Why I Want My Exclusives to Remain Exclusive

This is a response to a number of comments I saw on a recent N4G article. This is not meant to attack anyone specifically or their views, but to bring to light what I see as a gross lack of understanding towards a certain aspect of gaming culture and gamers on a whole. In doing so I will be referencing quotes from certain users however I will not be utilizing any user names.

Gaming is a wide field and it caters to a wide audience and everyone has their motives and reasons as to why they choose specific gaming consoles and prefer certain types of genres. From financial constraints, to childhood nostalgia, there is a range of reasons why some people would choose one gaming platform over another. Some are lucky enough to have all while some are contented with one. This is not about those gamers, this is about the people who can’t seem to understand why some gamers may have a particular stance or viewpoint when it comes to their preferred console and its exclusives. Why so many are hesitant (and rightly so) to see their brand share its exclusives and why doing so does not necessarily equate to more “happy gamers”. So let’s begin by tackling some of the criticisms usually directed towards console gamers.

One of the most common criticisms you hear about console fans is the statement “the way you act you’ll swear you own shares in (place console manufacturer here)” or (sorry, didn’t realize you were an investor in (place manufacture here)”. Let’s just get this out of the way, YES, yes I am an investor in that brand. I invested my hard earned money into that platform (sometimes hundreds of dollars) and though I may not get monetary returns like financial investors, my return is entertainment. My return is knowing that for the next couple of years my gaming needs will be met and I can be assured of thousands of hours of joyous gaming experiences. Comments like those come across as bitter and it shows a complete lack of understanding of the person making them. I am very interested in the quarterly financial reports as that shows whether the company I have invested so much money and time into will continue to support my pastime and will continue to churn out the games that I like. Every console gamer SHOULD have a vested interest in the financial status of their preferred brand. If you don’t then it is obvious you don’t really care about gaming.

Another common critique you hear is the famous “why does it bother you so much if your console exclusive comes to pc?” usually followed by “how will it harm consoles if pc gamers get console exclusives?”. I think the best way to respond to this is to quote a pc gamer who also supports that statement. This comment was made by a particular user on a recent article "If you really all had gaming PCs as you pretend you would see the value in gamers being able to play a game like (game)on PC too." Then, in the very next line they say this “I have a PS4 Pro and (game) and I love the game. If it's only available on PS4 then that's where I'll play it, but if I had the choice of course I would prefer to play it on my PC.” And this is exactly why console gamers DO NOT want their exclusives, whether it is first or third party, on PC. When Pc gamers are given the choice they will always choose pc to play their games. The more people that buy the game for the pc, the less purchase it for the console. If the console version of a game is not selling well then why make it for the console, if the console doesn’t get games then the console will not sell, if the console doesn’t sell we have a wii u situation on our hands. Keeping console exclusives on the relevant console ensures additional sales for that console and its games, hence it ensures a long and healthy life for the brand. Why it’s so difficult for so many people to see this is beyond me.

One of the most ridiculous comments you will ever see is the “true gamers own all platforms”. No, gamers with an abundance of money own all platforms, for the rest of people they buy what they can afford. That comment is absolutely retarded and begs you to ask if the person making the comment is mentally deficient.

“By bringing games to the pc it allows more freedom”. No it doesn’t. By bringing the game to multiple platforms it will cause longer development times, less developer focus on a single platform which usually results in buggy messes, a more fragmented user base and it also can severely restrict the vision of the developer. Two examples of developer restriction are Heavy Rain and Death Stranding. When quantic dreams first approached Microsoft with heavy rain Microsoft wanted them to change it because they were concerned about the controversial topic. Quantic dream refused and went to sony, the rest is history. Hideo Kojima himself explained his choice for going with sony was the freedom they offered. Something not many other manufacturers do. Admittedly though the last point about developer freedom was aimed more at multiconsole games than console/pc games, as pc does generally offer freedom of developer vision.

“I don’t understand how you cannot enjoy your game on the (place console manufacturer here) without worrying about how others may want to enjoy it”. This one is very simple. I have EVERY RIGHT to question why someone would want a company I took my hard earned money to invest in to sabotage themselves and the system I decided to support, to cater to an audience that didn’t think they needed to support them in the first place. They have no obligation to you or anyone that did not invest in their eco system, their obligation and loyalty is for their customers. If you want to see just how ridiculous this question is try applying it to other things: Why shouldn’t Toyota allow me to use a Dodge engine in their vans? Why shouldn’t Microsoft make a version of office for apple desktops? Why shouldn’t HBO allow their exclusive programs on Starz? Exclusivity pushes sales, simple as that. When a company makes a product they don’t owe you anything. If you want their product then buy it.

“Selling your software on as many platforms as possible is the best route to take for a profit margin”. This statement is not always true. While there are many times when this is the case, there are times when the cost of developing a game falls below the actual return on sales. A good example of this would be many third party games developed for the wii and many Japanese games released on the xbox one in japan. If the target audience on the specific gaming platform does not purchase the game or if the system does not have enough sales then a developer can actually lose money in the process. Not because a game is developed for more consoles means the developer will automatically make more money. Also, we need to consider that many times teams just don't have the manpower to make multiple versions of a game and hence they often get support, financial or developer, from the manufacturers. When a manufacturer does this, again their loyalty is to THEIR fanbase not the competitor's.

Exclusives are part of gaming and hopefully they always will be. Some people will be lucky enough to enjoy them all and some will not. If you don’t then be happy with what you do have and continue supporting as much as you can, your platform of choice. Nothing is wrong with that. Nothing is wrong with wanting to see your platform grow and outperform the competition. Will those same people who criticize you for cheering on your platform also go to a sports game of their favorite team and celebrate every time the opposing team scores? No, yet somehow it’s taboo to have the same mentality in gaming. Support your platform, enjoy the games you can and ignore everyone else.

[OB1Biker]

Nice read. I can agree with that. However I only have a PlayStation gamer point of view and others gamers on other platforms may have a different opinion and different motives to play on that platform, which is fine.
I mean if the xbox boss wants games to be available on Windows too and gamers dont mind then fair enough. I do know I prefer PS exclusives not to be on PC to justify my console and have games dedicated to it for a great value. PSVR is also a good example of how a console focus can bring great values to gamers with limited budget.

[NewMonday]

good exclusive: financing a project to make a game that wouldn't be developed otherwise like Byonneta 2.

bad exclusive: paying to stop other versions of an already in-development multi-platform game like Tom Raider.

[rlow1]

So Sony paying for many exclusives like destiny isn't the same? Your point of view but its definitely has blinders on?

[darthv72]

Street Fighter V is the better example of "bad exclusive". Truth be told only the snes version of SF2 was exclusive. Every other version or release was always multi.

Even Tomb Raider was predominantly a multi game. So while PS did get their version (improved at the same time) where is the XB version of SFV????

[NewMonday]

@darthv72
SF5 actually "good exclusive" thanks for bringing that up, because Sony commissiond the game and made it happen, Capcom didn't have plans to develop it.

@rlow1

DLC, nobody cares

[darthv72]

Capcom didnt "need" the money. Sony paid for its console exclusivity for the purpose of blocking MS or even Nintendo.

You really believe Capcom did not have the budget to continue their flagship franchise?

It was a bad decision and they got a rushed product as a result. It's okayto admit such things. Don't lie to yourself, it makes you look like a weak minded sheep.

If MS can be called on bad decisions then so can Sony (and Nintendo).

[darthv72]

I've said it before. The only exclusives should be 1st and 2nd party games. Anything 3rd party is open to any platform.

[Sparta07]

@Darth, you're the sheep and blind one here.
Street fighter was not going to be MADE. Sony stepped in and made it happen.
Tomb raider was being made and announced. Then Microsoft ( Phil spencer/ your god ) step in and made exclusive for a year.
True story, look up. 😉

I do agree that street fighter was. Rushed.
Tomb raider suffered being exclusive to Microsoft with low sales.

[Automatic79]

@NewMonday

So Sony paying for Streetfighter V, is the same. Further, the game bombed on a Sony platform. I can guarantee that game will never be single platform again. Your anti-consumer rhetoric is disturbing.

[darthv72]

@sparta, sorry bud but your comment here: "Tomb raider was being made and announced. Then Microsoft ( Phil spencer/ your god ) step in and made exclusive for a year." is not the same as the way Monday made it out to sound.

"paying to stop other versions of an already in-development multi-platform game like Tom Raider." because the game STILL CAME OUT TO PS4. It was not "stopped" and was actually improved in the process.

Try again, if you aren't as blind as Monday is. You (and other sheep) only hear what you want. I say this again, a little louder in case you didn't hear it.

CAPCOM DID NOT NEED THE $$ FROM SONY TO MAKE SFV. IT WAS GOING TO COME OUT REGARDLESS BECAUSE IT IS THEIR LONGEST RUNNING AND MOST PROFITABLE FRANCHISE. SONY PAID FOR CONSOLE EXCLUSIVITY BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO SCREW OVER ANY AND ALL OTHER FANS OF THE SERIES THAT DID NOT HAVE A PS4.

Now, just let that sink in and tell me how it is they can 'afford' to make all these other games like MvC Infinite and an eventual SFVI if they were really in dire shape financially? they couldn't have made THAT much off the sales of SFV. It was all a lie under the guise that Sony HAD to step in.

I can guarantee you this much. IF (big if) MS had paid to help develop SFV then it is pretty obvious that the game would still come out to other platforms. MS doesn't lock exclusivity 'forever' (unless they paid for publishing rights) thus allowing others to play the game at some point. We will never know the truth because nobody is willing to step up and tell it so all we can do is speculate. Just like the cancellation of Scalebound.

[Sparta07]

@darth, ok sooooo, your blind and Deaf?
Capcom them selfs said they needed the financial help but sure let's ignore that.

You can guarantee that if Microsoft help finance SFV that it would of came to all platforms!?
Really??? How do you know?
😂 Or you just want to make Microsoft the good guy?
God you're delusional.
You really think that Microsoft didn't try there hardest to keep tomb raider on their platform only?
One company helped finance a game the other company threw money from keeping it going to another console ( Phil himself said they needed something to go against UC4 ), there's a big difference there. But if you want to make up your own version then what can I say🤣

[rainslacker]

I think darth is a good example of how people bicker over good or bad exclusives.

We have Sony and Capcom, both going on record saying that the game wouldn't have gone into development, but Sony stepped in, because they wanted the game on the PS4. But darth goes and makes accusations of lies from both companies, and speculates that all the official statements on the matter are completely false, and Sony did indeed do what everyone seems to accuse MS of with ROTTR.

With ROTTR, the series of events that led up to it's exclusive announcement were pretty evident that MS paid for exclusive content for a previously planned multi-plat game.

In an attempt to distract from what MS did, which people seem to have a problem with, he casts accusations at Sony, because that is the only way to make it seem like it's all OK now, because they all do it. Whereas, there is only evidence....at least in this case....that MS is the one who partook in the practice.

It's the kind of annoyances that this blog is talking about.

I'll also add, that it's this constant kind of bickering which makes the community it's own worst enemy, because the community had a tendency to play console preferences, instead of criticizing evenly across the board to hopefully make positive changes for us.

[darthv72]

@rain, it's not okay when Ms does it and it's not okay when sony or nintendo do it but truth be told there is just no possible truth in that statement from both capcom or Sony about how there would never be a SFV if it werent for sony's $$.

This isn't the same thing as bayonetta 2 here or a small developer that is looking for some backing on their project... this is fricking Capcom and street fighter for gods sake. The KING of arcade fighters. If you want to deflect any sort of rational thought in this matter by sticking to what you were told then, again, its a matter of people being blind to things around them.

Ms made abad call with trying to secure RotTR for a year and it came back to bite them on the ass but the god damn game still came out to PS4 even with MS putting up some $$ to get it released on xb1 sooner. you guys are missing the overall point about when a company buys any sort of exclusivity. It sucks across the board when it comes to any and ALL 3rd party companies.

Only 1st and 2nd parties are privy to exclusive contracts. What Capcom did (speculation but a sure as hell of allot more believable) is go along with the plan that Sony laid out for them. Under no circumstances was SFV ever going to be exclusive nor was it NOT going to be made. If that were true about their financial situation then it would have effected all of their projects they had on the drawing board. But it didn't, it only effected the biggest damn fighting game series in history.

Don't you get it, you guys just believe what was fed to you about "oh poor us, we cant make this game cause we have no money" and yet they can make other games just fine. Why is that?

I enjoy games to much to deny myself the opportunity to play something worth my $$ but in this case, I have not nor will I support a practice like this no matter who does it. I don't have RotTR and I don't have SFV and in my book both sides are guilty of the similar actions. If you guys were smart you would know the difference between an exclusive that was invested in to benefit the developer producing it (bayonetta 2) and one that was thrown cash at to keep others from ever playing it (SFV) or sidelining others from playing it at the same time (RotTR).

[rainslacker]

@Darth

That's all good and fine. But what about the fact that you are still positing a theory that goes against official comments from different companies, made at different times, and by different people?

If you have a problem with the issue, then tackle the issue where it exists, instead of just trying to bring one company down to another companies level by interjecting some random accusation which has no proof into another person's comment.

Your accusations do more to distract than to actually tackle the issue.

Surely, there are examples where the travesty that you rail against which are more verifiable and not based on your beliefs, but rather quantifiable evidence that doesn't go against actual official statements.

Anyhow, when it comes to SF, I'm sure it would have been made at some point. Given the comments made, about the only thing we can assume is that it would have taken longer, and may not have come as soon. There is absolutely no evidence that Sony picked it up on the down low, but there is evidence that Capcom has had financial troubles as of late. I doubt they would have ignored the IP indefinately, but that doesn't mean it was in the works for multi-plat before announcement.

[starchild]

@ johndoe11211

You make it sound like the main reason people buy consoles is because the console makers artificially restrict certain games to them. If that were true what would be the point of consoles? If all people really would prefer to play those games on PC then Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are being very anti-consumer by making games exclusive.

But of course that isn't the case. There are many reasons people choose to game on consoles. Exclusives are but one element out of several that lead someone to choose a given platform over another. You could turn every console and PC exclusive into a multiplatform game and consoles and PCs would still continue to sell. From the consumer's perspective not much would have changed, except that EVERYONE would have a broader variety of games to choose from.

It's true that console makers use exclusives to gain an advantage over other platforms, but the question is, how does that benefit gamers in general?

The two main claims are:
1. It results in higher quality games.
2. It provides healthy competition.

I'm not too convinced by the first claim. As a multiplatform gamer (PC and PS4) I cannot honestly say that PC, Sony or Microsoft exclusives are significantly better than multiplatform games are. Some exclusives are great, some are terrible, some are mediocre. The same goes for multiplatform games. I know some people have this mentality where they put exclusives on a pedestal above multiplatform games, but I think this is born out of fanboyism more than anything. For people who are emotionally invested in a certain platform and who spend their days evangelizing for that platform there's this tendency to see exclusives as an extension of the platform, and, in a sense, an extension of themselves.

In any case, it's definitely true that there are good, bad and mediocre games whether we're talking about exclusives or multiplatform games. If exclusives seem to be a bit better on average I don't think it's the mere fact of being exclusive that makes them so. The platform holders tend to buy up the best studios they can and the best games they can. Take a game like Nioh for example. Is it good because it is an exclusive? No, it's good because of the talent and hard work of Team Ninja. Sony saw that it was shaping up to be a good game and negotiated exclusivity and publishing rights in the West.

There's a finite amount of talent in the gaming industry. Those that grew up loving games and were passionate enough about it to pursue a career in game development represent the pool of talent all games are drawing from. All of that skill and creativity is going to spill out into our games one way or another.

So on to the claim about competition. It's true that exclusives represent one form of competition in the games industry, but it's absurd the way some people act like there wouldn't be competition without the existence of platform exclusives. The biggest and most important competition we have is between the various studios fighting for our money and trying to create the best games they can in order to earn our interest and our eventual purchase and support.

[OB1Biker]

Considering the higher quality games case. Its not just about quality I have no particular knowledge of how development works but take the example of Insomniac games since they developed Sunset Overdrive for Xbox 1 and are developing Spiderman for PS4
It sounds mere common sense that the games are better optimized and with shorter development time, lower cost etc and therefore in the best interest of the gamers owning that console.
What you think?

[joeorc]

Because what Operating System on PC platform would these games be made for ...?

Hmm, that's the point could many of the games be made for any PC platforms Operating system? Yes ?

Would it be financially viable? No
Thus by indirect means you are furthing Microsoft's platform and not your own..because Windows OS is Microsoft's platform...Sony and Nintendo made their own platforms for computer entertainment outside of the PC market , Microsoft had pretty much and still do a monopoly on all software made for PC that is entertainment based already..Both Nintendo and Sony in the consumer electronics market to carve out a niche market outside of just development of games mainly for the Windows Operating System...

And Microsoft knows this, that exactly why the Xbox platform was made they wanted to disrupt this market to try to bring Console development back into the Windows OS fold...

[starchild]

Look at the movie industry. Do we need to start making certain movies exclusive to only certain brands of Blu-ray players in order for there to be competition and for good movies to be made? Imagine...if you want to watch Star Wars you need to buy a Samsung player...if you want to watch Guardians of the Galaxy you need to buy a Sony player...if you want to watch John Wick you need to buy an LG player...etc. Virtually no home theater enthusiast, or consumer in general, would think that THAT would be a preferible state of affairs. We had some of that crap during the HD DVD vs Blu-ray platform war and it was universally agreed that it was a bad thing for consumers.

But that's exactly what we have to deal with in gaming. Instead of being able to buy the hardware of our choosing and enjoy any game we like on it, similar to how we can enjoy any movie on the player of our choosing, in gaming we have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars buying a variety of different gaming devices that are largely redundant simply in order to enjoy a relatively small number of exclusives that appeal to us.

Simply put, I don't think your argument holds much water. I do see a few small positives for the existence of exclusives, but they don't come close to out weighing the negatives. As a whole gamers would be much better off with all games being available on all platforms.

It would go a long way toward dissolving the divisions that make the gaming community such a toxic place. It would allow developers to reach more people with the games they have worked so passionately and tirelessly on. It would allow gamers to enjoy the games they love on their preferred platform and without having to spend many hundreds of dollars on multiple redundant devices. It would spur the hardware makers to improve our gaming experience in other important areas. And there would still be plenty of competition between different studios and device makers, just as we see in the movie industry.

I firmly believe that in order for our industry to fully mature we will eventually need to move beyond platform exclusives. Whether that happens five, ten or twenty years or more from now I'm not sure, but I'm quite convinced that it will happen.

[UCForce]

It doesn't matter. Console will lost its own identity and company will fall apart because of it.

[TankCrossing]

But hyperthetically, if the movie industry did have exclusives then the likes of Samsung and LG might be inclined to pour big bucks into funding movies, and they just might have funded some modern classics that we'll never know.

I'm don't disagree with you btw, just pointing out what I consider to be the one consumer benefit of platform exclusives. Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo invest significant funding into games, and if they didn't then I don't necessarily think other publishers would pick up all the slack.

And on your last point, you say gaming will eventually mature towards greener pastures, but actually it is also quite possible that exclusives will permeate the movie industry. We're already seeing streaming services likes of Netflix and Amazon competing with exclusive content. Small fry right now, but who knows where it'll stop?

[VoiceOfUnreason]

makes more sense to compare games with television series than movies, considering TV shows are largely 'exclusive' to the broadcasting station that funds them (go figure, huh?).

Comparing them with movies is a little beyond ridiculous since movies can be watched on anything that plays the format the movie is on (as has always been the case.)

[Deep-throat]

You only play on a PS console, yet you don't want the exclusives to be on PC to justify your console........ WTF!

[freshslicepizza]

“I don’t understand how you cannot enjoy your game on the (place console manufacturer here) without worrying about how others may want to enjoy it”. This one is very simple. I have EVERY RIGHT to question why someone would want a company I took my hard earned money to invest in to sabotage themselves and the system I decided to support, to cater to an audience that didn’t think they needed to support them in the first place. They have no obligation to you or anyone that did not invest in their eco system, their obligation and loyalty is for their customers. If you want to see just how ridiculous this question is try applying it to other things: Why shouldn’t Toyota allow me to use a Dodge engine in their vans? Why shouldn’t Microsoft make a version of office for apple desktops? Why shouldn’t HBO allow their exclusive programs on Starz? Exclusivity pushes sales, simple as that. When a company makes a product they don’t owe you anything. If you want their product then buy it."

tell that to everyone who had a problem with microsoft last generation and still do with timed exclusives and games like the first titanfall.

"Exclusives are part of gaming and hopefully they always will be."

of course, and that is why hardware makers invest in development teams and create deals but think of the word exclude. this is why microsoft got trashed on and rightfully so. why is destiny and the dlc ok for gamers? all it does is divide the community, how does it benefit you the consumer. so stop acting like a pr employee and start acting like a consumer. if a third party game goes to another system you should not be upset at all. were ps3 fans upset when they got bioshock later on?

support games, stop supporting faceless companies like they are your pals because they think excluding others somehow makes your experience greater. if its a situation like bayonetta 2 trhen yes we can defend the practice in certain ways but not all excluive deals are created equal or in the interest of the consumer.

[johndoe11211]

"support games, stop supporting faceless companies like they are your pals because they think excluding others somehow makes your experience greater."

And you need to stop acting like they are your pals therefore they have some sort of obligation to you to put THEIR bloody games on the platform of YOUR choice. They don't owe you a damn thing. You refuse to support them by buying their system but you want them to support you by placing their exclusives on a competitors platform? How freaking entitled are you?

[freshslicepizza]

did i say they owe me or anyone else? no, but look at the fanbase going crazy because they may 'lose' a game like nioh (which is likely what started this blog) to the pc. i quote lose because thats how they think even though the games are still there. when are gamers going to grow up and just enjoy things without losing their minds because its no longer exclusive?

sony has a lot of great games, the fans dont need to be so possesive over a third party title because someone started a petition to go to the pc. you would think all these ps4 owners would be happy since they all try and tell us they have a windows 10 gaming pc, right?

[Goldby]

When you have exclusives, 9/10 times it will be a better overall experience than if it was multiplatform simply because the devs dont need to worry about different config. had Uncharted 4 been multiplatform release, we would not have seen the same amount of detail go into it

[freshslicepizza]

@Goldby
"When you have exclusives, 9/10 times it will be a better overall experience than if it was multiplatform simply because the devs dont need to worry about different config. had Uncharted 4 been multiplatform release, we would not have seen the same amount of detail go into it"

nioh is already out, so why would that matter now if they ported it to the pc? try and stay on topic.

[Goldby]

@Moldy,

We are talking about exclusives, i am on topic.

My opinion still stands, if companies take a game that was developed for a certain platform and then release it after the fact onto another console, chances are the quality will go down.

if we had an original exclusive turned multi before release, quality is sure to go down.

[freshslicepizza]

@Goldby
"if companies take a game that was developed for a certain platform and then release it after the fact onto another console, chances are the quality will go down."

i got gta 5 on the pc after it had been out on other platforms, it seems to run and look pretty good in comparison. did bioshock run bad on the ps3 after it was out on the xbox 360 and pc? did the last of us on the ps4 suffer and made your ps3 version worse? you are being obessive

[Goldby]

My last of us did suffer stutters at the beginning. It was after a patch that it cleared up.

You are being selective with your choices. I noticed you didnt mention arkham Knight or just cause 3. Both which had pc issues

[DigitalRaptor]

So basically, moldybread, your whole POV on this exclusives thing is not because you want other people to have free choice and PC to have better versions of these "former" exclusives, but because you see certain people "going crazy" about losing exclusives and want to take them up on that. You don't care that exclusive software is one of the key attributes that makes a console memorable and stand to legacy. Your blatant trolling on that other PlayStation article recently & how you got shot down there proves that you are completely out of touch with reality and only care about this so much because you want PS4 to lose its exclusives to other platforms so you can use it to take pleasure in it for whatever reason.

You basically care most of all that Sony fans value exclusive games, just as generations of gamers have for decades now with taking great care and passion in compiling a generation's best-of lists for each platform (that isn't PC for obvious reasons), and just want to stir the pot, especially now that Xbox has no exclusives anymore and because you have this strange continued grudge with what Sony gamers have to say, as if you are the authority.
------

"you would think all these ps4 owners would be happy since they all try and tell us they have a windows 10 gaming pc, right?"

Again with the absolutely mindless claims to drive your baseless arguments. Please point out the people who said they have Windows 10 gaming PCs to be able to substantiate your braindead (as usual) diatribe. Show me a chart of these people and quotes tying them to the responsibility of what they said about this.
------

"try and stay on topic."

Who is this intense hypocrite that only a couple of hours ago, went directly off-topic because he refused to respond to the content of my comment and rather preferred to make it personal and bring up something completely unrelated?

[darthv72]

@john... i do believe there is MS office for Mac. Just saying.

[Razzer]

@moldy
"you would think all these ps4 owners would be happy since they all try and tell us they have a windows 10 gaming pc, right?"

Yeah....I game on PS4 and Windows 10. Why would I care if a PS4 game went to PC? I can already play it on PS4. As long it is on PC or PS4, which is the vast majority of games, then I'm good.

[Stogz]

"support games, stop supporting faceless companies". God the irony of this comment coming from one of the biggest MS fanboys on this site is glorious. Do you think you're above this when you're the biggest troll on n4g.
On topic I'm not sure why everyone thinks losing exclusives is a good thing, they are important to every console to define them.

[ShaunCameron]

It seem that the OP's pining for the pre-NES days to come back when consoles barely had anything to differentiate themselves with to justify their existence.

[ShaunCameron]

You know the "faceless" companies you're telling us to stop supporting happen to be the same companies who made the games you're telling us to support, right?

[johndoe11211]

^^THIS!!!!!

[KwietStorm_BLM]

You can't attack moldy with logic. He's immune.

[Bathyj]

@KwietStorm Im pretty sure Im on his ignore list. I attack him with logic all the time. I wait to see if he'll have a good argument to counter what I say but it doesnt seem to get through to him. Im quite willing to change my stance on things if someone has the right argument to make me see things in a different light, and in less than a week I will have been on N4G for 10 years and in all that time Ive never ignored anyone. I listen to peoples opinions even when I dont agree with them.

Its a shame, maybe I could help the poor lad, help him see why hes so unreasonable. Be less trolly. The first step in overcoming a problem is admitting theres a problem.

[DigitalRaptor]

Oooooof!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1...

[UCForce]

That what I talking about. MS made Xbox One lost its own identity.

[jaymacx]

@bathyj you are a rare breed.. many on here don't truly hear out other's views that differ from theirs. I appreciate the comment you made.

Exclusives are important and thats why i like PlayStation and Nintendo. Microsoft has been going downhill as of late. But exclusives used to be one of their strengths. (Mass Effect, jade empire, ninja gaiden, dead rising, DOA4, nfl gameday, jet set radio future etc.)

[trooper_]

They have the right to put their games on whatever console they wish.

GET OVER IT.

[bouzebbal]

Lol all this bloc and not a single sentence that makes sense.

The reason they don't wanna release nioh on pc is that ps4 secures enough exclusives that help publishers earn enough on them that way. Publishers don't need to port somewhere else that way.
Games sell so bad on X1 that the only guarantee publishers have to earn enough is by releasing their games on pc as well.
This is obvious stuff

[Bathyj]

"but not all exclusive deals are created equal or in the interest of the consumer."

Well this deal was created so that more gamers would get to play it. Yes all of those gamers are PS4 gamers but at least its world wide. Koei was only going to release the game in Japan. That means maybe 100k people would have got to play it. They made a deal with Sony for Sony to publish everywhere except Japan. Now may 2 or 3 million will play it, or at least now 50m+ have the chance to play it.

Publishing is no small task.
That means manufacture, printing all the disc and packaging.
Distribution. Shipping a million + copies to dozens of countries. The logistics involved in that.
Marketing. Advertising, promotion. We all know from past experience some games get more spent on marketing than the game itself cos to make.

Basically Sony is taking the majority of the risk. The game is already made. Team Ninja no longer need to spend any significant money or time on it. Sony on the other hand need to make this huge financial outlay and hope it sells. They are taking on this risk (I assume) in return for exclusivity. So its mutually beneficial.

The alternative is that Koei either publish world wide, which they obviously didnt want to do, or they shop around to a big publisher like EA or Ubisoft or someone else and get them to do it, but given that this project has been kicking around and in development for over a decade likely most of them thought it would be a bust. Lets face it, any other game that took more than 10 years to make a publisher would stay away from. But since its was originally supposed to be a PS3 exclusive I guess Sony had faith in it way back in the day and got involved in it. Because Sony do that. We know that. The Last Guardian is living proof.

And lets be even more honest, gamers screaming for it to be multiplat are only doing it now because they sat back on the sidelines, not committing anything and the game turned out to be fantastic possibly GotY material and now they want it. Its like watching two babies, one has no interest in a toy until they see the other one pick it up and starting having fun with it and then suddenly they have to have it.

And Moldy, can we just stop pretending for a second that youre on some moral crusade fighting for the rights of gamers that deserve this game. Youre here because this is a Playstation exclusive. I did not see you signing any Bring Gears of War to Playstation petitions back when the game was a 3rd party exclusive. I didnt see you complaining about Rise of the Tombraider even those that game only got made based on the success of the Reboot which was mostly due to Playstation gamers and who had played every other game for 20 years. Get off your high horse mate, youre not fooling anyone. This is not about more gamers getting the game. Sony already saw to it that more gamers got to play it, this is about your resentment of a company that looks after its customers and the growing belief among Xbox gamers that exclusives have no place.

Well exclusives have a place and unless someone else here has sold 55m consoles in 3 years I dont think any of you have a right to tell Sony how to do business or that theyre doing it wrong. Nor for that matter do you have the right to tell Koei how to distribute a game they own and had made, when this is a new IP and they dont owe anyone anything.

[tulholdren]

Very true words.

[Why o why]

Nothing more needs to be said. One of thee most hypocritical members of n4g wearing a phony white hat. Take the bloody L already. Exclusives Matter

Hmmm, I'm starting to think moldy is actually crap gamer.

[Bathyj]

@Why o Why

Do you watch Westworld? Moldy thinks hes William but hes really The Man in Black. Such a hypocrite and apparently champions Xbox for all the great multiplat games he can play on other systems.

[Why o why]

HA, westworld took me by surprise like stranger things did.... ill add that moldy is Rick Deckard to your guy in black too....he just doesnt know he's the same as what he's hunting.

[ApocalypseShadow]

To Bathyj and all the logical, reasonable individuals with excellent comments.

Bravo!!! Bravo!!
https://media.tenor.co/imag...
http://www.reactiongifs.com...
https://3beautifulbamfs.fil...

[slappy508]

Yup, I want these types of arrangements to remain exclusive, and sell well because it encourages Sony to continually approach devs that only release a game in Japan, to release it in the West. Now can we have Dragons Dogma Online come to the west please?

[Sparta07]

@ moldy, seriously do you even read the BS you write?
By your logic we shouldn't have a PS4 or Xboxone or Nintendo. Why bother if ALL games will be multiplayer..

You're just bitter that your console of choice has no exclusives.
It's funny now exclusives are bad now.

[Goldby]

@digital raptor

Add to that that most win 10 versuons of games run worse than steam games i cant understand why he wpuld use that excuse for wanting ezclusive to not exist. I game on pc occasionally compared to ps4 mainly due to the fact all my friends game on ps4. Am i a win10 user. No hope in hell. Will i upgrade. Nope

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Who would've thought that someone wanting exclusives to remain exclusive would rustle moldy's jimmies xD

[ShadowKnight]

More disagrees lmao

[Dragonscale]

@moldy, its simple really. Nioh is a great game. Being an exclusive means more incentive for people to buy PS4. Not exclusive means less reason. Obviously you would like to see Nioh on PC as it means less incentive to buy PS4. You obviously hate anything that gives people the incentive to buy PS4 no matter how you try to spin it.

[OB1Biker]

Timed Dlc are very different from exclusive games. I think most gamers don't like that timed crap. It's just the marketing thing for companies. .

[notachance]

"stop supporting faceless companies like they are your pals because they think excluding others somehow makes your experience greater."

man that's one big fat of irony coming from you

you need me to get you a mirror?

hypocrite

[SoulWarrior]

You try so hard, way too hard to come across as neutral but everyone knows you are a massively salty Xbox fanboy, just admit it.

[rainslacker]

Then why don't you exercise your right and ask why MS is sabotaging their system in order to bolster Windows, instead of bolstering the console which you spent your hard earned money on.

[Lennoxb63]

I don't really care whether the games I'm playing are on other platforms as well. Neither do the majority of gamers. It doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it. And neither Xbox or PS are going down anytime soon in result of this practice. They are the only two avenues that 3rd parties can take advantage of that's not too expensive or complicated for the average consumer (PC).

[rainslacker]

I don't care if other people get to play the games either, but the fact that they are on a particular system, is the reason that people may choose a system over another. If exclusives didn't matter, then they wouldn't exist, nor would companies invest so much money into making them, when they could make more going multi-plat.

[Featuring_Dante]

As for 3rd party exclusives that jump off to other platforms, i think thats because publishers are feeling brave and wanting to explore a new landscape. The ports are usually mediocre though, so it'll always remain on consoles as thats where their money is.

[S2Killinit]

yup, I want consoles to survive/thrive, that's why I want consoles to have exclusives.

[freshslicepizza]

so the value in consles is just the exclusives? that tells me the platform isnt very good if that were true. which we all know isnt true, people will continue to buy consoles regardless of third party exclusives going to other platforms. people love consoles for their ease of use and affordablity.

[Sparta07]

😂🤣
Yes!!!!
WTF, you finally got it!!!
Exclusives bring value in consoles.

[Phill-Spencer]

Does MS have some kind of mk ultra project going on?^^ ah, nevermind!
Yes the games are most important!!!! Who cares what the platform is like when the games are beastly!!! Fortunately it happens to be that you get both with playstation. 🙋

The day sony brings all exclusives to pc, will be the day when i will become a nintendo+pc gamer and when nintendo would do the same, i will be pc only. there's would be no reason to buy consoles anymore.

[S2Killinit]

ummmm yaaah. exclusives re kinda important

[Goldby]

@moldy

"people will continue to buy consoles regardless of third party exclusives going to other platforms. people love consoles for their ease of use and affordablity."

That is true, but the exclusives help decide which console to get.

[ShadowKnight]

He finally got it 😂😅

[ShottyatLaw]

Some poor examples there. Office has been available on Mac since the 90s, and HBO releases their exclusive content on Bluray as well as other digital storefronts.

The "freedom" some of us want isn't just Kojima being free to make his games, it's more of the freedom to choose how we play and where we play. Will that mean less money for Sony, Nintendo, and MS? Possibly.

But if they want my money for hardware, then they need to make hardware I want to buy. Same as most other industries. I simply can't advocate for artificial barriers that exclude others just to justify my purchases.

[johndoe11211]

1: Please link me to where I can download a copy of Office for Mac computers that is made by Microsoft.

2: How the heck is bluray and digital storefronts in competition to HBO? Are you serious?

[freshslicepizza]

bluray and hd dvd proved people dont care about barriers, they want to just watch high def movies on one system. i understand the busniess practice of trying to sell hardsare and why sony and all these companies feel its in their interest to use software as a leverage. however it is not out of the question to want the freedom of choice of what system you want to play games on. its what hurts nintendo and how they will not compete in the tech race. thats why many would love to see their games on better hardware but it is what it is.

the business tactics of paying off third party though has never been met with open arms but the practice seems to be a lot more forgiving when its to do with the ps4 because the system is selling so well. but even if we were to sugeest games like nioh get ported at a later date to the pc the ps4 fanbase feels like its their duty to protect it like its a first party title.

[therealmarauder]

Just to keep you informed, https://products.office.com...

Also, look into office 365. They have office running on iOS and Android even.

To me, this actually shows how Microsoft as a company is changing ( rather has to change) to keep their relevance. Except windows, pretty much all their software is muti-platform. I believe this has percolated into their gaming side with xbox as well by making it into a service.

Again, whether this will work or not is up for grabs. You could argue it is not working with their current sales on the X1 but then again, I am expecting this to be a long fight way into the future. If anything, they have the money to do it more than anyone else if they can convince their shareholders.

Back to your blog, I think exclusivity is the right strategy for Sony. Why give in when you are on the top? Microsoft is obviously going with a different strategy this generation since they have lost the pure console war and I think it shows with something like the Minecraft acquisition. The old Microsoft would have probably removed the support for the game from competing platforms.

But, in the end to make a competing service with the xbox, they still need to create more studios and invest in the right games.

[johndoe11211]

@therealmarauder

Yes, you can get office for mac now but that's only because office has changed and is now also cloud based. Before when you had to have a copy of windows to run office it would have been suicide for them to make a mac version. Now, because you have a cloud based service it is in their interest to get people on other platforms to buy into the subscription, this would not have happened if office remained strictly software based. This is one of the areas where it pays to go multiplatform,

[ShottyatLaw]

1. Seriously? https://www.amazon.com/Micr...

2. HBO doesn't keep their content exclusive to their channel or app. If I can get that content elsewhere, then why purchase an HBO sub? Same rationale you used to defend against people moving to PC isn't it?

[ShaunCameron]

How exactly are artificial barriers excluding others? Nothing is stopping others from joining in except their own ego and pettiness. Plus, businesses have the right to restrict the availability of their products to their own platforms.

[ShottyatLaw]

No one is arguing that they don't have the right to do it. I'm just not going to cheer them on.

Essentially he's saying a piece of software could run on multiple devices (pc and console), but wants one to be excluded in the support of exclusivity and its perceived advantages.

So to support one ecosystem, it calls for the other to be excluded, but not due to any tech barrier.

Ego and pettiness is the only reasons why someone doesn't want to spend $300? Really? I greatly enjoy my X1 and PS4 (and hopefully soon my Switch). But i still wish my PC, which is more powerful than all 3, could run everything. What's wrong with that?

[BlackTar187]

Shottylaw,

Why would you buy all those systems if every game can be played ion yoru PC since it sounds like you game on PC. That is why having everything shared like that isn't an incentive to the console company. You're not the only one who would elect to just play on PC and stop buying Consoles if they hold no real advantage for a person like you.

[Sparta07]

What the point of buying " said " hardware if I pay the software anywhere I want?
No value in the hard ware.

[TankCrossing]

"No value in the hardware". Aint that the depressing truth.

[Chevalier]

Freedom comes at a price. If the game developer spreads themselves thin then you would be criticizing them for a garbage unfocused game. There are limits to how many versions a studio can work on. If it was so easy then how come all these PC games which are basically done and the same architecture aren't being ported to console? It should be easy right?

[ShottyatLaw]

If they don't have the resources to do it, OK. If they don't have the expertise or knowledge. OK.

But that's not the same as avoiding multiplat releases for the sake of upholding exclusivity for the benefit of the platform. That's where I disagree here. I don't expect the impossible, but I don't think it makes sense to hope for less multiplats to justify my purchase.

[imtiyaz6]

If there are no exclusives then why buy a console? Not everyone can afford multiple gaming devices like you and most will just buy a PC where they can play all the games. Do you also have a problem with Apple not releasing iOS on Android devices? Higher end Android devices usually have better specs than iphones, so if you can run iOS on a more powerful Samsung phone, why buy an iphone? Yes, maybe Apple will make some money from royalties, but they will lose hardware sales. Thiswill hurt Apple even more. Same argument. Just like how an OS defines a phone, the exclusive games define the console.

[TankCrossing]

"Not everyone can afford multiple gaming devices".

Are you trying to defeat your own argument? Those are precisely the people that get burned by exclusivity....

[ShottyatLaw]

Exclusivity is an annoyance in most markets. Im not sure why I should argue for it, really.

Even mobile is more adaptive to a less restrictive eco system than consoles,though. Does it bother you that the same ios game you enjoy on say an iPhone 5 is being experienced by someone else on a $1k iPad pro? How about on an ipod? That is similar to the cross buy/play we see slowly making its way into the console space.

I use android, but my wife uses an iphone. Should i complain to Google that we need to keep the Google Maps and Youtube apps off of ios so that people like my wife don't go to a competitor? Or should I buy the hardware device I choose without worrying about excluding things from a competitor?

Consoles are about cost efficiency and ease of use. Features like their OS (dashboards) online networks, etc., price vs. performance put them in a different category than PC IMO. So i believe it is childish to not want your favorite games on PC just because you don't/can't have one. THAT's the point in this blog where things get ridiculous to me.

Big picture: I understand what exclusivity brings and why it will continue to exist in some form. But if this blogger could get all games on his $250 PS4, do you think he'd be complaining? I sure wouldn't.

[imtiyaz6]

@TankCrossing, My point was: if there were no exclusives, owning a Playstation or an Xbox would be redundant. Why buy a console when you can buy a PC with better specs that can play all games?

@ShottyatLaw, I guess you didn't get my analogy. An OS is the most important factor to consider when buying a phone, similarly exclusives are the most significant factor when buying a console. Exclusives are the soul of a console. If there were no exclusives that gives Sony an edge in the console market, then Sony will have no real incentive to develop games. There wouldn't be any Uncharted, TLoU, NiOh, Crash or Horizon in the first place. Convenience will become the only major factor when deciding on a gaming device, and knowing how quickly a void is filled in a market, a software or a hardware could easily be developed to replicate the ease-of-use of consoles on PCs by a third party or MS themselves.

[TheColbertinator]

Who cares. Just play games. Sony is a lousy company.

[johndoe11211]

Where in the blog was Sony mentioned? I'm sure you're a rational and unbiased individual................... /

[Dark_Knightmare2]

And you're a lousy troll

[Sparta07]

Sooooo.....
One gives you true exclusives ( sony ) the other doesn't ( Microsoft) and Sony is a lousy company? 🤣

[UCForce]

Who care about you ? Your comment are just lousy and low. Like I said, you are easy to be predictable.

[Razzer]

and microsoft is awesome. yes.....sigh.....we know. we know

[Takwin]

There are no more XBox exclusives, and never will be. Might want to remove that picture. Just PC, Sony, and Nintendo.

[ItMatters]

To be able to play Microsoft exclusive games you either need an Xbox or a Windows 10 PC. That operating system is not free anymore so you would be paying 100+ dollars for that. And you will be paying them for the games themselves. You don't get to just say PC like it's a blanket, you have steam and you have Xbox live as separate gaming platforms. If it's not on steam then it is a Microsoft/Xbox exclusive. Either way you're playing on something called Xbox either on PC or console. Microsoft gaming is Xbox, Xbox is Microsoft gaming.
The only people that care about this exclusive argument still are the fanboys on either side. It's the talking point Amongst fans and that's it.

[power of Black]

Err, you can still upgrade to Windows 10 through assistive technologies...

https://www.cnet.com/how-to...
http://www.howtogeek.com/27...

[ItMatters]

That's an exemption for people that use assistive technologies, you know people with actual disabilities. If you're the kind a dirt bag that does that thing then yeah you can get it free still.

[power of Black]

"Microsoft doesn't ask for any evidence that you actually use such tools."

Are you one of those morons that just throw cash around just because? WOW. It's not like the feature is locked or anything.

[MRMagoo123]

hmmmmmmm I have a windows 7 pc and have played a couple of those xbone and win 10 "exclusives" ......I wonder how I did that 🤔

[MasterCornholio]

Did you pirate those games?

[Goldby]

Or maybe BG

Mr Magoo is playing Rise fo the Tomb raider on steam.

Or Quantum break on Steam.

[annoyedgamer]

I do notice that alot of Playstation gamers avoid multiplat titles simply because they are not
exclusive. They miss out on alot of great games because of that attitude. I never understood how someone could think like that but to each his own.

[johndoe11211]

Hogwash. Show me those gamers and show me where they make statements to Indicate that. Who the hell won't buy a multiplatform game because it isn't exclusive. Your troll level is over 9000!!

[ecchiless]

See the sales numbers, cod did not sell on ps4, neither bf4 or overwatch, c'mon man he talk with facts he's not a troll /s

[annoyedgamer]

Well I see you all disagree, I am not condoning the behavior, it must be the people I have ran into, which is unfortunate.

[Lennoxb63]

Multiplats are the most played games on both PS and Xbox. Don't know where you got that info from. lol

[Dark_Knightmare2]

I've never seen anybody say they don't play mulitplats because they are not exclusive and it sounds like you're making that up. The fact is exclusives help differentiate consoles if they weren't there there would be no reason to have multiple systems or to choose one over the other

[Liqu1d]

Absolute nonsense. Multiplats sell better on PS4.

[rainslacker]

There are some I avoid just because I'm not overly interested in them, whereas a lot of Sony exclusives are more my type of game, but in no way do I avoid any multi-plat that is of interest to me.

I'm also curious where you get your assumption from, because I see PS fans talking about multi-plat titles, my freinds list is filled with people playing multi-plat titles, and multi-plat games in general sell in line with the attach rates of the competition, if not better, with some variances for different games.

[annoyedgamer]

I may be wrong ans its just the people I have ran into. Im glad you are all not like that.

[Yohshida]

Well, im a PC gamers but mostly play exclusives on it and pretty much everything else on my consoles. Microsoft Releases their games on their own platforms, Windows 10 and Xbox One. Just like ps4,3 and vita. We get to play all games on the platform we prefer and can play with our friends from both platforms. If you dont like that, cool. But probably wouldnt buy those games anyway.

[power of Black]

Nice read. Would I read again? Yes.

Also: https://cdn.meme.am/cache/i...

[ONESHOTV2]

Why I want to be a corporate slave and a bad consumer that should be the title

[power of Black]

Because anyone without a gaming rig is a bad consumer? Not everyone wants to be part of your so called "supreme" community.

[Bathyj]

I game on console because I prefer it to PC for whatever reason. Those reasons are mine and irrelevant to this argument, its not even worth going into.

Prior to this gen I always bought all the console because they all had something I wanted. But the first console I would buy would always be the one that had the most games I wanted. Since multiplats are on everything and cancel each other out, the console with the most games I wanted means the console with the most exclusives I want. So in essence I am basing my purchase on exclusives.

Then when I was ready to buy the second console, since I can already play multiplats on the one I had, the only reason to buy it would be for the exclusives the second machine had.

Come time to buy a third, why would I bother if it didnt have exclusives? If I only wanted multiplats I can already play them. Why is this so hard to understand?

This doesnt make me a corporate slave. Im making my purchases based on the product that fulfills my needs. Currently I only have one console. Its doing its job. I get plenty of games both multiplat and exclusive. I dont have a second console because theres not enough reason for me to get it. ei it doesnt have enough games i really want, enough to make it worth buying a whole new machine for.

Come 6 months down the track when I see how the Switch goes, and Im sure its not going to be another WiiU I may get one, and if I do you can be sure its to play Zelda. An exclusive will be the reason I buy Nintendo again. Lets face it, exclusives are the only reason anyone buys Nintendo now days, pretty much since N64.

Exclusives are what make one console different to the others. Its their identity. Thats the problem with Xbox for me, its too similar to PS4 which I already have, so to buy one I need a reason, I need something different from what Im already getting. And MS arent doing a good enough job, (based on my own person taste) to make me buy a console so similar to the one I have already, plus its actually weaker and with less games I want, so if they want to get PS4 owners buying XBOnes they need exclusive games.

This is why Exclusives matter, and it has nothing to do with pleading allegiance to a company or a piece of plastic and wires.

[ONESHOTV2]

Exclusive are nothing but bad consumerism. Why do you think steam has over 125 milling users are they there for the exclusive or just to game ? I'm waiting for an answer

[Bathyj]

I don't know, because there's like 2 billion PCs in the world maybe?

[Razzer]

And Steam has nearly a billion games, most of which will play on any old computer. Seriously....why even compare Steam to consoles. They are totally different animals.

Exclusives ARE important. If it were not for exclusives like Halo then Xbox probably would have died a long time ago. I'm like Bathyj. Even if I didn't have a Win10 gaming PC, Xbox One has too much overlap between PS4 and not enough incentive to buy.

[TankCrossing]

So... if you don't like gaming on a PC, how does Microsoft releasing their games on the PC as well as the Xbox factor into your decision making process what-so-ever?

If you're just saying "I don't like Microsoft's exclusive games enough to buy an Xbox" then you've kinda missed the point.

[ONESHOTV2]

Razzer-- yeah i know i shouldn't have compared some thing out of the console markets league lol steam has no match when it comes to giving us what we want.

[OhMyGandhi]

You know what's great? the fact that anybody can disagree with anyone. People can say and type so many things and it won't have much of an effect on anyone. Oneshot, I disagree with everything you say most of the time on a fundamental level, and feel that you're, eh...."addition" to the PC gaming community is one of arrogance, ignorance, and hypocrisy, your the type of elitist that I thought only existed as overblown caricatures of "the typical narcissistic pc gamer".

But regardless, I have STEAM, I have a ps4. If you can afford to buy the things you like, then go for it. Steam is awesome for a variety of reasons, it streamlines digital distribution, and more people hop on steam because it doesn't just have bleeding edge games, it has games for everyone. If you have an ancient computer, it will most likely run a decent amount of older titles. That's it. PC install base is exponentially larger than consoles. That's no myth. That's a fact. Exclusives matter because it differentiates platforms from another. It's considered a "feature". And PS4 also has the best performing multiplats as well. So, you kill two birds with one stone.And when Bathy, and Razzer called you out on it, you reacted like an obstinate, belligerent pre-teen who says "whatever" when they lose an argument, but you just end it with "lol" and "haha", You created a straw man argument, and ignored the responses. Yeah, you really showed them...

Your recent disdain for Horizon's recent photos just makes you sound dangerously ill-informed and without a succinct sense of your own self-parody. Like, I get your troll, and that's just who you are, and what you stand for, (if that's how you want to spend your days, so be it) but a troll that sounds so desperate as to sound inept? that's a new one, even for me, and I've been on this site for 9 years.

[ONESHOTV2]

"and more people hop on steam because it doesn't just have bleeding edge games" and soes console have those bleeding edge games you are talking about ? lol becuase if they do then i must be blind 20-30 frames is not bleeding edge those action with stealth elements games are no were bleeding edge. if i wanted to watch a movie i would have gone to the theater or buy one online. one man's lie is not bleeding edge well with mods at least it looks better than what's on console. throw on another set of paint and say it's another game is not bleeding edge. now tell me what are those game you are talking about again

[Deadpooled]

Go consoles! At least to shut up those damn 'mobile gaming is going to take over' plonkers.

[XXanderXX]

Awesome read

[sullynathan]

It's always some lame pc only gamer that is wishing that devs must bring their games to the pc. Very rarely do I see anyone else asking for exclusives because they know how things go.

[TankCrossing]

That's not quite accurate. It is usually gamers that have a PC that could run the game better than a console. Owning the consoles as well doesn't really alter the perspective much.

I own consoles and PCs, and for me personally it'd be great if every game got a PC release. I don't expect (or petition) for that to happen, and I understand the reasons it won't. Still, it'd be great for me if it did and that really shouldn't be hard to understand.

[sullynathan]

And it would be great if I had a million dollars but we don't get what we want.

[TankCrossing]

I guess it is hard to understand after all. I will lower my expectations of the community here.

[sullynathan]

I'll elaborate then. Developers aren't making their Gane purely because one platform is ridiculously more powerful than the other. Since you're talking about pc gamers having machines that could run a game better, that's really all there is to it.

Some devs don't really care that there are players that can run their game better than console players.

Now this leads me back to my comment and yours. It'd be great if certain things happened just like it'd be great if I was a millionaire.

[starchild]

@sullynathan

The difference is, the odds of you becoming a millionaire are exceedingly low, while the odds of a third party game coming to PC are reasonably good. It's understandable that some PC gamers try to exert a little pressure in that direction by signing a petition that may get the developer's attention. I see nothing wrong with that, even though I've never in my life signed a petition to bring a game to PC.

[TankCrossing]

You're still missing what I said Sully. I was quite clear that "I don't expect (or petition) for that to happen, and I understand the reasons it won't".

In your replies since then you imply that it is overly obvious that someone with a good PC would want to run games on it (like you wanting to be a millionaire). A PC version is something that anyone with a good PC would want. It isn't "always some lame pc only gamer"

Do you see how that is exactly what I said in the first place?

[Artemidorus]

Exclusives can create an identity to a console/PC.

Many these days share along the platforms which is totally pointless from a business point of view on the console companies.

Gaming companies however will benifit most distributing to all.

The gamer is the winner if everyone gets everything though.

[showtimefolks]

Because it created brand value and brass nd loyalty. By putting your exclusives elsewhere there is no need to buy a Xbox branded system

That is why I believe Spencer has done the worst job of any who gave gad to the power to run Xbox brand. He has made sure to make xbox brand itself value at its lowest right now

[ONESHOTV2]

So Spencer wanting more money and not caring about brand loyalty is a bad thing ? lol look at this how many uncharted 4 was sold what was it 8 million or something out of the 57 million users lol that not even 25% of the user base. What I'm saying is that don't bash if you can't take it back and btw I don't own a xbox

[Razzer]

lol....Halo 3's sales/console ratio was lower than UC4 so not sure what your point is and how it relates to the topic.

And yeah.....if Spencer really cares more about money than he does about loyalty to the Xbox brand (not saying it is true)......I think the entire gaming world would call that a "bad thing". You act like brand loyalty and money are not related at all.

[ONESHOTV2]

"lol....Halo 3's sales/console ratio was lower than UC4" i dont have brand loyalty to xbox so why are you telling me how much a game i never purchased sold lol i made the comparison becuase well i'm a PS gamer just like you and uncharted is on the PS4.

"You act like brand loyalty and money are not related at all." i dont deny that but have you forgotten they also own windows ? so either way they are going to make more money. but i want to ask you loyalist why do you guys care so much about sales when you are not getting anything out of it. it doesnt make any sense to me i guess i would have to throw out my PC and drop to your level to fully understand you guys right ?

[Imalwaysright]

"why do you guys care so much about sales"

Yes, that's what I don't understand. They say that consoles would lose sales its identity but X1 sales didn't plummet when MS started releasing their games for PC. That's proof that what those people are saying is NOT true. What bothers me the most though, is that people care more about the profits of a company that just doesn't give a fuck about them than they care about their fellow gamers getting to play their games on their platforms of choice and this is quite evident in Death Stranding related articles. Some community we have uh?

[Razzer]

"why do you guys care so much about sales"

Dude....you brought UC4 sales into this! Am I wasting my time on a complete idiot? yes...I think I am.

[Chevalier]

How many Xbox One exclusives sold 8 million? None.

Plus playing percentages is stupid. For example let's say PC sold 2 million copies of Gears 4 and there are 200 million computers out there then guess what according to your idiotic logic that's ONLY 1% of PC owners bought the game so it's a failure. Or 10 million people bought a phone game, but, with 2 billion phones out there that's 0.5% so fail.

Publishers don't care about those percentages they care about how many millions of units they sold.

Do you think Sony is happy with 8.7 million sales? Yeah you bet they are. There's not even a single game on Xbox One that compares ro sales like that.

[Phill-Spencer]

For me, the worst thing that emerged during this console gen is that a certain group of gamers seem to not only don't care about exclusives anymore, which they bragged about and seen as THE reason why they bought the console of that specific manufacturer. NO, they are suddenly strictly against it like it was something bad. It's astounding that they sucked up the mantra their overlords preached them so fast. It almost make me sick how gamers that once touted their exclusive a the big reason why their platform was the best, nowadays write such bs.

[MRMagoo123]

they didn't care about power either till the Scorpio was announced 😂

[Imalwaysright]

Funny how I haven't heard about resolution gate since then....

[KakashiHotake]

My personal opinion about exclusives is anyone that agree that certain games should only be on one console needs to grow up and get a life. As long as the game you want is on the console you own, why should it even matter to you if that same game is on a different console? I think exclusives is bad business for the game industry in general. All that creates is fanboys and brand loyalty which may indeed be good for the console manufacturer and some devs, but has a negative impact on gamers in general. It puts gamers in a position to make a choice to either choose blue or green which only creates a wedge in the community as a whole. Certain games only coming out on your system screws over your buddy's that play on a different console. You may say they all should just get the console you own but not everyone wants the same thing. Everyone that games on PS, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC has their own reasons for doing so that could go as far back as a positive childhood experience. But those gamers shouldn't be punished for getting the console they love. Granted it's only business but some people take it entirely to serious and get too involved.

[Action GO FIGURE]

Okay - so if exclusives are bad, that means competition is bad? Might as well have one vehicle manufacturer, one electronic manufacturer etc etc. As they have fanboys. I could go on.

Fanboys will exist whether they game or not. That is reality.

[KakashiHotake]

Exclusives are horrible for gaming. Exclusives aren't what they used to be in the form of system sellers. That's when people would buy a Nintendo for Mario or Sega for Sonic. We're now in the generation where it's all about money and capatalism. it went from friendly competition to business as usual. i stick to what i said before, exclusives only breeds fanboyism. Obviously they would still whine over specs and resolution, but as long as everyone is happy that's all that matters. People with that fanboy or brand loyalty mentality will never satisfied with nothing anyway.

[Action GO FIGURE]

No, exclusives are great for gaming. It helps the industry and the brand grow. Developers, can easily develop when focusing on one platform (like the PS4) because you know, it's just one platform and they don't have to worry about obstacles so they can pool all their resources and energy to make a great game whereas PC has so many setups it's not even funny. Not to mention the extra time required and money.

Also exclusives are like features. Think of it as iOS or Android. Major selling point of iPhone is; it's easy to use, reliable and it's heavily supported by iPhone and Android provides endless customization, open platform and innovative technology I.e dual-lens. What these features do is they help the manufacturers sell the product which equals to profit and also research and development for better technology. And yes, there are Apple fanboys and Android fanboys. Do you think Android users are satisfied because until now, some smartphones still can't get Android Nougat? Do you think iPhone users are satisfied because they're still stuck with a 1080p and have to use iTunes each time they want to put a new song on their device? No.

Now if you say exclusives are bad, then you're basically saying competition is bad. That doesn't make you a gamer and you honestly don't care for the growth of the industry. Which leads me to this question; why should PS4 gamers care about you?

tl;dr Competition is good and is here to stay. Fanboys will continue to exist no matter what industry. I.e vehicle, electronics, telecommunications, electrical etc etc.

[TankCrossing]

What, so if there were no exclusives then all the publishers would just rollover and leave us with 1 new COD game every year? Competition would be as fierce as ever.

Sony/MS/Nintendo may need to find new ways to compete on the hardware side. That'd be a good thing.

[The_Sage]

Well done. Very good read. I couldn't agree more.

[UCForce]

Well done, my friend ! Exclusive Game is the way to sell console.

[Majin-vegeta]

There's a reason why I've been with PS for 20+years...you guessed it Cuz of "EXCLUSIVES" Wether I'm in the mood for a platformer or just good old fashioned shoot em up.Sony has all my itches scratched

[TheReflectedGod]

I think without exclusives then you would get better features on consoles and better hardware or peripherals. As the "1%" who has all the consoles to play all the great games it gets really annoying to pay all this money for a console to play one or two good exclusives a year. My pc is my go to and if there is a nintendo or ps exclusive i dust off the console (thanks xbox for letting me put you away). However I'd still have a ps4 just for multiplayer because of the big player base as that is a selling point for me to own a console.

[TheReflectedGod]

Honestly id rather their be no exclusives and cross platform multiplayer to bring the community together and console manufacturers can hash is out on a hardware level

[ShaunCameron]

In other words, a one-console industry where anyone who might want something different don't really have a choice. The industry already been there and done that with the 8-bit era.

[TheReflectedGod]

And it was a great era... and exclusives dont make the industry different the ps and xbox are very identical minus exclusives and performance. Like i said id rather have manufacturers compete at the console lvl and make the hardware innovative instead of banking on sales based on what games it offers... Also I just have to say almost all of the ps4 exclusives before this year have been subpar to me. Third party has done a better job at keeping gaming alive for me

[Phill-Spencer]

And also, why the F should the hardware be innovative when there are no games that are tailored for that innovative hardware and probably won't even make use of the innovative features to fullest because they have been developed to also work on the other machines as well.

Ps3 hardware was innovative(architecture) and the result was the multiplatform games ran worse than on x360 for a longer time.

WiiU hardware also was innovative. But almost nobody wanted to make the effort of porting their games to the console.

[TankCrossing]

I'd prefer that every game had a console tailor made to run it.

Want to play Uncharted 4? Fire up the Uncharted 4 Station. God of War 4? God of War 4 station. It'd be greeeeaaat they'd sell so many consoles and people would spend so much money, it's win-win for everybody.

[TheReflectedGod]

Yeah in ps3s case innovation didnt work for awhile and thats the risk of everything evem games being innovative... but these consoles are so close in hardware and have similar development so exclusives is just for the sake to pushing console sales now. No excuse otherwise...

[SirCharles]

Because you don't want to look silly for buying an objectively inferior gaming platform.

[Action GO FIGURE]

Pretty ironic how an inferior gaming platform is getting all the sweet games and the guys that game on PC are asking for those games.

[TheReflectedGod]

Well that's why the pc crowd wants those exclusives because its not all bad on the console. A few exclusives, an affordable pricetag and the online community keep it relevant compared to pc. However, paid online, low hardware specs, outages for paid service, lack of expandability, limited consumer control, digital library not reflecting current market value and other reasons can make the console option inferior compared to pc

[DragonDDark]

Nice right up. Planning on making more? :)

[DragonDDark]

Write* lol

[imtiyaz6]

Exclusives are the soul of a console. Without them, there is no reason to buy a console. What reasons will Sony have to invest in first party studios if their games won't help sell their consoles. The Xbox is dead now, and the xbox fanboys want the Playstation dead too. Demanding Sony to publish their games on other platforms is as ridiculous as demanding KFC to let Pizza Hut sell their chicken.

[Petebloodyonion]

Simple question: what's the downside of someone else enjoying your favorite game?
What do you lose?
Do you lose your save file?
Do you lose two level of your character growth?

Would Sf5 be better running only on PS4 with no cross play?
Same for Rocket league and Killer Instinct?
DID Bayonetta 2 fare better because it was now only on Wiiu?
Did you enjoy it more?

And how about we apply the exclusive logic elsewhere and see how great it is, because:

I'm sure you're happy with your Netflix region lock.
I'm sure you're happy when a Ps4 game as a region lock.
You're probably happy with the internet region lock on a web page like Youtube.
It's fun when you can't download a software again because you changed computer and the license was Exclusive (tied) to your computer.
It's fun when some bonus in my game are exclusive to Bestbuy, Gamestop, Target.

Now, in the end, I do understand why Sony, Nintendo, and others try to secure exclusive content but I can't see why the consumer would praise restriction.

[power of Black]

Oh my, you seem to be confusing exclusivity with region locks. LOL

[Petebloodyonion]

Nope!
Region lock = content exclusive to that region.
best example Netflix USA vs rest of the world.
So what's the difference between a game being exclusive to a platform due to special deal (SF5) and a movie exclusive to a country on a service due to a similar deal (Starwars in Canada)?

[power of Black]

what's the downside of someone else enjoying your favorite game? = No downside. However, I know I made the right investment when developers favour the platform I'm gaming on. That way, I also know my platform will continue to grow.

Would Sf5 be better running only on PS4 with no cross play? = There was a hack for PC a few months back that enabled PC players to retain League Points after a loss. Surely, if I won a match, I'd like the loser to lose points right and it's definitely not fun to play against hackers.

I'm sure you're happy with your Netflix region lock. = Couldn't care less and even though I have a Netflix account, the library is garbage and the subscription is peanuts with or without the region lock. You get what you pay for though right?

I'm sure you're happy when a Ps4 game as a region lock. = LOLWUT? There's no region lock for PS4 games.

You're probably happy with the internet region lock on a web page like Youtube. = Ever heard of video licensing?

It's fun when you can't download a software again because you changed computer and the license was Exclusive (tied) to your computer. = Name me a software that forces you to retain hardware.

"Now, in the end, I do understand why Sony, Nintendo, and others try to secure exclusive content but I can't see why the consumer would praise restriction."

LOL. I'm all for restriction. If I was a liquor store owner and I allowed children to buy alcohol, I'd be in deep trouble and that would make business look very bad now would it?

Actually using your logic, screw businesses and their products. Why should people have right the choose what's best for them. /s WOW

And lastly, in regards to your post: http://s2.quickmeme.com/img...

[Phill-Spencer]

Power of black

Damn you got me with that link. I almost spilled my coffee. Didn't read the link and just clicked it because i thought you put it there to backup your comment. Made my day!

[Petebloodyonion]

@power of black
"However, I know I made the right investment when developers favor the platform I'm gaming on"
And when developers get's pay for the exclusivity of the game on the other platform (like Bayonetta2)?

"There was a hack for PC a few months back"
Yes the hack was called Rage quitting and was working on both PS4 and PC.
http://www.playstationlifes...
Oops, no Hack there!

"LOLWUT? There's no region lock for PS4 games.)
then By all mean point me to the pstore link for ( a Yakuza title) Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin since I can't buy a physical copy in Canada or USA?
How about Super robot wars?

"Ever heard of video licensing?"
And what's the difference? paying for content to be available in a country or paying to make sure content stay lock = the same thing for the consumer: less content.

"Name me a software that forces you to retain hardware"
Windows OEM versions
your ps3 games, ps4, etc are tied to your account and console, meaning that yes, old games require the original console to be played offline.

"If I was a liquor store owner and I allowed children to buy alcohol"
Like I said I understand the point of view of Sony, MS, Nintendo or in your case the liquor Store I'm talking about the point of view from the consumer perspective.

"Actually using your logic, screw businesses and their products. Why should people have right the choose what's best for them. /s WOW"
You got me there!
Honestly!
I think I'll copy your quote and keep it as a reminder the next time you complain about: DLC, Season pass, Microtransaction, DRM, etc.

And here's my thoughts on your last remark (cause your meme was funny). http://giphy.com/gifs/vruSL...

[Phill-Spencer]

Petebloodyonion

It's a shame that when i would like to have a big mac and mcdonalds forces me to have to go to one of their restaunts . they really should allow burger king to sell it.

And btw. companies shouldn't anymore be allowed to have patents as no company should have something their competition doesn't. Every company should have exactly the same products than its competion. Competition isn't something favorable.

Source: pc elitist and xbot mantra.

[power of Black]

And when developers get's pay for the exclusivity of the game on the other platform (like Bayonetta2)? = You win some, you lose some. Get used to it. There are thousands of other games to play and if I actually liked the Bayonetta series (which I don't) I would have gotten the console Bayonetta 2 was on because you know... I have a job, I'm a gamer and I support the industry. Unlike you.

Oops, no Hack there! = /facepalm. http://bfy.tw/A4Ti

then By all mean point me to the pstore link for ( a Yakuza title) Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin since I can't buy a physical copy in Canada or USA? = It doesn't exist because Sega doesn't plan on releasing it to the West. Not that it matters anyway. Have you heard of play-asia.com or ebay.com at least? WOW

And what's the difference? paying for content to be available in a country or paying to make sure content stay lock = the same thing for the consumer: less content. = You pay for Youtube? WOW. Also, it seems like you need to understand 'licensing.' WHEN YOU PAY FOR CONTENT, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO IT. HOWEVER, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REVERSE ENGINEER OR DUPLICATE WHATEVER THE CONTENT MAY BE AND THE OWNER CAN CHANGE CONTENT WITHOUT NOTICE. Holy sh*t, maybe if you would read the Terms and Conditions for once.

your ps3 games, ps4, etc are tied to your account and console, meaning that yes, old games require the original console to be played offline. = Tied to your account? Yes. Tied to the console. No. You simply deactivate your console and activate your new console as your primary. You're just talking out of your a*se now.

Like I said I understand the point of view of Sony, MS, Nintendo or in your case the liquor Store I'm talking about the point of view from the consumer perspective. = /facepalm. That's what I'm trying to say. In the eyes of other consumers of my alcohol, MY BUSINESS WOULD LOOK BAD. Say if I was a consumer, would I keep buying from that store knowing full well they sell alcohol to minors? Hell no.

HOLY SH*T. http://s2.quickmeme.com/img...

Thanks for your gif by the way. I literally had to punch myself explaining a few things to you. Now go and educate yourself.

[Petebloodyonion]

So let me simplify your stance so I understand correctly (cause I need to be educated).

1) You prefer playing Sf5 with fewer ppl because of an unreleased hack made in December. a hack created to show Capcom that the initial rage quitting issue is not perfectly solved.
ok Got it, (personally I'm glad that I can enjoy EVE valkyrie on PSVR with cross platform because there would be nobody online)

2) You're okay with having less content on your streaming service (free or not) compare to others with the same service.
ok Got it,

3) We both agree that breaking law by selling alcohol to minor is bad (hey we both agree on something)
OK got it!

4) And you support the industry unlike me! (for whatever reason)
OK Got it

So now that this debate is settled and you won. How about adding me on Steam, Xbox, Nintendo for some gaming (just search PetebloodyOnion)?
Wait I forgot! you don't have a gaming Rig, nor a Xbox and nor Nintendo product but that's ok add me on PSN (same nick) I will be more than happy to play some Eve valkyrie online with you (I don't have lots of PSVR friend so it would be nice).

See you later :)

[Pandamobile]

Exclusives are bullshit. Platform agnosticism is the way of the future.

[WelkinCole]

Totally agree.

Without different platforms we would not see like of Zelda, GT, Mario, Uncharted, Metroid, Halo, Warcraft etc.

It would be a very bland gaming world without the different platforms.

If people have do problems with exclusives then really they would not have any problem with just one platform which I think no one wants.

Diversity is a strength and not a weakness in gaming. It allows different type of gaming experiences which can only flourish when they are different platforms and different way of developing games.

[Wakkamole]

Buuuuuut, When it comes down to nintendo everyone wants them to stop creating consoles and put their games on other consoles. Much double standard here. (And don't say it's because nintendo is underpowered, since it would be the same thing when you look at consoles vs PC). Don't get me wrong. I love consoles. I own each and every one of them. I like exclusives, and I hate people whinning over not having a certain game or else. You can't afford all of them, support the one you went for and enjoy your exclusives. You wanna play all the exclusives, pay the entry price and buy the console it's made for.

[DivineAssault]

IDK.. I like exclusives because the devs take full advantage of that specific hardware but if i only had 1 console, i'd be pissed if i couldnt play certain games.. Im good with PS/Nintendo exclusive games.. Both have their plusses/minuses

[Warshade]

I'm just so sick of hearing the phrase. "I just want to be able to play mario on my xbox."(not word for word but that over and over) I own every platform but I hope Nintendo never becomes just a software developer.

[alfcrippinjr]

(Selling your software on as many platforms as possible is the best route to take for a profit margin)

well to tell the truth its not that is no way the best route to make a profit margin

its who ever got the biggest wallet for those games.

this is why we see them sticking to one platform only be it pc xbox one,ps4

plus we talking like big money here secret contracts that we will never know
as you dont disclose them to the public or media.

example below

so Microsoft contact you about your game we going to give you a bonus of $20 million to release the game on our system only for say the next 5 years plus payment for the development of the game also.

remember how halo to begin was going out on all consoles.
then Microsoft bought halo rights to there console
Microsoft took a minority stake in Bungie ownership.worth possible billions
and simply handed it back to the owner later on

both company's like Microsoft and Sony hate each other its like a competition to them that all

who can out gun the others and take the crown in doing so and the bragging rights..

and then there also those people called the loyal fan base of the consoles
who will stick up for Microsoft or Sony

people will say the xbox one is the best blah blah blah
which is not true.
why does the xbox one look better its down to there windows direct x
which sony does not have
if sony could use direct x it would blow Microsoft machine out of the water

yeah and its not trolling its the truth i own both consoles like a lot of people
who want to play other games not release on the ps4 or the xbox one

this type of practice will stay forever as its free money to the games developers

[FyBy]

HI, nice post. I agree with most but not about exclusives. But its also my subjective opinion. Im a gamer from my 11. Now Im 36. I had 8bit Atari, then bought myself into pc platform, where I stayed lot of years. Then I complemented it with Nintendo Wii. But big change was made when I bought PS3 - I ended gaming on pc from day to day (but its true, it was hard to learn to play fps games). Then I sold PS3, bought gaming desktop machine (I mean GAMING MACHINE :-) ) and gamineg notebook. Finally I bought PS4 and never turned my pc again :-). It really DOESNT matter, if game exists also on pc. I simply want to play on PS4. Maybe its that think, that I work on PC and I dont want to turn it on in the evening. I dont know.

As a complementary platform now I have Nintendo 3DS.

But I think, that exclusives are ticket into the system. If exclusives are only console exclusives (so they exist on pc), there would be less people buying consoles. Look at the prices of games console vs pc.

So there are several factors for me:
1)I want some machine, which is prebuilt with no need to configure anything, simply turn on and go
2)I want to play some exclusives, which I like (for me Uncharted, Gran turismo)
3)I want to play with my friends local coop (believe me, there are more local coops on consoles, and believe me, there is always even minor problem when starting local multiplayer game on pc)

I see one big difference in buying into some platform. There are lot of pc gamers which simply steal games. I was doing it also. I bought PS3 when I was financialy ready to buy games on my own. From then I bought also several PC games. For example whole Starcraft II series, Diablo III, XCOM, etc..... I have lot of games on steam, some on ubiplay and some on origins shop. But from my neighborhood there are more people that are not buying games on pc than the others. Thats also relevant argument for pc gaming. What I remember who had rich parents had console and others had pc and shared diskettes between them :-) And of course there was always also 1 in 100 pc players, who bought good expensive pc and original games :-)

So everything is not so black and white. Everyone have their reason. And maybe thats the reason people are still arguing about superiority of some platform so much.

[TheOptimist]

Exclusives= Anti-consumer-pro business

Multiplatform= Pro Consumer-Pro business

[Elda]

Exclusives differentiate a console & I go with the console with the great huge diverse library & variety of first to third party exclusive games & that's Playstation.

[Yohshida]

How long do you own a PS4?

[MasterCornholio]

He said PlayStation not PS4. So what he said could be applied to the PS1, PS2 and PS3. With Sonys track record it was easy to assume that the PS4 would have a large library and a big variety of exclusives after several years.

That's the importance of having a strong brand with a good history. Weaker brands don't have that type of confidence from consumers.

[Yohshida]

After several years? What about 2013-2015?

[MasterCornholio]

PlayStation always had games to play.

The chant "PlayStation had no games" is just a fabrication from people who hate the system. Time and time again they get destroyed for making that stupid claim.

There's a reason why PlayStation does so well. Unfortunately not everybody wants to understand it.

[Elda]

I've been with the Playstation brand since 1995 & I own a PS4 Pro.

[Srelhow]

My friends and I looked at the exclusives coming out for both consoles before we bought this generation. We realized we played more third party games then exclusive games. Our deciding feature was witch one will play our games better. I do realize that exclusives help at times to decide witch to buy but, how many exclusive games do we really enjoy. Not everyone with an Xbox likes Halo or Forza and not everyone on PS4 likes Souls games or Uncharted. I know there is way more than those games as just exclusives but how many do you really get vs third party all platform games. Now I know I'm gonna get trashed for stating my opinion but I have enjoyed more third party games this generation than exclusives.

[Trigem]

For once, an excellent opinion that I can wholeheartedly agree on. Good job mate!

[Dowie]

Great post and I agree with many of the points. I have my own point to add although its not as valid as many points that have already been made.

The original post did touch on this slightly.

"When Pc gamers are given the choice they will always choose pc to play their games."

With exclusives on each console we have a market that cannot be monopolized. I guess I wouldn't say exclusives completely stop this as there are plenty of people who would have a preference one way or another but it's a very big reason at least.

Imagine a world where [insert platform] had EVERY game available, this would make them a totally dominate figure in the gaming world. Why would you bother with anything else when one device has everything?

This would lead to a monopoly, similar to what steam does on the PC. They would get the final say on everything, whether a game is worth advertising or even accepting on there platform. There have been a handful of games that steam have rejected in the past because of various reasons and that hurt those projects because the vast majority of PC gamers are on steam. They lost a huge audience to cater too despite being able to put it elsewhere like GOG.

Remember the original concept of the Xbox One? Always-Online that you have to pay for even if you have single player games. No trading or sharing games. Kinect is not optional. This was a huge leap from there previous console, now imagine if they had the monopoly of having EVERY game available. Would you want microsoft calling all the shots? Of course not. In fact, they had to change almost everything about the xbox one after Sony humiliated them when they showed off the PS4. Sony were crushing MS 8-1 to preorders on amazon.

It was great that the gaming community was able to have that influence. Make terrible decisions that the consumer doesn't like? Welp, off to the competition we go!

That's another big point to add, competition. WIthout competition comes laziness, if you dominate a market you only need to meet the demand for the majority. Release Call of Duty, Fifa and a racing game every year then you're going to be financially successful. However, with competition people are always striving to create new things.

[riibhu]

Got it. You spend your money to play exclusive but if that exclusive gets released on a platform that runs it better than yours you feel awful that someone else can run it better while you are stuck with inferior performance. You want to feel justified with your purchase of your console and exclusive helps in that regard.
It's perfectly acceptable. Just like if iOS apps or games starts coming to Android how many do you think will still stand by iOS phones then and not just get Android phone instead. It's the quality of software that compels you to purchase a specific set prices of hardware even if it is rather inferior than other hardware in the market.

[johndoe11211]

You sound bitter, want a cookie?

[riibhu]

No I may sound bitter but I'm not. I am right though. You buy a certain hardware because it gives you something that others in the market don't. But if that feature is taken away you won't have any reason to support that specific hardware anymore as you can then get to better offerings.

[Angel911]

People who care and think about all this exclusive nonsense are those who can't afford all gaming systems.. I own all major gaming systems. So, i don't care if game is exclusive or not. PlayAnywhere is great for me coz when my TV is busy, i can switch to PC and when my PC is busy, i can switch to TV..I get best of both worlds. I Don't care about resolution or frame-rate like losers who read DF article on daily basis like it's part of their exam syllabus

People who can't afford all systems are the ones read these type of articles coz they want to justify their purchase and want to downplay other people those buy different platform..

Just enjoy game, doesn't matter which plastic box plays it.

[LightofDarkness]

This is patently ridiculous and petulant, and the fact that so many others agree with you here is hardly even astounding, it's frankly expected, given the toxic nature of the commenting community here.

You did not "invest" in their platform. They built a product and services that you consume. You are not protecting any "investments"; they funded these projects with their money that they've earned through numerous previous ventures and sold them to you as a product. The idea that you are some manner of investor who has a say in how these products or services are sold and distributed is frankly laughable and is a testament to the delusion of so many here. You are not in a Sony investment club, you are not receiving dividends PA or quarterly shareholder briefings, you are merely a consumer like everyone else, and the attitude that you espouse in this little essay is detrimental for the rest of your class.

These are not "your" toys.

You should be championing choice, but instead you want to restrict and hamstring other people's choices because you want everyone else's choices to be the same as yours. You think that your opinion and tastes are in fact more important than other people's (this is demonstrable through your very sentiment, it does not require you to say it outright, i.e. implied). This is a very childish and warped view of fairness, in that you would wish that everyone be brought down to the same level than allowing others who can avail be brought up to a higher level.

Your argument is basically:

"I can't always have the best experience available, so therefore, everyone should only have the same one as me otherwise my inferiority complex flares up, and i'm justifying this by confusing my status as consumer with that of an investor and bloviating endlessly about how there's nothing wrong with being a petulant child who wants everything to go their way." There is no credible argument here. Move along, folks.

And your responses to criticism of these points are laughable at best. If anyone needs a nap and some timeout, it's you sunshine.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

100% SPOT ON @LightofDarkness. The arguments made are ridiculous and ultimately this kind of argument is born out of insecurity and a desire for validation of their choice. " I bought XYZ console, it has XYZ games on it that nobody else has so I made the best choice ever!".

Instead we should be championing our choice. I bought XYZ hardware because I like the features it offers, the services available and the comfort / design of the control scheme. Buying hardware should 100% be about the features, services and design offered around the hardware! I don't buy TV's because it shows only movies I can see, I don't by Home Theater Systems because they play exclusive movies and music... I make my choice based on the design and features offered buy those companies. Gamers need to get over their insecurity and need of validation for their purchase.

edit: Also since when do we just allow people to post blog posts straight to the site? Good job to all that approved. /s

[Asuka]

thank you for this comment. I came to read this blog expecting a conversation but instead got nothing but opinions, and entitlement with the "I have EVERY RIGHT" nonsense. No resources to support claims. No real explanations. Me. Me. Me.

I have pretty much stopped commenting here (been here since 2006) because it seems that as soon as you voice an opposing opinion the conversation is over because everyone starts arguing (immaturely at that). I cannot imagine what the demographic here is but i have been lurking here long enough to see trends in the community come and go, and it has become apparent that the community is unable to hold a conversation (about anything) without resulting to personal insults and belittlement.

On topic I agree with you and find it amusing that people here find the need to defend themselves and their purchases. So much so to claim that "they" are "protecting" their "investments". Like going down to your local store and picking up a $60USD game after work is "investing" in the sense that you are a shareholder in a company and therefore have some sort of say on how products should be sold and can dictate consumer demand...like its laughable. Sony, or any publisher at that, doesn't need protection. If anything the consumer needs protection.

[riibhu]

You should comment more then just to shatter the delusions that these people here in N4G have. You and the above two comments I read are actually well thought out comments.
The people on this forum most of them actually are ps4 users and not just any user but a deluded one you might call a fanboy so they will continue to support anti consumer practice no matter what.

[starchild]

@ LightofDarkness, Dlacy13g, Asuka

It was nice reading three intelligent comments in a row like that. Lots of great points you guys made. Well done to all three of you.

[maybelovehate]

So basically you have no good reason

[Destiny1080]

90% of games on ps4 or multiplats

exclusives make up a very small percentage but yet I believe there very important to the identity of the console especially for Nintendo

[OC_MurphysLaw]

The only legit reason anyone would want an exclusive to be exclusive to one hardware platform is straight up need to justify a purchase. I don't care for one moment if someone from another system including PC gets to play the games I can play on my console. I like how my console handles the interface and its service offerings are good and put together in an effective manner and updates are handled well. It's quite ok if someone else who didn't buy the hardware I bought can play that game too.

[mike32UK]

The reason for this is simple on any side (PC, PS, XB, Nintendo)... Because it validates a person's purchase which keeps their "pride" intact. Pride is the worst, it makes people do and say stupid things.

[synistatha1]

All i can say is there are alot of very stupid people in the world and its a damn shame smdh

[Gaming4Life1981]

First party console exclusives are important and needed but I think all 3rd party console games should be multiplatform. Timed exclusives, timed dlc , and console only dlc and also pre order bonuses need to die asap.

Interesting read though.

[Babadook7]

Why does the pic for this opinion price use an old dual shock 4 prototype?