PC catalog to make it worth for players to move there.

what will be the differenciential for us console players that invest 400/500 on a console to play?

Tons of console only and particularly PS only games. Sony won't port all their games to PC, and excluding some MP focused GaaS, the ones ported to PC are/will be released around two or more years after their original release on PS. So far the range of ported games is 2 to 10 years after their original release.

Plus the plug an play experience, not having to worry about drivers, performance, etc. and also stuff like the PS+ collections, PSVR2 and a better hardware pricing: you can't get a gaming PC of that performance for that price.

 

[Jivesh1995]

I saw that mockup and got so excited

But a PC launcher is a must if they're serious about the platform. Imagine cross-buy or a $10 upgrade for the PC version too.

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

how will this affect PlayStation console sales? i predict PS5 might be the last PlayStation console to surpass 100M+, looking at the state of Xbox console sales

what will be the differenciential for us console players that invest 400/500 on a console to play?

i really hope Sony knows what they're doing, they don't have the money to back PlayStation like Microsoft has for Xbox, they cannot screw the community they've spent the last 30 years building

They don’t have the money to back ps? They’ve been back ps for almost 3decades now. And ps is self sustain Xbox is entirely subsidized. Ps is making more revenue now than at in point in its history, the brand has never been stronger globally and its ability to create content has never been more well funded not to mention its like doubled in size the past 5yrs.

 

[ethomaz]

I saw that mockup and got so excited

But a PC launcher is a must if they're serious about the platform. Imagine cross-buy or a $10 upgrade for the PC version too.

Yeap.
They features can only be done with their own launcher.

If the want to expand the PlayStation ecosystem to PC that is the only way to go.

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

how will this affect PlayStation console sales? i predict PS5 might be the last PlayStation console to surpass 100M+, looking at the state of Xbox console sales

what will be the differenciential for us console players that invest 400/500 on a console to play?

i really hope Sony knows what they're doing, they don't have the money to back PlayStation like Microsoft has for Xbox, they cannot screw the community they've spent the last 30 years building

if u only love ps the games are only on ps hardware than u aren’t a real ps fan. The strength is the software and ps growing their community by making their software more widely available does not harm I as a ps console gamer. I don’t know the source of this info and how credible it is by I 100% ps having their own launcher that united their console and pc ecosystem. It benefits ps console gamers who play on both platforms and want a unified ps experience.