On October 7, Sony released the racing game Driveclub for PlayStation 4. Today, October 28, the game still doesn’t work as intended — and Sony still hasn’t said a word about refunding the folks who paid $US60 for it.
Driveclub‘s server problems have been well-documented. For the past three weeks, players have found themselves unable to access many of the racing game’s features; although Driveclub does have an offline mode, its biggest selling points involve connecting with and racing against other players, fighting for ranks as you try to climb the game’s various social leaderboards. Multiplayer is even in the name — Driveclub refers to the clubs you can form to play with other people.
So for 21 days now, the game has been essentially crippled.
Though Sony has been issuing regular updates to try to fix Driveclub‘s server issues, they’re still not out of the woods yet. (Representatives for Sony did not respond when I asked them about potential refunds.)
Just this morning, I asked Fahey to log into the game and see what was up. Here’s the message he got:
Three weeks! We’ll keep you updated as the Driveclub Disaster Watch continues.
Comments
49 responses to “Three Weeks Later, DriveClub Still Doesn’t Work Properly”
Was this morning the best time to check a connection seeing as lots of people had troubles logging into Destiny after the PS4 2.0 update?
That said, I was keen to try out the PS Plus edition when it was supposed to come out, now I couldn’t really care less either way. The hype has gone back down for me
The Destiny issues were because of that Destiny update this morning, had nothing to do with Sony.
Dont know where you got that info from.
“Greatness Awaits”
Yep. Everyone is still waiting for the greatness
Everyone I think is also still waiting for all those games?
Meanwhile Xbox one has heaps of exclusives oh and did I mention Forza Horizon2 not only works all the time, it has more cars and did I mention it works 😉
TBH I really do feel bad for anyone that purchased the game. Luckily i had FH2 to keep me going otherwise i am sure if i only had a PS4 i would have dipped into Driveclub immediately. While i have been reading that the servers were progressively getting somewhat better, 2.0 seems to have crippled the game again…
Also though i find it surprising that Driveclub’s now 16-day server issues are not getting much coverage on any gaming enthusiast site. Yes it is a niche racing game but if FH2 had server issues for this long i would imagine it would be copping a lot more flak.
As a general rule I think people are more vitriolic towards Microsoft.
When the Xbone was going to be ‘always-on’ the internet exploded with rage, but Sony implements a streaming backwards compatibility solution that forces people to pay (LOTS) by the hour for lag affected versions of software which in many cases they already own on their PS Store accounts….. and nobody bats an eyelid.
I know they aren’t exactly the same but I think as far as demonstrating that Sony aren’t some kind of beacon of altruistic, pro-consumer behaviour it’s a great example.
I guess it’s props to Sony for having a good PR department but I don’t see any reason that people shouldn’t be as pissed about Driveclub not working as they would if an MS title failed horribly.
You have been consistently bringing this point up. Does it really affect your life in anyway?
It does actually. I want to play older games on my PS4 and the solution proposed by Sony makes it expensive and difficult.
Do you have fibre internet? I was never under any belief that PS Now streaming was targeted towards Australia. At least in its early life.
I mean constantly bringing up that you think people were more annoyed at Microsoft then Sony, who cares? I wasn’t excited about the Xbox One apart from making a few jokes around the time after the announcement I haven’t been constantly complaining about it. I just bought a PS4 and WiiU and spoke with my wallet.
I’ve got ADSL, so streaming at 720p with feedback going BOTH ways is a completely unfeasible BC solution for me.
I feel aggrieved about it because I already own a decent back-catalogue of PS1/2/3 games and that I have linked to my PS+ account that I pay for. Given that Sony have lead the way in regards to cross-play for games linked to their account I had the expectation that Sony would:
A/ Do their best to develop a BC solution
B/ Not screw me over for access to games I’ve already paid for
They’ve done the exact opposite of those two things. If you do an objective assessment of the costs and benefits of the streaming option against some form of on-board emulation then the only people who are in anyway better off with a streaming solution is Sony because it allows them to charge their customers through the ass what they know will inevitably be a sub-standard product.
It may not be something that impacts the entire console but I think pound for pound it’s as greedy and cynical as anything I’ve seen in gaming outside of the F2P market.
I’m still holding out hope that they write a PS1/PS2 Emulator for the PS4. I agree with you that Sony seems to be doing what they want as opposed to what the consumers are asking for. Its constantly brought up on the playstation blog. There are so many features I want the PS4 to do, it would take forever to list them all….
Well don’t use PS Now then. It is not like there is Xbox Now or any kind of backwards compatibility either on the Xbox so your point has none. You have not been screwed over at all you are forcing a point to waffle for the sake of waffling.
Want to play old games on new machines get a Wii U or a DS. Oh look, PS3 didn’t play PS2 games either and did not offer streaming service for you to have the OPTION of.
Seriously, do you not get it….?
I think you’re rewriting history there a bit. There was plenty of outcry over the unfair pricing, the lack of value and the poor service.
You’re probably right, I just think that if more people had stood up and held them accountable (I’m looking at YOU crappy games journalists) then they might have backed down and developed a reasonable solution because I don’t think the policy holds would have held up to criticism.
For all the ‘always-on’ problems that could have arisen, at least MS could give a half-decent justification for the original Xbone policy (game sharing, discless play ect).
If journo’s had really taken Sony to task and asked them to justify a policy that won’t work well (or at all) for most people and appears to be nothing more than the best solution for them to extort money from their customers we might all be able to enjoy emulated BC on our PS4s instead.
It’s not about PlayStation Now being a poor value proposition and currently unusable in Australia. It’s really about ethics in video game journalism.
HAHA, don’t start me with that!
I want no part in any of that rubbish.
I was just saying that it appears to be an exploitative policy and I would have loved to see somebody really take them to task for it.
I guess it was a bit unfair, but your comment was the perfect set up 🙂
Back to being serious though, what exactly would you expect journalists to do about PS Now? I know that the prices are high due to articles written by journalists. I know that the service is highly sensitive to latency due to articles written by journalists. There have been opinion pieces complaining about these aspects of the service. What more do you expect them to do?
I think part of the problem comes from seeing PS Now as a purely PS4 based service. I was in the US recently and went to a Best Buy store: PS Now was prominently listed as a feature of some of the Sony television sets. It was also listed as a prominent feature of the little PlayStation TV microconsoles. So it certainly looks to me like they are after a slightly different market to e.g. those who were after PS2 compatibility on a PS3. Whether that market actually exists is another question, but it’s Sony’s prerogative to find out (and possibly fail).
While I agree with some of your points, I’m personally getting tired of the Sony vs MS argument.
They both offer virtually identical GAMING experiences, which is the part that matters… and it’s virtually the same.
If you think about it even the exclusives have either competing exclusives or multiplatform games that do similar jobs on the opposing machine. The services are the same, prices are the same/ similar, the experiences you get in games are the same, the type of game you get are the same, etc.
It’s literally down to whether your box does added TV or has a little more horse power/ more bells and whistles on the controller.
If we want to compare we should, IMHO, compare PS4&XBO with PC and the WiiU. 3 platforms that offer ‘different experiences’. The PS4 and XBO are the same thing IMHO as they stand right now. That may change, but until then.. meh.
Same gaming experience.
Sorry if that seems off topic.
Edit: TLDR: It’s not like back on the PS2/ XB1 where the platforms offered different game’s/ experiences and ways to play any more. They are virtually the same IMHO, unlike them compared to PC/WiiU. Again IMHO.
I’d agree with that, both machines are as similar as any consoles have ever been, particularly at this stage in their lives when their libraries are small.
I have a PS4 (and no XB1), but I agree with this.
The huge surge in PS4 fanboyism this gen is pretty intense.
Bit of a shame, as I honestly believe XB1 has the better games.
Its not so bad here but has anyone read a comments thread at Eurogamer lately – man alive its war out there!
At any rate as an Xbox One owner I feel pretty happy about it because unlike the latter half of the 360’s lifespan, their missteps have forced Microsoft to up their game which is coming through with Exclusives that are more varied than in recent years on the 360 where after 2010 (where we got Crackdown 2, Alan Wake and Splinter Cell Conviction) Microsoft reverted to an endless roster of Halo/Gears/Forza/Fable and Kinect Games.
I swear to you this commitment to mediocrity in the last few years is the reason why Microsoft took a hit this generation (Don Mattrick’s bizarre PR efforts didn’t help) the people who had switched to PS4 had seen Sony get one cool exclusive after another while the Xbox got the same old, same old.
Of course at this point in time the Xbox One is starting to come into its own with a great feature set, making Kinect optional (its why I jumped) and some good exclusives (Titanfall is lots of fun, my brother raves about Forza H, cant wait for Sunset Overdrive and OMG did anyone else see that Quantum Break gameplay the other day – I really want that game now!) that’s because they’re being forced to try to get your business, when a company is hungry for your dollars you invariably get a better product, compare the vibrant lineup of the Gamecube to the lazy, often simplified games on the Wii
At least the guys are working their assess off to get the issues fixed. They’re constantly rolling out updates to improve the situation. It’s an unfortunate event, but shit happens.
It sounds like the Publisher pushed the game out the door before the Development Team had finished it. A Practice becoming all to common in Gaming.
They don’t do this stuff with movies. You see the movie day one you get the whole movie. When they split books into multiple movies they still release the whole part.
I have zero pity for any company stupid enough to release an online game without a proper alpha and beta testing cycle. Ridiculous at this point.
Not to mention we are still waiting for the Plus edition, even though it’s just a demo lol. Delayed a year, then not released in the month slated.
At this point it would make more sense for Sony to release a game like Killzone for Plus users instead. it’s the anniversary coming up, they are making classic maps but the community is DEAD.
As a guy who bought KZ:SF day one, I wouldn’t mind or feel ripped off. I’d see it as a reason to hop back in at this point.
Also, for those saying we aren’t entitled to games with Plus, I know. We aren’t. But it is why we bought plus in the first place. We may not be ‘entitled’ to it, but it’s the main reason I subscribe.
In light of that I don’t feel it’s a petty thing to unsub if they don’t deliver on the original promise they gave on PS3 (The PS3 still gets good games, although they are older games with each passing month).
That’s also why I feel that getting indy games is nice, but if it’s all we get then the VALUE offered in the service has declined, and I’d rather spend the $5-10 a month on steams weekly deal instead. As a long term subscriber I can see the decline. I’m getting less for the money, and while I’m not entitled to the games, I don’t appreciating getting less and less for the same amount of $$, especially when the games were the reason MOST people subbed, especially on PS3.
Sorry, got side tracked.
Killzone would be perfect for the free ps + monthly game. Get more people in for those still playing and give people a higher quality product from this service which has been a bit lackluster.
PS+ on PS4 is all about trying to minimise the amount of freebies you get (indies given out as a free game rather then the AAA titles and indies given out on PS3) and more about the PS+ requirement for online gameplay. More and more, PS+ is much less about the IGC and much more a necessity for quite a few games to play online.
Basically almost everyone who picked up destiny (as an example) on either platform would have had to have gotten or have XBL gold or PS+. The amount of PS+ subs alone that would have been bought solely for the online play of destiny would have been massive. However i personally don’t see the value in PS+ anymore and as i have stated before – i am letting my sub run out after its year is up and will from now on just buy a month here and there when an online game comes out.
Same, I made the decision last month and it was reaffirmed this month with DriveClub Demo edition being delayed. (seriously, I’d rather have the FH2 demo than Drive club PS+ at this stage. The whole ordeal really, really upset me from delays to downsizing.)
If all PS+ is for is multiplayer/ indy games, I’d rather start playing ‘multiplayer only’ games on my PC for FREE. It’s cheaper and the servers are normally better/ more populated than XBL and PSN combined. Then put the price of the PS+ sub into the weekly Steam deal.
Much better experience/ value IMHO.
Last gen I never subbed to XBL cause paying for MP seemed strange for me, owning a PC, and I don’t think I’ll be doing it this gen either.
Sorry. Touchy subject somedays.. Plus I’m procrastinating.
I think the 360/PS3 had a larger list of games to give out for free.
Giving out big name games when you only have a handful is a little hard for the PS4/XB1. Give it time, but you don’t need to be an active subscriber during that time.
Edit: @mickmok just calling your attention to this to save replying the same thing twice.
While that argument may have been valid a few months back, I feel that the decline of ‘good value’ offerings on all platforms is telling.
We used to get big yearly games (Or were they bi-yearly. IDK. They were games so enticing that most people couldn’t resist subscribing) and then smaller games on the Vita and PS3. Now it seems we only get smaller/ older games. Driveclub was going to be the PS4’s first yearly PS+ title, but is still not out and now more akin to a demo. PS+ used to sell it’s self on games, now it sells because it’s a paywall.
IMHO the service would be PERFECT if they were to offer Killzone or even Knack up as the first yearly title around now. By now no one is buying them (surely) and it would communicate that Sony want to keep the value proposition of the service, something that doesn’t look to be true judging by how their marketing for the service pretty much went from: ‘Sub for games and a few things’ to ‘sub for online and a few games’.
As I say, I understand that it takes time, this is always brought up. But being a long term subscriber I can see that the whole service has been declining across all platforms because Sony simply don’t NEED to offer better. In which case, for me the value that led me to subscribe in the first place is no longer there. if it’s just going to be for multiplayer and a handful of indy games/ really old titles.. that money is better spent elsewhere.
Sad considering that last year renewing my subscription was a no-brainer (I have a PS4, PS3 and Vita on the Sony side of things), but this year I’m struggling to come up with reasons.
Do you think they purposefully released a bunch of good games on PSPlus to draw people in, now they are just shilling out a bunch of crap?
Yeah, I kinda do somedays.
I also think that’s why they still offer ‘full games’ on PS3. So when the casual PS3 users upgrade to PS4, they think they will still get full games… but they wont! DunDunDUUUUUUN!
It’s a little bit of a conspiracy theory, but with the state of the industry (Except Nintendo, bless em.) I don’t think it’s a stretch.
But sony arent. They have communicated this to us.
PS4 isnt gonna getting Tripple AAA games untill later. If you expected that to happen, then you thought it up in ur own head
I dont have a PS3 anymore and havent gotten a PS4 yet but its similar with the Games with Gold thing on Xbox. The 360 seems to be getting some decent older full titles but the Xbone is consistently getting smaller arcadey indie type stuff. I mean its ok… but it seems like you’re right about the previous gen stuff getting good games…
Some of the stuff in recent months have been awesome. Maybe just not so much on PS4… The PS3 freebies have been pretty good.
We’ve had better and I don’t think I’m the only one noticing a decline in the type of games offered each month. Be that on PSV, PS3 and PS4. Lets not forget that we used to get games like Uncharted on Vita or Resogun and Contrast on PS4. The PS3 still gets games, but every month they get older. I mean, we got Arkham City months ago and now we get Asylum this month lolz.
Seems thats way. Each month at least 2 of the games are pixelart games (ffs). Theres a back catalogue now. Driveclub this month, next killzone, do AC4 2 months after that… just ergh release something better that doesnt look like it was ported off itunes.
I’m thinking that’s a major part of the reason most people subscribe. Free games MS/Sony can’t make much money off. It softens the blow of pay to play online.
Well, last gen (when I subscribed) the multiplayer was free. It was pretty much a pay for games sorta deal. Not so much now, the games seem more and more of an afterthought on all platforms.
I got fed up of waiting and bought the PS+ upgrade edition for $55. Luckily it’s a great arcade racer and I’m really enjoying it so far. But the server issues are a gigantic fuck up to go alongside the launches of Diablo 3, SimCity and BF4. The online stuff is great when it works, the challenges and levelling up your club are good fun. The multi-player racing is carnage but still a good laugh. The leader boards are full of cheats though.
Glad to hear your enjoying it! I have heard that when it works it’s better than people make out.
It’s a very enjoyable ARCADE racer. As long as you go in knowing that and not expecting a sim, it’s great. Graphics are great, in car views are actually usable and good fun with a pad (which is lucky as my Logitech wheel is useless with the PS4!). Last arcade racer I enjoyed this much was probably NFS: Hot Pursuit .
Meh I play offline so it is no big deal. This is why I hate online, you pay more and more and get bored of playing online quickly against gamers who find an exploit to win most of the time. Its better against the AI or friends who are in the same room as you. Besides this is nothing for the ps4, the xbonxone wanted to be allllll online. can you imagine the failure there if it went down? this is why I hate all this content going digital and game modes going online and not offline. devs spend money investigating this losing money. just focus on the good ol days, single player and people in the same room for multiplayer who cares about world web gaming pew pew
And it still doesn’t have heists.
It’s tough for those guys that bought the game but I’m cool with waiting until they fix it to try it free with plus.
I’d be interested if anyone in AU has put in a consumer complaint about it, since they are required by law here to offer refunds in the case of defective goods (See recent Steam case where Steams getting the smackdown and required to offer AU people refunds).
Well, I returned the PSVita version of the Ratchet collection to JB-HIFI because Ratchet 2 just doesn’t work. They looked at me funny but ended up giving me a gift card with the value of the game on it. I recons it mayormaynot be the same deal here?
Meh, bring on Project Cars and The Crew.