Latest news with #SNES
Digital Trends
4 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
5 years in, the PS5 proves that the PS6 can't just be a more powerful box
The leap from one console to the next used to be so pronounced that it was impossible to ignore. It only took a glance to see the world (or dimension) of difference between SNES games and Nintendo 64 games, and understand exactly what the new system was offering. I'm cherry-picking that specific generation as the greatest gap in power we will likely ever experience, but I believe that the leaps in power throughout the entire video game console generation timeline spoke for themselves right up until the Xbox 360 and PS3 era. It isn't that technical advancements have leveled off after that, but the edges are blending together more with each generation. As we approach our fifth year with the PS5, and rumors continue to swirl about the PS6, I don't believe Sony can rely on a marginally more powerful box being enough to justify whatever price it demands next time around. Recommended Videos Diminishing returns It's no surprise that the main selling point for new hardware is its technical capabilities. It is easy to show off shinier graphics, bigger worlds, and more realistic physics to a mass audience. We all knew we had to get that PS1 or N64 to experience that level of 3D graphics, or get a PS3 or Xbox 360 to experience full HD games. I'd argue that the last time the general consumer saw a noticeable gap between one generation and the next was going from the PS3 to PS4. I'm not embarrassed to admit that even I could be fooled if someone told me some PS4 games were actually on PS5 or vice versa. Check out this screenshot of Uncharted 4 — a game released almost 10 years ago — and tell me this couldn't pass for a PS5 game. If you were to analyze and pick apart this game compared to a PS5 game, yes, I'm certain the PS5 game would come out on top. But more detailed shadows or faster rendering times don't necessarily make a game more fun to play. I'm also confident that every boost in power is a godsend to developers working to squeeze every bit of juice out of the hardware. Even in this regard we are starting to see developers praising the efficiency of new hardware above any graphical leap. Kojima Productions' chief technical officer Akio Sakamoto commented on the transition from PS4 to PS5 for Death Stranding 2 to Edge Magazine saying, 'The most obvious improvement from a technological point of view is the reduction in loading times, but to be honest, the difference between the two hardware systems isn't so great,' he says. 'It's more a case that on PS5 there are more efficient ways of arriving at similar goals.' I won't deny how important it is to make the creation of games as frictionless as possible for the developers, but the fact is that those are diminishing returns for a large group of players. All we care about is whether or not we feel justified investing in the box we spend our hard-earned cash on. The trend of introducing Pro models doesn't help the issue as they further blur the lines between proper generations. The PS5 Pro reveal is a prime example, where the differences had to be zoomed in on to be conveyed. We're breaching the level of what the average consumer can even understand as an improvement. Ray-tracing isn't exactly common parlance, and I doubt most people could tell you what a teraflop is. Compounding it all is the fact that many, if not most, people don't own the types of displays that can even show it off to experience that difference. I'm not saying that we should be content with where graphics are today. Someone at every stage of gaming has proclaimed that 'graphics can never get any better than this,' and has been proven wrong each time. PlayStation absolutely needs to make the PS6 as powerful as it can, but it can't rely on that as its main selling point like past generations. Sony could get away with it with the PS5 Pro, but the general public isn't going to be impressed if they can't see a difference between a PS5 and PS6 game side-by-side without a magnifying glass. To be fair, the PS5's SSD was another touted upgrade over the PS4. Outside of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, however, this hasn't amounted to doing much that couldn't be done previously except for loading games a little faster. So, where does that leave the PS6 and other future consoles? Convenience has to be where PlayStation pivots next now that any technical advancement will only appeal to developers and the most hardcore fans. It has already started this process with a tempered PC release cadence that doesn't infringe on the core console sales, as well as by adding cloud functionality to the PS Portal without the need for a PS5. The rumors of a dedicated handheld is another necessary gamble to meet players where they are. Like it or not, we're living in a world of instant gratification and PlayStation has to remove as many barriers as possible between its players and its games. Whatever the PS6 ends up looking like, it's the games that have to be at the heart of it. Introducing new experiences, new ways to play, and the freedom to play however we want will matter far more than throwing around terms like PSSR, terraflops, and CPU clock speeds. Most of all, I want the PS6 to give me what I don't know I want yet.
Digital Trends
25-05-2025
- Digital Trends
I used to ignore my peripherals, but these 3 things made me change my mind
It's been nearly 20 years since I built my first PC. Those first attempts were shaky, scary, and of course, very budget-oriented, but I was immediately hooked. But PC building is an expensive hobby, so in my chase for the best graphics cards and top-shelf processors, I always neglected my peripherals. Years later, I've learned my lesson, and I know now that finding some balance between loading up on components and ignoring them in favor of expensive peripherals is important. Here are the four upgrades I splurged on in the last couple of years, and why I think you should do the same. Recommended Videos High-quality gaming mouse Before I ever entertained the idea of building my own PC, I was already a gamer. I started gaming when I was just a few years old, and that was mostly on the SNES. Despite that fact, I never really played games that relied heavily on having a good mouse. My early PC gaming memories include titles like RollerCoaster Tycoon, Pharaoh, Civilization, The Sims, and Diablo 2. (I bet you can guess my age based on that information.) I later moved on to World of Warcraft and got hooked for, well, a very long time. A mouse was needed, sure, but it was never a make it or break it kind of situation. I never got into first-person shooters or MOBAs, so I didn't need a speedy mouse; I just needed something that worked. The result? I continuously bought $5 to $10 mice that lasted a mere few months before needing to be replaced. I thought that was good enough, but boy, was I wrong. The concept of the Razer Naga mouse was always intriguing to me. As I often play MMOs and games that require a bunch of keybinds, assigning different combinations of Shift or Control was getting annoying. I never had the budget to support getting a better mouse, though, so I ignored the hunch for years — until I finally decided to take the plunge and get myself the Razer Naga V2 Pro. Getting a proper mouse was an eye-opening experience. The feel, the speed, the accuracy, and the addition of so many extra buttons really transformed my gaming experience. This mouse wasn't cheap, and I tried out a few midrange mice before it, but ultimately, I got stuck on this one — and I love it. My only regret? I don't think I'll ever be able to use a super cheap mouse again without wishing I had something better. I might just stick to various iterations of the Naga as long as they're being produced. Mechanical keyboard I've always abused my keyboards — anyone who types as much as I do does the same thing. I don't just use my keyboard for games, I use it for work and for fun (I like to write in my spare time, too, who would've thought). As such, I went through keyboards the same way I went through mice: Very, very quickly. Being on a tight budget for many of my PC builds, I always just bought any sort of keyboard. The kind that's just called 'gaming keyboard' and barely even mentions the manufacturer. I eyed the big brands with some jealousy, but I always settled for those $10 to $20 no-name alternatives. Funnily enough, reading articles right here on Digital Trends convinced me to reconsider my stance on expensive keyboards. One of my colleagues covered a lot of mechanical keyboards and curated a list of the best gaming keyboards. Reading about them convinced me to give it a go, and wow, am I glad that I did. If you're a little skeptical like I was, let me tell you: Mechanical keyboards are not just an unnecessary expense. If you like a click-y type of keyboard that really responds to everything you type, as well as a keyboard you can fully customize, you really should just try one. Me? I owned my mechanical keyboard for all of five minutes before declaring that I'd never ever go back to membrane. It's just way too good. Decent monitors (that actually match) I'm one of those people who are still holding on to their dual monitor setups instead of switching to ultrawides. What can I say — my neck hates it, but I can't imagine scaling back to just one monitor. Both for gaming and for work, I use my second monitor nearly constantly, and sometimes, I almost wish I had three. (I'm talking myself out of it, I promise.) But, much like keyboards and mice, I always just prioritized my displays a lot lower than my actual PC. I'd spend more of my budget on components and then tell myself that I'd maybe get a better monitor one day. Then, once I saved up, I'd instead be tempted by something like more storage, RAM, or a better GPU. When I upgraded my PC last year, I chose to balance things out a bit more. The truth is that having a great PC and low-quality displays is a waste; a monitor needs to be good enough to keep up with your GPU, after all. As a result, I finally upgraded to 1440p monitors with 165Hz refresh rates. Those monitors are kind of the standard now, but I used 1080p 60Hz for years. It's like night and day. The refresh rates are almost a necessity with a decent PC, and more screen real estate, thanks to the higher resolution, is super welcome, too. Again, I ruined budget monitors for myself, and I can't imagine going back. Balance is important It's entirely possible to get by with low-quality peripherals. I did it for years, and I still had a blast using each and every PC I've ever built — no complaints. I knew that it wasn't optimal. Having a cheap monitor with a high-end PC doesn't make much sense, but then, I mostly had mainstream PCs that couldn't aim higher than 1080p anyway. When you're trying to stay within a certain budget, it's easy to focus on the one thing you know is going to be a huge upgrade, such as pushing for more RAM or a better processor. It's true that my pricier (although not super high-end) peripherals don't increase my frame rates in games, but they certainly boost the enjoyment I get from using my PC. I love every single keystroke on my mechanical keyboard; my mouse (kind of) makes me play better (sometimes); my monitors finally feel right and can keep up with my GPU. Gaming experience doesn't always need to equal frame rates. It took me too long to realize that, but from now on, I know I'll always balance it out. If you're in the same boat, treat yourself to a better keyboard or a new headset when you can — you'll love it in a whole new way.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
If Borderlands 4 costs £80 Gearbox's boss thinks you should pay it
How much would you pay for Borderlands 4? (Take-Two Interactive) Randy Pitchford thinks that 'real fans' will 'find a way to make it happen' if Borderlands 4 ends up costing £80, but he insists the price isn't up to him. It's true that the price of video games has varied little since gaming went mainstream in the 80s and 90s. Back in 1991, the average price of a movie ticket in the UK was £3.03 and it's now close to £8. And yet, at the same time, SNES games were regularly £50 to £60, with the occasional high-end title, such as Starwing (aka Star Fox), costing even more. And that's ignoring the cost of import games – at a time when many games were never released in the UK – which could easily cost £100 or more. Not only has the face value of the games barely increased but adjusted for inflation, £50 in 1991 would be over £113 today. And yet the idea of paying £80 for Borderlands 4 has caused outrage even amongst fans of the series. It's becoming increasingly likely that £80/$80 will become the norm for triple-A video games in the near future, with Mario Kart World costing £75 for the physical version (although no other Switch 2 game is that much and it's cheaper on digital) and Microsoft warning all its games are set to increase to $80 from this Christmas. Other publishers are expected to follow suit, with particular concern over rumours that GTA 6 will end up costing £100 or more – which other publishers will also try to copy once it's released next May. At the same time, it's expected that the idea of a set price for most video games will also become a thing of the past, with Nintendo already embracing the idea of dynamic pricing, as well as Rockstar Games owner Take-Two – who is only charging £45 for the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country. That makes it very difficult to guess how much this year's Borderlands 4 is going to cost, since it's also published by Take-Two, although many fans fear it will be $80/£80. A reader asked Randy Pitchford, co-founder of developer Gearbox, about the issue on X and got an unexpected reply: 'A) Not my call. B) If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis [aka Mega Drive] for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlour in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.' You can imagine how that went down with fans, with many not believing that it's not Pitchford's decision – which it isn't, although he probably can have some influence over publisher Take-Two. We can't repeat some of the more impassioned responses to his tweet but Synth Potato insisted that, 'Dawg we are NOT paying $80 for a Borderlands game fully knowing you'll do multiple season passes that cost another $100 and you'll probably sell weapon skins too.' One of the more sage replies came from Jared Shapiro, who asked: 'How many units of Starflight were sold in total? How many units of Borderland 4 do you expect to move?' As he implies, Starflight was extremely niche and did not sell well, especially not on the Mega Drive. 'The $80 price point wasn't a thing when it [Borderlands 4] went into development, why not keep it at the targeted $70 to show your fans some good will? Maybe keep the budget in check for the next one and you can get it out at $60 and get praise like [Clair Obscur:] Expedition 33 and the Oblivion remake got for pushing out at $50,' he added. This is not the first time Pitchford has claimed not to know how much the game will be sold for, which may be true, but a decision needs to be made soon as it's supposed to be out on September 12. 'It's an interesting time,' he said at the PAX East event at the weekend, via IGN. 'On one level, we've got a competitive marketplace where the people that make those choices want to sell as many units as possible and they want to be careful about people that are price sensitive. There are some folks who don't want to see prices go up, even the ones deciding what the prices are.' 'There's other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing and there's tariffs for the retail packaging. It's getting gnarly out there, you guys. Borderlands 4 has more than twice the development budget for Borderlands 3. More than twice. So the truth is, I don't know what the price is going to be,' he added. Borderlands 4's price may be a step too far for some fans (Take-Two Interactive) Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Baldur's Gate 3 may have the worst video game merchandise ever made Arrow MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 OLED Model is happening if Samsung gets its way Arrow MORE: The Last Of Us Part 3 suffers new blow as Naughty Dog admit to second secret game
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Title of Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequel Appears Briefly on NBCUniversal Website
Since the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel was announced alongside its release date, things have been quiet from Universal Pictures—until now, as the title's sequel may have been accidentally leaked. In a press release published on the NBCUniversal website, it appears that too much information was shared about the company's upcoming film lineup. NBCUniversal revealed several key movie, television and streaming releases for the next two years, and one title on the list stood out from the rest. The NBCUniversal press release detailing the company's upcoming content slate stated: 'An exciting range of films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination were presented, including M3GAN 2.0, Nobody 2, The Bad Guys 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, The Black Phone 2, HIM, The Phoenician Scheme, Super Mario World, Shrek and Minions.' Shortly after it was posted, the lineup was significantly altered. The title of the Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel—Super Mario World—has since been removed from the press release. Given the events in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, where the Mushroom Kingdom is saved, it's possible Illumination and company saw an opportunity to bring the brothers beyond their home world to showcase Super Mario World on the big screen. The 1990 SNES title took the Mario Bros. out of the Mushroom Kingdom and brought them to Dinosaur Land, the home of Yoshi—who didn't appear in the first movie—and many other recognizable characters from the Mario world. The game was also included as a pack-in title with the SNES at launch, meaning every console came with a copy of Super Mario World. The importance of the title to the Super Mario Bros. franchise can't be understated, so the accidental name slip in the press release could be legitimate. NBCUniversal, Illumination and Nintendo have yet to comment on the apparent leak. The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel is scheduled to land in theatres in the U.S. on April 3 and in Japan on April 24, with a global release date still to be announced. Fans should take the news with a grain of salt, however, until an official statement is made.
The Verge
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The next Mario movie's title got accidentally announced
Universal appears to have confirmed that the next Mario film will be titled Super Mario World. The title was included in a press release about upcoming movies, but apparently by mistake, since it was removed shortly after publication. The title first appeared in a press release about NBCUniversal's upcoming content slate, listed as part of a selection of films scheduled to stream exclusively on NBC's Peacock following their theatrical release. Within hours the post had been updated and ' Super Mario World ' removed, along with mentions of Shrek and Minions movies. The title makes some sense. The first film's post-credit scene teased the arrival of Mario's bright green dinosaur steed / friend Yoshi, who made his videogame debut in… Super Mario World, which launched on the SNES in 1990. It was the console's most popular game, selling more than 20 million copies. The upcoming sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie was announced in March 2024, with a launch planned for April 3rd, 2026, and directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic returning to lead the production. A sequel came as no big surprise after the first film brought in over $1 billion worldwide. Nintendo took that as a green light to ramp up its entertainment efforts, with a live-action Legend of Zelda movie also in the works and due to release in March 2027.
