Sacred Symbols, Episode 86: The Means of Production
Added 2020-02-18 17:00:05 +0000 UTCThe American publication Bloomberg is typically a reliable source of information, and a recent story within its pages tells an interesting tale. It appears Sony is having a hard time keeping production costs of PlayStation 5 down, so much so that it's delaying the Japanese corporation's ability to determine what it should charge for the console, or if it can even turn a profit selling it. There's even reportedly a little civil war going on internally, with some powers-that-be convinced profit should be extracted no matter what, even if it affects demand. Should we be worried? Well, maybe. We discuss. Then again, other news flows this week, too! After four Need For Speeds, EA is taking the series away from Ghost Games and giving it back to Criterion, Quantic Dream leaps forward into the great self-publishing unknown, People Can Fly's Destiny-like Outriders is PS5-bound, Ubisoft wants The Division 2 to live again, and much more. Plus: Listener inquiries! Was the Sonic movie any good? Should Untitled Goose Game really be DICE's Game of the Year? Is E3 in an uncontrollable death spiral? Can we please -- for the love of all that is holy in this world -- stop talking about Kingdom Hearts?
Timestamps:
0:00:17 - Intro.
0:03:08 - We're going to keep talking about Twin Breaker until it comes out.
0:04:06 - The official PlayStation Forums are shutting down.
0:04:43 - Take it. It's yours!
0:08:46 - A totally unnecessary Kingdom Hearts correction.
0:09:58 - Activision and the Tony Hawk IP.
0:11:31 - Was the Sonic movie any good?
0:16:02 - Colin and Chris titles.
0:16:36 - Colin watched Parasite and saw The Lumineers.
0:21:01 - A new idiom based on last week’s Vita theft story.
0:21:17 - Colin considers putting Chris into a jar and carrying him around like BB.
0:22:29 - Why buy Twin Breaker if fans can just make it in Dreams?
0:23:24 - What have we been playing?
0:31:32 - Sony is having a hard time keeping PS5 production costs down.
0:46:31 - PSVR2 is coming after PlayStation 5, says a reliable source.
0:51:12 - Sony purchased Insomniac for $229 million.
0:56:30 - Quantic Dream has revealed it’s future post-Sony plans.
1:00:19 - EA gives Need For Speed back to Criterion; Ghost Games to focus on Frostbite.
1:06:04 - A major expansion is coming to The Division 2.
1:12:18 - More Control is on the way.
1:17:57 - People Can Fly officially reveals PS5 game Outriders.
1:22:11 - NPD sales numbers for January 2020 have been reported.
1:24:30 - 2K Silicon Valley is now called 31st Union.
1:27:28 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
1:29:08 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
1:38:22 - What are Sony's plans for Dreams?
1:45:00 - Just reveal PlayStation 5 already, Sony!
1:49:57 - How do we feel about Untitled Goose Game DICE's GotY award?
1:54:40 - What does Geoff Keighley's E3 absence say about the show?
2:01:50 - Should we be praising devs that make bad games better?
2:07:22 - It's okay not to like The Last of Us, right?
Comments
Abby killed Joel https://twitter.com/gaytrannyslut/status/1260208936449441792?s=19
2020-05-15 03:57:21 +0000 UTC2:06 I bought a copy of SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash back in the day for the NDS and it had a game crashing bug. Kind of glad you can patch things now.
Context Should Matter
2020-03-11 22:56:30 +0000 UTCGlad you like it! I, too, am hearing good things.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-25 16:01:22 +0000 UTCIt's so fucking long.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-25 16:01:14 +0000 UTCEnjoying Hunt: Showdown, 2019 was a single player gaming year for me, this is the first game in a while to get me back into MP gaming I’m happy to report!
Orion88
2020-02-22 23:47:59 +0000 UTCI played DQ11 for 55 hours, got sick of it and quit. The game is too long for its own good. Never again.
2020-02-22 19:22:17 +0000 UTCAt $450 to manufacture plus costs of bringing the hardware to market, they should be able to eek out a profit, or break even.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-22 19:06:17 +0000 UTCJoker was my film of the year too.
Nicholai
2020-02-22 17:14:07 +0000 UTCI actually commented when I heard you make the first joke and JUST heard you mention that 3,400 number later in the podcast. And totally - I agree. I wouldn't be surprised if they found a way to bundle it with PS5. You get the console and blam, an infinite supply of games through Dreams.
Kazden Risk
2020-02-21 21:14:38 +0000 UTCI just liked Joker more! I can have my own opinion!!!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-21 20:58:10 +0000 UTCNo, I know. There were 3,400 the night of release or something. 10,000 concurrents ain't good.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-21 20:57:58 +0000 UTCParasite was about as woke as things like Joker and Little Women. Honestly, Parasite is the first actually good choice the academy has made in a while. Compare Parasite to Greenbook...
Chase Blauvelt
2020-02-21 18:15:41 +0000 UTCI'm confused what aspects of joker are appealing which were not delivered in Parasite. They are pretty similar movies to me and while Joaquin's performance was great, the Parasite cast were also very good (by the way you can totally tell a good from a bad performance even if it's in another language). Not saying Joker was bad, just can't see in what way it's better than Parasite. Keep in mind, I've seen Parasite 3 times and Joker only once so I legitimately could be forgetting something.
Chase Blauvelt
2020-02-21 18:10:35 +0000 UTCCorrection: You stated that 10 people were playing Dreams but according to the https://indreams.me/ website there are about 5,400 people playing right this moment. I know you were being silly - but I actually thought it was a cool feature on their page to highlight how many are actually logged on. I haven't seen it exceed 10,000 yet, with the highest being around 7-8k at one time.
Kazden Risk
2020-02-21 17:26:52 +0000 UTCYes. But at $229 million, that would be a heinous misallocation of assets. I don't think they were brought on to do PSVR stuff, but it couldn't hurt to have that expertise...
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-21 01:10:18 +0000 UTCThanks! Maybe one day.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-21 01:09:49 +0000 UTCDidn’t insomniac develop some VR titles as well? Isn’t there something there for helping out with the future of psvr?
Owen
2020-02-20 22:41:33 +0000 UTCI know the answer.. but Colin, if you ever want to experience the Dark Zone in Division 2 I’ll be more then happy to take you through it. We don’t even have to talk.
FoxHopSmash
2020-02-20 21:12:35 +0000 UTCI see.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-20 18:24:43 +0000 UTCInteresting. Good to know!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-20 18:24:34 +0000 UTCI've not seen 1917 or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, though I'd like to see both. Particularly the former.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-20 18:24:21 +0000 UTCColin, If you're wondering why Parasite won best picture it's because it was anti capitalism. The most "WOKE" movie always wins.
Dread Fort
2020-02-20 15:20:44 +0000 UTCJust wanted to point out that in December Control actually did receive a combat challenge mode called Expeditions. Not exactly a horde mode like Chris wanted but still combat based challenges.
Josh Lucas
2020-02-20 00:12:17 +0000 UTCI'd like to check it out.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:25:56 +0000 UTCYeah, it's gonna be $500.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:25:47 +0000 UTCIt's all about the money! Mastering your own engine is a lifesaver financially... if you can do it.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:25:28 +0000 UTCI should have been more clear: I love my weird Japanese shit that doesn't suck.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:24:38 +0000 UTCIt was actually Screamride! Not exactly what I was describing, to be fair.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:24:25 +0000 UTCAs far as I understand, we don't know why it got scrapped.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:23:56 +0000 UTCParasite was absolutely an amazing film. We had 4 movies in the running for Best Picture this year. 1917, Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Joker. I knew the academy wasn’t going with joker because they don’t truly take comic book movies serious. I’m happy Parasite won. Totally agree with Chris on giving things second chances. When I purchased Red Dead Redemption 2 at launch I played it for a few hours and the game was just TOO slow for me. It just did hit like I thought it would. I started back playing a few days ago and I’m hooked. Maybe The Last of Us just isn’t what he’s in the mood for at the moment.
D'Ante Almo
2020-02-19 23:23:42 +0000 UTCWhatever that means, Aaron! <3
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:23:33 +0000 UTCOne day, if you're lucky.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:23:23 +0000 UTCYou're very welcome.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:23:14 +0000 UTCThat's my greatest fear.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:22:56 +0000 UTCWhy not?
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:22:46 +0000 UTCYes, it was revealed about a week ago. Hence its inclusion in the podcast. They were definitely keeping it a secret. That's what the entire reveal was about. You okay? LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:22:36 +0000 UTCChris enjoys metal, yes. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:22:07 +0000 UTCAbsolutely.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-19 23:21:57 +0000 UTCSnowpiercer is an excellent film, would definitely recommend!!!
Rory
2020-02-19 23:10:51 +0000 UTCI think Sony will settle on $500 for PS5, sounds right to me. Too cheap and people won't want it, too expensive and people can't afford it, $500 is just right.
Matthew Cooper
2020-02-19 20:41:21 +0000 UTCParasite was amazing. Saw that just before I started listening to this actually. 1 of the freshest movies I’ve seen in a while. EA forcing Frostbite on everyone still stands to me as 1 of the worst gaming decisions in the industry. They gotta just drop that shit already. I can relate to The Last of Us write in cause it didn’t click with me either til my 2nd play-through, same goes for Fallout 3, and both have since become some of my favorite games of all-time. Although falling asleep to TLoU sounds wild. 😄
NeO JD
2020-02-19 18:49:13 +0000 UTCColin: "I do love my weird Japanese shit" Everyone asking him to play Persona 5: *sigh*
Aj
2020-02-19 17:38:55 +0000 UTCHey, Col, the name of the game you were thinking of last week is called Flatout. Destruction and bodies flailing once ejected.
Daniel Rivas
2020-02-19 17:10:06 +0000 UTCFable 1 is better than 2. Fable 2 is not bad it’s just not as cool mechanically as the first one. In the first one leveling up aged you etc. Microsoft even remade the first fable gave it a huge face lift. Fable 3... we don’t talk about that. As for legends Microsoft forced a team that had no experience making a MOBA game to make a MOBA game so that’s why it got scrapped
Kenneth Oms
2020-02-19 12:43:20 +0000 UTCWithout the necessary means for a necessary means
2020-02-19 12:33:25 +0000 UTCListen to Chris and play Hellblade! You're doing yourself a disservice as a gamer to sleep on it 😔.
Lee Bull
2020-02-19 10:31:44 +0000 UTCThese past few weeks have been everything I needed to know I'll never play mainline Dragon Quest, thank you for helping me be an informed consumer.
Watch Ergo Proxy
2020-02-19 06:13:15 +0000 UTC*than
Will Hahn
2020-02-19 05:40:33 +0000 UTCQuestion is Colin, is dragon quest bigger then des nutz?
Will Hahn
2020-02-19 05:40:14 +0000 UTCHaha great write up. Kingdom hearts will never go away!
Reuben Barrett
2020-02-19 02:29:38 +0000 UTCWhy Colin, why.
Timothy Bryant
2020-02-19 01:56:27 +0000 UTCWasn’t Warlords of New York revealed a week ago? I don’t think they’re keeping the expansion a secret.
Connor Johnson
2020-02-19 00:36:31 +0000 UTCDidn't know Chris was into some metal! Devin Townsend is probably the best songwriter and vocalist in metal of the last decade.
McBain
2020-02-19 00:11:44 +0000 UTCColin random question but would you still keep doing the podcast if suddenly Chris sounded exactly like Mike Tyson for the rest of his life?
Real Radec
2020-02-18 23:29:55 +0000 UTCThe Switch version is vastly superior to the PS4 version. There are so many QOL changes that address some of Colin's issues with the game.
ZachAttacksGames
2020-02-18 23:00:13 +0000 UTCI'll believe it when I see it!!!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:35:24 +0000 UTCI'd say I'd watch it, but we all know I'd be lying.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:35:00 +0000 UTCI don't think it was: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/11/report-399-playstation-4-costs-about-381-to-build/ I Googled and found some people talking about how it was, but no sources I'd necessarily trust...
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:34:47 +0000 UTCMan, Colin, I'm really sorry you're not enjoying DQXI. :( I put about 120 hours into it on Switch and loved every second. I got really attached to the characters and the world and even teared up a few times. Bummer man. I hope you have a ton of fun with your next game whatever that may be.
Jason Stafford
2020-02-18 22:34:35 +0000 UTCI'm 61% there.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:33:44 +0000 UTCYou sound like a nice young man.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:33:33 +0000 UTCPUNCTUATION.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:33:05 +0000 UTCI agree. I never played the Horizon DLC. I would have if it had a Platinum. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:32:48 +0000 UTCI'm not sure I was ever a huge fan.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:32:15 +0000 UTCSounds right to me. They'll jack that price up as soon as they can.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:32:07 +0000 UTCOur lives are ruined.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:31:57 +0000 UTCCan't do it!!!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:31:50 +0000 UTCIt is an absolute slog at this point, but I can't stop now...
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:31:44 +0000 UTCIt was definitely overrated, but I still liked it.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:31:28 +0000 UTCAt $450, Sony would be selling a loss. $499 accounts for shipping costs, retailer fee, etc., and still gives them a modest profit. It's also a perfectly reasonable price for a new video game console in 2020.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:31:16 +0000 UTCIt's a perfectly valid question.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:30:34 +0000 UTCThanks. =)
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:30:26 +0000 UTCChris will still succumb.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:30:18 +0000 UTCThat could be fun, though I'll just go alone and be awkward.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:30:09 +0000 UTCNo, thank YOU, Dick McFarmhouse.
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:29:44 +0000 UTCNo it isn't!!!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:29:29 +0000 UTCI hope your day improves!
Colin Moriarty
2020-02-18 22:29:10 +0000 UTCHey guys, quick point about Outriders. I watched James Duggan’s preview video and it appears as though that trailer did the game a disservice. It looks like it plays *almost* identically to Gears of War. From the cover system to camera angles it’s very gears. Also it was claimed to be closer to Borderlands than Destiny in terms of structure. You can play the game solo in its entirety if you’d like and the devs claimed it is NOT a live service game. Just thought this info is necessary knowing how poorly the trailer showed off the game.
Drew Sleezer
2020-02-18 22:24:59 +0000 UTCI think you’d get a kick out of Shrek. Michael Meyers channeling Fat Bastard and John Lithgow is amazing as the tiny villain.
Forrest Hunter
2020-02-18 22:14:48 +0000 UTCHey Colin, you said the PS4 wasn't sold at a loss but it was: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/09/20/sony-to-take-a-loss-on-playstation-4-sales/#4b30666f6f1d It was reported that Sony took a $60 loss on the console itself, but expected to break even with the sale of games, accessories and PSN that the average consumer would make at launch. Love the show and watching you blossom as a father to Chris is one of the highlights of my week.
ZachAttacksGames
2020-02-18 22:03:31 +0000 UTCHey Colin, I'm glad to hear you are still trucking through Dragon Quest 11 despite the many different waves and characters deciding to make you dump more time in the game. I did feel the same but I must admit Dragon Quest 11 is one of my favorite platinum trophies. Keep up the great work!
Jordan Avery
2020-02-18 21:26:01 +0000 UTCColin I can't believe you said Parasite isn't best picture quality. You're literally the first person Ive heard of many to say this. God you're pedestrian when it comes to cinema. The cinematography and use of visuals to communicate themes was absolutely masterful. There's so many details & moments of foreshadowing that you can pick up on when rewatching. It's deeply satisfying.
Andres
2020-02-18 21:10:27 +0000 UTCColin talking about japanese and arcade like games makes me go hmmm yakuza my dude ;).
Adamthm
2020-02-18 20:43:53 +0000 UTCHey Colin, I concur with your view about DLC that is released late after initial release. I bought the Horizon DLC and was planning on playing it, but felt that I had already spent an adequate amount of time with the initial game. I felt that I could have just waited for the sequel instead. Plus, there are so many new games released vying for my attention. Great game, though!
Billy Wright
2020-02-18 20:40:03 +0000 UTCAlso to be put on the record, I absolutely get irritated with this series releases and I dropped out after this or KH2, whichever came last.
Edward Walton
2020-02-18 20:09:30 +0000 UTCCorrection to a correction: The Kingdom Hearts game in question is actually spoken "Three Five Eight Days Over Two" you nerds. It's still a dumbass name but the record is being set straight.
Edward Walton
2020-02-18 20:03:12 +0000 UTCThe original Toy Story is still good.
Cannonball_Jones
2020-02-18 19:50:27 +0000 UTCTom Clancy’s The Division 2, This price is only available from 2/11/2020 08:00 am to 3/3/2020 08:00 am. Says Sony
2020-02-18 19:15:44 +0000 UTCI always enjoy hearing you guys react to snippets of Kingdom Hearts. Now that the franchise has 4 teams working on it hopefully that means there will be plenty of news, and corrections, every year for the rest of your lives.
Kaleb
2020-02-18 19:15:37 +0000 UTCPlease, for the love of God, put timestamps for the interminable weeb section of the podcast. Call it weeb window or something. I can't handle this shit for the rest of the year.
Jake Z
2020-02-18 19:03:27 +0000 UTCYou are an insane man for still playing Dragon Quest XI. I tried a bit of the post game but had no investment in the story to see the true ending. Gonna go back and get the platinum in your honor now. Also the “Bedtime Stories” tidbit comes, word for word, from the wonderful Kotaku review of the game. Even if you don’t like DQXI, the sheer passion Tim Rogers has for the game is enough to make you smile. He’s the only reviewer I paid attention to there
Zack Forney
2020-02-18 18:48:14 +0000 UTCSnowpiercer is boring as fuck. Fell asleep. Okja is cringey and unwatchable. Turned it off. Parasite was fine. Extremely overrated.
Jake Z
2020-02-18 18:38:39 +0000 UTCI would love to see them do a game pass bundle. I think Xbox is going to experiment with a few pricing options as well, as we already know they are going to do the leasing the system at a monthly price with game pass and live included. That's a similar structure to a lot of phone plans when you buy a new phone, so they may see success there. If they are successful there, I don't see Sony having an answer for that.
Alex Bolton
2020-02-18 18:22:58 +0000 UTCI saw a rumor on IGN that the goal was $450 for PS5... Must just be one side leaking out to the press to apply pressure to get the price down. Hopefully they don’t come in at $600 and let down everyone looking for the $450 price tag.
James Galos
2020-02-18 18:19:58 +0000 UTCI laughed out loud walking down the street at "what does Shrek do.." haha 🤣
Marc Cairney
2020-02-18 18:08:35 +0000 UTCYour engagement with the audience in the beginning of the show by reading all those comments and questions is pretty neat-o.
Caleb Greer
2020-02-18 18:04:38 +0000 UTCwow. I think $500, but what you said I could see happening.
B00ch
2020-02-18 17:56:32 +0000 UTCCorona virus has a 2% death rate. Just saying...
GameSimp
2020-02-18 17:54:18 +0000 UTCColin, speaking of attending live events- If you're ever interested in catching some hockey at the nation's capital you should come up and catch a Islanders v. Caps game! Always looking for people to watch hockey with
Jack Sibert
2020-02-18 17:44:30 +0000 UTCThe magical number should be $420 :p … but for real tho, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony undercut Xbox by 50usd, maybe Xbox will include game pass first X month/s for that 500usd.
Philip Andersen
2020-02-18 17:41:33 +0000 UTCThanks for reading my question Colin about when Sony is going to show off the PS5. It would be really interesting if they did the event at the exact same time as E3, that would be a major way to make a statement that E3 isn't needed anymore. But if these consoles are $500 I wonder if showing off your console that late in the year would cause issues with people who would need to save the money to buy one...then again they did reveal the PS4 price at E3 for a November launch. So in short I have no idea what they are doing at this point.
Dick McFarmhouse
2020-02-18 17:35:01 +0000 UTCParasite is undoubtedly better than Joker
desperateLuck
2020-02-18 17:32:37 +0000 UTCPlayStation 5 is gonna be $599, those "must turn a profit" folks are gonna win that internal civil war and Sony is going to repeat history. The PS4's popularity is almost rival that of the PS2, and arrogant Sony might be back in full form here.
Alex Bolton
2020-02-18 17:20:49 +0000 UTCHaven’t been having the best day today. This should definitely help though. Thanks for all your hard work, Colin!
Jason Green
2020-02-18 17:03:15 +0000 UTC
