I think it just comes down to money. Probably cheaper than developing two separate engines for this gen consoles and next gen consoles/this gen PC's.
PC's are now capable of what we hope next gen consoles will be capable of. One engine compatible with PC's of today and consoles of tomorrow.
Seems plausible.
If Frostbite 2 was designed with the greater horsepower of next gen machines in mind, wouldn't it stand to reason that it struggles with current, less powerful machines?
@ JackBNimble
You're buying a membership, which is a little different than just paying for a service. People feel part of something, a different feeling from paying some dude to clean your gutters.
So now you're a member, a part of something, and you get to play all these games and get all this other stuff at no additional cost. Some people equate at no additional cost with free, especially when trying to communicate the dollars spent at the instant...
@ mysterym and dcbronco
You are both wrong. It is common for different departments or divisions within the same company to bill each other for goods or services rendered.
Do more research. Edison produced bulbs that worked and had a usable lifespan. He produced a bulb that lasted over 10 hours and then another that burned for several hundred, all the while his competition fell behind. It was the functionality that got him notoriety, not his ability to mass produce or make it cheaper, nor his marketing skills. In fact, his DC power distribution lost out to AC.
Ms copied Sony and every other console manufacturer just by producing a console r...
'If they try and launch beside MS they will be doing just what MS wants them to do because they will just lose even more money.'
So you're saying MS would prefer to launch in a market with more competition rather than less?
How do you know the PS4 won't be Sony's financial savior?
Secondly, Sony is spending the R&D money now, while in 'deep financial trouble' not next year or 2014. Do you really think their going to just drop the PS4 after the R&D investment?
@ BlackTar
I was referring to the incandescent light, rather than arc lamps (which are still in use today BTW), but ok.
Edison developed a long burning light bulb that didn't have the blinding, over brightness (when lighting a room, for example) of the arc lamp. He was not working on a cheaper light bulb, rather a practical and useful light bulb to use in conjunction with his ideas for electrical generation/distribution. No others (outside of his Menl...
So by your standard, Westinghouse's making and marketing light bulbs is equal to or trumps Edison's invention? LOL!
Oh yeah, I'm sure Target was absolutely worried about hurting the feelings of an inanimate object.
You still wouldn't get that content for free, it would just be held for the sequel instead.
DLC is not the question, the question is 'Does the content included in the game warrant a full price purchase?'
You are not entitled to every idea devs had during a typical development window just because you purchased the game.
Not me, I prefer when DLC is planned and cohesive, rather than an afterthought that gets shoe-horned in when publishers realize there is an opportunity for more revenue.
@ Braid
'You can't publish a game under that title unless you get some GOTY awards from some of the famous and credible gaming authorities.'
Is that a law? Please provide links backing your assertion.
@ Arnon
The logic lies in getting it onto millions of devices while avoiding console licensing fees, allowing for a better bottom end.
If they become software only, why not develop for PCs and iOS devices/tablets? There is a large enough market to choose which devices to support. Do all games now release for every possible platform?
@ neogeo
When the PS4 releases, what are the odds of you reposting this for us all to laugh ...
Great point Thom, and it's funny how he completely missed bertha's point. The Mother Theresa of TOS's could easily become the Satan of TOS's later down the road.
It broadened the market appealing to casual and core gamers alike. That's how.
Exactly. It will need games, not just launching first. You agree and aren't even aware of it, LOL.
Yeah, Ellie clubbing the one dude with a brick she picked up in an earlier room and knifing the guy on top of Joel in the back totally tells me I'm going to be spoon feeding her and changing her diaper while playing as Joel.
It's an attempt by MS to sway people who have the option to play the game on various platforms to choose the 360 version. If the DLC is your determining factor, then MS is nearly guaranteed two sales(unless the game sucks), that of the game and the DLC.
Some folks say that very thing about gaming in general.