Game News 2.0

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601433#Comment_122601433

I have a recent €1000 pc. Grand if you have use for it. Specifically for gaming, the PS5/XSX I'd hands down, far and away waaaaay better bang for buck. If you want to just put in a game and play at the best possible settings, it a few clicks. On pc you need to understand what the 48 different sliders so, how each affects the others, and most newer games are stuck in early access limbo... only then to find out your €1000 pc is not as powerful as your €550 console.

Strictly from a gaming point of view, consoles easily win hands down. What else a PC can do is irrelevant from a gaming point of view. Which is my point, always will be.

And €150 a year for a netflix of gaming... cheap!

johnny_ultimate

Even with the lack of price cuts, I do reckon the PS5 and Xbox Series X remain pretty powerful machines for the price. The limitations are there for sure, but compared to previous gens they’ve been impressively performative with demanding games. You’d struggle to put together a more reliable, future proof gaming PC at that kind of price.

I think there are obvious areas where the PC excels - upscaling options for one, and image quality seems to becoming an issue for some games on console (though sometimes down to software rather than hardware). Naturally, the highest end graphics remain the domain of the PC. Plenty of games I’ll much prefer to play on PC as I know I’ll get a better experience - wouldn’t have even considered Alan Wake 2 anywhere else. I’d say my time is split fairly evenly between PS5, Steam Deck and desktop. But also plenty of games I’d rather the comfort of couch gaming on the TV - especially when they have much better performance than would’ve been the case last gen. And in some ways - like HDR support and the sheer speed of those SSDs - I’d still say the current consoles have an edge over PC. Definitely would feel the absence if there wasn’t a current gen console under the TV.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601450#Comment_122601450

PC still has the best exclusives and back catalogue. As most of these are indie you have access to them even without a decent PC. Graphics settings really aren't that hard to understand. DF gives a good explanation. Good ports give descriptions of what each does. And of you still have issues you can always use presets although if you are into games on PC I'd be baffled if you don't get understand it or learn what they do.

Anyway I think you should think before you say Consoles are far better for gaming. That kind of language is going to rile people up because it's just plain wrong. Console gaming is far better for you and the situation you are in whereas for other the switch or PC is better for them. It's especially going to cause arguments because you aren't experienced with PC gaming so what you are saying about it isn't strictly through. I'm not insulting more observations from the former boards.ie biggest console fanboy.

But look, at least you aren't saying something completely stupid like Xbox is the ultimate way to play games.

As for how good the dualsense is, I'll see your dualsense and raise you the fact that I have a high quality Sega Saturn pad replica on my PC, the defacto best gamepad ever.

Potential-Monke

And that be my point. Bang for buck and ease of use, consoles will not be beaten there. Plus, pcs don't have Astrobot! (And technically Bloodborne, but shur that's only a meh game anyway).

Moving on from the pc/console debate, not long to go for the PS5 Pro reveal!

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601510#Comment_122601510

Please don't bring up astrobot. I could do without the reminder that I can't play it.

Potential-Monke

Ah tis good to hear you move on from Bloodborne at least!

Andrew76

Mark Cerny is the spit of that Dana Carvey chap from Wayne's World. 😁

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601526#Comment_122601526

Bloodbourne is different, I have bloodborne already and a PS4 already. It's just stuck at 30 fps with bad frame pacing on PS4. It really deserves a PC version for preservation with a PS5 60 fps version of it released.

Astrobot is something I can't play as it's stuck on an expensive console that I can't justify the price of for 1 game.

johnny_ultimate

800 euro. **** oof 😅

Andrew76

€799 for the Pro. No thanks.

Potential-Monke

Was going so well, until the price reveal.... €800!

SomeSayKos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601570#Comment_122601570

Insane price.

xtal191

Haha what a ridiculous price

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601570#Comment_122601570

And another €100 for a disc drive.

Comparing like for like it's €350 more than a digital PS5.

Retr0gamer

Ill stick with PC 😁

Did he mention 8k at all? No fecking hope the system is hitting 8k without some upscaling tech.

Grumpypants

double the power !! Woop day one purchase.

€800 …oh wait.

And the stand is sold separately… oh my.

xtal191

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601581#Comment_122601581

Jesus, I thought it was €800 with a disc drive

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601584#Comment_122601584

Double the power. Double the price.

You can have that one for free, Sony.

Andrew76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601582#Comment_122601582

Yeah I'll stick with the PS5 digital and PC. Best of both worlds. 😉

Christ though, 800 quid for slightly better visuals at 60fps (assuming the game devs bother patching their games). Really is a stretch.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601596#Comment_122601596

Does it sound like a Concord like the original PS4 Pro?

sniper_samurai

Blog post is up now.

https://blog.playstation.com/2024/09/10/welcome-playstation-5-pro-the-most-visually-impressive-way-to-play-games-on-playstation/

JimBurnley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601604#Comment_122601604

Don't mention Concord to Sony 😉

Potential-Monke

Still getting it... just... I was ready for €700 without a disc drive... and it is removing the need to select fidelity/performance... I also assume like the PS5 it'll stand without the stand so people like me who don't have pets/children won't need it.

I don't think there'll be an issue with stock anyway!!

SomeSayKos

I really think they needed to show something brand new that we haven't seen before to get people excited. Instead we got a sizzle reel of a load of games which have been out for a while which already looked good and ran well on the existing PS5.

I don't get it tbh, but then again I haven't really understood Sony's strategy at all this generation. It's an easy one to pass on this time.

Andrew76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601604#Comment_122601604

Nope. I was late to the PS5 party so mine runs nice and quiet. Ah it's a great way to play games on a big screen versus a monitor imo. Anyway, I know it's not a worthwhile purchase for yourself.

Still surprised at that price, assumed it was going to be 600 quid or thereabouts. Looking on Smyths, the PS5 Digital Slim is €450 - almost half the price of a pro. Other than Digital Foundry and some YouTubers, I can't see many folks upgrading.

Retr0gamer

Looking at the tech specs I'm really not convinced it's a massive upgrade. The GPU is really impressive, 3 times the TF of the original and twice the cores.

The big issue is there's barely any upgrade to the CPU and RAM. CPU limited games will still be CPU limited so will be hard to drive them to 60fps and the VRAM means higher resolutions will be hard to drive despite the impressive GPU. I get the feeling the AI upscaling is going to be doing the heavy lifting here, especially in CPU limited games, which seems to be quite a few games this gen.

SomeSayKos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601625#Comment_122601625

I mean, we're nearly 4 years into this gen, so you'd have to imagine PS6 is probably going to be out in around 2 years or so? Why would I spend 800 euro now, when I can just wait and get the PS6 in 2026 for 1,700 euro?

johnny_ultimate

As I said earlier, I think the base consoles are actually pretty good machines and reasonable value.

But to anyone considering parting with the best part of 1000 quid for a Pro with a disc drive? For the love of god: just get a f***ing PC instead.

McDermotX

Wee bit more

https://blog.playstation.com/2024/09/10/welcome-playstation-5-pro-the-most-visually-impressive-way-to-play-games-on-playstation/

The main benefit of the PS5 Pro is it will allow for Fidelity level graphics at Performance level frame rates. It does this with three key features, as laid out by PlayStation:

Upgraded GPU: With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67 percent more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28 percent faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45 percent faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother.

Advanced Ray Tracing: We've added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console.

AI-Driven Upscaling: We're also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.

Additionally, the console has PS5 Pro Game Boost, which PlayStation says will apply to "more than 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games playable on PS5 Pro".

Says PlayStation: "This feature may stabilise or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games is also available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games. PS5 Pro will also launch with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in territories supporting this standard. VRR and 8K gaming are also supported."

Some games you can look forward to include blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios and our third-party partners, such as Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more. 

We kept the look of the PS5 Pro consistent with the overall PS5 family of products. You’ll notice the height is the same size as the original PS5, and the width is the same size as the current PS5 model to accommodate higher performance specs. Players can add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive, or swap out console covers when they become available.

PS5 Pro fits perfectly within the PS5 family of products and is compatible with the PS5 accessories currently available, including PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal, DualSense Edge, Access controller, Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore. The user interface and network services will also remain the same as PS5.

The PS5 Pro console will be available this holiday at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $699.99 USD, £699.99 GBP, €799.99 EUR, and ¥119,980 JPY (includes tax). It will include a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed in every PS5 Pro purchase. PS5 Pro is available as a disc-less console, with the option to purchase the currently available Disc Drive for PS5 separately.

PS5 Pro will launch on November 7, 2024 and will be available at participating retailers and directly from PlayStation at direct.playstation.com. Preorders will begin on September 26, 2024.

sniper_samurai

When accounting for inflation it still costs more than a PS3 did at launch in Europe, plus an extra €100 to add a disc drive.

Retr0gamer

It will be interesting to see Sony's approach to AI upscaling, especially with AMD so far behind Nvidia and their tensor cores. Sony have some excellent engineers when it comes to innovative software solutions like these. Also their findings could get ported to RDNA3 AMD cards.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601654#Comment_122601654

I have one. It cost over €1000 as is not as good as my PS5. So to build something to compete with the Pro specs would be... considerably more due to the price or GPUs these days?

Tis a shock. I'll be doing a lot of mental justifying, but this is what I work for, so while a lot higher than expected, I will still be getting it. For the amount of time I put into the PS5, it kinda makes sense. It's like spending €800 to upgrade your GPU...

McFly85

Good lord that’s hefty! I’ll see you for the PS6 then Sony!

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601671#Comment_122601671

Very quick Google has a pre built PC with a 3060 that will wipe the floor with a PS5 and do upscaling to 4K with DLSS for less than a grand.

https://www.pcspecialist.ie/next-day-computers/1624/gshop/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3P-2BhAEEiwA3yPhwCSrSR6OZbbA2x0myl-01DsftQYrATn02F7UTk4-sflgTd5THj2AQRoCKHEQAvD_BwE

Penn

Just caught up. I was definitely getting it until I saw the price. 800 though, with no disk drive... that's 133 quid extra per "big three" over the PS5 digital.

I still might, but if they're making a dickhead like me question whether to get it or not, they've really missed the mark.

There definitely won't be struggles getting one for Xmas anyway...

McDermotX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu0NA6CnkjY&ab_channel=CNET

.,..

Sony aren't thick. What better way to butter up media than allowing them to swap between 60 and 30 FPS presentation at the drop of a controller - to say that skews perception is putting it lightly 😂

McFly85

Have to imagine the pricing is due in part to the fact that they have no competition in the premium console space this generation. If MS had a similar upgrade they’d unlikely to be so bold with it. Maybe a look into how bleak the console space would be with one dominant brand.

It certainly seems overpriced for the updates you’ll get.

J. Marston

Maybe my old mid-30s eyes don't pick up the FIDELITY™ as much but are the graphics really that much better? Like he showed and mentioned in Rift Apart, the background parade NPCs a mile in the distance are a tiny bit more rendered and a building in the far distance in TLOU2 looks ever so slightly crisper.

Do people actually give a toss about that?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601768#Comment_122601768

It will definitely look sharper at native or upscaled 4K but anything above 4K will be diminishing returns and I very much doubt people own a 8K TV at the price they go for.

60 fps will be the bigger jump.

johnny_ultimate

No doubt there’s an improvement there, but absolutely not worthy of the price.

The problem is they also focused largely on first party games - almost of all of which run tremendously well as is. It would have been much more useful to see the upgrades to games like Final Fantasy 16 / 7 Rebirth or Dragon’s Dogma 2 which have big image quality and/or performance compromises.

Potential-Monke

Thinking about it, the standard PS5 Slim is €450, so 45% increase in power, coupled with a 2TB SSD... sounds about right at €850 now. Not sure what games are bottlenecked by the CPU?

I think that video above hits it right. For most people it may not make enough of a difference, but people like me who are gaming 4ft away from a 55" top end OLED, it makes more sense.

Most of this is convincing myself it's OK to spend that much! I'll use my digital library for a week or two to take the sting out of having to buy a disc drive…

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601796#Comment_122601796

Baldurs Gate 3 is cpu limited, hell it's severely bottlenecked on pc let alone consoles.

McFly85

Have a top of the line OLED too I got specifically for gaming and would be interested in a PS5 upgrade but it’s an insane jump in price for what amounts to a resolution bump/RT on some games.

The PS5 is 4 years old, an upgrade that small should not be the most expensive mainstream console ever(by a distance).

If this is what’s going up be a normal price for consoles going forward I might have to start staying one generation behind.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601815#Comment_122601815

I think the 3DO is still more expensive when adjusted for inflation. Absolutely mind boggling it's that price though.

Potential-Monke

Handy site for a quick overview of how expensive older consoles were. Atari 2600 cost more than the PS5 Pro... and SNK barely beats the 3DO.

https://www.inflationstation.net/

We've probably been underpaying for consoles for a long time now, but with MS dropping the ball, Sony are starting to think much of themselves and, well, here we are with a €800 mid gen refresh...

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601813#Comment_122601813

Dragons Dogma 2 as well. Hell even PC struggles with it. Space Marine 2 as well apparently.

GPU though is quite a jump. RDNA 3 is a new tech as well with new features. It's just you need RAM for increased resolution so I'm imagining AI upscaling will be used here to reach high resolutions. RT will see improvements.

Also the CPU will be a concern for higher framerates, you need CPU for those CPU bound games so I'd image stuff like balders gate and dragons Dogma 2 might not even see a framerates boost.

sniper_samurai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601864#Comment_122601864

I think the prices have been fine. Economics of scale need to come into the pricing a bit with the really old consoles as the demand wasn't there to build in the numbers needed to significantly reduce production costs.

About the only outliers would be the 3DO and the PS3. I'll give the Neo Geo a pass as it's literally arcade hardware stuck into a console, hell the games cost more than a Mega Drive or SNES by themselves.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122601864#Comment_122601864

I think we can discount the Neo Geo and the 3DO. The Neo Geo was a premium product, basically an arcade at home. The 3DO couldn't be subsidized like a normal console as the producers needed to make a profit from hardware sales and paid a license to manufacturer whereas the current platform holders can sell at a loss and make money back on software licensing.

johnny_ultimate

To be fair to Cerny, he did a very good job explaining what the new console is in layman’s terms. Simple, accessible and (mostly) non-hyperbolic. PSSR in particular is a very welcome addition to console hardware.

Sadly, it didn’t really matter as soon as that price graphic popped up.

CastorTroy

I remember there was a time when the Euro price was the same as the dollar price withjust the sign changed and the sterling would be about 50 less.

So this would be something like $699.99 / £649.99 / €699.99 instead of $699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99

When did that conversion change? Like $700 is less than €650.