The PS5 and Xbox 2 thread - it's happening

[Markman]

4k is still a distant dream for 98% of PC players.
Not even a priority for most cause to get 4k/60 you need to put down some serious money.
I still use my 1080p/144hz screen that is 6+ years old.

One thing Im concerned is not the GPU ability to stay even with the consoles, its this other shit.
These consoles come with 8c/16t CPUs and nvme ssds and in a few years time bunch on these games are gonna come optimised to use all that shit.
The amount of PC gamers that currently have a 8 core CPU, nvme ssd and a decent gfx card is still in single digits. I dont have it, I barely know anyone that got it.

Going by Steam hardware survey where half is on a 1060 and a quad core CPUs we're in for some dark times. Imagine being called a peasant by some playstationfag. Uuuhhh, shivers

 

[Perkel]

XSX at 499$. A lot lower than i expected.

I wonder if MS is doing old console trick where they foot the bill for part of console in order to get money from subscriptions.

That being said. 499$ for a 8 core ryzen, 12TF modern GPU, 16GB vram. 1TB next gen NVME drive and rest needed to be self contained.

It would be actually great PC if they allowed for windows installation.

 

[Konjad]

First time I might actually consider getting a console since PS2. Gamepass seems like a nice idea as well. Though I'll wait for some games worth playing first (and that don't run on GTX 1060), which may or may not come.

 

[aweigh]

I prefer gaming on PC because it offers more options and more variety. I can always find some way to do something that I want to do with my gaming experience on PC, be it from something as simple as using a sharpening shader or running a game at settings that aren't possible anywhere else, to something slightly more complex like using scripts or programs like ReWasd to organize the way button behavior operates on every game to suit my very personal tastes.

For example I dislike clicking in the left analog stick to sprint in modern games, so I use a program that makes it so that whenever it detects that I'm moving the left analog stick I can simply tap the right-bumper button and it will toggle the function. It's a very minor quality-of-life thing but I've grown very used to it, and if I was playing the game on console I would have no way of doing it the exact way I like doing it because it's not a simple button-swap.

Hell, simply being able to play a game on a window layered on top of the Shoutbox so I can get the gist of what people are typing while I play a game or emulate some console exclusive at 4k is already more than reason enough to prefer playing on the PC for me; because it suits varying personal tastes and can easily accomodate different people's routines and preferences.

It's everything from the little things to the big things that make PC gaming a far superior experience to that found on console; it's not one single thing and it isn't any arbitrary feature, it's the personalized experience tailered specifically and exclusively to your own tastes and needs. That simply cannot be found on console and never will be found on console, and for good reason.

 

[Drakortha]

Just waiting out for the inevitable release of the 8080.

What happens once it reaches 1000? Nobody knows. Though I predict it will have a lot of flops in it.

 

[Cromwell]

The main thing for me is that series X will be a more affordable upgrade then my PC would be (since I also would buy a new processor for emulation and that would mean a new Motherboard etc), and the Computer isnt so outdated that I cant play Games comfortably that are PC specific like Point and Click Adventures, Strategy Games etc. My woman can use the Xbox while I play on my PC while she would have to use mine if I only updated that since I dont have nearly enough money to bring to PCs up to snuff. I can throw my old Xbox to Gamestop or similar where they currently go for a bit over hundred € and I am curious if that amount gets a bit higher if in turn you buy your new console directly there. All in all seems like a good deal.

 

[Azdul]

That being said. 499$ for a 8 core ryzen, 12TF modern GPU, 16GB vram. 1TB next gen NVME drive and rest needed to be self contained.
It would be actually great PC if they allowed for windows installation.

Different sources put power consumption at 200W, 250W or 300W. You either need Zen 2 and Navi architecture running 500 Mhz below typical PC clocks, serious improvement to 7nm process node, or magic. Some next gen developers already whisper that every time someone mentions "velocity architecture", another angel dies.

 

[DalekFlay]

The main thing for me is that series X will be a more affordable upgrade then my PC would be (since I also would buy a new processor for emulation and that would mean a new Motherboard etc), and the Computer isnt so outdated that I cant play Games comfortably that are PC specific like Point and Click Adventures, Strategy Games etc. My woman can use the Xbox while I play on my PC while she would have to use mine if I only updated that since I dont have nearly enough money to bring to PCs up to snuff. I can throw my old Xbox to Gamestop or similar where they currently go for a bit over hundred € and I am curious if that amount gets a bit higher if in turn you buy your new console directly there. All in all seems like a good deal.

If you're not currently playing AAA stuff on PC then you're not really who I was talking about either. The original comment was about some hypothetical person who is a PC gamer and has 500 Steam games but goes "man this Series X is a good deal, I'm gonna switch everything over to consoles!" I don't think that person exists, or if they do it's a very small number of people. If you mainly play on consoles or evenly split your time then it's much more likely you'll prioritize a next-gen console this Fall, sure.

 

[Dexter]

I prefer gaming on PC because it offers more options and more variety. I can always find some way to do something that I want to do with my gaming experience on PC, be it from something as simple as using a sharpening shader or running a game at settings that aren't possible anywhere else, to something slightly more complex like using scripts or programs like ReWasd to organize the way button behavior operates on every game to suit my very personal tastes.

Hell, simply being able to play a game on a window layered on top of the Shoutbox so I can get the gist of what people are typing while I play a game or emulate some console exclusive at 4k is already more than reason enough to prefer playing on the PC for me; because it suits varying personal tastes and can easily accomodate different people's routines and preferences.

It's everything from the little things to the big things that make PC gaming a far superior experience to that found on console; it's not one single thing and it isn't any arbitrary feature, it's the personalized experience tailered specifically and exclusively to your own tastes and needs. That simply cannot be found on console and never will be found on console, and for good reason.

I haven't owned a console since SNES/GameBoy times and don't really feel like I've missed anything. It's like you say, a PC can offer a console experience and so much more. Depending on the type of game you want to play you can switch to a 4K TV and use an XBone Controller from bed or play with a monitor and Mouse+Keyboard at the desk where you can also do work or grab a VR headset and Launch a VR game, or get out the HOTAS to play a Space Sim or whatever.

I can't even comprehend the mindset that would prefer a console over a PC, being bound to a single company and their retarded rules and practices and only being able to do what they want/allow you to do at the settings they want you to play at, even if it's 720p/30 or 24 with no AA and being stuck with that for over half a decade with no means to Upgrade. Personally I'd probably pay even 5x the cost to be able to do everything I want since I see immense "value" in that, but then I also bought an Index and am running a 2x 1080 SLI system for 4K (I skipped over the 20xx generation since it wasn't enough of an improvement for 4K/60 on one card and will get a single 3080Ti or whatever it's called when it comes in a version with more VRAM this year or next, since even my current cards have 16GB combined VRAM). The only issue I see endangering that is the increasing Balkanization of Launchers operated by various publishers as their own little earldoms.

As you said though, you can change the Settings of your games manually if you want, can Mod them to be more to your liking with better Textures, Model swaps or whatever, can use Emulators for those rare "Console Excl000sives" that might be worth playing at much improved rendering resolutions and graphical settings, and even they allow for Mods. Is the blaring music in a late JRPG release getting on your nerves after dozens of hours of play? No problem, someone made an Orchestral Music Mod! Even if you run into issues you can usually fix them yourself, on consoles it's either waiting for a Patch or "tough luck" e.g. remember what issues even some of Bethesda's AAA releases had on PS3? Even some of the enticements of the past console generations with the "Excl000sive" franchises you could only play there are mostly gone. As people have said Microsoft has functionally none compared to the PC nowadays after they've ported even the Halo franchise over and PlayStation has like half a dozen every generation that lately usually boil down to shitty soy-filled high-budget movie games. I have no interest in them even if they port them to PC like Horizon or whatever they'll release next. I'd rather they release some of their Back catalogue Remastered instead from when they still made good games.

 

[Santander02]

Xbox Series X, Seires X Xbox SEXbox harr harr.

Spoiler

the name is dumb

 

[The Decline]

The amount of PC gamers that currently have a 8 core CPU, nvme ssd and a decent gfx card is still in single digits. I dont have it, I barely know anyone that got it.

Funny enough this is what I just upgraded to. I got a sweet deal on a processor and 1tb nvme so I got those and a new motherboard and ram.

 

[Ebonsword]

For example I dislike clicking in the left analog stick to sprint in modern games...

I hate that, too, but that's why you get a controller like the Razer Raiju which has extra triggers on the bottom you can map things to.

 

[aweigh]

I hate that, too, but that's why you get a controller like the Razer Raiju which has extra triggers on the bottom you can map things to.

I'm gonna get one of those soon but not so I can map sprint to those, rather I prefer always having sprint located in the same area: either right-bumper/R1 or right-trigger/R2, with no exceptions. And I want it to stop the function when I let go of the analog stick.

Some games allow for this, where if you stop moving the sprint function automatically turns itself off, but not ALL games do which is why I use ReWasd for this purpose. I can make it so that if I press the right-bumper while the left analog stick is in motion then it will activate the sprint function (usually being left stick click-in or whatever), and as soon as I stop moving with the analog stick then it stops sprinting. I can also make it so that if I long-press the right-bumper then it activates sprint, and make it toggable or hold-able if I want it to.

What I want the extra buttons for is to map the bumpers and/or the d-pad's left and right directions so I can navigate menus or activate d-pad quick-access functions while moving and looking at the same time without any need to take my left thumb off the left analog stick; also being able to free up the left and right bumpers completely so I can use them for whatever I want and just relegating their possible uses to the new buttons would be very nice and allow for some experimentation with control schemes.

The only reason I haven't gotten one of these controllers yet is because I want one that uses the paddles like you see on the Steam controller or the Xbox Elite controller (or the new PS4 controller back-paddles add-on), not the buttons like pictured here:

Those look very uncomfortable to reach. I want one that has back-paddles, like the Elite or the Steam controller, like this:

Those look much more comfortable to reach, don't they? Anyway, it also has to be wireless and unfortunately none of these controllers come with everything I want (back-paddles in the right ergonomic orientation and true wireless that isn't bluetooth) in one package... except the Elite controller but that costs $250-300 dollars and there is no way I can justify to myself spending $250-300 dollars on a controller. I mean, I can get a new CPU for that money, or a few new SSDs, or even a decent GPU if I needed a new one. It's a prepostrous price point just to have a wireless controller with back-paddles.

EDIT: I could just get a PS4 controller w/ the back-paddle add-on and it would work out to around $100 dollars, and the reason I haven't done that is because I don't want to deal with the 3rd-party program you need to run so that Windows recognizes the PS4 controller. Sounds like a hassle.

 

[Cromwell]

so that Windows recognizes the PS4 controller.

works out of the box for me with steam big picture. There was a problem with gamepass games since microsoft is a bit icky about trying to run their games through steam. Its also bluetooth of course

 

[aweigh]

works out of the box for me with steam big picture. There was a problem with gamepass games since microsoft is a bit icky about trying to run their games through steam. Its also bluetooth of course

Hmm. I'll need to do more research into it as I don't use Steam BP mode to play, or like having Steam turned on when I'm playing a game. If the PS4 controller really does work without the need for DS4Windows program or similar then I'll probably end up getting one with the back-paddle add-on, it's literally the only option other than the Elite that is both wireless AND uses ergonimic paddle orientation; everything else is missing one of those two features or is the Elite and priced too high.

I had a bad experience with the bluetooth connection on the Xbox One controller that caused lag in-game and frame rate dips and stutter, not even with three different Windows installs and two completely different bluetooth adapters (hell, two completely different PC rigs) did it ever work correctly and it's the most widely-reported issue with the controller if you search google for "Xbox One controller bluetooth game lag stutter", but during the months I spent trying to troubleshoot this and googling the issue it seems that it's just a problem with the Xbox One model "S" controller's BT and not anything specific to a BT connection in general, so the PS4 controller's BT connection should work fine.

 

[Villagkouras]

When playing on Steam or add even pirated games, completely turn off ds4windows.

You should use it when playing Gamepass games, though with the option to hide ps4 controller in settings.

 

[Dexter]

Those look very uncomfortable to reach. I want one that has back-paddles, like the Elite or the Steam controller, like this:

Those look much more comfortable to reach, don't they? Anyway, it also has to be wireless and unfortunately none of these controllers come with everything I want (back-paddles in the right ergonomic orientation and true wireless that isn't bluetooth) in one package... except the Elite controller but that costs $250-300 dollars and there is no way I can justify to myself spending $250-300 dollars on a controller. I mean, I can get a new CPU for that money, or a few new SSDs, or even a decent GPU if I needed a new one. It's a prepostrous price point just to have a wireless controller with back-paddles.

I have a XBone Elite Controller I use alternating with a Normal Xbone Controller that came with the OG Oculus Rift. I don't know about the Series 2, but the Original you have on your picture above has some build quality problems, like the rubber coating on the back right side came off, and I'm starting to lose the rubber on the right stick too. These seem very widely experience problems, since there's third-party companies selling parts to replace when it breaks after a year or two (or just search "xbox one elite rubber grips" on Google e.g.). It feels nice, but I can't really recommend it because of that. Don't know if they fixed that with the Series 2 (new one on the left with even more rubber):

See also: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/controller-recommendations.125683/page-3#post-5969282

Regarding Wireless issues, I had some connectivity issues with the Original dongle, but since they released a smaller version of it and I got that I can't say I've had any issues whatsoever with either the XBone or the Elite:

Regarding the paddles, I can't really say anything about them since I've never used them, I wouldn't even know what for since no game has bindings for those buttons.

 

[aweigh]

You have an Elite and you've never used the paddles? Weird. BTW, I believe you're supposed to bind them to whatever button you want on the controller's software, AFAIK.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Regarding Wireless issues, I had some connectivity issues with the Original dongle, but since they released a smaller version of it and I got that I can't say I've had any issues whatsoever with either the XBone or the Elite:

I have the smaller one and sometimes it doesn't connect immediately or you have plug it again and again... but those issues are not existing in Linux, with Xbone Elite pad running through XOW driver.

Microsoft hardware runs better on LINUX than on WINDOWS, wtf???

 

[The Decline]

You have an Elite and you've never used the paddles? Weird. BTW, I believe you're supposed to bind them to whatever button you want on the controller's software, AFAIK.

Normally the paddles can only be mapped to the face buttons, but if you use REWASD you can remap them to anything.

 

[Azdul]

I haven't owned a console since SNES/GameBoy times and don't really feel like I've missed anything.

In the arcade world in the 80s any game that runs below monitor refresh rate was treated as broken or the work of dilettantes or amateurs - and in SNES times that attitude was still held by many console developers.

If the point of consoles is that games will work perfectly, because developers know target hardware platform, including refresh rate of TV that it was connected to - consoles ended with SNES, and we're still waiting for a worthy successor.

 

[Morgoth]

Jill Valentine puts whiney and lazy game dev in his place.

 

[DalekFlay]

Lots of stories and tweets going around today about the memory size and bandwidth of the Series S being an issue. DF even mentioned it in their video about the announcement, and they almost always try to be universally positive. Unless the Series S is a WiiU style failure, devs are going to design around 8GB total memory and limited bandwidth for the next 5+ years.

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Or just lower the resolution for the S, wouldn't be a big deal.

 

[DalekFlay]

Or just lower the resolution for the S, wouldn't be a big deal.

Memory does more than just hold high-res texture data. I mean I'm not a tech expert, but if guys from id and Treyarch are on Twitter saying it's a huge bottleneck, they probably have some basis for that.