The Tuesday letters page tries to imagines how a GTA 6 collector’s edition could work, as a reader has a prediction for what the PS6 will look like.
Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
This is fine
You don’t need me to say that spending a grand or more on a video game console, that is almost guaranteed not to do anything very different to the last one, is insane but what worries me is that none of these companies seem to understand the hole they’re digging for themselves.
Microsoft, and especially Sony, haven’t said much about their plans but the first thing Microsoft said is that Project Helix is going to be really expensive. Why didn’t they realise that was the worst thing to say? Why didn’t they realise it was a good reason to rethink their plans?
Or what about Valve with the Steam Machine? They started off saying it was expensive and then admitted that the memory crisis meant they had to make it even more expensive. But they’re acting as if that’s totally normal and not a reason to hit the panic button. If they do have Half-Life 3 cooking then surely this was the time to announce it and take the edge off the price reveal? But no, nothing.
What worries me is that these companies are just going to ignore all the problems, just like they ignored all the problems with how long and how much it costs to make games now, and pretend everything is okay. They’re sleepwalking into a world where only the super rich can afford a new video game console and they’re not even trying to avoid it.
Cranston
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Maybe they’re right
Sony’s strategy for a long time has just been to copy Xbox.
Xbox 360 has a strong focus on indies so PlayStation 4 had a strong focus on indies. Xbox One makes an expensive Kinect peripheral with no first party games, PlayStation 5 has an expensive PlayStation VR2 with no games. Xbox focuses on multiplayer, PlayStation 5 focuses on multiplayer. Xbox buys Bungie, PlayStation buys Bungie. The list goes on.
So when Sony say the PlayStation 6 will go beyond the living room, I’m fairly sure they mean Xbox has an Xbox Series X-shaped fridge, Sony will have a PlayStation 6 shaped fridge.
Tim
GC: Joking aside, it is strange how often Sony seems to copy Xbox, despite PlayStation being in such a dominant position. Bringing their first party games to other formats seems the most peculiar example.
Single deviation
I am genuinely looking forward to the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake, if it’s anything like the Star Fox 1-1 remake but with some subtle changes. I really hope they change one thing.
When Link can get the bunny hood from the mask shop it will make Link run faster. Just like it does in Majora’s Mask. I know I won’t have it long, as I sell it to the character in Hyrule Field for rupees. Keep up the good work, we all appreciate you.
woz_007 (NN ID)
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A penny saved
GTA 6 not having a physical, disc-based version certainly dampened my enthusiasm for the game and moved it from something that I’d have bought on release to a wait and see. I’m a realist, I know most people prefer digital and have good reasons for doing so, just as I have good reasons for buying physical where possible.
A standard physical release further down the line would be good but, if not, I hope Rockstar Games follow Larian Studio’s lead and offer a deluxe edition with the game on discs for those who want it. The Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe Edition is around £90 (including delivery) and has the game on two discs with some other collector’s items in the (absolutely massive) box. I could live with that.
On a related note, I understand digital saves the publisher a bit of money printing discs but surely Rockstar will still have to pay for shipping, manufacture, and retailer’s fees for the rubbish code-in-a-box…? Reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes strip, ‘a good compromise leaves everybody mad.’
Magnumstache
GC: Yes, they’ll still have to pay their cut to the retailer and get the boxes made, etc. So it’s only a half saving at best. In fact, it may be that their primary concern is that the game doesn’t escape into the wild before release but they’re never likely to explain themselves.
Each to their own
I held off getting Kirby Air Riders, as I wasn’t sure about it, but caved in last week as I got it in a sale. The first couple of hours playing I still wasn’t sure, so I did the tutorial that I usually don’t bother with and got stuck into the story mode, then everything just clicked. What seemed a chaotic mess at first starts making sense. Also, choosing the right craft for your play style really helps.
I can’t stop playing it now. The split-screen mode plays better if you turn off enemies, with the smaller screen it makes it less chaotic and makes it more about the racing. The only issue I have with it is some tracks are a bit too narrow and twisty-turny, but more open tracks makes for some great racing. It’s definitely a game you need to give a good try for it to stick but worth it.
On another note, I downloaded eFootball Kick-Off!, which is only £15 on Switch. It’s basically Pro Evolution Soccer and it’s one of the best football games I’ve played. You feel completely in control and the animations are great. It knocks the socks off FIFA and it’s another game I can’t put down. For £15 it’s a steal!
Rob
Chaotic neutral
Disc or no disc I’ve been thinking about the characters in GTA 6 and whether any of them will be especially memorable. The two playable leads, Lucia and Jason, will, I expect, have to be fairly neutral, both morally and emotionally, just like all of the other playable leads in the previous games.
I’m guessing that Grand Theft Auto can’t have a lead that’s way too nasty or controversial because that might put off the player when they have to remotely fill the character’s shoes. A major kink in this whole theory, of course, was Trevor from the last game. How to sum up Trevor? A walking advert for bath products and anger management?
Trevor was just Trevor, and he certainly made an impression, but when I was given the choice, I didn’t play as him.
I’d be interested to know if many GTA 5 players achieved a special synchronicity with Trevor. I liked the man’s unpredictability, but not so much his unsavoury habits and appearance. Mostly I preferred to free roam as Franklin.
As for the non-player characters of Grand Theft Auto 5, I especially liked the elderly couple who were obsessed with celebrities. I hope the new game offers chances to interact with similarly interesting people.
Michael Veal (@msv858)
Caveat emptor
I think one of the main problems with digital-only console gaming is the lack of a refund policy like Steam and Meta have.
It’s so risky to buy a digital PlayStation 5 or Switch game, as if you don’t like it or it’s buggy you are pretty much stuck with it. You may get lucky and get a one-time goodwill refund but overall Steam’s two hour refund window encourages me to buy more games on PC.
Mark Matthews
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Expensive upgrade
£900 to a grand being touted for a next gen console. Not surprised, to be honest.
So, what’s the big selling point for PlayStation 6/Xbox Next? Better lighting, better looking shadows? Not much to look forward there. 120 fps? Vast majority of AA/AAA games on current gen are running at 60fps. WRC 10 is one game that does run on Xbox Series X at 120 (most of the stages are silky smooth). Yes, 120 is better, but enough of a step up to justify an upgrade at such a high price? I’m not convinced; not yet, anyway.
And if 120 is to become the norm then a lot of people are gonna need a telly with a 120 Hz mode. If your telly only accepts a 60 Hz signal then, to get best out of the new console, that’s another grand. 8K 60fps? Almost everyone is gonna need a new telly.
Next gen coming out in 2027. Five-ish years to develop a game these days and that’s 2031/32 before the consoles begin to fulfil their potential. Yeah, people will want the new consoles, but are they really needed?
Paul C.
PS: It’s just struck me. Better lighting, better shadows? Of course, the new Splinter Cell game, probably around 2032. I might have passed by then, though.
Inbox also-rans
With all the doom and gloom in the industry, it’s nice to hear that Nintendo raised the base salary of all their employees by 10% and increased their head count by 300 employees over the past 12 months. Seems like Nintendo what others don’t.
sand03
GC: The industry’s problems are almost entirely restricted to Western companies, especially if you count PlayStation as American (since the HQ is based in the US and run according to American business standards).
Personally I would’ve preferred if they added a bit more to Star Fox. Even if they didn’t want to extend any of the levels, all of which are quite short, surely they could’ve managed a couple of brand new ones?
Benjy Dog
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