Yeah the PS5 is pretty reasonably priced for what you get. I think the issue is two fold:
We already have really expensive machines that probably play games much better than the PS5 in frames and quality so buying another machine for a handful of games is just not in the cards.
Many of us much prefer keyboard/mouse and using controllers is really hard when you’ve not done it in many years.
I think we just wish Playstation was more friendly to PC players and not have these long exclusives (they’ve gotten a lot better recently though). Microsoft for example is a lot friendlier to PC players than Sony. Pretty much all MS first party games are on PC pretty much day one and many of them are on GamePass day one as well.
Yeah while MS does also “own” the PC ecosystem via Windows, I’d bet MS probably makes more money off of an individual Xbox player than a PC player which should make them a bit less friendly to PC.
For starters:
Steam takes a 30% cut of all sales
Sales and prices are usually much better on Steam than consoles so a lot of people wait for that number to drop over time
For most multiplayer games you need to pay for Xbox Gold which is upwards of $50-$60 a year (or gamepass which is even more, though you get more out of it).
You have to buy the console (this really depends on if MS actually makes money on console sales though) to play the game too.
Microsoft doesn’t have to put their games on PC if they don’t want to and in the past they kind of didn’t (no one liked GFWL). They could totally go the exclusive route again, but I think MS knows that Xbox die-hard will buy an Xbox console and obviously buy the games on the xbox store for whatever it cost. PC players will also buy it if it’s a good game and a good price and, this is crucial, is on Steam.
PC players are an untapped resource of potential customers; That’s why Sony finally decided to also cave and put their games on Steam. Money is money, but the difference is MS is betting big on GamePass and good-will right now since they are behind Sony in sales. I think because they’re behind Sony and trying to earn that good-will back, MS becomes more friendly to PC by putting their games on PC day one and on GamePass day one whereas Sony is still going with the 1-year (or more) PS5 exclusivity thing.
The interesting thing will be if MS ever gets back on top again, who knows what that looks like, but it’ll probably suck.
I agree with most of your points. Just wanted to point out that for MS games Linux compatibility is not planned. Not saying that other studios are supporting Linux, very few are but I wanted say that MS is Windows friendly not PC friendly.
That’s totally fair. I’m not sure where MS’ steam games fall on “working with linux” via Proton. I haven’t heard them being actively hostile like Bungie is with Destiny, but I’m not sure where that’s at.
Your last line reminds me of AMD Vs Intel battle. AMD was cheaper and better value for a lot of years till they were lagging behind Intel on performance. But the moment they attained parity with Intel with their Zen CPUs, they also started pricing their CPUs higher than Intel and also completely abandoned the low end market. Intel’s cheapest 12th gen CPU is currently more than 20% cheaper than AMDs cheapest Ryzen 5000 series CPU here in India.
That’s all true and it’s never really bothered me because, possible hot take incoming, PS exclusives are pretty milquetoast. I will concede that Sony’s first party studios have honed their ability to make “open world third person action game with crafting and stealth elements” with impressive consistency, but that’s the most common genre of AAA game and IMO Sony isn’t even making the best ones, just accessible and consistently above average ones.
If you want that kind of game you have a zillion options on every platform.
but TotK is just GMod with Zelda models and poorly written furry fanfic. Some great elements there, but nothing special, and I’d say it fits in your ‘above average open world games’
Zelda is definitely a pretty mid tier open world game, both botw and tolk but it gets a pass cause it’s Zelda. And it’s pretty fun as well in terms of abilities and combat
If PC is your platform of choice and you’re looking for alternative then yea, ps5 or any other console won’t fulfill that need. If you’re looking for a complimentary console then ps5/switch are perfect depending on what you’re looking for in exclusives and functionality.
I agree with that for most people. I’m a bit of a weirdo who has a PC and Xbox Series X. I bought the X purely so I can play Destiny from my recliner chair on days where I just can’t sit at my desk anymore. It (along with GamePass) has also benefited my wife immensely. She’s played so many games on GamePass on the Xbox, it’s great.
Most recently I tried to make my PC hybrid between desk and TV and the experience was so frustratingly bad. Trying to send audio to 2 different places was bad (even with Voicemeter) and then the monitors kept getting all screwed up because of the TV being sometimes seen and sometimes not. It was a terrible experience. Eventually I said screw it and built a completely dedicated PC for my tv couch gaming and it honestly works pretty damn great.
I just want Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, and FFXVI on PC. The first is a wash, the second might be coming soon, and the third needs a year to be ported.
Yeah the PS5 is pretty reasonably priced for what you get. I think the issue is two fold:
I think we just wish Playstation was more friendly to PC players and not have these long exclusives (they’ve gotten a lot better recently though). Microsoft for example is a lot friendlier to PC players than Sony. Pretty much all MS first party games are on PC pretty much day one and many of them are on GamePass day one as well.
All MS first party games are on PC because MS owns the PC ecosystem. Not because MS is friendlier💀
Yeah while MS does also “own” the PC ecosystem via Windows, I’d bet MS probably makes more money off of an individual Xbox player than a PC player which should make them a bit less friendly to PC.
For starters:
Microsoft doesn’t have to put their games on PC if they don’t want to and in the past they kind of didn’t (no one liked GFWL). They could totally go the exclusive route again, but I think MS knows that Xbox die-hard will buy an Xbox console and obviously buy the games on the xbox store for whatever it cost. PC players will also buy it if it’s a good game and a good price and, this is crucial, is on Steam.
PC players are an untapped resource of potential customers; That’s why Sony finally decided to also cave and put their games on Steam. Money is money, but the difference is MS is betting big on GamePass and good-will right now since they are behind Sony in sales. I think because they’re behind Sony and trying to earn that good-will back, MS becomes more friendly to PC by putting their games on PC day one and on GamePass day one whereas Sony is still going with the 1-year (or more) PS5 exclusivity thing.
The interesting thing will be if MS ever gets back on top again, who knows what that looks like, but it’ll probably suck.
I agree with most of your points. Just wanted to point out that for MS games Linux compatibility is not planned. Not saying that other studios are supporting Linux, very few are but I wanted say that MS is Windows friendly not PC friendly.
That’s totally fair. I’m not sure where MS’ steam games fall on “working with linux” via Proton. I haven’t heard them being actively hostile like Bungie is with Destiny, but I’m not sure where that’s at.
Your last line reminds me of AMD Vs Intel battle. AMD was cheaper and better value for a lot of years till they were lagging behind Intel on performance. But the moment they attained parity with Intel with their Zen CPUs, they also started pricing their CPUs higher than Intel and also completely abandoned the low end market. Intel’s cheapest 12th gen CPU is currently more than 20% cheaper than AMDs cheapest Ryzen 5000 series CPU here in India.
That’s all true and it’s never really bothered me because, possible hot take incoming, PS exclusives are pretty milquetoast. I will concede that Sony’s first party studios have honed their ability to make “open world third person action game with crafting and stealth elements” with impressive consistency, but that’s the most common genre of AAA game and IMO Sony isn’t even making the best ones, just accessible and consistently above average ones.
If you want that kind of game you have a zillion options on every platform.
As someone who played and enjoyed most of the PS exclusives, +1 for the take. What games do you think are “the best ones”?
Compared to my previous take this one is ice cold, but Elden Ring and Tears of the Kingdom.
but TotK is just GMod with Zelda models and poorly written furry fanfic. Some great elements there, but nothing special, and I’d say it fits in your ‘above average open world games’
Hot take
So hot that it feels like I’m playing a totally different game than reviewers
Zelda is definitely a pretty mid tier open world game, both botw and tolk but it gets a pass cause it’s Zelda. And it’s pretty fun as well in terms of abilities and combat
I love spending half of combat searching through menus…
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… it is, to date, the best reviewed game of the year
It deserves a good review, but I’d say it’s nowhere near the best game.
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If PC is your platform of choice and you’re looking for alternative then yea, ps5 or any other console won’t fulfill that need. If you’re looking for a complimentary console then ps5/switch are perfect depending on what you’re looking for in exclusives and functionality.
I agree with that for most people. I’m a bit of a weirdo who has a PC and Xbox Series X. I bought the X purely so I can play Destiny from my recliner chair on days where I just can’t sit at my desk anymore. It (along with GamePass) has also benefited my wife immensely. She’s played so many games on GamePass on the Xbox, it’s great.
Most recently I tried to make my PC hybrid between desk and TV and the experience was so frustratingly bad. Trying to send audio to 2 different places was bad (even with Voicemeter) and then the monitors kept getting all screwed up because of the TV being sometimes seen and sometimes not. It was a terrible experience. Eventually I said screw it and built a completely dedicated PC for my tv couch gaming and it honestly works pretty damn great.
I just want Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, and FFXVI on PC. The first is a wash, the second might be coming soon, and the third needs a year to be ported.
Pretty decent mix of situations, I guess.
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