Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank franchise has been a beautiful cartoony series of games for a while now. So as news breaks that there is a Ratchet & Clank movie in the works, I’d like to say that I’m completely surprised, but really, it makes sense. Insomniac has some established, likable characters, and considering how the game already looks like a cartoon, this isn’t too much of a stretch. The only surprise is that this will be theatrically released instead of just releasing direct-to-DVD.
Time for another casting confirmation for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Marc Webb’s sequel to his reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. But first, let’s recap the cast as it stands. We have: Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson, Dane DeHann as Harry Osborn, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as the Rhino (yeah, I know, it’s weird), and Felicity Jones as someone (possibly Black Cat). And now, toss another potential villain into the mix… Read more…
Hoo boy, where to begin? As promised, today Sony announced the future of PlayStation, the PlayStation 4. With an x86-64 8-core AMD CPU, a 1.84 TFLOPS AMD GPU, and 8GB of RAM, the PS4 has enough horsepower to run engines such as the Unreal Engine 4. The system uses a new controller, the DualShock 4; it’s close to the DualShock 3, but with a touchpad in the middle, a light to help identify each player’s controller, the ability to be tracked by the new PlayStation 4 Eye (included), and a Share button for some cool new features. Read more…
Another rumor about the PS4 in the lead-up to the February 20th announcement? Say it isn’t so! The Wall Street Journal is reporting that while PS4 games will still probably be delivered on disc or digital download, PS3 games will instead be streamed to the system as compressed video. Sony had acquired game-streaming company Gaikai a while back, and everyone assumed the tech would be integrated into the next system – the real question was how. Another potential use, I believe, will be game demos. And perhaps even better, is that the option will exist then to stream PS3 games to any other internet connected device, such as PCs, the Vita, or smartphones. Hopefully Sony will capitalize on this! We’ll find out everything on the 20th. Stay tuned! Read more…
Sony has announced on February 20th they’ll be having their Playstation Meeting event again, this time teasing that viewers will “see the future.” That seems like a Playstation 4 announcement to me, right? We can never say for sure, but the Vita was announced at a previous Playstation Meeting, so the likelihood is high. It’s especially interesting given that Kaz Hirai recently said that they’d let Microsoft make the first move. What a twist! Maybe he was luring them into a false sense of security so that his secret Playstation event would catch them by surprise! Or maybe I’m putting too much thought into this. Watch the teaser trailer below. Read more…
The long-titled and frequently-compared-to-Smash Bros. game, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, has finally gone gold. To celebrate, they’ve released the intro trailer for the game, so you can see exactly what you’ll see when you start the game up. Pay attention at the end, and you’ll get a glimpse of the final boss too! Can you guess who the shadowy character is? I’ll give you a hint: it’s a former mascot for Sony in the US. Read more…
Sony has taken its sweet time adding PS1 games to the PlayStation Vita digital store. In fact, there were no updates last week at all. Though technically every PS1 game on the PlayStation Network should be able to be played on PlayStation Vita, in practice some don’t work, and large amounts are still not listed on the Vita’s version of PSN. But this week, Sony is showing a lot of love to fans of old PS1 games. Click through for the long list! Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 15, 2012 in Videogames
Finally, a reason to dust off Sony’s latest handheld. If you bought a PlayStation Vita at launch, but have already exhausted the system’s limited selection of titles, then you’ll be pleased to hear that PlayStation (PSOne) titles will finally be supported when Sony launches its 1.80 firmware on August 28th.
It’s been a lukewarm E3 so far. Today, Nintendo will be showing off its good at their press conference, but as of this writing, I haven’t had a chance to see much beyond their initial pre-E3 offerings. Microsoft had a solid showing of first party sequels, interactive features, and third party treats here and there, and while all of that seemed interesting, most of it will be finding its way to another platform. In fact, the whole Smart Glass thing seems a bit like a desperate attempt to replicate the experience offered by Nintendo’s upcoming WiiU tablet interface. That said, there were a few gems that shined slightly brighter than the others yesterday. Chief among them was this bit of gameplay from Naughty Dog’s upcoming PS3 exclusive, The Last of Us.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 21, 2012 in Videogames
Foregoing traditional launch tactics, Sony staggered the launch of their PlayStation Vita by offering several different bundles for their new handheld. Having had an opportunity to play several of the launch titles at industry events over the past year, I’ve been dying to pick one up, but with several different bundles available and retailers offering their own deals, deciding which to get and where to shop can be a bit tricky. So, I thought we should probably go over some of the best deals. Read more…
In what I imagine was an effort to cut down on piracy, Sony recently announced plans to limit access of downloaded titles. Previously, users were allowed to activate their accounts on up to five consoles, allowing them to download their purchases to each. Starting November 18th, Playstation Network users will be limited to playing their purchased content on two PS3, and PSP consoles. Unfortunately, that means users who own more than the specified limit or who share their purchases with friends may find themselves making some tough decisions, however the change in policy shouldn’t effect any purchases made before the 18th.
This week, Sony launched a line of PlayStation 2 titles to be distributed digitally via the PlayStation store. Under normal circumstances, this would be welcome news. However a few gamers are more than a little ticked. Some of you may recall the console having launched with backwards compatibility, allowing PS2 owners the option to carry their libraries over to the new platform. Current models no longer support hardware emulation and, until now, have lacked the means to play PS2 software. Sony finally seems to have perfected their software emulation, but won’t be giving it to us for free. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, after all where’s the profit in giving us backwards compatibility when Sony could simply charge us twice for the games we already own. At least early adopters can still brag — that is, assuming their consoles haven’t died yet.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 29, 2011 in Videogames
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3 is still months away from its official release, but today the company launched its “closed” multiplayer beta. They say closed, but there are a number of ways for prospective gamers to gain access. The first and most immediate way would be to purchase a Playstation Plus membership, or to take advantage of Sony’s free 30 day offer they extended in light of their recent troubles if you haven’t done so already. This will allow you to access the beta early. Another method, and perhaps the most satisfying for some would be visiting any Subway restaurant during the month of October to obtain a code. Unfortunately, that won’t leave you with a lot of time to toy with the multiplayer ahead of its November 11th release date, but it’s better than nothing. After all, I’m sure nobody is really buying the game for its “ground-breaking” multiplayer experience.
There’s no hiding the fact that Sony has been dealing with quite a bit of bad press as of late. As many of you may already be aware, the company has been suffering from numerous attempts to hack their servers and subsequent fallout. Many outlets have been quick to criticize the company for their inability to react in what they’ve deemed a timely manner, while others have applauded Sony’s attempts to rectify the situation for both developers and consumers alike. Did Sony’s E3 conference do anything to restore our faith in their brand? Or, was it just another in a long line of missteps?
They missed the self-imposed deadline of “by the end of the month,” but Sony has finally restored access to the Playstation Network Store. For weeks, developers have been reporting losses, and many customers who’ve recently purchased games have been denied access to their downloadable content. Worst yet, several games have required the use of a key for online play which could only be unlocked via the online store — the move finally provides a bit of relief. Due to the length of downtime, much of the content that had been previously scheduled for release will be rolled out in waves in order to play catch up. For a full list of new content, head on over to the Playstation blog, just don’t be surprised if you have a little trouble logging in, seeing as everyone else will likely be flooding the store over the course of the next two days.
I’m sure most, if not all of you, may be wondering who Norio Ohga was. A former opera singer, and Sony chairmen, Ohga was credited with developing the compact disc. Unfortunately, he passed away last weekend, but not before leaving a lasting legacy. Ohga led Sony to create what would become the standard for commercial audio and ushered in a new era of technology as a result. Read more…
We really weren’t sure what would happen to our favorite spy after MGM filed for bankruptcy back in November. Thankfully, it seems our worries can be put to rest. Sony Pictures has struck a deal with MGM to co-finance, theatrically market and distribute the Bond films — that is, both Bond 23 and 24, assuming everything goes accordingly. It’s safe to assume production will likely move ahead as soon as possible.Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2011 in Videogames
If you’re a Playstation Plus user — and I know most of you aren’t — you’re in for a treat today. Sony passed along a free copy of the PS3/PSP mini The Flying Hamster as their gift to you — just check your PS3 message box for a note containing an attachment that’ll allow you to download it for free.I have to admit, I wasn’t very optimistic with the initial offerings for Playstation Plus subscribers. For a paid subscription service, Xbox Live! looked far more attractive, with a plethora of content fuled by the seemingly endless stream of income generated by the enormous user base.
For well over a year now, there have been rumors of a Playstation phone. While most Sony kept their lips sealed, journalists had been left in the dark, wondering if there was an ounce of truth to it. A few months back, a video was leaked that showed a playstation one title being launched from a phone. Many journalists viewed that video with skepticisim and others ignored it completely. Now, it looks like the Playstation phone is quite real. Sony Ericsson recently confirmed its existence via their facebook, posting this image and encouraging us to keep an eye on their Facebook for the official announcement on February 13th. Read more…
Sony left many gaming journalists scratching their heads at the end of their official announcement of their upcoming next-gen handheld. While they did a decent job showing off their new hardware, Sony failed to reveal a number of key details such as the estimated price-point — which many assume will be on the higher end of the spectrum due to the quality of the components — or the existence of multiple models, akin to what’s available for Apple’s iDevices. Kaz Hirai has since leaked a few more details that may answer some of those lingering questions.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 13, 2011 in Tech, Videogames
If you can believe it, it’s been almost six years since the PlayStation Portable debuted, and while there have been a few notable titles, its library seems scarce when compared to the competition. Sony’s attempt at staking its share of the handheld market has been an uphill battle from the outset with Nintendo having practically dominated the market since the late 80’s. It’s not entirely Sony’s fault. The system does make use of the proprietary UMD disc format, which I imagine can cost publishers a bit to produce. The system’s digital market also remains seemingly stagnant, despite the introduction of the PSP Go. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Dec 15, 2010 in Videogames
Literally. The first in-game footage from the highly-anticipated Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception debuted last night on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra were on-hand to show off the game, and while I imagine they’re still working out a few of the bugs, they put on a pretty good showing. The demo featured a few minutes of gameplay that takes place presumably early on. Nathan Drake, and his partner/mentor Sully are caught in what appears to be a burning mansion in France and are under assualt by numerous gun-wielding mercenaries intent preventing their escape. It’s pretty exciting footage, despite Jimmy Fallon’s inability to press the shoulder buttons when prompted. The game is currently slated for release on November 1st, 2011.
Okay, well maybe its not faster than a bullet, but it certainly seems that way. Sony’s recently launched its latest memory stick line, the PRO-HG Duo HX — I know, the names are getting ridiculous — supposedly can transfer data at rates as fast as 30MBs per second. So why is that so great? Well, to put it into perspective, we’re talking about the ability to snap 260 digital images in one minute at roughly 14MBs a piece — that’s 160 percent more than their previous Pro Duo sticks were capable of. Currently the memory sicks only range in size from 8GBs to 32GBs with varying sizes between, and retail for $60 and up. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 11, 2009 in Videogames
I’ve been following the fame of Vocaloid software mascot Miku Hatsune via the dozens of fan videos from Japan for some time now, so it’s cool to see that Sega will be featuring her in an upcoming Sony PSP game. What’s great about the trailer above is that it almost reminds one of a classic old school MGM musical from back in the day, it’s my bet that after this game comes out that it’s only a matter of time until she stars in her own anime series (although she’s made some cameos so far). Read more…
