What The Hell Is Going On With Sony PlayStation?

None of this is to say that Sony’s games suck, or that their exclusives and consoles aren’t still worth owning. They absolutely are, and if you find them interesting, you should definitely go ahead and buy them. Sony makes great stuff! And we can and should still recognize that.

But at the same time, we should also be willing to call them out on their mistakes when they make them - and they make a lot of them of late.

[dthedarkartist]

Remember when you bought a game as a complete title with all content included that you had to unlock through skill and gaming prowess? Good times!

[cobalt-snake]

What they did with GT7 is not a mistake, it's an insult. People need to start calling out these video game companies that use borderline criminal business practices.

[gregsmith]

At those prices, I think it’s safe to remove the “micro” from transactions.

[Davitron_]

Amazing how Sony and Polyphony managed to destroy 25 years of goodwill in a single update.

[kbutta]

It’s not a “mistake” when it’s done with malicious intent. Never call stuff like this a “mistake” call it what it actually is “predatory”.

[daugpileproductions]

Here is how I am going to respond to this alarming trend. No preorders. No buying any game until months after its release. In fact, I'll just wait for the definitive edition to go on sale. If they fill a game with micro transactions, I'm never going to buy it. I have a huge backlog of games. They don't have micro transactions in them. I'll play those games. I don't care about multiplayer. I absolutely loathe games as a service. I will not play those types of games. Sony, I am on your system because you promised me high quality single player games. Monetization schemes have no business being in these types of games. You go down that route, I will go right off your platform. Consider me pissed and really, really disappointed.

[MacTX]

That was no mistake, it was intentional and should be treated as such. The reviews should have all been pulled or amended with an updated score/review if the company pulls shady crappy like that.

[gbw]

I recall reading somewhere a few years ago that we don’t actually own the games, we are merely purchasing access to the games. Meaning the publishers can do whatever they want, whether that is shutting down servers, changing the game beyond all recognition and introducing mtx (plus a myriad of other things).

[monkeymenso]

It is very simple to make Sony stop this micro transaction issue; don't pay for these transactions. The problem is that too many stupid and rich people are paying for them.

[MINGAS]

I miss the times when games were sold finished, no microtransactions, season passes, dlcs. The greed will eventually kill the gaming world.

[missinglink]

I remember a time right before the ps5 dropped, Jim Ryan stated he believed in generations, meaning a distinguishable improvement over last generation consoles… that difference apparently is $10

[wesleymaxwell]

Microsoft is lookin pretty good right now.

[TheGoodFightTV]

The real problem are the consumers and the gaming media like Gaming Bolt, who have the influence to change these types of atrocities but go along with it. The culprit is ALWAYS ONLINE becoming more and more accepted, even for SINGLE PLAYER GAMES. There should be an OUTCRY for any game whose single player component requires an internet connection. The issue is OWNERSHIP. It is NOT about internet access or bad internet connections, it's about not OWNING the game you've fully paid for. Games that require a persistent internet connection should be FLAGGED and get docked points in the reviews for having them. When publishers see their games getting low scores and poor sales as a result, they will start changing their tune.

[Crazyloonitic]

I blame Jim Ryan. The man is a businessman, not a gamer. Sony brought him in to make money. These things wouldn’t be the case if Andrew House, Shawn Layden and Jack Tretton were still around.

[zodiac]

I miss the ps1, 2 & 3 days where their first party made diverse games, as opposed to now where 90% of all their first party games are 3rd person action adventures with RPG elements thrown in.

[pymb]

Spending 20 or 40 dollars on in-game purchases is not a micro-transaction. It’s a mega-transaction ! The gaming world is in a sad place when in-game transactions cost the same as a mid priced game.

[Thvmos_Wolf]

It's 2022 and you still can't even get a PS5 console here in Australia, meanwhile the official Playstation Australia social media accounts spruce things like new PS5 console controllers. Embarrassing

[discod]

I'm torn. I was able to get a PS5 at launch. On one hand it's great considering how hard they are to find, on the other hand I would have been fine just using the PS4 due to lack of PS5 games even after a year and a half. This is the strangest console shift ever. Sony is at their worst when they are over-confident.

[GMoneyXL]

This is why you wait to get a full review after the release to know the full limitations of a game or system. Consumers has been burned by too many times to trust today's gaming industry.

[jamie]

Massive gamer all my life and now starting to despise modern gaming. Had to resort to buying a PS2 just to experience fully fleshed out single player experiences without any micro transaction bull crap! Haven't pre ordered a game in a very long time due to a lack of confidence in the finished product of many newly released titles. Not saying all modern games are bad, far from it, however this cash grab trend has been on the rise for a long time. 👎