Japan Reacts

Category: Games

  • “No reason to ditch the PS5 to rush out the PS6” — performance debate erupts on 5ch

    A thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board titled “There’s no particular reason to abandon the PS5 early and put out the PS6” sparked heated debate. The PS5 has sold roughly 100 million units worldwide and reportedly outperforms the Switch 2 by a wide margin. Some posters argued that since GTA6 is expected to launch mostly on PS5 as well, and given the state of chip prices and the AI bubble, “there’s no need to rush out a PS6.” Others pushed back, citing the release gaps between past PlayStation generations (PS to PS2: 5 years 3 months; PS4 to PS5: 7 years) to argue that “we’re already 6-7 years in, so it’s hardly early.”

    10AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:47
    Early? We're already looking at year six.
    It's roughly a 7-year cycle anyway.
    13AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:49
    Re: #10
    The Switch 2 took 8 years, you know.
    11AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:48
    GTA6 is guaranteed to sell 200 million copies, and most of that will still be on PS5,
    so there's really no need to rush out a PS6 in a panic.
    Sony just needs to keep the PlayStation market going — it already outsells Nintendo several times over.
    In a few years, once the AI bubble bursts and parts prices settle down, they can roll out the PS6 at their leisure.
    Then if they drop a PS6 version of GTA6 with 4K/60fps support, it'll spread like wildfire.
    104AnonymousAug 31, 2026 17:36
    Re: #11
    So if parts prices never settle down, does that mean it just never comes out?
    14AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:49
    Even if they launched a new home console right now, it'd just be a half-baked thing sold at a premium.
    Even the Switch 2 still might get hit with a price hike.
    Users can't keep up with that.
    16AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:50
    Re: #14
    Exactly this.

    The Switch 2 can be the only one that gets killed off by the chip price surge.
    18AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:51
    Re: #13
    Why would some other company's cycle have anything to do with it?
    22AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:58
    Re: #18
    Then what IS that cycle about?
    19AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:52
    Depends on what Xbox does.
    24AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:59
    Re: #19
    It's pretty much certain they'll just be following Helix's lead.
    25AnonymousAug 31, 2026 15:59
    Re: #24
    You think it'll actually come out as a "sticker" (5ch slang for Xbox becoming just a badge slapped on third-party hardware instead of a real dedicated console)? For how much?
    26AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:00
    The result of the Xbox Series rushing to announce pricing first was two and a half years of being unable to actually produce units because of the chip shortage.
    Everything they touch, they get the call wrong.
    27AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:00
    Re: #26
    Oh, talking trash about Nintendo now?
    38AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:12
    Re: #22
    The PlayStation home-console cycle, starting from the PS2.
    50AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:19
    Whether they build it in-house or have another company make it, if it ships, it ships.
    53AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:21
    Re: #50
    So you're admitting it became a "sticker" console then.

    There we go.
    52AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:20
    I mean, they keep shifting the goalposts from "sticker console" to "handheld."
    54AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:21
    Re: #52
    You're the one shifting them.

    It already became a sticker console once — wouldn't be strange if it happened again.
    56AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:22
    Re: #40
    PS → PS2: 5 years 3 months
    PS2 → PS3: 6 years 8 months
    PS3 → PS4: 7 years 3 months
    PS4 → PS5: 7 years (about 2 months more in Japan)
    The 5-year gap was only for the very first transition, wasn't it?
    61AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:24
    It's kind of sad that we're 7 years in and they're still bragging about "roughly 100 million units" lol
    66AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:26
    Re: #60
    What does "PlayStation's cycle is roughly 7 years" have to do with "Switch to Switch 2 was 8 years"?
    70AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:28
    Apparently Nintendo has something to do with PlayStation's release cycle too, go figure.
    76AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:32
    Following Xbox's lead isn't a bad thing to begin with in the current climate.
    If anything, reacting after seeing what they do first is the smarter move.
    77AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:34
    Re: #76
    Even moving the goalposts, still a "sticker console" truther.
    This isn't a conversation anymore.
    85AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:39
    Why are you only looking at the Switch 2? The PS5's launch timing got moved up because they panicked about Xbox, remember?
    Yet you always claim Sony doesn't even have Nintendo on its radar, doesn't take them seriously, blah blah.
    86AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:40
    Re: #85
    The "sticker console" is dead.
    87AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:41
    Re: #85
    Well, that's because everything you've been saying about the Switch 2 is coming right back to bite you now.
    88AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:43
    Thinking the "shitbox" (derogatory nickname for Xbox) is somehow immune to the chip price surge is peak delusion.
    89AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:44
    Re: #88
    Exactly this.

    The one that hiked prices the most and got completely ignored for it is Xbox.
    90AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:45
    Re: #88
    That's not what I mean — Xbox is already losing this generation,
    so they can't afford to just sit back, watch, and delay their plans.
    91AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:49
    Re: #90
    Nah, it'll end up as a "sticker" just like the Hands-whatever Xbox.
    Honestly, MS just slapping their badge on other companies' hardware is the easiest path for them.
    92AnonymousAug 31, 2026 16:57
    Re: #91
    Ah, I see — in that case you can't really say "following their lead is the smart move" anymore.
    I'll retract that "following is good" take.
    93AnonymousAug 31, 2026 17:06
    A console whose entire strategy has always been just cranking up the horsepower —
    I can't picture it surviving if it just stands still 🙄
    Though maybe it could work as a free-to-play-only machine?
    97AnonymousAug 31, 2026 17:10
    Re: #93
    That's wrong.
    Free-to-play is exactly where performance matters most.
    Required specs and storage keep creeping up with every update, so a console running razor-thin specs struggles hard.
    That's why Nintendo hardware and big free-to-play titles are a bad match —
    it's one reason developers lean toward PlayStation.

    Background and key points of this debate

    It’s worth noting that this kind of thread is built on speculation, since Sony has made no official statement about the PS6’s launch timing. The release gaps cited in the thread (PS to PS2: 5 years 3 months; PS4 to PS5: 7 years) are purely historical track record, with no guarantee the PS6 will follow the same rhythm. It’s also worth noting that soaring chip prices and part shortages driven by AI demand aren’t unique to the PS6 — they’re a constraint shared by Xbox and Nintendo’s next-gen hardware development too, forcing every manufacturer to tread carefully around price increases. The thread cited the expectation that GTA6 will still launch mostly on PS5-generation hardware as grounds for “no need to rush the PS6,” but readers should keep in mind that this too is user speculation, not confirmed release information.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, Geha) thread “There’s no particular reason to abandon the PS5 — which has sold roughly 100 million units and performs several times better than the Switch 2 — and rush out the PS6.”

  • Why Is Switch 2’s Handheld Mode So Powerful? 5ch: “The Magic of DLSS Is Real”

    Despite its slim, compact body, the Switch 2 can run heavyweight titles like Elden Ring and Dark Souls even in handheld mode — sparking a thread on 5ch’s hardware/industry board (known as “Geha”) asking “why is it so powerful?” Some pointed to the combination of an NVIDIA chip and DLSS (AI upscaling), while others pushed back with “carrying around PS4-level power doesn’t mean much at this point” and “handheld mode still falls short of home consoles.” The debate split between those praising the leap forward for handhelds and those pointing out the limits of the hardware itself.

    1AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:32
    How do they even handle heat dissipation when it's that thin and small?
    Guess Nintendo's engineering is just next-level?
    4AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:33
    Looking at DS → 3DS → Switch → Switch 2, that's a massive power jump for a handheld.
    Totally different from PSP → Vita, where things just stalled out.
    8AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:36
    Re: #4
    Personally I've used all of them, and Switch 2 impressed me the most.
    Foreigners are starting to hype it up too.
    46AnonymousAug 29, 2026 00:34
    Re: #4
    The fact that the jump from PSP to Vita was relatively modest was probably one reason Vita flopped.
    7AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:36
    Calling hardware that overheats and swells the battery in no time "high-performance"?
    Performance isn't just graphics — it includes lasting a long time too, you know.
    9AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:37
    Re: #7
    My Switch is nowhere near that bad.
    101AnonymousAug 29, 2026 08:04
    Re: #7
    Can you post a photo of the completed repair report?
    142AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:15
    Re: #7
    You should stop treating a handful of cases like they're the whole picture.

    Mine held up fine — I bought it on launch day and the fan only broke right before Switch 2 came out.

    When I sent it in for repair, they even replaced the Joy-Con parts for free.
    10AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:38
    Normally you need more power to boost performance, right?
    But Switch 2 is a handheld, so it can't draw that much power.
    When you think about it that way, it's kind of a mystery how Elden Ring and Dark Souls look so good in handheld mode.
    This is way more "magic" than that "magic SSD" talk (a nod to PS5 marketing hype).
    13AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:41
    Re: #10
    The magic of DLSS is real 😎
    11AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:39
    Re: #9
    That's just because you only play cheap games that don't need any real performance…
    14AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:42
    Re: #11
    Like which games, for example?
    20AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:46
    Re: #14
    What killed my Switch 2's battery was Cities — the Switch 1 version, that is.
    A-Train also seems suspicious to me, honestly.
    Let's be real, Nintendo hardware doesn't come close to PC.
    21AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:49
    Re: #20
    What's the point of comparing completely different product categories?
    31AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:56
    Re: #20
    Go ahead and show me a 60,000-yen UMPC that beats the Switch ♪
    15AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:42
    That kind of performance-per-watt just isn't possible without an ARM+NVIDIA combo.
    18AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:44
    Re: #15
    So what exactly does that mean?
    24AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:52
    Re: #21
    It's a category where you actually need real CPU power.
    Though that might be too complicated a concept for someone who thinks every Musou (hack-and-slash) game looks the same 😂
    29AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:54
    Re: #24
    With a PC you can just crank up the power draw to boost performance, but Switch doesn't have that option.
    32AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:57
    Re: #29
    The moment you start worrying about power draw, handheld mode has already lost.
    I think games are only fun when you're running them full-throttle on high power.
    33AnonymousAug 28, 2026 23:57
    Re: #29
    Then go mess with your BIOS and crank your PC's power up, why don't you?
    56AnonymousAug 29, 2026 01:47

    You don't see it compared from this angle much, but the Switch 2 is incredibly thin.
    The buttons stick out anyway, so I don't really think it needed to be made this thin.
    57AnonymousAug 29, 2026 01:51
    Re: #56
    Well, it has to be thin since it's designed to slot into the dock.
    63AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:27
    Calling PS4-level performance "high-performance" is a stretch.
    If anything, handheld mode is what's dragging it down.
    67AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:37
    Re: #63
    Apparently being able to carry that level of power around is exactly what PlayStation fans wanted most.
    69AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:40
    Re: #63
    Weren't you the one screaming a few years back that PS4-level power was necessary?
    70AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:40
    Re: #67
    What era are you even talking about?
    There's no point carrying around a piece of junk with PS4-level power at this point.
    Honestly, I never see anyone actually taking their Switch 2 outside to play.
    83AnonymousAug 29, 2026 03:15
    Re: #70
    I'm talking about right now.
    Being able to play Elden Ring running smooth as butter in handheld mode is genuinely impressive.
    84AnonymousAug 29, 2026 03:17
    Re: #83
    The Switch 2 version of Elden Ring only runs at 30fps — that's not smooth, that's choppy.
    85AnonymousAug 29, 2026 03:34
    Re: #84
    Why'd you suddenly start trash-talking GTA?
    72AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:43
    It's nice that despite the high performance, both the online fees and electricity costs are cheap — running costs are basically nothing.
    76AnonymousAug 29, 2026 02:59
    Re: #72
    The performance is garbage and Switch 2 still charges for online, so it does cost money.
    80AnonymousAug 29, 2026 03:05
    Re: #72
    Well, compared to the PS5, which is just huge for no reason…

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    The reason Switch 2’s handheld mode has drawn attention comes down to the combination of a custom NVIDIA chip and DLSS (AI upscaling) mentioned in the thread. Rather than rendering at full resolution like a home console, the system draws at a lower resolution and lets AI fill in the detail — a mechanism that preserves the look of sharpness even within the limits of battery life and heat dissipation. The thread split between voices praising this as “a leap forward for handhelds” and those countering that “it still falls short compared to PS4/PS5-level home consoles,” with the disconnect largely coming down to whether people were comparing it against other handhelds or against home consoles in the first place. It’s also worth noting that the complaints about battery degradation and heat were limited to individual anecdotes, and no statistical failure-rate data appeared anywhere in the thread, so those claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, aka “Geha”) thread “I want to ask the opposite: why is Switch 2 so powerful even in handheld mode???”.

  • Sony CEO: “No Need to Aggressively Sell PS5 Right Now” — 5ch: “That’s Basically a Demand Letter”

    Sony Group President and CEO Hiroki Totoki, asked in a Wall Street Journal interview about aggressively selling the PS5, said “there’s no need to aggressively sell consoles right now.” Calling it “fortunate” that the PlayStation console is in the latter half of its lifecycle, he indicated Sony’s focus is on recurring revenue from a monthly active user (MAU) base of over 125 million, rather than pushing new hardware sales. Coming at a time when a semiconductor and memory shortage makes launching a new model difficult, 5ch took the remark as effectively a “declaration that there’ll be no production increase or price cut,” sparking debate over the timing of a PS6 launch and the emails nudging PS4 owners to upgrade.

    Sony Group President and CEO Hiroki Totoki, speaking in the context of the PS5 and the memory shortage, said “there’s no need to aggressively sell consoles right now.” Having called it “fortunate” that the PlayStation console is currently in the latter half of its lifecycle, he explained that the focus is on recurring revenue from the current user base rather than aggressively pushing hardware sales.

    In the Wall Street Journal interview, the question was framed around the fact that, with memory shortages affecting many companies, Sony wasn’t in a position to launch a new console the way a well-known rival was. In response, Totoki said it was “fortunate” that the PlayStation console is in the latter half of its lifecycle. He added, “That means there’s no need to aggressively sell consoles right now,” explaining that Sony is instead focusing on the recurring revenue generated by its current user base.

    Totoki further stated that PlayStation has “over 125 million MAU,” and that how to monetize those users is what matters. According to Sony’s Q1 FY2026 financial materials, total PlayStation MAU as of June stood at 125 million accounts — an estimate of unique accounts that played a game or used an online service on PlayStation during the final month of the quarter, not a figure representing PS5 unit sales alone.

    Source: gamestalk.net / Original article here

    6AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:03
    Huh?

    Sony's sending PS4 owners an email nagging them: "Sell your PS4 at a used shop and upgrade to a PS5!"
    https://krsw.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/ghard/1788053738
    149AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:51
    Re: #6
    That's basically a demand letter lol
    39AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:11
    Dummy: "Hint: the console itself is a download too" (5ch slang — a shortened slur mocking the poster as clueless)
    128AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:42
    Re: #39
    Maybe they mean Game Pass's cloud gaming?
    40AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:11
    Well, it's already at 100 million units.

    Switch2 (lol)
    47AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:14
    Re: #40
    300,000/100,000,000

    The power of a PlayStation-exclusive, Saros, lolololololololololol
    Toukon's about the same deal, isn't it, lol
    77AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:24
    Re: #40
    Can't beat Switch anymore, huh
    48AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:14
    If memory prices go up, what's gonna happen to little Switch2? 😭
    50AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:15
    Re: #48
    A next-gen console that demands even more than Switch2 (scoff) — what's PS gonna do about that, piggy? 🐷
    91AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:27
    Re: #48
    Switch2: "I'll pick up the slack now that PS5 got pulled off the shelves 👍"
    49AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:14
    Even in this very thread there are people agreeing with this top remark, I'm actually cracking up
    62AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:18
    Re: #49
    Whatever Sony does gets a full stamp of approval.
    Well, it's basically a religion
    66AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:19
    Re: #49
    Denying Lord Sony's stance just isn't allowed by doctrine, you know
    52AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:15
    A prolonged content drought seems like a serious debuff for the brand, if you ask me
    54AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:16
    Re: #52
    No worries, they already burned two and a half years to the chip shortage, so it's fine!
    53AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:15
    Not wanting to push production recklessly right now is probably their real feeling
    57AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:17
    Re: #53
    Nintendo's the one pushing recklessly and it's surrounded on all sides 😭
    65AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:19
    Fanboys getting happy after basically being told "we're not releasing a next-gen console" — that's wild, lol
    68AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:20
    Re: #65
    Even if they do release one, it'll be priced out of reach like Switch2 (lol)
    70AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:21
    Lucky for them, it's not behind Switch2, the newest model, in specs, so they can still pull this off.
    Still, it's probably rough for the console industry as a whole
    80AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:24
    Re: #70
    That's like comparing a landline to a cellphone and saying the landline wins because it has less noise
    83AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:25
    Re: #77
    Ah, that's the console that sold worse than the PS2, isn't it?
    90AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:27
    Re: #83
    Gonna overtake the PS2 too, huh.
    Guess all you can do is watch with your finger in your mouth
    137AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:46
    Re: #83
    A mysterious console whose install base keeps growing even though it's not being made anymore, lol — according to you.
    In the end it only sold because of the DVD player function, not because it needed the specs, right?
    PS fanboys have nothing else to lean on, lol
    89AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:26
    So this means they're keeping things as-is until the chip price surge settles down and won't move to PS6, huh.
    Guess that means they've settled the cancellation talks with AMD and TSMC?
    They got some leeway since it's an emergency
    94AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:29
    Re: #89
    Probably
    They know it'd be self-destructive
    100AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:32
    Re: #89
    I don't think it's that easy, though

    Whatever capacity frees up will sell instantly to data centers, so maybe it's a case of "the rich don't need to fight"

    But I think that just means "get lost already, no penalty fee needed" — the relationship's probably over
    104AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:33
    Re: #89
    PS6 probably won't show up next year or the year after.
    If they released it that soon, even selling at a huge loss it'd end up around ¥160,000 in Japan.
    They won't release it until they can sell it in Japan for ¥99,800 tax included without the loss eating into profit.
    I'm predicting around 2030.
    Since Switch2's specs are what they are, PS5 could probably coast for another 5 years anyway
    102AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:33
    Re: #1
    Amazon purchases over the past month:
    PS5 Digital Edition (Japan): 5,000 units
    Switch2: 4,000 units
    109AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:34
    Re: #102
    'Trash-tation' getting crushed in the weekly sales charts, lmao (a mocking nickname for PlayStation blending "trash" and "station")
    108AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:34
    So it's just repackaging "it doesn't sell" as "we don't need to sell it"?
    114AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:36
    Re: #108
    The Pro model is short in supply worldwide, so it'd definitely sell if they shipped more.
    But they're not, because it'd turn into a loss
    127AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:41
    Breaking 100 million units is a lock at this point.
    No reason to force sales during this crazy memory price surge
    132AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:43
    Re: #127
    Third parties won't be happy about it though,
    especially the free-to-play crowd that counts on a big player base
    133AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:44
    Does hitting 100 million units actually mean anything significant?
    150AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:51
    Re: #133
    If the chip price surge hadn't happened,
    this fiscal year's sales target would've been around 13-15 million units anyway,
    so 100 million was probably never really a goal, just a milestone they'd pass along the way

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Totoki’s remark reads less like an excuse papering over sluggish PS5 sales and more like an explanation of a revenue strategy for the latter half of the console’s lifecycle. The “125 million” MAU (monthly active users) figure Sony cited is from Q1 of fiscal year 2026, and it’s easy to misread — it isn’t a count of PS5 units in homes, but an estimate of accounts across the entire PlayStation platform that played a game or used an online service that month. The thread split between reading the remark as “code for the painful reality that chip and memory price surges are blocking PS6 mass production,” and reading it as “a rational management call to shift toward monetizing the existing user base.” On the timing of a PS6 launch in particular, the discussion drifted into some thin, cost-based speculation — including guesses that it could land around 2030 — so that part is worth taking with a grain of salt.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Bad News] Sony CEO: “No Need to Aggressively Sell PS5 Right Now”.”

  • Fate/EXTRA Remake’s Publisher Switches from Bandai Namco to Aniplex — 5ch Reacts: ‘What Did You Do, Niitsu?’

    Regarding “Fate/EXTRA Record” (the Fate/EXTRA remake), TYPE-MOON announced on August 31 that the title’s publisher is changing from Bandai Namco to Aniplex, with the development structure also being overhauled. It was also revealed that director Niitsu, who had been leading the project, is stepping down due to health issues. Niitsu is a developer known for titles such as Etrian Odyssey, Seventh Dragon, and Dragon Quest Builders. On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, users debated why Bandai Namco was chosen as the original publisher, the background behind the project’s long development period, and the relationship between Niitsu’s track record and his health issues.

    Notice Regarding Change of Publisher and Development Structure for “Fate/EXTRA Record”

    Source: typemoon.com / Original article here

    5AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:28
    Why was Bandai Namco publishing this in the first place?
    31AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:57
    Re: #5
    Probably because Bandai Namco has a strong image as THE publisher for anime games.
    6AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:33
    He's fired.
    7AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:34
    What did you even do, Niitsu
    12AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:39
    Re: #7
    I think voice recording was about the only thing that was actually finished.
    Did he pick up some weird habits from guys like Kojima or Nagoshi?
    34AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:58
    Re: #7
    There's a chance he was just made to take the fall.
    He was an outsider on the project, after all.
    9AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:37
    Bandai Namco's judgment calls have been way off lately.

    Like, it's a Gundam game — why are you fighting monsters in it?
    10AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:38
    Re: #9
    That's because they're always paying back favors to PlayStation.
    14AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:41
    What actually happened between the original cancellation and now?
    17AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:46
    Re: #14
    Sounds like Bandai Namco finally lost patience because development dragged on way too long.
    A dev team used to not worrying about deadlines, like a doujin circle, just couldn't hack it.
    18AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:46
    I am truly sorry for betraying everyone's expectations.
    Also, due to ongoing health concerns, I will be taking a break from game development work for the time being.

    Again, huh…
    39AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:07
    Re: #18
    Complaining about someone's health is just cruel.
    Being able to work in perfect health isn't something you can take for granted.
    26AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:52
    Studio Baba?
    Heading for the same end as "Eiyuu Babarūzu" (a mocking nickname riffing on director Hideo Baba)?
    28AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:54
    Re: #26
    Because with Baba, neither the game nor the studio survived.
    40AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:08
    He's lost his credibility in the industry — wonder if he can make a comeback.
    57AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:18
    Re: #40
    Companies like Furyu or Compile Heart, who love marketing themselves with "from the creator of XX!", might be waiting for the right moment to poach him.
    41AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:08
    With Bandai Namco there was that barrier from their obligation to PlayStation, but
    with Aniplex, maybe there's a chance for a Switch 2 version too?
    49AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:14
    Re: #41
    The original was already multiplatform on Switch, PS4, PS5, and Steam though.
    76AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:27
    Re: #41
    If anything, PlayStation tends to get left out when Aniplex is involved.
    52AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:16
    Both Etrian Odyssey and Builders were basically just "what if we did an old-school 3D RPG but with moe characters — wouldn't that be popular?" and "what if we did Minecraft but with Dragon Quest characters — wouldn't that sell?" That's about the extent of his ideas.
    Even Etrian Odyssey 1, which he directed, launched buggy and shaky, and Seventh Dragon and the rest were pretty rough too.
    He's probably better suited to talking a big game in advertising than actually directing one.
    The original was just a low-budget PSP game — there's no excuse for a remake of that taking this long and still not shipping.
    68AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:23
    Re: #52
    No, Etrian Odyssey's system as a dungeon-crawler RPG (DRPG) has real originality and genuinely works as solid gameplay — it's not just an old genre reskinned with moe art.
    62AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:20
    Didn't Aniplex leave PS5 out of some other Fate release too, lol
    66AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:22
    Re: #62
    Maybe they mean the HD remaster?
    67AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:22
    Re: #62
    https://mainichi-emiyagohan.com/
    This one.
    So it still hasn't come out on anything but Switch?
    65AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:22
    TYPE-MOON is soft enough to keep old eroge writers that Kinoko likes on the payroll indefinitely even when they barely do any work — for them to actually fire someone, it must be really bad.
    69AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:23
    Re: #65
    Those guys are part of the inner circle.
    Niitsu was an outsider, so he'd get judged more harshly.
    73AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:25
    Re: #65
    Given how this is playing out, it sounds less like TYPE-MOON got fed up and more like Bandai Namco's higher-ups did.
    80AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:36
    Bandai Namco, which lives and dies by deadlines, and TYPE-MOON, for whom delays are just business as usual —
    it's a mystery why they ever thought they'd work well together.
    97AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:03
    Re: #80
    If they could've shipped it as a product even as a crappy or unfinished game, they would have — the fact that Bandai Namco threw in the towel says a lot.
    81AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:36
    Speaking of which, where's the follow-up to the Tsukihime remaster?
    What about all those story branches that still haven't been filled in?
    96AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:03
    Re: #81
    Creeps me out that the Tsukihime remake came out a full five years ago already.
    83AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:37
    When Niitsu was at Square Enix he made Dragon Quest Builders 2, and even after development got outsourced on that one, he still saw it through to the end.
    Makes you wonder if things would've gone differently if his Builders connections had led him to Koei Tecmo, which is stricter on budgets and deadlines, instead.
    86AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:46
    Re: #83
    Looking at the career history in Re: #64, even on the titles Niitsu directed, he saw everything through to completion within three years.
    And even on other smaller IPs, he consistently got the finished product out the door within four years at most.
    140AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:13
    For a company raking in easy money from gacha games, they sure can't hold on to talented developers.
    Are the talented ones all getting poached by Chinese companies (using "Shina," a dated, derogatory term for China)?
    145AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:23
    Re: #140
    > For a company raking in easy money from gacha games, they sure can't hold on to talented developers.

    Throwing big money at it doesn't change game quality.
    Even mighty Microsoft is proof of that.
    Same goes for manga.
    146AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:23
    Re: #145
    ✕ doesn't change it
    ○ can't buy it
    154AnonymousAug 31, 2026 14:34
    Re: #145
    And then when they try to step in, developers leak it and users start up the whole "MS, stay out of it!" narrative.
    But if they don't step in, five to seven years go by with nothing to show for it, so they're forced to lay off staff at the studios under them — and then users lose their minds over that instead.

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    This remake had previously been cancelled once before, and was later relaunched as “Fate/EXTRA Record.” This time, the announcement is that the publisher is moving from Bandai Namco to Aniplex, with the development structure also being revamped. Director Niitsu, who has worked on titles including Atlus’s Etrian Odyssey, Sega’s Seventh Dragon, and Square Enix’s Dragon Quest Builders, was officially revealed to be stepping away this time due to health issues. Opinions in the thread were split over whether responsibility for the prolonged development lies with Niitsu’s own project management or with TYPE-MOON’s development structure and the terms of its contract with Bandai Namco. While some praised his past track record, others suggested this may not be the first time he has stepped away citing health issues — though it should be noted that this cannot be confirmed without an explanation from Niitsu or those involved.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Fate/EXTRA Remake: Publisher Changes from Bandai Namco to Aniplex.”

  • Developer of Acclaimed RPG ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’ Slams GTA6

    “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2” director Daniel Vávra told overseas media that GTA6 “has absolutely no interesting story,” sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hardware & Industry (Geha) board. His remark describing the two protagonists as “just uninteresting sociopaths going on a killing spree” drew backlash from posters saying “how can you judge it when it’s not even out yet,” while others agreed with him, calling GTA5’s story “just following quest markers exactly as instructed.” The debate expanded into comparisons with GTA4, RDR2, and Yakuza.

    KCD2 director criticizes GTA 6, says it has “absolutely no interesting story”

    He describes the protagonists as “two uninteresting sociopaths committing chaotic mass murder.”

    Daniel Vávra states that a great story needs complex characters, inner conflict, and strong motivation.

    Source: tech4gamers.com / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:13
    Only now!?
    It's been like that since 4.
    5AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:16
    How can you judge it when it's not even out yet?
    Come to think of it, RDR2's Arthur got trashed before release too — constantly compared to John and called uninteresting — but after release the story got high praise.
    Whether this is some kind of publicity stunt or not, small fry should stay quiet.
    11AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:18
    Re: #5
    The first KCD aside, KCD2 counts as a huge success at this point.
    Well, compared to GTA it's obviously small fry though.
    12AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:18
    Yeah, what's even fun about a story starring some cocky delinquent (DQN) scumbag criminal as the hero?
    136AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:16
    Re: #12
    GTA5's main story was hilarious as hell, but the Trevor parts alone were unpleasant.
    16AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:20
    The trailer didn't get me hyped at all, so GTA6 looks like just an average game.
    Zero adrenaline rush.
    134AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:10
    Re: #16
    I wanted them to at least let you go to space or something.
    Or get caught up in a war between nations with missiles raining down.
    22AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:22
    If the footage really delivers near-infinite possibilities, story included, then sure, you could call it a god-tier game.
    But the fact is GTA5 wasn't that kind of game.
    The story is basically linear — just following the quests exactly as instructed.
    Outside the story you can freely drive around or do sports stuff, but that's about all there is.
    24AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:23
    Looked up the director of the Kingdom Come series — turns out he's actually the founder of the studio and also wrote the scenarios for Mafia and Mafia 2 back in the day.
    Had no idea.
    27AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:26
    Re: #24
    I've only played Mafia 2, on the 360, but honestly I didn't find the story that compelling.
    44AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:33
    Wait, is GTA6 actually expected to be great as a single-player game too?
    49AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:34
    Re: #44
    RDR2 sold like crazy even though its online mode flopped, so yeah, I think people expect it to be great as a single-player game too.
    I'm looking forward to it, anyway.
    52AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:37
    GTA4 leaned more story-focused, but it barely sold compared to the rest of the series.
    Though honestly, the terrible driving physics were probably the bigger reason.
    58AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:40
    Re: #52
    The driving in 4 was genuinely broken lol.
    And also the protagonist was just too serious.
    I get it, he's a first-generation immigrant so it makes sense, but it didn't feel very "American."
    Needed to be dumber.
    55AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:38
    One thing's for sure — Yakuza is way more fun than this garbage.
    57AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:39
    Re: #55
    Don't make me laugh this early in the morning lol
    59AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:40
    GTA5 is a game where the moment a quest starts, being open-world stops meaning anything.
    Almost no quest lets you figure out your own way to get somewhere — "go to X" means going straight there is the only correct route.

    If GTA6 seriously carries over this outdated system, it's a guaranteed shit game.
    72AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:51
    Re: #59
    Well, to be fair, you have to remember GTA5 is a PS3-era game.
    Open-world freedom really only blossomed starting with the PS4-generation open-world games, and GTA skipped that generation entirely, so it'll be interesting to see how much has actually changed.
    60AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:41
    GTA5 really was boring, honestly — I just never felt motivated to finish the story.
    I guess it's good for people with real-world frustration built up who want to go on a rampage, but that gets old fast.
    Still, gotta give them credit for building out that whole city.
    73AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:51
    Re: #60
    The very ending of 5 was great though.
    I love Plan C, where you're braced for death, way too much.
    76AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:57
    Re: #60
    Unlike 4, 5 doesn't dig deep into stuff like discrimination.
    You could say how much you rate 5 basically comes down to whether you can like the character Michael De Santa or not.
    61AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:43
    The sheer craftsmanship is amazing, no question — overwhelming even.
    Even the Kingdom Come Deliverance devs admit that, calling it like a showcase of technology.

    But that's genuinely all it is.
    If you can find value in that and just go on a rampage having fun, I guess you'll enjoy it, but I can't.
    101AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:03
    Re: #61
    Craftsmanship, huh…

    What's so crafted about a city full of cardboard-cutout buildings and houses you can't even enter…

    Honestly, Yakuza lets you enter way more buildings.
    66AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:45
    Apparently most people who bought GTA5 never even cleared the story.
    68AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:46
    Re: #66
    Well, it takes a pretty long time to clear too — I remember it taking around 80 hours.
    75AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:56
    Anyone can have whatever opinion they want, but is it really a good look for a game developer to publicly criticize another game like this?
    No matter how legitimate the reasoning, criticizing a game as famous as GTA can easily come across as sour grapes, and it risks hurting his image and even his own studio's future sales.
    83AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:11
    Re: #75
    Yeah, that impression is fair.
    When SWERY (game director Hidetaka Suehiro) criticized Insomniac's Spider-Man, there were people getting mad like "well what about your own games then."
    Though on the other hand, never being able to say anything just because the other side is a bigger name isn't exactly healthy either.
    79AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:02
    5 was originally built with a more comedic tone.
    Looking at overseas reactions, opinions are pretty split — plenty of people who prefer 4's direction too.
    Personally I liked 5's take, it fit that cheerful Los Angeles vibe.
    89AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:36
    Re: #79
    It's Los Santos.
    Never get that wrong again.
    84AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:14
    Even when you play Henry as a good guy, there are moments where you're like, "this guy's unhinged."
    93AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:40
    Re: #84
    They researched that era so thoroughly that, from a modern perspective, the characters' mindsets and values are just so different that sometimes every single one of them creeps you out.
    96AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:47
    Was Trevor forgiven just because he was entertaining?
    98AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:50
    Re: #96
    It's more that he single-handedly took on all the fallout from Michael's actions.
    Compared to Michael, who's basically in god-mode the whole time, a lot of people feel like Trevor actually pays the price for what he does.
    99AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:54
    So is KCD2 actually well-received by users?
    103AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:05
    Re: #99
    It's well-received overseas — the sheer volume of content is insane.
    There's a ton to do, and even just the alchemy system is as complex as something out of Atelier.
    You could basically play it as a realistic alchemy game on its own.
    There's plenty to enjoy outside the story too, like gathering alchemy ingredients.
    117AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:32
    Re: #99
    KCD2 has a lot of passionate fans overseas and strong support from its userbase.
    At last year's Golden Joystick Awards, in the GOTY category, the game that got the second-most votes after "33" was actually KCD2.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    GTA6 is a major title slated for release in North America, and the fact that these were a director’s comments made before the game’s release is part of why reactions on the thread were split. The critic is KCD2’s Daniel Vávra, known as a story-focused developer with a background writing the scripts for Mafia and Mafia 2. The thread split mainly over two points: (1) whether it’s fair to criticize an unreleased game, and (2) how to evaluate GTA5’s own story structure (a linear, quest-completion format). Some pointed out that GTA5 was originally a PS3/Xbox 360-era title, and that open-world freedom evolved significantly starting with the PS4 generation, which should be taken into account. There were also comments suggesting that a developer publicly criticizing such a famous title risks being seen as “self-promotion” or “sour grapes,” though this is a poster’s opinion, not an established fact.

    This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Hardware & Industry / Geha) thread “Developer of Acclaimed RPG ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’ Slams GTA6.”

  • “Not an Act of Madness”? 5ch Erupts Into a Grammar War

    A shouting match broke out on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board over the meaning of the phrase “狂気の沙汰じゃない” (“not an act of madness”). It started with a post describing a game console’s price as “狂気の沙汰じゃないじゃん” (“isn’t that madness?”), which drew a reply pointing out that read literally, the phrase should mean “not madness = normal.” From there, opinion split over whether this is one of those distinctly Japanese expressions — like “冗談じゃない” (“no joke”) or “笑い事じゃない” (“no laughing matter”) — that stay in the negative form while actually carrying an intensified meaning. Some posters even pasted in an AI’s answer to the question, but were called out for the structural difference from the other ironic expressions cited, and the thread went in circles without ever reaching a conclusion.

    1AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:40
    22: Anonymous (getting desperate) 2026/08/31 (Mon) 12:29:02.59 ID:e7rlTGeH0
    PS5: ¥55,000
    Switch2: ¥60,000
    5AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:42
    "Not an act of madness" = obviously
    Of course you're playing it on the Switch2

    Figures 😄
    17AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:45
    That's not just piling shame on shame, they're buffing it to a shine
    Is this a traditional craft or something?
    123AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:15
    Re: #17 deserves way more credit
    19AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:45
    "Not a sane act" → means crazy
    "An act of madness" → means crazy

    Get it?
    Guess not… go redo grade school
    31AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:48
    Re: #19
    So by that logic, does "not an act of madness" = "a sound, sane judgment"?
    22AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:46
    Is this the "the crazier it is, the more fun it gets" line from Akagi or somewhere?
    That's describing something as crazy.

    So "not an act of madness"
    negates the madness — you're saying that makes it normal?
    24AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:47
    Re: #22
    Breaking it down literally:

    "act of madness" = an act/judgment that seems out of one's mind
    "~janai" = "is not ~"

    So normally,

    "not an act of madness" = can only be seen as madness / can't be read as a sane judgment

    That's the meaning.
    37AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:50
    Re: #24
    That's backwards, isn't it
    Stop treating "janai" as if it were affirmative
    29AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:48
    The phrase "not an act of madness" can certainly exist

    but it would mean "a non-crazy act = an ordinary act"
    33AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:48
    Re: #29
    Re: #24
    Maybe go redo grade school?
    34AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:49
    Isn't that madness!!

    Even the 🐷 (slang for Switch fanboys) should get it now, right?
    46AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:52
    Re: #34
    In that case it'd end with "isn't it?" instead, so sure, that works
    But Re: #1 doesn't end that way
    42AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:51
    Don't tell me you're mixing up
    the "~jane?" that gyaru and delinquent types use
    with "janai"?
    55AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:53
    Re: #42
    The "~jane" nuance is already covered by the "jan" tacked onto the end of "not an act of madness"
    57AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:54
    Re: #42
    No — you said yourself that "janai" = "is not,"
    it's not being used like the tag-question "isn't it?"
    61AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:54
    Asked an AI and got this answer:

    1. "Act of madness"
    – An abnormal, reckless, dangerous, out-of-your-mind act
    – A word that bluntly criticizes the act itself.

    2. "Not an act of madness"
    – Grammatically this can be read as "not madness = normal"
    – But in actual Japanese usage it functions like a "double negative"

    I went "huh?" and pressed further

    Why does the meaning get stronger despite being a negative?
    This is a quirk of Japanese —
    some expressions use the negative form to create an even stronger affirmation or emphasis.

    Examples:
    – "no joke" = too serious to just laugh off as a joke
    – "no laughing matter" = too serious to laugh about
    – "no ordinary matter" = so abnormal it's out of the ordinary

    By that same structure,

    > "not an act of madness" = so crazy there's no calling it anything but an act of madness

    is what you get.

    That's the AI's take on it
    73AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:57
    Re: #61
    Who knew there was a trap like this 🤔
    78AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:58
    Re: #61
    lol, the structure's completely different from those 3 examples
    If you can't actually read Japanese you'd probably just believe this…
    Guessing you're not the type to crack open a dictionary like Kojien instead of trusting an AI…
    86AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:01
    If you're using it thinking it means this, well, your Japanese is a bit shaky
    97AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:04
    Re: #79
    This one's normal usage
    "a sane act" and "not a sane act" are a matched pair of opposite expressions — the former means "a sound judgment," the latter means "behavior beyond common sense."
    115AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:10
    Re: #97, replying to myself
    "You can tell 'a sane act' and 'not a sane act' apart, so isn't it weird that 'an act of madness' and 'not an act of madness' mean the same thing?"
    Push on that and you get this back:

    "The 'that's weird' feeling you have is correct.
    Due to Japanese ironic/rhetorical phrasing,

    – a negative form can end up meaning something stronger than the affirmative
    – 'not an act of madness' ends up meaning the same as, or even stronger than, 'an act of madness'

    This is the phenomenon at play."

    It just kept insisting it's an ironic/rhetorical expression no matter what
    122AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:14
    There's a slight chance ("微レ存" — internet slang for "the possibility exists, if only microscopically") it's being used the same way as "What is this swimsuit, it's basically just string!"
    128AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:16
    Re: #122
    For a second I thought it might be that same tone, but since it's followed by "jan," guess not
    130AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:17
    Re: #122
    If that were it, the "jan" at the end would just get in the way
    131AnonymousAug 31, 2026 13:18
    Re: #122
    You can tell just by looking at Re: #1 —
    it's "not an act of madness, right?" (jan), so the phrasing already closes off that escape route itself

    Background and points of contention

    This thread kicked off during a discussion about the price gap between game consoles, when disagreement broke out over what the phrase “狂気の沙汰じゃない” (“not an act of madness”) actually means. Japanese has expressions like “冗談じゃない” (“no joke”) and “ただ事じゃない” (“no ordinary matter”) that take a negative form yet function as strong affirmations of their content. The sticking point in the thread was whether “not an act of madness” belongs to that same family, or whether it should be read literally as “not madness = normal” — and the debate went in circles without a dictionary-backed answer ever settling it. Some posters cited an AI’s answer as evidence, but were pushed back on the grounds that its structure differs from the other ironic expressions it cited, and the argument never got resolved. What’s easy to miss here is that this isn’t just wordplay — it grew out of underlying tension over game console pricing, and some replies included strong language mocking a particular fanbase, which this article has left out.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “Piggy mouths off thinking the idiom “act of madness” doesn’t exist.”

  • Why No Sequel to Ring Fit Adventure? 5ch Asks: “Why Couldn’t It Become the Next Wii Fit?”

    Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch hasn’t seen a sequel or new installment announced since its release in October 2019. On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, users debated why no sequel has appeared, noting that Nintendo has stayed silent on the topic even seven years after launch. Opinions ranged widely — from the fact that the Ring-Con peripheral was designed exclusively for the Switch, leaving its Switch 2 compatibility unclear, to the theory that the game’s massive sales were a one-off boosted by pandemic stay-at-home demand, to the observation that Nintendo tends to avoid releasing sequels on the same hardware generation.

    1AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:54
    Forget a sequel — Nintendo won't even acknowledge this thing, more stubbornly than they avoid ARMS. It's a genuine cursed relic at this point.
    Why couldn't it become the next Wii Fit?
    2AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:56
    Real talk: it's a Switch-exclusive title because of the Ring-Con.
    Since it currently can't be played on Switch 2, hyping it up carelessly would just cause trouble if people can't actually play it there.
    4AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:05
    Re: #2
    You can play it though?
    Sure, you need the original Switch's Joy-Cons, but
    it's not like there's anyone who owns a Switch 2 but never owned a Switch.
    7AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:09
    Re: #4
    "There's no one who owns a Switch 2 but never owned a Switch"

    The point is they can't rule out that possibility, so it's a no-go.
    143AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:22
    Re: #4
    I bought a Switch 2 and gave my old Switch to my parents.
    Forgot I needed it for Ring Fit and ended up buying used Joy-Cons all over again.
    3AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:01
    Meanwhile, apparently not a single game on that trash PlayStation ("gomi-suta," 5ch's derisive nickname for PlayStation) has outsold this.
    23AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:20
    Re: #3
    That kind of lie isn't cool.


    …It IS a lie, right?
    5AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:06
    Switch 2 isn't even out yet, what's this guy talking about.
    8AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:09
    Re: #5
    They could've put out a sequel on the original Switch, though? Do you know how many years it's been since launch?
    9AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:12
    Re: #8
    Nintendo basically doesn't like putting out sequels on the same hardware, right?
    17AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:16
    Re: #8
    There's not much point releasing one when the hardware performance hasn't really changed anyway.
    11AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:13
    If you're comparing it to Wii Fit, I think Ring Fit Adventure is leagues better though.
    14AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:14
    Re: #11
    It's not in Smash Bros, so it loses.
    12AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:14
    Hit-and-run thread starter? (posted and vanished)
    Actually stick around and join the conversation.
    13AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:14
    Re: #9
    Seriously? Splatoon's the worst then.
    160AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:52
    Re: #13
    This is actually a fair point.
    It really should've been on Switch 2.
    19AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:17
    Well, you clear it pretty fast, so they at least could've put out some DLC — the fact they did nothing probably means they judged it wouldn't sell.
    29AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:23
    Re: #19
    Nintendo just seems to have a policy of not really putting out paid DLC on its own for light/family-oriented titles.
    You do see quasi-DLC bundled with Switch 2 Editions though.
    For what it's worth, RFA did get free additional content, like a rhythm mode and an added female voice option for the Ring-Con.
    30AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:24
    Re: #19
    Do you not know it sold like crazy?
    65AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:57
    Switch Sports or whatever, don't need that either.
    Because of this in October, no other Nintendo titles are coming out — it's a pain.
    66AnonymousAug 31, 2026 10:59
    Re: #65
    They probably want to appeal to families, but no household these days is fooled by that kiddie stuff into playing games.
    Parents are solidly part of the gaming generation now too.
    69AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:02
    Re: #66
    An old-timer like you probably wouldn't get it, but
    today's parents are solidly the Wii generation, so they'll buy it.
    70AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:03
    Re: #69
    They'll play a proper game, not some goofy nursing-home-recreation-style thing like that.
    74AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:04
    Re: #69
    The people playing Wii Sports back in the Wii era were the parents' generation of the Wii generation.
    83AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:10
    Then why isn't Switch Sports selling…?
    85AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:12
    Re: #83
    It's sold 18 million copies though.
    92AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:16
    Re: #83
    Nobody plays it when Mario and Zelda exist.


    End of story.
    104AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:27
    Even in a thread like this, the "B-but PlayStation!" crowd shows up — must really be inconvenient for them.
    Seven years of silence means the project's basically been abandoned.
    110AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:29
    Re: #104

    Ring Fit (18 million): a "dark history"
    Saros (estimated 300,000 units): never happened, total silence

    You're getting mocked because your perception is out of sync with reality, and even that's an inferiority complex to you? lol
    127AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:42
    Re: #104
    Hint: Rhythm Heaven.
    121AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:38
    I don't think Ring Fit Adventure's popularity is repeatable.
    You guys were mocking it when it was announced too, right?
    But then COVID hit, people couldn't go outside, demand for at-home exercise exploded, and it sold like crazy — I don't think a new one now would sell nearly as well as it did back then.
    122AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:39
    Re: #121
    That's exactly why Nintendo itself is convinced and won't release one.
    Before COVID it was a total flop that sat unsold on shelves.
    150AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:37
    The Diamond/Pearl remakes are the third best-selling entries in the Pokémon series, but aren't they basically a dark history too?
    You guys are way too obsessed with sales figures.
    154AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:42
    Re: #150
    Even just looking at online reception, RFA isn't unpopular at all —
    unlike garbage like the Diamond/Pearl remakes.
    159AnonymousAug 31, 2026 12:51
    Re: #150
    Scarlet/Violet overtook it, so it's actually 4th place now.

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    Ring Fit Adventure launched in October 2019 as a Switch-exclusive fitness game using the Ring-Con and Leg Strap, and no major additional content or sequel has followed since release. In the thread, opinions were split over several proposed reasons for the lack of a sequel: that it’s unclear whether the Switch-exclusive Ring-Con will work on Switch 2, that the game’s sales may have been driven by a one-time tailwind from pandemic stay-at-home demand, and the general rule of thumb that Nintendo tends not to release sequels within the same series unless the hardware generation changes. Note that the “18 million units” figure that came up in the thread was mentioned in separate posts referring to two different titles — Ring Fit Adventure and Switch Sports — and since this article presents the source posts as written, readers should be careful not to conflate the sales figures of the two.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Ring Fit Adventure, Nintendo’s Dark History.”

  • ‘The Halloween Game’ PS5 Version Pulled From Japan — 5ch Reacts: ‘CERO Is Garbage’

    The developer of the horror game “Halloween: The Game,” originally slated for a September 9 release, has announced that the PS5 version will not be released in Japan after all. The reason given is that the title could not obtain a Japanese CERO rating — bringing it into compliance, the developer said, would have seriously damaged both the atmosphere of the original film and the gameplay itself. The Xbox and PC versions will still launch as planned, and anyone who pre-ordered the PS5 version will be refunded. On 5ch’s hardware/industry (Geha) board, discussion centered on why only the PS5 version was affected, with many commenters pointing to a difference in platform review policy: PlayStation software is required to obtain a CERO rating, while Xbox and Steam only need to meet the international IARC rating standard.

    Regarding “Halloween: The Game,” originally scheduled for release on Wednesday, September 9: because we were unable to obtain a domestic Japanese rating from CERO, we have decided to cancel the release of the PS5 version in Japan.

    We determined that restricting the game’s content in order to meet the rating requirements would significantly damage the atmosphere of the original film, and would also prevent us from delivering the gameplay experience players expect.

    Those who have already pre-ordered the PS5 version will be refunded by the platform holder; please contact them directly for further details.

    Source: x.com / original post here

    6AnonymousAug 31, 2026 07:59
    CERO's basically garbage on the level of NHK (Japan's public broadcaster, another frequent punching bag for being a bloated, unaccountable institution)
    85AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:04
    Re: #6
    Well, even if it's become a hollow formality, it's still necessary — otherwise the industry turns lawless.

    Otherwise it'll get slapped with actual legal regulation real quick.
    10AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:01
    Stuff like this — up until now the Xbox version would just get quietly cancelled too, with zero explanation.
    15AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:03
    Re: #10
    That's totally different from this case — that was just an 'ongi block' (obscure 5ch slang, apparently some kind of licensing/region block).
    13AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:02
    If Xbox and PC can pull it off, isn't this just a PlayStation problem?
    17AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:04
    Re: #13
    Going through CERO is a hassle so they're just not bothering — can't be helped.
    And the punchline is Xbox and PC go through a different ratings body, so they get to release it.
    30AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:12
    Re: #13
    For Japanese Xbox, a download-only title can release even as 18+ as long as it gets an IARC rating.
    Japanese PlayStation basically works the same way — download-only software can release with just an IARC rating.
    But for 18+ titles specifically, PlayStation requires a CERO rating on top of IARC.
    So a download-only Xbox title can release in Japan even without CERO,
    but a PS version can't release in Japan unless it passes CERO.
    18AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:06
    Wait, why does only the PS version fail CERO anyway? The content's the same, right? Is SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment) just enforcing its own stricter internal standard?
    21AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:08
    Re: #18
    Both Xbox and PS only skip CERO because there's no physical release — that's literally all this is.
    23AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:10
    Re: #18
    Sony's policy is to require CERO for PS regardless of whether there's a physical release or not.
    For Xbox, if there's no physical release, meeting the international IARC standard alone is enough.

    So if it doesn't pass CERO, it simply can't be released on Japanese PS.
    26AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:11
    Re: #18
    CERO is mandatory for PS. Microsoft and Steam accept other ratings too — come on, actually read the thread.
    35AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:15
    That's exactly why everyone's been saying there's no way Wolverine ships with the overseas trailer's content intact.
    If it somehow does release exactly as shown in that trailer, third-party publishers jumping ship is a lock.
    37AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:18
    Re: #35
    That trailer is insanely gory, there's no way it gets through uncensored.
    If there were no restrictions I'd honestly be put off.
    39AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:22
    Honestly, PlayStation hardware has never really been suited for fighting games or Western games in general.
    42AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:24
    Re: #39
    It's mostly free-to-play games anyway.
    54AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:41
    Crapbox (derisive 5ch nickname for Xbox) doesn't even get the buzzy new game Ananta (whose name means 'infinite') — a trash console the Japanese will never accept, period.
    57AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:43
    Re: #54
    Wait, seriously? I figured a game like that would obviously come out on it… nope, it really doesn't, lol.
    It's no substitute for a PS5 🙄
    64AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:47
    Home-friendly, censored versions of shooters where heads don't explode are just at a disadvantage — or rather, just less fun to play.
    No satisfying impact, and you can't even tell if you landed a hit or a kill.
    80AnonymousAug 31, 2026 08:59
    Re: #64
    Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 was like that.
    Fine, I'll let the no-exploding-heads thing slide,
    but there wasn't even a headshot sound effect, so you couldn't tell if you'd actually killed the guy or not.
    83AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:02
    Microsoft needs to think about why country-specific ratings systems exist in the first place.
    If you're selling in Japan, going through CERO is the proper way to do it.
    That said, CERO itself is just a private industry body's
    self-regulation with no legal force behind it.
    The whole point of that self-regulation was to keep the government from
    stepping in with actual laws — but if the manufacturers that matter most
    just ignore it, the whole effort is meaningless.
    89AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:05
    Re: #83
    The rating system exists in the first place so games can actually be stocked on shelves at local game shops, you know.
    114AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:26
    Re: #83
    Also, what's with all those random line breaks? You typing this on a flip phone (garakei/feature phone) or something?
    100AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:16
    Truth is, CERO's just trash.
    Xbox only dodges this because it sells so poorly in Japan that it's already pulled out of physical releases entirely.
    104AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:18
    Re: #100
    This game was never planned to get a physical release in the first place.
    And when PS drops physical releases in 2028, is it actually switching to IARC-only? There's been no announcement of that either.
    106AnonymousAug 31, 2026 09:19
    Re: #100
    PlayStation is pulling out of physical releases too, so this isn't even an issue, right?
    165AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:09
    Asymmetric multiplayer games tend to turn into 'survivors who outnumber the hunter gang up and stomp them' simulators…
    Texas Chainsaw Massacre especially had survivors so overpowered the killer side could barely do anything — on top of which it was a genuinely nasty game where you'd repeatedly stab the wheelchair-bound old man who serves as the killer team's home base.
    166AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:12
    Re: #165
    That's partly because the killer side wasn't really designed to function as a team to begin with.
    Unless you level up skills enough, the Cook's hearing-based skill doesn't even get shared with teammates.
    167AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:12
    Re: #165
    I guess it's inevitable the design ends up pandering to whichever side has more players.
    But it's frustrating they don't even seem to try giving the minority side a way to feel a sense of accomplishment.
    174AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:16
    Honestly, deep down I just want to see mutilated corpses, guts, and nudity (said with the shameless, unapologetic energy of Momonga from Overlord), but… can I really say that out loud?
    175AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:20
    Re: #174
    The whole point of this thread is
    'PlayStation might not be able to play overseas games anymore,'

    right? Why'd you suddenly derail it into 'I just want to see mutilated corpses, guts, and nudity'?
    177AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:22
    Re: #174
    Going forward, any game with gore or fan-service content could end up in the exact same situation.
    This isn't something you can brush off as just 'ooh, guts and stuff.'
    189AnonymousAug 31, 2026 11:41
    Re: #174
    Personally I don't care much either way about the cutscenes, but from a game-system standpoint — especially in PvP — that stuff is a visual cue for debuffs/incapacitation, so it really needs to stay consistent across versions.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Distribution of game software within Japan has, in practice, made age-rating review by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) all but mandatory. It is a self-regulatory framework run by an industry body with no legal enforcement power, but its existence is precisely what has, historically, kept the government from stepping in with actual legislation. The point of contention in the thread was “why is only the PS5 version affected” — even for download-only titles with no physical release, PlayStation software is said to require a CERO rating, whereas Xbox and Steam only need to satisfy the international IARC rating standard, a difference in review policy between platforms that was cited as the technical explanation. While some dismissed CERO as a “hollowed-out, useless formality,” others defended its value, arguing that if industry self-regulation broke down, it could lead to actual government regulation. Commenters also pointed out that similar content-restriction risks could affect other overseas titles due for release in the future, suggesting this may not be an isolated case.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch Hardware/Industry (Geha) board thread “[Sad News] “Halloween: The Game” PS5 Version Cancelled in Japan — Xbox/PC Versions to Release as Planned.”

  • The Big 3 Visual Novels: What Joins Higurashi and Steins;Gate? 5ch Says ‘Umineko Gets Rave Reviews Overseas’

    A thread on the Game/Hardware board set out to pick a third pillar to stand alongside “Higurashi” and “Steins;Gate” as the Big 3 visual novels. Candidates poured in one after another — Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Kamaitachi no Yoru, YU-NO, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim — and one point that drew particular attention was that while Umineko ranks highly on overseas streamers’ rankings, opinion in Japan is split due to the controversy surrounding its anime adaptation. The thread also branched into debate over the very definition of a “visual novel” and discussion of why the genre rarely sees new hits these days, growing into something bigger than a simple popularity poll.

    1AnonymousAug 29, 2026 11:55
    Guess it's gonna be Umineko after all
    9AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:02
    Foreign streamers often make tier lists of Japanese ADV (adventure/visual novel) games, and Umineko's usually ranked S-tier.
    Meanwhile in Japan it's controversial because of the whole backlash.
    18AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:12
    Re: #9
    The manga version works.
    Either the editor busted their ass or someone fixed up what was otherwise a garbage, dropped-plot-thread mess.
    23AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:20
    Re: #18
    That's because the artist loved Umineko and begged Ryukishi07 (the writer) to let them adapt it.
    Because of that though, the print volumes of Ep8 from vol. 6 onward now go for a premium.
    152AnonymousAug 29, 2026 21:11
    Re: #18
    Read it a while back — so in the end was it all just a dream/delusion story?
    12AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:05
    If it's the manga version's ending, Umineko deserves S-tier.
    17AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:12
    Re: #12
    What bugs the people who dislike it is: in EP3, only the mastermind should know '07151127' — so why did Ikuko Yashiro know it too?
    21AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:17
    Otogirisou
    Double Cast
    Kidou Senkan Gundog (mecha sim game)
    24AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:21
    Re: #21
    Double Cast is a masterpiece, but can you really call that a 'visual novel' game lol
    27AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:26
    For Higurashi and Umineko, the parts where you're closing in on the truth and things get intense are great, but the everyday-life scenes feel like padding.
    Especially since there's a lot of repetitive description and phrasing that makes it needlessly long.
    Personally, I can't leave out Kamaitachi no Yoru (The Night of the Kamaitachi).
    32AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:30
    Re: #27
    Especially with Higurashi — the daily-life parts are boring and a lot of people drop off there, but it turns out some of those scenes are actually duplicates.
    31AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:30
    So much for 'Reiwa-era recommended visual novels' —

    all anyone's recommending is old, dusty games.
    40AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:36
    Re: #31
    Well, it's a genre that's barely benefited from hardware upgrades for over a decade.
    Even compared to old titles, about the only things that have improved are the UI and resolution.
    53AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:51
    Just put Kamaitachi no Yoru in the Hall of Fame already.

    Re: #31
    As for recent hits, I'd say Raging Loop, Paranormasight, Gnosia, and Urban Myth Dissolution Center.
    35AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:31
    If Higurashi is the first one on your list, the other two have gotta be Kizuato and Tsukihime.
    37AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:33
    Re: #35
    If we're talking the 2000s, Key (the visual novel studio) is a lock to be in there.
    39AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:36
    I played about half of Umineko, it was so underwhelming I just looked up the rest as spoilers.
    Turned out even more underwhelming, so quitting partway was the right call.
    161AnonymousAug 29, 2026 22:37
    Re: #39
    The Switch version of Umineko has gotten stupidly expensive.
    Should've bought it back when it was cheap.
    43AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:39
    Most people here probably don't know this, but otome games are basically all visual novels where the scenario is everything, so a lot of them are actually really good.
    Even the Three Houses scenario writer — not that they wrote all of it — I believe came from Koei Tecmo's otome game team.
    46AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:41
    Re: #43
    Isn't it true that romance stories are never actually interesting?
    You need at least one dismemberment murder or you'll get bored.
    45AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:41
    Personally, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is #1 by a landslide.
    56AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:52
    I played Raging Loop with the voices off — guess you do get used to it.

    Re: #45
    I've only done two playthroughs so I didn't quite get it, but after watching an analysis video it all clicked perfectly.
    Though for an idiot like me, I can't fully understand it without someone explaining it lol
    52AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:50
    Raging Loop was fun at first but fell apart partway through.
    Also I just couldn't get emotionally invested in the protagonist and main heroine.
    55AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:52
    Re: #52
    Well, the protagonist and heroine are both psychopaths, so…
    Making a psychopath duo the leads of a Werewolf (Mafia-style) game is quite a choice.
    58AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:54
    Re: #52
    Haru-chan should just be the main heroine, right?
    Chiemi and Rikako are way too problematic.
    59AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:55
    I was blown away by how brilliant Stellar Code is — a game the old-timers on the console-war (Geha) board have almost certainly never touched.
    61AnonymousAug 29, 2026 12:56
    Re: #59
    It wasn't brilliant at all — the previous game, Ihanashi no Majo, was way more polished.
    64AnonymousAug 29, 2026 13:02
    Cross Tantei Monogatari on the Sega Saturn
    The real, uncensored 18+ version of YU-NO
    Kamaitachi no Yoru

    Compared to these, Steins;Gate is honestly third-rate.

    If you got hooked on AVGs (adventure games) through Steins;Gate, you owe it to yourself to experience YU-NO before you die.
    I'll say it flat out: no AVG will ever top it.

    The remake is a different beast entirely, so there's no need to bother with that one.
    71AnonymousAug 29, 2026 13:07
    Re: #64
    With YU-NO, the fact that there's a gap in awareness between the player and the protagonist regarding the timeline changes is just unacceptable.
    Steins;Gate is contrived too, but at least it makes the effort to reconcile that gap.
    89AnonymousAug 29, 2026 14:09
    Re: #64
    YU-NO's opening drags on forever, it's rough.
    119AnonymousAug 29, 2026 16:44
    Re: #24
    Steins;Gate barely has any narrative prose either, yet people still call it a visual novel.
    I'd say as long as it's in text format, it counts.
    139AnonymousAug 29, 2026 19:12
    Re: #64
    The YU-NO remake's no good? But that's the only version you can actually play properly on modern hardware…

    Re: #119
    Yeah, honestly even some of the titles named here make you go 'is this really a novel?' — I'd personally categorize Yarudora in particular as more of a 'playable anime'…
    Though I guess since the protagonist's thoughts are all text, that makes it a novel lol
    68AnonymousAug 29, 2026 13:06
    Coming from the Ever17/Steins;Gate generation, YU-NO and EVE felt boring and tedious to me.
    Systems get optimized to fit the times, so I think it's only natural that going back to play old titles now feels rough.
    84AnonymousAug 29, 2026 13:24
    Re: #68
    Ever17 and Steins;Gate being 'the same generation' feels off to me somehow.
    81AnonymousAug 29, 2026 13:22
    Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (Rumbling Hearts)

    A visual novel where nobody dies.
    97AnonymousAug 29, 2026 14:39
    Re: #81
    Winter Sonata ripped that off.
    113AnonymousAug 29, 2026 16:07
    Umineko definitely leaves you feeling unsatisfied if you only play the game itself.
    It's only after you go Google the truth afterward (basically checking your own theories against the answer) that you finally go 'well played!'

    That said, looking back, I think it's asking a lot to expect people to enjoy it from the first half through the middle of the second half.
    There are some genuinely interesting, appealing scenes scattered throughout at a small scale, but the big picture stays murky, and the question of 'where is this story actually going?' never really goes away.
    Personally, what got me through it was my trust in Ryukishi07 and the attachment I developed to the characters.
    Hard to recommend to today's short-attention-span kids.

    But once you reach the truth, all those scenes that left you confused suddenly make sense, and you'll be impressed they managed to pull off a setup like that at all.
    115AnonymousAug 29, 2026 16:23
    Re: #113
    The mastermind has way too many titles/aliases going on.
    Turning those blank two years into a 'Schrödinger's cat box' and saying 'go theorize about it yourself' is bound to get criticized — and that part only exists in the manga version anyway.
    Though I guess it is technically Beatrice.
    136AnonymousAug 29, 2026 18:55
    Re: #113
    Though the Geha (console war) board is nothing but impatient old geezers.
    140AnonymousAug 29, 2026 19:19
    In Umineko Ep7, I finally thought I'd get the answers to all the past incidents, and then—

    'Illusions return to illusions… A corpse that cannot return to the earth returns to illusion instead.'

    ???…huh?

    That's the memory I'm left with.
    157AnonymousAug 29, 2026 22:04
    Re: #140
    Even that part is easier to follow in the manga version than the original.
    158AnonymousAug 29, 2026 22:10
    Re: #140
    If I recall, that one was Sayo, by the way.
    Otherwise it contradicts Kanon still being alive up to the boiler scene.
    Also, by the way, the Eva couple had already been bought off.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The term “visual novel” refers to a format that tells its story through text and branching choices rather than gameplay, but because Steins;Gate itself is written in an unusual style with very little narrative prose, the thread was divided over the very definition of what counts as a “novel” game. Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a mystery originally created by Ryukishi07 as a doujin work, and its structure — which leaves the interpretation of its foreshadowing up to the reader — has long been divisive, especially given how its anime adaptation sparked backlash in Japan. On the other hand, the point that it’s rated highly by overseas streamers is one example of a gap between its reputation in Japan and how it’s received abroad. Meanwhile, the fact that 90s titles like YU-NO and Kamaitachi no Yoru keep coming up reflects a structural issue in the genre: it rarely benefits from hardware improvements, which also helps explain why recent hits have been so limited.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Let’s pick the Big 3 Visual Novels like we did the Big 3 RPGs — ‘Higurashi’ and ‘Steins;Gate’ are locks, so what’s the third?“.

  • GTA6’s Online Mode May Arrive 1-2 Years After Main Game Launch, US Media Reports

    According to a report from Forbes, GTA6’s online component may not launch alongside the main game, but could arrive one to two years later instead. Developer Rockstar Games took a similar approach with the previous entry, GTA5, first polishing the standalone console version before rolling out the online mode and PC version afterward. The report sparked debate on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“geha”) board, pitting frustration over the PS5 version being locked at 30fps with no 4K support against hopes that the eventual PC version is the “real” release worth waiting for — with some mockingly dubbing the console version an “early access debug build.”

    GTA6 Latest News Roundup (Grand Theft Auto 6)

    @STARGAMES_blog

    [GTA6] New GTA Online installment may arrive 1-2 years after launch 🎮

    Source: forbes.com / Original article here

    6AnonymousAug 30, 2026 13:53
    The day-one crowd

    Locked at 30fps (PS5 Pro locked at 30 too)
    WQHD, not 4K
    No performance mode
    No online


    What even is this
    28AnonymousAug 30, 2026 13:58
    Re: #6
    The PC crowd
    60fps+, no sweat
    4K, no problem
    Online unlocked
    Mods can fix annoying systems
    Mods let you expand things freely

    Man, the PC version sounds so nice 😭
    90AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:22
    Re: #6
    And it's not even like they're going all out on graphics at 1440p, lol
    21AnonymousAug 30, 2026 13:56
    I mean, GTA Online on PC without cheats and mods is basically ramen without the chashu pork.
    69AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:08
    Re: #21
    Yeah, it's ramen pretending to be fancy — but underneath it's really just 1440p/30fps.
    60AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:06
    Same thing happened last time
    The PC version comes even later after that.
    65AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:07
    Re: #60
    13 years of development and it's "Sorry, we couldn't get online ready~ but it was the same last time so please forgive us~"? Way too much of a free pass.

    If this were Square Enix, nobody would be defending it.
    67AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:08
    Re: #60
    There's no way they can delay the PC version that long
    Rockstar would go under.
    70AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:08
    Re: #60
    Was the gap really a whole year?
    91AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:23
    Isn't the console version basically pointless at this point?
    It's like they're saying "just watch a stream for the story, and wait for the real deal — the PC online version."
    93AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:27
    Re: #91
    Can't be helped, the console version is basically the debug build
    We should be grateful people are willing to pay money to be unpaid debuggers
    And on top of that, Japan's version even gets censored, lol
    100AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:32
    Re: #91
    If only I had the money for a PC…
    Even a mid-range 4060 card would handle 4K/60fps with room to spare.
    103AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:36
    Re: #67
    They finish online first, then the PC version
    They're not doing everything all at once.
    105AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:38
    Re: #103
    Wait, do you seriously think they haven't touched PC development at all yet?
    Must be nice being that naive.
    111AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:43
    Re: #105
    They haven't. There's no way they'd start on it when the console online version isn't even finished yet.
    112AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:43
    Re: #111
    Must be nice being you.
    123AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:48
    Re: #105
    Re: #112
    Not sure if you're just uninformed, but even with GTA5, online came out before the PC version too.
    125AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:49
    Re: #123
    Well, obviously…
    The situation back then and now are completely different
    Must be nice not having a care in the world.
    126AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:50
    Re: #125
    If the situation's really different, then it should've launched simultaneously on PC in the first place.
    131AnonymousAug 30, 2026 14:53
    Re: #125
    Rockstar's approach is the same as always — perfect the console version first, then port it to PC.
    Someone from Rockstar said that's the way with the fewest problems, right? And Cyberpunk is the textbook example of what happens when you do it the other way around — nothing but trouble.
    But this time it's a 13-year megaproject, so who knows if they can port it in 2 years like they did last time.
    144AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:03
    I feel like nobody even wants to watch a stream of something running choppy at 30fps…
    146AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:04
    Re: #144
    Most viewers are watching on a phone or tablet at best, so it'll probably be fine.
    149AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:06
    Re: #144
    Honestly streaming quality doesn't even matter
    On a trash server like YouTube, 60fps is already considered too heavy as it is.
    166AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:21
    I mean, most PC players are just the type who'll keep playing GTA5 until it comes out anyway
    And since they're supposedly picky about quality, there probably aren't many who'd rather rush into the story at 30fps.
    168AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:24
    Re: #166
    Can't play an action game at 30fps
    The bigger the title, the more it exposes how weak the PS hardware really is.
    170AnonymousAug 30, 2026 15:27
    Re: #166
    Why is GTA treated like the only option anyway
    There are plenty of other games people could want to play.
    201AnonymousAug 30, 2026 16:01
    Re: #198
    Grinding your teeth that hard, lol
    Sucks that you can't play it, huh~ wwwww
    207AnonymousAug 30, 2026 16:05
    Re: #201
    Thanks for your service as a test player for the eventual Steam definitive edition
    Though knowing your type, you probably won't even buy it 😅
    211AnonymousAug 30, 2026 16:08
    Re: #207
    Sucks that the lead platform is the PS5, huh~ wwwww
    This is following the exact same path as the masterpiece RDR2, wwwww
    214AnonymousAug 30, 2026 16:10
    Re: #211
    An unfinished, 30fps "lead platform" (lol)
    220AnonymousAug 30, 2026 16:42
    Re: #211
    Hey, you don't need to defend this one too. We PS users got the ladder pulled out from under us — it's only natural to be angry about it.
    306AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:17
    With the trailer sitting at 13 million views, what's the deal with people quietly trashing it in a corner like this?
    308AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:32
    Re: #306
    If anything, it's exactly because it's getting so many views that social media is such a mess too.
    312AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:46
    Re: #306
    It's a disaster on X as well though
    Feel free to keep living in denial, I guess.
    318AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:59
    Re: #306
    Even if every single one of them bought it, that's still only 13 million copies
    The video's free to watch, so honestly it should have way more views than that for the number to mean anything.
    310AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:41
    Right now basically the only positive buzz around GTA6 is nudity at the nightclub, the beach, or the pool
    Source: X (for real)
    313AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:46
    Re: #310
    Thought "no way" and checked, and yeah, it's true
    Seriously, almost all the positive talk is just about nudity
    Aside from that it's just the overall graphics improvements
    And everything else is basically people arguing

    So in the end, graphics are the only thing worth praising, huh?
    317AnonymousAug 30, 2026 21:59
    Re: #313
    And even those graphics are already gutted in the first release, so… I mean, what can you even say

    Re: #316
    With over 13 million views?
    Where did the other 9 out of 10 people go?
    319AnonymousAug 30, 2026 22:02
    Re: #317

    tps://youtu.be/c-xPQJnYnU8?si=AZtjdO_Z2Eg60WOY

    Only about 1.4 million in 6 months
    As for likes… oh right, they disabled that.
    320AnonymousAug 30, 2026 22:02
    Re: #317
    Maybe it's just the same people replaying it over and over like idiots?
    If not, I've got no idea.

    Background and Key Points

    GTA6 is a massive project reported to have taken around 13 years to develop, and its trailer had already surpassed 13 million views early on. This “online delayed” report is worth treating as speculation rooted in Rockstar’s track record with GTA5 — finishing the console version first, then rolling out the PC version and online features afterward — rather than an official announcement. Rockstar itself has not formally confirmed a release date or an online rollout schedule. Opinions on the thread split over how to weigh the PS5 version’s specs, locked at 30fps and capped at WQHD, pitting hardware frustration against those who saw it as just Rockstar’s usual development playbook. Reactions to the main trailer were similarly mixed, with some noting there’s little to talk about beyond the graphical improvements — reflecting a reception caught between anticipation and dissatisfaction.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Sad News] GTA6’s Online Mode Reportedly Won’t Launch Alongside the Main Game — Delayed by 1-2 Years, lol.”