Maybe it's time to move on

[ScotchYeti]

After the mess with the licenses and the sudden rush to buy tables before they are gone, it's easy to forget that there is also another option: say good bye and move on.

As you know I wanted to buy the tables for the PS4 but what happens when the PS5 comes out? Will FS allow a transfer of the tables? The only longterm option with high-end gfx seems to be Steam but unless I kick the kids out I don't have the space for a proper setup.

Sometimes I also wonder if this isn't just a dirty trick. A good cashflow must have come FS's way and making sth. scarce is one of THE marketing tools. We will see in case they are "allowed" to sell the tables again in 2 years.

So maybe it's time to sing a parting song and walk away... There are more important things out there.

ScotchYeti

 

[steven120566]

After the mess with the licenses and the sudden rush to buy tables before they are gone, it's easy to forget that there is also another option: say good bye and move on.

As you know I wanted to buy the tables for the PS4 but what happens when the PS5 comes out? Will FS allow a transfer of the tables? The only longterm option with high-end gfx seems to be Steam but unless I kick the kids out I don't have the space for a proper setup.

Sometimes I also wonder if this isn't just a dirty trick. A good cashflow must have come FS's way and making sth. scarce is one of THE marketing tools. We will see in case they are "allowed" to sell the tables again in 2 years.

So maybe it's time to sing a parting song and walk away... There are more important things out there.

ScotchYeti

I have been there with the consoles. I am currently on xbox one, because after buying many on Steam, that platform is not currently viable for me. I own through season 4 and will likely acquire more TPA to be sure, paying a second time in many cases for some tables.

I think PS5 and the next itteration of the xbox will not abandon older games, and be more like a PC ecosystem. I did read somewhere that Microsoft is truly going in that type of direction with future xbox editions. To be more PC like in regards to games, and not just abandon older software. Not sure what Sony will do.

I also think it is getting easier to build a TV/entertainment system around a PC but that is beyond most people. Nonetheless, you are correct about the aggrivation of being a TPA fan and a console player. The solution for us is to hope the console makers can move past their practice of abandoning older software every time a new hardware platform gets developed, and become more PC like. If they cannot do this, I will probably stick with TPA and somehow work a PC into my "traditional" entertainment room and have to abandon consoles.

 

[Worf]

Microsoft will likely keep backwards compatibility - they added it as a feature to the Xbox One, and I think they even are adding support for the original Xbox as well. I see this as something they're keeping going into the future.

Sony is likely to keep doing what they're doing - if the PS5 is a departure, then you'll have PSNow.

 

[Blkthorne]

After the mess with the licenses and the sudden rush to buy tables before they are gone, it's easy to forget that there is also another option: say good bye and move on.

As you know I wanted to buy the tables for the PS4 but what happens when the PS5 comes out? Will FS allow a transfer of the tables? The only longterm option with high-end gfx seems to be Steam but unless I kick the kids out I don't have the space for a proper setup.

Sometimes I also wonder if this isn't just a dirty trick. A good cashflow must have come FS's way and making sth. scarce is one of THE marketing tools. We will see in case they are "allowed" to sell the tables again in 2 years.

So maybe it's time to sing a parting song and walk away... There are more important things out there.

ScotchYeti

Honestly, if Farsight all of a sudden announced that they got another contract with the WMS holder I would jump for joy really, I have a hard time believing that this is some elaborate money grab on Farsight's part. If you don't like playing TPA anymore I definitely agree you should move on to another game that strikes your fancy, for me, there aren't very many options to play real pinball tables and I know many are in the same boat as I am. I like that I am able to just start up TPA and play 1-2 tables for a few minutes and then do something else if I want.

 

[yespage]

Yeah, it can't be much of a money grab as the only people that know about the WMS issue are the people who already own the tables.

 

[shutyertrap]

Guys, it's not a money grab. I can tell you with utter certainty, they lost the license. They had to negotiate to even get the June 30th date, as initially Scientific Games wanted to cut it off at the end of March. And no, they won't be getting it back 2 years down the line either. This was a rather vicious turn of events by Scientific, no stringing FarSight along, no "well we can still be friends" sort of break-up.

As for PS5, all you really need to know is how they handled the transfer from PS3 to PS4 or more importantly what happened to the Switch. The license is only for agreed upon platforms. New platform requires new license, so PS5 pure and simple won't happen.

 

[ScotchYeti]

Yeah, the remark about future platforms is spot on so STEAM will be the way to go.

I have completely forgotten what had been said about SWITCH in the podcast and the trouble FS had.

 

[OrdealByFire]

Bums me out a bit now that I spent $150 for five seasons for PS4, but I should have anticipated it. I’ll just be playing the hell out of them to get my money’s worth.

 

[wolfson]

I have XBOX 1 X , it has all XBOX 1games and lots of XBOX 360 backwards compatible games , I don`t have any fear the next console , as for PS I got no idea . I have PS4 PRO it covers PS4 games but not PS3 , next console any ones guess !!!

 

[Citizen]

I don't think backwards compatability matters, does it?

Even if PS5 and XB4 have bc with digital PS4/XBO purchases, and even if a person had purchased the WMS games on PS4/XBO, wouldn't making them available to download onto a PS5/XB4, even if it's just the PS4/XBO versions, and even if it was only for people who already purchased them, wouldn't that still count as publishing them on a new system? Which isn't allowed.
[MENTION=134]shutyertrap[/MENTION] What is your understanding on this sort of thing?

 

[shutyertrap]

I don't think backwards compatability matters, does it?

Even if PS5 and XB4 have bc with digital PS4/XBO purchases, and even if a person had purchased the WMS games on PS4/XBO, wouldn't making them available to download onto a PS5/XB4, even if it's just the PS4/XBO versions, and even if it was only for people who already purchased them, wouldn't that still count as publishing them on a new system? Which isn't allowed.
[MENTION=134]shutyertrap[/MENTION] What is your understanding on this sort of thing?

I agree with your stance. It still is PSN, but it’s downloading to a new platform. I could be completely wrong on this, but that’s what my gut is telling me.

Rock Band arranged through new agreements for all prior dlc to be brought over from PS3, but I don’t know if that included the songs in disc. But there is your best example to look at in terms of similar release schedule, similar licensing issues.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I agree with your stance. It still is PSN, but it’s downloading to a new platform. I could be completely wrong on this, but that’s what my gut is telling me.

Rock Band arranged through new agreements for all prior dlc to be brought over from PS3, but I don’t know if that included the songs in disc. But there is your best example to look at in terms of similar release schedule, similar licensing issues.

The only way it would acceptable is if it was like the phat PS3 that could play PS2 discs.. if its digital.. no chance.

 

[zmcvay]

I agree with your stance. It still is PSN, but it’s downloading to a new platform. I could be completely wrong on this, but that’s what my gut is telling me.

Rock Band arranged through new agreements for all prior dlc to be brought over from PS3, but I don’t know if that included the songs in disc. But there is your best example to look at in terms of similar release schedule, similar licensing issues.

The PS3->PS4 thing is complicated because of the practically non-existent backwards compatibility between the two. PS3 games pretty much have to be re-written for the PS4, so that would be a whole different thing.

A better comparison might be the PSP to the PS Vita. Technically the Vita hardware was pretty much backwards compatible, but only a limited number of digital PSP games showed up in the Vita store. But you could bring all your digital PSP games over to the Vita by downloading your PSP purchases to a PS3, then transferring them to the Vita (I had to do this to get Valkyria Chronicles 2 running on my Vita).

So yes, if the next Playstation is fully backwards compatible and has a PS4 virtual space and access to the PS4 digital store either directly (Like the Wii U had to the Wii) or indirectly through another system like the Vita, then you should be able to just transfer the Pinball Arcade over, no problem. The odds of that actually being the case? I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[FarSight_Matt]

The PS3->PS4 thing is complicated because of the practically non-existent backwards compatibility between the two. PS3 games pretty much have to be re-written for the PS4, so that would be a whole different thing.

A better comparison might be the PSP to the PS Vita. Technically the Vita hardware was pretty much backwards compatible, but only a limited number of digital PSP games showed up in the Vita store. But you could bring all your digital PSP games over to the Vita by downloading your PSP purchases to a PS3, then transferring them to the Vita (I had to do this to get Valkyria Chronicles 2 running on my Vita).

So yes, if the next Playstation is fully backwards compatible and has a PS4 virtual space and access to the PS4 digital store either directly (Like the Wii U had to the Wii) or indirectly through another system like the Vita, then you should be able to just transfer the Pinball Arcade over, no problem. The odds of that actually being the case? I wouldn't hold my breath.

Compatibility doesn't just come down to software though, it's all the assets that need to be downgraded, sometimes this is a bigger obstacle (Like with Ghostbusters). The lowest PC settings don't always match the highest for other systems.