The Tuesday Inbox has some practical advice for avoiding VR sickness, as one reader starts planning for Black Friday.
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Price change
It’s been a bad couple of weeks for Sony, with Microsoft scoring some major kudos points with the Xbox Series S and Game Pass but PlayStation tripping over its own feet and still keeping so many things secret or trying to sneak out the bad news while nobody’s looking. If only for that I would say yes, they are acting arrogant – just as they usually do. They’ve been okay this generation, particularly at the start, because they messed up with the PlayStation 3 but otherwise that’s how they always act.
If I were to critique Microsoft though I would say that they are being as stubborn and unimaginative as usual. They still haven’t shown the Xbox Series X doing anything, they still haven’t shown an exclusive game that isn’t a laughing stock, and they still think they can buy their way to success. They’ve been praised for the Game Pass, and there’s no arguing it’s not good value for money, but it’s essentially just another version of pay to win for them, as they take a huge loss to do something that Sony can’t – and which cannot be sustainable in the long run.
To give Sony their due though I would say that one positive aspect they have demonstrated lately is that, unlike Microsoft, they’ve learned from their mistakes and are willing to change. The news that not only is the PlayStation 5 quiet but that the whole reason it’s so big is to make sure it stays that way is something I appreciate. And while the coronavirus has messed things up a bit it’s obvious they were aiming to have a really good launch line-up, with Ratchet & Clank as well.
The problem for them is that their rise in game prices is not only unwelcome in general but comes at the exact time that Microsoft offers a completely different, cheaper alternative. I don’t think anyone can predict exactly how much damage the price hike will do Sony but they’ve got to be looking at a climbdown as an option. I think they’re worried about showing weakness though so there’s a good chance they won’t change the price. It’s a difficult situation for them and I’ll be very interested to see if anything changes before launch.
Cranston
A little irksome
Sony have rightly been receiving criticism for their next gen pricing. A current gen Sony first party exclusive is £55 on the PSN store. The industry is looking for a £10 price hike, so for Sony to go £70 is them seeing if they can get away with it. A little irksome too is Godfall is £69.99 on the PSN store for PlayStation 5 but £49.99 on the Epic Games Store for PC.
But Just like Nintendo’s lazy effort, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, it’s nowhere near enough to stop me buying Nintendo games and hardware. I don’t think Sony’s current decisions are enough for me to ignore the colossal first party pedigree they can currently offer. A pedigree Microsoft just doesn’t come remotely close to matching. Even with all Microsoft’s acquisitions it looks like they are years from showing if they can produce games of Nintendo’s and Sony’s quality.
As much as I’ve been irritated by Sony recently Demon’s Souls looks utterly essential for me. As much as I like the Xbox Series X hardware and Microsoft services there’s nothing exclusive to it that comes close to how excited I am for that game. I’m also playing Star Wars: Squadrons on my PlayStation VR and it’s another reminder of amazing VR content I won’t get on Xbox Series X.
Simundo
Black Friday preparation
Sorry it’s a bit late but my budget limit isn’t on the console itself. I’ve ordered the PlayStation 5 disc version and it’s coming day one. I’ve also ordered a DualSense controller and the Pulse 3D headset. I’ve also ordered Planet Coaster at £40 on PlayStation 5 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. One and a half games for £70 isn’t too bad.
I was after the new Call Of Duty but at £70 it was a choice between Call Of Duty and Spider-Man as we know PlayStation exclusives don’t really go down in price whereas Call Of Duty comes out and then goes on a black Friday deal, so I’ll pick that up then or in the January sales.
I will be taking my time on next gen games. They’re two expensive for what they are now. It’s just greediness in my eyes. I do want Assassin’s Creed Valhalla but that can wait for a few months. If only PlayStation had a Game Pass I’d sign up to it straight away. Please Sony, do a Game Pass. We are worth it.
David
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Professional advice
In reply to Bobwallet and his motion sickness with VR, he may want to look at whether he has some vestibular related issues (inner ear). Symptoms can be so mild as to not even affect you day to day but something like VR can have a big effect.
There are a couple of routes he could take, the slowest is via his GP and hopefully they’re sympathetic and refer him onto the appropriate service but I’ll be honest, this can take months and you have a fair chance of getting lost in the NHS system unless you’re lucky!
The approach I would recommend would be to contact a physiotherapist who has an interest in vestibular rehab and this is their website. It ultimately may come up with everything being all clear but at least it’s an alternative avenue to get checked out.
Paul
Knock down ginger
RE: VR sickness. Ginger is a good remedy for stomach upsets, I find it works pretty well for mild VR sickness. A packet of root ginger is about 40p from the supermarket, I peel it and finely grate it into a fizzy cold drink. Or have it hot with lemon as a ginger tea. It also goes well with gin and whisky but I’m not sure if that will help VR sickness.
Like you, GC, I’m not having many issues with wooziness in Star Wars: Squadrons, I think first person walking games like Resident Evil 7 are the worst, especially when you move sideways. There’s something about the perceived motion and the fact that your inner ear isn’t detecting motion that the brain doesn’t like.
Am slightly underwhelmed by Squadrons though. It’s good but somehow doesn’t have the impact that the Battlefront VR Mission had. Looking forward to your review!
The Tillo
I have a possible solution for the guy who suffered from VR sickness (it worked for me anyway). As soon as you feel even slightly hot or sick, switch off, even if you have only been on for five minutes. Leave it for the day and try again the next day. I had bad VR sickness on a rally game but I did this and suddenly within a week the sickness stopped. Don’t be tempted to push through!
Worked for me anyway! Good luck.
Dave
Money can’t buy you love
I’ve seen a few console wars come and go and all the fanciful claims that come with them. However, this one might just be the most ridiculous of them all.
I’ve seen a recent feature and the odd letter bring up the old ‘Sony can’t compete with Microsoft because Microsoft has more money’. Guys, kids have been swearing this every generation. It doesn’t work that way. If all Microsoft had to do was throw money at something until it succeeded, they would never have had a failed venture. Clearly, they have several failed ventures: Windows Phone and Zune among them. This was a silly line of thinking 20 years ago, but it’s even more absurd three generations later where this has been demonstrably proven wrong.
I don’t think anyone needs to worry about Sony. What about Game Pass? We’re talking about a new sub service model that is completely unproven in the market. The subscriber base includes promotional deals and there’s nothing to absolutely suggest a sustained growth or stability of it. They’re competing with other services on PC and they still need to sell hardware to get the console market on board.
This means deterring people away from the PlayStation 5. While it’s something the diehard Microsoft zealots are desperate to do for them, it’s not an easy argument. I imagine this is probably why some have resorted to making up silly rumours about the PlayStation 5 and generally the reason for recent sentiments. ‘They’re anti-consumer!’, ‘They’re arrogant!’, ‘The PS5 is overheating! yadda yadda yadda’.
Most people buy games consoles for the catalogue of games. I’ve seen so many Xbox fans concede to buying a PlayStation 4 for this reason. The £70 price tag might just become standard for all consoles for next gen only games, as it’s endorsed by publishers. We don’t have any next gen-only Xbox games coming out anytime soon, so it’s premature to comment on Sony’s pricing. However, there’s fair evidence to suggest that gamers tend to lean more towards paying a premium for better quality than going budget. That’s why you can probably bag yourself an Xnox Series S without much trouble this year.
In short, by all analyst predictions, Sony will be fine. However, I’ve no doubt we will be seeing plenty more try-hards writing in to tell us how wealthy Microsoft is for a couple more months.
Twigglypuff
Rising costs
Thought this video might be of interest regarding all the talk of games prices and putting it into perspective.
I am like anyone else and would prefer everything cheaper, but you can’t argue with the objective facts laid out here.
Montgomery Burns
GC: That depends what the argument is. If it’s not wanting to spend £70 on a video game then there is no rebuttal.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Empty the fridge
In response to the anonymous reader who was complaining about storage… is it really that big a deal? As I’ve said before, my Xbox hard drive is 500GB and currently has about 30 games on it. Yes, sometimes we uninstall something to make room but if I know I’m going to be playing a new game soon I’ll normally have it installing whilst I’m playing other stuff. Some people are making out that the 500GB Xbox Series S is practically unusable without additional storage. Nonsense, just swap games about. Or keep them on an external SSD and transfer them to the internal one when needed.
Yes, it’s worse if you’re trying to play Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, Red Dead Redemption, and Gears Of War at the same time but it’s still possible and certainly not something my kids would get overly frustrated about. I’m personally excited to see what new types of gameplay and worlds the SSD drives will make possible, with increased loading times just the icing on the cake. I’d rather this jump in tech than cheaper additional storage any day.
Also, it’s not just a Microsoft problem. Sony are being very quiet about what SSDs are going to be compatible with the PlayStation 5, the only one that seems to be rumoured is the Samsung 980 Pro and that’s £220 for 1TB so they might not have the upper hand with storage after all. It would be interesting to see how confusing Sony make it, a lot of people wouldn’t know they had to buy a specific type of drive. And then there’s the question of how easy it will be to install. Obviously it can’t be connected via USB and now we know it will require removal of the outer casing, at least, due to some hands-on hardware reports.
Lastly, in response to TheTruthSoul, you’re right the things we obsess about don’t always filter down to the masses. Most people I know who are getting the PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X would not be interested or even heard of Demon’s Souls, know what an SSD is, or care about Microsoft buying companies. They don’t read gaming news, they buy a new machine to play the latest FIFA/Call Of Duty/GTA so you could even say exclusives are not as important to a lot of casual gamers as we like to think. But that’s what makes the gaming industry so interesting to try and predict.
PjDonnelli
Inbox also-rans
It is kind of weird that EA has released a new Star Wars game with almost zero fanfare and it’s a hardcore, mid-budget game aimed at fans. After reading GC’s review I’ve got to hand it to them, not many would do that.
Magma
It’s pretty crazy to see a Banjo-Kazooie amiibo getting made. Makes me think that reader asking about GoldenEye 007 and a Classic Mini N64 might be onto something. I hope so, I’d buy it.
Prof. Bane
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Xane, who asks how many video games do you currently own?
Both physical and digital copies count, although it’d be interesting if you were able to give separate figures for both. Digital games that you’ve paid for separately definitely count but games you have access to via a subscription like Game Pass do not.
How important do you think owning a game is compared to selling it on after a while or playing it as part of a subscription? Do you prefer owning physical or digital copies and is there anytime that you’ve owned more games than you do now?
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The small print
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