Is AAA gaming facing a reckoning? Maybe a crash?

[erasure fan1]

I haven’t bought a new console since the PS3 and haven’t bought a new game in probably 5 years

The last system I bought was Xbox one and the last game I bought new, as in new releases was mass effect Andromeda. And that was over 7yrs ago. I did gamepass for a few years but cancelled about a month ago since most of the releases now are for the series x.

I still enjoy playing games but I play them on my iPad or computer, and the vast majority are games I’ve had for years or are free.

I still play a lot of games but most of them are backlog going back to my master system and NES. I have basically all the systems from Atari through Xbox one hooked up on my tv. I have thousands of games I've picked up over the years. So I have no real shortage of things to play. So I don't really need to upgrade.

 

[Mike S]

The last system I bought was Xbox one and the last game I bought new, as in new releases was mass effect Andromeda. And that was over 7yrs ago. I did gamepass for a few years but cancelled about a month ago since most of the releases now are for the series x.

I still play a lot of games but most of them are backlog going back to my master system and NES. I have basically all the systems from Atari through Xbox one hooked up on my tv. I have thousands of games I've picked up over the years. So I have no real shortage of things to play. So I don't really need to upgrade.

Would you mind posting a pic of your TV setup? That’s insane lol

 

[erasure fan1]

Would you mind posting a pic of your TV setup? That’s insane lol

This is a bit older but all I could find. I've added a couple things since this was taken.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Am I technically part of the master race since I have a Steam Deck?

Yup, that counts in my eyes.

Speaking of the deck, you can literally grab a 1 TB Steam Deck OLED for about the same price as the PS5 Pro (including shipping and taxes). If you go that route, you are not locked to one storefront AND you can do emulation.

 

[Mike S]

Yup, that counts in my eyes.

Speaking of the deck, you can literally grab a 1 TB Steam Deck OLED for about the same price as the PS5 Pro (including shipping and taxes). If you go that route, you are not locked to one storefront AND you can do emulation.

Emulation is really the big one for me. I’ve bought a few games on Steam but I’ve mostly played the old stuff. I’ve got Aliens vs. Predator (2010), DuckTales Remastered, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Halo MCC all waiting for me

The only new purchase I’ve played is the Castle of Illusion Remake but I got stuck on the final boss and haven’t gotten back to finishing it yet. I’m not really in a rush to get to these games since they were so cheap to get so I’m playing my Switch more now so I can finish up Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (a worthy upgrade imo) before Epic Mickey Rebrushed comes out. I also have Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door to get to and I need to FINALLY get back to Alien: Isolation after loving Romulus.

 

[erasure fan1]

Would you mind posting a pic of your TV setup? That’s insane lol

The other part I wasn't able to show was a store display I got back in 95ish. I decided to buy some Hap arcade joystick parts from ebay and built an Arcade deck instead of the game pads. I also added the lights. I have a Sega Genesis 2 in it with a 32X but I don't use them. I rewired it to use a Sega Genesis mini so it's easier to change games.

 

[Mike S]

Sony wants 60fps PS5 Pro “Enhanced” games, but it’s happy to settle for less

The PS5 Pro will boost older games, too.

www.theverge.com

So even with the PS5 Pro some devs will still push graphics over gameplay feel even though we had Sony admit that 75% of players prefer performance. At this point I can’t feel sorry about industry layoffs that come as a result of $300 million+ budgeted games not selling a gajillion copies. To paraphrase the Joker, you get what you deserve.

Nintendo really seems to be the only sane head left in the AAA space. Rather than graphical horsepower they push for insanely good art direction to the point where when Metroid Prime 4 was revealed some people thought we were looking at Switch 2 footage.

We weren’t, which was revealed by closely inspecting background details that most people missed proving how fruitless the pure graphical endeavor really is and just like with previous releases the wizards at Retro will still make sure this game runs at 60fps.

Mario Kart 8, a Wii U game from from 2014, still looks great to this day. Luigi’s Mansion 3 looks like a Hollywood animated movie and won a DICE award for that animation quality. Now I know Nintendo doesn’t make all of their games run at 60fps but the point I’m making is that other devs could easily push 60fps for the majority of their releases if they adopted Nintendos techniques of pushing art direction over pure horse power and realism. Team Asobi recently accomplished this with Astro Bot to great fanfare.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Sony wants 60fps PS5 Pro “Enhanced” games, but it’s happy to settle for less

The PS5 Pro will boost older games, too.

www.theverge.com

So even with the PS5 Pro some devs will still push graphics over gameplay feel even though we had Sony admit that 75% of players prefer performance. At this point I can’t feel sorry about industry layoffs that come as a result of $300 million+ budgeted game not selling a gajillion copies. To paraphrase the Joker, you get what you deserve.

Nintendo really seems to be the only sane head left in the AAA space. Rather than graphical horsepower they push for insanely good art direction to the point where when Metroid Prime 4 was revealed some people thought we were looking at Switch 2 footage.

We weren’t, which was revealed by closely inspecting background details that most people missed proving how fruitless the pure graphical endeavor really isand just like with previous releases the wizards at Retro will still make sure this game runs at 60fps.

Mario Kart 8, a Wii U game from from 2014, still looks great to this day. Luigi’s Mansion 3 looks like a Hollywood animated movie and won a DICE award for that animation quality. Now I know Nintendo doesn’t make all of their games run at 60fps but the point I’m making is that others devs could easily push 60fps for the majority of their releases if they adopted Nintendos techniques of pushing art direction over pure horse power and realism. Team Asobi recently accomplished this with Astro Bot to great fanfare.

Yeah, it is nuts that Nintendo's strategy is the only one that's really working in this current gaming landscape (outside of indies and AA games like Black Myth Wukong). I know this is a dream and will never happen but I do wish some Nintendo games came to PC. Breath of the Wild and Bayonetta 3 both struggled performance wise on my OG Switch. I was constantly dropping frames during fight scenes in Bayo 3. Before it was shut down by Nintendo, Yuzu was able to have BOTW perform at 60 FPS and it looked amazing.

Astro Bot looks incredible and totally up my alley but I really do not feel the need to buy a PS5 just to play it.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Emulation is really the big one for me. I’ve bought a few games on Steam but I’ve mostly played the old stuff. I’ve got Aliens vs. Predator (2010), DuckTales Remastered, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Halo MCC all waiting for me

The only new purchase I’ve played is the Castle of Illusion Remake but I got stuck on the final boss and haven’t gotten back to finishing it yet. I’m not really in a rush to get to these games since they were so cheap to get so I’m playing my Switch more now so I can finish up Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (a worthy upgrade imo) before Epic Mickey Rebrushed comes out. I also have Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door to get to and I need to FINALLY get back to Alien: Isolation after loving Romulus.

I have over 200 games on Steam and I haven't made a dent in terms of playing them LOL I am about to start Baldur's Gate 3 and I'm low key scared to see how my computer will be able to run it. I've heard it runs badly on the deck so that's out.

 

[Mike S]

Yeah, it is nuts that Nintendo's strategy is the only one that's really working in this current gaming landscape (outside of indies and AA games like Black Myth Wukong). I know this is a dream and will never happen but I do wish some Nintendo games came to PC. Breath of the Wild and Bayonetta 3 both struggled performance wise on my OG Switch. I was constantly dropping frames during fight scenes in Bayo 3. Before it was shut down by Nintendo, Yuzu was able to have BOTW perform at 60 FPS and it looked amazing.

Astro Bot looks incredible and totally up my alley but I really do not feel the need to buy a PS5 just to play it.

You and I are in luck. I just have to hope it’s compatible with the Steam Deck.

Astro Bot Director Leaves Door Open for PC Version, Shuts Down PlayStation VR2 - IGN

The director of PlayStation 5 exclusive Astro Bot has left the door open to a potential PC version but shut down any chance of it coming to Sony's virtual reality headset PlayStation VR2.

www.ign.com

Regarding Nintendo games on PC have you tried Mario’s Time Machine or Mario is Missing?

 

[Smugpugmug]

You and I are in luck. I just have to hope it’s compatible with the Steam Deck.

Astro Bot Director Leaves Door Open for PC Version, Shuts Down PlayStation VR2 - IGN

The director of PlayStation 5 exclusive Astro Bot has left the door open to a potential PC version but shut down any chance of it coming to Sony's virtual reality headset PlayStation VR2.

www.ign.com

Regarding Nintendo games on PC have you tried Mario’s Time Machine or Mario is Missing?

I hope Sony is aware that I would absolutely buy it if it ever came to Steam. That type of game is my JAM!

I haven't but I've heard of their....legacy, if you can call it that.

 

[Mike S]

I hope Sony is aware that I would absolutely buy it if it ever came to Steam. That type of game is my JAM!

I haven't but I've heard of their....legacy, if you can call it that.

I’m totally ready for Astro Bot on the Deck with my purple DualSense.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I’m totally ready for Astro Bot on the Deck with my purple DualSense.

I use a red Xbox controller on my computer. Sony might explode if they find out I'll use it for Astro Bot (if it works, I haven't checked if Xbox controllers work with other games like Horizon Zero Dawn).

 

[Mike S]

I use a red Xbox controller on my computer. Sony might explode if they find out I'll use it for Astro Bot (if it works, I haven't checked if Xbox controllers work with other games like Horizon Zero Dawn).

It should work but Astro Bot has a lot of features specific to the DualSense. My friend who also helped me set up all the emulation suggested the DualSense because I can use the touchpad on it as a mouse if and when it’s ever needed.

 

[erasure fan1]

Mario Kart 8, a Wii U game from from 2014, still looks great to this day. Luigi’s Mansion 3 looks like a Hollywood animated movie and won a DICE award for that animation quality.

Yup. Earlier in the year as I was knocking out some backlog, I put in my copy of Assassin's Creed rogue. Guess what? Looked great to me. I've played a bunch of 360 games in the last year while catching up. I've been really impressed by how many still hold up great today.

Nintendo really seems to be the only sane head left in the AAA space.

Nintendo is in its own world. They have no desire to get into the console race. While I'm not a big Nintendo fan, I'm still bitter how they strong armed devs and screwed the master system, lol. But the one thing I think they've done really well is let the games talk. To me they're proof a dedicated box that's not trying to redefine computer tech, can be successful with quality games.

So even with the PS5 Pro some devs will still push graphics over gameplay feel even though we had Sony admit that 75% of players prefer performance. At this point I can’t feel sorry about industry layoffs that come as a result of $300 million+ budgeted games not selling a gajillion copies.

This might be my top gripe in video games today. If not top, pretty darn close. For the love of God, why do we keep pushing things forward when you can't hit the spec's you promised in the beginning? I truly believe the vast majority of console players want a solid frame rate and play control over visual fidelity. They didn't hit the benchmark during the 360/ps3 era. Missed again with the Xbox one/ps4. And they haven't come close to it this gen. So here's a great idea, let's push it further!!! Just focus on performance and solid visuals. The people wanting 4k 120fps are PC players for the most part. Console players just want good games.

 

[Mike S]

Yup. Earlier in the year as I was knocking out some backlog, I put in my copy of Assassin's Creed rogue. Guess what? Looked great to me. I've played a bunch of 360 games in the last year while catching up. I've been really impressed by how many still hold up great today.

Nintendo is in its own world. They have no desire to get into the console race. While I'm not a big Nintendo fan, I'm still bitter how they strong armed devs and screwed the master system, lol. But the one thing I think they've done really well is let the games talk. To me they're proof a dedicated box that's not trying to redefine computer tech, can be successful with quality games.

This might be my top gripe in video games today. If not top, pretty darn close. For the love of God, why do we keep pushing things forward when you can't hit the spec's you promised in the beginning? I truly believe the vast majority of console players want a solid frame rate and play control over visual fidelity. They didn't hit the benchmark during the 360/ps3 era. Missed again with the Xbox one/ps4. And they haven't come close to it this gen. So here's a great idea, let's push it further!!! Just focus on performance and solid visuals. The people wanting 4k 120fps are PC players for the most part. Console players just want good games.

I don’t know if you watch Asmongold but one of his points on the PS5 Pro rings so true. If you take the models from Elden Ring and truly inspect them they’re not really that impressive and yet absolutely no one cares. I get wanting to push the technology but we’re speeding head first towards ever more diminishing returns. The base PS5 should be more than enough to make great looking games that wouldn’t lose a company so much money that they would have to close a developer if they didn’t meet sales expectations.

 

[Mike S]

*grabs popcorn*

Nintendo will announce the $400 Switch 2 in October, new leak claims

According to a new leak, Nintendo is planning to announce the Switch 2 in early October and will charge $400 for the new console.

bgr.com

 

[erasure fan1]

I don’t know if you watch Asmongold but one of his points on the PS5 Pro rings so true. If you take the models from Elden Ring and truly inspect them they’re not really that impressive and yet absolutely no one cares. I get wanting to push the technology but we’re speeding head first towards ever more diminishing returns. The base PS5 should be more than enough to make great looking games that wouldn’t lose a company so much money that they would have to close a developer if they didn’t meet sales expectations.

To bring it back to is there going to be a crash. I think I've changed my mind a bit since the start of this thread. I don't think we're in any danger of a games crash. But I do think we're edging closer to a console/developers crash. If Xbox and PlayStation exit the market tomorrow, people will still buy games and someone will jump in to fill the void.

You would think these people running billion dollar corporations would be smart enough to realize you can't spend hundreds of millions on development, and expect to profit. Especially when your install base is that small. There's a reason things like Hogwarts and fallen order went to last gen later, you can't afford not to. They need to get the prices of the consoles down. And both Sony and Microsoft are going the opposite direction.

 

[Mike S]

To bring it back to is there going to be a crash. I think I've changed my mind a bit since the start of this thread. I don't think we're in any danger of a games crash. But I do think we're edging closer to a console/developers crash. If Xbox and PlayStation exit the market tomorrow, people will still buy games and someone will jump in to fill the void.

You would think these people running billion dollar corporations would be smart enough to realize you can't spend hundreds of millions on development, and expect to profit. Especially when your install base is that small. There's a reason things like Hogwarts and fallen order went to last gen later, you can't afford not to. They need to get the prices of the consoles down. And both Sony and Microsoft are going the opposite direction.

This thread was always about a AAA gaming crash of sorts which we are seeing more signs of with Star Wars Outlaws underperformance. Console prices (except the PS5 Pro) aren’t the problem. It’s bloated development budgets focused on things the market has increasingly stopped caring about.

 

[erasure fan1]

Console prices (except the PS5 Pro) aren’t the problem. It’s bloated development budgets focused on things the market has increasingly stopped caring about.

At first I thought the same. The reason I say prices need to come down on the systems is because the industry isn't moving forward. When companies bring their big games to last gen well after the current gen release it tells me there's a problem with current gen. I'm not sure I've ever seen games 3 and 4 years into the life of a system get ported backwards.

Now that doesn't mean the bloat doesn't need to be addressed and taken care of. But AAA games have always cost a lot. So that's why you need more systems sold. Now will better games get people to upgrade or a lower system price? Historically consoles really jump at that first revision and the prices drop. I guess the real answer is there's more than just one thing causing the issues. Lol