Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut Is Superb, But Sony Shouldn’t Be Charging Extra for PS5 Upgrade

If you’ve read our Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut review, you’ll already know that we’re big fans of the new Iki Island expansion. We’d go as far to say that Jin’s new offshore adventure is worth the price of admission alone — but the reality of the situation isn’t so simple. Having played the entirety of the expansion on PlayStation 5, there’s no question that Sony is overcharging for the next-gen upgrade — and it’s not a good look.

This whole debate exploded back when Director’s Cut was first announced. We penned a surprisingly controversial reaction article, saying that Sony’s approach to this particular upgrade was all wrong — and now, we feel like that initial take has been validated. Simply put, Sony shouldn’t be charging extra for Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut’s PS4 to PS5 upgrade.

The following features are exclusive to Director’s Cut on PS5:

• Slightly higher resolution
• Instant load times
• DualSense controller haptic feedback
• Full Japanese lip sync

Essentially, Sony is saying that these exclusive features are worth the extra dosh. And to be fair, the haptic feedback is pretty cool (as noted in our review). But there’s no getting away from the fact that other developers have implemented similar PS5 updates for free. Heck, some studios have gone above and beyond; Metro Exodus received haptic feedback and a complete graphical overhaul with its PS5 upgrade, and players didn’t have to pay a penny if they already owned the game on PS4. And that’s just one example of many.

The bottom line is that we’re perfectly fine with paying for the Iki Island expansion — it’s excellent. But if you want to upgrade Ghost of Tsushima PS4 to Director’s Cut PS5, you’re forced to pay an extra $10 (it costs $19.99 to upgrade from PS4 to PS4). Sony is squeezing wallets here, and it’s very hard to justify.

Indeed, the tech heads at Digital Foundry agree. In their latest video, they go over everything that Director’s Cut does on PS5, and they arrive at the same conclusion. Unless you really care about that haptic feedback — or the full Japanese lip sync — then you might as well just grab Director’s Cut on PS4 for $10 less.