PS4/Xbox One Discussion

[FerrariFan87]

In about a week or two I'm gonna try and return the 360 I bought and buy a Xbox one. The fantasy football app sold me on it.

I don't feel like buying new games though.

Better make sure of the store's return policy... don't wanna be late!

[Gordo52]

Better make sure of the store's return policy... don't wanna be late!

Yeah that would suck lol. I'm not even going to search how much one of those are right now

[TheRavenouseD2008]

Valve and Panasonic to Make the Steam box by next christmas

[theFRANCHISE]

Day One launch numbers are about even for both the Xbox One and PS4, with both having sold 1 million units.

 

The difference? Xbox One sold 1 million worldwide...but the PS4 sold 1 million in North America alone. Sony doesn't launch in Europe and Japan (its biggest markets) until next week and early next year, respectively.

 

Public relations clearly played a huge part here. Well-done by Sony to bounce back after the mistakes made during their last launch.

[ravensfan160]

Day One launch numbers are about even for both the Xbox One and PS4, with both having sold 1 million units.

 

The difference? Xbox One sold 1 million worldwide...but the PS4 sold 1 million in North America alone. Sony doesn't launch in Europe and Japan (its biggest markets) until next week and early next year, respectively.

 

Public relations clearly played a huge part here. Well-done by Sony to bounce back after the mistakes made during their last launch.

And Sony has historically done much better worldwide than Microsoft in console sales. If that continues PS4 could have a significant sales advantage.

[T3hRaven]

And Sony has historically done much better worldwide than Microsoft in console sales. If that continues PS4 could have a significant sales advantage.

 

Their one big advantage is in Japan, but my understanding is that the Japanese are becoming increasingly more portable console oriented.  That might not be as big of an advantage as it was.

 

In the end, it all comes down to the games.  We haven't really seen the exclusive heavy hitters come out for either console outside of the teaser for Halo.  I don't expect Microsoft to 'win' this generation though after all of their numerous missteps early on.  There's a reason the guy in charge of Xbox was fired.  Don't believe the lie, no one would want to go to Zynga unless they had to.

 

Scratch that, apparently Naughty Dog brought out the big guns.  http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-15-naughty-dog-unveils-uncharted-for-ps4-with-teaser-trailer

Edited November 24, 2013 by T3hRaven

[theFRANCHISE]

Scratch that, apparently Naughty Dog brought out the big guns.  http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-15-naughty-dog-unveils-uncharted-for-ps4-with-teaser-trailer

 

Any publisher would be lucky to have Naughty Dog as a first-party studio, but for Sony to have Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, both of whom have a long history of great franchises and a terrific pedigree to match? That's ridiculous.

 

That's not to mention Sony's own self-branded studios in Santa Monica (God of War), San Diego (MLB: The Show), and Japan (Ico).

 

Microsoft owns some impressive properties in Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport, but their own first-party stable of developers doesn't have much distinction. In fact, despite Gears of War being Microsoft-exclusive, Microsoft doesn't even own the studio who developed the series.

[T3hRaven]

Microsoft owns some impressive properties in Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport, but their own first-party stable of developers doesn't have much distinction. In fact, despite Gears of War being Microsoft-exclusive, Microsoft doesn't even own the studio who developed the series.

 

They do need to do a better job of getting exclusive titles.  I still think they should have tried to buy BioWare before EA bought them.

[theFRANCHISE]

They do need to do a better job of getting exclusive titles.  I still think they should have tried to buy BioWare before EA bought them.

 

I'd argue that, rather than focus on getting exclusive licenses, Microsoft needs to scout and acquire studios. That way, they can cultivate an ecosystem of titles from within rather than mining titles from the outside, and they'd have more control over the quality of the final product.

[T3hRaven]

I'd argue that, rather than focus on getting exclusive licenses, Microsoft needs to scout and acquire studios. That way, they can cultivate an ecosystem of titles from within rather than mining titles from the outside, and they'd have more control over the quality of the final product.

 

That's essentially what I was saying, but if they have exclusive deals with outside studios that's not really a big deal in today's industry.  I don't think there's that big of a disparity.  Sony doesn't have that many exclusives either, and the ones they do have, as good as they might be, are not anywhere close to the level that Halo is on as a system seller.  I'll also point out that they have Lionhead, and the Fable games have been fairly enjoyable as well.  But they really need something else, which is why I said they should have bought BioWare.  I don't know what Bethesda's financial situation is, but when ESO fails maybe they'll be in a position where they need to get absorbed and Microsoft should really make a push for them.

 

I don't think that ecosystem, as you put it, is as important in today's industry.  It's almost impossible to publish a major title outside of a big publisher now, that's part of the reason BioWare let themselves get absorbed into the Evil Armada.

 

I might wind up with a PS4 or Xbox One earlier than I planned.  Someone is trying to get me one and I'm not really in a position to tell them no.

[Cville-Raven]

I'd argue that, rather than focus on getting exclusive licenses, Microsoft needs to scout and acquire studios. That way, they can cultivate an ecosystem of titles from within rather than mining titles from the outside, and they'd have more control over the quality of the final product.

Yeah, the lack of quality studios is one of the reasons I'm not getting a Xbox one right now. Naughty Dog is just too damn good at the moment. 

[ThePurpleWall]

actually ps4 has not said anything about future games, where xbox one has, ps4 and xbox one wont play your ps3 or xbox 360 games.

[Cville-Raven]

actually ps4 has not said anything about future games

uh.....Uncharted 4 was announced during the PS4 launch.

[theFRANCHISE]

actually ps4 has not said anything about future games, where xbox one has, ps4 and xbox one wont play your ps3 or xbox 360 games.

 

Sony will offer the ability to stream PS3 games on PS4 in 2014 using Gaikai, a streaming service they acquired awhile ago.

 

There are no details about how this will work, but most likely, it'll involve inserting a physical disc for verification and paying a one-time $5 or $10 license fee for access to that digital copy, OR they may allow you to purchase a digital copy without a disc for a higher fee. Just speculation on my part.

[T3hRaven]

Actually Naughty Dog isn't only Sony's now, Sunset Overdrive is gonna be an Xbox one exclusive. 

 

That's Insomniac, not Naughty Dog.  They used to make Spyro and Ratchet & Clank.

[monkeycatt]

That's Insomniac, not Naughty Dog.  They used to make Spyro and Ratchet & Clank.

think they made the resistance games too?

[T3hRaven]

think they made the resistance games too?

 

Indeed.  Were those any good?  I remember the trailers looked interesting back around the PS3 launch, but I never got around to picking them up.  And outside of the 3 $20 RPGs I'm picking up cause I'm wicked bored, I'm probably done buying titles for this generation of consoles.

[bauer77]

That's Insomniac, not Naughty Dog.  They used to make Spyro and Ratchet & Clank.

 

Derp. Yeah idk what i was thinking. lol

[monkeycatt]

resistance series is well worth playing if you're into shooters.  i believe you can pick up all 3 in a pack for pretty cheap nowadays. 

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Microsoft owns some impressive properties in Halo, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport, but their own first-party stable of developers doesn't have much distinction. In fact, despite Gears of War being Microsoft-exclusive, Microsoft doesn't even own the studio who developed the series.

 

Actually, there's been stuff floating around that GoW could eventually make its way to PS4 if they release another entry. Microsoft doesn't own the Gears IP so if Epic wants to put it on the PS4, they can do so.

 

Sony will likely continue its dominance when it comes to first-parties but I think Microsoft will do better this time around. Having the first Titanfall be exclusive to Microsoft platforms is huge since it's probably the most hyped next-gen title. Quantum Break will likely be fantastic (love Remedy), Halo is going to be amazing on the XB1 hardware, and you have Fable Legends coming from Lionhead Studios. Not to mention they've been slightly hyping up whatever Black Tusk is working on. 

 

Microsoft will have to keep their exclusives library going. Can't be like the last few years of the 360's life. 

[Cville-Raven]

Actually, there's been stuff floating around that GoW could eventually make its way to PS4 if they release another entry. Microsoft doesn't own the Gears IP so if Epic wants to put it on the PS4, they can do so.

Sony will likely continue its dominance when it comes to first-parties but I think Microsoft will do better this time around. Having the first Titanfall be exclusive to Microsoft platforms is huge since it's probably the most hyped next-gen title. Quantum Break will likely be fantastic (love Remedy), Halo is going to be amazing on the XB1 hardware, and you have Fable Legends coming from Lionhead Studios. Not to mention they've been slightly hyping up whatever Black Tusk is working on.

Microsoft will have to keep their exclusives library going. Can't be like the last few years of the 360's life.

I have a gut feeling 343i is working on two games. They definitely have the budget and amount of employees to do so; not to mention they have also contracted other studios to help them dev stuff over the past couple years. I find it interesting that you mention Gears could go multi-platform, didn't know that property was owned by Epic. I still think they need more than just 343, turn10, Lionhead, and remedy. They have a couple others but those are their strongest studios, although Im not a big fan of Lionahead as of late.

[FerrariFan87]

What are your guys' thoughts on PS4 and XB1 in terms of their indie game offerings? Do you think Sony's advantage in that regard puts them over-the-top, upcoming global sales notwithstanding?

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

I have a gut feeling 343i is working on two games. They definitely have the budget and amount of employees to do so; not to mention they have also contracted other studios to help them dev stuff over the past couple years. I find it interesting that you mention Gears could go multi-platform, didn't know that property was owned by Epic. I still think they need more than just 343, turn10, Lionhead, and remedy. They have a couple others but those are their strongest studios, although Im not a big fan of Lionahead as of late.

It's been said that MS has been investing heavily in 1st party studios. That's why I mentioned Black Tusk (formerly known as Microsoft Vancouver) which has been tasked with creating a AAA title to go along with Halo. They've been hiring veteran developers from various other popular franchises (Crysis, COD, Splinter Cell, etc) so we could see Black Tusk become a big studio this generation. MS knows they have to step their game up when it comes to 1st party games or they'll fall behind Sony again.

http://www.oxm.co.uk/64637/features/just-what-exactly-is-black-tusk-studios-working-on/

What are your guys' thoughts on PS4 and XB1 in terms of their indie game offerings? Do you think Sony's advantage in that regard puts them over-the-top, upcoming global sales notwithstanding?

I see Sony having the advantage when it comes to indies for the near future but I expect that gap to close as time goes on. Remember any retail XB1 can be used as a dev-kit which will huge for the indie scene. The indie scene for the XB1 has a good chance to be just as good as the PS4's. We'll see. Edited November 26, 2013 by EnVy_CaLiBeR

[Cville-Raven]

It's been said that MS has been investing heavily in 1st party studios. That's why I mentioned Black Tusk (formerly known as Microsoft Vancouver) which has been tasked with creating a AAA title to go along with Halo. They've been hiring veteran developers from various other popular franchises (Crysis, COD, Splinter Cell, etc) so we could see Black Tusk become a big studio this generation. MS knows they have to step their game up when it comes to 1st party games or they'll fall behind Sony again.

http://www.oxm.co.uk/64637/features/just-what-exactly-is-black-tusk-studios-working-on/

Yeah, whatever they're working on is definitely intriguing. Sony will still probably acquire Ready at Dawn and Quantic Dream.

[T3hRaven]

Does the indie scene really matter? I'm not paying hundreds of dollars to play the equivalent of SNES games. But maybe I'm just a snob for expecting a minimum threshold of graphics and gameplay at this point in time.

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Does the indie scene really matter? I'm not paying hundreds of dollars to play the equivalent of SNES games. But maybe I'm just a snob for expecting a minimum threshold of graphics and gameplay at this point in time.

I actually feel that way to an extent as we'll but you can't discount indies. Two of the biggest games from last year were smaller scale projects (Journey and Walking Dead). The indie scene is blowing because it allows for smaller developers without big budgets to get their games on consoles and allows for developers to take risks when it comes to the concepts in games. It's hard to take risks in retail games nowadays because of the money it takes to put out a retail game(especially now when you got companies like Square Enix not making profit after selling millions of copies of Tomb Raider).

Indie games will be the middle ground for this generation in terms of money needed to be put into game and allows for developers to take game design chances that they would be scared to take with millions going into a project, due to fear that it would flop.

[T3hRaven]

It's hard for me to see a title branded after The Walking Dead as an indie, but I get what you're saying. While it's great for indies to experiment, I think their impact at advancing mainstream gameplay will be minimal. I'm certainly not condemning them, I'm sitting on a few indies i nabbed during the Steam sale, I just wish we as a gaming community allowed for more innovation. At the same time, if companies didn't rush their games or try to make a grab for massive amounts of money with little effort on every title there wouldn't be so many failures. I don't think people mind paying for a quality product. Look at the companies who take their time and only put out good stuff, when was Rockstar's last failure? Honestly, I don't think it's inaccurate to say the soft core kids who think they're hard core that buy those yearly iterations of COD are hurting the industry at large. That's why I'm hoping Quantum Break, Watch Dogs, or any of the other new IPs will give us something new and get us out of sequel hell.

But you'd think someone would come up with a way to lower the development costs by now.

Edited November 26, 2013 by T3hRaven

[FerrariFan87]

Reading in the latest Game Informer about The Order: 1886, a PS4 exclusive. It looks really, really good.

 

PS4 seems to have the lead in terms of exclusives, at least for now...

[TheRavenouseD2008]

Raven  Watchdogs looks amazing on both consoles and on 360 and ps3  and pc .....I am hoping it gets us out of that mess too I am sick of this game 40  storys get stale after a while unless you are hirering a master writer  like clancy(rip)

[T3hRaven]

Got my hands on a PS4 controller, and it is an improvement, albeit not as large as I was hoping.  They'd be better served by offsetting the sticks like the Xbox controller.  The sticks can still interfere with each other.  But holding it felt much more natural and the triggers were improved.