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PlayStation 4 Console Thread

mushashi

By mushashi
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JPickford

JPickford

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I wonder if it's technically do-able for them to read PS1/2/3 disc serial numbers, and let you play your disc-bought game for free over GaiKai.

Of course it makes 0 business sense so it won't happen, I'm just wondering if it's do-able.

Streaming PS1 or PS2 games seems a bit daft to me. Then again I think streaming is daft. But those games could be emulated locally saving a lot of wasted bandwidth and server CPU time. I don't think PS3 streaming is practical at all.
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ChrisN

ChrisN

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/business/global/sonys-bread-and-butter-its-not-electronics.html?_r=0

Sony's electronics business makes an epic loss pretty much all the time. A prominent investor reckons they should break the company up leaving the electronics bit on it's own. Sony's board is "considering the proposal."

If that happens, I reckon there's a good chance the PS4 will be Sony's last console.

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Asura

Asura

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Even if you say they should incentivise digital sales with lower pricing, I imagine most people are imagining STEAM-sale sort of pricing, which fixes what? nothing, as you shift more units but end up with the same revenue result, growing the revenue is thing that matters, you could sell 10 units at £2 Million each and make a tidy profit afterall. You can look at the amount of money publshers get from the PC versus console and clearly see who the MVP is, and it isn't the cutting-their-own-throats-to-get-you-to-buy-it PC version. Some console games don't even get a PC version, which tells you something about how valuable the PC market is to publishers.

People need to be careful saying "well Steam does OK" also. Right now it's a bit of a murky argument because most of the bigger budget games appear on console.

A better comparison are the games on Steam that have not had console releases, but are still AAA in the manner of a console title like Mass Effect or Deus Ex. There aren't so many.

I'm not so sure if Steam pricing was "the norm" for the mainstream that publishers would even bother with doing games like that - what with console licensing prices adding more to the cost of making the games in the first place.

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DocG

DocG

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Imagine if Sony never intended to implement used DRM, but set this whole thing in motion so that they could appear to respond to a public outcry and play the good guys. That's some Tywin Lannister shit right there.

When you play the the Game of Xbones, you win or you die.

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Spacehost

Spacehost

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Imagine if Sony never intended to implement used DRM, but set this whole thing in motion so that they could appear to respond to a public outcry and play the good guys. That's some Tywin Lannister shit right there.

I would love it if Sony's version of DRM is Charles Dance chastising you at length for playing a second-hand game.
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mushashi

mushashi

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Imagine if Sony never intended to implement used DRM, but set this whole thing in motion so that they could appear to respond to a public outcry and play the good guys. That's some Tywin Lannister shit right there.

*cough*

Sony must really be playing the really long-game with this, some proper Keyser Söze level stuff, the PS3 was rumoured to be implementing some patent they had back in 2005, but now that Microsoft look likely to do a Windows on their box, the market pressure isn't quite as strong as it was back then:

"A device and method for protection of legitimate software against used software and counterfeit software in recording media… A specific title code is read, and if this title code has been registered, the main unit shifts to a normal operation. If the code has not been registered, verification software is initiated… If matching does not occur, the disk is processed as illegitimate software… Since only titles for which legitimate software has actually been purchased and which have been initially registered in the machine table can be used, resale (so-called used software purchase) after purchase by an end-user becomes practically impossible."

http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/08/playstation-3-wont-play-used-games/

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/rumor-playstation-3s-wont-play-borrowed-used-or-rented-games-updated-6236637

But would Sony incorporate technology from Patent #6,816,972 into the PS3? On one hand, doing so would guarantee that each gamer would buy a new copy of each PS3 game, theoretically meaning bigger sales to help defray the steep cost of next-gen development. It would also remove the PS3 from the used-game trade, a market from which Sony gets no revenue.

However, there would be some major drawbacks to implementing Patent # 6,816,972 technology into the PS3. It would mean forfeiting the rental market to Microsoft's Xbox 360. Though there are signs that the game-rental stories are in decline--Blockbuster Video is reportedly shopping around its GameRush subsidiary--Netflix-esque services like GameFly are gaining in popularity. Then there's the fact that many people can't afford to buy a whole lot of games. When presented with a choice between a console that does play rented games and one that doesn't, which way do you think they'll go? There's also the risk of sparking a blacklash like the one currently raging over the BMG DRM rootkit.

Spooky how accurate the reporting was, they just needed to do a f&r with Sony for Microsoft :P

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mushashi

mushashi

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Well this isn't exactly true. Even some of the indie developers on GAF can tell you that selling their games at cheap prices in the steam sales earns them a LOT of profit even when it's at a cutdown price. Steam sales can also drive sales when prices revert to normal and it's been found that sales of the product can even remain the same at least for a time. You're underestimating how much profit a publisher can make from a Steam sale or how well they can do from it.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/174587/Steam_sales_How_deep_discounts_really_affect_your_games.php

Pricing is very important. For example take a look at Russia. One of the biggest piracy rates going but Valve managed to get products released at a price suitable for that market and a lot of folk are doing VERY well from it, Russias a very big market for them. Publishers tend to underestimate the PC market. Look at Ubisoft for example, they released Far Cry 3 at the same time as the console versions and at release within the first few months they said they made something like over one million sales and they probably get more revenue per copy sold from that than a console at retail. The other thing is that games on PC have a much longer shelf life as sales can drive sales of older games.

Consoles are obviously a VERY lucrative market and will of course always be bigger than PC but there's still a lot of money to be made their.

The whole does STEAM sales help and how much is very murky imo, the GabeN boasts about the increases, etc, but as I've said before, prove it with a massive budget game, then I'll believe it, as to me, while I have seen good evidence from indies whose games cost fuck all to make making the sales angle work early, does the same apply to games with budgets closer to a typical mainstream high profile console game? much less clear evidence there.

Actions speak louder than words, and the actions clearly say that the PC is not the primary profit driver for the large (console) publishers, the comment from Crytek about why Crysis had to go multiplatform from being a PC exclusive says it all, the platform can't support huge budget games that aren't MMOs or online-centric (the exception would be Blizzard before anybody brings them up, but even they are now going multiplatform).

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Dandy_Sephy

Dandy_Sephy

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its kind of fucking hilarious that MS have shot themselves in the foot - by being the first to bring DRM to used games - AND that they have to PAY Sony a fee to do it (patent pending)!

Not at all, Sony filed a specific patent for a specifc method of disc verification using RFID, not a patent for general disc drm.

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Epcotman

Epcotman

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With all the doom surrounding the future all consoles, it's good to see the PS4 at no.1 and Xbone at no.2 in Amazon best sellers. Has their ever been such a head to head battle between two machines before? It's all very exciting!

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BarryL85

BarryL85

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If anyone can remember back to PS3 launch or probably any other console launch whats the best place or a recommendation for a midnight launch? Not actual town location but which particular stores?

I was thinking about maybe a supermarket would be best since they usually run 24/7 anyway Asda or Tesco etc.

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Wickedkitten

Wickedkitten

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Yeah, I'm planning on just rolling up to Tesco myself. Mainly because I would have to go there anyway to get some munchies and shit and by the time we get the ps4, another controller, watch dogs, and black flag and some other stuff, we'll have racked up enough clubcard points that I could no doubt get another game fairly cheaply with the vouchers

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BarryL85

BarryL85

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Yeah, I'm planning on just rolling up to Tesco myself. Mainly because I would have to go there anyway to get some munchies and shit and by the time we get the ps4, another controller, watch dogs, and black flag and some other stuff, we'll have racked up enough clubcard points that I could no doubt get another game fairly cheaply with the vouchers

Ha ha sounds awesome your shopping list sounds similar to what mine will be ! Maybe Tesco will have bonus preorder clubcard points though instead of just going in on the off chance of a sale?

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