It does look like a fun time for sure and if I had a PS5 I might just have bought it.
Speaking of that, I hope it sells well but that remains to be seen. If it does it hopefully let’s other devs see that people DO still love these games and you know, maybe might make a new Banjo game a reality some day.
I know about the rumors, but honestly, rumors schmumors because anything can be the case and might never see the light of day.
I wish I was paid for all my “predictions” over the last year (read: not actual predictions, literally just not omitting facts like the media did for years - I even posted the vid of Sony’s CEO admitting this very thing was going to happen immediately).
Still waiting for the all the excuses why this doesn’t count… reality shows the industry isn’t growing, the COVID bubble burst has shaken the industry not unlike the one we saw in the early 00s, and costs for development are so high that even the market leader cannot survive on its own ecosystem/fanbase. The last part is pure fact, obviously otherwise Sony wouldn’t be following Xbox’s lead yet again. The only difference is, instead of foretelling its death, Sony’s pivot is somehow genius and “totally expected”.
This is literally the latest in the long streak of the media condemning Xbox for any and everything, then celebrating Sony when they follow suit.
Just keep working down the excuse list. No pattern here. 
I haven’t played the previous Astro games but I get where you are coming from…the game looks fun for sure, it has a very nice and polished presentation (which is Sony’s strongest point and a big focus for them) and it’s good to see more high budget 3D platformers.
That being said making comparisons to Mario or talking about phenomenal gameplay is a bit premature based on the footage we have now, it may turn out an excellent game yeah but knowing how overhyped and drenched in hyperbole every PS 1st party game gets before (AND after) release it will be better to be a little more cautious about this one. Astro is definitely the only game from PS 1st party this gen that interests me (maybe add in there Returnal too which looks kinda interesting) though.
Also it’s pretty funny seeing PS fanboys talking about Astro like it’s the second coming of Christ and being so hyped for a “so kiddy lol” game, I thought they were interested only in high budget, cinematic, realistic and “prestige” ΑΑΑ 3rd person action/stealth games. 
Personally, im looking forward to Astro Bot because it’s the closest im going to get to a new Ratchet & Clank game. It looks great and seems to be very enjoyable and a lot of fun to play which along with what is said to be excellent gameplay which is no surprise since it’s just an expanded and better version of Rescue Mission and Playroom, this game as an overall package should be great and best of all, it’s something different (along with the Lego Horizon game) from Sony instead of every game being the same realistic third person action adventure game which while I love most of them, im happy Sony is finally having a studio do something different.
https://x.com/NextGenPlayer/status/1801717611035500988?t=8TtOMlLxJkZaRNkokULVSA&s=19
This made me crack up 
It’s genius. I mean how do you transform Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry from bloated, formulaic, shallow trash into beloved, critically acclaimed works of high art? Put a PlayStation Studios logo on the box! 
I wonder WHEN Sony is going to feel the repercussions of their GAAS mis step? This is going to cost their 1st party devs years and they will have a huge game drought which we are already currently seeing. At this point it is plain as day that Sony sells based on Brand marketing alone. They are having a 1st party year as barren as MS did in 2022 yet they suffer nothing from their mistakes.
People just keep buying and I think at some point it may get pointed out that why are people still buying Sony consoles when the value aspect is worse then the Xbox ecosystem and even NOW Sony has a pretty big 1st party drought now and in the near mid future and we know next to nothing about their long term road map.
Sony doesn’t have hardware superiority or 1st party reach and out put anymore as a competitive advantage so seems people are just buying it out of habit and brand loyalty.
I hope this stuff gets the spotlight soon.
That’s my sentiment too. It’s pretty obvious the value isn’t on Sony’s side anymore, but it will take a bit more time for people to notice especially when they think that Xbox will go full multiplatform releases.
Yea seems like it is a race, if Xbox can keep their path and pump out 4 + AAA games a year or more and over time start showing undeinable value It would hopefully allow people to start making smarter decisions instead of just “sony = default” brain dead purchases.
Sony fans should want this as well instead of getting fleeced and nickle and dimed by Sony maybe they would step the fuck up and start actually working for it’s customer base.
Yeah I think we’re in it right now, and will be for the next couple of years. Sony will have 1 or 2 marquee AAA titles per year while Xbox will have 4 or 5.
I wouldn’t put too much importance on it though, Xbox survived a few drought years that we’re just now coming out of, and Sony will too.
I do think, on a longer scale, the AAA mega-budget single player exclusive model has to change, and I think Sony recognizes that. The big bet on GAAS shooters may not have proved the be the right bet but at least they were trying to diversify. Now instead I think we’ll see more attempts to branch out to a larger audience on other platforms. Something which again, Microsoft was/is in the same situation just ahead of the curve.
Sony isn’t brain dead purchases. It is the same numbered consoles people bought since their childhood. It’s conforting to use the same ecosystem, games and controller. I also have a preference for Xbox ecosystem, but you always find superior the things you’re used to for a very long time.
The point is the value is dwindling on Sony’s side. It’s the same games, same formula, most of them getting remastered multiple times to milk their potential sales. The rest is low-tier GAAS games now. It’s pretty clear if you take 1 minute to compare Sony’s last showcase, which was kind of a slap in the face, and Xbox’s big blowout. And there’s no easy fix at Sony, even if they keep catering to their fan base. Signing exclusives isn’t so easy now so they can’t even do that to plug some holes.
I do kind of wonder if there’s some level of panic at Sony that their next big releases are Concord and Fairgame$, and after those… ???
It kills me that Naughty Dog is basically off the board for who knows how many years because they spun their wheels for so long on a cancelled multiplayer GAAS.
Imagine if insomnaic couldn’t push out decent titles at a good clip, Sony’s 1st party would have been pretty much dead this whole gen without them.
Shinobu suggested that Sony had some big games hitting 2025, it’s probably time for stuff to start hitting.
Secret Uncharted game 
Yep. It’s just like those who were saying Microsoft had nothing for Xbox, it was just a matter of time until the studios start showing and releasing games. Both sides will always have games.
Best part is when people say that Sony hasn’t released anything this year when in fact they have - Helldivers 2, Ronin, Blade, MLB The Show 24 and the recent Destiny 2 expansion. Then people make excuses for the games that aren’t from internal studios yet somehow see that as being different from an Ask Dusk Falls, Flight Simulator/Flight Simulator 2024 or Gears Tactics to name a few. They’re all Sony and Microsoft first party releases regardless of how you want to slice it.
I will never understand why people dismiss games just because the hardware manufacturer doesn’t own the development studio. The game itself still counts and is part of their first party lineup/library regardless of who likes it or not.
Of course, im someone who’s been very pleased with both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 hardware and game wise. No complaints at all and both have been better than what Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were for me in the same time frame aligned.
I have over 10 games coming from Microsoft and will have close to that once Sony reveals all their big games like Tsushima 2, the Horizon MMO, Barlog’s new IP, Bend’s new game and whatever else they have from internal and external studios.
So while others may be disappointed or this or that, im sitting here enjoying both consoles and the games they’re offering me. In fact, once this generation ends, both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will surpass my previous best in PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 respectively so at least for me, I sure as hell can’t complain when it comes to just the games which is all I care about.
Business wise, I stopped caring about what either of them do since I can’t control any of it. Just give me the games and make sure that they’re great or better at release. Excluding Redfall, all the games I have completed from both Microsoft and Sony this generation have been an 8.0/10 or higher for me so as long as both keep this up, this generation will be my greatest ever. 
Incorrect; They are second party.
The games themselves are first party developed by an independent third party studio. I don’t even know where or when this second party bullshit even started. Going back to the days of Super Nintendo, there was no second party. A game like Super Mario RPG which was co-developed by Square Soft at the time was considered a first party game. Doesn’t matter what the individual studio is. What does matter is the game itself and who’s publishing it.
All three hardware manufacturers have said that second party deals are in fact first party games. This comes Sony, Microsoft via Spencer himself and Nintendo over the decades.
I don’t care if people want to make up some term that has only existed recently for some odd reason even though my belief is due to these games usually being mediocre (Ryse, The Order, etc. are a few examples) and fanboys/extremists use the second party term as a loophole to not include them but if the game is somehow great (see Bloodborne as an excellent example), it then counts.
That’s why I have always considered any game published, funded, marketed, advertised and distributed by the hardware manufacturer to be a first party game. I don’t care if they own the studio or not because without the hardware manufacturer funding the game, there would be no game. And nine out of ten times, the hardware manufacturer owns the IP which when you look at it, not owning the development studio is the only difference and the least of importance compared to what is put into the game.
But hey, if others want to use loop holes for some odd reason, that’s up to them. I don’t. If Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo does everything I said they do which they normally always do, it’s a first party game.