Is PlayStation a liar?

PlayStation's Jim Ryan: "We want to give gamers certainty that they're buying a true next-generation console"

I'm still dealing with the aftermath of the PlayStation 5 presentation from this past Wednesday, especially the whiplash of the preorders. I was lucky enough to snag one, but it's still irritating to see this worldwide company drop the ball so hard on something so huge, especially when you remember that they promised that we would have plenty of notice for the preorders.

I'm also still dealing with PS5's marketing campaign compared to what is coming out now. The rhetoric around the "generational break," Sony's commitment to diving head first into next-gen, seems to fall flat when you consider the slew of PS5 launch titles that are coming to PS4. I have nothing against this, I'm happy that more people will be able to enjoy these games, but I feel strange that Sony said one thing but is doing another thing.

This article captures a great conversation with Jim Ryan, where he reinforces the generational leap, but also highlights other aspects of PlayStation's next-gen plan. It's all so exciting, yet I can't help but to be hesitant with what he says after the events of this week.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Respond to this email and let me know what your reactions were to PS5's role-out!

Image credit: Sony

Some PS5 Games Will Cost $70

So much happened this past Thursday, September 16th. The PlayStation 5 Showcase event was great and super hype, we all freaked out at the announcement of God of War Ragnarok coming out in 2021, but the ensuing madness of preorders soured the day for a lot of people, including me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited for PS5 and I was one of the lucky few to grab a preorder, but seeing the way it was handled irritated me beyond belief. Meanwhile, Xbox puts out a tweet that shows that they're an actual business that knows how to handle this stuff.

Aside from that, a huge piece of news (one of the many that was announced outside of the presentation for who knows why) is that a lot of PS5 games will be $70 (or 80 euros). Even though I knew it was coming, I'm still a bit shocked.

The realization that I still need to buy games for this console hit me a few minutes after my preorder went through, while I was still grappling with the amount of money I just dropped on a console. Now, I'll need to drop $70 to really feel the next-gen. It's a big price barrier that I'm still getting used to, but I think I'll get there.

What do you think? Is this increase too much or is it necessary?

Image credit: BluePoint Games

PlayStation and Xbox have both failed to sell next-gen | Opinion

If I had read this article and it didn't include the information from the PS5 event this past week, I would have completely disagreed with it. But now, I see where it's coming from.

One point that is mentioned is the fact that no external events were able to build the hype for next-gen, so it was forced to be done in a "drier" environment - digitally. I disagree with this and think that the marketing strategy for both companies built my hype more than any other console. The hype built until this past week, when PlayStation had the contract and pen in hand to make me sign, but tripped on its own shoes and accidentally shredded the contract. That's how I felt after the PS5 event.

The hype was mishandled by a sloppy preorder announcement and lack of information regarding launch titles. I still "signed the contract" and preordered, buy my excitement significantly went down. I've gone from "you need to get next-gen!" to "you can wait," which is the exact opposite of what PlayStation wanted.

Image credit: Sony

Let's Talk!

How do you feel about PS5 after this past week?

Each issue of Load Save is filled with articles that encourage discussion. If you have any comments on this week’s issue or just want to say hey, shoot me an email!

You can also shoot me a tweet or find LS on Facebook.

PlayStation and Nintendo take center stage this week

A lot has happened this week. A week that we thought would be a total celebration of Sony's next-gen leap has crumbled because of broken promises and a terrible pre-order event, all of which were caused by awful communication.

This week we ask the question: "Is PlayStation a liar?" Thanks to the incredible articles from this week, the information we have about Sony's next-gen system helps us answer this question and brings some light to the dark tunnel that's next-gen.

We also look at Mario's 35th anniversary, the history of the plumber's development, and the shortcomings of 3D All-Stars.

We have a lot to talk about it, so let's dive in!

Development

Mario’s makers speak on his 35th anniversary for Nintendo

This week's marks the arrival of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of Super Mario 64, Super Mario: Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. I haven't had a chance to dive into these games yet, but the hour I've spent in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine just bring such happiness.

This article is a wonderful look at the history of Mario's development. I love reading about this development and seeing associated pictures from each games development (hello, Nintendo Memories).

This article also tells me that Miyamoto must be the nicest guy in the world. In every presentation and article he's in, he just seems to love what he does and the people he does it with. What a gift to the world.

Image credit: Nintendo

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is Nintendo at its worst

I was hesitant to read this article.

I've seen the discourse over Super Mario 3D All-Stars ever since it was announced two weeks ago, and I've gone from "these are all good points," to "continuing to read about this is completely erasing the joy that I have with Mario games."

This article does a great job of wrapping up the not-so-stellar aspects of this collection, and it doesn't even touch on some of the smaller stuff like Super Mario Sunshine's janky voice acting editing to make up for new controller button names, but at a certain point, why can't we just enjoy that we have these games on the Switch?

I do daydream about a Crash Bandicoot - style remake of Super Mario 64, but that would have been a solo release for the full $60 and people would have been super mad about that. Having all 3 Mario titles on one $60 game was the only way I would buy them. I could not convince myself to buy an old Mario adventure for a full $60.

Plus, getting this project on the way could leave more time for Mario devs to work on the next Mario game, or the next new Nintendo title. I would much rather have it that way than some fancy remakes of classic Mario games.

Let me know what you think by responding to this email!

Image credit: Nintendo

Community

What Does the DualSense Mean For PlayStation’s Accessibility?

This article addresses an important topic for next-gen that I've been disappointed in not seeing PS5 or Xbox talk a lot about: accessibility.

Xbox has a good track record with it's accessibility controller, so that's a good foundation for them. Plus, the current-gen controllers will work on the next-gen Xbox consoles, so the accessibility controller should be good to go, but I would still love to see Xbox PR actually discuss it and possibly how next-gen will be better for accessibility.

On the other hand, PlayStation doesn't have a foundation and is not helping accessibility in any way for next-gen (that we know of). The current controllers won't work on PS4 and the PS5 DualSense looks even less accessibility friendly.

It's so discouraging to have no hope that PlayStation will make a more for accessibility based on their history. It seems the only way PS5 gamers will be able to enjoy more accessible games is through individual devs attempts to include more options.

Image credit: Sony

PS5 is a surefire hit, but Sony's broken promises are eroding trust

This perfectly captures the way I, and probably many others, felt after the PS5 reveal. I've been a PlayStation fan since I was first playing games, so to see this behavior from Sony is really disappointing.

If you've been reading Load Save for a while, you know some of my favorite things about gaming is letting everyone play. Xbox always nails this feeling with its "when everybody plays, we all win" marketing strategy, and it's marketing presence leading up to the Xbox launch makes it looks like they're setting the stage for everyone to have a chance to get a preorder. PlayStation totally missed this, which results in people going crazy to get a preorder and a lot of people left disappointed because of lack of stock.

So far, PS5 hasn't said anything about this screw up. They need to get out in front of this (if they haven't missed that opportunity already) and let people know they're sorry. I really hope they don't act like the company that's better than everyone else.

Image credit: Sony

Before You Go

A new format

This week was a test. I'm trying out a new format where this issue had a deliberate subject: PS5 and Mario's 35th. This was pretty easy to do because this is what everyone has been talking about this past week, but I'm considering doing this which each issue!

Maybe I'll switch it up every now and then. I would love to hear your feedback, so scroll back up to that Let's Talk article and reach out to me to let you know what you think.

As always, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!