Consoles
Sony messes up the State of Play format
Another state of play ended, and it wasn’t great. At the time of writing, only 21% of you indicated it was better than okay in our Push Square poll, which we doubt PlayStation executives will like. After two barnstorming broadcasts, Sony’s format returns to reality.
The platform holder did provide precisely what it promised: the presentation revolved around Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and there were a few delights apart, including a couple of spectacular Capcom teasers and next month’s PS Plus lineup, which was worryingly the best news.
The exhibition began with a few PSVR2 titles, but with all due respect to the developers, they all looked similar and didn’t do the expensive hardware justice. The decision was depressing given our pre-show Slack chat’s Half-Life Alyx talk.
It’s early, but we’re worried about Sony’s PSVR2 software commitment. Indeed, it published Horizon Call of the Mountain and a Gran Turismo 7 update alongside the headgear, but it has yet to reveal anything else for the headset other than Firewall Ultra, not even versions of PSVR favorites like Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Blood & Truth.
State of Play’s major issue is that it doesn’t feel like a venue Sony wants to reveal its games at. There have been occasional trailers and game-specific demos over the years, but this is rarely a venue for first-party reveals, and if the broadcaster believes it’s above it, what hope is there?
The main attraction, Suicide Squad: Destroy the Justice League, is weird. The gameplay seems fast and slick, but no one asked for this game, and considering it took Batman: Arkham creator Rocksteady a decade to make it, we can’t see it making money. Buy it?
This state of affairs felt like a contractual requirement and publicity for a few titles that wouldn’t normally get this much attention.After a couple of surprisingly good installments last year, this was a wake-up call, reminding Sony that it has had plenty of time to figure out what to do with this format.
Nintendo Directs have been wonderful and bad, but whenever the Mario Maker displays a bright red rectangle on social media, fans expect new games. Although State of Play has been around for a while, it still lacks consistency. Forget this latest show.
PS4 sales in the UK climbed by a shocking 633 percent year-over-year in 2023, so apparently the old system isn’t dead yet. The previous year’s very limited supply of the system is likely a major factor in this figure, since the console’s lifespan was drastically reduced because of chip shortages caused by the pandemic. Still, it’s proof that PlayStation’s original platform has unmet demand.
With the very low prices of PS4 software (both in-store and online at the PS Store), this strategy makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s future-proof, so there’s no harm in stocking up on PS4s while new-gen pricing is still high, since if you decide to switch to a PS5 in the future, you can transfer all of your purchases across. Not to mention that the majority of new releases still come out on the PS4, with several offering free PS5 upgrades.
While the percentage rise may seem huge, real PS4 sales will probably be much lower. It’s a sign that the gadget, which is now a decade old, isn’t completely dead yet, and we expect it to keep receiving maintenance for a while longer. Of course, this is great news for Sony, because the company would rather have PS4 players playing on its last-gen gadget than none at all, even if it would love to have them upgrade to PS5.
A PS5 firmware update on a cold winter morning is unmatched. The latest PS5 system software update is 23.02–08.40.00 from Sony. Does this one add useful features or just boost system performance?
Though closer to the latter, it’s more than Sony’s favorite patch note. It fixes security issues, improves messages and usability, and boosts system software performance. Official patch notes for this 1.185GB update:
- We updated system software security
- We improved system software stability and performance
- Some screens now have better messages and usability
That’s it. PS5 gets another win to recover from its midweek slump. Do you share our enthusiasm for this firmware update? Comment below. To spice things up, make your comment rhyme.
Belgian developer Larian Studios’ work on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox Series S version will improve performance on all platforms, including PS5. The game’s fifth major patch, expected to launch this week, will include upgrades and new features. More details will be revealed later today.
Director of Publishing Michael Douse says PS5 performance improvements may be the “least exciting thing” in the title’s next update, so it sounds like a big one. Larian Studios employees are proud of “finally” implementing tweaks, fixes, and changes, Douse says. Later today, we’ll bring you all the Baldur’s Gate 3 update details.
Those who reached the RPG’s third act have reported technical issues during the narrative’s conclusion, especially in co-op, so today’s update should fix them. New features like a permadeath mode are expected, along with Xbox Series S optimization fixes. What else should be added to the game?
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