Sony Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered (PC/PS5 | All Hallows' Eve) - $10 upgrade for existing owners

[Kal-El814]

Playstation, shooting itself in the dick every so often just to feel something for 30 years.

[Brick]

Odd number Playstations make Sony arrogant. 

[crispy4000]

Delisting older versions when releasing higher priced remasters is scummy, but let’s not pretend Sony is alone here.  2K and Namco did it as it well with the GTA Trilogy and Dark Souls, with paltry or no upgrade discount.  

 

There’s also Blizzard with the terrible Warcraft 3 remaster.  SquareEnix once released a remaster on consoles and yanked the PC version entirely. (The Last Remnant)

 

I’m sure there’s many more examples, it’s fairly commonplace on PC where backwards compatibility has been taken for granted for so long.

 

I take the most issue with it when the remaster itself shits the bed.  Or nuking the old version’s mod scene before the remaster goes live. 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

1 hour ago, Brick said:

Odd number Playstations make Sony arrogant. 

It doesn’t look like the market is punishing Sony enough this time that they’ll learn from these moments. Sony keeps leaning in where in the PS3/360 era we’d see Xbox get a big bump, it’s not trending that way. So this will continue into the even number Playstations too. 

[nublood]

Again, WHY did they feel this game even needed a remaster?? Just head scratching stuff man. Bloodborne is the only Sony exclusive that makes sense for a remaster at this point.

[SaysWho?]

2 hours ago, Brick said:

Odd number Playstations make Sony arrogant. 

 

Someone wasn't listening to Sony's E3s during the days of the PS2.

[Brick]

16 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

Someone wasn't listening to Sony's E3s during the days of the PS2.

 

No I wasn't because I was Nintendo only back then. 

[Best]

1 hour ago, nublood said:

Again, WHY did they feel this game even needed a remaster?? Just head scratching stuff man. Bloodborne is the only Sony exclusive that makes sense for a remaster at this point.

 

It's how I felt about TLOU 1 Remake too. It's completely unnecessary.  😒 

 

But I'm a sucker and will be upgrading to play this. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, nublood said:

Again, WHY did they feel this game even needed a remaster?? Just head scratching stuff man. Bloodborne is the only Sony exclusive that makes sense for a remaster at this point.

 

Damned if I know.

[Kal-El814]

1 hour ago, nublood said:

Again, WHY did they feel this game even needed a remaster?? Just head scratching stuff man. Bloodborne is the only Sony exclusive that makes sense for a remaster at this point.

 

I'm sure someone had a spreadsheet somewhere that shows how much revenue remasters tend to pull in and however much this cost was lower than that to the point that it's worthwhile.

[Brick]

This game gets a remaster, but I'm sitting here still waiting on Nintendo to announced Metroid Prime 2 and 3 getting the same remaster treatment the first game got, especially after the success of the remaster last year. Come on! 

[SaysWho?]

1 hour ago, Brick said:

 

No I wasn't because I was Nintendo only back then. 

They declared the console wars over mid gen. They were cocky during the ps2 days.

[AbsolutSurgen]

This game is a 4 year old game, and is still available for cheap on key resellers. 
 

The fact that they are increasing the price for a remaster is not strange. If you want the old version, it’s been available for 4 years, and I’ve seen it as cheap as $10. It’s not that much more on CDKEYS right now. 
 

Very few companies offer their remasters for as little as $10 for anyone that has bought the game before. 
 

Don’t like their new price?  Just buy it on CDKeys and upgrade. What other publishers offer remakes for a $10 upgrade?

[Keyser_Soze]

6 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

Delisting older versions when releasing higher priced remasters is scummy, but let’s not pretend Sony is alone here. Namco did it as it well with the Dark Souls, with paltry or no upgrade discount.

 

That's not true. If you had Prepare to Die Edition you got the Remaster for half price

 

DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED - Dark Souls: Remastered has arrived - Steam News

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

---

We meet again, Chosen among the Undead. Today marks the start of a new age for Dark Souls. As with every age, there are those who greet it with reservation, and those who greet it with joy. Whichever you may be, you are well-met at our bonfire. Dark Souls: Remastered allows you to return to an ancient world sinking inexorably into darkness as the Age of Fire dies. The same gameplay and challenge that defined a...

 

Quote

Those who have been adherents to the flame since days of yore and own the Prepare to Die edition of Dark Souls can upgrade to this new version at half the standard price, as a token of our thanks for your support.

 

Also, I would say it's a bit less scummy to delist it because the original version had some issues thanks to the GWFL implementation that was later stripped but it was always kind of a bad version of the game.

 

Compared to this game which is a game that works fine but you pay $10 to log into PSN.

 

As for saying 2K is scummy well yeah, water is wet.

[crispy4000]

8 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

That's not true. If you had Prepare to Die Edition you got the Remaster for half price

 

DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED - Dark Souls: Remastered has arrived - Steam News

STORE.STEAMPOWERED.COM

---

We meet again, Chosen among the Undead. Today marks the start of a new age for Dark Souls. As with every age, there are those who greet it with reservation, and those who greet it with joy. Whichever you may be, you are well-met at our...

 

 

Also, I would say it's a bit less scummy to delist it because the original version had some issues thanks to the GWFL implementation that was later stripped but it was always kind of a bad version of the game.

 

Compared to this game which is a game that works fine but you pay $10 to log into PSN.

 

As for saying 2K is scummy well yeah, water is wet.

You’re right about the Dark Souls discount, I think my opinions were colored by how high Namco keeps the base prices for the series all these years later.  I remember there being some contentious changes vs vanilla Dark Souls with mods, but that’s not uncommon in the PC space either.

The Horizon remaster looks like a lot more work, visually, than the Dark Souls remaster though.  Nothing scummy about the $10 upgrade for it, even if PSN is attached at the hip for it.  PC gamers should be used to it with Ubisoft, EA, etc.  The larger issue with it is the region locking.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

19 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 PC gamers should be used to it

 

How about no and half of them fuck the game up.

 

It sure was nice when I could play an Xcom game on steam. They implemented some 2K launcher and the game would never work.

[crispy4000]

Just now, Keyser_Soze said:

 

How about no and half of them fuck the game up.

 

It sure was nice when I could play an Xcom game on steam. They implemented some 2K launcher and the game would never work.

It’s not 50/50, not even close.  Even less so with modders stripping out server checks.

 

Which Xcom game can’t you play or mod to play?  Honestly curious.

 

 

[Keyser_Soze]

I tried to play Chimera Squad and it wouldn't work.

 

I won't install EGS because last time I had it installed any game with EAC wouldn't work, (this happened with Scavengers and Elden Ring - And these were games on steam that wouldn't run just because EGS was installed on the computer) so I just keep it off my computer now.

[AbsolutSurgen]

2 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

It’s not 50/50, not even close.  Even less so with modders stripping out server checks.

 

The only place I have ever had issues is with Steam Deck. They’re really a nonissue on Windows. 

[Paperclyp]

As someone who purchased the remaster for full price I actually don't mind Sony raising the price of the original game. Like, I had every chance for years to play this game for cheap or even free. They did whatever work they did to upgrade this game. Anyone who had a shred of interest in the game likely has it by now, aside from a few weirdo outliers like myself. 

 

Like, it just feels a bit like manufactured anger (again only on that specific bit of this story - the raising of the original's price). As if there were a reasonable bunch of people holding out for a PS5 remaster feeling duped or something. 

[Kal-El814]

3 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

As someone who purchased the remaster for full price I actually don't mind Sony raising the price of the original game. Like, I had every chance for years to play this game for cheap or even free. They did whatever work they did to upgrade this game. Anyone who had a shred of interest in the game likely has it by now, aside from a few weirdo outliers like myself. 

 

Like, it just feels a bit like manufactured anger (again only on that specific bit of this story - the raising of the original's price). As if there were a reasonable bunch of people holding out for a PS5 remaster feeling duped or something. 

 

As someone who broadly cares about the history of video games I think it's lousy that original versions of games can become lost, especially on a platform like the PC where the only reason they're not available for purchase is because the publisher wants to sell the new version.

 

I of course appreciate that "original versions" is doing an absolute shitload of heavy lifting in that it's not like every version is always available, online services means that some games will inevitably die, etc. I'm mainly talking vibes.  

[AbsolutSurgen]

The old version isn’t going away, its just not being sold anymore. 

[Paperclyp]

17 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

As someone who broadly cares about the history of video games I think it's lousy that original versions of games can become lost, especially on a platform like the PC where the only reason they're not available for purchase is because the publisher wants to sell the new version.

 

I of course appreciate that "original versions" is doing an absolute shitload of heavy lifting in that it's not like every version is always available, online services means that some games will inevitably die, etc. I'm mainly talking vibes.  

 

I totally agree, I'm just trying to isolate it to the raising of the OG's price. It kind of got lost in the shuffle due to the other stuff they did. 

 

I also do not give a shit about the PSN requirement either, which seems to be the end of the world to a lot of people. 

[Kal-El814]

5 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

I also do not give a shit about the PSN requirement either, which seems to be the end of the world to a lot of people. 

 

There are many parts of the world where you just can't make an account and the justification for it is pretty fucking lousy, so Sony should be relentlessly dragged for it.

[Spork3245]

If the PSN requirement, at the least, added cross save support if you have a PS+ account then there would be at least some justification. As it stands, it’s just a stupid thing to have.

[Paperclyp]

28 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

There are many parts of the world where you just can't make an account and the justification for it is pretty fucking lousy, so Sony should be relentlessly dragged for it.

That’s valid. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

If you happen to live in Chad or the Sudan, and are the kind of person who wants to buy H:ZD on Steam. You probably already have a VPN (for streaming services) which makes getting an out of country PSN account trivial. (Or an out of country Steam account.)

[crispy4000]

2 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

As someone who purchased the remaster for full price I actually don't mind Sony raising the price of the original game. Like, I had every chance for years to play this game for cheap or even free. They did whatever work they did to upgrade this game. Anyone who had a shred of interest in the game likely has it by now, aside from a few weirdo outliers like myself. 

 

Like, it just feels a bit like manufactured anger (again only on that specific bit of this story - the raising of the original's price). As if there were a reasonable bunch of people holding out for a PS5 remaster feeling duped or something. 

 

This also highlights why physical copies / keystores, basically any form of alternative storefronts, are important.  You can still shop around if you don't like the official direction Sony is taking.

[Kal-El814]

3 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

If you happen to live in Chad or the Sudan, and are the kind of person who wants to buy H:ZD on Steam. You probably already have a VPN (for streaming services) which makes getting an out of country PSN account trivial. (Or an out of country Steam account.)

 

It's still fucking dumb. There's a more compelling case for bullshit DRM than there is for a mandated PSN connection that serves no purpose beyond quarterly financial slides someone can point to showing that the number of PSN accounts went up.

[crispy4000]

2 hours ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

It's still fucking dumb. There's a more compelling case for bullshit DRM than there is for a mandated PSN connection that serves no purpose beyond quarterly financial slides someone can point to showing that the number of PSN accounts went up.

 

It's all in prep for the eventual launcher of their own.  Being on PC now, they'll want their own platform there to capitalize on.

 

No one likes it, but that's the reason.

[Xbob42]

18 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

It's all in prep for the eventual launcher of their own.  Being on PC now, they'll want their own platform there to capitalize on.

 

No one likes it, but that's the reason.

That would be a tremendously stupid reason, as multiple companies who spent years trying to get people to give a shit about their launchers have pretty much given up on them, or have them just launch in addition to Steam. Because no one gives a shit about your proprietary launcher. People open Steam when they boot their computers, I'd say the vast majority only boot EGS, Origin, Ubisoft Connect, hell, even the Xbox App, when they want to play a specific game.

That kind of lack of highly engaged consumer interaction means all these launchers just fail to draw anywhere near the sales numbers compared to when they just launch on Steam outright... which is why at best they'll give themselves a few months of early adopter suckers buying a Ubisoft version before just putting it on Steam anyway. And even that's starting to disappear.

 

If you're right, then I wager Sony's plan is likely to move up the timeline of PC releases by a huge margin in order to sell PC versions much closer to day and date... if you get the Sony launcher version. And then a Steam version later on. And if the trend holds, eventually back to mostly just Steam releases because it's all just so much extra work and loss of consumer goodwill so you can get a fraction of the sales at a 100% instead of 70% cut. But then you're laying expensive groundwork, having separate support networks, having to troubleshoot what might seem like it should be one version of a game but often each version has its own unique problems, dealing with payment processors directly, getting your database hacked (this is Sony after all) and so much more. And I'd question if it was all worth it, but I think years of evidence show that no, it really isn't. Chasing that mythical extra 30% (if you ignore all the extra costs) just seems like a ton of wasted time and effort.

And on top of that, if your games do over $50 million, which Sony games are the most likely to do, they get the Steam cut reduced to 20%, eating even further into potential gains! 

 

But people gotta chase what they gotta chase.

 

[crispy4000]

27 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

That would be a tremendously stupid reason, as multiple companies who spent years trying to get people to give a shit about their launchers have pretty much given up on them, or have them just launch in addition to Steam. Because no one gives a shit about your proprietary launcher. People open Steam when they boot their computers, I'd say the vast majority only boot EGS, Origin, Ubisoft Connect, hell, even the Xbox App, when they want to play a specific game.

That kind of lack of highly engaged consumer interaction means all these launchers just fail to draw anywhere near the sales numbers compared to when they just launch on Steam outright... which is why at best they'll give themselves a few months of early adopter suckers buying a Ubisoft version before just putting it on Steam anyway. And even that's starting to disappear.

 

If you're right, then I wager Sony's plan is likely to move up the timeline of PC releases by a huge margin in order to sell PC versions much closer to day and date... if you get the Sony launcher version. And then a Steam version later on. And if the trend holds, eventually back to mostly just Steam releases because it's all just so much extra work and loss of consumer goodwill so you can get a fraction of the sales at a 100% instead of 70% cut. But then you're laying expensive groundwork, having separate support networks, having to troubleshoot what might seem like it should be one version of a game but often each version has its own unique problems, dealing with payment processors directly, getting your database hacked (this is Sony after all) and so much more. And I'd question if it was all worth it, but I think years of evidence show that no, it really isn't. Chasing that mythical extra 30% (if you ignore all the extra costs) just seems like a ton of wasted time and effort.

And on top of that, if your games do over $50 million, which Sony games are the most likely to do, they get the Steam cut reduced to 20%, eating even further into potential gains! 

 

But people gotta chase what they gotta chase.

 

I don't think chasing that extra 30% is largely the point in Sony's case.  It's the fear that someday, consoles could become less relevant and they'll need more eggs in more baskets. 

I don't think they'll focus on being a Steam competitor per say, but are probably wondering how they get a subscription model working for them off console.

 

 

[Xbob42]

Arrogant Sony? Thinking that far ahead? When their console is selling quite well? I'm... not so sure I agree, although diversifying your portfolio is always a good plan!

[crispy4000]

7 hours ago, Xbob42 said:

Arrogant Sony? Thinking that far ahead? When their console is selling quite well? I'm... not so sure I agree, although diversifying your portfolio is always a good plan!

 

All the console manufactures are thinking this way to some degree.  It's why we're seeing such a big multimedia push, to drum up interest in their properties outside of their typical audiences.  It's why Sony is scrambling to find a place in the live service category.  They all want to maintain cultural relevancy.

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 hour ago, crispy4000 said:

 

All the console manufactures are thinking this way to some degree.  It's why we're seeing such a big multimedia push, to drum up interest in their properties outside of their typical audiences.  It's why Sony is scrambling to find a place in the live service category.  They all want to maintain cultural relevancy.

It's not just console manufacturers.  It's most big game publishers. 

 

A big part of the market right now is live service games that last for years, and many of those don't need Steam.