Category: Games

A thread on 5ch’s “Hardware/Industry” (Geha) board asked when the hardware rivalries between users actually began. Replies pointed out that similar rivalries existed even before 2ch, going back to the PC-communication service “Minazuki” and Sega’s official BBS, and that the Geha board itself started in April 2000 from a thread debating the Dreamcast’s future. It was also noted that the term “next-gen console war” was reportedly coined by Masashi Saeki, SCE’s PR manager at the time, raising the idea that at least part of the rivalry originated from corporate marketing rather than growing organically among fans.

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “[Question] When did the console war between users actually start?“

With GTA6’s release about a month away, a post appeared on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry board — nicknamed “Geha” [ゲハ, short for ゲーム・ハード, a board known for heated console-war-style debates] — claiming that IGN, GameSpot, and Eurogamer were all about to award it a perfect Metascore of 100. The thread took off from there. The previous game, GTA5, holds the record for the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time across any medium, and posters voiced both hope and anxiety that “depending on how GTA6 turns out, the entire Western games industry could slide into a slump.” At the same time, plenty of posters took a more cautious view on sales, arguing that “it’ll be hard to beat the 200 million units the last game sold” and asking “how much will the now-older original fanbase really still play it?” — so opinion was split on both the review scores and the sales numbers.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of a thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board — a major Japanese anonymous-forum community — titled “Looks Like GTA6 Is About to Get the First-Ever Perfect Metascore.”

EDGE Magazine, the UK gaming publication known for its harsh reviews, gave Nintendo’s simulation RPG “Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave” a high score of 9 out of 10 — news of this was shared on X (formerly Twitter) and sparked discussion on 5ch’s hardware/industry board. Since EDGE is known for handing out low scores even to blockbuster titles, this high score is considered unusual even by the magazine’s own standards. In the thread, opinions were traded from all kinds of angles: the gap between the glowing overseas reception and the harsher reactions seen in parts of Japan, takes on political correctness, and doubts about the reviewer’s own scoring standards.

EDGE Magazine just awarded Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave a 9/10 🔥

That’s an especially impressive score, because EDGE is notoriously brutal on games — their scores don’t come easy.

Source: x.com / original post here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board thread “EDGE Magazine, notorious for being brutally harsh on games, gives Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave a 9/10!“

Bandai Namco’s new flight shooter “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE” launched on October 2, and physical copies are already running low across online retailers. The reason: an early-purchase bonus bundling a port of the previous title, “Ace Combat Zero.” With no plans for a standalone re-release and each download code usable only once, demand has concentrated on the current window while physical copies are still available. On 5ch, discussion ranged from confusion over how the bonus actually works, to why some gamers still stick with disc-based play, to the game’s reception overseas.

GAME Watch — Oct 2 (Fri), 13:45 JST

Physical copies of “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE (Ace Combat 8),” the dramatic flight shooter released today, October 2, by Bandai Namco Entertainment, are running low in stock across various online retailers.

“ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE” is the latest entry in the “Ace Combat” series, arriving roughly seven years after its predecessor, “ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN.” Early access (advance access) began on September 27 ahead of general release, and the standard edition finally launched today, October 2.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Game] “Ace Combat 8” Already Running Low in Stock at Online Retailers.”

A thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry board (Gehan) accused Nintendo of “mass-producing shovelware.” The thread’s creator lined up a list of new Switch 2 titles to criticize, but other users quickly fired back, pointing out that Sony-related titles like Saros, Wolverine, and Marathon were struggling with lackluster concurrent player counts. The discussion spread from comparing sales and review scores to broader debates about load times on old consoles and general player satisfaction — not quite the direction the original poster had hoped for.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Gehan]) thread “[Sad News] Nintendo Is Seriously Mass-Producing Shovelware Lately…“.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced that it’s reviving “Kinnikuman: Muscle Tag Match” — the head-to-head action game originally released for the Famicom in 1985 — as a pay-once smartphone title this fall 2026. Running alongside the release is the “Kinnikuman Choujin General Election 2026,” where the top-ranked Choujin (the superhuman characters of the series) will earn a spot in the game, with a planned roster of over 50 Choujin in total. Over on 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board, the thread lit up with nostalgia over the original game’s quirks and arguments over the strongest characters, alongside skepticism about the smartphone-exclusive release model — and at points, the conversation drifted into complaints about the current state of the anime industry.

Bandai Namco Entertainment has decided that it will release the smartphone action game “Kinnikuman: Muscle Tag Match — Reiwa Revival Chapter” this fall 2026,

distributing it digitally.

Alongside this, the “Kinnikuman Choujin General Election 2026” will be held, and the Choujin who place highest will be granted the right to appear in the game.

Source: gamespark.jp / Original article here

※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Game] ‘Kinnikuman: Muscle Tag Match’ Revives in the Reiwa Era as a Pay-Once Smartphone Release! Originally an ’85 Famicom Game, Over 50 Choujin Planned to Appear.”

It became a hot topic on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board that the PS5 hands-on corner at Sony’s “PlayStation Matsuri” event in Osaka requires a PS Plus subscription just to make an advance reservation. The official guidelines state that “only the person who made the reservation may try the demo” and that “if we are unable to verify your identity on the day, you may be denied entry,” and explicitly spell out that companions cannot try the demos themselves and can only stand and watch. In the thread, opinion split between those calling it an insular event that shuts out newcomers from the get-go, and those reading it as meaning PS Plus is only required for the reservation itself, with walk-up demo play on the day being a separate matter — leading to a back-and-forth where posters kept citing the same text but arriving at opposite readings.

At “PlayStation Matsuri,” you’ll be able to try out a wide range of popular titles, including buzzworthy games that were exhibited at the PlayStation booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026 this past September.

Source: playstation.com / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry “Geha”) thread “[Sad News] Sony Ends Up Forcing PS Plus Subscription for Osaka PS5 Hands-On Event.”

Sony’s new title “Wolverine” became a hot topic on 5ch’s game hardware board (Gehan) after it was found to be discounted 44% in the German market just days after release. In the thread, users pointed out that the discount rate was also steep in Japan, while reports poured in of physical copies sitting unsold on shelves overseas as well, prompting comments like “You rarely see a game go on a worldwide fire sale like this.” The focus of discussion was why a title built around such a popular character — one expected to be a hit based on pre-order numbers — is struggling everywhere. Posters also noted that the Metacritic score came in lower than expected, and that the shift toward download-only releases makes it harder to gauge a game’s quality from the outside.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Gehan)) thread “Sony’s Wolverine Already Selling at 44% Off in Germany Too♥.”

On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, a discussion heated up after memory prices quadrupled and SSD prices tripled, sparking claims that “PC gaming might really be over.” Some pointed to the graphical quality of Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake and argued that “a handheld like the Switch 2 is good enough,” while others countered that the PC market is on a completely different scale from the Switch 2. Still others noted that since GPU makers aren’t releasing budget-tier models, even if the number of PC owners doesn’t decline, the number of “people who actually game on PC” might shrink — and the thread split over how seriously to take the impact of the price hikes.

162AnonymousOct 2, 2026 14:24

And that's where a residual-value installment plan ("zankure," a common Japanese financing scheme) comes in — you can buy it cheap, at least upfront.

168AnonymousOct 2, 2026 14:33

Re: #162
Even I have to laugh at this one, lol.

170AnonymousOct 2, 2026 14:41

Re: #162
Honestly the cheaper one down there is just better.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Sad News] PC Gaming Might Really Be Done For“.

CyberConnect2 president Piroshi posted on X that the disappearance of physical game packaging would be “nothing but good.” He noted that profit margins differ sharply between packaged and download sales, and that over 90% of his company’s own sales already come from downloads. The remark was picked up on 5ch’s console/industry (“Geha”) board, where discussion talked past itself — some framed it as a publisher profit-margin issue, others as a question of user benefit — and the thread grew long with arguments over retail distribution burdens, Japan’s 170-day security deposit system, and the drawback that digital copies can’t be resold or traded secondhand.

“There’s a clear difference in profit margins between packaged and digital.”

“Download sales have an explosively better profit margin.”

“Over 90% of our sales already come from digital downloads.”

Source: x.com / Original post here

※This article is a summarized excerpt based on the 5ch (console/industry, “Geha”) thread, “[Good News] CyberConnect2 President Says Scrapping Physical Game Packaging Is Nothing But Good.”