A friend of mine is playing this on the PS5 at the moment and not having the performance issues PC players are complaining of.
He seem's somewhat unbothered by the micro transactions too in that most of the things they are for are for things you could obtain in game if you spend the time playing rather than moaning about the game. So all the microtransactions are doing he say's is just allowing some people to play through the game quicker.
- There is an item that can be used to change appearance that you can buy, but he said it took him about 4 hours in game time to be at a point in the game where he could buy it.
- Rift crystals - These allow you to buy in pawns that are stronger than you, essentially making battles throughout the game easier because you have an overleveled pawn (so again about time).
- Portcrystals for fast travel (they create fast travel points) are purchaseable, however the original game never had any fast travel and the game is intended to play without so again an item just to help speed up the game for those willing to pay. Note that to use the fast travel points you need a whole other stone which is only obtainable in game.
I know they were a surprise but I think if you play the game as intended and as the original one was played the microtransactions sound like they won't bother you. I know it's a bit scummy to put them in but it shouldn't detract from the gameplay etc.
It sounds like transactions aside the game is going down well with players of the original so I am fairly confident I will enjoy this, I do want to pick it up but it will be likely after FFVII as I can't justify having 2 big single player games on the go at the moment.
The microtransactions thing probably need's it's own discussion as more and more games are bringing them in which is not something that is going to go away I don't think. Gamers expect a lot from triple A titles, but they typically still expect a lowish price, can you imagine the dismay when we reach our first £100 game? When you consider the value of some of these games though and compare the number of hours you put in say compared to watching a film at the cinema, gaming is probably the most affordable media option when it comes to purchasing things. (Streaming is another debate when you consider the price of netflix etc).