PS4.XX. There will be NO PS5

[vivster]

ratchet426 said:

vivster said:

You forget the arbitrary time number and other factors.

For example, an upgrade after 4 years(NX) is absolutely fine because reasons. 3 years however(PS4K) is a sin against humanity and should be purged. Except if it's called New 3DS.

You can also only release a new console when the old one is not selling well(WiiU). But under no circumstances you can release one if the previous console still sells well(PS4). Except if it's called 3DS.

Those are just some of the very important facts which are based on the science which I will call consology.

I'm going to type this slowly, so maybe you'll comprehend.

If you are a PC gamer then you go in knowing that constant improvements in GPU's, CPU's, memory, etc are just part of the environment  and that's perfectly fine because that is the model for PC gaming. You know that nVidia's next latest and greatest graphics card will be released in 6 months and that if you want the optimal performance from the newest games then you'll need to upgrade.

On the other hand the value proposition for a video game console has always been that a given generation's hardware specs are "locked" so there isn't the constanted upgrade cycle that PC gamers know and accept going in.  Sony is trying to get a 'do over' on this generation by upgrading the specs of the PS4 mid-generation, and by by doing so they are creating two different versions of the same platform, with one performing better than the other.

If Sony released an underpowered PS4 2 years ago then that was their own fault for jumping the gun before the hardware was where it needed to be, or for being greedy by cutting corners on hardware to increase their per unit profits.  Either way, that was Sony's decision and they need to work within those performance specs for this generation, until they decide to launch the next generation (PS5) because that is how the console market works.  To do this half-assed 'upgrade' midway through the PS4's lifecycle only fractures the user base into the 40 million of us with the under-powered version and the new adopters (or repeat buyers) who have a better version that can support games with more/better features.

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-Super_Boom

Why am I not surprised that so many people here know nothing about PC gaming.

The bolded statements are completely false. And I'd appreciate if people would stop spreading that fudd.

People buy a PC once that fits in their budget and stick to it for as long as possible. Constant hardware upgrades even just every 2 years are only for the richest of PC gamers. News flash: those PC gamers are a very tiny minority. About as tiny as people owning multiple consoles of a generation. The majority sticks to what they got for many years and a lot of them even start off with shabby hardware and are actually playing with Intel graphics for years. Pc gamers upgrading constantly is a stupid myth spread by console gamers to make them feel better.

The same as the myth that constant upgrades are "necessary" to play the latest games. You can play current games just fine with 5 year old PC hardware. It's not the cutting edge experience that a minority of PC gamers strives to but for most that's absolutely fine.

The only difference between PC and consoles is that PC gamers know that they always have the option to upgrade even if they don't need it. That is a good thing. 

CHOICE IS A GOOD THING!

That choice has been missing from the console business for several reasons but none of these apply today. Console gamers are clinging to tradition rather than common sense and consumer advocacy.

That mythical "split userbase" is not a thing. You know what? Console gamers are the most split userbase in the whole gaming industry. There are currently 3! different console manufacturers that are splitting the userbase. None of these userbases can play together, they can't even enjoy the same games due to exclusives. Then there are the generation changes that split the userbases even further thanks to exclusives. And then comes along the first console upgrade that has no exclusives and suddenly people are afraid it's splitting the userbase? Are you fucking kidding me?

All these years of no choice and split userbases have apparently irreversably changed the way some people think about gaming. They've been lulled into being ok with having just a fraction of the available gaming content and are now even supporting the company's selfish desire to bind users to their single platform so they don't have to put any effort into offering choice. It's now sacrilegious to go against "that's how it has always been".

I think what Sony is doing is great. Finally giving gamers at least some choice, even though apparently you people do not want or deserve it.