Two (and a bit) years in, what do you think of the next gen consoles?

[Isaac]

13 hours ago, Siri said:

I think we'll see Pro-esque refreshes, if only so Sony and Microsoft can push RT quality modes to 60fps as a feature.

 

12 hours ago, HarryBizzle said:

I think if there’s a Series Z or PS5 Pro the drum being beaten will be Ray Tracing at 60fps or more games being native 4K. And either way, it will be expensive. £600 at a minimum. 

 

I don't think it's economically viable to achieve 60fps with RT on consoles, at all - especially at native 4k.

 

We only just got there with this generation of graphics cards on PC, and that's with a card that retails for £1,599 (4090). 

 

The other problem is that the consoles can never use Nvidia's proprietary AI-powered upscaling technology either (DLSS), as they are stuck on AMD. 

 

If they were going to attempt it with a pro, it'd need to be priced at close to a grand, minimum. Which is nuts. 

 

I can see both manufacturers releasing a die-shrink and a 'mini' version of current consoles (if only to get costs down) but not pro versions this time around.

[Isaac]

4 hours ago, Sarlaccfood said:

I literally fantasise about just having one console and being happy with it. 
 

But I just read and watch too much about the hobby and can’t help spreading a wider net.

 

You can play pretty much every game on PC now. You may need to wait for the Sony first party games, but only about twelve months or so.

 

Appreciate that's not a console.

[HarryBizzle]

14 minutes ago, Isaac said:

 

 

I don't think it's economically viable to achieve 60fps with RT on consoles, at all - especially at native 4k.

 

We only just got there with this generation of graphics cards on PC, and that's with a card that retails for £1,599 (4090). 

 

The other problem is that the consoles can never use Nvidia's proprietary AI-powered upscaling technology either (DLSS), as they are stuck on AMD. 

 

If they were going to attempt it with a pro, it'd need to be priced at close to a grand, minimum. Which is nuts. 

 

I can see both manufacturers releasing a die-shrink and a 'mini' version of current consoles (if only to get costs down) but not pro versions this time around.

 

I don't think we'll see Pro versions either, but I think if they did, they would need something to sell them, like 4K was for the PS4 Pro and One X. I think Insomniac have a spiderman version which uses RT reflections at 60fps which is very well regarded (obviously not 4K native) though. As I say, if they did do it, I think it would be extremely expensive and probably rely heavily on techniques like FSR.

[Vorgot]

PS5 here and very happy with it. Like the fact that my PS4 games are all playable, that was a big bummer for me when I got my PS4, but I have my old PS3 back from my boys now so that's good. Most of what I play on the PS5 is probably JRPGs but its got such a huge catalogue, it's my 'default' machine.

 

But I play my Switch a lot more because it's got the Nintendo stuff on there and it just hits my sweet spot. I'm not a huge fan of hyper realistic games, so the 'limitations; of the Switch never bother me. Any multi platform release I'll always go for the PS5 version unless there's a compelling argument for handheld.

 

So my Switch and PS5 go together pretty well, never mind that I still play on my 2DS XL too because that provides experiences that the other two can't.

[dvdx2]

9 hours ago, Skull Commander said:

Goodness knows what you are playing, but I've found nothing released this gen so far really pushes it. If I have one complaint then that's the one. I don't think a single game has really made me feel like the "New Gen" has even arrived. Until that point I don't want a new generation of machines

 

I’m playing the games with 120fps options at the moment; (not the indie games). That fps is definitely nextgen; the fluidity is incredible compared to any gen before it. However the resolution drops in most cases to last gen resolutions, with most graphic fidelity cut to shreds. Games with the nice fidelity options are usually 30fps (which I’m sure we can both agree is definitely not next gen).Love the short load times and it’s a nice quiet console.

[ChewMagma]

I've got a PS5, Series S, Switch and Steam Deck. I could probably sack off the PS5 tbh - I've basically used it to play Elden Ring and that is it. Also it is ugly as sin.

 

I've realised I do not give one shit about shinies or new tech. I mainly use my consoles to play visual novels and JRPGs and stuff from the last gen. Nintendo games are still the best and the Steam Deck has you covered for everything else. Series S is mandatory for Gamepass.

[fat flatulent git]

2 hours ago, Timmo said:

PS5 and Series S. These things:

 

- Super fast loading times (including quick resume)

- 60fps

- Solid backwards compatibility including common frame rate boosting

 

have made this an incredible generation so far.

 

 

Those things you’ve listed are all nice.  But I think it speaks volumes for how underwhelming this generation has been so far that you’ve had to list things like that instead of a list of actual games.

[Kevvy Metal]

3 minutes ago, fat flatulent git said:

Those things you’ve listed are all nice.  But I think it speaks volumes for how underwhelming this generation has been so far that you’ve had to list things like that instead of a list of actual games.

The thread isn’t called “what’s been your favourite next gen games so far?” …so naturally it’s going to get focused on the hardware itself. 

[thesnwmn]

5 minutes ago, fat flatulent git said:

Those things you’ve listed are all nice.  But I think it speaks volumes for how underwhelming this generation has been so far that you’ve had to list things like that instead of a list of actual games.

 

Honestly, I think an "underwhelming" generation of games is a good thing. Of course it's not actually underwhelming all, it's just not aligned with new console releases and we're seeing a continual even spread of bangers.

 

It's an indication of games development decoupling itself from the arbitrary release cycles of hardware. Games are massively more scalable now as most arrive on PC too, offer different performance modes or are built knowing MS at least will them automatically just be better on each future hardware iteration.

 

This is fantastic. Hopefully it stops the lackluster  start of generations where we see hastily developed shiny pieces turds we wouldn't play at any other time. And the dead end of generations where most big budget development is focused on the future and there's nothing left to release.

 

Now we just get games. Good games. All of the time.

 

Nintendo might be the exception. But I'm not sure we'll know that until we see the Switch successor and how their first party release schedule looks in the run up to it and after it.

[fat flatulent git]

2 minutes ago, Kevvy Metal said:

The thread isn’t called “what’s been your favourite next gen games so far?” …so naturally it’s going to get focused on the hardware itself. 

The OP is as much about games as hardware.

 

For me, an incredible generation (so far) needs great games.  I can’t help but feel it’s a bit anticlimactic if shorter loading times is worth a mention before any games.

 

But maybe he is focusing on hardware only, as you said.

 

 

[the_debaser]

We didn’t really require a next gen refresh when it happened, yet I still bought them both in anticipation of shinies.
 

Unfortunately neither console has had a game yet that has wowed me. In fact both consoles have had serious release droughts.
 

Gamepass is decent enough I suppose, but most games on it don’t really require a next gen console. 
 

 

[easilydone]

I’ve got a switch and a series S, haven’t really touched the switch for 18 months now, gamepass covered me with smaller indie releases and there’s been no big games since Metroid I’ve been interested in. 

The series S has been awesome for gamepass but it’s a little disappointing the lack of any real next gen games. The machine itself is lovely and a good quality of life upgrade, so worth it from that angle, but most of the games would’ve been just as well served by a last gen machine with game pass. 

 

I want to get a PS5 but there’s nothing to justify it, £500 for a machine and with maybe 5 exclusive games i want to play on it 2 years in is a bit disheartening. 

[El Spatula]

Have a PC and a Steam Deck, that'll do me nicely. Couldn't give a stuff about Nintendo, all Xbox games available straight away, and Sony games within a year or so. Can't go wrong.

[Sumire]

10 hours ago, Jamie John said:

I own a Series X, a Series S, a PS5, a Switch OLED, a Steam Deck and a 4000 series-equipped gaming PC and, frankly, it's too much: I don't have enough time to spend on all of them and I can go months without playing one particular platform. There's also a lot of needless doubling up going on - I don't need a Series X and a top-end gaming PC, for example, so I'm likely going to sell my Series X soon.

 

The same goes for the PS5: there are no upcoming exclusives for it that truly interest me, and they'll all end up on the PC at some point anyway. The only real reason I have for keeping it around is to replay PS4 exclusive games on it, but I might just sell it on regardless and get a PS5 slim, as and when Sony decide to make one.

 

I am the same. I have a 3080 gaming PC and bought a Series X for some reason! I need to sell that one. I convinced myself a PS5 was a good idea at the time, but most of the exclusives come to PC now and are always better...eventually anyway. So tempted to get rid of them both now. And obviously Gamepass Ultimate has the PC games on there that are always better on PC anyway than Series X.

 

I have a Switch OLED which looks so nice and obviously Nintendo and portable, so will hang on to that.

[ontwofronts]

Remind me, but wasn’t the whole Pro thing last gen about adapting to 4k TVs? So pushing resolutions for the PS4 and the Xbox adding a 4K Blu Ray player? It’s hard to see the need this gen for that.

 

mid gen updates have been around since the PS1, I can’t see that changing if there’s savings to be made in manufacturing. This gen has already held its price point longer than any other (and actually seen a price rise, totally unprecedented)

[Timmo]

58 minutes ago, fat flatulent git said:

Those things you’ve listed are all nice.  But I think it speaks volumes for how underwhelming this generation has been so far that you’ve had to list things like that instead of a list of actual games.

With backwards compatibility seemingly being the norm from now on, I almost think the games are kind of irrelevant.

[HarryBizzle]

3 hours ago, Jamie John said:

 

I think just PC and Switch is a pretty viable option, seeing as everything on Xbox is also on PC, and Sony exclusives are now making their way to PC as well. Maybe with a side of Steam Deck, too.

 

Initially, I was dubious about PC gaming as it wasn't as 'pick up and' play as the Xbox/PS5 with their quick resume functions. Set up your PC properly, however, and you're back in the game just as quickly as you would be on a console. I also thought not being able to sell games on PC once I was done with them would be a drawback, but over the last year the number of games I've played on disc I could count on one hand - the majority of games I've played have been either been digital purchases or Game Pass games - and PC games are cheaper than their console versions anyway, so I don't anticipate it being much of a problem. Plus, being able to play games in 4K native at 100fps+ on my big telly is a pretty big boon, as is being able to upgrade components piecemeal and not having to worry about dropping £600, or however much it's going to cost, on the PS5 Pro, or whatever.

How do you set up your PC so it’s as quick as quick resume on the consoles? I’d be very interested in that. 
 

Also I’m not sure buying an £800 graphics card so you don’t have to buy a console upgrade which may never exist is a valid saving! I don’t think the value proposition of the consoles can really be disputed. Seems to be a case of massively diminishing returns above this on PC. 

[Popo]

I started the generation with a PS4 and Switch, and the overwhelming sense I have after two years of PS5 and Series X is that of continuity with incremental improvements. 
 

The haptics of the Dual Sense and Quick Resume on Series X are brilliant developments, but other improvements are akin to mid-generational Pro upgrades. Especially because I’m still playing my PS4  backlog, only now on PS5 with higher frame rates and resolutions. I have nothing to compare with on the Microsoft side, but the brand, UI and style of games coming to PS5 are the same as last generation. 
 

Then of course the Switch just keeps knocking its out the park year after year. Nothing has really changed for me since 2017; the most visually impressive game I’ve yet seen is The Last of Us Part 2, a PS4 title. Granted, making loading times a thing if the past is massive - but all the new technological enhancements we’ve seen this generation simply serve to enhance the experience of playing the kind of games we’ve been playing for the past 7 years or so - by making them load quicker, run faster or stream them directly from the internet. 
 

That sounds more downbeat than I intended. Don’t get me wrong, I am loving it! We’re living through a golden era of creativity, productivity, affordability (in the context of cheap games and services like Gamepass, if not hardware) - it’s an embarrassment of riches. It’s just difficult to draw a clear delineating line between what was possible on PS4 and what is now possible on PS5. 

[Jamie John]

25 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

How do you set up your PC so it’s as quick as quick resume on the consoles? I’d be very interested in that. 

 

Set the PC to not require a login when you press the power button, use Steam Big Picture and put it into sleep/standby mode (not shutdown/hibernate) when you know you're going to use it again soon. I haven't checked with a stopwatch or anything, but I've found this setup takes a comparable amount of time to turning the Series X on, especially if the X is in eco mode. The only thing the PC can't do is turn the TV on as well, like the Xbox can, but that doesn't bother me.

 

30 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

Also I’m not sure buying an £800 graphics card so you don’t have to buy a console upgrade which may never exist is a valid saving! I don’t think the value proposition of the consoles can really be disputed. Seems to be a case of massively diminishing returns above this on PC. 

 

You're right, of course, but bearing in mind that the XSX and PS5 cost me £900 combined and that an upgraded console still won't be as powerful as the GPU I own, £800 for a 4000-series card starts to sound better value. 

 

Plus, I managed to get mine with a significant discount thanks to the pesos scam deal, so I'm biased.

[Kevvy Metal]

18 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

 

Set the PC to not require a login when you press the power button, use Steam Big Picture and put it into sleep/standby mode (not shutdown/hibernate) when you know you're going to use it again soon. I haven't checked with a stopwatch or anything, but I've found this setup takes a comparable amount of time to turning the Series X on, especially if the X is in eco mode. The only thing the PC can't do is turn the TV on as well, like the Xbox can, but that doesn't bother me.

 

 

You're right, of course, but bearing in mind that the XSX and PS5 cost me £900 combined and that an upgraded console still won't be as powerful as the GPU I own, £800 for a 4000-series card starts to sound better value. 

 

Plus, I managed to get mine with a significant discount thanks to the pesos scam deal, so I'm biased.

Id rather pay £900 to complete avoid infuriating shader compilation stuttering on all big budget releases, and just play the versions that they’re obviously all ports of. 
 

…but indies? Steamdeck is your friend. 

[Jamie John]

15 minutes ago, Kevvy Metal said:

Id rather pay £900 to complete avoid infuriating shader compilation stuttering on all big budget releases, and just play the versions that they’re obviously all ports of. 

 

I haven't encountered this in a game yet, although I've heard lots about it. It's part of the reason why I haven't immediately sold the SX and PS5.

[scoobysi]

Very happy with PS5, the slower release of games has not been an issue for me and there’s been some decent upgrades in GoT and UC LoT and 60fps bump for others e.g GoW 2018 and TT IoM2.

 

I’ve been playing Horizon FW since Xmas and that game constantly blows me away, it’s beautiful. Sonic Frontiers is another Xmas present waiting to be played.

 

The DualSense is brilliant for racing games, especially GT7, F1, WRC9 and Wreckfest. Probably my favourite controller.

 

I’ve not long added a SSD, the extra 1TB will be ample meaning I don’t have to archive games to USB as I have been doing a bit and can have more racing games permanently installed.

Game subscription services are not really for me, I don’t consume enough, so I just have PS Plus Essential which is still delivering some great games. By the time I get to games they’re much cheaper anyway and those I want to play at launch e.g. GT7 and Spider-Man 2 I’m happy to buy. I also have Control, Mass Effect LE, Jedi FO, Mafia DE and Yakuza LD among others from Plus waiting to be played.

 

[HarryBizzle]

50 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

 

Set the PC to not require a login when you press the power button, use Steam Big Picture and put it into sleep/standby mode (not shutdown/hibernate) when you know you're going to use it again soon. I haven't checked with a stopwatch or anything, but I've found this setup takes a comparable amount of time to turning the Series X on, especially if the X is in eco mode. The only thing the PC can't do is turn the TV on as well, like the Xbox can, but that doesn't bother me.

 

 

You're right, of course, but bearing in mind that the XSX and PS5 cost me £900 combined and that an upgraded console still won't be as powerful as the GPU I own, £800 for a 4000-series card starts to sound better value. 

 

Plus, I managed to get mine with a significant discount thanks to the pesos scam deal, so I'm biased.

 

Out of interest, do you feel the PC is a big step up from PS5/XSX for most games? I have been thinking about those Palicomp deals you posted but have managed to stay my hand due to quick resume on consoles, the fear of stutter on PCs and fiddling when things don't work right, and wondering whether I'll actually be able to tell the difference in any games outside of Cyberpunk.

 

I've tried both a Series S and Series X on my OLED and to be honest I didn't feel the difference was earth shattering, which makes me think I might spend 1300 quid on a PC and not notice the difference.

[AK Bell]

I think the Series X has been good value since I got it. I've had loads of use out of it and it reignited playing games for me as it got a bit faster, slicker and even quieter to play games in a house with kids. I've said in previous similar threads, it's totally worth it for just being able to start playing a game asap without having to faff about or wait. 

 

But... the console itself is kind of losing worth. What's starting to get more convenient is steaming Game Pass games on a handheld. They run pretty well through the PC browser too. I just played some Hi-Fi Rush on it with no obvious lag and it still looking great. If they can sort it to play games I own as well, rather than having a rubbish 720p stream to my own Xbox, then actually owning a console seems an expensive extravagance.  

 

I'd still need one for 4k or twitch/driving games, probably. But I'm not £450 bothered. 

[Jamie John]

35 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

 

Out of interest, do you feel the PC is a big step up from PS5/XSX for most games? I have been thinking about those Palicomp deals you posted but have managed to stay my hand due to quick resume on consoles, the fear of stutter on PCs and fiddling when things don't work right, and wondering whether I'll actually be able to tell the difference in any games outside of Cyberpunk.

 

I've tried both a Series S and Series X on my OLED and to be honest I didn't feel the difference was earth shattering, which makes me think I might spend 1300 quid on a PC and not notice the difference.

 

I haven't played enough on it yet to be able to comment, but playing RDR2 in 4k @60fps with everything turned to the max is pretty incredible. Having said that, however, the last time I played that game was on the base PS4, before I got my OLED, so most things would look better than that.

 

I think there are lots of other advantages to PC gaming beyond just performance, though: most of my gaming library is in one box, taking up one plug and one HDMI slot; whenever I want to check something online or what have you I can just alt-tab out and it's all there, easily accessible with my mouse and keyboard; I can play games on my big TV and then switch to my Steam Deck when I want to play on the go - I can keep playing the same game and my save syncs instantly; games are cheaper; lots of games are free; backwards compatibility isn't an issue; the customisability of it all, even if I do just set and forget most the time, is there to fiddle with if I feel the need; you're not limited to one manufacturer's parts, or OS, or software; and there are workarounds to pretty much every problem or bug you could ever encounter.

[Isaac]

1 hour ago, HarryBizzle said:

 

Out of interest, do you feel the PC is a big step up from PS5/XSX for most games? I have been thinking about those Palicomp deals you posted but have managed to stay my hand due to quick resume on consoles, the fear of stutter on PCs and fiddling when things don't work right, and wondering whether I'll actually be able to tell the difference in any games outside of Cyberpunk.

 

I've tried both a Series S and Series X on my OLED and to be honest I didn't feel the difference was earth shattering, which makes me think I might spend 1300 quid on a PC and not notice the difference.

 

Don't get a PC for better versions of what you can have elsewhere - if you want that, it's probably not worth the money for you.

 

The reason a PC is worth the money for those that spend it is that they can have better versions of all the console experiences, plus a ton of stuff that you will never get on console. 

 

If none of that interests you, don't get a PC.

[HarryBizzle]

I suspect most of that stuff is available to me on my ancient PC and none of it interests me much, so that’s helpful. 
 

Any particular examples you’re thinking of?

[mushashi]

21 hours ago, Paulando said:

Errr, I just thought it was a given, like, of course they’re going to release mid-gen Pro consoles because they love making money. But the hive mind seems to disagree.

 

Why did the PS4P and X1X exist? What economic and manufacturing factors allowed them to exist? and do those same factors exist to allow a mid-gen Pro console?

 

The answer certainly isn't a resounding Yes to any of those questions. Microsoft still bleed money on the XSX and XSS, so they are clearly planning to bleed even more on a newer one ASAP

 

[layten]

7 hours ago, Isaac said:

I don't think it's economically viable to achieve 60fps with RT on consoles, at all - especially at native 4k.

 

Even AMD's latest GPU's are pure dog shit when it comes to RT and they cost double that of a PS5.

 

[Haribokart]

Very happy with my ugly-ass PS5 from a power and particularly speed perspective as well as how much of an improvement it makes to older titles, great hardware but I don't really buy games only playing my main (GTA Online) and occasionally whatever pops up of interest in the £40 a year PS+ essential tier so it's not even like I am particularly pro-Sony. I've never had any interest in Nintendo or PC gaming so barely know anything about them and Microsoft consoles have been an absolute joke since the latter half of the 360, getting so bad they have to rely on Gamepass to stay even slightly relevant.