The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are a triumph for brands, not games
Image: Graphic: Karl Gustafson Games Features Roundtable
William Hughes: This isn’t exactly news, but the last week has been an immensely distracting one for pretty much the entire planet. The U.S. national election has gobbled up ungodly amounts of attention, cognitive load, and “Oh god, are we fucked? Are they fucked? Who’s fucked?” energy from anyone whose lives might end up being affected by it, i.e., most lives. Which is what makes it tremendously strange to note that not just one but two of the biggest names in video gaming chose these wild days to begin the promotional push for devices that will make or break them over the next several years, as Microsoft and Sony both lifted early review embargoes for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 just a few short days after the election (began). Now it’s a week later, and both consoles have officially arrived for the masses. Which leads me to the question that’s been bouncing around my head for the last seven days (and, really, ever since my PS5 review kit arrived the week before): What was the goddamn rush?
Because while the Series X and the PS5 are both, undeniably big, beautiful babies, with a load of new quality of life features and some fairly blinding speed, what they aren’t, right now, are especially good machines for playing next-gen video games. That’s mostly because “next-gen” is an extremely nebulous term at this point; outside a few PS5 titles (the Demon’s Souls remake, Counterplay Games’ extremely shiny hack-and-slasher Godfall) there’s almost nothing you could be playing on your new boxes right now that wouldn’t play nearly as well on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One that was probably already in your home. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, the new Destiny 2 expansion, Watch Dogs: Legion—and the reliance here on third-party software feels telling—are all big new games, but they’re just as big and new on the old hardware, too.
There’s an argument to be made here for egalitarianism—that adding more next-gen exclusive titles would only be self-defeating, simultaneously enraging consumers, and cutting companies off from one of the most robust install bases for games in recent memory. But this strategy also leaves both consoles struggling with a critical lack of identity; Miles Morales is a perfectly fine Spider-Man game, but it’s a hard sell for a $500 new box—especially when you could just play it on the PS4 instead. The absence of a guaranteed system-seller on either console feels like a symptom of something that my colleague Sam Barsanti (who’s handling all our Series X coverage) and I have been asking each other for a while now: Did these companies goad each other into launching before the software was ready to support them? What the hell is up with this “next-gen” console launch?
Sam Barsanti: I would be very interested to know whether or not Sony and Microsoft had any clandestine, off-the-books meetings about mutually agreeing to delay their consoles, because like you said, William, it really seems an awful lot like they’re both dropping them now simply because they don’t want to be playing catch-up with each other. Pointless competitiveness is, for better or worse (worse), baked into the video game industry at this point. So yes, they absolutely goaded each other into launching before they were “ready.”
Not to say “I made a pretty good point in my review,” but in my review I came around to the idea that the world itself isn’t necessarily ready for the Xbox Series X—since a lot of games aren’t updated to take advantage of its features yet (especially in the pre-release environment we reviewed it in), and a lot of people won’t have TVs or monitors that can really capture its raw power. Without any must-play exclusives or dramatically new capabilities beyond Quick Resume (which can keep multiple games running in the background) and the super-speedy load times, that raw power is all the Series X really has going for it. So if you don’t have a thing that can display 4K graphics at 120hz or whatever, it’s honestly hard to recommend the Series X.
Unless, of course, you love hot new shit and you’re already invested in the Xbox family of systems, which I very much am, after years and years of buying cheap digital copies of Xbox games and Xbox controllers and Xbox TV remotes (which all worked on the new system without me having to do anything). That’s what I wanted to ask you about: If we accept that these consoles are here, even with very few exclusive games and a general lack of top-of-the-line televisions, do you think there’s a compelling reason for someone to go with the PlayStation 5 over the Series X beyond personal preference? Does the potential of future exclusives seem more enticing than having access to Microsoft’s impressive Game Pass library?
WH: Sam, you’ve nailed down, very clearly, how slight the differences between these two consoles are—to the point that it might literally come down to which device’s predecessor you used more often, and thus have more save files from that you’d like to transfer over to the new machine. There’s a certain freedom in the fact that there’s no wrong answer here—even if the reason is a little depressing, in terms of how few differences between these two devices there actually are. At least at the moment—and keeping in mind that I haven’t yet played the extremely anticipated Demon’s Souls, which wasn’t made available to reviewers ahead of the console launch—I think Game Pass might be the triumphant nudge that gives the Series X the win for the truly undecided gamer. But, at least until either company really gets its exclusive game down—wherefore art thou, Halo: Infinite?—the differences between these two fancy new toys are going to be academic and aesthetic, at best. (And for the love of god, please don’t buy both.)
In fact, that’s a knock-on effect of this launch I hadn’t really considered before: Both companies are clearly trying to turn these new consoles into legacy purchases, where the single biggest reason to buy a PlayStation 5 is that you already have a bunch of games for the PlayStation 4. It’s something I hit on in my own review of the PS5, as major console releases begin to more closely resemble a new iPhone release rather than a bold leap forward in tech, with the same old software running on this fancy new hardware. It’s an absolute triumph for PlayStation and Xbox as brands, as they come one step closer to overcoming the idea that games sell consoles, not the other way around. It’s more of a bummer, though, for people hoping to point to something revolutionary and say, “This is why I have to own this thing.”
Any final thoughts on this latest battle in the Console Wars, Sam? Anything in particular got you fired up for the future of next-gen gaming? (Such as it is?)
SB: You’re right about this being a triumph for brands, certainly. If they both pull this off and manage to turn “Xbox or PlayStation” into a largely meaningless distinction that just comes down to personal preference like “iPhone or Android,” then they’ll both be set with lifetime users who have no real incentive to hop from one platform to the other. There’s not really anything compelling about my iPhone, but at this point I’d rather have nothing than an Android—and I’ve spent way less money on apps than I have on Xbox games. It’s just the thing that I have already, so I might as well stick with it. I doubt anyone’s going to love an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5 the way they might love a Nintendo Switch, but neither of them need that as long as they keep people in their ecosystem.
That’s kind of a bleak way to think about a medium I really like, so I’ll change gears and answer your question: If I’m fired up about anything with these new consoles, it’s the idea that game developers will someday put in the time and effort to make things that could only be possible with the technology they offer. Instantly loading into an enormous Assassin’s Creed game and then admiring how good the water looks or whatever is nice, but I’m curious to see what happens when someone comes up with a concrete purpose for loading things in really fast rather than just being able to say, “Look how fast this is.” I’m picturing, like, a big Bethesda role-playing game like a Fallout or an Elder Scrolls, something with a big outdoor world and lots of little indoor areas, all seamlessly loading. I stopped playing Fallout: New Vegas on my Xbox 360 because getting a loading screen every single time I opened a door was really annoying, so a big open world that itself loads quickly and then doesn’t have to stop whenever I go into a new place would be a dream.
Or imagine something like a Grand Theft Auto with actual modeled interiors for every building. Video games have been doing “look at that mountain, you can go there” for years, so doing it faster isn’t really that impactful. I want “look at this reasonably photorealistic city, you can explore every inch of it without hitting a fake door, a painted-on window, or a big empty cube pretending to be a skyscraper.” I already have a Series X, and I think it’s cool and I’m impressed by what it can do, but that’s what I would be waiting for. You know, something new.
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I’m hoping the increased speeds mean injecting more creativity on the menu art side. I’m so done with these generic ass UI/HUD layouts. Add some interesting flowing animations into menu selecting. Create some beautiful living backdrops that merge with these menus. Don’t just vertically divide the 16:9 screen into three panels and call it a day with Arial fonts and back and white highlights, looking like it was taught in some generic UI school course. Take some cues from DVD Blu-ray menus or something.
I think they should go the other way, and operate by cryptic commands from a DOS-like interface.
Then half way through the game “In order to open this door, enter the third word of the fourth sentence in the second paragraph on page 23 of the manual.” Of course, that would mean we’d also need manuals…
Day-One DLC: The Manual ($19.95, press (A) to order)
God no, not those stupid DVD menus again. I forgot about how annoying those were. They can make something clean and pretty without going that gaudy.
Who’s got time for that when they can just throw out another PEW PEW game set in Nondescriptistan?
The Persona games were better about making their menu screens look creative and interesting 2 gens ago than most games are today. Sadly, I don’t think improved tech is going to increase creativity—if anything, I see it going the other direction.
But don’t charge $1.99 for them (themes/skin) either like PS did
They are released now cus its Christmas soon and it’s the best time for people buying gifts or treats for themselves. It’s hardly a rush considering it’s been 7 years since the last release and you can get far better looking versions of older games plus the already mentioned PS5 games that are really Next Gen. Also while the US may have been in grip of election fever and Covid there’s like an entire rest of the world that isn’t quite so preoccupied.
Which is what makes it tremendously strange to note that not just one but two of the biggest names in video gaming chose these wild days to begin the promotional push for devices that will make or break them over the next several yearsCounterpoint: these items have/will continually sell out instantly for months on end during a time where people are staying at home more than ever by choice in addition to restrictions being reinstated around the world forcing people to be at home more than ever, insuring these brands will have a large base of console owners who’ve sunk a chunk of money into owning their product and will continue to buy more and more games. And even if stock improves a month from now, it will be the holiday shopping season, and it’ll sell out again.Or, in short, this cannot break them, and there’s just about no better time to be releasing these consoles. Except maybe March 2020.
I mean, yes, these consoles are released without many gen-exclusive titles, and yes waiting to release until next year might have allowed them to make the consoles even more powerful, but I doubt there would be many more gen-exclusive games at launch a year from now. Game publishers aren’t going to invest in launch exclusives as much simply because there is always going to be a bigger install-base for the currently available console, and publishers want to maximize sales. New generations of consoles need to be released and in living rooms before most publishers will invest development into a new-gen exclusive. Early-adopters will buy the new gen with only a few options at the start, because that’s what they do, and that pool of people is expanded massively by the fact that adopting these new consoles doesn’t mean leaving your old games behind even if you sell your last-gen console to cut down the cost of the new one.I hope I don’t sound condescending, since that truly isn’t my intent, but to me this is all well-understood consumer dynamics. Unless I’m missing something?
Which is what makes it tremendously strange to note that not just one but two of the biggest names in video gaming chose these wild days to begin the promotional push for devices that will make or break them over the next several yearsIt’s not like they decided 6 months ago to do this. These consoles have multi year long development cycles. Delaying their releases for a year, or more, until the pandemic is over wouldn’t be practical. And, if anything (and as stated below by another commenter), when would there be a better time to release a device that causes you to hunker down in your home and not go outside for weeks on end?
Probably a time when you had money.
So no new products should be released during financial crises? I emphasize with anyone who has lost their job or had a reduction of income. But that’s not a reason not to sell or advertise items, even luxury ones. Regardless of when this is released, there will always be people for whom the price is too high.
Release what you want when you want. But you asked when a better time to release a device would be and I gave you one.
Pretty sure they’ll have no issues selling these as quickly as they sold all of the other generations.
So then there’s no need for you to get so defensive for your corporate overlords in the comments.
lol ok.
I remember someone saying that same exact thing right before the video game crash of 84. Right when the next gen was just like the last gen and we were getting shovelware games. Just like MS is doing with GamePass.
PS5 preorders are and have been crashing retailer sites. does that sound like a situation where they’re not going to sell a fuckton if these?
would be super interesting to know what % of that is resellers and bots.
I guess I’m a bit confused about this discussion because for me, wasn’t it always about personal preference? Beyond some gameplay variations (which only Nintendo seems to cultivate effectively), it’s also always felt about a hardware boost possibilities rather than something instrumentally different about games. More power? More cut-scenes! I know there’s been some play about the newish stuff in the Playstation controller, but it sounds nice and utterly unnecessary.The transition to a more and more all-digital environment even for consoles continues apace, despite some vocal resistance for a long time. I dunno, the cycle between consoles feels a little shorter this time around, but hardware development runs this way for a lot of products. I guess that’s a triumph of brands, in that some people (though not here this time) seem drawn to the latest releases, but I also wonder if it’s a funny question to ask–hey, is this thing fancy enough to be new?
but I also wonder if it’s a funny question to ask—hey, is this thing fancy enough to be new?
It’s not a bad question to ask, though.As MS and Sony spew forth new consoles, with the only real differences being graphical prowess…you really do need to ask yourself if it’s worth investing in a new console gen when all you’re getting is a modest graphical update.
I’ll put it another way—this doesn’t feel like a new question. Is it any different than a consumer decision regarding a new phone, tv, car, or a mess of other products that are iterative? This tack feels like says more about someone’s expectations of newness, and maybe the enthusiast’s wish to play it all. It’s the iOS/android divide, but isn’t the whole concept of “console wars” the triumph of brands in the first place?
i think it’s more about is it even worth updating at all, and this is merely a branding exercise at this point.like, sure it was always ‘do you want a sega or a nintendo?’ in a general sense, but a sega master system and a super nintendo were wildly different choices and played wildly different games. the xbox series x, xbox one x, xbox series s and xbox one s all do basically the same thing as a playstation 4 or a playstation 5, right down to the same games (and crossplay in many cases), so it’s really JUST branding at this point. hence the android/iphone comparison.
Is it any different than a consumer decision regarding a new phone, tv, car, or a mess of other products that are iterative?
I don’t know if you can compare all of these.I obviously can’t speak for most people, but I don’t upgrade a phone until my plan supports it…and even then I sometimes ride it out because my phone is doing it’s job just fine.So at that point, I upgrade because my current phone maybe doesn’t support the latest version of apps, or simply stops working. But unless my old console breaks down my old one doesn’t ever become outdated. It still plays all the old games I already own. They don’t get upgraded until it can’t keep up.
With a car, it’s often the same for most people. They don’t get a new car until they need a new car. And when you’re buying a new car (as in not your current car) you typically will buy something that’s newer than what you had before. Because you’re need for a new car is driven by an external factor. But you don’t go buy the latest model of your current car just because it’s out there.
A TV? That’s the closest probably. People will buy new TVs if their current one isn’t cutting it…but even then only because there’s an actual need for a new TV. Like, many people probably will buy new TVs if their current one doesn’t include the connections needed for a console, or media player, etc.But I’ve had the same Plasma TV since 2012. The smart feature has become worthless because the apps are too advanced…but I can still plug in a modern Fire or Chromecast and get what I need. I probably won’t buy a new TV until that one breaks down…at which point I’m buying out of need rather than out of desire.
For me the biggest appeal of the new consoles is the SSD, and the improved load times over the old HDD they’ve used in the past. I’m impatient and want to get right to playing 🙂
I’ll fess to my own plans, which is getting a PS5 sooner rather than later. As an apt dweller this generations backwards compatibility is a good sell since it’s a full replacement of a thing in my home (The PS5 has some gaps, but they don’t affect my gaming). It’s definitely a luxury to be able to afford one—ever afford one, let alone now—but this “boring” iteration has just enough quality of life aspects that I’d like to. It’s like picking up a new smartphone—I don’t need a revolution.
Sooner is probably for the best. One of the reasons I bought a launch PS3 is due to more or less skipping the PS2 in favor of the DC and OG Xbox. I’ve admittedly no clue how Sony is handling BC on an architectural level this go ‘round but the way they stripped meaningful hardware BC out of the PS3 was infuriating, especially as it was later replaced with some half-assed emulation.
It is really. As I told the person above you in comments. Buy the system with the games you want. In the grand scheme of things which system is “better” is always personal choice.
I mean as far as power goes, some of the best games I have played in years have been on Switch which is way underpowered but Nintendo makes quality games. Personally this generation I opted to just upgrade to a new gaming PC. I may end up with a PS5 down the line for the few exclusives that wont come to PC but I have no need to for an Xbox Series X. I still may end up with one in my house if my sons want it but I am not seeking it out
What about those of us whose last video game system was a Sega Genesis, many many years ago? All the reviews I keep reading seem to say which one you should buy (at some point) is to be based on keeping your old save games or the like. I mean, unless one of these can somehow play my old Phantasy Star II save game on a cart that is probably 40 feet deep in a dump…
Does anyone out there know of a review/comparison for those of us who want to buy a new system for the first time in 30 years? Someone without an…Xbox account or Playstation account? (Are those even things? I mean, I know I have a Microsoft account and I used to use PSVue, so I probably have some account with Sony. I think I also once logged into Steam, so…yeah.)
Boh require accounts if you’re going to buy digital games, and a paid account if you are going to play online multiplayer. Both also have a paid service that send you free digital games that cycle every month, but the XBox’s Game Pass includes new releases and is much cheaper. Do you have a TV that can show 4K and 120hz and all that? If not, do you plan on getting one within the next few years? Do you plan on buying mostly physical games, or digital games? Are you more interested in Microsoft’s exclusives (Halo, future Bethesda games) or Sony’s (God of War, Spider-Man)? If you plan on going digital-only, don’t have or plan on getting a beefy TV, and don’t care about Sony’s exclusives, your best bet would be to buy a Series X and subscribe to Game Pass. Otherwise, you’re probably better off with a PS5. One of the reasons everyone focuses on transferring saves is because both consoles are backwards compatible with their previous iterations.
This is better than the original article. Do these guys know anything about business or technology?
If you’re looking to casually dip back into gaming, I’d suggest going for an Xbox (Series X if you have or expect to get a 4K TV, Series S if not), and then subscribing to Game Pass. I think they have leasing plans that loop in the price of Game Pass, too, and actually save you money in the long-run. I say this as someone who’s buying a PS5 at launch for the exclusives: Xbox Game Pass is the best value and entry-point for modern gaming right now.
Granted, these things are going to be sold out for the foreseeable future, and I wouldn’t suggest buying a last-gen console at this point, so you’ll have to wait a bit.
This was the most helpful explanation of the two I’ve ever read.I am a casual-to-regular gamer who has been playing PlayStations since…the PlayStation… and I just kept buying the new ones because that’s what I had before, but not out of any feelings about XBox, just because I never had a particular reason to switch.We also stream all of our tv for our family (my game-averse wife + my technology confused mother) on the PS4 and it has taken me years to teach them how to start netflix on a playstation so I’m loathe to try and teach them all over again. Based on your assessment, it feels like I probably don’t need a PS5 and when I upgrade I should get the XBox X…but after having a PS since like 1994 it feels weird to suddenly get the XBoxXXXxxxXX (worst branding ever) when I’ve never owned an XBox.
PSNow and Game Pass can both be had for $60/year. Game Pass has more high-profile games, PSNow has a much deeper library (~800 games vs ~100)
Or a Series S, if you don’t have any use for 4k graphics and won’t miss the disc drive. I think that thing is basically tailor-made for someone who doesn’t own an Xbox One, and is looking more to be able access the Microsoft game ecosystem than to be wowed with a graphical upgrade. It’s very good value for the quality of the hardware inside, and relatively miniscule in size.
If you’re looking to get a new console for the first time in 30 years, I recommend picking up a used Xbox 360. Not for the console itself, but because people usually throw in their entire collection, whole kit and kaboodle for less than a hundred.The biggest innovations in the previous gen [Xbox One / PS4 / Switch] are Battle Royales and Console MMOs. The basic game genres themselves haven’t changed since the 360/PS3 eras.If you enjoy those games, you can play them on the now-launched Xbox Series S or X (“mini” or “monolith”). Any digital purchases you decide to make on the 360 will be available on Series devices.360 games are mostly compatible with the Xbox One or the Xbox Series devices, except they play in much higher resolution and better detail on the One and Series devices.For a fat hundred, it’s the best way to catch up.
Just pick the controller you like best
Keyboard and mouse. It seems to me that consoles (ok, save for Nintendo, and more power to ‘em) are now basically PCs in every way except the one that matters for me: KBM input. You now have to create accounts for singleplayer games. You now have patches – day one and otherwise – updates, DLC to worry about. Graphics options to tweak. Maintaining compatibility across different generations of hardware.And, with the Xbox X Series X XS SX XY XXX XXXX Gold or whatever you now have hardware differences to worry about, too. They’ve become PCs in every which way but the most important one: the damn interface. And PC gaming doesn’t help, either.I’m a PC gamer, but I couldn’t give a damn about the shit PC gamers crap on about, either, and how it skews the priorities, too. Yeah, dickheads: shut up about how the game developers ripping you off because you spend five grand on graphics cards and, boo, the game only lets you output to only three 4K monitors at a time, so they’ve left about $4000 of your on the table. Or that how that running at 6000FPS is the only way they can get an erection. But no. They’re fine with the precise, fine control of a mouse, and the surfeit of keys on a keyboard, being reduced to to emulation thumbsticks and a half dozen buttons.
I’m in a similar situation – been playing the odd game here and there on my macbook for the last few years, but haven’t had a console for decades. My son’s nearly ten now and I really like the idea of getting into some games with him. He won’t be doing any online gaming for a while, and I have no interest in it (at least for now). We have a pretty decent 4k sony tv.A friend over the summer who does a lot of gaming recommended I get a PS4 Pro for now, see how we take to it, and think of getting a newer gen console in a couple years if we want to upgrade. Does that sound like a good idea?
If you’re primarily going to play with your son, the Switch would actually be the better buy, unless your son really, really wants to play Spider-Man.
If it’s specifically between Playstation and XBox, though, then right now you’re likely better off getting a Pro or One S and then upgrading in a few years. It won’t be until well into next year that we’ll be getting substantial next gen-only games.It also depends on your TV. Do you have a 4K TV with all the bells and whistles? If you don’t, then most of the newer consoles’ features won’t even work on your TV.
This is terrible advice. Buying a Pro or One S now is not like buying a one year older phone to save money. It’s like buying a 5 or 6 year old phone. Buying an Xbox Series S to save money is a sensible suggestion for someone who isn’t sure what they think. Buying a (still full price!) completely outdated console is a really bad idea.
Thanks, that’s helpful. I guess I should’ve specified that, if we’re going to get a console, I’m going to want to play some big-boy games, too – Spider-Man, Last of Us, Skyrim, etc. I’ve spent a bit of time playing a couple of the Dragon Age games on a MacBook, and I want to see what that’s like on a big TV (it’s 4k, and we have have decent 5.1 surround sound). That’s why I’m leaning towards a PS, but I’m not sure I care enough about the new-new bells and whistles to go for a 5 (which, also, they’re completely sold out and unavailable where I live right now).
Just to add one more “Just get a Switch” response. Cheaper, option for handheld and therefore good for travel, and the major releases tend to be more family friendly. See how he goes with the switch and what sort of games he’s into and then make a decision when there’s more clarity on what this new generation of consoles is actually like.
This is a great question. I have been playing games since the days of Atari and have kept up better than you post-Genesis, but I sympathize with your plight. I personally think that Sony has done a slightly better job with gaming in general than Microsoft, and there’s no reason not to buy a latest-generation console given all the backward compatibility. I do not believe that you will find anything in these systems that will be TOO confusing, aside from just getting yourself up and running and getting used to the idea of a console as an “entertainment hub,” which won’t be difficult assuming that you are used to smart TVs, modern computers and phones, etc.All that said, if I were in your position and wanted to make the leap into the current gaming world, I might get a Switch. Nintendo is putting out games that are fantastic, and they will keep supporting the Switch for a while. A lot of the games walk a great line between serious and casual. For example, if you were to purchase a used Switch and then Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I predict you would be asking yourself why you hadn’t done it a lot sooner. I am more of a playstation guy myself, and I think you would be fine getting a next-gen console, but the Switch is pretty hard to beat.
A good computer is better than either.
But not quite as good bang for buck, and not nearly as accessible for someone who doesn’t game a lot. I am a converted Xbox—>PC gamer, and although there are many things I prefer about PC gaming, plopping onto a couch with a controller remains a uniquely casual and easy way to play games. Apart from the basic hardware components (which the console makers tend to sell at a loss, at launch—you might come close with a custom built PC with scavenged parts off Ebay, but it’d be a lot more work), I’ve spent untold money on mice, keyboards, headphones, mousepads, and various cooling equipment. My graphics card that can keep up with a Series X / PS5 *alone* cost me more than the ticket price for either system.
It’s not that easy to compare the prices though. A gaming computer is still used as a regular computer in most cases, not just games. Its just a powerful computer with good graphics capabilities, it isn’t restricted to just playing games. So it may be more expensive, but you are also getting a lot more out of it than a console.
Consoles are definitely a better choice than a pc if you only intend to play games, or have kids or want muliplayer in the same room. If you tend to play by yourself, and also need a computer, then a computer is a better choice in my opinion.
just buy a Switch…
I think the key takeaway is that it doesn’t really matter. Pick whichever ecosystem you think you would prefer.
Best bet is a pawn shop and a $100 PS3 and oodles of $5-$10 games.
i feel like you represent a very, very underserved part of the market. it’s increasingly more and more about keeping a small group of people happy instead of opening it up to more people.i’ve kept up with consoles (and full disclosure i’m 36) but this generation was by far the least fun i had with videogames. i preferred the last-gen takes on almost every franchise (red dead, batman, uncharted, fallout) and found stuff that i should have loved (spider-man, outer worlds) either overly complicated or incredibly boring (or both, it feels like doing homework to me sometimes. red dead 2 especially.)the one exception was what is now my favorite videogame of all time – breath of the wild – but that essentially exists in a nebulous nintendo-specific generation.
Sony has more stuff you’d be missing out on not having a PS5. But honestly I would still recommend Xbox for someone in this scenario. And with that Xbox Game Pass. So many great games to catch up with if you’ve really missed and for just the monthly subscription it’s perfect.
I think in your case then it comes down to the games you want to play. Look at what exclusives will only be on one platform or the other and decide which ones you have to play. I mean reviews can tell you about how many flops and wing wangs each system has but that really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme. Figure out the games you live, figure out which console has those game and buy that one.
get a switch
I don’t need “prettier” games, I need better game play games! I have a 4K PC Gaming Rig…why the hell do I need a Next Gen console with “meh” launch games?
The lack of OMGWOW launch titles is why I will not be an early adopter for the first time in 20 years. Aside from the Demon’s Souls remake (a REMAKE as a launch title? Lazy.) nothing really tickles my fancy. I’ll play Watchdogs on my PS4 and be just fine.
The Android/IOS thing is an interesting comparison. I’ve been embedded in the Android infrastructure for so long that I would be throwing away literally hundreds of dollars in apps if I switched now, so I never will even though an iPad is better for gaming than my android tab.I’m so embedded in the Sony infrastructure that I would probably never consider getting an Xbox at this point, unless it was an old, cheaper system I could use to play exclusives I missed when they came out the first time.
So ignoring the thoughts of the non-gaming review.I would most likely buy the PS5 because I own the PS4 Original (With PT installed) and not the PS4 Pro. It would upgrade it. As for Xbox I might because the games do go to PC on day one.
Reminder that Konami disabled transferring PT to a PS5.
I’m still salty about this.
there’s almost nothing you could be playing on your new boxes right now that wouldn’t play nearly as well on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One that was probably already in your home.You’ve described basically every generational transition ever. Certainly every one from the fifth gen onwards. And the stacks of cross-gen titles sitting on my shelves are a testament to this fact. Launch years are rarely about the multitudes of games that one can only play on their shiny new box. It’s about a handful of attractive tech demos and a whole lotta games that you can play basically everywhere – but just so happen to play best on that shiny, new box.Also, let’s not with the ‘both sides’ statements when there’s only one new console that will basically have no significant exclusives available on it for the better part of the next one to two years – and it ain’t the PlayStation 5.
For some corrections there, the 5th generation is N64/Saturn/PS1. Arguably the single biggest jump from the previous generation. There’s pretty much no game on the 64 that the 4th gen Genesis/SNES etc. could handle. Even the 6th generation was a sizeable jump, to GCN/Xbox/PS2. There were showcase games right from the start, like the huge number of simultaneous enemies on screen with Dynasty Warriors 2.I think by gen 7, things certainly slowed down. But that’s a good decade later than you have it timed at.
I know what hardware comprises the fifth gen, thanks. I meant from the fifth gen moving onto the sixth. And regardless of the power differentials – which, as you said, were significant – the number of cross-gen titles that played approximately, if not exactly, the same across both generations of hardware was vast.I mean, wasn’t something like half of the Dreamcast’s year one lineup playable on the PlayStation and/or N64 as well?Also, I never said there were no showcase games. Hence the tech demos comment. Which itself may have been a tad dismissive, but let’s not pretend that a majority of launch (year) software – even the impressive stuff – tends to rise much beyond ‘prettier version of thing you can already do on current gen hardware’.The only time I’d say none of the above held true is when moving from the fourth-gen to the fifth – and even then you had more than a handful of attempts or adjacent efforts. Hell, Sega basically tanked their business in the pursuit of making the impending fifth-gen as accessible as possible to Genesis owners – and failing spectacularly in the process.
Actually, the leap from PS1/N64 to PS2/GameCube was indeed significant. The only Dreamcast games also on PS1 were third party ports, and they ran significantly worse on the PS1, even if they came out late in the latter’s life cycle. Hell, most of the cross platform titles played better on the Saturn than the PS1. The PS2 and the GameCube brought more fully realized graphics and a better representation of a truly realized 3D open world. In-game models actually looked like their official renders for once, as well. I you’re seriously going to tell me there isn’the a big jump graphically between, say, Smash 64 and Melee, or Metal Gear Solid/Resident Evil and their remakes, you might be legally blind.
I never said it wasn’t. I’m merely pointing out that the approximate criticism levied by this article’s author can be applied to damn well near every generational transition ever.Apologies if I didn’t offer sufficient qualifiers, but y’all are being incredibly disingenuous in terms of how much you’re glossing over the sheer number of cross-gen titles which existed moving from the fifth-gen to the sixth or from sixth to seventh. Again, you could play the bulk of the Dreamcast’s – and, five or so years later, the 360’s – year one software on current gen hardware. And, frequently, the only real hits were in terms of visuals, frame rates, and load times. Sound familiar?If anything, it sounds like we all fall on the same side of objecting to a tired and ultimately empty critique laid out by this article, but everybody’s getting way to hung up on the specifics of my original comment. Which, admittedly, could have been a touch clearer – but some of you – the first person who responded to me in particular – are equally guilty of some pretty willful oversight of my meaning.
I think you might be misunderstanding my showcase comment. I meant it as in showcasing what the new hardware was capable of in regards to new gameplay, not sure visuals. Here are two launch titles to consider:Something like Dynasty Warriors 2 simply would not have been possible on the previous gen. That feeling of 1 vs. 100. It created an entire sub genre to itself, still going strong 20 years later.Even something like Halo which we take for granted in the present, defined how a dual stick shooter should control, compared to the previous gen having a single stick (or none, in the case of the PSX’s first few years).Even the lowly Dreamcast ushered in true online gaming for consoles. (I know things like Sega Channel and Xband exist, but this was the first internet ready out of the box console)
Fair. Though, as I said to another commenter, it’s still somewhat disingenuous to point to those specific exceptions as if they somehow negate the dozens of cross-gen titles which release during any given hardware transition that offer no significant upgrade on the shinier platform apart from the bumps to frame rate, resolution, and load times being complained about in this article.I mean, the Dreamcast may have ushered in modern online gaming, but its marquee launch title was a port which, in the arcades, was running off of tarted up PSX hardware. Ditto the PlayStation 2.It may not be a tale as old as time, but it’s certainly one as old as the medium, and I would not be at all shocked to find gaming publications were lodging the same complaints forty plus years ago as the industry transitioned from first-gen hardware to second. Or even from second to third. And while things may have gotten messier moving from fourth-gen to fifth, it’s still not impossible to find reviews of launch window/year titles that pivot on some exciting variation of ‘this offers nothing new, but in a shinier package’.That said, the transition from 2D to 3D is about the only time where I’ll say the cross-gen growing pains were wholly unique when compared to either the generations prior or those which followed.
I think there’s a bit of a long stretch because that gen came out over such a long period of time. The Xbox and GCN launched more than two years after the DC. So I think the DC itself is a bit of an outlier, attempting to straddle both gens. I think the PS2 had like 20+ exclusives, and even something like NHL is technically on both, but the PS2 version is obviously different from the PS1 version.Likewise the Gamecube only has one launch title available on the previous gen, THPS3. I don’t know enough to say anything about the Xbox launch. I really only remember Halo and…Fusion Frenzy. Haha
I mean, every generational transition has its vagaries, I’m not trying to argue against that. But the fact of the matter is, early or no, the Dreamcast and 360 kicked off their respective generational transitions. And, in both cases, there were a lot of cross-gen titles which offered no real distinction between gens apart from ‘same shit, prettier package’. And this trend extended to the latecomers as well, albeit – as you say – less pronounced.Not that that’s bad. I’ll always take a better version of Marvel Versus Capcom or Gun whenever possible. Most of us would. It’s why the criticism being levied in this article – one which has been made many, many times in the past – is such a pointless one. Hardware transitions are just that: transitions. The previous gen doesn’t simply drop off a cliff the moment new hardware launches. Franchises, habits, and trends endure alongside new genres, methods of delivery, and philosophies. It’s also why you get the unique trend of certain IPs appearing in and subsequently never escaping the vacuum of a launch/early gen window as both publishers and consumers learn what works and what doesn’t.It’s messy. Always has been and likely always will be. But certain aspects endure, chief among them the tendency to lean on cross-gen games which really offer very little in terms of, let’s face it, headline fodder for journalists. Which I think is what most of these writers – if they’re being honest – are genuinely pissed about: that their job isn’t made any easier for being able to describe everything in superlatives for the first twelve to eighteen months of a console’s launch.
i distinctly remember when the ps2 launched there was a lot of writing about whether or not 12 launch titles was enough. funny how time changes. rental market really moved the needle for a long time.
“Also, let’s not with the ‘both sides’ statements when there’s only one new console that will basically have no significant exclusives available on it for the better part of the next one to two years – and it ain’t the PlayStation 5.”I think the point was that exclusives don’t really matter when the games themselves aren’t doing anything interesting with the hardware other than better graphics and shorter loading screens.
I mean, this very site just spilled a fair amount of ink over what a game changer the DualSense controller is in combination with the PlayStation 5’s pack-in title (there’s a term I haven’t had to use in a while), so I stand by the ‘both sides’ comment.
lol
You’ve described basically every generational transition ever.
Save for Nintendo. Say what you will, but the Wii/Wii U/Switch transitions each came with new uses for the tech.
Whatever. I mean, sure, fair, but all still saw their fair share of both first and especially third-party cross-generational software dumps. Hell, the Switch has turned Wii U ports into a cottage industry. Not that I blame Nintendo, better to get good games out onto hardware people will actually play ‘em on.
Hell, the Switch has turned Wii U ports into a cottage industry
As someone who bought a Wii U late in the cycle, I felt sorta stung by the the Switch announcement.While there was a technical upgrade and additional functionality tied to it, I do feel like the Switch is what they wanted the Wii U to be from day 1.
Yeah, since approximately the launch of the Wii U, I’d been banging the ‘Nintendo should abandon consoles and either go full handheld or produce a hybrid platform drum’ drum. So it’s funny that I still don’t own a Switch. And with things as they are in the world right now, I likely won’t for at least another year or so. Well, that and I’m also still quite enamored of my 3DS and feel that library still has a lot of life left in it. (Obviously not in terms of new releases, but in so far as what I’m presently into or am excited to play.)Still, unless there’s some major sea change in how gamers approach the medium (Japanese consumers embracing consoles again, for example) I don’t see Nintendo abandoning the Switch’s approximate format anytime soon. So, with any luck, all those Switch games should still be playable on newer hardware for years to come.
Yup, the Switch feels like the final merge of Nintendo’s portable and hand-held pillars.You can even see it in the Switch Lite…which is literally just a handheld device.Going forward, I’m not sure how they can shift back to having both a hand-held and a console. Unless when the time comes for whatever is next they stop making full Switches and only sell Switch Lite alongside the new console.
I remember years ago when something like a new PC meant a huge leap forward in performance. And soon enough, the life cycle caught up as you bought updated programs that were really optimized for the next machine you had to buy.
Y’know, Matrix Online pulled off the “modeled interiors for every building” thing. It was awful. You’d go to whatever random building, head to your assigned floor, then go to the right room — and you knew how to get there because every floor in every building was identical — and then have your fight in whatever apartment, because EVERY ROOM IN EVERY FLOOR OF EVERY BUILDING was identical too.
We hated it.
yeah frankly i’d rather they used that power to make a grand theft auto game that actually has freedom of choice and multiple outcomes based on how you do something and all of that being determined and redetermined in real time, as opposed to rockstar’s rigid ‘you have to do it this way and this way only’ game design.that feels a lot more next gen than a bunch more houses with doors you can open.
I understand this is just one part of the message I’m replying to, but I’ve noticed this sentiment lately and I find it ridiculous (especially when some people pair it with demanded responses from every organization under the sun).
Honestly as a citizen of the USA this kind of thing is embarrassing. We are not the center of the universe. Time must not stop for our drama. What’s worse is this seems to be a trending knee-jerk reaction to anything consequential. The World Must Stop because Some Very Important Trending Incident is going on. Enough! Not everything needs to come to a screeching halt all because some people think a Very Special Issue justifies undivided attention from everyone globally. And of course the president trying to install himself as dictator IS a big issue, but my point still stands.
Eh, better than Ian Walker’s diatribe in his PS5 review.
As a citizen of… not the USA, yes, it’s incredibly annoying when they’re talking about, for example, a Japanese company that sells worldwide.
I too am completely perplexed by an American pop culture site tailoring their reviews to their domestic audience.(Btw, America is not the only country dealing with a pandemic and a recession)
I agree why would a site based in the US make an argument about why the consoles aren’t needed at all right now instead of just saying perhaps the US doesn’t need them and ignore the fact sitting in your home playing videogames and buying consumer goods is good for both reducing the pandemic and keeping money in the economy.
Unless America bought Japan recently, it’s sending money out of the economy to buy a PS5. Also, the whole point of the round table is you can get the videogames on the console you already have. Neither of your points work.What you’re also not taking into account is that the US is in a recession, with many people either on reduced income or at risk of becoming on a reduced income, which is only going to get worse due to the bungling of a global pandemic. Is it wise to buy a big shiny thing that costs a lot of money and adds very little during such a volatile time? It’s certainly worth mentioning in a discussion about the big shiny thing.
Yes the only money made from the PS5 goes only to Sony in Japan. This is how economies work.
When you’re specifically touting that the goal should be money going *into* the economy and not *out* why would you tout buying something that’s made in China and owned in Japan? Yeah, a little bit goes to the Target you bought it from, but that’s not really a strong economic injection, is it? You’d help the economy far more buy spending that extra cash ordering takeout more often.
Theres so much more money than just the bit goes to Target. From adverts and marketing to accessories and everything else that comes with a new console launch. Hell even articles like this drive revenue. And that’s ignoring Microsoft’s console too. Sure at a household level there’s an argument to be made for people struggling to not buy it but the nation’s economy is not going to be damaged by having new consumer goods launched.
But now you’re ignoring opportunity cost; other products that actually do inject money into the economy also have these costs, so these products also having them doesn’t add anything more that you couldn’t get from a collection of other ways to spend your money that actually do inject significant money into the economy.And yes, of course there is an argument at household level that it might not be wise to buy these consoles just yet. That’s what consumer reviews are aimed at; the household level. The only person arguing the macro effect was; specifically you arguing that buying these consoles will be good for the economy.
These products do inject money into the economy. Do you think when Sony release a movie the only people making money are the Sony HQ in Japan?And this article isn’t a consumer review and doesn’t talk about household decisions making it talks about national and global interests.
I think that if I was touting a way to improve the economy, I wouldn’t tout a method that involved massive leakages from the economy, especially when it’s a luxury good and there are many ways for that money to be spent that would lead to significantly less, or no leakages from the economy.Well, it is a consumer review; it’s a round table discussion extrapolating on major points outlined on their initial consumer reviews. And it talks about national and global interests specifically in regards to how those nation and global interests affect the household. When they talk about the coronavirus or political unrest, they’re not mentioning it because it magically makes the PS5 bad to buy now, it’s because these things affect a) a household’s disposable income and b) the opportunity cost of frivolous spending. A household is more likely to spend their disposable income on something frivolous if they have more money and are less fearful of losing their income levels (or feel positive abut increasing their income levels) in the future.
No it’s a discussion not a consumer review you literally just said that. And “leakages from the economy” isn’t a thing as you’ve ignored all the revenue made besides ignoring one of the consoless is made by a US company. Not forgetting the fact that if this gets people spending but other things don’t it doesn’t matter if there’s other things to spend it on. Also you’ve contradicted yourself first saying I only talked a out macro effects then saying actually this article also did. But anyway I took a sleeping pill like 20 minutes ago so help yourself to the last word if it’s gonna improve the economy or just your sense of self.
lol, a discussion can be a consumer review. It’s so obvious that you said something you didn’t understand and now realising you’re wrong, are desperately trying to find any kind of technicality so you can declare a victory on instead of going “sorry, I don’t know much about economics but that’s interesting to know” (the adult thing), or just disappearing and waiting for the next discussion (the internet thing).Yes, leakages from the economy are a thing. It’s called the circular flow of income. If you save $399, that’s a leakage of $399 (until you decide to spend it). If you take that $399 and spend it on something where $300 ends up overseas, that’s an injection of $99 into the domestic economy but still a leakage of $300. If you take that $399 and spend it on something where none of it ends up overseas, that’s an injection of $399 into the domestic economy. If you want to advocate stimulating the economy, you’re looking for purchases that are closer to the latter than the former. That’s why what you said was so mis-formed.
buddy, who cares.
He says, having scrolled through an 80-comment comments section to make that post.Why you should care is that it’s good to have a basic understanding of how the economy works.
No I literally had just taken a sleeping pill and was half asleep but if it makes you feel better to imagine you had a gotcha point go for it. Still doesn’t explain why the US company Microsoft is a bad choice or why someone who wasn’t going to spend any money but instead spends some money is bad. You basically applied a rigid idea to a real world scenario and that’s daft. Also could you point me to a paper or journal that uses the term economic leakage and circular flow of income interchangeably instead of the leakage being a potential phenomena of the circular flow theory or one that talks about leakage in terms of two developed nations rather than e.g a sweatshop in Haiti run by a company in the developed world? That would be something I hadn’t heard about and I’d happily concede that point.
If you don’t know anything about the circular flow of income you could just do a quick search, rather than asking me to do it for you.
Yeah you don’t have any examples of the two terms being used interchangeably because they aren’t yet you pretended they were for some reason. Real smooth.
They’re not used interchangeably, leakage is part of the circular flow, not a synonym for it. Seriously, if you had just put it into wikipedia you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble.
“Yes, leakages from the economy are a thing. It’s called the circular flow of income”Lmao.That’s you literally saying one is the other.Its like you’re the one doing quick wiki searches to try to back up what you said but applying the concepts in a rigid manner.
Wow, even by some kind of semantics attempt that’s just poor. You had to cut out the part where I explained leakages’ role in the circular flow to make it look like I’m saying something different. And even if you were confused, even if you actually thought I was using them interchangeably, even if you couldn’t tell from context clues, and I know you knew exactly what I meant and are just employing a bad faith argument, you could have realised what I meant if you took the 5 seconds to google the concept instead of blindly continue talking about something you had never heard of before.
You were sloppy with your wording then. No worries it happens to us all sometimes. Presumably you could easily find an example of leakage being used in a academic paper or journal in the context of two developed nations rather than something like the example I gave above. I wonder if you’ll be able to.
Why would I need to do that? You either know what a leakage is or you don’t, and changing the context to two developed nations doesn’t change what a leakage is. A leakage is money exiting the domestic economy. It doesn’t matter what the economic status of the economy it ends up in,is.
Then you’ll be able to provide an example of it being used in that context if it was valid for that context. Surely someone with your knowledge of economics could do that. I guess you could keep avoiding doing that indefinitely though for some reason.
Do you know what a leakage is?And since you’re the one making the initial claim, could you link to an academic journal showing how buying the Playstation 5 is good for the economy and fighting pandemics
As I was the one who gave a pretty standard textbook example and you didn’t I’d say you work out if I do or don’t but at this point I’m not sure if you could.
What have you given a standard textbook example of?
And I’ve asked you several times to just do yourself a quick google search or to put in to wiki so you would find something like this;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_flow_of_income#Five-sector_model
And stop yourself from looking like an idiot, but I guess you can’t help yourself.
Of when economic leakage is harmful and not part the general input/output flow.
You’re talking about the context of stimulating the domestic economy. You can’t stimulate the domestic economy if that money is leaving the domestic economy. You can stimulate a foreign economy with that money, but you weren’t claiming that we should buy video game consoles because it would be good for China.
So there two things I said. One that all the attendant stuff that comes with a new console launch is helpful. E.g. marketing and advertising, accessories, YouTube channels, even discussions here that drive clicks and as revenue. But also that money won’t just sit in China or wherever it flows back either as tourism, US good being purchased, foreign students which are huge cash cow for universities.
Right and what was already addressed is that for your first point, those things have to be done for pretty much all products. So if it’s going to happen no matter the product, why not privilege those that provide a stronger injection to the US economy.
No shit the money doesn’t stay in one place forever, but you’re talking specifically about stimulating an economy during the recession. There’s a time crunch tied to that. Why would you spend money to stimulate the economy now, on the hopes that it might end up in the economy later. We’re trying not to be in a recession later. Also, with the way the money does move in China, that money is far more likely to go to South Korea than the US.
Presumably you don’t think individuals all make choices based on rational economic principles, right?What consumer goods at the same price point drive so much extra possible revenue?If Microsoft want to keep the US economy stimulated they could keep manufacturing in the US but of course that massively increases costs of goods which means less people are able to buy. So at some point it becomes better for a US company to off shore to continue to do well and stimulate the economy of their home country.People don’t make purchases based on what will stimulate the economy that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways that the economy can be stimulated through those purchases.
No one’s saying why consumers make the choices they do. What the AV Club is saying is that a recession/pandemic is a bad time to buy a big expensive new video game console. What you were saying is that buying a big expensive new video game console is good for combatting recessions and the pandemic, and I was showing why that’s based on faulty economics.
And you used rigid application of one economic theory to do that and I have been showing you why that’s not a very good method.
It’s not the rigid application of economic theory, it’s axiomatic. If money leaves the domestic economy, it’s a leakage. That’s that. You have shown nothing. You did not know what a leakage is, thought which country money is leaked into makes it not a leakage, and you had no idea about the balance of payments and every time you make a new post you reveal yourself to know even less.
Nah dude you just assumed I didn’t know what it was because I didn’t agree with how you misapplied the theory and then you had to lie about what trade was and about no next gen titles.
You have not been able to show how the theory was misapplied. You haven’t been able to show that you even understand the theory. You just argued tourism isn’t a trade.
Also, even though this Microsoft thing is a hail mary pass because you were not thinking about only buying an X Box *at all* when you made the comment about how buying a video game system is good for the economy, and I didn’t mention X Box in my first of 2 criticisms (the second one you’ve conveniently ignored), Microsoft is stilla bad choice because a) the X Box Series is not manufactured in America and b) they lose money on every X Box Series sold. You’re better off spending that money on take out.
You’re not psychic so don’t have a clue what I thought. And anyway I’ve already purchased both. Your first two criticisms were that this is US based site and that theres a pandemic and recessions in other places too. Theres nothing to ignore there.
A person doesn’t have to be psychic to read context. No, my criticism of your claim that buying video games during a recession is good for the economy is that the PS5 is far more of a leakage and there’s much better options for stimulating the economy that don’t involve such extravagance (this holds true for the XBox as well, though) and that you don’t have to buy the buy the new console to buy the new video games, so you can have mostly the same effect without the risky extravagance.
Yeah you aren’t psychic nor can you read context.My claim was that new consoles stimulate the economy not just from buying them and they do and you havent given anything that disputes that.Also a grand or 500 quid isn’t much of an extravagance on something that’s gonna last 7 or so years especially if that money wasn’t going to be spent on anything else in the next few quarters.
Except they’re not good for stimulating the economy and you know this now. Yes, it is an extravagance when you’re in a recession and you don’t have income security.
You’ll be able to prove that then instead of relying on the rigid application of a single theory onto the real world.Yes people in precarious positions shouldnt spend wildly but of course that’s always true and doesn’t apply to vast amounts of people even in a recession.
You don’t even have a counter-theory for why the circular flow of income is wrong. There’s nothing further to prove here.
As I’ve never said the circular theory is wrong you’re correct that I don’t have to prove a counter theory is true. Well done.
So if you’ve never said how it’s wrong, you’ve got no basis to demand such a specific piece of evidence.
Incorrect again. I asked you to provide and example of leakage being used in the context you brought it up in and said I’d concede. You avoided doing that.
The context that I brought it up being that if money leaves the domestic economy it’s a leakage?
From one developed nation to another. Only instances I’ve seen where leakage is damaging to an economy rather than as part of the general input/output is e.g a company in a developed nation opening a sweatshop in a 3rd world country where it extracts more money than it injects.
Why would money leaving the domestic economy be better during a recession if it ends up in England instead of Mexico?
Mexico being right next to US is somewhat weighting the question but English people spend a lot on US goods and services and pop culture and visit the US as high spending tourists a lot. If they have more money they will spend a lot of back in the US.
The UK imports more goods from Germany at a significant amount. If you wanted to stimulate the US domestic economy, why would you opt to send that money to the UK on the hopes that some of it will come back to the US domestic economy when you could just inject directly into the US domestic economy? And even if it was a straight one for one, if the US leaks $1 to to the UK, the UK will leak $1 to the US, why add that time delay? Why not inject it straight into the domestic economy?
Well first it’s not a hope that it comes back lots of it does and we weren’t just talking about goods. And besides it’s not like we’re playing with pieces on a board where you can just move them around based on the most optimal outcome for you.
Actually, lots of it doesn’t come back, the US has a huge Trade Balance Deficit.
And we’re not talking about anything other than your claim that buying new video game consoles is actually good for fighting the recession and the pandemic.
That’s trade. I gave plenty of other examples.And my claim is correct a)it is good for the economy I didn’t say it was the best or only way and you know I didn’t and b) giving people more and better reasons to stay home is good for reducing virus transmission.
The examples you listed were trade.a) It’s not good for stimulating the economy during a recession because you’ve got to factor in the balance of risk vs stimulation and the opportunity cost of such purchases. Scoring 2 points in a basketball game is better than scoring no points, but it’s not a good score.b) those people have the same reasons to stay home with or without the new console. There’s no new console exclusive titles.
Oh dude come on 😂 tourism and foreign students studying is not trade and yes there are 2 exclusive titles for next gen. If you’re just gonna lie I really can’t be arsed. Take that as vindication of your poor application of theory if you like but please remember the map is not the territory.
I have two questions;1) If you know nothing about economics, why did you get into an argument about economics.2) If you know nothing about economics and still wanted to argue about it, why didn’t you at least google your arguments before making them to make sure they’re correct.Yes, tourism is a trade. International school placements are a trade. They’re already measured in the trade deficit. This is basic, basic stuff and a quick google search would have revealed that to you.
Ok you got me for being sloppy on my wording. I did say we all do it after all. Tourism isn’t a trade deficit nor are international university placements. They are surpluses or are under non pandemic circumstances.
You: But also that money won’t just sit in China or wherever it flows back either as tourism, US good being purchased, foreign students which are huge cash cow for universities.
Me: Actually, lots of it doesn’t come back, the US has a huge Trade Balance Deficit. You: Tourism isn’t a trade deficit nor are international university placements. Ok, so now that you’ve clarified what you’ve meant; the Trade Balance Deficit already takes into account all trade surpluses, including tourism and international university placements. The US imports far more than it exports, even taking into account tourism and international university placements.
Or imagine something like a Grand Theft Auto with actual
modeled interiors for every building. Video games have been doing “look
at that mountain, you can go there” for years, so doing it faster isn’t
really that impactful. I want “look at this reasonably photorealistic
city, you can explore every inch of it without hitting a fake door, a
painted-on window, or a big empty cube pretending to be a skyscraper.”Sure, you say you want that now.But as soon as a developer actually releases a game which does it, I guarantee Kotaku will be right there with articles complaining about A) how pointless it is, because none of the buildings have anything unique or interesting in them and B) how awful the extra work has made life for the developers who had to model and test all these forty-thousand apartment interiors.
I think that the release strategies they’re using are similar to nintendo’s handhelds. The playstation 5 and switch both had a major counsel seller, but it released on the last gen system to. Xbox and 3Ds both launched without any real system sellers, but they did launch with the promise of games to come, making buying one more of an investment.
Exclusive games were the reason I made the switch from Xbox to PS4 in the last gen, and why I’ll likely stick with PS5 this time around too. Their support for FFXIV was a big factor as well.I definitely prefer the game pass model, but would trade a million copies of sea of thieves or state of decay for a Ghost of Tsushima or Horizon Zero Dawn. Ironically, homogenizing the content across consoles just makes PS5s case stronger, as its now still the only thing with any differences.
AVClub thinks DVDs and 4K were a mistake; Longs for days of VHS and 13″ B&W TV.
I’m glad you pointed out that without exclusives both machines have an identity crisis of sorts. Gamers lament exclusives but honestly they’re always the better titles.Another issue is that Sony and Microsoft have sort of given ground to other companies in ways we haven’t seen before. Doesn’t the PS5 have an actual Netflix button on its controller? That’s a really bad practice and in decades past such a thing might have been cause for someone to question unfair business practices. Most people now forget that Microsoft initially lost its case about a monopoly around the time it was including Internet Explorer, edging out other browsers. Even the PS3 was at least loaded with Sony-first things you never used and had the option to add the app for Netflix, but again, we have machines for that.Maybe it’s just the world we’re in though, but it shouldn’t be this way anyway.
A Netflix button is not on the game controller, but on the remote control that you can purchase for media playback there is. But that is true for pretty much any smart device that you have bought over the past five years, so it is pretty expected that dedicated streaming buttons like Netflix and Amazon Video appear on them.
Same difference. It has a dedicated button to a company. Saying that it’s commonplace means nothing; I already said it is. It’s precisely how this stuff has become so normalized when it absolutely shouldn’t be.
Meh. I’ll get a discless PS5 when RE: VIIIage comes out (yep, gonna keep writing it that way). Not really into the mad dash, “gotta have it NOW” shit.
I want the Series X because GamePass is too good of a deal to pass up. I might eventually get the PS5 Pro or whatever in a few years to finally play those exclusives. Yep. That’s where I’m at.
Yeah looking forward tot he eventual PS5 Slim.
“Or imagine something like a Grand Theft Auto with actual modeled interiors for every building.”Lmao. Does this site want developers suffering even more crunch or not? I mean sure procedural generation could maybe do it but it’s a dicey proposition for quality.
I’ve never been a console fanboy and have had an xbox and ps. But I would not buy a playstation. While I have not tested the new ones, all the old playstation controllers are made for child hands. I am a big guy with hands that can palm a basketball and the playstation controllers were either painful or unusable for me. Xbox controllers have always been perfect for me.
As a massive fan of the X1S controller and the 360 before it, I hated the DualShock 3 (PS3’s controller), I played through Last of Us part 1 on a borrowed PS3, the joints on my thumb were sore from my hands being cramped. I bought a PS4 eventually because many of the exclusives are undeniably good, but also they got my boy Peter Parker there. I was pleasantly surprised to find the DS4 to be a massive improvement over the DS3 (and everything before it). In fact up until my recent purchase of X1 style cotnroller for my Switch, the DS4 was my go to.
I still think the X1 beats it overall, but its a much more comfortable controller to be sure, plenty enough for my big hands. And all that is to say the DualSense (PS5s controller) is even bigger. In fact it looks so much like an X1 controller now. So I can’t imagine it going backwards in comfort at all.
I hope the perspective helps.
It does sound like sony realized the controllers were too small for the American market.
Does X-Box have Spider Man or Yakuza? No? My mind is made up then.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a release title for Xbox Series S/X. PS5 is delayed until next Spring. You could play the PS4 version in backwards compatibility, but it won’t have as solid of a framerate nor resolution as the native PS5 release.
Yakuza will be an xbox exclusive when Microsoft buys Sega.
X-box literally has three Yakuza games on game pass and the new one as a timed exclusive.
There is always that 6-12 months after console launches where you have to ask yourself if there is any compelling reason to go with a new console. Even the Switch, which had one of the best games in history as a launch title (1-2 Switch. LOL. Actual Breath of the Wild) had it also on the Wii U. The only saving grace for that was that so few people had a Wii U.Personally I am likely to buy a Xbox but not until next year sometime. I want to wait to see if there are any compelling games for it.
The PS5 is way too big and literally won’t fit the shelves where I keep my consoles (12X12). If I actually cared about any of MS’s exclusive content, this would be a good time for them. Their library still skews too far Western for me, though.
So no one is gonna mention how they shrunk the PS5 for the title image?
I got bored of my Xbox One, but there were enough exclusives on the PS4 that I wanted to play that I almost bought one during lockdown. Not having any PS5 exclusives on launch day doesn’t bother me when there’s a decent library of games for very cheap that will keep me going until the big next gen games arrive.
The 500 bucks is worth no load times
It’s the same old story everytime a next gen console launches: “…but their are no games that take advantage of the new (stuff)“. It’s the chicken or egg thing again. Invariably, the games (and the market) catch up when the economics balance out. Personally, I’m more than happy to welcome a flood of cheap PS4 consoles showing up in the pawn shop so I can upgrade from the PS3.
All I want is a Series S with a disc drive, so I can keep my 360 and OG Xbox games. “Me buying a 4k TV in the next 10 years” is pretty unlikely, TBH.
While console exclusives are less common these days, the one exception (at least thus far) has been in my genre of choice, the JRPG. Big AAA JRPGs usually release cross-platform or make the jump to Xbox eventually, but a lot of more obscure titles are Sony exclusives. In past generations, it was rare for any JRPG to see release on the Xbox. And some big ones have never made it, like FFXIV. For this reason alone, I’ve been a PlayStation loyalist since the very beginning of the brand (although the old Xbox controllers used to be legitimately too big for my tiny hands, so that also had something to do with it).I’ll be curious to see if this generation sees even more JRPGs, AAA and obscure alike, make the jump to Xbox in the same way some have been making the jump to PC. Either way, I’m pretty locked in to Sony’s gaming ecosystem now, so when I eventually make the jump to next-gen, it’ll be a PS5 that I get. My next console purchase will be a Switch, though. I never buy a new console til they release the improved 2.0 version, and I’m hoping we get the 2nd generation Switch this Spring.
What about this ‘Ray Tracing’ game I keep hearing about? Any good?
The XSX and PS5 are what last generation should have been, from the beginning.
Hey look everyone! It’s this failure. Let’s all point and laugh at them.
LOL
For me it’s really simple: Sony’s (and Nintendo’s) consoles tend to get a lot more support from Japanese publishers, and theirs are the games I tend to prefer.
I just dropped way to much money on a new gaming PC instead. The irony is the first thing I am playing on it is Breath of the Wild. I am playing it at 1440 and stable 72 FPS though which is really cool.
that’s hilarious how you made the series x look larger than ps5 in the header pic
wherefore art thou, Halo: Infinite?“wherefore” means “why”, not “where”. Just fyi.