[00:00] Welcome back to Next Gen Console Watch, our show following the latest in gaming hardware.
[00:12] I'm Damon Hatchfield, and this week I'm joined by Max Philbill from Podcast Beyond and Ryan McCaffrey from Podcast Unlocked. And by now you've probably seen the extremely impressive gameplay deep dive on Grand Theft Auto VI. With nearly 30 minutes of pure gameplay with no commentary, no narration, no hosting,
[00:27] welcome to Vice City. We got a sense of what our two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, and their relationship is like, how we can swap back and forth seemingly instantly, even mid-activity. That is perfect B-roll timing.
[00:39] There was incredible attention to detail with hair physics, realistic shadows, and sweat, and lots of side activities like base jumping, basketball, water sports, and more. It was our biggest and longest look at GTA 6 so far, and yet, questions remain.
[00:52] For starters, the presentation was captured on PS5. I think they would have specified if it was a PS5 Pro, So even on a base PS5, it looks amazing. I look at this and I don't see how my six-year-old launch PS5 can do this.
[01:05] Max, why do you think they wouldn't want to show it on a Pro, and do you expect that version to look significantly better? I couldn't tell you why they wouldn't show it on a Pro. I think because they want to make people excited who have the base PS5
[01:20] because obviously it's a much larger install base. I would imagine the reason that they're showing it on a PlayStation 5 and highlighting that specifically is a marketing thing. Like, that is, I think, money exchange hands there. I think it's a pretty safe assumption.
[01:32] But that said, I do think that Rockstar probably would have wanted to gravitate towards PlayStation anyway. That's kind of where they got their start. So they have an existing relationship there. I don't think the PS5 Pro is going to look significantly better, at least not at launch.
[01:45] I think maybe it will at some point. Maybe they'll add some patches and stuff. But maybe I'm just skeptical here. but I don't think we've seen the PS5 Pro do anything mind-blowing.
[01:57] I think it's got some cool technical stuff under the hood, but in terms of being miles beyond what the base model is doing, I don't know. But I would love to be pleasantly surprised,
[02:09] or maybe not love because I don't have a PS5 Pro. But yeah, I don't know. I think it's cool that they showcase it with a base version. It is shocking that this is a six-year-old piece of hardware,
[02:23] but also this game allegedly cost more to make than it took to build the Burj Khalifa. So I would hope that something that expensive is that impressive. Ryan, you actually do have a PS5 Pro.
[02:37] According to other outlets like Digital Foundry, you may be looking forward to a boost in frame rate. Seemingly not at launch, though. I believe Rockstar has come out and said that it's probably not going to be the case that they might,
[02:49] they're going to maybe take a look at a performance update down the road. And that's okay. Like, you know, I'm not sure quite what we're going to get out of the PS5 Pro specifically. I mean, PSSR has done some noticeably nice stuff with some other games.
[03:05] You know, for me, I just, I want the best version of this game possible. And it's, you know, it might not, it might be marginally better at launch, and we'll just have to wait and see. But certainly if you're Sony, well, really, if you're Rockstar, more so than even Sony, you probably want to just show this on base PS5 just so that people aren't saying, oh, gosh, well, the regular PS5 version must look terrible if they were going to show it on a Pro.
[03:32] Like, this way, they can say to everybody, like, hey, here's what it looks like on the vanilla PS5. If you've got a Pro, it's only going to be even a little bit better. So, I'm curious what extra detail, in lieu of frame rate, which doesn't seem like it's going to be boosted on the Pro, at least at launch,
[03:52] I am curious what other effects or other details might be enhanced. because this is, as I know we're going to talk about, this is the best-looking video game I've ever seen when you take into account the scale and the characters,
[04:06] all the stuff you were highlighting in the beginning there, Damon. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely, you know, it is selling some PS5 Pros, I think. The PS5 Pro is sold out right now, so I think people were definitely impressed with this deep dive presentation.
[04:21] On the other end of the spectrum from PS5 Pro, Ryan, is the Xbox Series S. And I think that's a big question is like, how is that going to run on this console? Because initially, the Series S couldn't handle Baller's Gate 3.
[04:34] Yeah, that was a co-op thing. More so than like a raw technical thing. But yeah, I mean, it is a fair question. And I can guarantee you that IGN will have a video up as soon after launch as we can with a comparison.
[04:51] But it is a fair point. there's a lot less, what is it, if I recall correctly, because I haven't thought about this since launch six years ago, but I think that Series S is four, four carats lots of raw power.
[05:06] The commenters will correct me instantaneously below if I've got that incorrect, versus the 10 that the Series X is. So corners are going to get cut, but you really can't cut on frame rate, right?
[05:22] you can't, if it's already going to be 30 frames per second on PS5, PS5 Pro, and Series X, you can't go lower on a Series S or else it becomes pretty unplayably
[05:34] unpleasant, which means you're going to have to cut back on the visual effects whether that lighting whether that you know just various little details So it is a very open question of what Series S owners are in for on this
[05:52] Now, optimistically, I'd say that based on what Rockstar has shown us already, they have pulled off some true wizardry just in general. I mean, this game is absolutely stunning.
[06:06] So I kind of won't be surprised if it looks noticeably, like really noticeably less good on Series S, but I also won't be surprised if that Rockstar Wizardry translates to the Series S version looking, like, pretty good.
[06:24] It's certainly, it's not going to look as good as Series X or PS5, but, you know, I don't know. I'm not quite sure what to expect from the Series S. I think it's going to be, maybe you'll see like a frame rate hiccup here and there,
[06:36] but I feel like it's going to be longer load times from switching characters. I mean, it's not the same SSD in it that the Series X has, just a smaller one. So I'm not sure. I mean, again, I don't know how the wizardry works.
[06:49] But, no, I can definitely see like, you know, less individual strands of hair, maybe not quite as lush foliage, like that kind of thing. But, yeah, it's going to be really interesting to see the side-by-side comparisons between, like, the lowest end and the highest end, if the middle ground here is looking as good as it does.
[07:06] Yeah. So, you know, the game takes place in Vice City, extremely dense urban environment with a lot of verticality. It's also, you know, go out to the swamp lands, and there's kind of like a, just like a, I don't know, kind of a dirt road sort of country area.
[07:21] In the deep dive, they got on an airplane for a mission and flew somewhere, but remained in the country. I think they were going to, like, the opening of, like, a Mexican company's headquarters somewhere in the U.S. So, Max, what was your read on that?
[07:34] Like, where do you think they actually went to, and is it someplace you can actually get to otherwise on the map, or is that kind of like a fast-travel loading scenario? I feel like it's going to be on the map. I mean, there were plane-based missions in five.
[07:48] I think those maps are big enough that you can build out a story mission that has a realistic flight. And, you know, it wasn't like they were on a, you know, like a jumbo jet. It was a private plane, you know. People do short little hops in those.
[08:01] But, yeah, they said, what, the scale of the map is, is it three times bigger than Red Dead 2 and twice as big as, Vice City is twice as big as Los Santos.
[08:13] Like, the numbers in this thing are crazy. Like, I think the real, the really impressive thing is, yes, it looks gorgeous. Yes, there's, you know, like a lot going on. But it's just the sheer density of it all that I think is really shocking.
[08:25] But then when you factor in its density spread out that far, like, I don't, like, they've established that it's not just going to be, oh, yeah, there's going to be a really big downtown that's bustling and full of activity. And then 70% of the game is Swamplands where there's, like, four alligators and one dude on screen at once.
[08:41] But, like, it seems like it's going to be pretty evenly distributed. So, yeah, I mean, if anything, I feel like getting on a plane with a handful of people is going to be less impressive than half the stuff you see walking down the street. Yeah.
[08:53] Well, so, we've got two protagonists that are in a relationship, Jason and Lucia. Traditionally, in Grand Diablo games, you can hire ladies of the night
[09:05] and engage in some activities with them in some back alleys. So, I'm just curious how that's going to be handled now, now that you're not just a single protagonist, are all options on the table available for all characters?
[09:19] I don't know. I also think kind of along the same lines, Ryan, I think I'm getting a little bit more of a serious tone to this five-year, maybe a little bit less goofy and wacky, and they're trying to keep it a little bit more grounded.
[09:31] Yeah, that does seem fair. I mean, for me, one of my favorite things about GTA, and I love this series so, so much, is the satire.
[09:43] I mean, it's arguably one of the funniest franchises out there, even though comedy isn't the first thing you think of when you think of GTA. But, I mean, for me, GTA IV is the funniest one.
[10:00] The men's room thing, the men's room show, and all the, like, in-game internet at the internet cafes. But we've already seen a little bit of the humor when fairly early on in the extended look that premiered on Netflix,
[10:15] Jason sits down in front of the TV for a second while he's getting dressed, and we get that, like, mock Arby's ad of a bunch of woodland animals getting killed and then turned into a giant stack of meat on a giant sandwich.
[10:28] So I wonder if just the humor, it's definitely still going to be there, but I just wonder if it's going to be a little bit more understated, like you kind of have to go looking for it a little bit more than it being as in your face as it was in some of the previous seasons.
[10:44] That's the direction they've been going with this whole thing. You know, I mean, I feel like if you look at the difference between Red Dead Redemption or Red Dead Redemption 2, it's more than just technical. It's really tonal. It kind of like it simmers more. And I mean, more so the difference between like GTA 4 and 5, I would say.
[10:58] But even so, it's like they've been, you know, they tried to do sex back in San Andreas with hot coffee infamously. and they got slapped on the wrist by the, you know, the ESRB
[11:10] and it was a whole big thing. I feel like at this point they are such a big game that they can kind of do whatever they want. But, you know, conversely, like, look at, you've got, you know, games like Cyberpunk and The Witcher,
[11:22] which are pretty graphic in terms of sex stuff, and they, you know, they got away with that. I just I feel like it going to be it going to be a grown game Like there going to be some pretty extremely M scenes but I don think it going to be like press triangle to go do bedroom stuff
[11:43] Here's one detail that really makes me curious, though. I feel like it's something not enough people have pulled on. And that's that maybe some of the earliest shots when they're first showing the chair's apartment,
[11:55] if you look in the living room there's a stripper pole and there's like confetti everywhere and there's a paddle and there's a ball gag which has it leaves some questions and it makes me think like does she have a roommate who does some stuff like that like there's um but also like i i don't
[12:12] i don't know is there is is she doing that stuff like it's who knows what they're gonna put in there it's really it's like i like there's a lot we don't know you know there was more more obviously
[12:24] there was a strip club scene later in there as well. Yeah, I mean, I'm wondering, this is kind of out there, hear me out here, this is very Bonnie and Clyde, this is a Bonnie and Clyde story. The original Bonnie and Clyde film
[12:37] in early versions of the script, Bonnie and Clyde were in a throuple with their getaway driver. And that was definitely cut, like, Hollywood was like, we are not ready for this, that's not happening. And so instead they just made Clyde
[12:50] impotent. They made it like this whole thing where it's like, you know. So I wonder, like, are they going to, is there going to be, like, an option to, like, romance a third character? There's, like, a shot of Lucia, like, sort of flirting with a bartender.
[13:02] You've got, like, other stuff in there. I don't know. Like, we're getting out there. But, yeah. These are burning questions. We said it at the top. Yeah. Speaking of, we know there's this food system, and, you know, it'll affect your health and your weight, and you can become sleep-deprived.
[13:16] There was an image making rounds last week. I think it was probably fake, but it showed examples of the state that you could leave Jason and Lucia in if you did not provide them with healthy food.
[13:30] Joe, if you find that image, you can bring it up. I think the image is really amusing and funny, but I think it's probably fake. I just, I'm curious to see how much, you know, because even back in San Andreas, you could, you know, like the weight in your food.
[13:46] You could let yourself go. Yeah, you definitely let yourself go. And so I'm curious if that's an option here, because, again, I don't know, if they're trying to tell a little more grounded, a little more serious story, it gets a little bit silly if you let them go too much, I think.
[14:02] Then there's the question of celebrity cameos. And I had forgotten, if you go back to GTA Vice City, set in the same place, that was, like, so much more beyond just a couple celebrity cameos. In that game, you had Ray Liotta, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds,
[14:17] Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, Gary Busey, Lee Majors, Debbie Harry, and Jenna Jameson all in that one game. But I think they've sort of like, I think they've scaled that back ever since then. I think Grand Theft Auto 4 only had Ricky Gervais in it, and then 5 had nobody, I don't think.
[14:34] I don't think there were any celebrity cameos in that. Yeah, I mean, I think that speaks a lot to sort of the state of the medium and the reputation Rockstar has. like Vice City was very much coming out swinging because, you know, three fully established them as a, you know, industry leader, whereas,
[14:49] you know, one and two were cool in their own right, but it didn't, you know, didn't really, you know, burn anything down. But like three was like huge. And then Vice City was like, okay, let's, let's flex, like, let's throw some money around and really let's like, kind of make this a reputable thing.
[15:02] And they went all out with the license soundtrack as well. And yeah, I mean, that was, that was such a thing for a while, like getting, getting Hollywood actors in, games that kind of almost give them an air of legitimacy, but now we're kind of past that, so it's interesting to see who sounds like
[15:16] people are thinking it's Bobby Moynihan. Steven Root and Bobby Moynihan are two people they're calling out. I don't mind. I like Steven Root. He's great. I'd be happy if he's in the game, but it also is kind of, it's an interesting
[15:29] choice to completely abandon it for five and then bring it back for those. Yeah, yeah. Well, speaking of, you know, recognizable, oh, here we go. This, I think, is not real. Yeah.
[15:41] I don't think that's real. It would just be, it could make for some amusing. I mean, the so-called source is literally called gamerficial.
[15:53] Yeah. As in artificial. Yeah. Sounds legit. But there is some kind of a food eating system, so I don't know. We'll see. Red Dead 2 had that, didn't it? like you could kind of put on weight or lose weight,
[16:06] but I feel like it was very, like, it was much more subtle. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Speaking of recognizable voices, there's Laszlo, long-time talk radio DJ. He's been in every game since three.
[16:19] Has not been confirmed for this. Laszlo no longer works with Rockstar, left in 2020. That doesn't mean that Rockstar couldn't still hire him to be a voice in the game, but I think just last year he did an interview saying that he did not expect to be in it.
[16:32] So I think he would probably have been involved at that point if he was going to be. It's big shoes to fill. He's been so funny on the mainstay of Chatterbox since 3.
[16:44] I mean, that was my favorite station in 3 was just sitting and listening to Laszlo. So, yes, he will be missed. I'll be curious to see how Rockstar fills that gap.
[16:56] And then there's the question of what's going to happen with GTA Online. I mean, it's not going to be there at launch, obviously. I think GTA Online, Ryan, launched three or four months after the game proper back in 2013?
[17:10] No, it was actually pretty quick. My memory I have to double check my memory says it was just a couple weeks Like it fast followed But this time around regardless of whether or not my memory is accurate on that
[17:23] I would not expect GTA Online anytime soon. First of all, they haven't said a word about it, let alone shown anything. They spent, as Max alluded to earlier,
[17:35] the estimates are that this game might have cost a billion dollars to make, which if that's true, I can see it on the screen. So that's, like, I believe it based on the incredible stuff I'm seeing on the screen.
[17:50] But, yeah, I think I would not bet on GTA Online shipping this year. I would be very surprised if it's out within the six weeks of the main game shipping
[18:04] because once this thing ships on November 19th, The Rockstar team is going to be probably just waiting to see if they need to do any patches, any updates to fix anything that's immediately found on the campaign side, single player side.
[18:22] And then my sincere hope is that that entire massive Rockstar team gets a nice long holiday break after working so hard for so many years to ship this thing.
[18:36] And then come on back fresh in 2027 and we'll see, you know, how many months into the year it'll take before online ships. But it's certainly the rough estimates now are this could be an 80-plus hour campaign plus side stuff.
[18:55] So we're not going to – I don't think anybody's going to be desperately missing GTA Online. Not that people don't want to play it, but there's going to be plenty to do with the single-player game. For sure. Yeah, that's not a question in my mind.
[19:08] It's just that GTA Online is so profitable for Rockstar. I think they want to capitalize on that as soon as they can. We'll see. Of course, the other question of, you know, when will this happen is the PC release. So that's a good, that's a good, what would be your guess?
[19:23] Which comes first, PC online for GTA 6 or the PC release? Oh, online for sure. Yeah. It was what, Max, correct me if I'm wrong, I think about 18 months on GTA 5,
[19:37] if memory serves correctly, between the initial console release and PC. It was a good wait. Yeah, I'm interested in how they stagger with online because I feel like they know it's such a big deal. And, you know, previously they had, I think they did sort of a slow rollout for Red Dead 2 or Red Dead Online after Red Dead 2 to kind of iron out some bugs.
[19:57] But, yeah, I'm, you know, we talk about the GTA 5 or GTA Online launching so soon after 5. It launched in a rough state. People were pretty mad about that. And I think they're probably going to wait until it's ready to show off more.
[20:11] But, yeah, I mean, the hype for this game is so, like, absurdly high that I don't imagine they're going to rush it out anytime soon. And then the PC version, it'll come out eventually. It's bizarre to me that there's so much discussion about whether or not it'll happen when it's, like, it'll happen.
[20:28] It always happens a little bit later. They always launch a little bit later on PC. It's never, I mean, you know, with the exception of Red Dead 1, I guess. Yeah. well it won't be too much longer until we start getting
[20:40] some answers to these questions TK6 is out November 19th just a little less than three months from now I don't know about anyone else but I'm excited I think it looks like I think it looks like a pretty good video game I look forward to
[20:52] more of your comments on there and that sounds that sounds wild I don't see the appeal it's just it's just another game you know no I'm so I'm so happy it's coming out like right before the holidays and it's just you know it's yeah I'm I'm
[21:04] I texted my wife and I was like hey just putting this out there now, all I want to do during Thanksgiving is nothing and GTA. So let's just make that clear and I anticipate we may get in some arguments about having to go see family at some point
[21:18] but yeah. I had stratospheric expectations coming into that extended look. I'd purposely not looked at any of the leaks and in the first two minutes my jaw was on the floor. I was completely blown away by what they showed.
[21:33] yeah color me excited well dear viewers and listeners we'd like to know what platform do you plan to play GTA 6 on those would include PS5 PS5 Pro Xbox Series X
[21:45] Series S or maybe you're waiting for the PC version you can vote on IGN.com or on Spotify when this episode goes live and we'll share those votes with you next episode just like we can our previous poll what is your most anticipated Square Enix game
[21:57] probably unsurprisingly with nearly half of the votes was Final Fantasy 7 Revelation that would be followed by Kingdom Hearts 4 then Dragon Quest XII then Final Fantasy Resonance way down at the bottom, 1% of the vote
[22:10] Dragon Quest Monsters of the Withered World anyway, not too surprising results there I'm personally super excited for Final Fantasy Resonance coming this October anyway, that is our show this week
[22:22] thank you to both Max and Ryan thank you to everyone working behind the scenes to make this show possible my name is Damon we'll be back next week with more on the latest gaming hardware we'll see you then Thank you.
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