Steady on there!!! Loading Triangles??? Not sure devs are quite skilled enough for that yet - maybe next gen!
There's lots of reasons to like PSN+, but I think cloud storage is the best by far.
I would love to see this as a standard service for PSN, even if it was limited in some way (smaller storage capacity for example). Anyone who has suffered YLOD knows that losing saves can be very frustrating (I still haven't got the Platinum for Burnout Paradise cus I've lost the save twice!).
Good that MS have now added a similar feature.
Get rid of 'em!! Down with Loading Bars I say!
I hope the next gen of machines go a long way to removing these immersion intruding devices! I can live with them at the start of a game, but a rude intrusion mid way through, or every damn time I open a door (Elder Scrolls Oblivion I'm looking at you!!) is a step too far!
Agree. Things sell at a price people are willing to pay and what the manufacturer can get away with.
Activision proved this when they bumped the price of Black Ops, and still sold by the bucket load - now quite a few games have a higher RRP and retail price.
Only way to send a message is to vote with your wallet - unfortunately a lot of people people either have no sense, or like getting ripped off. Even 'Horse Armour' sold well!!
I agree with your point. but why should the publisher really care? A sale is a sale, and I suspect profit on a digital version is more than on a physical version.
I know most games are still sold from online retailers or bricks and mortar stores, so a publisher would be stupid to lose shelf space (even virtual!) and alienate the retailers by undercutting them. However the mark-up between physical and digital goes far beyond simply keeping the retailers on side - it feels mo...
I imagine it's the publisher that sets the price, not Sony (although Sony probably take a cut from all PSN sales, so the publisher may factor that in when setting their price).
Whoever is to blame for setting the price, I'm annoyed at the 'convenience tax' on downloadable games. It's seems unlikely to me that the cost of pressing a DVD/Blu-Ray, manufacturing a box and insert, stroing the product and shipping to retailers is cheaper than the cost of hostin...
I think with each generation from here on we're going to see longer and longer life cycles.
The economic climate won't support a 5 year cycle any more... Consumers have less money in their pockets. Developers are having to spend more on development at a much greater risk each generation - that's not sustainable. R&D, marketing, manufacture all has a cost attached as well - and for marketing and manufacture, they are all highest at the start of a console lif...
Good list, a couple of comments...
On the subject of auto updates. I've noticed that if I don't play a game for a long time then auto updates don't come through. For example... I hadn't been in Home for ages, and it required a massive update. However, since then, I noticed in the last couple of days that I'm getting auto updates for Home.
I like Home, but I don't see the point of it really. All that talk by Sony of 'Trophy Room...
X chat is the most over-rated feature in my opinion.
Six things...
Redesigned Dualshock L2/R2 triggers
High def Playstation camera accessory
Faster BD drive, (to avoid mandatory installs and speed up loading)
Tight integration with Vita and mobile phones such as Xperia Play or other Android devices with PlayStation Suite installed
Revised XMB. Should be redesigned for better user experience, such as organising music; and functionally improved to allow some mul...
@Pixel Pusher
Why the heck would the PS4 need or want Thunderbolt? Even USB 3 would be a fairly pointless addition.
What reason would there be to have such high data transfer speeds? Thunderbolt isn't going to replace HDMI for monitors/HDTV. If it was used for future upgrades (such as an external GPU add-on), it would just fragment the user-base.
And who wants to pay 50$ for a Thunderbolt cable???
There's plenty of creative people in the industry, unfortunately it comes down to this...
Risk vs Reward
Look at Black Rock Studios or Bizarre. Both created a fresh take on the arcade racing genre, and made solid games. Both have closed their doors.
With the increasing costs of development the risk of creating a new IP, adding a radical game concept, or trying to launch a new IP, is far too high. There's a risk gamers won't ...
I'd like to see Molyneux given the team, time and budget to make his games.
He does't seem to be getting that in his current role.
He didn't say PS3 Twisted Metal cost 80mill. He said that he's heard there's a game in development that is costing 80mill.
"Or perhaps, after almost two decades in the industry - having recently heard that an unidentified game currently in production is costing $80 million"
I wonder what game it is....
Good point.
I love arcade racers, and thought Split/Second was a decent game with potential and really deserved a sequel.
The difference between Burnout and CoD is that Criterion has continued to innovate and change the formula with every game, but I do agree with you, most people with a passing interest in arcade racers are either gonna buy Burnout, or NFS.
This gen has seen...
More competition
Higher dev costs
Consumer view that scores under an 9 are rubbish
= More devs going under
Only going to get worse when we hit the next gen.
I guess it would have been tough for them to improve on Westwood Studios 1997 masterpiece! Loved that game!
I think a Blade Runner game would be tough to make, but if done right also amazing. In some ways the Dues Ex 2 reminded me of how a Blade Runner game could feel.
I hope their next title is a new IP under the Play.Create.Share banner, and that whatever it does integrates with LBP in some way.
I think Heavenly Sword 1 is pretty under rated. The combat system had it's flaws but was pretty cool. The facial animation was good. Andy Sirkis' creative input really stood out above the usual poor production values we see in some games. Story was OK, but all the other elements helped elevate it.
I hope we see a sequel.
Exactly. Why more devs can not hide the load times behind cut scenes, intelligent streaming, or in other ways I dunno.
It may not be possible for all games, but for me increasing immersion in games by reducing loading screens / bars is something the next gen (and this) should be focusing on.
I find it incredibly frustrating and sloppy of the devs, when and enviously CGI or game engine scripted cut scene plays, then the game pauses to load, then pauses again ...