PlayStation

PlayStation Earnings Slips for the Quarter But Business Remains Strong

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 2, 2016 | 0 comments

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I’ve noticed a bit of mixed reports on PlayStation’s numbers, which were released yesterday as part of Sony’s overall earnings report. As Matt Perez writes for Forbes:

Sony reported Game and Network Service sales of 319.9 billion yen ($3 billion), a 11.3% decrease year-over-year. Operating income for the segment also decreased 20.6% to 19 billion yen ($181.7 million). Sony noted the weak numbers derived from the PlayStation 4 price reduction in September and the appreciating yen.

So far so good – PlayStation is still doing big numbers for Sony but revenue (sales) is down due to a price reduction on PS4 and a decrease in the value of Yen. The former was obviously expected when Sony dropped PS4 prices down to $299 by introducing the new slim model. But I do have a problem with the following:

Steam on PC Will Soon Support DualShock 4 Controller

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 31, 2016 | 0 comments

What a time to be a gamer. Just five years ago, battle lines were very clearly drawn between consoles and PC, but the two sides are now starting to blend in. PlayStation gaming is becoming available on PC and random hardware like TVs and Blu-ray players via PlayStation Now, select Xbox games are coming to PC via Windows 10 cross compatibility, and now this. Been Reeves writes for gameinformer about how gaming on PC via Steam is soon getting a PlayStation twist.

Naughty Dog Talks PS4 Pro Specs

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 31, 2016 | 0 comments

It’s hard to believe that in less than two weeks, Sony is launching PS4 Pro, a more powerful, 4K-ready gaming machine. With each new console that’s released, the obvious and ‘easy’ change is more horsepower – faster CPU/GPU, and more RAM etc. The PS4 Pro is no different, though the leaps you’ll get from it are less than when going from PS2 to PS3 or PS3 to PS4 – but don’t take that to mean that you won’t be getting some spectacular difference, especially if you have a 4K HDR TV.

Still, specs rarely tell the whole picture. As Naughty Dog Lead Programmer Christian Gyrling explains, it’s what you do with those specs.

How to Set Up PlayStation VR Cinematic Mode

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 28, 2016 | 2 comments

Ideally, every interaction we’d have for PS VR would be in virtual reality but until such a time comes, VR content will be limited. That however doesn’t mean that Sony’s headset is a one trick pony that’s only good for VR tasks. One of the less advertised features of PlayStation VR is its cinematic mode, and as Simon Sayers writes for PSU:

you can use PSVR cinematic mode to play normal (non-VR) PS4 games, watch movies and browse the internet in 2D. The main advantage is that you’re getting an upgraded screen size that is way larger than your standard television set – up to a massive 226 inches. It basically feels like you’re in the cinema.

It’s quite simply mind blowing and at first a bit overwhelming to use PS VR like this – especially if you’re used to a smaller screen. I’m lucky enough to use a projector as my main means of watching with a 120-inch setup and even for me, the whole experience was a bit surreal. It’s as if you have a IMAX screen strapped to your eyeballs and the best part is that it works with anything on your PS4.

As for personal favorites, give Uncharted 4 and Destiny a try and you might not want to go back to playing them without it. As for the mode, Sony does give you a few different options if a 226-inch screen is just a bit too much.

PlayStation VR Sales Off to a Healthy Start in Japan

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 27, 2016 | 0 comments

By now, it’s quite clear that PlayStation VR is off to a healthy start with Amazon and GameStop selling out of all their stock. The health of PS VR can also be traced to developers who will reap twice the revenue from it when compared to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. As for Japan, PlayStation VR is also off to a fantastic start with nearly all units produced selling out in the first week.

Mark Cerny Explains Why PS4 Pro Has 1GB of Additional RAM

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 26, 2016 | 0 comments

PS4 Pro being more powerful than PS4 is a given at this point – not only does it have a faster processor, but it also comes with an additional 1GB of RAM. However, unlike the 8GB GDDR5 RAM that runs both machines, that additional memory is DDR3 which means, as you’d probably guess, slower RAM. Mark Cerny, PS4 System Architect:

We felt games needed a little more memory – about 10 per cent more – so we added a gigabyte of slow, conventional DRAM to the console […] On a standard model, if you’re switching between an application, such as Netflix, and a game, Netflix is still in system memory even when you’re playing the game. We use that architecture because it allows for a very quick swap between applications. Nothing needs to be loaded, it’s already in memory.

So why the slower RAM? Mark continues:

Star Trek: Bridge Crew (VR) Delayed Until 2017

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 25, 2016 | 0 comments

In a bit of initial bummer news, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, a VR-based experience, has been delayed until 2017. Though I’ve yet to have a chance to give it a spin myself, it’s been unanimously praised by those who’ve spent time with it at E3 and PAX so it’s something that I’d been looking forward to try. Luckily the delay isn’t all that long.

PlayStation Tournaments Announced for PS4

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 24, 2016 | 0 comments

One of the biggest reasons PS4 has proven so successful is that from the beginning, Sony doubled down on hardcore gamers. Yes the PS4 had media features and other related stuff but all Sony wanted to talk about and did talk about was games. Now, four years into its life cycle, Sony is continuing to double down on that strategy by announcing PlayStation Tournaments that’s sure to get the interest of, you guessed it, hardcore gamers.

John Koller, Vice President, PlayStation Brand Marketing, SIEA writes on the PlayStation Blog:

PlayStation VR Revenue to Be Twice That of Oculus and HTC

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 21, 2016 | 2 comments

One of the reasons PS VR has had such a successful launch thus far has been due to the massive catalogue of games it launched with – 31, to be exact, which is quite notable for an entirely new platform. Thanks to the large library of games and an easy way to get them – either through retail outlets like GameStop or the PlayStation Store – PS VR is going to be doing some serious business for developers.

Of course that number is a fraction of what developing for a traditional console/PC game will earn, but what’s notable here is how much more revenue PlayStation VR will be generating compared to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive which launched months ago. Yuji Nakamura writing for Bloomberg:

CBS All Access Coming to PS4 – A.K.A. You Can Watch Star Trek: Discovery

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 19, 2016 | 1 comment

When PS4 released, it had one clear goal in mind – to be the ultimate gaming machine, and that was quite apparent long before the console ever launched with every exec talking about one thing: games. This was quite the different tone from its predecessor, the PS3, a console that was all about the ultimate everything machine. From games, to 3D movies, Blu-ray, streaming, and anything else you can think of. But as you and I know, there is a lot more we use our consoles for than just games, namely streaming content and to that end, Sony has been steadily bolstering what PS4 can do. A big part of that has been ramping up their own streaming service, PS Vue, but another part of that strategy has been to bring as many media apps as possible.

Netflix 4K Review (Why You Don’t Need UHD Blu-ray)

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 17, 2016 | 23 comments

When the PS4 Pro was announced in September, some were miffed by Sony’s decision to exclude a 4K Blu-ray drive. I had then written a fairly extensive piece on why the PS4 Pro didn’t need such a drive (which would only add to its price) and that streaming was/is the future of 4K adoption. Now, What Hi-Fi?, the mega home theater site, has weighed in on the topic though not directly stating there is a lack of need for the PS4 Pro to have a 4K drive or speaking out against 4K Blu-ray drives in general. Instead, they’ve given their Netflix 4K review. What Hi-Fi? writes:

But there’s a stack of 4K content available right now, from Breaking Bad to House of Cards, and more will inevitably follow.

In terms of content – bespoke content in particular – Netflix distances itself from any nominal competition.

And if you have an HDR (High Dynamic Range) compatible TV, there’s some HDR content on Netflix too. It’s not immediately obvious, as there isn’t an HDR section anywhere in the menus, but if you type HDR into the search box you’ll find a list of HDR content such as Bloodline, Marco Polo and Marvel’s Daredevil. You’ll see an HDR or Dolby Vision logo on relevant material.

Sony Increasing Production of PS VR to Keep Up With Demand

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 14, 2016 | 0 comments

They said VR wouldn’t sell and if it does, not in high volumes. Sony begs to differ – Jim Ryan, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe talking with CNBC:

We know that the replenishment cycle is a good one, production is going exactly as we anticipated. We have made decisions to further increase capacity at the back end of 2016 and into 2017, so there are going to be a lot of PlayStation VRs around the world, whether that’s enough to satisfy the demands of the market, we’ll see

Sony Bringing PlayStation Games to iOS and Android

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 14, 2016 | 2 comments

A bit of news has broken out in the past 48 hours that would see Sony develop PlayStation games from the ground up for iOS and Android. The move now makes even more sense than ever after Nintendo debuted Pokemon Go for mobile and added billions to their valuation. Mitchel Broussard writing for MacRumors:

At the time of that announcement, the company hadn’t detailed the launch plan, or specified how many games it wanted to create, so today marks the first time it talks about its smartphone gaming plans since then. Known in March and reiterated today, the Sony iOS and Android games will first hit Japan and other Asian countries, with the expectation being that each game will then slowly rollout wider after the initial release.

And here is the weird part, which Broussard notes – none of this is news as it was all announced way back in March. This is what I’d written then:

PlayStation VR Profitable From Day One & Why That Matters

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 13, 2016 | 5 comments

In the past, the video game industry has generally relied on selling consoles during their initial first few years on the market at a loss while retaining some profits from license fees on each software sold. Eventually with enough consoles in consumer hands, not only would the intake from licensing fees dramatically increase, but money could finally be made from each sold console due to component costs decreasing as well. This scenario played especially true during the PS3 era where the console launched at $599, a price seen as too high for many gamers and Sony was still losing north of $300 on each unit it pushed out.

Poll: Will You Be Purchasing PlayStation VR During Launch?

by Allegra Osati | Oct 13, 2016 | 0 comments

Launch day is finally here! If you’re like us, you’ve been waiting pretty impatiently for PlayStation VR to finally come to market. With more than 25 day one titles to go along with your shiny new headset, now is the perfect time to jump in to the world of VR. So, tell us: will you be getting PlayStation VR during launch? Let us know in our poll!

PS: Unfortunately, we had some issues with the poll where it allowed you to vote for multiple options. We’ve since adjusted it, so if you’ve already voted, please make sure to vote again!