When is Stardew Valley 1.6 Coming to Console?

A discussion about why the Stardew Valley 1.6 update is taking so long to get ported to the Nintendo Switch & other consoles.

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Intro 00:00
Petimint 01:08
Why PC first? 01:51
How long did previous ports take? 06:05
Free content 07:50

[MRIZZY]

correction: using my code “MRIZ5” at checkout at petimint.com/en-us will actually result in 10% off, not 5%!

[MartinHermans-dwis]

We are not complaining, we are lamenting.

[vickienna_games]

I just didn't think that "as soon as possible" meant several months later.

[prodarkzy]

Game developer here.
TLDR: Game developers also have to rewrite code to function properly with the different hardware and operating system, along with possibly having to adjust to a new coding language.

The reason why ports take such a long time on Switch is not only due to the restrictions, but also due to the change of platform. Think of it like trying to write an essay in your native language, then writing the same essay in a different language. That is essentially what game developers do when they port their games from one platform to another, rewriting a lot of code so that the game is not only optimized for that specific console but having to use a different language. For example, ConcernedApe wrote Stardew Valley in C#, the main language of the Switch is C++. ConcernedApe also used a framework called XNA to create the game rather than a direct interface. Which is like making your own bread for a sandwich instead of just using a premade loaf. C++ and C# are fairly similar but aren't 1:1 at all, and that creates issues when porting over.

Hope this helped :)

[hillarautama]

I'm a console player and yes I am waiting for the update. I want to play it so badly, but I understand that it's not going to happen as quickly as I would want. But when I eventually get to play the 1.6 it will be worth it. I know I will be glued to my bed playing the 1.6 version lol (maybe it's good that I can't play it yet, because I need to do school stuff..)
Thank you for making this video, and also you are so pretty ! <3

[the_stitchy_veg]

I’m having surgery at the end of October and it would be so cool to get to play 1.6 for the first time while I’m bedridden lol. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼

[Spinachlief]

love the deep dive into the behind the scenes on the dev process. def worth the patience for this update

[deaniebb]

I have been doing my best to avoid 1.6 spoilers for the last 5 months and I'm scared that the longer it takes to release the harder it'll be to avoid tham 😳

[leobastable]

Thank you I never knew developers had to go through a hard time to put out games.

[rosedickerson]

Yes I totally agree it's always free updates so waiting will be worth it and thank you for sharing great advice 👍

[FUN-vuhq]

To my opinion, the main problem is not that the update is very late on console but, as often, expectation management:
- we were told it will come on console
- The développer told something like “he would do his best to put it out sooner that previous versions” ( = 2 months for v1.5 for example)
=
Expectation: v1.6 should be out latest May-June on console …. Which was and still isn’t the case !
Poor communication (we are doing our best, no date, etc …) added to the problem.

Things would have been different if développer had said:
- v1.6 will be out on console around March 2050 (if it came out earlier, people will be happy …)
- we will skip v1.6 and put directly v1.7 on consoles around March 2050 (improvement + date)
=> see what I mean ?

Even saying NOW “any update will come out late” would be better that staying on previous statement (v1.6 should be by latest May-June 2024 on consoles) and having people checking what they consider being late without any knowledge of when it might even come out: in a day ? A month ? A year ? A decade ? 2050 ?

[hatchlingmakes]

My understanding is also that for an established game such as SV, that the updates have to be approved individually each time. That’s also why steam is easier to patch bug fixes on. In the first month of 1.6 there was maybe 3/4 bug fixes. Imagine having to do that all for console, and wait for it to be approved (which is notoriously a long process in comparison to steam), only to have submitted it and 20 hours later have players tell you of ANOTHER bug that you now have to make the patch for and submit to get approved but the first patch is still in the approval process.

[ashernichols]

It’s just sad because 1.6 seems so fun

[glitchy_taurus]

Not to scare anyone, but Stardew Valley 1.5 didnt release for mobile until January 2023. That’s a little over 2 years from launch. It took a lot of patience, then putting the game down for awhile for mobile players! It was frustrating but definitely worth the wait.

[_Darth_Vader_]

Mobile player here and we’re still waiting patiently for 1.6

[jeremesmith]

Waiting for 1.6 on PS5 has been a bummer for my gf and I. We want to play again but we also know 1.6 is coming, so we’re waiting for that

[spot]

i bought a physical copy just for display. i play on pc and steam deck

[faithjenkins]

thankfully i'm able to play on PC as well but i AM a switch player main. i absolutely can't wait for the update to come out on switch but i know there's a lot that goes into putting the game on consoles as well. i love concernedape so i don't feel as bad with this wait time since it is just him and his team that are doing all this hard work for us and for free <3

[daliavargaslm]

I definitely agree with you! I know nothing about game development but it makes sense to think that the way you update something on each platform is different and takes time, and I will be happy when it finally comes to switch.
Meanwhile i don't mind spoilers and love watching content related to the update! ❤

[JamesDSchw]

I don't know that it's fair to say he is the only developer anymore; the last couple updates have had at least two other team members.

That aside, my understanding (which could well be off) is that as of the 1.5 mobile release, console and mobile now share most of the same source code as desktop (such as Steam) as opposed to a re-creation of the source code specific to mobile. For sure, console is a really strict approval process, and mobile being more strict than desktop but less strict than console.

Still, as you say the update is free; nobody should be complaining about him and his team's hard work!