Sony PS5 buyers and owners (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

(It killed me that BG3 is only available as a download and they’re not releasing any physical copies here in the States. Boo!!!!!)

Unfortunately, a.person will have to get used to digital downloads when it comes to gaming. Even most physical releases aren't the actual game anymore. The disc is just a license key that has to be inserted to play. The game itself is still a download.

I think the only company that situation doesn't apply to is Nintendo, because they still use a form of SD card on the Switch.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I think the only company that situation doesn't apply to is Nintendo, because they still use a form of SD card on the Switch.

Even Nintendo is pulling the gag of selling empty cases with a download code insert for certain games. It’s all bananas now. Oh well, my only other upcoming PS5 purchases are probably going to be Diablo IV and Gran Turismo 7. I may just download those to the HDD, even if a physical disc is available, and not worry about media storage for games.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Nintendo themselves usually sell games on the actual cartridge, but a bunch of companies have sold Switch games where half the game is on the cart and the rest is a download. That's due to the price of the carts, with smaller ones being cheap and bigger ones being more expensive, which cuts into profits for publishers. For some reason, only Nintendo has figured out how to make a game take up less than 16 GB.

Baldur's Gate 3 being digital-only kind of makes some sense to me. The cost of distribution for a game that is likely to live and die long-term based on patches has to push the economics in a certain direction. That said, by the time you no longer have your PS5, the game store servers are disabled, or you somehow otherwise lose access to the game license...you'll probably be able to get the game for like $2 on some other platform. My thoughts on digital copies of things has changed a lot, but I also usually try to only get digital copies of games if they're really cheap so that I don't care if I "lose" them in the future.

Edwin - I thought Sony's State of Play was okay, not great, but not nearly as bad as you thought. At this point, I think almost every Japanese game looks the same (what's with the anime-style RPGs/gachas right now?) but I'm sure Spiderman 2 and FF7 Rebirth will be great. The Nintendo showcase was better, but it was also basically games I have no interest in plus a couple remakes of 20+ year old games. It really feels like Nintendo is putting low effort into keeping the Switch alive as it passes the finish line while also capitalizing on the Mario fever that the movie generated.

Oh, and that game Baby Steps? Its basically a joke game, like QWOP. Its supposed to like janky and cringey. It was announced over the summer and is about a manchild who never leaves the house and is suddenly tossed into a fantasy world to go on a big journey but he doesn't know how to do anything, even something as simple as walk one foot in front of the other.

 

[Edwin-S]

Deleted..Posted.the exact same.comment in the XBOX thread.

 

[Alex...]

PS5 Slim coming in November

Smaller Design
30% Less Volume
18% Less Weight (Digital)
24% Less (Standard)
1 TB Storage Add-On Disc Drive option on PS5 Digital for $79.99
Available November $449 (Digital) & $499 (Standard)

 

[Morgan Jolley]

It's still so big that I have a hard time thinking of it as the "slim" model, but I think the removable disc drive is a great idea and should be a standard going forward in console gaming.

 

[Robert Saccone]

Can it be used horizontally?

 

[Edwin-S]

Yes. It comes with a stand for horizontal use. To use it vertically will, apparently, cost another 30 bucks for another stand, unlike the original unit whose stand could be used for both vertical and horizontal orientation.

 

[LeoA]

I'm confused, the PS5 comes with a stand for horizontal use?

I've never held one or had a real up close look at one. Is it done this way just to protect the aesthetics for the folks that want it oriented vertically (no rubber feet and such marring the sides of the unit)?

 

[Clinton McClure]

I'm confused, the PS5 comes with a stand for horizontal use?

I've never held one or had a real up close look at one. Is it done this way just to protect the aesthetics for the folks that want it oriented vertically (no rubber feet and such marring the sides of the unit)?

The sides of the PS5 are curved and there are no rubber feet so a stand is recommended for horizontal mode as well as vertical mode. You don’t “have” to use a stand in vertical mode but you’re much more likely to knock the unit over if it’s not on a stand. The included stand on the first gen PS5 can be used in either horizontal or vertical mode but I guess Sony figured they could gouge customers for more money if you have to buy a vertical stand for the 2nd gen since probably most PS5 owners, myself included, have theirs standing vertically.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I believe the stand just adds some stability, so it's not REALLY necessary. However, I think the PS5 Slim comes with a horizontal stand but from the pictures it looks to be very different (a small clear piece of plastic to hold up the console at the cover seam). The original stand that came with the PS5 was a bigger piece of plastic that you could take apart and move pieces around to make it a vertical or horizontal stand, so cutting that out of the package altogether probably saved money...but like $1 or so.

For what it's worth, Sony has been selling alternate color faceplates for like $60 or something and those should really cost like MAYBE $15 after shipping/stocking costs. So charging $30 for an extra stand you don't need sounds about right.

 

[Edwin-S]

So Activision is trying to download a Modern Warfare III update to my PS5. It's big enough that I don't have enough space left on the secondary M2 SSD unless I delete other games off the drive. What I don't get is why? I haven't bought MWIII and don't intend to, since everything I have heard about the *repurposed* DLC is the campaign game is complete shit.

The only reason I even consider a COD purchase is for the campaign. I couldn't care less about multi-player online gameplay as I'm not nterested in playing against professional video game soldiers, toxic 10 year olds and cheaters, who think they are accomplishing something by racking up a high KD ratio with an aimbot.

The other thing I find funny is how gamers are whining about how shitty the game is and are still managing to make it #1 in sales. I guess there is a basic inability in the gamer brain to realize if you keep buying shit then Activision and other companies like them will keep delivering it, since they know gamers enjoy the taste of it.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I haven't bought/played a Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare 1. I thought it was fine but nothing special and I had/have no interest in online. Never saw the appeal.

On the topic of PS5, I should be getting my Portal this week. I'm actually pretty excited to play with it.

 

[Steve Y]

Morgan, curious to hear your take on the Portal when it arrives. I've heard rumors that it doesn't have a built-in web browser, so apparently you can't use it with Wi-Fi that requires web sign-in, which would exclude using it in hotels and cafes and such. But it's probably a device meant to be played around a home router.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

From what I read, it seems to be exclusively for remote play, to the point where there's essentially zero settings or options to really configure with it beyond like screen brightness or volume. So it doesn't surprise me that it doesn't have a built-in browser. That said, I'd imagine there's some way to get it to connect to various internet hotspots, but even if it can't and you really want to use hotel wi-fi or something then there's devices out there in the $30 range that can accomplish this. If you're going to spend $200 on a device that ONLY does remote play from a PS5 in your home, then another $30 for the luxury of playing said device through hotel wi-fi is probably not a steep ask.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Got the Portal. It works shockingly well. My PS5 is hardwired to my router and I have 300 MB speeds (I think? Might be higher.) I was able to play the Portal in another room and get basically crystal-clear 1080p video and what felt like zero lag. I was playing Humanity, which doesn't really require twitch reflexes, and it felt like I was playing on the PS5.

The controller grips are comfortable. The whole unit is a bit heavier than I expected but really doesn't feel different from a Switch (definitely lighter than a Steam Deck). The interface is extremely minimal; you swipe from the upper right corner to access a couple settings (wifi connection, brightness, and some other options like turning off the mic button light) and that's it. No internet browser, no way to connect to any sort of online store, its very clearly meant to get you on your wifi and connect to a PS5.

It's basically a perfect PS5-only streaming device for $200. Haven't even used headphones yet but I don't care about the bluetooth issue. Also, the reviews for Sony's new earbuds are stellar, in case that makes any difference.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Also, the reviews for Sony's new earbuds are stellar, in case that makes any difference.

They fucking better be for $200.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

For premium ear buds, that seems to be a low to mid-range price. I always thought that was ridiculous, but I also think buying a cell phone for more than like $250-300 is ridiculous, too.

 

[Edwin-S]

270 Canadian (before taxes), 300 taxes in, for a device whose only function is to allow playing in the next room. It might have made sense at 150 or less, but 300? Insane.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You can absolutely save money by using something else to do remote play. Buy an extra controller, use your phone/tablet/laptop, buy a Backbone for your phone, etc. But the Portal gives you an extremely simple, seamless experience with perfect controls in a single device. For me, that's worth $200USD.