Sony last night addressed whether the PS4 features voice command capabilities through the PlayStation camera, but the company’s statement may not reveal as much as it initially seems.
The rumour that the PS4 would feature voice command capabilities popped up when video of a presentation made by SCEA’s group manager of retail training and advocacy Sean Coleman at this week’s GameStop Expo in Las Vegas was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.
At the 5:30 mark a slide is shown for the Eye that says: “From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming.”
Speaking to gaming site Polygon a Sony spokesperson said: “Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that PlayStation Camera allows for voice recognition and we will look forward to sharing more details in the lead up to the launch of PS4 on November 29.”
SCEA’s group manager of retail training and advocacy Sean Coleman outlined some PlayStation Camera features at the GameStop 2013 Expo in Las Vegas this week. “From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming.”
The PS4 PlayStation Camera will have some unique functionality with the new DualShock 4 controllers. It will be able to use facial recognition to detect who is holding which controller, and apply that player’s preferred controller profile.
Sony on August 20 at Gamescom revealed the dates for the PlayStation 4, which will launch in North America on November 15 and in European regions on November 29.
The European date includes launches in Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, but no dates were given for South East Asia and Japan. The console will be supported by 15 disc-based titles at launch, including vibrant all-ages platformer “Knack” social racing game “DriveClub”, and futuristic shooter “Killzone: Shadow Fall”, as well non-exclusives by way of “Assassin’s Creed IV”, “Battlefield 4”, “Call of Duty: Ghosts”, “Just Dance 2014”, “Lego Marvel Super Heroes”, “Skylanders: Swap Fore” and more.
The Sony PlayStation 4 has many new and useful features. The new controller seems very different from the old one it has a built in speaker, and a headphone jack that helps to interact with friends who are online, the controller has a ‘share’ button which will allow you to share your game play videos on social networking sites and the new controller also has a touchpad, which allows the use of touch gestures in some of the games.
Sony has also created a PlayStation app by which an user can chat with friends and share the gameplay or some tips for playing the games this app will be available for both mobiles and tablets as per Sony. The new PlayRoom, that gives reality experiences on PS4 claims the company.
While Sony may be busy announcing its next generation console, their present iteration is still doing strong. The Last of Us is a Sony exclusive title developed by company’s Naughty Dog studios, for the PS3. The game plays on the zombie apocalyptic post world era, that we all have come to love and expect, yet there are some exciting new additions to the overall storyline and gameplay experience.
Joel and Ellie
Storyline
The Game begins with the normal life of main character Joel, and how it suddenly gets affected an outbreak that causes the Zombie Fungus Cordyceps to start spreading like wild bushfire. The gameplay is set in the United states and shows how everywhere, post this outbreak, there is utter pain and chaos. The character, like any hero is destined to help end the problems of the world by delivering a solution, where he needs to travel across the badlands of the United States.
Unlike any other Zombie game the Last of Us is designed in a different manner, and you simply cant expect instant hardcore action from the game. The game storyline is slow and progresses as the character fights various kinds of zombies, human enemies known as hunters and the government which basically controls everything. The story as it progresses reminds you from time to time the hopeless situation of the world and how the Joel fights on despite that. The game essentially takes off from the typical end of humanity scenario, but chooses to tell a story about the two people that travel across the pain stricken world in an attempt to revive humanity.
The gameplay is full of beautiful backdrops, amazing sceneries of the untouched wilderness and the post fungus cities which are destroyed and collapsing. The game developer has ensured that each scenery and backdrop shows the status of the world and each new backdrop tells a brand new story about what has happened.
As the game progresses the secondary character Ellie starts to take limelight as she becomes closer and closer to Joel. Their relationship is strengthened by Ellie’s constant need to oppose the exacting situation and Joel constant efforts to keep things under control. Ellie has been born into this world and has no idea what the real world is like, her constant need and discussions to find out what the world was, make for some of the best ingame scenarios.
The story line is beautifully presented and ensures that you build a relationship with the characters as the game progresses. The game defines what possibly is the best ever story written for the Playstation.
Post World Cities
Gameplay
What the storyline builds, the gameplay delivers! With a vast variety of interesting elements that make it a truly exciting and entertaining experience. Despite the fact that the game has many enemies throughout the story, the major focus remains on the infected. Cordyceps infested humans become rage hungry monsters that don’t eat or kill, they simply bite and infest others. The main elements of the infected are the runners that are basically the pawns of the enemies, the clickers are the bishops, blind yet brutal and many other higher ups that define the bosses of the infested chains.
Infected Clicker
Gameplay becomes intense and inflicts a sense of fear in the gamer as the infected arrive, while Joel has a vast majority of mainstream weapons to his disposal including pistols, automatic guns and even crossbows, the most interesting element of the gameplay is the characters ability to forge destructive weapons from the post world scavenging. While ammo is mostly scarce, hard to find and carried in a limited quantity, the handcrafted grenades, smoke bombs and throat slitting shivs are manufactured from items found on the map, including broken scissors, alcohol and pieces of cloth. All this crafting happens real time and the gamer is in constant stress especially when the threat is nearby.
Nearby Hunter
While the gameplay is close to perfection it may lack the certain finesse and responsiveness that users may expect from a actions scenario game like the Last of Us. The progress is slow and the expansive storyline, mixed in between intense gameplay, tends to take from the mood of the excitement. There are also stages where the characters are simply walking while figuring out their path, which may truly frustrate some.
Multiplayer
Although the Last of Us was not designed to be a multiplayer, the game does a wonderful job of that as well. Making you the leader of a group of survivors, scavenging and fending off enemies, you have to constantly explore the map and ensure that you are on top of the situation and in control of your team that often finds itself surrounded by problems. The multiplayer may not be the main concept but is a well appreciated addition to the overall experience of the Last of Us.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Last of Us is possibly the most beautiful game on Playstation 3, and the extensive work behind the tile truly shows from the start to the finish. The story is involving and creates a sense of relation and there comes a point where you actually start to feel bad for the state of the situation. The gameplay adds a lot of action and thrill, and literally keeps your heart pounding, especially when the higher-up infected are around. There is really nothing more you could ask for from a game.
If you own a Playstation 3 and are looking for a game that will keep you busy for hours and days, while making your heart pound and your thumbs smashing the controller, look no further.
If you were one of the few unfortunates affected by firmware 4.45?s perfidy (you’ll know, because your console won’t load the XMB) don’t despair; a fix is here.
Firmware 4.46 is now available for download and can be applied on PlayStation 3 units that were soft-bricked by the earlier update using a special technique.
If you’re trapped on the “ribbon” screen, you’re going to need a USB stick with at least 168MB free space, and to download the new 4.46 firmware using a PC.
Over on the official PlayStation support website, Sony explains how to enter the PlayStation 3 Safe Mode to initialize the updating process without XMB access. We’ve republished the instructions below:
Step 1: Manually Download System Software
You will need a USB Mass Storage device such as a USB flash drive with at least 168 MB of free space. If your PlayStation 3 is either CECHA00/CECHB00 series model, you can also use Memory Stick™, SD Memory Card, and CompactFlash®.
Create a folder named “PS3” on the storage media or USB device.
Within the PlayStation 3 folder, create a folder named “UPDATE”.
Download the update data from the webpage and save it in the “UPDATE” folder.
Location: Save in the “PS3” folder > “UPDATE” folder
File name: Save as file name “PS3UPDAT.PUP”
Note: If the data is not saved in the correct way, the PS3 will not recognize the update data. The folder name must be in all uppercase letters.
Step 2: Activate Safe Mode
With the PlayStation 3 off (power light should be red), touch and hold the Power button, you will hear the 1st beep indicating that the PS3 is powering on.
Continue to hold the power button, and after approximately 5 seconds you will hear a 2nd beep.
Continue to hold the power button and after 5 more seconds you’ll hear a 3rd beep, and system will power off (Power light goes red).
Release power button.
Touch and hold the Power button, you will hear the 1st beep, again for PS3 power on.
Continue to hold and after approximately 5 seconds you will hear the 2nd beep for video reset.
Continue to hold and after 5 seconds you will hear a quick double beep. At that point release power button.
If you succeeded in activating Safe Mode, you will see a message on screen saying, “Connect the controller using a USB cable and then press the PS button”.
Connect a controller to the PlayStation 3 with a USB cable.
Sony has officially shown off the new interface and does it look impressive. The double tap multitasking is a feature people were asking for for a long time and looks like Sony may have just pulled it off.
Within games you can now switch over to your messaging and switch back to the game, alternatively you can be on voice chat throughout, while downloading a game in the back ground.
The promo shows off a man trying to play knack but he is stuck in one area of the game, he then watches a video uploaded by a friend to clear that area. While another friend is asking him to join him on Killzone, which he must download from the Playstation store.
The video also shows off micro management, where you can use your smartphone to download games ota to the PS4. Now if only sony could implement it like they show it off, we could very well have the next gaming console.
For the time being, it’s probably a good idea to decline the latest system update for the PlayStation 3. Many users are reporting bricked consoles after updating.
The firmware update is intended to improve system stability and add options for in-game trophy notifications. However, several user comments on the PlayStation forum have stated that the latest 4.45 update is causing a lockdown on their consoles.
User JadeTreeInWind, for example, said that after the Playstation 3 logo was on display post update, the crossbar menu would not show up. The user tried restarting the console, but the same problem still persisted.
Restarting the system and other recovery attempts do not appear to resolve the issue. If you haven’t downloaded the update yet, avoid it until Sony gives the all-clear. If you have downloaded it and can’t access the XMB, sit tight until we know more.
Assuming the speculation that this issue arises from user-replaced hard drives, then it would bring back memories of the time when the 3.41 update caused a few corrupted Playstation 3 drives, too. Hopefully things will look up for the better in the long run, and a solution should be released sooner rather than later.
As of now, the latest firmware is 4.41, and Sony has yet to offer a statement concerning the bricked consoles.
A special Grand Theft Auto 5 package exclusive to PlayStation 3 has been announced at Sony’s E3 press conference.
Making the bundle all the more enticing, this gaming collection will come wrapped in a special box adorned with exclusive GTA 5 themed artwork.
The GTA V PS3 bundle includes a 500GB PlayStation 3, a Blu-ray copy of Grand Theft Auto V and a 30-day PlayStation Plus trial membership. Like Assassin’s Creed 3 and Uncharted 3bundles, this package is priced at $299.99.
“The custom Grand Theft Auto V audio mode for Pulse – Elite Edition takes full advantage of the BassImpact technology embedded in the Pulse – Elite Edition headset to provide the ultimate Grand Theft Auto V experience,” an official Sony spokesperson stated. “This exclusive mode enhances the game’s most epic moments like car crashes, explosions and more.”
A custom-designed ‘Grand Theft Auto V Pulse – Elite Edition’ headset has also been produced in collaboration with Rockstar Games, and will go on sale for $179 in the US. UK and European pricing was not set out at E3.
The PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto V will also have a special ‘Pulse Elite Edition’ mode, using the technology in the headset to enhance sound quality during key moments in the game such as crashes and explosions. The software to activate the audio mode can be downloaded for free via the Pulse – Elite Manager app.
Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 will be released on Sept. 17, 2013 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Warner Bros. has posted the E3 gameplay trailer for the upcoming prequel, Batman: Arkham Origins, and it delivers the hits… literally. Black Mask puts a bounty on Batman’s head, which brings the combined might of Bane, Deadshot, Deathstroke, and other villains to Gotham City.
Unlike the CGI Batman: Arkham Origins teaser trailer that was released a few weeks ago, the new gameplay reveal trailer is made up entirely of in-game footage. We get out first look at Bane, and also get to hear Roger Craig Smith as Batman and Troy Baker as Joker for the first time.
Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains and assassins, the game showcases a young, raw, unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, witness identities being formed and key relationships being forged.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for the Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 25, 2013.
A new trailer for InFamous Second Son was unveiled at Sony’s E3 conference, along with the news that it won’t be a launch title.
The sequel to 2011’s InFamous 2 is scheduled for a Q1 2014 release, it was announced during the conference.
“The new trailer introduces Delsin Rowe’s older brother, Reggie, who will accompany Delsin on his journey in Seattle,” said Sucker Punch’s Brian Fleming on the PlayStation Blog. “Reggie is voiced by Travis Willingham, who interestingly is close friends in real life with Troy Baker, the voice actor for Delsin. You’ll get a glimpse into Delsin and Reggie’s relationship, and also see how much fun Delsin has being a superhuman, especially when using his awesome Orbital Drop maneuver shown at the end of the trailer.”
You now have fire powers instead of electric, flying instead of gliding around or grinding power lines. It’s all good for the next evolution of this super-powered franchise.
Sucker Punch will be demoing the game, which launches in Q1 2014, at Sony’s E3 booth starting tomorrow.
We’ve already seen plenty from the Playstation 4’s initial unveil in February, but today we got a closer look at games from all developers, including Indie titles, as well as the actual PS4 hardware. Sony shared a quick look at two titles we’re sure many will be extremely exited to play.
Sony dropped a bombshell at their E3 2013 press briefing by announcing that Kingdom Hearts III is currently in development for the PlayStation 4. This came directly on the heels of the company’s announcement that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is also coming to Playstation 4, under its new moniker: Final Fantasy XV.
In a wild gameplay trailer that saw lead character Noctis work his way through a crumbling building, fighting masked, sword-wielding soldiers and flying monsters, Square confirmed that it would continue the series on PlayStation 4 as Final Fantasy XV. This was actually the first major gameplay trailer released of the game in some three years, and the first ever officially shown to the public. It’s no surprise that after seven years of reportedly tortured development, the game has become a PlayStation 4 title rather than another game for the aging PlayStation 3.
More surprising, though, was the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3. It’s also been seven years since the last major Kingdom Hearts game, with the beautifully strange Kingdom Hearts 2 on PlayStation 2. Sony showed only the briefest trailer of a teenage Sora battling Heartless enemies known from the series and ended with the statement that the game is “now in development.” Meaning it’s far from actually coming out any time soon. Still, after nearly five handheld releases in the series, it’s hugely exciting to see Kingdom Hearts 3.
EA at E3 2013 announced the rebirth of their 2008 franchise Mirror’s Edge for next generation consoles including PS 4 and Xbox One. Powered by DICE’s proprietary Frostbite technology, the game will be heading to Xbox One, the PlayStation4, and PC in 2014.
“We introduced Mirror’s Edge and Faith to gamers five years ago, and we’ve waited for the right moment to reunite them,Thanks to the Frostbite engine and a new generation of platforms, we are now able to deliver a richer world that players will be able to explore with a new level of freedom in both movement and action.” said Sara Jansson, Senior Producer, DICE.
[toggle title=”Press Release”]DICE Heralds the Return of Mirror’s Edge Category: EA Games Label Monday, June 10, 2013 2:30 pm PDT
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DICE, an award-winning studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and developer of the blockbuster Battlefield™ franchise, today announced that fan-favorite Mirror’s Edge™ is in early stages of development. Mirror’s Edge was first introduced in 2008 and fans quickly elevated the game’s heroine “Faith” into a videogame icon. Gamers and critics worldwide praised its unique characters, highly stylized world and fresh take on first person action adventure. The new Mirror’s Edge reboots the franchise for the next generation with advanced visuals and an all-new origin story for Faith. Powered by DICE’s proprietary Frostbite™ technology, the game will be heading to Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®4, and PC.
“We introduced Mirror’s Edge and Faith to gamers five years ago, and we’ve waited for the right moment to reunite them,” said Sara Jansson, Senior Producer, DICE. “Thanks to the Frostbite engine and a new generation of platforms, we are now able to deliver a richer world that players will be able to explore with a new level of freedom in both movement and action.”
To view the Mirror’s Edge teaser trailer, please visit www.mirrorsedge.com, where fans can also sign up for the official Mirror’s Edge newsletter. Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/mirrorsedge and follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/mirrorsedge and #MirrorsEdge. Press assets are available at http://info.ea.com. To follow all of EA’s news during E3 and watch the replay of the Mirror’s Edge unveil, visit www.ea.com/e3.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 285 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal year 2013, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
Mirror’s Edge, The Sims, Need for Speed, Mass Effect, Battlefield, Frostbite and Origin are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.[/toggle]
Sony today announced the PlayStation 4 and the next generation gaming console has been price at $399/€399/£349 (~Rs 23,250/-), $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.
For the £350 asking price you’ll get the Playstation 4 console complete with a 500GB hard drive, built-in Blu-ray drive and the brand new Sony PS4 controller effectively pricing Xbox One’s Kinect sensor at $100.
The console, according to SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton, the console will not contain any authentication requirements; no “always online” and no “stopping” if you have not authenticated in 24 hours.
PlayStation Plus carries over PS4 and while you can still play all your single-player games, you will need a Plus membership to play online multiplayer games.
The new console, shown off at the company’s press conference at E3 in Los Angeles looks to be slim and thin, a vast contrast to Microsoft’s large and bulky Xbox One console.
“It is sleek and visually impactful wherever you put it.” Anthony House, head of Sony Computer Entertainment said as he revealed the new console to the packed stadium.
Keeping with the black and blue colour scheme the console will be able to be sat vertically and horizontally on your shelf.
Sony began by talking about its existing hardware: The PlayStation 3 and the handheld PS Vita. However, no hardware refresh was announced for either device.
“Vita is just beginning its life cycle,” Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Jack Tretton said, noting that the Vita will be the “ultimate companion device” to the PlayStation 4.
Despite the lack of new hardware, Sony did show off a slew of big-ticket new games that will work on the PS3, including Batman: Arkham Origins and Grand Theft Auto V.
After the Sony’s Playstation 4 event concluded, questions immediately blew up social media asking what the console actually looks like. We have our first glimpses of the console today, thanks to an officially released teaser by Sony.
The timing of the tease is no surprise, with Microsoft set to reveal its own next-generation Xbox tomorrow at its campus in Redmond, Washington.
Sony will present its E3 event on June 10 at 6 p.m. Pacific time. At that point, we will likely see the PlayStation 4 in the flesh along with some new games and features.
The video, seen below, shows off bits and pieces of the console in quick video cuts. You’re able to see the logo, various ports, and other portions of the device that help you form a general idea of what the Playstation 4 will look like.
Sony will be shipping the PlayStation 4 with an eight-core 64-bit processor based off AMD’s “Jaguar” processor line. Though x86 cores are the brunt of the new console’s might, Sony stated at its event that another low-power core will be bundled in, as well. The additional processor exists not to help with games directly but instead to process tasks in the background.
Sony states that the PlayStation 4 graphics chip, which is derived from existing Radeon technology and integrated into the Jaguar processor die, can push 1.84 TFLOPS. That number puts the power of the GPU roughly on par with a Radeon HD 7850 video card.
Sony has also packed in eight gigabytes of RAM, an absolutely massive increase over the 512MB found in the PlayStation 3. And the RAM is high-speed GDDR5, which will let Sony maximize the system’s data pipe.
The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is well under way, with some details on Sony’s upcoming next-gen console, the PlayStation 4. Sony Senior Staff Engineer Chris Norden went into greater technical detail on some of the PlayStation 4’s underlying hardware.
Contrary to rumors stating that Sony would abandon the numbering structure for its next-gen console, the next PlayStation will, indeed, be called the PlayStation 4.
PS4’s Blu-Ray drive is three times faster than the current PS3 drive, Norden confirmed. Keeping in mind that the PS3 is equipped with 2x BD drive capable of reading Blu-ray discs at up to 9MB/s speed. The three times faster solution is a 6x BD drive that can read discs at up to 27MB/s, which should be enough not only for modern games, but also for next-generation 4K video discs, assuming that they are Blu-ray or compatible with the drive (or use the same 405nm wavelength as BD).
He added that the hard drive in every console will be “very large” and that real names can be used within PS4’s friend system, subject to the players’ approval. PS4’s social functionality will also allow for more than 100 friends, the current limit on PS3.
PS4’s Eye motion camera comes with a tilt sensor so it can tell when a player is facing in the wrong direction, or if the camera itself has fallen off of your TV stand (or wherever you choose to place it).
Norton explained that PS4s memory outperforms the DDR3 you can find in many high-end PCs, and that its 8GB of GDDR5 RAM offers developers “Crazy high bandwidth”. Simplicity was also key, said Norton.
“If you’re coming from the PS3 you’re probably quite used to the headache of having to split memory architecture, you can’t quite use all of it, the speeds are really wacky on some of it – we don’t have that with PS4. It’s eight gigs, it’s there, it’s easy,” he said.
“You’re getting some really amazing memory with PS4 and we’re really excited about it.”
Other hardware related improvements that the engineer mentioned are all-digital buttons and sticks on the DualShock 4 controller, ability to charge the controller while the console is off as well as a mono headset in every PlayStation 4 box.
Nvidia Corp. on Thursday announced support for Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 4 with the popular Nvidia PhysX and Nvidia APEX software development kits (SDKs). While Sony PS4 will not use Nvidia’s chips, it will still rely on development software designed by Nvidia.
PhysX and APEX technologies are used by developers for collision detection and simulation of rigid bodies, clothing, fluids, particle systems etc on pretty much every current platform. Nvidia PhysX and APEX technologies are designed to run on a variety of CPU architectures and can be accelerated by any modern Nvidia GPU, GeForce 8-series or higher.
[quote]Mike Skolones, product manager for the PhysX at Nvidia, said: Great physics technology is essential for delivering a better gaming experience and multiplatform support is critical for developers. With PhysX and APEX support for PlayStation 4, customers can look forward to better games.[/quote]
Both PhysX and APEX are already integrated into a handful of games. NVIDIA boasts that PhysX alone is featured in more than 150 games, and is used by over 10,000 developers. Some games that are taking advantage of NVIDIA’s technologies include Borderlands 2, the Batman Arkham series, Mirror’s Edge, and Metro 2033.
The Sony PlayStation 4 is based on a semi-custom AMD Fusion system-on-chip that integrates eight AMD x86 Jaguar cores, custom AMD Radeon HD core with unified array of 18 AMD GCN-like compute units (1152 stream processors which collectively generate 1.84TFLOPS of computer power that can freely be applied to graphics, simulation tasks, or some mixture of the two), various special-purpose hardware blocks as well as multi-channel GDDR5 memory controller.
The PS4 will come with 8GB of unified GDDR5 memory sub-system (with 176GB/s bandwidth) for both CPU and GPU as well as large-capacity hard disk drive. Sony PS4 will be equipped with Blu-ray disc drive capable of reading BDs at 6x and DVDs at 8x speeds, USB 3.0 connectivity in addition to a proprietary aux port, Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR wireless technology as well as HDMI, optical and analog outputs. The new system will also utilize new DualShock 4 game controller with integrated touchpad as well as better motion sensing thanks to new PS4 Eye tracking cameras.
