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EA, Ubisoft & Take-Two (2K/Rockstar) weigh in on Xbox Scorpio, PS4 Neo (they love it)

The patch to upgrade a game to Neo/Scorpio spec will be free because it gets you to play the game again and dramatically raises the odds you will spend more money on microtransactions and/or DLC.

Bingo.

Also gives a really good story to go to retail and try to sell in units for patched games from the catalog that might no longer be on shelves. On the digital side, patching for Neo will get these older games featured on the front page more.
 
Yep dudes complaining about remasters on the first page when we pretty much already know those won't be happening.

Remaster, no. Definitive, GOTY, Ehanced, Super, any buzz word Edition? I think we will see plenty of that, with added DLC and Neo/Scorpio support.

(Though current Xbone and Ps4 users could obviously play that too)
 

Papacheeks

Banned
This is not it at all...
They like it because there is less risk at the start of each new generation when installed bases are tiny.

Now they can ship one game and have it reach audiences who upgraded as well as those who didn't
But they already do this? PS3/PS4/XB360/XBONE versions of ghosts, BF4, Madden etc.

Then they slowly outsource PS3/XB360 versions as the numbers for current gen/New gen increase.
These upgrades just make it easier to make both versions, as before you were at the mercy of what architecture the older boxes were.
But now that they are x86 having a iterative console isn't needed, as long as the next one is similar in architecture which seeing their silicon/per dollar ratio on new chips being double to triple what Power PC was, there is no need for these mid gen upgrades.

If they decided the next generation to go back to power PC for some stupid reason yes, it would suck and publishers would be bitching all the way to the bank about it.
But power PC architecture is a thing of the past, and having components similar or same to what is current in the market place makes these boxes cheaper to make, and upgrade for each generation.
Throwing more power at publishers who can't even ship games that run properly on current consoles doesn't fix anything but make more patches, and developers have to work harder after the OG PS4/XBONE build is done to make them look like scorpio/neo versions are worth it.
Or worse, they develop the Neo/Scorpio version as being the definitive version, and downscale or possibly out-source OG ps4/xbone version down the road. That's a worst case possibility, and would only be possible if scorpio/neo sold like hot cakes.
 

Fisty

Member
Remaster, no. Definitive, GOTY, Ehanced, Super, any buzz word Edition? I think we will see plenty of that, with added DLC and Neo/Scorpio support.

(Though current Xbone and Ps4 users could obviously play that too)

That would break compatibility in multiplayer games in almost every scenario, since those would need to be different skus. If they werent different skus, then why wouldnt they just put out a patch and push DLC for Neo/Scorp users? Same skus means they would just put dlc codes as pack in and youd download all the patches of the Vanilla game, but with an extra 4K patch... which again, why wouldnt they just put out the patch and call it a day
 

hesido

Member
As long as you keep the X86 and GCN, there's very little to worry about even for a generational upgrade, so the point defending mid gen upgrades in that regard is indeed moot.

One thing MS has an advantage over Sony in the upgrade cycle is, although they ended up not being able to use a lot of the silicon they had in a proper way because of it, is abstraction (Direct X) (They were stuck with DX11+ instead of a proper DX12 workflow till now), so they can even switch GPU architectures with ease without breaking backwards / forwards compatibility, where as PS4 has a "closer to the metal" API, which may warrant Sony to either keep GCN, or go for a more abstract API in the future.
 

Papacheeks

Banned
Too bad. Shit's happening. If the big companies like this like it, others will follow.

If the consoles don't sell well, and developers push back as in we don't see them take advantage of the hardware, then the mid gen upgrade would have made no sense in the big scheme of things if only to offset VR, and 4K tv's.

Also just because it's happening doesn't mean it's 100% going to be successful.
 

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Ubisoft were basically clawing their eyes out waiting for a generational refresh before the PS4 and Xbox One, it's not surprising they think this is the bee's knees.

I do wonder if this will create more of a schism between AAA development and, well, not-AAA development, but we shall see.

Exactly what I'm afraid of, since the majority of what I play is non-AAA, single player, non-service games. Hope there's something that allows indie and mid-budget devs to release a game on the regular PS4 and get it to work easily on Neo with very minor changes to frame rate and whatnot.
 
NEO is specifically IMHO for VR games that are really taxing like I guess RE7 in VR does not run well according to some. ANd seeing people like


Neo isnt just made for VR, hell i dont think VR will catch that much steam anyway.

Neo is for the people who want a stronger console and better looking games. Andrew House already said something like this.
 
Exactly what I'm afraid of, since the majority of what I play is non-AAA, single player, non-service games. Hope there's something that allows indie and mid-budget devs to release a game on the regular PS4 and get it to work easily on Neo with very minor changes to frame rate and whatnot.

But they don't have to do anything to make it work on Neo if it already runs on PS4.
 

Papacheeks

Banned
Neo isnt just made for VR, hell i dont think VR will catch that much steam anyway.

Neo is for the people who want a stronger console and better looking games. Andrew House already said something like this.

As bigger titles that are not 1 hour demoed come out like RE7 you will see how much they push it for VR.

THE launch games bar a few for VR are not full games, just 1-2 hour experiences that are pretty linear.

Wait for something like no man's sky to be played fully in vr we will see neo being worth having.
 

AmyS

Member
I will definitely buy a PS4 Neo at launch, and an Xbox Scorpio at launch. Most likely, NX as well.

Cannot wait to hear official details on the platforms and games.

Future announcements permitting, I'd like to see a dedicated thread about already-released / older PS4 games that get updated / patched with improved graphics / framerate when played on Neo.

Can we be hopeful that Rockstar might update PS4 GTA V to 60fps?
I'd love a few options like ultra-level settings at 1080p30 and med/high settings at 1080p60

It's not unreasonable to think that select games will have a 1 or 2 simple graphic/framerate options on consoles.
While maybe not the very first, The Last of Us on PS4 set the precedent with its 60fps mode and locked 30fps mode.
 

RedAssedApe

Banned
expecting the following:

4K remaster edition
60fps remaster edition

"remasters" before the console generation is even over. what a time to be alive.
 

sense

Member
expecting the following:

4K remaster edition
60fps remaster edition

"remasters" before the console generation is even over. what a time to be alive.
Not going to happen. You can expect patches for free if you already own the game.
 

Tagg9

Member
expecting the following:

4K remaster edition
60fps remaster edition

"remasters" before the console generation is even over. what a time to be alive.

Already been discussed to death. At least according to the leaked Neo docs, developers won't be able to release games exclusively for the PS4 Neo. So this will not happen.
 
Already been discussed to death. At least according to the leaked Neo docs, developers won't be able to release games exclusively for the PS4 Neo. So this will not happen.

Again, a GOTY edition bundled with DLC and other content is a completely new and different SKU. You can still include a base PS4 game with that and include an enhanced Neo version in the process. So it could still happen.
 

Renekton

Member
Again, a GOTY edition bundled with DLC and other content is a completely new and different SKU. You can still include a base PS4 game with that and include an enhanced Neo version in the process. So it could still happen.
That GotY bundle is still required to work on vanilla.
 
If you read the article I posted that has many developers, including people like cliffy B tweeting, you would see he wasn't.

Here's a link to his full interview

Cliffy B is just saying that he doesn't think it is a good marketing decision. He is not talking from a developer's point of view. In a way I agree with his predictions but not with his conclusion. He is making the same mistake many people on Gaf are doing. They are treating these new console like they are a new generation and basing their success on that criteria.

The reality is that in the short run these upgraded consoles are meant to fill the role like more of a suped up slim model than a full generational leap despite what Microsoft says. Outside of specific cases like VR there will be very little reason to get one. Most games will still be designed for the PS4/XB1 spec.

Then at some point in the future, around the time the 8th generation would have ended anyway, mandatory backwards compatibility will end and the true power of the Neo and Scorpio will be revealed. People like Cliffy will look at the sales and games of the Neo and Scorpio and mistakenly call them failures, when the reality is that they are more like presales of the console for that much later date when mandatory backward compatibility cease. You wouldn't compare presale figures of a game to launch figures and then claim the game is a failure because those presale numbers are lower than those typical of a game at release.

Exactly what I'm afraid of, since the majority of what I play is non-AAA, single player, non-service games. Hope there's something that allows indie and mid-budget devs to release a game on the regular PS4 and get it to work easily on Neo with very minor changes to frame rate and whatnot.

My guess is that the games will run mostly unchanged in the upgraded mode. What developers would have to test for would be things like the game assuming certain processing would take a specific amount of time, and then the game getting broken when the hardware runs faster than expected. I seriously doubt that a game would have to use a significantly different API just to run in the upgraded modes if they didn't want to.
 
It always sounded ridiculous. PC says hi.

These types of responses always sound like confirmation bias to me. So many times in these threads people simply ignore and discredit info, sources and articles that don't stack up with their beliefs and then hold up high the ones that do.

It being a pain in the ass isn't some sort of unrealistic claim. Let's be clear what this means though. It's an annoyance. It's the equivalent of you having having more work than you can get done in a day and then suddenly your boss asks you to do another task on top of that and it's due at the end of the day. It's a pain in the ass in that sense. You'll likely figure out how to get it done or get by, but it doesn't change the annoyance level.

It's been explained many times why this is an annoyance at a developer level but it seems to get ignored all the time. Games as is don't have enough time, resources and money to be completed by their scheduled ship date. Now suddenly you're adding in more work without an increase in time, resources, and money for little to no financial gain. That's why it's a pain in the ass at the developer level. That doesn't mean, it won't be done, or can't be done, but it's not a trivial addition to the development process either.
 
As bigger titles that are not 1 hour demoed come out like RE7 you will see how much they push it for VR.

THE launch games bar a few for VR are not full games, just 1-2 hour experiences that are pretty linear.

Wait for something like no man's sky to be played fully in vr will we see neo being worth having.

I dont think that there will be a lot big titles. VR to me is just another gimmick that wont end well in the long run. Like Kinect etc.
Cool new gimmick first at release and then nothing big after that.

I think there is a bigger Market that cares about better graphics etc.

Can we be hopeful that Rockstar might update PS4 GTA V to 60fps?
I'd love a few options like ultra-level settings at 1080p30 and med/high settings at 1080p60

It's not unreasonable to think that select games will have a 1 or 2 simple graphic/framerate options on consoles.
While maybe not the very first, The Last of Us on PS4 set the precedent with its 60fps mode and locked 30fps mode.

Open World games wont hit magicly 60fps. GTA5 is very CPU hungry.
 

AmyS

Member
I dont think that there will be a lot big titles. VR to me is just another gimmick that wont end well in the long run. Like Kinect etc.
Cool new gimmick first at release and then nothing big after that.

I think there is a bigger Market that cares about better graphics etc.



Open World games wont hit magicly 60fps. GTA5 is very CPU hungry.

True, open world games at 60fps would not be automatic, it wouldn't be easy, it might not happen, but probably shouldn't be ruled out either.
 
MS's new console not coming out until Fall 2017 makes it not that big a deal, they did the same thing with the original XBox and the XB360, the XBO being under powered and the ecosystem (or whatever you want to call it0 being kept the same for it might minimize make whatever negative impact it could have. The Neo supposedly coming out either this year or early next though seems kind of shitty even if it too will preserve the ecosystem and not really split or leave behind the base as what happened with past generations going to the next.

Four years is fine especially since consoles are no longer a force that pushes technology forward, it helps at least with console tech not holding things back as much.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
These types of responses always sound like confirmation bias to me. So many times in these threads people simply ignore and discredit info, sources and articles that don't stack up with their beliefs and then hold up high the ones that do.

It being a pain in the ass isn't some sort of unrealistic claim. Let's be clear what this means though. It's an annoyance. It's the equivalent of you having having more work than you can get done in a day and then suddenly your boss asks you to do another task on top of that and it's due at the end of the day. It's a pain in the ass in that sense. You'll likely figure out how to get it done or get by, but it doesn't change the annoyance level.

It's been explained many times why this is an annoyance at a developer level but it seems to get ignored all the time. Games as is don't have enough time, resources and money to be completed by their scheduled ship date. Now suddenly you're adding in more work without an increase in time, resources, and money for little to no financial gain. That's why it's a pain in the ass at the developer level. That doesn't mean, it won't be done, or can't be done, but it's not a trivial addition to the development process either.

I do expect the iOS situation if they go for that model one day... Developers almost never pushing the highest end phone and all of its features at launch because of a small userbase and then still not investing too many resources when it matures as it is ready to be replaced by another model so your ROI for dedicating console like attention to mastering a fixed specs target are not worth it.

Conversely, if a console manufacturer released a new $399 box every two years or less, I would not expect the new iteration to effectively leap over its predecessor beyond some particularly well suited isolated benchmarks designed to bring people in at launch... I would not expect the same level of R&D going in the HW side as before and it would make sense for them to push for higher profitability as there is less time for each HW to make its money back.
If a new console were to come out every year or so, any single model would have a quite limited effective shelf life in which it could maximise its sales... expecially for a company without tons of dedicated retail stores worldwide too.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
When Neo first leaked the 'won't someone please think of the developers' style comments were laughable.
 
Right, but if you already own Uncharted 4 on PS4, then the gatekeepers are mandating that the update be free for you. You do not have to buy that software again. (at least, from what we've heard from EuroGamer on the leaked guidelines)
Sounds like any such updates would need to be a content patch. Free, I would assume, or pubs would basically just sell all of the Neo editions as DLC. So if Rockstar decide to gussy up GTAV, that content patch would be available for free to all current and future owners of the game. So R* would say it's a free thank-you to their fans, but mostly it's an attempt to encourage more sales of the game that's already on the shelves, effectively lengthening its tail. :)
 
It sounds good on paper but am I crazy in thinking that there will be a day where game developers will want to make a game for the Neo and Scorpio and realize that PS4 and XBone won't be able to handle it?

What will happen then? Ps5 and Xbox Deux?
 

Papacheeks

Banned
I dont think that there will be a lot big titles. VR to me is just another gimmick that wont end well in the long run. Like Kinect etc.
Cool new gimmick first at release and then nothing big after that.

I think there is a bigger Market that cares about better graphics etc.

Well seeing as No man's sky will have a VR version, and RE7 was touted as being able to play the entire game in VR, same with Gran Turismo which will be 100% playable in VR when it launches.

So unlike Kinect you can have full games that are not arcade/on rail expierences. Look at what Fallout is doing for VR, if that game can be mostly played in VR down the road that would be a killer title to sell the device on.

It's still super early.

Cliffy B is just saying that he doesn't think it is a good marketing decision. He is not talking from a developer's point of view. In a way I agree with his predictions but not with his conclusion. He is making the same mistake many people on Gaf are doing. They are treating these new console like they are a new generation and basing their success on that criteria.

The reality is that in the short run these upgraded consoles are meant to fill the role like more of a suped up slim model than a full generational leap despite what Microsoft says. Outside of specific cases like VR there will be very little reason to get one. Most games will still be designed for the PS4/XB1 spec.

Then at some point in the future, around the time the 8th generation would have ended anyway, mandatory backwards compatibility will end and the true power of the Neo and Scorpio will be revealed. People like Cliffy will look at the sales and games of the Neo and Scorpio and mistakenly call them failures, when the reality is that they are more like presales of the console for that much later date when mandatory backward compatibility cease. You wouldn't compare presale figures of a game to launch figures and then claim the game is a failure because those presale numbers are lower than those typical of a game at release.



My guess is that the games will run mostly unchanged in the upgraded mode. What developers would have to test for would be things like the game assuming certain processing would take a specific amount of time, and then the game getting broken when the hardware runs faster than expected. I seriously doubt that a game would have to use a significantly different API just to run in the upgraded modes if they didn't want to.

If the architecture these company's are using stay x86 or something similar then there is no need for these consoles in like 2 years when the next generation is announced. Developers won' have to completely rewrite their tools, games will still be compatible if they stick with AMD and similar architecture. Sony's refresh is for future more taxing VR titles 4k UHD playback, Microsoft's is for them just to have a more powerful box because of how underpowered they were at the start of this gen.

I agree with Cliffy B on this one. And if you read his thoughts on scorpio not the marketing section, he talks about this will cause problems if they go the way of Scorpio featured games, especially with different versions having possibly different frame rates. Or to keep FPS the same on both OG xbox and scorpio they nerf OG xbox like crazy and it looks like shit compared to it's upgraded version.
 
If you read the article I posted that has many developers, including people like cliffy B tweeting, you would see he wasn't.

Here's a link to his full interview

Cliffy is in the PC space right? Why would he care about consoles new model? Legit question.

Also from the article it sounds like he is disappointed that launch consoles weren't as strong and that MS is back peddling. Not that it is a bad idea.
 

gatti-man

Member
These types of responses always sound like confirmation bias to me. So many times in these threads people simply ignore and discredit info, sources and articles that don't stack up with their beliefs and then hold up high the ones that do.

It being a pain in the ass isn't some sort of unrealistic claim. Let's be clear what this means though. It's an annoyance. It's the equivalent of you having having more work than you can get done in a day and then suddenly your boss asks you to do another task on top of that and it's due at the end of the day. It's a pain in the ass in that sense. You'll likely figure out how to get it done or get by, but it doesn't change the annoyance level.

It's been explained many times why this is an annoyance at a developer level but it seems to get ignored all the time. Games as is don't have enough time, resources and money to be completed by their scheduled ship date. Now suddenly you're adding in more work without an increase in time, resources, and money for little to no financial gain. That's why it's a pain in the ass at the developer level. That doesn't mean, it won't be done, or can't be done, but it's not a trivial addition to the development process either.

An annoyance at first maybe. Where is the most Indy and low budget games? PC. Where do most small devs get their start? PC. What platform has the most user content? PC. What has the most varied hardware to a insane degree? PC. It can't be that hard and it's not confirmation bias it's just common sense. We have a million examples of software that runs on all kinds of hardware at all kinds of budget levels given similar architecture it's obviously not that hard. Not wanting to be bothered with doing it isn't the same thing as it being a huge difficult mountain for devs to climb.

Another thing the people speaking here are the ones holding the money. If it was an arduous task to do this it would be more expensive. This keeps generations together and will most likely see the end of the feast/famine cycle which will be healthy for all devs moving forward.

I do expect the iOS situation if they go for that model one day... Developers almost never pushing the highest end phone and all of its features at launch because of a small userbase and then still not investing too many resources when it matures as it is ready to be replaced by another model so your ROI for dedicating console like attention to mastering a fixed specs target are not worth it.

Conversely, if a console manufacturer released a new $399 box every two years or less, I would not expect the new iteration to effectively leap over its predecessor beyond some particularly well suited isolated benchmarks designed to bring people in at launch... I would not expect the same level of R&D going in the HW side as before and it would make sense for them to push for higher profitability as there is less time for each HW to make its money back.
If a new console were to come out every year or so, any single model would have a quite limited effective shelf life in which it could maximise its sales... expecially for a company without tons of dedicated retail stores worldwide too.

This is already happening in consoles already. How long does it take for games to come out that truly utilize all the power a console has to offer after a new gen? 2-3years?
 

Papacheeks

Banned
Cliffy is in the PC space? Why would he care about consoles new model? Legit question.

Also from the article it sounds like he is disappointed that launch consoles weren't as strong and that MS is back peddling. Not that it is a bad idea.

He might be bringing his game to console who knows, your going to discount a guy who is the creative director behind gears of war series, and unreal tournament?

He still has ties to consoles, and in this day in age if your making a game on PC, your also thinking about bringing it to consoles at a later time.

He is very relevant, and has a good understanding of the industry. It's not like he still doesn't make games, and has been just been sitting around trolling neogaf.(even though thats what he did after he took a break, lol).
 
He might be bringing his game to console who knows, your going to discount a guy who is the creative director behind gears of war series, and unreal tournament?

He still has ties to consoles, and in this day in age if your making a game on PC, your also thinking about bringing it to consoles at a later time.

He is very relevant, and has a good understanding of the industry. It's not like he still doesn't make games, and has been just been sitting around trolling neogaf.(even though thats what he did after he took a break, lol).

Also from the article it sounds like he is disappointed that launch consoles weren't as strong and that MS is back peddling. Not that it is a bad idea.

You posted an article saying how devs think the Scorpio is a bad idea. Like I mentioned it seems like it is only a bad idea because MS is back tracking from Cliffy B perspective.
 

dose

Member
I think we should care more about how developers feel about this. It's one thing for a CEO to say their teams love it, but it's another for a developer to say it themselves.
Boom. Exactly.
Publishers will love it, but developers will now have more work to do (in probably the same amount of time.)
 

Papacheeks

Banned
Also from the article it sounds like he is disappointed that launch consoles weren't as strong and that MS is back peddling. Not that it is a bad idea.

^^And I had this point as well. You posted an article saying how devs think the Scorpio is a bad idea. Like I mentioned it seems like it is only a bad idea because MS is back tracking from Cliffy B perspective.

If you read it, you would see he does not mention Playstation as not being strong, even though it's cpu is weak, he specifically is talking about how this scorpio is for microsoft backpedaling.

Neo is for 4k playback, advanced VR titles since they actually have their own headset. Scorpio's specs sound like they had to make it 6tf for oculous to even consider putting their headset on xbox.
 

gatti-man

Member
He might be bringing his game to console who knows, your going to discount a guy who is the creative director behind gears of war series, and unreal tournament?

He still has ties to consoles, and in this day in age if your making a game on PC, your also thinking about bringing it to consoles at a later time.

He is very relevant, and has a good understanding of the industry. It's not like he still doesn't make games, and has been just been sitting around trolling neogaf.(even though thats what he did after he took a break, lol).

He's the same as any other developer with an opinion. He's been wrong several times as well in the past IIRC. And if he's against iterative consoles he's wrong here too. Of course Xbox one versions will look like shit compared to Scorpio. The hardware is orders of magnitude less powerful.
 

geordiemp

Member
If you read the article I posted that has many developers, including people like cliffy B tweeting, you would see he wasn't.

Here's a link to his full interview

Dont really care what cliff thinks, if EA, Ubi, Activision and take 2 are onboard and pumped...along with first party studios....then bring it on !

Does Cliff still make console games anyway, not heard about him in ages.

Just need Bungie to be good and give us 60 FPS Destiny 2 and all steam ahead.
 
If you read it, you would see he does not mention Playstation as not being strong, even though it's cpu is weak, he specifically is talking about how this scorpio is for microsoft backpedaling.

Neo is for 4k playback, advanced VR titles since they actually have their own headset. Scorpio's specs sound like they had to make it 6tf for oculous to even consider putting their headset on xbox.

What are you referencing in regards to my posts? I did not mention PS Neo at all. I am calling out that the only critique Cliffy B has is that the Scorpio (from MS) is back tracking from their original plans.

Not that is is bad for gamers, devs and consumers.
 

Papacheeks

Banned
He's the same as any other developer with an opinion. He's been wrong several times as well in the past IIRC. And if he's against iterative consoles he's wrong here too. Of course Xbox one versions will look like shit compared to Scorpio. The hardware is orders of magnitude less powerful.

Yea so wrong in a sea of uncertainty. And if og xbox one games get dowgraded like crazy that will piss so many people off.
And he brings that sentiment in the article when talking about frame rate, and multiple console strat.
We dont know yet how people will react to this or react at all when it's released same with NEO.

But from the way Andrew House has been talking it sounds like neo is for advanced VR titles, 4k playback, and games that will look slightly better but not have giant differences compared to OG PS4.
The fact all games shown at E3 were running on OG PS4 shows so far they are staying true to the mandate they set.
While Microsoft is more lax on theirs for developers to decide which is a scary place to be.
 

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Nice to see them feel the same way some of us do.

I for one cant wait.
 
expecting the following:

4K remaster edition
60fps remaster edition

"remasters" before the console generation is even over. what a time to be alive.

If the "before a generation is over" time frame is all you're worried about, be prepared to keep fretting. Generation ain't ending.
 
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