Is Sony, in terms of PlayStation, going downhill?

They're not known worldwide as Phony, the one and only for nuttin ya know. lol :P

This does seem like the worst time in the history of PlayStation, sadly. Maybe ousting Jim and Connie, and letting go all the game developers last week was a step in the right direction.

The whole industry was moving towards live services so no, I don't blame Sony as an individual company.

The question is how many jobs can one possibly have? Because that is what I like to compare a live service to: a full time job.

I just wish Sony would diversify more. Have some 3D platformers, some cinematic games and perhaps yes, a live service game.

In sales? LOL, no. In content? Only time will tell

Nose diving since 2021.

Became worthless trash after PS2.

It's a cutscene machine for people without the high (and frankly impressive) intellect of PC gamers to know what a PCI-e is.

There does seem to be some turmoil going on over in Sonyland for sure. Very concerning times indeed.

Yes

Seems like it's a concern.

It pains me to say it, but they’re on a downward spiral. Just too many mistakes this year. Price increases on the PS5, then the Slim, then PS+…then products no one wants…light on the new releases. It’s a sign of things to come. I jumped ship before it sinks any further. Only using my PS5 for exclusives now.

Another insecurity thread 🤣

@SolidGame_basic:

I'd tell you to jump ship while you can but I know you can't. The Captain must go down with the ship. :(

Farewell matey. lol :P

Is it normal that i am the biggest cow in the universe, and i want Sony to suffer more than back in 06-07? The fact that we're almost half way through this gen, and not only are they not releasing anything, but nothing is even being announced.🤷‍♂️Of course, if you're a lemming, that wouldn't bother you cuz your standards after the 7th gen have been pathetic to say the least (no wonder you're in the third place, and permanently), but as a magnificent cow, what has been happening is simply unacceptable.

@SecretPolice: Oh snap! LOL 🤣😂

The bulk of your gripes are that they make subpar accessories and, have raised prices in a period where inflation is at a 40 year high. lol

I understand that the radio silence re: games (and new IP in particular) is a bit frustrating but, they've constantly delivered great games.

yep been saying it for a while now and just posted about it in another thread. they seem to have sleepwalked into this gen without any sort of cohesive strategy. as a ps5 owner, i don't know what the future holds, all i see for me right now is multi-plats, but then a sizeable chunk of them have been bought out by ms, so its even more gloomier.

i started last gen with pc and ps4, bought an abox and switch over time but the ps4 remained my primary gaming device. can't see that happening this gen, so for me it's just a question of whether to pick up an xbox or upgrade my pc. will wait it out until all these newly acquired ms studios start releasing decent games and one becomes the obvious choice

I mean, I game on PS5 and PC.

Yeah, the lack of game announcements is the worst personally. I'm a VR fan, too. They are doing absolutely shite with new VR releases, outside of 3rd party ports.

Tidied

@nod_calypse: "I mean, right? There are like no new IPs, practically. No announcements, or at least nothing worthwhile. PSVR2 is getting some good 3rd party and indie games, ports and whatnot, and that's cool, but otherwise, Sony is doing practically nothing with it. Remakes, remasters, blah blah blah. Raising prices all over the damn place. And Portal, because.....why, again? The PS5 Slim is expensive af, and the digital edition is getting jacked up in price. Like, huh?"

Seems like Jim Ryan went out in style.

@hardwenzen: "Of course, if you're a lemming, that wouldn't bother you cuz your standards after the 7th gen have been pathetic to say the least (no wonder you're in the third place, and permanently),"

lol

Console sales *🫴🍆Tug,Tug,Tug*

Yes/no. They seemed last few years to be on a growth path with their strategic investments in PC porting and more online capabilities, they haven't executed their strategy in a balanced approach or committed approach. Rather than have their studios who were acquired strictly to do PC porting do just that, they've bogged down their first party output to pick up the slack, and all for a PC base that grows increasingly less interested. They acquired Bungie for a sizeable sum to help them make a banger GaaS, but rather than be content with them to diversify their lineup in that area, they've taken a multiple studio all hands on deck approach toward hedging their bet so they can make the next Fortnite or Roblox or GTA Online. So yeah, they're not in a good place figuring out what they're doing.

They're not worse for it in sense they still maintain a sizeable market share regardless. That just makes the market complicit in this lack of any commitment toward growth. They have time to keep figuring it out, but they still got to figure it out before they burn through the goodwill. If they do end up putting themselves on right track, it'll be at least a couple years before we that adjustment in their announcements and releases. But, even then they might not be back into business as usual when key creative staff and leadership are jumping ship.

Yup, we all know SONY, current gen leader, will prevail with the time honored Live, Lean and Love philosophy.

PlayStation is probably not going to release more than 2 - 3 PSVR games (or modes) per year and, chances are the majority of those will end up coming from third party studios published under PlayStation Studios. They really only have like 6 studios that would even work on VR - Polyphony, FireSprite, Insomniac, Team Asobi, London Studio and, Media Molecule.

That being said, I do think a big part of their strategy will be to license out their IP to third parties.

Damn releasing yet another 90+ MC rated game really hurts you pathetic lemmings doesn’t it?

In terms of PSVR2, 3rd party is actually working just fine. I'm playing Propagation atm, which is dope. Lots of good releases.

It would be nice for 1st party to show up, but whatever. At least there are good games.

Is Sony going to shut down Bungie?

I've said this before, but Sony is losing the elements of the industry that made them great.... They do not operate from a pool of infinite money the way a Microsoft seemingly does. They have tk make smarter decisions and be sure of how they advance their brand... Problem is, the strengths they once had are drying up. Putting out several high quality AAA sp games every year is become more and more expensive and difficult.... Not because games take that long to make but because the industry is motivated by production value, graphics and cinematic over gameplay. Nothing burger features that don't equate to a good video game. Sony can't stop it either.... Their fans want more lines of resolution, better lighting, better textures.... But gameplay is a distant desire for the fan base seemingly. I forsee Sony pumping out sp games (their strength) much slower and with much less risk involved. I also don't think they can compete with Gamepass features in a significant way.

They're still Sony... Arguably the best brand name in games, but because of how aggressively the market is chasing top end fidelity with bloated budgets Sony seems more like superman at the diner after he gives up his powers.

@nod_calypse: Sony is the number 1 HD console maker. Despite my best wishes, they are still beating Xbox handily this gen.

So, I can't really say they are "failing" or going "downhill" by any realistic stretch as long as people keep loving those movie games.

I'm not up to date on what's going on with Sony. I guess if it's going downhill, I'll find out by experience. The only thing I actually noticed is the price increase for PS+. Other than that, I don't see anything negative in my own gaming experiences. Still third party games, which is why I get consoles. :/

Wow, the news of MS needing to his 100 million gamepass users by 2027 in order for MS to consider even keeping the Xbox brand has really hit lemmings pretty hard. lol.

They've been going downhill for a long time ... and most of the rest of the industry right along with them.

ITT: Cows deflecting hard. 😂

I never had a high opinion of PlayStation. The first PlayStation was my 3rd favorite console that gen. Probably my favorite PS console though. That was the last PS console that had exclusives that I REALLY cared about. I hated the PS2 for killing off the superior Dreamcast. If the Xbox entered the arena sooner I could have sworn off PlayStation. The PS3 was my 3rd favorite console that gen, and probably my least favorite console released by any of the Big 3 today. PS4 was mid too. I only buy PlayStation consoles for the random game I can't play anywhere else. If I wasn't a gaming enthusiasts and/or didn't have the disposable cash I would have no problem skipping PlayStation altogether. The brand is easily disposable to me.

What a terrible post. Sony does seem to be doing poor in getting games out, but much of that post is garbage.

I mean didn't the CEO of Xbox admit to having lost the console war? I mean not finishing 3rd, but actually saying they lost and can't compete.

Im sorry but this PS is doomed rhetoric is a little too much, look lemmings, I'm sorry Phil saying Xbox lost the console war is eating at you, but trying to flip the narrative isn't going to make it better.

Either move onto PC or play Game pass on an ipad, cuz xbox as a system is done.

Said no cow, ever.

As someone who does not enjoy Sony First Party, my answer is... probably not.

As long as Sony gets third party support, they will continue to do really well for themselves. However, I don't think Naughty Dog will remain relevant for much longer. I said it before and I say it again, Naughty Dog lost its talent.

The playstation is popular, but it seems to be popular because it is popular, rather than any actual merits of the PS5. The PS5 is where your friends are, it is a familiar brand, all in all it tracks well with consumer habits and the effectiveness of franchising. Third party releases will always give gamers something to do. But is this sustainable? Not really. If MS decides to crank out their games, MS can easily take the wind off Sony's back. when they announce the Series Next. All they need to do is make one mistake for Microsoft to capitalize on.

There’s a reason I was labeled a Lem from like 2006-2016. I’ve never been shy of my criticism of PlayStation. I’d still be labeled a Lem if it weren’t for Lems joining a cult. Once they started talking about True 4K, highest quality pixels and rapid pack math Forza wet track (shoutout to Ronvalencia) I had to distance myself from that faction.

PS2+PS3 era and the PlayStation official forums (now long dead), I would have been labeled a cow if the cow term existed outside of GameSpot.

I don't think it's as bad now as the first year or two of the PS3. PS3's game drought was pretty bad for a few years, and the 3rd party titles where worse on PS3 because it was hard to develop for.

Still, PS5 definitely hasn't come out guns blazing like they did with PS4. It's got some great 1st party games on it, but it's realistically not nearly as many as it's predecessor. Plus, I think we are seeing the fallback of copy and paste game formulas from Sony's IPs.

As soon as the PS4 games dried up, the problems have become apparent.

I heard Jim Ryan might be joining MS... As CEO of the cafeteria.

Seems to me that PS has been hiding behind the PS4 so far. Selling of that brand power, releasing PS4 games etc. I always said, lets see when the console has to stand on its own two, and now they're struggling to release games and restructuring.

I wouldn't enjoy this so much, but the cows keep saying for the last couple of years with Xbox "where the games, where the games", "management this and management that" indeed. Not so enjoyable when it's happening to PlayStation is it.

Price of the console stays the same, services have gone up... One game this year, one game next year...

Watching that, I'm VERY concerned... Are you concerned?

I think we should summon the concern powah of Mr Concerned to help us articulate the concern.

I summon thee @ghostofgolden help us to articulate the concern we are all feeling.

Same for me as well. Nothing wrong with Sony joining on the PC side.

The tech industry is really weird right now. And live service games suck! but that doesn't mean Playstation is going down in flames. They'll pivot which will create a dry spell of games but that won't sink the brand. They survived the PS3, I think they can work this out.