PlayStation 4

PS4 to Sell 100 Million During Its Lifetime, Hold “Dominant Position”

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 26, 2016 | 0 comments

By now, it’s no shock to hear that PS4 is doing well, and that thanks to a few stellar exclusives this year like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the powerful console is expected to keep its momentum. That’s not even including additional experiences that will be provided by PlayStation VR. Researchers in fact believe that Sony will

command a dominant position over the next five years

How dominant? 100 million units by 2020 dominant. More details after the jump, including sales figured of prevision PlayStation consoles.

PS4 is the ‘Best Place to Play’ in an All New Ad

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 26, 2016 | 0 comments

Just in time for spring and better weather which might make you want to go outside, Sony has released a new PS4 ad dubbed ‘Best Place to Play.’ In the short 30-second spot, Sony highlights Street Fighter V, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, MLB The Show 16, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. For those playing at home, just the other day, Naughty Dog released an epic Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End story trailer.

You’ll find the The Best Place to Play ad after the jump.

PlayStation VR Press Event Scheduled For March 15

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 25, 2016 | 0 comments

With the initial orders of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive starting to trickle into consumer hands, all eyes are on Sony and PlayStation VR. While we’ve seen quite few of PS VR games and the final hardware build, Sony has been mum on the device’s specifics like UI navigation and price. Speculation has ranged from $399 to $699 with the only word from Sony being that PS VR will be

priced as a new gaming platform.

Luckily, we might not have to wait much longer to find out. Details about the PlayStation VR press event after the jump.

‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ Story Trailer

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 24, 2016 | 0 comments

The highly-anticipated PS4 exclusive Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is just two months away. Set to be released on April 24th, this could be the final ride for Nathan Drake and company, making it a bittersweet moment for gamers. And for those whose computers can handle it, you can watch the glorious trailer in 1080p 60fps.

Several years after his last adventure, retired fortune hunter Nathan Drake is forced back into the world of thieves. With the stakes much more personal, Drake embarks on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure. His greatest adventure will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.

After the jump, the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End story trailer awaits you. Be warned, spoilers are to be had.

Sony Believes You’ll Get a Different Experience from VR if Framed as a Video Game

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 19, 2016 | 0 comments

Jamie Feltham writes:

Virtual reality (VR) isn’t yet at a point where the technology is indistinguishable from real life, but it’s good enough to trick users into making human reactions

And he’s absolutely right. As it stands, when you put on something like PlayStation VR, though you’re transported to the middle of the game, it’s not as if you cannot distinguish between that and the real world. Despite that barrier (and one that we will cross sooner, rather than later as CPU/GPU performances continue to increase) the VR experience of today and the graphics that PS4 can pump out are more than adequate in helping create the illusion that what you’re experiencing is more than just a video game.

For example, jumping off a building in Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed wields a very different response than when jumping off of a building or being thrown out of a rollercoaster when a VR headset. Because of this, SCE Senior Designer Jed Asforth believes that:

It’s very important in VR that the player knows what they’re going to get.

After the jump, why framing virtual reality is very important to the overall experience.

Help Beta Test PS4 Firmware Update 3.50

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 17, 2016 | 0 comments

PS4 firmware update 3.50 is going to be the next big software release for the leading gaming console and Sony wants your help with it.

Last September, we put a call out to PS4 owners to test out our next system software update, and since we’re getting close to the release of our next system software update for PS4, we wanted to do it again!

Starting today, a limited number of beta testers can sign up to get a sneak peek at some of the features making their way PS4. Though signup starts today, the beta program itself will kick off in early March. As with each major firmware update, there is a number of pre-planned enhancements that will be coming to PS4 but Sony also wants to hear back from the community on what they’d like to see.

We will be monitoring the forums throughout the beta. And while we can’t always implement changes suggested by the community, it’s super valuable for us to hear your feedback to help guide the direction we take.

After the jump, Sony explains how they’ve minimized the risk for beta testers and where to sign up.

41% of Ubisoft’s Sales Come from PS4, 27% from Xbox One

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 11, 2016 | 0 comments

PS4 continues to dominate as a sales leader for publishers.

PS4 is still the platform with the highest sales for the publisher (41% of sales in the latest quarter and 37% in the the first nine months of the current fiscal year), followed by Xbox One

Q3 2015 Ubisoft sales by console:

PS4 – 41%
Xbox One – 27%
PC – 12%
Wii – 6%
Other – 5%
Xbox 360 – 4%
Wii U – 3%
PS3 – 2%

The fact that PS4 is the leading platform for Ubisoft isn’t all that surprising to me. What is, however, is how poorly PS3 is doing for them. Sure, its days are long over, but seeing how PS3 eventually overtook Xbox 360 in sales, it’s odd to see it at the bottom of the pack. Then again, I’m not entirely sure if Ubisoft released the same games across all consoles which could explain why PS3 sales are at the bottom of the pack.

Poll: Will You Purchase the ‘Uncharted 4’ PS4 Bundle?

by Allegra Osati | Feb 5, 2016 | 12 comments

Announced yesterday, the limited edition Uncharted 4 PS4 Bundle will be released at the end of April in North America and Europe. Will you be among those clamoring for one? Let us know in our poll after the jump!

Destiny Update 2.1.1 Will Change Special Ammo Economy in Crucible

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 4, 2016 | 0 comments

Bungie is bringing some changes on how it reports Destiny and general company updates.

“Whoa, wait!” you say. “Is this the Bungie Weekly Update?”

It was, for many years. Today, we’re giving it a new name so it would no longer be confused with Patch Notes. Bungie has long enjoyed taking a moment out of each week to share something from our studio with the players of our games. We may have outgrown the name in the complex era of Destiny, but we have not outgrown the weekly ritual of friendship.

But beyond a title change, Bungie is talking Destiny Update 2.1.1 which could change how you play Crucible for the better, I think. Details after the jump.

Limited Edition ‘Uncharted 4’ PS4 Bundle Announced

by Allegra Osati | Feb 4, 2016 | 2 comments

A limited edition Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End PS4 bundle was announced today for North America and Europe, with release dates pegged as April 26th in North America, April 27th in Europe, and April 29th in the UK.

Join us after the jump to talk price, see some more photos, and watch the teaser.

‘Final Fantasy XV Uncovered’ Event Announced for March 30th

by Allegra Osati | Feb 3, 2016 | 2 comments

Big news for Final Fantasy fans! Square Enix announced that a ‘Final Fantasy XV Uncovered‘ event will be held at 7 pm on March 30th at the Shrine Auditorium in Hollywood.

More details after the jump.

PS4 Sales Dwarf Xbox One in Germany & France by 400%

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 22, 2016 | 3 comments

Another day and another set of data that shows how dominant the PS4 is when compared to the Xbox One. This is something that’s truly breathtaking as Sony was able to barely inch out as the winner when the PS3 and Xbox 360 were duking it out. In fact, there were many months where the two consoles would trade spots as the NDP winner of the month. To see this level of disparity between rival consoles, we’d have to go back to the PS2 and Xbox era where once again Sony was able to dominate its rival to see such a huge difference in sales figures.

The latest set of data comes out of Europe with the PS4 sales coming out the clear winner in Germany and France. I often like to give you a bit of back story instead of listing just numbers but in this case, I’m going to let the numbers do all the talking.

PSA: PS4 System Update 3.15 Now Available

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 13, 2016 | 0 comments

It’s that time again where I tell you about the newest PS4 firmware update with a few details.

An update to the PlayStation®4 system software was released on January 13, 2016. Use this update to install system software version 3.15.

Always update your PS4™ system to the latest version of the system software. By updating, you can enjoy additional features, improved usability, and enhanced security.

Sony says that PlayStation 4 system update 3.15

improves the quality of the system performance.

Basically, it’s all under the hood changes with no new features which isn’t a surprise, seeing how the update comes in at 260Mb.

Oculus Rift – PlayStation VR “Isn’t Quite As High-End As Ours” Not a Jab

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 12, 2016 | 1 comment

Fox News isn’t the only place that likes to take a small soundbite and spin it. Over the past few days, a lot has been said and made from the comments of Oculus Rift co-founder Palmer Luckey. When talking about PlayStation VR and Oculus in general, Luckey had this to say

It’s also worth noting that their headset isn’t quite as high-end as ours

Out of context, that seems to be a direct jab at Sony and PlayStation VR. After all, Oculus just a week ago revealed their price ($599) which doesn’t include the gaming PC you need to run it, really placing you around $1,500 or higher. On the other hand, the cost of VR from Sony will be considerably less, seeing how you need a PS4 ($350) and PS VR – which, even if it costs the same as Rift, will mean you finish out under $1,000 – and many expect PS VR to cost $399.

Despite all websites’ best efforts at creating some form of controversy around Luckey’s comments, it’s worth putting what he said in context.

I think that there’s not many people who already own a PS4 who don’t own a gaming PC who are going to go out and make that roughly $1,500 all-in investment in the Rift. It really is a separate market. They’re bringing virtual reality to a different group of people who I don’t think were ever really a part of our market anyway.

It’s also worth noting that their headset isn’t quite as high-end as ours — it’s still, I think, a good headset — and the PlayStation 4 is not nearly as powerful as our recommended spec for a PC.

In its entirety, nothing Luckey says is false. Any new PC gaming rig will certainly be more powerful than the PS4, seeing how you can scale those models with the latest CPU/GPU combo and RAM. Yet just because a BMW 7 series exists, it doesn’t make the 5 series any less luxurious. They’re both designed to impress but are targeted at different demographics like this instance.

In fact, Luckey follows up his comments with how Oculus and Sony enjoy a working relationship. Those details after the jump.

Sony Refutes PlayStation VR $800 Price Tag

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 11, 2016 | 2 comments

Over the weekend, thanks to a slip by Amazon, it was “revealed” that PlayStation VR would be priced at $799. This is important, mainly due to the fact that Oculus Rift a few days prior had announced its $599 price tag which doesn’t include the gaming rig required to power it all – meaning you’re actually looking at around $1,600 to get it all up and running, if not more. This price, of course, does not sit well with most VR enthusiasts who were hoping for a much lower price point. So does this mean that VR from Sony is also going to cost over $1,000, seeing how you also need a PS4?

Not so much. Sony’s statement after the jump.