Is PlayStation The Only “Normal” Console Left? - Beyond 938

About this episode

The episode discusses the current state of console gaming, focusing on Sony's traditional approach amidst evolving definitions of consoles by competitors.

Nintendo merged its handhelds and consoles into one device with the Switch, Microsoft loosened the definition of an Xbox to include mobile devices, smart TVs and PCs, and Valve is about to bring PC gaming into the console space with the Steam Machine. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Project Helix is bridging the gap the other direction, bringing the next-gen Xbox into PC territory instead. In the middle of all this, Sony seems like the only console manufacturer that’s just focused on making consoles the old fashioned way. Will this continue with the PlayStation 6? We’ll have to wait and see. In other news, Sony showed off some upgraded PSSR tech for the PS5 Pro, which subtly improves the graphics of certain games. We’ll happily take that over NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 AI-powered video game makeover technology, which attempts to make games more realistic, but seems to pave over their original appearance. Leon and Grace were already very pretty, this was not necessary. Maybe AI can be used to make that big spider in Resident Evil Requiem less scary? We weigh in on the arachnophobia factor of one of the game’s creepiest crawliest boss fights. It also turns out that theres a Yakuza Live-Action…

Topics covered

• console gaming
• AI in gaming
• PlayStation
• Xbox
• Nintendo Switch
• graphics technology
• video game adaptations

Keywords

• PlayStation
• Xbox
• Nintendo Switch
• AI upscaling
• NVIDIA DLSS
• Steam Machine
• Resident Evil
• Yakuza
• gaming technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sony, Microsoft, IGN

Products: PlayStation 6, PS5 Pro, NVIDIA DLSS 5, Steam Machine

Books & works: Resident Evil Requiem

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