Overpriced consoles and a game of the year: Weekly Gaming News Roundup
This last two weeks in the world of gaming have been all about Sony as the Japanese conglomerate dominated the news for a variety of reasons.
Hyderabad: A look at the PS5 Pro and Sony’s Astro Bot:
This last two weeks in the world of gaming have been all about Sony as the Japanese conglomerate dominated the news for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, for pulling the cord on the live service first person shooter Concord after just two weeks, then for the launch of Astro Bot – a game most people are calling a game of the year contender, and lastly for lifting the hood on the PS5 Pro, a mid-gen refresh available from November 7 and priced at a whopping 700 USD!
This Sony centred article begins by ignoring the unexpected demise of Concord and instead focusing on the latter two pieces of news. Let’s talk the PS5 Pro first.
Do we even need a mid-gen refresh?
The biggest question most players are asking after baulking at that incredible price is what makes the Pro so expensive? The 9-minute announcement video on YouTube has been followed by a deluge of memes and vitriol as most of us have wondered if the pricing is reflective of how monopolistic and uni-dimensional the console market has gotten.
Add to this the significant number of press articles either trying to justify the price or trying to advocate for building gaming PCs at the price that will be a lot more capable than the Pro, and I feel that most of us have missed the point.
Launching a console refresh seems ridiculous to me when there are so few exclusive games and hardly any that have utilized the power of the PS5 and its superfast SSD.
Taken in context of the massive silicon shortage, the slow adoption of the new consoles, and the fact that we are still awaiting a truly outstanding game that immortalizes this generation; and Sony’s announcement of the Pro seems rushed, and half baked.
In terms of configuration, while the Pro receives a boost to the GPU and some AI upscaling voodoo, Sony has been very careful not to guarantee the magic combination of “4K 60fps” in any of its launch material.
Secondly, if the CPU doesn’t receive a boost and all the upgrade is focused on the compute units in the GPU, there is only so much of a performance boost that the Pro can deliver. Going by what was shown in the video, since the CPU received no time whatsoever, this looks like an intragenerational GPU only upgrade at most.
Lastly, while the debate on the Pro will continue till its launch in November, if you are thinking of buying one, I recommend staying away and saving your money. The biggest upgrade between the PS4 and the PS5 was the DualSense controller and nothing else. Period. If you own the PS5 don’t do a thing, if not buy the slim when the prices fall.
Astro Bot Game of the Year:
Now that the whole PS5 Pro debate is settled, one game I request you not to sleep on is the just released Astro Bot, a game that is simply top-notch and offers so much more than anyone expects from it.
From beautiful locales to inside jokes, secret locations, and well thought out puzzles, this is the complete package. A game that can be played both for a quick 5-10 minutes of fun or in completionist mode where you gather every bot and puzzle piece out there, Astro Bot offers something for everyone.
In my time with the game I have had loads of fun navigating hidden places like the Lost Galaxy and levels like Creamy Canyon and Go-Go Archipelago to name a few. With endless replayability, some nifty moves, and unique ways to engage with the DualSense controller, AstroBot is just as magical as Ratchet and Clank was when it first launched.
A perfect game for the holidays and family get-togethers.
That’s it for this Sony filled week then folks! Make sure to play Astro Bots and to not buy the PS5 Pro.
