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Jason Schreier: PlayStation 5 Pro Shows the Futility of the Video-Game Graphics Race

People are seriously treating this thing like you wont be able to play ps5 games anymore unless you go out there and buy the Pro. Even Alex on DF had to tell the team, "Well they can just buy the regular PS5". This whole conversation is being talked about like it's the PS5 pro or nothing. The regular PS5 still works great, I love it. I'm also willing to sell it and buy the upgrade but I'd be fine without it.

People are going overboard in trying to justify their decision to NOT buy it to everyone who will lend them an ear, so they feel better about it. Same thing happened with PS Portal.
 
Said in another thread but IMO last gen we reached the "good enough" point with graphics.
They can obviously still get better but I don't feel like they enhance the game in a meaningful way anymore.
Case in point some of the best games this year (at least IMO...and in reviews ) aren't particularly graphically demanding: Astrobot, Infinite Wealth, Stellar Blade, SMTV Vengeance, Unicorn Overlord, Shadow of the Eardtree, etc




Yup. A base Ps5 can play games that look like this at good resolutions and 60fps.
It's not that newer games don't look better but the diminishing returns have gone to the point where I'd rather have devs make games that look and run well on current hardware instead of games that need to run at 720p to achieve 60fps or ask me to buy some new $800 piece of hardware for graphical upgrades which IMO aren't that meaningful anymore and aren't really enhancing my gameplay experience.

I think PS6 might be the last PlayStation

Not in terms of it failing and Sony exiting the business, but in terms of the format lasting decades as advances in hardware no longer bring a better experience.
 
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diffusionx

Gold Member
I think PS6 might be the last PlayStation

Not in terms of it failing and Sony exiting the business, but in terms of the format lasting decades as advances in hardware no longer bring a better experience.
The value of PlayStation is in the fact that it is a platform, not a box that gets periodically replaced over time and the old one gets phased out. IOW it's more like iPhone than it is a PS2. So, if Sony can understand that, and maintain it, they can keep this going as long as people want an easy to use game box to hook up to their TV (which I suspect is a long time).
 

SHA

Member
Really though, Sony pissed away years and millions chasing GAAS ghosts, and MS done nothing to give them any competition. If folks weren't hungry for the microtransaction live service money, we'd have quite a bit more next-gen games by now.
MS is the big slow here, they haven't wasted anything yet.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
PS5 Pro is gonna flop, absolutely no one asked for it. And the improvement it gives is very marginal and the $700 price without disc drive ….yuk!

In a year, once Switch 2 come out, no one is going to remember PS5 Pro even exist

Eh....plenty of us were asking for it and anticipating it. How much improvement it will bring is yet to be determined.

Either way, Switch 2 and PS5 Pro will not be competing with each other so it doesn't really matter.
 

Mobilemofo

Member
I stopped reading after "switch is as powerful as a PS4" . 😅

**Self doubt sets in** maybe I'm wrong...? Maybe I've under estimated the power of the switch?


🤔
 

DeepSpace5D

Member
Not really sure what graphics race he’s referring to and who are the contestants.

PlayStation is going to continue to improve with each new piece of hardware, just like the Switch successor is going to improve on the Switch. It’s all relative.
 

midnightAI

Member
bored christopher walken GIF
 

SHA

Member
I think PS6 might be the last PlayStation

Not in terms of it failing and Sony exiting the business, but in terms of the format lasting decades as advances in hardware no longer bring a better experience.
They need some special kind of miracle to save their current state like Nintendo x Playstation console or something, if they stopped thinking as brands and start thinking as Japanese then they may come up with something, instead of feeding us with forgettable indies.
 

kevboard

Member
"Nintendo Switch, which has sold 143 million units despite having graphical capabilities equivalent to a PS4"

uhm...
 
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TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Nintendo are in their own bubble and if you want to include them this is not the reality
Its successor, expected to be released next year, will likely also be underpowered compared to its competitors — and will also likely outsell them all.
This is
It's successor, just like it's predecessor will only catch up after this gen is over and the PS6 has already hit 20 mil.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
.....lead architect Mark Cerny showed footage of games including The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. One common factor? They were all also released on PlayStation 4 — and look perfectly fine on the 2013 console.

Even though there are a lot of mistakes in this article, this sentence here simply proves one thing. Which is that has Sony simply failed to sell the PS5 as a technological leap to not just consumers but also journos who simply havent seen anything from these Sony studios that looks a generation better.

But thats a failure on sony. Not the technology. the tech is there. Hellblade 2, Black Myth, and Avatar prove this. The problem is that those industry leading studios at Sony have simply not turned up to sell the PS5. Cerny having to rely on a bunch of last gen games to sell a mid generation upgrade for his next gen console is an ironic self goal that is more of a self inflicted wound by Sony than an indictment on the futility of chasing graphics.

If the industry didnt want to chase graphics then we would not be getting a Switch 2 next year. Hell, the main reason for this console is that most (75%) people are playing next gen games with last gen graphics because they want 60 fps instead of ray tracing and other fancy visual effects. The devs hate putting in all the effort into their games only for 3/4th of the userbase to skip and choose ugly versions of their games. this is for the develpoers as much as its for players who want fidelity.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Sony and Xbox need to shift the focus towards joy and fun again. Nintendo Switch has been a huge success because their games bring us joy. To me, Mario Odyssey and Zelda Totk felt similar to playing Diablo 2 or Team Fortress 2, back in the day. Games that are an absolute joy. Instant immersion. Polished as fuck. Peak gaming.

Look at the upcoming Zelda game. It's weird, creative and experimental. Yeah, performance and IQ look pretty fucking bad. But I'm kind of tempted to play it because it looks so fresh and polished.

I don't want Sony to copy Nintendo. But there is an obvious void, I believe we all want more joy and fun from games. Astrobot is showing the way. Sony should do more stuff like that.

Edit: In the meantime, I'm happy to support Sony and I can't wait to play Dragon's Dogma 2 on a Pro.
Sony and MS chasing the "as close to PC as possible" strategy is fine for the console crowd who'll always stick around. But sales show console sales havent even budged in decades despite gaming growing. You got tons of people playing mobile and the PC crowd is growing as per record breaking Steam counts every year (recently hit a new CCU record). So it shows people are playing PC more and dont have a problem buying uber gpus.

Gaming seems to be trending to either cheap mobile or expensive PC, while the middle crowd (consoles) gets squeezed out or not budging much. Nintendo does great as they carves out family fun (as always), a modest priced system and portability all in one gadget.
 
yeah-sure-sure-saturday-night-live.gif


To everyone who feels this way, I just want a Nintendo system that runs games at better framerates. That's all I ask for. The Switch can't give me that. I will only consider the graphics race futile when we actually reach a big plateau with all games running at 60fps with no issues. Why whine about it now when we're edging closer and closer to it but we're not quite there yet?
 

nnytk

Member
To each their own. You say you want all that stuff but I had a switch and personally had to sell it because I realized I'm just not into Nintendo games. I thought they were ok at best. Except for XBC2 which I thought was fantastic.

Let Nintendo continue to do Nintendo things. Let Sony/MS continue to do what they are doing. They don't all need to be doing the same thing or making the same kind of games.
Right, I get that, and I also said I don't expect or want Sony to become Nintendo. But if you see what Nintendo achieved in terms of high-quality exclusives on a system that is underpowered, it becomes rather easy to see how prioritizing gameplay OVER graphical fidelity, should be seen as a risk worth taking.

Imagine a WipEout remake with low-poly cell shaded graphics...
 
And you would be so wrong.

Then again, someone says this every gen about the next generation. I chalk it off to a lack of imagination.

At what point does this end?

At what point are graphics good enough?

Gran Turismo 11, in photo mode if you zoom in on a spectator you can see their nostril hairs. The nostril hairs are full ray traced and path traced.

The nostril hairs also have physics, they react to wind simulation and move at 240fps.

Will you people be happy then, or do you want MOAR POWAHHHHH!!!!!
 
Right, I get that, and I also said I don't expect or want Sony to become Nintendo. But if you see what Nintendo achieved in terms of high-quality exclusives on a system that is underpowered, it becomes rather easy to see how prioritizing gameplay OVER graphical fidelity, should be seen as a risk worth taking.

Imagine a WipEout remake with low-poly cell shaded graphics...
Wipeout doesn't interest me. That's what I mean the Nintendo crowd just has different taste and that's ok.

I think what Sony has been doing is great and I frankly don't want them changing anything or trying to trend chase Nintendo. I think the gameplay is very fun in their games and I enjoy it a bunch. GOW combat is fun as hell. TLOU 2 combat is very fun. I thought Horizon FW was amazing. I'm enjoying every single thing Sony puts out and all those series sell very well. Sure they aren't reaching the sales Nintendo has but that's ok.
 

Gambit2483

Member
"Nintendo Switch, which has sold 143 million units despite having graphical capabilities equivalent to a PS4"

uhm...

If I had to guess, he's looking at PS4 games that actually managed to get ported to Switch, i.e.

DOOM
Wolfenstein 2
Dragon Quest XI
DBZ FighterZ/Kakarot
Nier Automata
Alien Isolation
The Witcher 3
Dying Light etc.

These (and more) are all games that were released on PS4 and were, for the most part, successfully ported to the Switch.
 
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BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
They need some special kind of miracle to save their current state like Nintendo x Playstation console or something, if they stopped thinking as brands and start thinking as Japanese then they may come up with something, instead of feeding us with forgettable indies.

A. PlayStation is California based
B. Nintendo has no reason to change anything they’re doing. They are about to have the best selling console ever almost entirely off the strength of their own first party games.
C. What forgettable indies is Sony putting out? The main knock against their first party is everything must be a huge blockbuster that takes a decade to make in the current climate.
 

Dorfdad

Gold Member
Those games looked really fine on PS4 Pro. All they needed was 60fps which PS5 delivered already. Besides, they're old. And Hogwarts doesn't even seem to do 60fps on PS5 Pro?
Do t worry we will get a new ps5 pro performance settings :)
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
I don't need anyone lecturing me or telling me what to buy when it comes to tech. I do my own research and want the facts, not someones opinion vs the hard data.
 

//DEVIL//

Member
It's news to me that the Switch is considered to be as powerful as a PS4. :messenger_grinning_smiling: But that is splitting hairs.

There is just no way to deny the diminishing returns in regards to graphics at this point. I know some hate that thought, but it just seems to be a reality at this point. Maybe the first rounds of graphene gpus will shake that up.
Wukong says otherwise about diminishing returns.

What is the diminishing returns are the stupid western devs are becoming more and more idiots .
 

Kacho

Gold Member
yeah-sure-sure-saturday-night-live.gif


To everyone who feels this way, I just want a Nintendo system that runs games at better framerates. That's all I ask for. The Switch can't give me that. I will only consider the graphics race futile when we actually reach a big plateau with all games running at 60fps with no issues. Why whine about it now when we're edging closer and closer to it but we're not quite there yet?
Pretty much. I don't care how much better the actual graphics are on Switch 2. I just want more 60fps games. The smoothness looks incredible on a handheld screen, not how detailed rocks are.
 

JimboJones

Member
What's the difference between a hit piece and an opinion piece?
Are you actually being serious? Your gonna sit back and say every slightly negative opinion about something you like is now a hit piece?
It's fine if you don't agree with it, there is no need to go grab tinfoil hats.
I could start claiming all your posts are paid astroturfing but I'm not because it's ridiculous.
Or is it....🤔
Watching Season 10 GIF by One Chicago

]
Joking April Fools GIF by Katelyn Tarver
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Even though there are a lot of mistakes in this article, this sentence here simply proves one thing. Which is that has Sony simply failed to sell the PS5 as a technological leap to not just consumers but also journos who simply havent seen anything from these Sony studios that looks a generation better.

But thats a failure on sony. Not the technology. the tech is there. Hellblade 2, Black Myth, and Avatar prove this. The problem is that those industry leading studios at Sony have simply not turned up to sell the PS5. Cerny having to rely on a bunch of last gen games to sell a mid generation upgrade for his next gen console is an ironic self goal that is more of a self inflicted wound by Sony than an indictment on the futility of chasing graphics.

If the industry didnt want to chase graphics then we would not be getting a Switch 2 next year. Hell, the main reason for this console is that most (75%) people are playing next gen games with last gen graphics because they want 60 fps instead of ray tracing and other fancy visual effects. The devs hate putting in all the effort into their games only for 3/4th of the userbase to skip and choose ugly versions of their games. this is for the develpoers as much as its for players who want fidelity.

The sales pitch absolutely sucked. Nine minute video, much of which rehashed base PS5, that ended with dropping the highest price ever for a video game console. I don't get it.

Just a pisspoor effort from Sony.
 
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Vick

Member
Switch is capable of running these 360 and PS3 games at 1080p without issues. There are many examples.
Oh I know, Witcher 3 runs on a Switch.

It's just the way they look, in terms of IQ, shadows.. I haven't seen anything looking as pleasing as some sections of Uncharted 3, or God of War 3. But I know it would be able to run those games if given the chance.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Lmao this guy has been trying to downplay graphics for years now. Fuck him.

Yes I want my games to look better each gen. Not stay the same.

Fuck this article
 
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diffusionx

Gold Member
Oh I know, Witcher 3 runs on a Switch.

It's just the way they look, in terms of IQ, shadows.. I haven't seen anything looking as pleasing as some sections of Uncharted 3, or God of War 3. But I know it would be able to run those games if given the chance.
Luigi Mansion 3 has immaculate IQ and shadows and all that. But obviously it's a very different game.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
At what point does this end?

At what point are graphics good enough?

Gran Turismo 11, in photo mode if you zoom in on a spectator you can see their nostril hairs. The nostril hairs are full ray traced and path traced.

The nostril hairs also have physics, they react to wind simulation and move at 240fps.

Will you people be happy then, or do you want MOAR POWAHHHHH!!!!!
In general, I think graphics for most people are good enough, especially if you got a good PC or a PS5/X. You can tell people are preferring gameplay because a lot of indie games now can be big sellers and even as per Sony and Mark Cerny, people prefer performance mode over quality mode 3:1. So it shows people prefer more frames for smoother gameplay than puddle reflections.

Can graphics be better? For sure. At some point (maybe), we'll get photo realism at 360 fps with PS8 or Xbox Series Z+. So awesome, human eyes cant tell the difference between a game and real life. But if the gameplay sucks, they'll dumb themselves down to Switch 6 or an indie game because there's better gameplay there with still decent graphics.
 
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Parazels

Member
Demagogy.
PS5 Pro belongs to the past?
Doesn't Switch belong to the past even more then? This is how console generations work.

Many old and ALL new games will support PS5 PRO enhancements, no matter what Sony showcased yesterday.

I do not understand what ideas this demagogue is trying to share.
 
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tmlDan

Member
GTA6 is mid to late 2026, by then might as well wait for GTA6 on PS6
no its not lol

The same guy that wrote this article you're using to push your narrative also said they're still aiming for 2025

Its more like an ps3/Xbox 360 graphically.

It's worse than a PS3, the only game that comes close is metroid and that still looks significantly worse than most PS3 games.
 
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