Sony Gaming Boss On The "Great Experiences" Available On Switch And A More Open Future

Nice start to the article there.

He definitely doesn’t single out the switch he names every available platform

The Xbox Live announcement probably scared Sony. They saw how they were forced to buckle and allow crossplay in Fortnite/Rocket League. Now they see the need to forestall XBL taking over the world with cross-platform accounts, forcing them at some unspecified point in the future to suffer the indignity of adopting their fiercest rival's standard.

Huh, what choice words coming from a company who refused crossplay on its systems because they believed their systems was the best possible place to play them. I can't tell if this is a genuine change of heart, or if Sony is trying to distract everyone from its many other problems, such as its censorship being forced upon developers and forcing them to keep quiet about it. Just gotta wait to see what shenanigans they get up to in a month or so I suppose.

Yet the upcoming head of PS is against crossplay and backwards compatibility.

Switch, tablet, phones...
This is the worst compliment I've ever heard

@Grumblevolcano I don't think Sony will survive without backward compatibility in the next gen. I won't be buying a PS5 if it's not backward compatible. Cross play is another thing, I like it when it's offered, but it's not a requirement for me.

There’s actually some things that I think Sony could learn from the competition. Everyone on this site tends to emphasize how lacking the Switch is, but the PS4 has it’s fair share of annoyances. Not embracing crossplay, a cluttered and confusing UI, having to restart the system every time a new user launches a game, language support being dependent on region, DLC being region locked and dependent on the version of the game you purchase, etc. Also why on such an advanced system can I not connect speakers via Bluetooth? The Switch has this problem too and it’s idiotic in 2019.

Nothing more than acknowledging their existence; what Sony now intend to do after closely monitor the competition will be to capitalise on the elements that make good software / hardware and try to align some business practices for PR's sake. Backwards compatibility? Cross-platform gaming? Mobile entries? Yep, they missed those memos, so they’ll likely tackle them for PS5 whilst saying 'thanks' to Nintendo / Microsoft for confirming the gaming community wanted these features.

So, Sony's next handheld is the PS5 Go?

Nintendo Switch online is lackluster, but I also think PS+ is too expensive. If I just want to play the games I already bought online, 60 bucks a year is asking too much. The extra stuff on Switch sucks, but at least I only need to pay 20 dollars a year to play Smash and Mario Kart online. Those PS+ games hold very little interest for me. If I want a game I would just buy it.

Xstation, playbox, whatever. I have heard that there are other game consoles out there, but I am very happy with my switch.

"We’re all part of the same gaming community, we just come at it through different doorways."

so make PlayStation Network accounts cross-play compatible then, you cowards.

@NotTelevision
Cluttered compared only to the Switch, which in turn could be called bare bones. And you don't have to restart the system. Your statement is simply wrong
And yes, the lack of bluetooth is especially idiotic on a portable device

I gave the sister's neighbourhood a look in light of this article, but all I've found is some interestingly deafening radio silence. Funny.

[EDIT: No more, I guess.]

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Seriously, as a real Nintendo fan, I don't care about Sony thinks about Nintendo.

Sony needs to remember that their current success is not guaranteed. While they dominated the PS2 days and PS4 is a nearly unquestioned total success, PS3 struggled, and PS5 has no guarantees. Nintendo learned the hard way going from Wii to Wii U. Sony should avoid potentially alienating future customers.

@Callmegil
Whoa, don't make comparisons you can't effectively back up.

@Tirza
As long as you give previously-Sony IPs a try. Crash Bandicoot is a blast, and Spyro will be just as fun when it gets eventually announced-and-then-released for Switch. I've tried the latter on Xbox One and, aside from hiccups in the buggy, outsourced remake of the third game, the trilogy has barely aged a single day. I can't say for sure about Crash Team Racing due to Vicarious Visions not spearheading the project, but if it's faithful to the original in spirit and feel, then we're getting a heavy hitter in the kart racing genre, and a worthy rival to Mario Kart 8 in my Switch's bag. That kart racer can get insanely fast, yet tight, still today.

@Callmegil But slightly less ignorant that Sony

@NotTelevision if I recall, someone did an analysis regarding Bluetooth and audio on Reddit, and found that the connection of the controllers separately is taking enough BT signal frames to affect it. The Vita had no problem with Bluetooth audio (to my understanding), but it also didn't have to deal with any other sort of BT connection.

@patbacknitro18 Nah.

@AlexSora89 Really? I've read it top to bottom and I can effectively say so.

But I'm better off having a discussion with a wall, it listens better.

It never hurts to be nice, I really think some of these companies should be less afraid of praising the competition, it’s not going to hurt them at all.
However, I do also believe they should be careful of making fun of a company who isn’t doing well at the moment, no matter what company it is.

I just think everyone will have a better time with less hate and more acceptance.

PS4 is still LACK of Kiddie / Quirky / Girlie games like Nintendo did. 😒
My PS4 games collection are still less than 10 different titles while i have more than 55 Switch game titles on my shopping list.

@Callmegil Well Trump builds walls. So you just played yourself :3

@Callmegil
A wall on the Mexican border, I assume.

@patbacknitro18
Dammit, ninja'd.

At the moment games are separated across Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft platforms. I can't wait until the new age where their separated by Apple, Amazon, and Netflix instead.

@AlexSora89 Great minds think alike xD

@patbacknitro18 This comment section managed to go beyond that. You guys should be glad though, you might make into the Guinness Book as the World Record of Most Ignorant Community.

@patbacknitro18

@Callmegil
Lighten up, fella. We're all gonna die eventually.
Just one thing, you just said we're ignorant without actually bothering to express your stance on the topic. Would you kindly enlighten us all?

@Anti-Matter
If it lacks, just get Knack not even rhymes could justify lying to you. There definitely is a lack of such games there. Which is why I'm on this very site.

@AlexSora89 Like I said, I read every comment before you originally replied to me. Every comment before your reply (including mine) sheds a light on why I claimed so. No point arguing over—like you said, we're all going to die eventually.

@Callmegil
Which is all fine and dandy by existentialist standards, but could you also share an opinion that sheds some light on how ignorant the rest of the comment section is? As in, "you're ignorant because..."? Or how about "... which is why you're ignorant"? There are so many possible opinions you can sign off with that sentence!

@Callmegil Yes we're all going to die but, by your logic, we will be immortalized in the Guinness Book of World Records. So, in the end, the Tortoise beats the Hare -_-

@Callmegil Seriously though, you are on a comment section of a Nintendo news Site, stating your opinion like the rest of us. Except where our opinions are about the topic at hand, your opinion is how our opinions are ignorant without ever stating what's wrong with our opinions. And claiming that arguing with us is pointless is just as pointless as coming here to say we're ignorant without ever making an argument as to why. So, in the end, you're stuck within your own hypocritical cycle of pointlessness.

@MrGawain Well, that's already happening with films. Disney doing their own thing. It's all the same in the end. Even if you get a streaming future where you can play anywhere and any time, everything will be walled off by dozens of subscriptions, deluxe subscriptions, exclusive content. So I can't see it getting much better. I sometimes long for the old days when the internet wasn't as prevalent in gaming...

It must be Shawn Layden isn't talking to us, he's talking to the rest of Sony. It's a very civil Sony Civil War about what to do next with Sony (should be a game).

Otherwise, Sony's 'we're the best but you inferiors you're great' and 'we shouldn't be in ghettos' pulls out of E3 sounds so arrogant.

Sony need the vision thing. And at this point right now I'm honestly sorry to say it seems Virtual Reality is not 'it' for gaming. I do hope all that changes.

Hang on, implying Switch and Xbox are as good as phones for gaming, is a compliment?

Sony executives, do you people not have phones?

@Anti-Matter And its nice to see Nintendo isn't limiting themselves to that market.

@patbacknitro18 @AlexSora89 That's not where I have a problem. Where I have a problem is when people say Sony is arguably rejecting Crossplay, despite them already having accepted it. Sure, they're taking a little longer, but they have priorities for 2019—changing policies and having meetings with networking partners regarding crossplay is at the least of their concerns at the moment.

Another thing that grinds my gears is when people keep shoving in PlayStation's face they don't have backwards compatibility. Neither does the Switch and we don't complain, do we? Inb4 "Different storage mediums", Playstation 4 has a different architecture. Different limitations for everyone. PS5 was already confirmed to have the same architecture as PS4—it doesn't take a genius to guess what comes with that.

Another comment said Shawn Layden only said this because he's afraid of the expansion of Xbox Live....

You're not ignorant because you have an opinion, information is out there for everyone to read. In the same sense, you're ignorant when you make preposterous claims that have already been clarified/ proven wrong in the past.
(Sorry for the long paragraph, but you did ask to expand)

Gravity Rush collection on Switch confirmed.

Speaking seriously, though, I don't see what of it is even news. Console wars in the industry are a thing of the past, only console wars among fans have survived, but the latter is explained in one single word: fans.

@Callmegil
And I'm glad you did. Now there are the grounds for saying other people are ignorant.

Yes, we're all keeping the "Sony, more like Sorry Excuse For No Crossplay" joke a tad longer than it needs to be there. I didn't this time, but I'm aware I did indulge in doing so in the past. So that's on me. I know that shareholders are preying on Sony when it comes to crossplay, we all know how it goes too well, but then again crossplay has been asked for by the Nintendo userbase, Xbox's own, and even Sony players themselves - it's quite sad to see such hesitation (to put it in the most flattering possible way) coming from the market leader.

As for backwards compatibility complaints, the place you're looking for is any Nintendo Switch Online-related one. NES alone just doesn't cut it and you'll hear my voice in that chorus as well.

I'm not saying anything about Xbox Live until we know what "expansion" actually means.

There, here are my two cents. It's always nice to elaborate!

@Phle Awww, that's so true. hugs

@electrolite77 Really? Despite one having CD and the other having a cartridge? I think Nintendo shielded for the most part by saying the Switch would neither replace the 3DS or the Wii U.

Again, if the patents are real that's not even an issue in the slightest.

@Callmegil You're forgetting 1 teeny, tiny, itty, bitty little detail in your crossplay theory....The Fortnite developers enabled crossplay on the PS4 version and it worked 100% fine. But Sony themselves demanded that it be turned off, and the Fortnite developers blamed the whole thing as an accident and not intentional. It was only on for less than a day, but it worked perfectly and Sony were the ones that demanded it be shut off. You are also forgetting that Sony made an official statement a few months back as for why they PURPOSEFULLY didn't allow crossplay, and they said it was because the PS4 was the best place to play. That was literally their excuse. So Sony not only made an official statement about why they didn't allow crossplay, but they also showed it by demanding the Fortnite developers to disable the crossplay.

@Callmegil https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09/sony_wont_allow_fortnite_cross-play_because_playstation_is_the_best_place_to_play How can you say Sony wanted crossplay when they themselves made this official statement?

I would love for Sony to release another handheld. The PS Vita is an amazing piece of hardware that was held back by Sony's greed and their insistence on using expensive Sony branded memory cards for storage. If Sony created a handheld that was backwards compatible with the PS1, 2 and 3 games, I would buy it on day one.

@misterMike Actually no, the Mother 3 port was being worked on back during the WiiU era, where they were SUPER censorship-heavy with things like the Fire Emblem Petting Minigame, or saying that having only Mario's hand in Mario Maker was sexist. It was a terrible time for censorship, but with the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo doesn't care about censorship that much. Heck, they allowed both South Park games to be published on their systems, that says a lot about what games they allow on their consoles now. Also, they have a crossdresser in BOTW which plays a vital role in Links quest in the desert. So that already knocks off 1 controversy in Mother 3 that they were concerned about before.

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@patbacknitro18 Those comments were made by Yoshida, lol. You should read the comments from John Kodera and Shawn Layden, they're the ones who run PlayStation, here it is:
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/09/26/extended-fortnite-cross-play-beta-launches-on-ps4-starting-today/
https://www.usgamer.net/amp/sonys-shawn-layden-on-ps4-cross-play-were-looking-at-a-lot-of-the-possibilities
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/amp/2018-10-01-playstation-boss-shawn-layden-explains-why-ps4-cross-play-took-so-long

They addressed it a few times, it's just overlooked every time because it's not Sony-arrogant (despite making me laugh every time). It's not a networking issue by the way. They had a policy that doesn't allow them to. Change policies in a company is not easy.

Yeah, Shawn, you talk the talk, now walk the walk.
They're finally (and VERY grudgingly) entering into the crossplay arena, and backward compatibility on PS4 is a joke. People saying that it is because of different architecture, are delusional. Microsoft had that same hurdle to overcome, and they offered it anyway, and then some.

Sony needs to get with the program, except they should have already been in the program over a year ago, and now they are simply forced into doing so, both by the industry and the target audience, there's simply no denying that.

They may be the market leader, but in more ways than one, they display anything but leadership qualities, and are more like involuntary followers...

@Callmegil That's just PR BS, much like what people are always accusing Reggie Fils-Aime of.

And besides that, it's simply not true. This comes straight from the last article you linked to:

"However, Eurogamer points out cross-play in Fortnite is as simple as flipping as switch - at least from Epic's perspective - as the developer accidentally connected PS4 and Xbox One players a year ago."

@ThanosReXXX It did happen, didn't it? Then it wasn't just PR, it was factual information.

Again, it's not network. If you work for a company that says you can't walk from the front door, you don't walk from the front door.

@misterMike Yes, the game was originally going to be released around the same time Mother 1 was localized, during the WiiU era where they were SUPER heavy with censorship. But now that the WiiU Era of censorship has passed, it could be possible to see Mother 3 make it over here. Depends on if they feel like resurfacing the project. I hope it's a Starfox 2 situation, where they localize it to bring people in on a product. Like a Mother collection, or possibly as one of the games that will be on the GBA app for the Nintendo Online service, if that becomes a thing.

@Callmegil If it did or didn't happen, doesn't matter. When other companies are judged for their mistakes, such as Microsoft's screw up during the Xbox One launch, they're guilty forever, but when Sony FINALLY gets with the plan (and not even because of their own accord, but because the industry led them into it), all is forgiven and forgotten?

If that's not the epitome of a double standard, then I don't know what is.

@ThanosReXXX I don't agree. We'll just be arguing from different opinions.

I don’t mind that I can’t cross-play Switch and PS4 games. I don’t game with people online that often. I think XB’s stance on a lot of things has definitely gotten them set up to overtake PS if they don’t change their mind on crossplay, backwards compatibility and perhaps more. That being said, PS still has the best games imo.

@Callmegil Shall we just keep politics out of the discussion, it will make this comment section a better place, thank you!

@Painkiller_Mike That applies to you as well!

@Octane I'm gonna level with you. Arguments about how Gaming companies run their businesses can get just as nasty as any political topic. Like, for example:

Who agrees that the Nintendo Online service is a fairly prices service and it offers just the right amount of content that it needs to?

@Callmegil Different opinions are fine, and I can respect that.
However, arguing with facts is not on my acceptance list, so that's just out of the question. You can't just disagree because of reasons, or because you may prefer one company over the other.

I don't prefer one over the other, I am a multi-platform owner, but Sony is just talking out of their back end, and also acting like they've got their heads stuck in there. And then going all high and mighty with empty compliments and showing how they are so good to the community and all that. It's actually kind of sad, if you stop to think about it.

@misterMike I didn't say it's the same, but in essence, both companies had the same hurdle to overcome, and both went from a custom, PowerPC-based architecture, to a more PC-like architecture, so whether or not they're exactly the same, is besides the point, and largely irrelevant.

And saying backward compatibility doesn't matter is rather delusional, seeing as how popular and in demand it is, on ALL platforms. Just because you may perhaps not be that interested in it, doesn't mean that there isn't a big market for it.

And I don't want to see them burn, like you seem to think, I just want them to get with the program, and not come up with BS reasons like 'we want to protect our players' or 'we don't allow crossplay because only our own platform is the best way to play'.

That's just PR nonsense, and has nothing to do with any facts or figures.

@patbacknitro18 I know, but this article isn't about politics, and considering most people lose any kind of rational behaviour when politics are brought up in an online environment, I think it's best to avoid it, especially since it's completely off-topic and irrelevant for this discussion.

@ThanosReXXX Turns out Shawn wasn't complimenting the Switch. He opened up about how he thinks we're living in a Post-Console World. Here's the full link:
https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/games/playstation/63358/playstation-ps5-shawn-layden-post-console-world-next-generation

https://www.gameinformer.com/interview/2019/02/11/shawn-layden-on-playstation-and-the-future

Of course, I wouldn't expect a Nintendo based site to comprehend what Shawn is on about, so this guy just focused on the little bit that mattered to him. Without context, there's no headline. You misunderstood Shawn.

@Callmegil No, not really. In light of this, you should blame NLife for misquoting, then, and putting the focus on the Switch part, instead of blaming me for misunderstanding.

@ThanosReXXX Apologies for that.

@Octane Oh no I agree, keep politics off of it lol.

@Callmegil No apologies necessary, we're just having a discussion, is all. No need to agree on everything.

On a side note: seeing as the people behind Nintendo Life are also the people behind Push Square, I don't think we can safely assume that they don't know what Shawn is on about. This part of their community staff is simply focusing on the Switch quote, and that might perhaps be ripping it out of context somewhat.

@Octane Did you report me? Wow. Grow up.

@Painkiller_Mike He doesn't have to report you: he's a moderator.

@ThanosReXXX So that's what we do around here when we don't agree with someone, we just silence them? What is this Nazi Germany?

@AlexSora89 well, if you believe in Jesus-Christ, as your Lod and Saviour, ypu will be saved and live eternally with him in Heaven!!!!

@Painkiller_Mike Well, even moderators have to follow the rules.
I haven't exactly followed your discussion in this thread, but apparently, you've crossed a community rules line somewhere, otherwise he wouldn't have acted upon it.

For future reference: moderators have a star right next to their name, so they're easily recognizable. And in the forums, the star is actually displayed inside their avatar logo.

@misterMike You can obviously expect a Nintendo-related site to write things from a Nintendo-centric perspective, and as such, highlight the positives. Is it biased? Perhaps, but regardless of maybe over-emphasizing the numbers/achievements, you can hardly expect them to not put them in a positive perspective.

And yet, they're also critical of Nintendo, when they need to be, but overall, I see nothing that much out of the ordinary on a Nintendo related site. And I don't visit this site to see Nintendo bashing, so I'm more or less getting exactly what I'm expecting...

@Raphi7
Amen to that, I'm a Christian and all the fluffy stuff it entails, but... I'm sorry, what does that have to do with the discussion again?

It's easy to discuss a well intentioned future. Much harder to put your sentiment in action today.

...

Eh, just realized that reads like a fortune cookie. Still true though.

@Callmegil
Wait a sec, are we sure the lack of crossplay issue is as dead as we made it out to be?

@AlexSora89 Don't see what this is a reference to. Did I claim the crossplay issue was dead? I honestly don't remember.

@Callmegil
You're right, I have to elaborate - we agreed on the needless addressing of the issue being a dead joke. You said as much, I agreed, and that was that. I've just found out, however, that apparently Sony isn't taking as many steps as we thought/hoped they would.

Usually when Shawn Layden speaks its about Sony stats and I fall asleep. It will be strange not to have that snooze time during this years E3.

"...but we are pioneers. We aren’t good followers. I think we’re better leaders."

Wow. Coming from the guys who don't do anything except copy everyone else. Man, Sony is so cocky it drives me crazy.

@nonesuchluck
Yeah I didn't think Microsoft's announcement scared Sony, but it did trigger them. In my view, Sony has a troll mentality towards Nintendo and Microsoft. And having this guy speak out like this is seems like they don't want to be left behind in this "gaming community" narrative that non fanboys can relate to. Which is cool. They seem to slowly come out of their pride shell to an extent, but still in there under the label of "industry leader" sales and leading platform programming wise.

We'll see what happens

@ThanosReXXX I honestly don't recall saying anything offensive. Unless calling someone Al Gore is a crime. I thought it was funny. Some light hearted humor. Maybe the moderator is a liberal and I struck a nerve.

@Painkiller_Mike Well, then I honestly don't know. Like I said:
I wasn't exactly following the conversation, so I've no idea what was said, but in general anything concerning politics is on the list of topics that aren't allowed, so maybe even alluding to it is already enough to get a first warning or something like that.

Sort of like a pre-emptive strike before somebody dives into it completely and it becomes a full-on political debate.

They say this after all the backstabbing of FortNite where they platform locked players out of Cross-Play and now they want to be your friend. Really, I believe this when I see it in action not words. Words are easy to throw around til I see it.

@misterMike it’s ok man take a breath now. The UI thing is just a preference, different strokes for.. anyway the stuff I was saying about language and region locked DLC is true. Go online and see how many people have complained about this.

I bought the HK version of Spider-Man and the DLC from the PS Store region USA. Later I found out that the two were incompatible.

This may not be a big deal for most but when you live abroad it is a pain.