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[Victor Omega]

By defining these two events i mean the content that is presented at these events.

While acceptable by casual Sony fans, this year's PlayStation Showcase was not too accepted by Sony's Core fans. This is because, though never really defined by Sony themselves (yet also emphasized) The showcases tend to be geared towards first, and second-party developed titles, which came across more like a State of Play which is more geared towards multiplatform, indies, and 3rd party PlayStation Exclusive

 

[CamHostage]

Yes.

...It probably wouldn't stop all the complainers who assume every PS stream is when the next Last of Us or God of War will be announced, but they should do it anyway, just for clarity.

Technically, they already have; there are the big "Future of PlayStation" or "PlayStation Showcase" event once a year or so, and then there are the semi-regular State of Play events. Weirdly, the SoP brand sometimes is used for first-party deep-dive events for some reason instead of running down a slate of titles, and that confuses things. (I'd rather they just branded a separate "PlayStation Spotlight" stream type when they're turning on the stream to show one game, like they did with Ratchet Rift Apart and Hogwarts Legacy; when GT7 was given its own show, they called it "State of Play Deep Dive", but I'd rather it just be called "PlayStation Deep Dive".)

They also had a stream once called "PS Indies Spotlight" just for small indies. (Albeit there's a difference between "indies" and "Capital-I Indies" like those published by Annapurna or Devolver.) It was a different format, sort of like the ID@XBOX show, and I believe they've not done it again since. It's sort of a good idea for highlighting under-the-radar titles, but if the idea that they have a PS Indies show and so nothing independently-produced should be on the main stream, that isn't going to happen. Indies can be giant or they can be little niche titles (as can major game productions,) it wouldn't be good for Sony to ghettoize indies as second-class games unworthy of including in a big stream if they're compelling enough.

Nintendo technically doesn't separate out any of its Nintendo Directs; they could be great, they could suck. But Nintendo has a better rep of promoting its first-party product line (even if it's a show about DLC for an existing game,) and they tell you straight out (as Sony does) if only one game will be the featured title of the rundown rather than a smattering of announcements.

 

[Punished Miku]

Yes. I literally don't know what they mean, and I spend an unhealthy amount of time following all this bullshit.

 

[Katatonic]

 

[adamsapple]

By defining these two events i mean the content that is presented at these events.

While acceptable by casual Sony fans, this year's PlayStation Showcase was not too accepted by Sony's Core fans. This is because, though never really defined by Sony themselves (yet also emphasized) The showcases tend to be geared towards first, and second-party developed titles, which came across more like a State of Play which is more geared towards multiplatform, indies, and 3rd party PlayStation Exclusive

Not necessarily, most of the games shown at this years' were multi-platform games.

PlayStation Showcase 2023: List of All Games Announced

Here is a list of all PS5, PSVR 2, PC, and even Xbox games revealed at PlayStation Showcase 2023, like Metal Gear Solid Delta & Spider-Man 2.

www.escapistmagazine.com

 

[March Climber]

While people are answering this, I have a separate question that's related:

How are people easily able to separate Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Showcase, but they have trouble separating Sony State of Play and Sony Showcase?

 

[Tell’em Keb]

Yes, let’s pick this apart. It’s important.

 

[Victor Omega]

While people are answering this, I have a separate question that's related:

How are people easily able to separate Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Showcase, but they have trouble separating Sony State of Play and Sony Showcase?

Semantic lol, and a little "Nintendo gets a pass" and "Sony has to be critiqued being at the top"

 

[DeepEnigma]

While people are answering this, I have a separate question that's related:

How are people easily able to separate Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Showcase, but they have trouble separating Sony State of Play and Sony Showcase?

Cause Sony,

 

[Punished Miku]

While people are answering this, I have a separate question that's related:

How are people easily able to separate Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Showcase, but they have trouble separating Sony State of Play and Sony Showcase?

I've never heard of a Nintendo Showcase. They usually have a big one around E3, but that's starting to not be reliable now. Then they have Directs, and Indie Directs, and I think Direct-Mini Partner Showcase, and Indieworld Showcase.

Basically put it in the name if you want people to know.

 

[Tripolygon]

They literally tell you what the showcase is going to be about with every showcase they announce.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Absolute state of play: no hype

Showcase: hype (except the last one which was a stinker)

 

[graywolf323]

They literally tell you what the showcase is going to be about with every showcase they announce.

weirdly that never seems to stop people from complaining about what they show though (or more specifically don’t show)

they do a decent job telling you what you should expect but everyone always ends up expecting crazy stuff that doesn’t happen so they leave disappointed instead of having just kept their expectations in check

 

[Hudo]

I mean, there's a reason why people call it "The Absolute State".

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I think the bathrooms at the Sony store near me need better toilets.

 

[Mitsurugi Reiji]

Dont we already know it?

BOTH ARE DISAPPOINTING and neither is the place to showcase First Party apparently.

 

[Punished Miku]

weirdly that never seems to stop people from complaining about what they show though (or more specifically don’t show)

they do a decent job telling you what you should expect but everyone always ends up expecting crazy stuff that doesn’t happen so they leave disappointed instead of having just kept their expectations in check

That tells me they could maybe consider more clarity on the branding of the event. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[solidus12]

Their communication has been abysmal this generation. The days of PS4 were so much better with conferences and PlayStation Experiences.

Now they just post stuff via PlayStation Blog.

 

[Elder Legend]

If you don't understand or know the difference between a State of Play vs PlayStation Showcase then you are the problem and not Sony. It's quite self explanatory.

 

[ulantan]

They literally tell you what the showcase is going to be about with every showcase they announce.

Sure they tell you beforehand what they are going to show...but how do I know for sure what they are going to show so I don't get disappointed. I think They should start telling us what's in the show.

 

[March Climber]

I've never heard of a Nintendo Showcase. They usually have a big one around E3, but that's starting to not be reliable now.

The E3/Summer Games Fest Nintendo Showcase is the one I'm referencing in regards to my earlier post. Your second point is fair, but as Tripolygon said Sony makes it clear what they're showing before the show starts. Maybe they just need to add a title card to the show itself?

 

[Punished Miku]

If you don't understand or know the difference between a State of Play vs PlayStation Showcase then you are the problem and not Sony. It's quite self explanatory.

It's literally the opposite of self-explanatory.

You need to seek explanation to know what the difference is between those two things because the name doesn't tell you.

 

[CamHostage]

While acceptable by casual Sony fans, this year's PlayStation Showcase was not too accepted by Sony's Core fans. This is because, though never really defined by Sony themselves (yet also emphasized) The showcases tend to be geared towards first, and second-party developed titles, which came across more like a State of Play which is more geared towards multiplatform, indies, and 3rd party PlayStation Exclusive

Wait, why are you saying this? The show types are defined*, that's why they have two different show types.

State of Play | PlayStation

Catch up with all of the PlayStation news and announcements from the latest State of Play broadcast.

www.playstation.com

"State of Play is our video program, showcasing all the latest updates, announcements and new trailers from the world of PlayStation."​

PlayStation® Showcase | Thursday September 9 2021

Tune in for a look into the future of PS5.

www.playstation.com

"Take a look into the future of PS5, including updates from PlayStation Studios and some of the industry’s most imaginative developers, for games releasing this holiday and beyond. And stick around after the presentation to get more updates from some of the studio teams featured in the Showcase."​

(*State of Play does have a more jack-of-all-trades usage that could be better subdivided, but that's a different matter.)

Sony's "core fans" didn't like Showcase this year because they didn't like the titles Sony chose to showcase and the exclusion of titles not ready/included for showcasing (or at least that's the common response,) but there's no confusion that it was a Showcase. It said on the stream and every promotion, "PlayStation Showcase", and people tuned into it in droves because they knew it was their summer Showcase. Also, it was geared towards first- and second-party developed titles (they had 5 first-party games in there plus a hardware announcement and also showed titles from Ubisoft, Capcom, Square Enix, EA, CyGames, and others.) Not a great crop from Sony IMO and clearly yours too, but it was a Sony Showcase. Marathon and Concord and FairGame$ and Spider-Man 2 and Helldivers and DS Edge were upcoming Sony-produced products on display. You can't act like you don't understand it solely because you didn't like what you saw.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

No.If anyone doesn't know the difference that's on them.

SOPs are smaer shows.Usually under 30 - 60 minutes, and can range from covering multiple games or being a deep dive into a single game. More importantly, they happen on average at least 3+ times a year and before every major exclusive.

Showcases are bigger. Has over a duration, and happens once a year if at all.

Oh... Showcases don't get announced a day before its airing date.

 

[NickFire]

The issue isn't semantics for me. My issue is that after Spidey, I know Wolverine is "targeting" 2024 and the KOTOR remake may or may not ever release. Beyond that I know they are spending massive resources to chase MtX, and increasing my online tax cause they can and no other reason. That's pretty much the entirety of their plans that I know of.

 

[Danjin44]

Dont care, all I want from them is show exciting games......thats it, I dont care in what showcase......just show me the games.

 

[bender]

They should work on injecting some personality into their presentations. Let yosp host them.

 

[Punished Miku]

The E3/Summer Games Fest Nintendo Showcase is the one I'm referencing in regards to my earlier post. Your second point is fair, but as Tripolygon said Sony makes it clear what they're showing before the show starts. Maybe they just need to add a title card to the show itself?

I get they explain it. I know what's coming because I saw the explanation. I don't care to really complain about this, but that's what the OP asked so I answered. The explanation is fine, but I think a lot of people just catch the title honestly.

 

[StueyDuck]

Pretty sure it's already defined... with one being called showcase and the other being called a state of play.

 

[Robb]

Or maybe they could just make shows that contain a bit of everything each time like Nintendo? That’d be better.

 

[DeepEnigma]

It's quite self explanatory.

It's literally the opposite of self-explanatory.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

State of Play - Disappointment

Showcase - Slightly less Disappointment

 

[DeepEnigma]

State of Play - Disappointment

Showcase - Slightly less Disappointment

 

[AV]

Wouldn't make an ounce of difference. Youtube chat will be full of "GTA 6???????" regardless because people are idiots.

 

[NickFire]

Wouldn't make an ounce of difference. Youtube chat will be full of "GTA 6???????" regardless because people are idiots.

I would certainly take back all of my negative statements about this upcoming 3rd party and indie SoP if they actually stealth announced GTA6.

 

[March Climber]

The issue isn't semantics for me. My issue is that after Spidey, I know Wolverine is "targeting" 2024 and the KOTOR remake may or may not ever release.

This has been an ongoing issue for both 4k twins: Announcing things way too early.

Nintendo will just be ballsy and give you a direct of third party only, act like you can only play them on Nintendo, and you just have to deal with that... even if they're a direct of 80% farming simulators. They might give you one or two new announcements coming within the year, but nothing that's far off. They made that mistake twice with ToTk and Metroid Prime 4 and I can bet any amount of money that they're never doing that again. You won't hear about a theoretical Metroid Prime 5 until it's a year away from release at most.

 

[Kokoloko85]

TBH both have been so underwhelming these last 4 years it doesnt make a difference. I think the September 2020 or Console reveal was decent but also full of bs.
Bring back e3

 

[March Climber]

State of Play - Disappointment

Showcase - Slightly less Disappointment

We're going to be in 2024 soon. If you or anyone here still gets hyped up enough for State of Plays to where you feel disappointment afterwards, you have no one but yourself to blame.

Or maybe they could just make shows that contain a bit of everything each time like Nintendo? That’d be better.

This would require Sony to invest more in smaller I.P. like Nintendo. The reason Nintendo can do this is because they aren't making ToTk after ToTk after ToTk.

 

[bitbydeath]

I think it’s just the length of the show.
20-30min vs 1hour+

 

[Bartski]

how is that not defining enough already

 

[Robb]

This would require Sony to invest more in smaller I.P. like Nintendo. The reason Nintendo can do this is because they aren't making ToTk after ToTk after ToTk.

Go for it. Astro’s Playroom is one of their best Ps5 exclusives thus far.

 

[DeepEnigma]

how is that not defining enough already

 

[Bartski]

State of Play - Disappointment

Showcase - Slightly less Disappointment

more like the other way around as of late

 

[CamHostage]

TBH both have been so underwhelming these last 4 years it doesnt make a difference. I think the September 2020 or Console reveal was decent but also full of bs.
Bring back e3

Understand that quality of games shown would not be any different if they had it at E3 or if they have it in a stream.

Game makers aren't making games so that they can show them at trade shows and video posts.

That's what they had. The games in the last Showcase were the games Sony was prepared to and planned to promote for its current and upcoming fiscal year. They do have more stuff in the works, obviously, but this is what they had prepared and wanted to run in a lineup this year. Maybe they try a little harder for a live audience show, but they can't show what's they don't have ready to show (and I'm sure they tried as hard as they could for those 5M+ views; Showcase is still a big production even though it's on stage.) The only difference between if this had still been an E3 versus the Showcase and would have been that Spider-Man 2 would probably have been a live demo instead of a taped playthrough.

...BTW, I can't imagine you would say the last 4 years of PlayStation Showcase events have been underwhelming but the last 4 years of PlayStation releases have nevertheless been overwhelming for you as a gamer; they go hand in hand. Companies showcase what they're going to release. Occasionally they stack a showcase with too-early announcements if they need to use that trick card, but generally the focus is on the next 18-month window and it's smart to be careful not to pull too much out of the vapor bin. (Microsoft is still paying interest on all the still-not-released games it showed at its Showcase in 2020.) Aside from TLoU1 (which weirdly never got a State of Play Deep Dive), Sony hasn't shipped any big games by surprise without promoting it in a stream.

 

[CamHostage]

...as Tripolygon said Sony makes it clear what they're showing before the show starts. Maybe they just need to add a title card to the show itself?

Do you mean like these title cards?

 

[March Climber]

Go for it. Astro’s Playroom is one of their best Ps5 exclusives thus far.

I agree 100%. It was foolish for Sony to steer focus almost exclusively to big AAA releases. They could easily have a fun and quirky side like Nintendo if you consider their vast list of PS1, PS2, and PS3 I.P. to draw from.

They could easily please long term Sony fans by bringing back stuff like Intelligent Cube, Echochrome, or Tokyo Jungle with a cutesy art style, like what Nintendo does with old beloved I.P. and it wouldn't need a huge budget to do it.

 

[March Climber]

Do you mean like these title cards?

I mean adding a 'third party games' title card after or under 'State of Play' on that title card.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Sony does a good job expectation setting, people just refuse to listen.

It's not that difficult to read the sentence they always include in the announcements about what to expect lol

 

[mortal]

Why would they need to define it when most already understand the difference?
The shows already have different branding, and they even go out of their way to outline most of the SoP shows so that people's imaginations don't run wild (not that it stops some people.)

 

[GymWolf]

I'm not sure why, they have been both equally disappointing lately.