Readers have criticised Sony's latest State of Play showcase as "lazy", "boring" and "pointless", with some questioning the company's commitment to marketing the PlayStation 5. The criticism comes as Microsoft faces speculation about selling the Starcraft IP and announces new streaming limits for Game Pass.
State of Play Underwhelms
One reader, using the name Focus Expert, described the event as a "complete non-event", struggling to recall what was shown apart from GTA 6 controllers and another Wolverine trailer. They also questioned the logic of having an 'Asian' State of Play straight after the Western one, noting the Asian show contained Western games and vice versa.
Another reader, Golash, echoed these sentiments, saying the shows "underdelivered" and that Sony's admission it doesn't have to market the PlayStation 5 anymore is "proof" of this. They added that the showing was "like anti-excitement", making them consider buying a gaming PC instead.
Game Pass Streaming Limits Confirmed
A reader named David asked about reports that Game Pass is introducing play limits on cloud gaming, which are said to be coming in November. GameCentral confirmed the reports, stating the limitations are 15 hours on Ultimate, 10 hours for Premium, and five hours for Essential.
Microsoft says this will impact only 4% of Game Pass subscribers, implying 96% of people don't play streaming games for that long. However, GameCentral questioned why Microsoft bothered to introduce the limits if so few people are exceeding them.
Microsoft Selling Starcraft?
Reader Zeiss commented on rumours that Microsoft is selling Starcraft to Nexon, noting the franchise is "really big in South Korea". They wondered who else Microsoft might sell off, suggesting Perfect Dark as an obvious candidate, and possibly Fable if the new one doesn't perform well.
Zeiss added that Halo, Gears Of War and Forza are the core of Xbox now and probably aren't going anywhere, but suggested Nintendo might be interested in buying Killer Instinct, which used to belong to them.
Tomb Raider Developer Change Suggested
Reader Limpton agreed that the sensible decision for reviving Tomb Raider would have been changing the developer. They suggested someone like PlatinumGames, who would emphasise Lara's athleticism and take the game away from its "boring stealth" gameplay.
Limpton drew a comparison to film franchises like James Bond or Mission: Impossible, where directors don't stay on for more than two or three films, saying this approach would be "for the best" for the game series.
