Tag: Playstation

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PlayStation patent points to coaching system for gamers who need to ‘git gud’

PlayStation may be working on a system that helps coach players to step up their game.

In a U.S. patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment in June 2021 and published six months later, the tech giant outlines “systems and methods for coaching a user for game play.”

Specifically, Sony proposes a way to gauge when the player has “fallen below a skill threshold,” at which time assistive gameplay recordings and images will be played. According to Sony, this could “reduce frustration of players of various game genres in learning a new game.”

It’s worth noting that the PlayStation 5 already offers a similar feature called ‘Game Help,’ through which players can access hints and videos as they play. However, this is only available in supported games and is exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers. Game Help is also a bit more limited in that it features pre-prepared tips for specific sections the developer. By contrast, the new Sony patent proposes a system that studies a player’s moment-to-moment gameplay and provides personalized assistance accordingly.

It’s important to stress that, as with any patent, this coaching system may very well not see the light of day. That said, it points to a larger trend of PlayStation filing patents for various tools that can help the player. Over the past couple of years alone, the company has patented everything from a Siri-esque ‘PlayStation Assistant’ to an Uber-like real-time game help service.

Image credit: PlayStation

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office Via: VideoGamesChronicle

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s what’s coming to PlayStation Now in January 2022

PlayStation has revealed the latest batch of games that’s coming to its PlayStation Now streaming service in January.

On January 4th, the following six games will join the PS Now catalogue:

  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
  • Fury Unleashed
  • Unturned
  • Super Time Force Ultra
  • Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced Edition

PlayStation Now is available on PS4, PS5 and PC at a cost of $12.99/month, $34.99/three months or $79.99/12 months.

You can find out what games were available on PS Now last month, here. In other PS Now-related new, recent rumours indicate that PlayStation is working on its own version of Xbox Game Pass. It’s unclear when or if PlayStation will officially merge the two services.

Image credit: PlayStation 

Source: PlayStation Blog

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Mobile Syrup

Sony scrapped plans to bring PlayStation Now to mobile: report

PlayStation had once planned to bring its PlayStation Now game streaming service to mobile devices, according to a confidential Apple document.

The Verge, which obtained the file as part of the Epic v. Apple trial, explains that Apple had insider knowledge in 2017 of PlayStation’s plans to bring the service to mobile. PS Now originally streamed to the PS3 and PS Vita, as well as smart TVs and Blu-ray players, before shifting to PS4 (and, later, PS5) and PC. Otherwise, it’s never come to phones or tablets.

At the time, Apple was referring to PlayStation’s potential PS Now plans because it was preparing its own gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade. The Apple service was eventually launched in 2019, exclusively on Apple devices.

Given that this was an account from Apple, no reason was provided as to why Sony ultimately never brought PlayStation Now to mobile. It’s a particularly notable decision since rival console maker Xbox has been going big with its own game streaming service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, on Android and iOS. Further, services like Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now have launched over the past few years to offer their own approaches to game streaming on mobile.

Sony also purchased cloud startup Gaikai in 2012 for $380 million USD (about $487 million CAD in 2021), as well as its competitor, OnLive, which makes its comparative quieter moves in the game streaming space all the more prominent.

That said, there is always the possibility that Sony could expand PlayStation Now to mobile in the future. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Sony is planning to combine PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus into a new tiered service that offers a catalogue of PS4, PS5 and retro games as well as streaming. While Bloomberg didn’t cite any plans to bring PS Now to mobile, it’s easy to see how the service — codenamed ‘Spartacus’ — could go down that route.

Beyond general speculation, what adds credence to the possibility of PS Now on mobile are recent comments made by PlayStation boss Jim Ryan himself. Back in October, Ryan lamented the fact that even PlayStation’s most successful games will typically only reach ten or 20 million people, given how many people own consoles.

“I would also like to see a world where the games that we make at PlayStation can be enjoyed by many tens of millions of people. Perhaps hundreds of millions of people,” said Ryan.

So far, PlayStation has begun to bring several once-console exclusives to PC, including Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War. But the biggest way to find an even larger audience, of course, would be through mobile. The company has also been hiring for key mobile-related positions over the past several months, although it’s unclear what, exactly, it has planned for them.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation will finally sell its own coloured PS5 faceplates

PlayStation will begin selling PS5 console covers in the first half of 2022.

On the PlayStation Blog, the company unveiled five colour options: Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Nova Pink, Galactic Purple and Starlight Blue.

The ‘Midnight Black’ and ‘Cosmic Red’ plates will become available in Canada starting in January 2022, while the remaining three colours will debut here sometime between then and June. All of these faceplates will cost $55 USD (about $70 CAD) and be compatible with both the standard PS5 and the disc-less Digital Edition model.

It’s a notable move from PlayStation. Toronto-based Dbrand had previously been selling unofficial faceplates, although PlayStation shut that business down in October.

When the PS5 launched in November 2020, it was only offered in white — a somewhat odd decision, given that all previous PlayStation hardware — as well most other consoles — have been black or grey.

One of the notable aspects of the PS5’s design is the fact that the faceplates can be easily detached and swapped out if desired.

Additionally, PlayStation is introducing three new PS5 DualSense controller colours to match the faceplates: Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple. These will launch in January 2022 and, alongside the Midnight Black and Cosmic Red controllers, will provide matching colours to the PS5 faceplates.

We’ve reached out to PlayStation for Canadian pricing and will update this story once a response has been received.

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation offering 50 percent off 12-month PS Plus membership

For a limited time, you can snag 50 percent off a 12-month PlayStation Plus membership.

This means s subscription costs $34.99 instead of the usual $69.99.

The only limitation is that you can’t be an existing subscriber; it’s only available to new or previous subscribers.

The deal is valid from December 9th to 19th on PlayStation’s website.

It’s worth noting that there’s currently no deal on sister service PlayStation Now.

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PlayStation’s The Game Awards sale offers up to 60 percent off major titles

As is tradition, PlayStation has kicked off a PSN sale to coincide with The Game Awards.

Altogether, you can save up to 60 percent on a slew of prominent 2021 and 2020 games. See below for some of the most notable deals:

The PSN Game Awards sale ends on December 13th. The full list of deals can be found here.

Image credit: Bethesda

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Here’s what’s coming to PlayStation Now in December 2021

Every month, PlayStation adds a handful of new games to its PlayStation Now streaming service.

Now, the company has revealed that it’s rounding out 2021 with the following titles:

  • Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
  • Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition (available until January 31st, 2022)
  • John Wick Hex
  • Spitlings

All four games will land on PlayStation Now on December 7th.

It’s worth noting that Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is the fourth Final Fantasy title to come to the PS Now catalogue since September. A fifth game from the series, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, will hit the service in January.

A PlayStation Now subscription costs $12.99 CAD/month, $34.99/three months or $79.99/year.

In related news, a recent Bloomberg report revealed that PlayStation is planning to merge PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into a new service with expanded features. You can read more on that here.

Image credit: Square Enix

Source: PlayStation

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PlayStation’s End of Year Deals sale offers games up to 85 percent off

PlayStation’s End of Year Deals sale offers a variety of games at a discounted rate.

The sale is available until December 23rd and offers titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition, Mortal Komba 11, Jurassic World Evolution Deluxe Edition, God of War and more at a discounted cost.

Check out the game deals below:

To check out the complete list of games on the PlayStation Store, click here. 

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Here are the free games hitting PlayStation Plus in December 2021

Every month, PlayStation offers a few games at no additional cost to those subscribed to its PlayStation Plus service.

Now, the company has revealed what’s coming to the service to close out the year.

Notably, Godfall: Challenger Edition will be this month’s PS5 freebie, although it won’t be the full Godfall experience. That’s because the base game’s story content and Fire & Darkness expansion has been removed in favour of a trio of endgame modes that can be played in co-op. Godfall: Challenger Edition will also be free to PS Plus subscribers on PS4.

Meanwhile, the action-adventure game Lego DC Super-Villains and Dark Souls-esque action-RPG Mortal Shell round out the free PS4 games.

November’s free PlayStation Plus games will be offered until December 6th.

As well, October’s three free PS VR games — The Persistence, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Until They Fall — remain available until January 3rd.

Image credit: Gearbox

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

Sony patents DualShock-esque controller for mobile devices

A recently published Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan patent outlines a gaming controller that would work with mobile devices.

Per the patent, this would function similar to the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons or the existing Backbone mobile controller that clip onto either side of a phone. The image in the Sony patent shows controller parts that look identical to a DualShock’s button layout.

Sony controller patent

It’s important to note that as with any patent, this isn’t a guarantee that PlayStation is working on a mobile controller. However, it would align with other moves that the company has made as of late.

Earlier this year, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan confirmed that “iconic PlayStation IP” would make the jump to mobile by 2022. Behind the scenes, the company also hired a former Apple Arcade executive to adapt its “most popular franchises” to mobile.

There’s also the possibility that PlayStation is looking more into streaming games to phones. Currently, the company offers such an option for PS4 and PS5 owners via its Remote Play app. However, there isn’t an Xbox Cloud Gaming-like option to stream titles to a mobile device directly from the cloud sans console.

In any event, what we do know is that PlayStation is planning to release WipEout Rush, an Android and iOS take on its sci-fi racing series, sometime in early 2022.

Via: VGC