PlayStation 4 Released 294
Today marks the launch of the latest entrant to the next-gen console race: Sony's PlayStation 4. A number of reviews for the system have already gone up, but many outlets are waiting for next Friday's Xbox One launch before passing final judgment. With regard to the PS4's hardware and UI, Digital Foundry praises the DualShock 4 controller design and the improvements to background downloading, while worrying about fan noise in warmer environments. iFixit provides a step-by-step teardown of the device, giving it an 8/10 repairability score. Ars has many good things to say, but many bad things as well: "The PlayStation 4 has an excellent controller, decently powerful hardware, some intriguing, well-executed new features, and an interface that shows belated acknowledgment of some of Sony's most user-unfriendly past designs. It also has a lot of features that are half-assed, missing, or downright bewildering at this point." Polygon's review is more visually oriented, filled with pictures, videos, and drawings. They conclude, "[T]he PlayStation 4's focus on gaming — and only gaming — is undermined by a distinct lack of compelling software. That failing is sure to improve — better games and more of them will appear on the PlayStation 4 — but right now, this is a game console without a game to recommend it." Eurogamer's coverage includes has a round-up of launch title reviews and gameplay videos. IGN has coverage of the roughly 0.4% of PS4s that arrive broken out of the box, and Kotaku explains how they fixed theirs.
No media (Score:5, Insightful)
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I used my ps3 for media as well as occasional gaming. PS4 lack of streaming media support that does not originate from Sony's pay sites is a real minus for me.
I'm the same way, and with the Black Friday deals around the corner I can get an extra 1 or 2 cheap.
Re:No media (Score:5, Insightful)
For now.
One of the greatest things about the Xbox One and PS4 is they're keeping Microsoft and Sony honest. When Microsoft announced the draconian DRM scheme, Sony countered, causing Microsoft to completely rethink their DRM position. Of course, Sony did a few more thins to keep Microsoft on its toes.
And now, the day AFTER Sony gave out its big FAQ, Microsoft announced the Xbox One will support MP3s and DLNA. Which caused Sony to announce it was coming in a future update now. Heck, the whole "voice control" think was hastily implemented by Sony to counter the Xbone's Kinect, which is why it's a bit hokey on release.
PS4 fanboys can mock the Xbone, while Xbox fanboys can mock the PS4 all they want, and analystics can say "Sony wins", but in the end, it's better that we have the Xbone with the PS4 than either/or.
Sony can't revert to draconian DRM because they promised not to (and the Xbone can't, either).
Regardless of which console is "better" (remember, the PS3 outclasses the Xbox360) technically, the best thing is both do well enough that neither decides to leave, and that Nintendo remains as a spoiler.
Heck, if you want to remember what happened when Sony last thought it had the upper hand on everyone, see the news in the months leading up to the launch of the PS3. Now that Sony's a bit more humbled from that, hopefully things will be more interesting. Microsoft got a bit arrogant during the 360 era, so hopefully they'll be smacked down a bit and have to actually compete. But not too much - just enough to keep Microsoft from thinking it can get away with anything.
And hell, you have Apple to thank for screwing up the whole business model as well - Apple's approval process is really a very "lite" version of how one develops on consoles and it's forced Sony and Microsoft to rethink how they do development.
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Re:No media (Score:5, Insightful)
At least with the ps4 released, I can snap up used PS3 for media consoles in the bedrooms now.
This is the main reason of why I'll buy Xbox One over the PS4.
There is no way I'm putting an Xbox One in my bedroom.
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So I assume you also don't allow your cell phone in your bedroom.
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There is no way I'm putting an Xbox One in my bedroom.
Don't worry; it's so huge, you won't be able to fit it in there anyway.
Why is it broken out of the box? (Score:3, Insightful)
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You don't. You can download the update from a location of your choosing and install it via USB. You can also call a freephone number and Sony will post you the update on disc so you don't need the internet at all.
The lack of Blu-Ray playback out of the box is to reduce the cost of the unit by only paying licensing costs for users who actually use it rather than having to pay for blanket licensing.
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Nah. First, I don't think sony has to pay any fees for blu-ray, and even if they did, they hit the cap on the fees anyhow, so any "extra" is free. They just want to sell you more stuff.
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I'm pretty sure you can get them to mail you a disk which will activate those features.
I do agree it's silly that they need to be activated, but it is a one time thing and there is a workaround for requiring an internet connection.
Re:Why is it broken out of the box? (Score:5, Informative)
"If you cannot even afford a basic Internet connection of around 1~5 Mbps then you probably can't afford a PS4 either."
Spoken like a complete fucktard that has never been to Brazil.
Or any place where electronics and such are taxed so heavily that in many places the only entertainment you have is an internet connection through your shitty cell phone.
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brazil? the country where an xbox one or ps3 costs 1100+ dollars due to penalizing import taxes?
yeah I think if they can afford that they can afford to have internet which isn't penalized. or if they fucking don't then they should choose that and a sega mastersystem clone over the console.
(shitty cellphones tend to have wifi ap functionality nowadays too).
a required system update on startup is just their way of battling modding this time around, really.
Re:Why is it broken out of the box? (Score:5, Informative)
Who said anything about "afford"? Not everywhere has good internet. Internet connectivity is not necessarily portable. Game consoles are.
And you don't even have to go to the third world. I was working out on remote mine sites for a few years. I was on 100-150k/yr (low paying IT job compared to what many others would get on a site). Really poor, or in some cases, no internet connectivity in my room. Which means entertainment is either reading a book, watching TV (barf), drinking beer or gaming.
Money isn't necessarily the problem, if internet is simply not available.
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Because of the import tax, it's cheaper for some to fly to the US, buy a device and fly back. I say just spend a night in a local hotel and use their Internet (or an open WiFi) to update the device!
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Re:Why is it broken out of the box? (Score:4, Insightful)
The Military is full of young men....game consoles are VERY popular in the military. From what I've read, bases tend to have reasonable connections...ships less so.
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If you think an Internet connection is "not worth it" then it's a choice.
If you cannot even afford a basic Internet connection of around 1~5 Mbps then you probably can't afford a PS4 either.
I'm getting ready to spend the weekend in a fairly remote part of my state.
There's electricity and running water, sure, but to get internet access out to where we'll be it would cost the residents somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 - $40,000, because there isn't any broadband infrastructure within several miles.
Sounds pretty damn "not worth it" to me, and it's not like a farmer who owns 250+ acres is broke.
Sigh... city kids.
Side note: the juxtaposition of your comment with your sig is wonderfully iron
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Cell phone? Satellite? Both of those work.
If I had to work on a farm, I'd drop the $20-$40k and run fiber to my house, but that's me.
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That said, there are always options. You can use dial up, you can use Internet Connection Sharing on Windows (or NAT on Linux) and an ethernet cable (crossover is better, but generally not necessary anymore) to hook up the PS4. A 300MB download will only take ~15 hours on a 56K modem, which is bad but you can leave it running overnight and into the morning. There is also Satellite Internet (a much too expensive option if all you care about is 1 300MB download thou
We all agreed upon buying SteamBoxes (Score:4, Funny)
I thought we all agreed on the SteamBox so we can play games together!
Plus in SteamBox doesn't need "other OS" feature as it already is the other OS.
Download firmware in advance! (Score:5, Informative)
There is a mandatory day-one firmware update, which is just north of 300 MB. If you have an internet connection and a USB drive (aka, if you are reading this) go to PSN [playstation.com] to pre-download.
Not again (Score:2, Funny)
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Can't we get an article for Playstation that does not refer to Xbox or vice versa?
Nintendo fan, I'm guessing.
That's okay, we've got a new entrant in the market we can all talk about instead! [theonion.com]
Oh... (Score:5, Funny)
This is why BestBuy was a total nerdocalypse at midnight when I drove by it last night.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not? Is it not okay to hold a grudge for perceived betrayal? That's pretty much #1 on good reasons to hold a grudge.
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fine, have your grudge (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree that those things Sony did are 100% bullshit. Me personally, I was most disappointed by their insistence upon using a proprietary memory stick [wikipedia.org] that only worked on Sony devices.
fine...
but /. threads are going to be intolerable if we don't talk about **the alternative** while we bash Sony's dumb design choices...
**MICROSOFT ALSO SUCKS ASS**
if any random /.'er wants to vent about how 'Sony still sucks' I say fine, but let's not pretend we're having a productive discussion about which Next Gen system is better or will be more successful, or which one gamers should buy...
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:2, Troll)
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Please look up the bathtub model of hardware failure - most failures will happen right at the beginning of a product's lifespan, or after a period of time where failure rates are very low.
On the other hand 0.4% failure on the first day doesn't look great. 0.4% failure in the first month is good. 0.4% failure in the first year is excellent.
It looks like a dodgy HDMI connector is a common issue.
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Is it not okay to hold a grudge for perceived betrayal?
Methinks you're being overly defensive. I don't think the GP is telling you to drop your grudge. That's your freedom. Other people however have moved on, and they're also free to be tired of hearing you grumble about your lawn.
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I was being defensive, but not for my own sake. I've totally given up on next-gen consoles for unrelated reasons, but I found no reason to summarily dismiss the objections of the OP.
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Conditions under which I might move on (Score:4, Informative)
Other people however have moved on
I have moved on, from Sony products that is. I'll consider moving back under either of two conditions: A. SCE reverses the decision and embraces hobbyist development of apps and games for PlayStation 4, or B. those in charge of SCE's decision are no longer with SCE. But incidentally, after Microsoft initially announced that only disc game publishers could publish download games for Xbox One [slashdot.org], SCE publicly announced one step toward A, allowing indies to self-publish on PlayStation Store [slashdot.org] in much the same way as on mobile app stores, and got Microsoft to reverse this [slashdot.org].
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Why not? Is it not okay to hold a grudge for perceived betrayal? That's pretty much #1 on good reasons to hold a grudge.
Theoretically it is okay, but in this case a PlayStation running Linux is just not that important battle to fight. It is primarily a gaming console (and a media player) and it had bad hardware support under Linux anyway.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
Also in practice.
You should know by now that it's not about running Linux on a Playstation at all. It's about a company deliberately removing functionality from a product they sold you. That's never okay, even theoretically. The fact that the feature did not enjoy widespread popularity does not justify it.
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I'm one of the people who is still mad about the OtherOS removal. Yes, I'm aware that due to how the PS3 hypervisor limits the system that running Linux on a PS3 is comparable to running it on a Raspberry Pi. Heck, you've got more usable RAM on the current Pi than on the PS3. That's not the point.
The end result of the SCEA v. Hotz fiasco is that once the warranty period is up, Sony can do whatever the hell they want to your console. Any feature is fair game. Sony could legally push an update that turns
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:2)
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This again for me. I will never buy Sony Products again. They aren't the only company out there that makes mistakes, but the track record speaks volumes of why I won't do anything Sony.
Just some of the things at the top of the list:
Rootkits part of game installations
PSN Got hacked and didn't immediately disclose the accounts that got hacked, and tried to cover up the extent of it.
and yes - removing functionality from the PS3 (OtherOS) against customer wishes
Granted - Microsoft isn't exactly high on my lis
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Rootkits part of game installations
The rootkit fiasco was about Sony BMG music discs [eff.org] installing rootkits when you tried to play them on a computer and had nothing to do with games.
I say music discs because said discs lost the right to be called CDs and have the CD Audio logo due to intervention by Philips.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Informative)
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Maybe so, but thats not terribly relevant to this console, which never came with that feature to begin with.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
It is typical of their behaviour though. Basically it shows that you can't trust any feature they advertise to remain.
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If you're going to hate Sony, the rootkit from their music division is a much better justification.
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That's not entirely true. 3D BluRay is not supported at launch. I know not many tears will be shed over that with most people, but it's yet another thing in a long line of things (along the same lines: no audio CD support, no mp3 file playback) that inspire head-scratching.
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Personally I'm waiting until I finish my current games before thinking about a new console. I'm just not excited about this console generation, which already has inferior graphics to a PC on release day.
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:2)
It is a bit insensitive to dismiss that and hold up rootkits as the biggest complaint, given that in any other use than gaming, the rootki
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Of course, one other solution is to sell cheaper packages without game controllers or cables.
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I've got better machines to run Linux on
Really? for $400? kewl.
But is it by the TV? (Score:2)
AMD Jaguar: Do the math (Score:2)
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Funny)
After removing the "Other OS" feature in the Playstation 3, which enabled running Linux, I'm no longer interested in your devices.
well you should be happy then that they're this time releasing it with zero features they can drop and instead are to gradually insert them..
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Informative)
After removing the "Other OS" feature in the Playstation 3, which enabled running Linux, I'm no longer interested in your devices.
well you should be happy then that they're this time releasing it with zero features they can drop and instead are to gradually insert them..
You don't know how true this is. Bluray and DVD movie playback don't work out of the box, you need a Day 1 patch...
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well you should be happy then that they're this time releasing it with zero features they can drop and instead are to gradually insert them..
Given Sony's history, I'm pretty sure something will be gradually inserted some place.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Informative)
^ My sentiment exactly.
Sony has repeatedly engaged in anti-consumer activity, so I see no reason to support them. I own all the last gen consoles, but I've had it with MS and Sony (and Nintendo's showing this round is not really compelling, IMHO).
I'm going to hold out for a really powerful Steam machine for the living room. Valve seems like a friendlier company, and most of us here probably already own over a hundred titles via Steam.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:4, Interesting)
If Linux gaming gains traction due to the Steam Machine, and I hope it does, a powerful one would become useful at that time. One you buy now will be out of date and worth much less than you paid by the time it's actually useful.
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Nintendo's showing this round is not really compelling
Depends on your tastes. Sit down with some friends and play a round of Nintendo Land sometime, then form an opinion. Just because a game looks like a lot of fun doesn't mean that it isn't worth playing. :)
Online pickup games with strangers (Score:2)
Sit down with some friends
If certain Slashdot users are to be believed, a lot of gamers choose Sony or Microsoft consoles because their friends live hundreds of km or miles away. They can't even arrange schedules for an online friend match let alone an in-person match. So instead, they choose platforms with robust support for online pickup games with strangers, and this rules out Nintendo with its friend codes.
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Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:4, Interesting)
I also so far never had problem with Steam DRM and that's why I am OK with it.
And if/when Valve go bust or turn evil? (I'm aware Gabe said that if Valve go bust they'll unlock the Steam DRM. I don't believe it for a second - I doubt they're even legally in a position to make that call for other companies' games.)
I use Steam too, and yes it works fine now, but that's not to say that by going with Steam you've escaped all the downsides of DRM. They still hold the keys to your gaming locker.
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Liar liar pants on fire. You never used it. If you had, you'd know it was totally unusable as a Linux machine.
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I wish people would stop using this analogy because it's completely wrong. The truth is the analogy is more like chevy coming out with a new model Corvette and offered their customers a free upgrade, but sadly the new model doesn't have cigarette lighter. Had Sony just named the Post Other OS PlayStation the PS4 they would not be dealing with this issue. It goes like this.
Sony Releases a new console, Lets call this new console the PS3.5. It was nearly identical to the PS3 accept that it could play new ga
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:3)
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
That plus their network being horribly hacked, plus the root kits they used to do on their CD's, plus every other horrible thing sony has done is enough reason to never buy anything with a sony label.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, I was a Xbox fanboy for the previous two generations. But I'm heavily leaning toward the PS4 this time. With the exception of not including a IR input (damn you blutooth-only remote!!) Sony seems to be making all the right moves this time, and MS seems to be making all the wrong ones.
Sony is $100 cheaper, has better hardware muscle for games (allowing for higher resolution and framerates), has a nice new controller, has that GREAT new "Share" feature, and is focused heavily on the games.
MS has an annoying overlay for my cable box which I will never use (an IR blaster, seriously??), still requires a $60/year Live membership to access even basic stuff like Netflix and Hulu (no thanks, MS, my Roku lets me do it for free and it's quieter and has a better interface), a mandatory always-on camera and mic that creeps me the fuck out, and seems to treat gaming as an afterthought. Plus I've gotten more and more annoyed by their add-heavy interface in recent years.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
I bought both the previous Xboxen myself, and I just stopped caring once the homepage advertisements crossed my threshold for tolerance. I am not your damned captive audience.
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Interesting)
That was the point at which I decided that the internet connection wasn't benefiting me, but them. I just disconnected it from the network.
My XBox 360 is happily still working without an internet connection. But from the sounds of it both new consoles are still mostly going to demand an always-on connection (and if they're not at launch, they will I assume).
I'm more likely to buy a spare 360 at this point that consider either of the newer offerings from Sony or Microsoft.
I have no desire to play on-line, give these guys a marketing channel, or provide them with my usage data and a camera in my living room. If game consoles stop being something you can run completely off-line, well, I'll stop having game consoles.
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But the growing dependence of the XBox on paying a recurring subscription fee really does bother me. I don't enjoy online ga
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:2)
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Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Insightful)
> If it keeps the fuckwits off the service then maybe its not such a bad thing?
I take it you've never been on XBox Live... I know you said you've been a PlayStation person all these years, but if you've ever been over at a friend's house while they are on a multiplayer game, it can be quite horrific.
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After removing the "Other OS" feature in the Playstation 3...
There are so many [wikipedia.org] better [wikipedia.org] grudges [wikipedia.org] to hold against Sony, I feel like you just phoned this one in and went back to sleep.
Re:Not this time, **Microsoft** (Score:2)
FTFY...
or not...you see, both competing systems are made by large companies who **screw the consumer over** as a matter of bussiness development.
Microsoft & Sony both bottleneck features to squeeze profit from basic computing functions.
But that doesn't mean one isn't better for you...
Re:Not this time, Sony (Score:5, Informative)
Re: Not this time, Sony (Score:2)
Hobbyists make games for Linux (Score:2)
Are there games for linux?
Yes, and a lot of them are developed by hobbyists. Every homebrew game for a classic console is a game for Linux. I've written several NES games myself. And every game written in Pygame, the Python wrapper around SDL, is a game for Linux as long as it doesn't use any platform-specific services. I'm working on a couple of those as well. Every game made for OUYA runs on Android, which is a user space that runs on Linux.
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Why cant we get both loosing?
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Why cant we get both loosing?
They have been loosed upon us.
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you think sony is any BETTER than MS when it comes to farking over the end-user?
what the HELL??
you must be adicted to video games. that is the only reason you'd support sony. the majority of us have shunned this company due to all their collective bad behavior (too many items to list here; search on why people boycott sony).
MS is evil but sony is much much worse!
don't forget, sony is a media company and so, by definition, they start out with a balance of evil, numerically greater than zero.
Re:I want Sony to win only so that Microsoft loses (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't think you should speak for "the majority of us." My impression is it's a vocal minority upset over things most of Slashdot doesn't particularly care about - they got rid of the Linux OS nobody was actually using, and they purchased BMG right after BMG added anti-piracy rootkits to CDs, 10 years ago.
I don't think PS4 will fuck over the user. Sony sells it as a game device and it seems to do just that.
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I'm sorry, but I have seen nothing in the history of Sony and their behavior to believe you'll see anything different from Sony on this front.
Sony is a HUGE content provider, and is absolutely going to want to monetize everything they can. They're going to be trying very hard to lock you in, get you buying stuff from them, ensuring their DRM is enforced, and genera
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Re: Good console but no games (Score:4, Interesting)
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Well, if you put it that way there is zero reason to ever buy a console during initial release.
Well yeah, you always buy a 2 year old car that someone returned from a lease...
I'll be buying an Xbox One. I'm looking forward to the convergence of living room entertainment and social features. Should be fun. I want to get in on it early, and $700.
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Routers have to be the worst offenders when it comes to this.
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If any of you are considering purchasing the console, do ponder for a moment that you're supporting a company that's actively user hostile.
Which console are you talking about ;-)
btw, the biggest selling consoles of all time are made and sold in China.
All consoles are hostile to game mods (Score:3)
Which console are you talking about ;-)
All the dedicated consoles have been historically hostile to users who want to use or contribute to game mods. The only console not intentionally hostile to game modders is a living room PC. True, fewer than 50 percent of gamers install user-made mods, but it might not be a minority if consoles supported mods.
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