Now that both consoles have been revealed, it's safe to say the next gen is looking pretty darn cool. For me, it's going to be the PS5 rather than the Xbox. Anyone else looking to pick up a new console? If so which one and what games are you camping at the bit to play?
I have heard about the XBox Series X for a while now and have only just realised from this thread that it is a new console - I had assumed it was yet another iteration of the XBox One. I think there could be a danger here that MS are are going to fall into the same problem Nintendo had with the Wii U where it wasn't obvious that it was a new and better machine than the Wii.
It's early days, but I agree - the PS5 looks the more interesting proposition with what we know so far. I think the fast SSD and custom SSD controller have the potential to be a real game changer. The Ratchet and Clank game seems to show this off very well, as it appears to instantly transport you to entirely new game areas without any discernible pause for loading the new data. As we're very much in the realm of diminishing returns with graphics improvements, it's something like this that gives you a "this wasn't possible before" feeling, which is what's needed when a new generation arrives.
Honestly? I will probably buy a PC.
I'm not really buying the hype yet.
Last generation they were saying loading times would be a thing of the past. That was a load of rubbish. They also launched with hard drives which weren't really big enough.
For this generation all I really wanted was controllers with decent DPads (the PS5 still has the crappy segmented design) and a simple console design that would fit nicely under the telly.
It doesn't look like either will deliver on that score.
A lot of what they promised last time was dependent on being introduced alongside dystopian DRM measures, always-on internet, and various other money-squeezing tactics like one-use discs, but for there was a lot of pushback against a mandatory front-facing camera and microphone that constantly monitors your use of the console to ensure that only one person is playing a game or watching a movie.
My main memory of why I resisted shifting to PS4 will be that Sony took two years to implement media playback - which could then only be done from an external hard drive - despite capturing and storing video not only being built into the machine from day one, but there was even a dedicated button on the fucking controller for just that purpose. It was just a tactic to get you using subscription-based apps on the console, and the media player they did eventually implement on PS4 is legendarily awful.
Will probably get a PS5 in about three or four years once there's a few decent exclusive games to get.
Quote from: I, Cosh on 15 June, 2020, 09:03:46 AM
Will probably get a PS5 in about three or four years once there's a few decent exclusive games to get.
Seconded. Besides loading times, there's not really much else to attract me. Plus my existing console works fine, and I have a ton of unfinished games for it. It plays my DVDs and Blurays to a good standard, and already accommodates 3D for a 3D-ready TV or through PSVR. 4K streaming/disc play? Not massively interested.
If it is retailing at £500 it is going to take a large drop in price and superb quality games to make my PS4 obsolete.
Pretty much what them 2 said. No reason to upgrade yet.
I'm thinking of purchasing a machine after about a decade in the wilderness, but I'd be more likely to wait till the new generations are released, then just purchase a reduced PS4 and grab a pile of games, hopefully at reduced prices.
Consoles rarely hold my attention for more than 2 or 3 of the release games, but I'm okay with that! For Xbox One, it was Tomb Raider, the new version of Rock Band (1000's of hours into that series), and one of the Lego games that my wife really took an interest in. Now, years later, I've bought the follow-up Tomb Raider, and that's it. Once again, my interest swerved aside, in this instance to PC and Switch, although we still regularly play Rock Band Rivals.
That said I always enjoy the excitement of a new console release, even though these days it's really about what ecosystem and exclusives you prefer, not a mind-blowing step-up in fidelity like it was in the early days. I stuck with Microsoft last time, and have regretted not being able to play Last of Us and a few other really good looking exclusives. This time around, I'm not sure which way I'll go.
I will say this though: a stripped-down console, with no BluRay and a nice big SSD, is exactly what I'm looking for.
Tricky one for me this. It all comes down to complacency. Sony were killing it with the PS2 but got a bit cocky and handed the next gen to Microsoft and the Xbox 360 (at least in Europe).
But the disasterous Xbox One launch was M$ at their most complacent worst and so the PS4 absolutely killed it this gen.
However, M$ learned from it and actually the Xbox One X is a great bit of kit and the Game Pass thing is very clever. Also, the backwards compatibility with the 360 is great for someone like me as I had like 500 digital games on the 360. BUT I never bought any kind of Xbox One because of how badly they cocked it up.
Conversely, Sony have really rested on their laurels with the PS4. The insistence on pushing PS Now rather than adding any backwards compatibility is one example. PS+ is often useless in terms of the games it gives.
But I do run a PS4 only review site and so I'm probably going to get a PS5 to keep it going. And I'll have to do it day one. But I can't help thinking that Xbox might have the better ideas this gen.
Quote from: repoman on 18 June, 2020, 10:09:06 AMIt all comes down to complacency. Sony were killing it with the PS2 but got a bit cocky and handed the next gen to Microsoft and the Xbox 360 (at least in Europe).
I'd argue it was the other way around, and that Microsoft were so cocky they lost not just their monopoly on the 7th gen market and a year's head start over what was clearly a janky machine*, but also their chance to win the format wars. Sony weren't complacent but using the PS3 in a long game with the development of Blu-ray - kind of like they were with the PS4 when they released a pretty underwhelming console onto the market but had the sense not to tell the world Sony were planning on using it to film their consumers sleeping, a strategy which sadly escaped Microsoft with the XB1 but which they at least learned in time for the release of the last few versions of Windows.
* which doubled as a heater in the winter if you lived in a small flat like I did
With the PS3 it was the fact that they stripped out existing features like backwards compatibility and thought that they could justify the high asking price.
You're right about the 360 hardware though. I must have gone through five of them!
Yeah, losing PS2 compatibility boiled my piss at the time, but it did allow the price of units to go down, and like I say, Sony were about the long game for blu-ray more than they were retaining brand loyalists or people with large PS2 libraries - both of whom would arguably have had one of the first-wave PS2-compatible machines already.
Quote from: repoman on 19 June, 2020, 10:15:14 AMYou're right about the 360 hardware though. I must have gone through five of them!
I was talking about the PS3! I know the 360 rightly gets stick for its high failure rate and Microsoft's bizarre official stance that it wasn't happening, but the PS3 also had many under-reported problems of its own, like the Red Screen Of Death, wonky disc loaders, power-down bugs, and suddenly turning into a jet engine if the rear vents were covered for a short amount of time (or if dust built up on the mesh inside the vent, as it was likely to do with any PS3s left near the floor).
I find the obsession with the physical aesthetics of new consoles quite weird.
Last generation the Xbox One was getting stick for looking like a VHS player. Personally, I thought it was a good thing - a simple black box to sit under the telly.
This generation we have the extraordinarily ugly PS5, which, if I buy one is probably going to have to sit on the floor because it looks totally impractical to fit in my unit next to, or beneath the Sky box.
I'll make the ergonomics case for the PS5's stupid and ugly design: people won't have room for another console on top of the ones they've already got, so Sony have made one that slots into the gaps between them. Now we know why they brought out a PSVR version of Tetris.
PS5 pre-orders already sold out in the UK & Eire??
Couldn't find any online this morning...
Just preordered one on Amazon for my lad. Still available at time of writing
Strange - nothing available on Amazon UK on my end.
Pre-orders here is not available as of yet. Do not forget there is only one country on this planet which counts and I am sure non off us lives there.
Quote from: broodblik on 17 September, 2020, 09:48:47 AM
Pre-orders here is not available as of yet. Do not forget there is only one country on this planet which counts and I am sure non off us lives there.
I do.
*Plays
Fields of Athenry on the tin whistle while pouring Jameson over Cornflakes*
I think Amazon UK sold out in 20-30 minutes. I was spamming refresh at 8:59 thinking it would sell out even quicker
I've preordered but I'm not happy about it.
The PS5 is the first system that I'm going to get on day one (although pre-ordering from Scan means it'll likely be days 2-5). And yet it's the least excited I've ever been about a console.
I can't see anything it does that is unique or special. The games announced are all pretty predictable or are cross-gen with PS4. There's no PS1-3 backwards compatibility either.
Xbox have better ideas but they just aren't there with the games.
Quote from: repoman on 21 September, 2020, 12:06:38 PM
I've preordered but I'm not happy about it.
The PS5 is the first system that I'm going to get on day one (although pre-ordering from Scan means it'll likely be days 2-5). And yet it's the least excited I've ever been about a console.
I can't see anything it does that is unique or special. The games announced are all pretty predictable or are cross-gen with PS4. There's no PS1-3 backwards compatibility either.
Xbox have better ideas but they just aren't there with the games.
Why pre-order then? Not a dig I just don't get it. If you're not bothered about the launch games why not wait for the library to build up a bit?
I certainly won't be pre-ordering. I'm more into the retro stuff anyway but this generation launch does feel the most underwhelming yet.
It's a fair question.
I run a PlayStation-only review site that's on Metacritic so I need to be able to review PS5 when it comes out.
That makes sense. Well I hope you get some fun out of it anyway.
There is absolutely zero hype from me for either of them. The only reasons I'd have for picking up a console at launch is either a huge upgrade in graphics (like going from MegaDrive to Playstation) or exclusive games that I can't play anywhere else.
Right now the PS5 launch line up has two games that are new and exclusive (the rest are either available on PS4 already or remakes of PS3 games) which are Destruction All Stars and Godfall. Both from studios who's previous releases I have no interest in.. (as far as I can see, the dev of Godfall has only made 1 previous title and lucid games mostly deals in mobile games...)
Which seems bad until you look at the Xbox line up which has ONE game that I can't play on the current Xbox which is Bright Memory, a game made by devs I know nothing about (at time of writing I couldn't even find a wiki page for them, as far as I know this is their first game)...
No doubt I'll upgrade eventually but as far as day 1 goes I honestly don't see the point.
I want more Horizon Zero Dawn content, but beyond that IDGAF.
PS5 arrived. Early thoughts;
Astro's Playroom is great. Show's off the excellent new controller perfectly.
PS5 is huge but oddly not as big as I thought it'd be. Stupid shape but now it's under my TV it's okay. Greyer than you might think.
Upgrading your PS4 games is not as intuitive as it should be. You've got a couple of button presses into unknown territory to get the option to then upgrade them.
Excitingly, one of the best indie games has had a PS5 makeover. The very on-topic JYDGE which I love a lot. I'll be giving that a go in a minute.
I failed utterly to get either console and am hacked off with the scalpers.
Pre-order and launch day, had one in my basket at Microsoft, John Lewis, Argos, Amazon, Asda and Game... both consoles (well, not the PS5 at the Microsoft store!) and each time checkout failed and then stock was gone.
Twice I got as far as having a bank approval code texted to me.
Really pissed off as I wanted to get one of them for my boys' Christmas... and mine!
I got the Oculus Quest 2 instead, and it's a blast!
Halfway through 2021 and still can't get my hands on a PS5 for love nor money.
Anyone know if pre-orders are available from any UK / ROI retailers?
Quote from: Link Prime on 09 June, 2021, 11:30:33 AM
Halfway through 2021 and still can't get my hands on a PS5 for love nor money.
Anyone know if pre-orders are available from any UK / ROI retailers?
Because I've googled it once or twice for friends, most days I get a story on the default page of Chrome on my Android phone about companies who are expecting stock. No idea if they are accurate though. I think that people like Curry's let you sign up for the chance to have one reserved but it's a bit of a lottery.
Quote from: Link Prime on 09 June, 2021, 11:30:33 AM
Halfway through 2021 and still can't get my hands on a PS5 for love nor money.
Anyone know if pre-orders are available from any UK / ROI retailers?
I was lucky enough to get one thanks to following a restock account on Twitter. There's a few accounts to choose from, but provided you are ready to go for it when the restocks are posted (it's like chum in the water) then you've got a decent chance.
Quote from: Link Prime on 09 June, 2021, 11:30:33 AM
Halfway through 2021 and still can't get my hands on a PS5 for love nor money.
Anyone know if pre-orders are available from any UK / ROI retailers?
I registered interest with ShopTo. They give registered folk an email invite to buy when they get stock. I got one about six weeks after registering. It was a bundle with an extra controller and Cyberpunk, both of which I sold on eBay
I don't want one yet but I need to make sure I have a PS5 when the new Battlefield comes out as last gen versions are effectively going to be a different game from what I've heard.
CU Radbacker
Cheers lads, have looked around there a bit over the weekend, but still can't find a retailer that would place you on a 'guaranteed' pre-order list (including Smyths Toys).
My offer of pre-paying the €500 in advance was laughed at.
So, I started this thread and have still not picked up a PS5. Not only because they are rare as rocking horse poodoo, but....there's nothing been shown that really grabs me. Yet!
Quote from: Darren Stephens on 15 June, 2021, 09:14:40 PM
So, I started this thread and have still not picked up a PS5. Not only because they are rare as rocking horse poodoo, but....there's nothing been shown that really grabs me. Yet!
This is a good point. That and the fact that games are £70 a pop!
I mean, I would play the new Ratchet & Clank. But not for £70. Game pass is much better value, frankly.
Still, my PS4 was loud and on its last legs. So now I can clear its backlog in fast-loading silence while I wait on new stuff that is a reasonable price.
Seemed to be a flurry of PS5 stock in various locations in ROI last week, so thanks to a colleague who held one in an online basket for me, I had an order via Currys / PC World.
Delivered and set-up yesterday evening.
The size of the feckin thing. I had specific console shelving hand made for my den - it doesn't fit in any of the slots, so now stands awkward and tall beside the TV, like a Sydney Opera House shaped gargoyle.
Have to say, the PS5 is an impressive bit of kit.
Anyone else play the free 'Astro's Playroom'? I had no idea that every PS5 would come with a pre-installed game of this quality.
Aside from being a great little 3D platformer, it also awakened a slight tinge of PlayStation nostalgia in my reptilian brain, normally 100% reserved for Nintendo products.
Quote from: Link Prime on 24 August, 2021, 12:08:26 PM
Anyone else play the free 'Astro's Playroom'? I had no idea that every PS5 would come with a pre-installed game of this quality.
it's lovely and the use of the controller is amazing.
I just need more PS5 games to support those features!
The lack of PS5's led me to get a XBox Series X, which I got with GamePass. That's an absolutely brilliant service, I've barely had to buy a game since. Its way better than PS Plus.
Ever since the Xbox One launch disaster back in 2013, I've had a disdain for the brand, and their lack of decent exclusives (Forza notwithstanding) throughout the last generation has only entrenched this...and yet I find myself eyeing up the Xbox Series S and imagining me getting into the new Halo over the long, dark winter months.
I have loved the PS4, and will probably get a PS5 at some stage (maybe when a slim version comes along). My son has one and he brings it with him when he stays at weekends, and it's a marvellous bit of kit. But what puts me off a bit (apart from the difficulty in actually getting the sodding thing) is the game price hike. The US has had a $10 increase, but in the UK it's more like £15 which is eye-watering. Is Brexit to blame? Frankly I just can't see myself ever spending £70 on a game, so it will be games on sale, or second hand games at Game or CEX. All of a sudden, a service like GamePass seems very tempting indeed.
One advantage of GamePass is that it leads me to games that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Would I have bought Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice? Probably not, but it's the most atmospheric game I've played in years. Similarly I wouldn't have paid for Flight Simulator, but I've passed a few relaxing hours flying over familiar and unfamiliar landscapes. Wonderful.
I have both, and I must say, the Xbox is getting the most play time. You're right about playing games you normally wouldn't CalHab, I downloaded the Plague Tale game the other day and it was excellent. Highly recommended if you enjoyed Hellblade.
Nothing against Microsoft / Xbox, but for me the 360 generation AAA titles like Halo and Gears of War kinda peaked at the time, and I haven't felt the need to upgrade and play the sequels.
PlayStation exclusives always held a bit more interest for me too - Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, God of War - to name some of the best titles.
That said - I never got to play / replay the legendary Banjo Kazooie games since they went Xbox exclusive!
Quote from: MumboJimbo on 30 August, 2021, 05:16:10 PM
Frankly I just can't see myself ever spending £70 on a game
Game prices for PS and Xbox always consistently and significantly drop in my experience, I wouldn't get a new release for either system unless I
really wanted to play it.
Nintendo AAA titles on the other hand hold their value like gold bullion.