STOVE

hello.
At night, the daily temperature difference is more than 20 degrees , during the day It was a week where I was so sleepy. How was everyone's week?
Well then, let’s take a quick look at what news there was this week with Gamezzik!
🎮 [Console Controversy of the Week] Consecutive Price Increase Controversy of PS5 and PS Plus 💸 [Games and Economy of the Week] Japanese 20-somethings. They spin gacha so much that it's hard to make a living?! 😎 [Development Story of the Week] Ubisoft Releases Color Blindness Simulation Tool 'Chroma' for Free 🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] Tortures that Torture Gamers... 😶‍🌫️ [Steam Summary of the Week] Gotcha! Gamer Who Confessed to Pirating Games and Got Stuffed 🖼️ [Gaming Hardware of the Week] Nvidia Blocks Review of RTX 5060 8GB Model 🔊 [Game News of the Week] Short but important industry news
🎮 [Console Controversy of the Week] Consecutive Price Increase Controversy of PS5 and PS Plus
This week, PS's subscription service PS Plus and the PS5 saw a surprise price increase .
▷ PS5 price increase
Prices for the PS5 Disc Edition and PS5 Digital Edition have increased in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, price increases have been announced in the Middle East and Africa. The increased prices average 50 euros (80,000 won). Depending on the region and exchange rate, there has been a considerable increase of around 10-15% . Fortunately, Korea is not included in this category.
This is already the third price increase , considering that there was a global price increase in August 2022, and that Korea and Japan also increased prices in October 2024.
The reasons for the price increase include global inflation, semiconductor supply and demand imbalance, and rising logistics costs.
Some people say that in the United States, where inflation is high, there are actually no price increases. There is even a conspiracy theory that 'Trump's tariffs are being paid by other countries.' This time, the countries where the price increase occurred are those where the PS5 has a much higher market share than the Xbox, making it a ‘near-monopoly country.’
However, there are also views that the price of PS5 will increase in the United States, so it is too early to accept this claim at face value.
What's unusual is that the prices of the existing models, PS5 Disc Edition and PS5 Digital Edition, have increased, and not the new PS5 Pro model . This is the opposite of the trend seen with existing game consoles, which have lowered their prices over time through process improvements and lower unit prices of accessories. The PS5 was released in a single iteration (written as an improved version but read as a deteriorated version), and its low-quality heat pipes were pointed out. Of course, even at this time, the price did not go down, so the price resistance from users and Sony is particularly strong .
PS3 achieved extreme unit cost reduction through process improvement, function limitation, and parts replacement.
▷ Selling the console at a loss?
One of the console-related stories that is surprisingly widely misunderstood is, “Sell consoles at a loss and make a profit on game licensing fees” is one of the most misunderstood (marketed) myths out there.
This claim often comes from the 'Razor and Blade model' , namely:
Consoles (=razors) are sold at low prices or at a loss.
The idea is to generate revenue through game (=razor blade) sales, digital store commissions, and subscription models.
There was a brief period when it sold almost exclusively at a loss , which was during the very early days of the PS3, for about 4 months . (This version wasn't even released in Korea.) It was extremely expensive to produce, as it included a variety of technologies, including an expensive Cell processor, a Blu-ray drive, and a PS2 backwards compatible chip. However, because its competitor Xbox had preemptively released it at a lower price, they sold the products they had already produced at a loss in order to somehow compete. In other words, it was just an 'unavoidable choice' for competition , and Sony did not intentionally choose the 'razor-blade model'.
In the end, after only 4 months, they released an improved version > improved version > improved version that removed some of the backward compatible chips and lowered the manufacturing cost, excluding the Cell processor. They no longer did business at a loss. Naturally, they lowered the production cost to $230 in the end, and sold the PS3 at a considerable profit.
Aside from these unavoidable losses, neither Sony, Xbox, nor Nintendo have ever lost money on console sales. However, because those impressions and marketing are so ingrained in our minds, the console industry has built up an image that says, “You make a profit just by buying a console,” or, “You sell it at a loss and make money with games.”
So, you need to be careful with comments or marketing that say, 'Sell consoles at a loss and make money with games.'
▷ 30% price increase for PS Plus
Unfortunately, this includes Korea. Starting April 16, the price of the subscription service PS Plus has increased by more than 30% worldwide .
[Korea] Deluxe Plan Standard 12,900 won per month -> 19,000 won per month 3 months 35,000 won -> 3 months 54,000 won
12 months 116,100 won -> 12 months 171,000 won
For existing subscribers, the increase will not be immediate, but will be applied on the next payment date (subscription renewal) or when changing subscription plans.
Sony said of this price increase , “We will continue to provide high-quality game titles and benefits to the PlayStation Plus subscription service,” but It appears that the price has gone up without any real additional benefits .
Many users were considering canceling their subscriptions due to the huge price increase, which was almost 50% depending on the plan. For those who primarily use PS Plus for online play, there is a perfect alternative in the form of PC (Steam) that offers free online play.
For users who enjoy free games every month or use the PS Plus library, Rather than playing random free games that may not be your taste, it may be cheaper or more satisfying to buy a game you really like with a subscription fee.

Moreover, even during the PSN inaccessibility incident that occurred in February, they showed a frustrating attitude without any communication.

There are also questions about whether the service is worth the price.

Gamers are using PS Plus’ catchphrase, “Play Has No Limits.” It's a situation where people sarcastically say, "Pay Has No Limits."
'Blue Prince', which is included in this year's PS Plus April catalog, is receiving really good reviews.
💸 [Games and Economy of the Week] Japanese 20-somethings. They spin gacha so much that it's hard to make a living?!
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), a leading Japanese bank, has published a report titled '2025 Survey on the Awareness of Money Sense among Japanese People in Their 20s'. There are funny stories and sad stories, but what interests us most is the financial sense associated with “games.”
Original link to the report (Japanese): https://www.smbc-cf.com/news/data/2025/03/news_20250327.pdf + Game-related content is contained on page 20 of the report.
≫ “Have experience paying for games” 21.6%
≫ "Amount used" Average 4,247 yen/month (about 40,000 won/month)
≫ “I have had trouble making a living due to game purchases” 18.8%
≫ “I have regretted spending money on games” 23.9%
Japan is a country where mobile game gacha is so active that it is called a gacha paradise. It is interesting to note that people spend an average of 40,000 won per month on gacha . Of course, there is a statistical trap mixed in that one whale spender significantly drives up the average, but even so, in Japan, which is famous for its salty water consumption, this is a relatively large number .
But when I think about the charges in Korea, I feel like I don't spend that much. I think there would be one (two!?) more zeros in Korea. Hahaha
Compared to last year's survey, the number of people with "game spending experience" increased by about 6%, from 15.8% to 21.6%. The average monthly consumption amount was found to have decreased significantly (17.3%) from 5,138 yen to 4,247 yen . The total amount of payments probably hasn't changed, but the average is expected to drop as more small spenders are coming in with increased spending experience.
And what really caught my eye was, The answers were , “I have regretted overcharging” (23.9%) and “I have overcharged to the point where it became difficult to live” (18.8%) .
It is also interesting that the percentage of men who answered this question was consistently higher than that of women: 💸 Regret overpaying: Men 27.2% > Women 20.6% 🥲 Difficulty in living: Men 22.8% > Women 14.8%
A typical(?) cross-section of a male gamer who can starve but not his hobby...
Some Japanese media outlets even criticized them to the point of using strong words like “20-somethings with no sense of money” lol
“…Today too, someone will be eating cup ramen on the floor and drawing an SSR.”
😎 [Development Story of the Week] Ubisoft Releases Color Blindness Simulation Tool 'Chroma' for Free
Ubisoft has released 'Color Blindness Simulation Tool - Chroma' for free to improve game accessibility . After years of internal development, it is now available for public use.
It is estimated that approximately 300 million people worldwide are affected by color blindness and color deficiency . It is difficult for general game developers or game environments to experience and develop this.
Chroma applies filters to games to mimic the experience of color blindness or color weakness, without compromising the game's performance . It is said that the experience of almost all commonly known types of color blindness and color deficiency can be applied to the screen.
You can quickly and intuitively check whether the games and UIs you create are color-blind compatible.
In the past, we gave up some of the gamer market due to UIs that were created without considering color blindness and color weakness, or we adjusted them one by one based on user feedback. It is now expected to lead to consideration and market expansion for color blindness and color weakness in an easier and more proactive way .
At the recent GDC (Game Developers Conference), there has been a lot of discussion and action on game accessibility, to the point where the 'Game Accessibility Initiative for People with Disabilities' was launched. So, the open sourcing of these convenient development tools is expected to have a positive impact on the industry.
Chorma can be found in more detail and downloaded from the link below. Link | https://github.com/ubisoft/Chroma
🤣 [Game Humor of the Week] Tortures that Torture Gamers...
The three consoles have different button layouts . Maybe it's because my play time is relatively short, but I still can't get used to the switch's ABXY inversion lol.
As a bonus, in the Asian version, it's O(A): Confirm, X(B): Cancel, and in the Western version, it's O(A): Cancel, X(B): Confirm, and it's really painful when the button is like that. Especially on PSP, the system changes the confirmation button so often when running Western games and Asian games, the pain is indescribable.
It would be nice if this could be unified, but it is known that standardization is impossible because everyone is insisting on their own patents.
▷ What route do you take? ◁
I'm definitely on the right lol I have to finish everything at once!!!
But? When I go to one, it suddenly says it's a sub-quest and tells me to go somewhere else, so my path gets messed up ㅠㅠ
▷ Do you know what the abbreviation for pretty girl game is? ◁
Grandma's game????????????????????
Oh my gosh...
I get nervous every time this ad comes on. “These days, it’s grandma’s game!” he said, laughing.
▷ How some players surveyed the population of the game's major cities ◁
In Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, there is a system where if you kill a civilian, the magistrate will come and accuse you of murder and theft...

One player has posted a disturbing list of sins he must have committed...

The charges are sooo ...
Kill all NPCs to check population ...
I'm sorry human ㅠㅠ
They really did a population survey lol
▷ Reasons for changing the name of a game character ◁
A clown appearing in Genshin Impact The original name was 'Pedrolino', which means clown in Italian.
The problem is that if you translate this into Japanese... Pedo-ro-ri-no (ペドロリーノ) It is a very awkward name to use as a person's name because it reminds me of pedo and loli. When the character of Wooindan was revealed and the PV was released, Japanese gamers and broadcasters couldn't help but laugh when they saw the name 'Pedrolino'...
Currently, he is linked to the Korean clown meme (Yeah~ If you do XX, that's it~) and is becoming another source of laughter...
😶‍🌫️ [Steam Summary of the Week] Gotcha! Gamer Who Confessed to Pirating Games and Got Stuffed
A Steam gamer posted a screenshot with the caption , “It says in my play history that I played a Steam game that doesn’t exist. What’s wrong with that?” The play history shows that I played a game called Spacewar for 0.4 hours, but that game doesn't exist on Steam (only exists in the database).
People who saw this post gave it over 2,000 likes and “stuffed” it on Reddit. Spacewar is a pirated game, and is used to 'counterfeit' Steam games when playing multiplayer !
Even though it was only for a short period of time, less than 30 minutes, 5 years ago, I still self-certified that I played a pirated game. Lol.
Current concurrent users of Spacewar. It appears that quite a few gamers are still playing pirated versions of the game (and that number is growing).
Maybe it's on your playlist too?
▷ Steam Trends of the Week ◁
RuneScape, a time-honored lifestyle RPG. This time, RuneScape's 'co-op survival crafting' spin-off game, 'RuneScape: DragonWilds', has been released . And it is cruising along with a peak concurrent user count of 51,000. Although RuneScape is not well known in Korea because the original did not support Korean, it is a game that cannot be left out in the history of overseas games. Unfortunately, this new release doesn't support Korean either. ㅠㅠ
It has a very positive rating of 83%, but it received a significant penalty because it requires linking to an Epic account . In fact, the fun and evaluation of the game are better than that! Since it contains all of the existing life/battle features, many people say that this spin-off is really suitable.
Much improved graphics, and the Specialist Cloak, the identity of RuneScape itself, is still there.
Metro 2033 Redux has broken the previous record for the most concurrent players, reaching 50,000 despite being free for only 48 hours . It was a well-made game from the beginning, and it had a reputation that had been built up through the series' diligent development, so the impact of this free distribution seems to have been quite strong.
The reviews were also very good, and some people became interested in other games in the series, so it seems like the free distribution really revitalized the series .
The Last Epoch is on a roll as it begins Season 2 - Tombs of the Erased . It has successfully kicked off Season 2 with a whopping 150,000 concurrent users. Unfortunately, competing games in the hack and slash genre have been receiving poor reviews recently, and users are quickly leaving, but Last Epoch seems to be absorbing these users.
Although the game had good gameplay, the evaluation was 'generally positive' due to the lack of volume and completeness typical of small and medium-sized companies. Season 2 is receiving very positive reviews and overall ratings are improving .
However, in Korea, there are many people who have experienced false ban incidents, so public opinion in the community is divided.
🖼️ [Gaming Hardware of the Week] Nvidia Blocks Review of RTX 5060 8GB Model
While reviews of the RTX 5060 16GB and 5060 TI 16GB models are slowly being released among IT reviewers, a rather unfavorable move by Nvidia has been observed. It has been discovered that they are blocking or deliberately delaying the provision of review samples for the RTX 5060 8GB model that is scheduled to be released at the same time.
The merciless VRAM demands of modern games are becoming more evident. In the past, there was no need for large VRAM unless you were going for 4K resolution, but modern games are starting to require 12GB or more of VRAM even at 1080P resolution. However, in this situation , the RTX 5060 8GB model could not help but receive a ‘bad review’ .
So, to avoid such negative reviews, it seems that NVIDIA has decided not to provide the RTX 5060 8GB model to tech reviewers .
IT reviewers and gamers who heard the news all responded with regret . Of course, people who have even the slightest knowledge or information about this would say, “I would never buy it.” The problem is that I am worried about beginners who are not aware of this, or so-called dragon sellers and complete PC assemblers who see consumers as a means of making money.
Beginners will look for a cheaper product if it's the same 5060, and will naturally buy the 5060 8GB model. Even if you carefully search for reviews, there will only be reviews for the 5060 16GB model, so you might not know much about it and end up buying the 5060 8GB model. The same goes for PC builders who build complete PCs. They will boldly advertise “RTX 5060 in it!” and cite reviews of the 16GB model to promote their products. There really won't be any products with 16Gb models.
I don't think this kind of 'blind man' style of review control will benefit either NVIDIA or consumers. If you are planning to buy a graphics card, please pay attention to this part .
A satirical meme of gamers going crazy - $400 for a graphics card with 8Gb VRAM in 2025! That's stealing!
🔊 [Game News of the Week] Short but important industry news
🔊 Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remaster Revealed to Be in the Works → Next Up: Fallout 3 Remaster Also in the Works 🔊 The US has announced tariff exemption rules for digital products (iPhone-related), semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials, and AI-related parts or devices, so game consoles are also likely to be exempt from tariffs. 🔊 Gaur Gura , the YouTuber with the most subscribers in the world , announces the end of his activities on May 1st 🔊 Korean Red Cross X Blue Archive, social contribution business agreement and blood donation campaign. Commemorative postcards and stickers provided
🔊 US Congress launches investigation into whether Nvidia's GPUs were leaked to China 🔊 Monster Hunter Wilds , decided to abolish 'ranking rewards' due to repeated cheating 🔊 11bit Studios is working on a new Frostpunk-based game (targeting a 2027 release) 🔊 Another rider of Sony Live Service, Bungie's 'Marathon' trailer and Steam page revealed . Will it be the second Concorde or will it make history? However, most of the information that has been released is met with very negative public opinion.
🔊 Microsoft Games Chief Phil Spencer Announces Active Support for Xbox Games to be Supported on Nintendo Switch 2 🔊 William 'Bill' Roberts, who played Vesemir in The Witcher 3, has died. 🪦 🔊 No Mercy removed from Steam due to violence and sexual content issues. Also removed from inch.io 🔊 Niantic, famous for developing augmented reality games and Pokemon Go , lays off 68 employees after selling its gaming division for $3.5 billion
⚠️ Witcher 4 , Scam Alert Disguised as Playtest Invitation, Official Announcement that Beta Testing is Currently Not in Progress and No Plans 🔊 Diablo 4 Announces Collaboration with Manga Berserk 🔊 Discord, (UK, AU) added a system that asks for facial recognition or ID when entering rooms containing sensitive content. 🔊 Hibino Smart Toy releases a 1:1 scale smart toy of Nier: Automata's 'White Contract SMT-A1 (Sword)'. It has an acceleration sensor, so when you swing the sword, it lights up and makes a sound, like 2B's sound...
It's probably just for decoration, but I'd like to have it! Hahaha
Everyone, thank you for your hard work this week!
Have a nice weekend and a nice week, Gamezappy will be back next Friday at 7pm. See you later!

Moist Potato Chips

🫡🫡🫡 I live each day to enjoy the game.

I love pretty girl games and construction management games!

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