PlayStation 4

Sony MP-CL1 Wireless Laser Projector Preview

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 7, 2016 | 0 comments

A few months back, the Sony MP-CL1, also known as the PlayStation 4 Mobile Projector, seemingly popped up out of nowhere. Its promise then was to allow you to take a projector anywhere by creating a form factor so small that it could fit in your pocket.

Now at CES 2016, I got to go hands on with the small projector which even offers around 2 hours of battery life for the ultimate wireless experience. I’m not sure how practical this device would be but for those who are cramped for space or travel, it might be a great solution.

‘Gran Turismo Sport’ Trailer Fails to Thrill

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 4, 2016 | 5 comments

Gran Turismo games have always been one of the staples of PlayStation in graphics and gameplay. Having been on the system since PSone, Gran Turismo, developed by Polyphony Digital, is one of those rare franchises that cannot be simply recreated despite the best effort of other studios. From the depth of tracks and cars to the smallest of details when tuning your car, Gran Turismo, especially with a proper seat and steering wheel, is likely the closest most of us will ever get to taking an exotic (or Mazda Miata) on the race tracks.

Apparently announced during Paris Game Week (which I completely missed since I was too busy getting married), Gran Turismo Sport is the latest iteration of the franchise that will arrive on PS4 sometime in 2016. Sadly, from what should have been an easy trailer to nail, we’re left with an awkward piece that fails to thrill and opts to show us a parked Mazda Miata and its interior.

More, including the trailer after the jump.

‘Destiny: The Taken King’ Now Includes Previous 2 DLC for $40

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 31, 2015 | 0 comments

If you’re not playing Destiny, you’re truly missing out one of the best experiences on PS4 and lucky for you, Bungie now has one hell of a deal for you. Destiny: The Taken King, the newest expansion and almost thought of as Destiny 2 by many now includes the previous two DLC for $39.99. That means you get

The Taken King
Expansion I: The Dark Below
Expansion II: House of Wolves
Level 25 Character Boost

You can read more about level boosters here. If you’re not playing Destiny, you seriously owe it to yourself to give the game a shot and if you are, you need The Taken King to see what you’re missing.

‘The Last of US 2’ Confirmed By Nolan North?

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 31, 2015 | 2 comments

Sometimes actors let things slip by accident. That’s how long before Pixar would confirm it, we learned about Toy Story 4 through Tom Hanks in an off handed comment during an interview. Now, Nolan North, the man that Naughty Dog believes changed the industry has let it slip that The Last of US 2 is in development.

I know they’re doing Last of Us 2, but my character in Last of Us kinda met an untimely demise

While actors can at times have inaccurate information about a project, those sound like pretty definitive and specific words regarding The Last of US 2. However one prominent actor on the project, Troy Baker (Joel), disagrees about the project’s future. His statement after the jump.

‘Uncharted 4’ Commercial Recreated in ‘LittleBigPlanet 3’ With Fantastic Results

by Allegra Osati | Dec 30, 2015 | 0 comments

Alongside Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a new Uncharted 4 commercial debuted in theaters a little over 2 weeks ago. The 30 second spot (which should be watched first) from Naughty Dog is powerful and telling of the journey that we’ll be going on come late April and quite different from your traditional game commercial. Now, the same ad has been recreated in the LittleBigPlanet 3 engine with the original voiceover work to some fantastic results.

The mock-ad can be found after the jump.

2016 to See a “Rush of Big Titles for PS4” and Exclusives

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 29, 2015 | 0 comments

We as gamers always want more. We need more games, more features, and especially more exclusives. Luckily for us, Sony’s Worldwide Studio President, Shuhei Yoshida agrees and believes like Michael Ephraim (Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia) that 2016 will be different for PS4 owners. Shue

2016 marks an unprecedented rush of big titles for PS4. It’s also the year of the long-awaited launch of PlayStation VR. It’s the year PS4 users, and those who are on the fence on whether to buy it will absolutely think, ‘It’s good to have a PS4.’ Please look forward to it.

After the jump, some exclusive PS4 titles to look forward to.

PS4 or Block of Wood for Christmas?

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 28, 2015 | 0 comments

Would you prefer to get a PS4 or a block of wood for Christmas? Scott Lundy from Wakefield, MA. didn’t get to make the choice. When he opened his Christmas gifts, what at first appeared to be a PS4 soon turned out to be a block of wood.

Instead of unboxing a sick next-gen console (his parents opted for the Teen-rated Uncharted bundle), Lundy found a PS4-shaped bit of wood. What’s worse, instead of a quick start guide to read, the malcontent penned a surly seasonal greeting.

But that’s not all. Not only did little Lundy not get a PS4, whomever left the block of wood inside the box also left a little message for the would-be block owner as well. What’s perhaps more interesting is that the block of wood actually has a design to it. I guess our little mischievous thieves had a bit of time on their hand. The note which is blurred out in the shot above can be found after the jump.

Nolan North “Changed the Industry” and Almost No ‘Uncharted 4’

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 28, 2015 | 0 comments

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End might be delayed till late April, but that doesn’t mean the team behind the highly-anticipated game are being any less chatty. Creative Co-Director Neil Druckmann recently shared his thoughts on how Uncharted 4 almost didn’t happen for him.

For me, I thought I was done with Uncharted, I thought, we did The Last o Us, and we’re gonna move to something else. […] And then we were asked to step in as directors for the project, and it was a shift. It was OK, we have to enter this world. Let’s enter the world where we crank it up to eleven.

His comments about Nolan North (top left) and what he brought to Uncharted after the jump.

‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’ Delayed Till April & Why That’s a Good Thing

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 23, 2015 | 2 comments

Neil Druckmann and Bruce Starlet from Naughty Dog released a statement today in which they announced another delay for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

Let’s start with the good news: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is wrapping up production and is shaping up to be the proper send off for Nathan Drake that we’ve promised you. The bad news is that we need a bit more time to finish the game so that it meets our standards and vision. Let’s cut to the chase, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has a new release date in North America of April 26, 2016.

Pegged originally with a March release, the game is now seeing a two month delay and while disappointing, this move is not only a good sign from Naughty Dog but a gutsy one as well. That and the full statement after the jump.

GoPro Channel Launches on PS3 & PS4

by Allegra Osati | Dec 22, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony is beefing up PlayStation as a destination to consume media with the arrival of the GoPro channel. Available now on PS3 and PS4, the GoPro channel will allow users

to stream GoPro content on-demand and browse GoPro cameras and accessories

That’s not all:

PlayStation will get an exclusive in the form of The 66th Parallel show, or discovering Iceland with Ben Brown.

More details after the jump.

‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ Gets Full Voice Casting, Mini-games & More

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 21, 2015 | 0 comments

A lot of new details have emerged about Final Fantasy VII Remake. As this point, it seems like we’re getting weekly updates from different divisions within Square Enix about what we can and can’t expect from the highly anticipated game. New revelations include

The game will have full voice overs, so characters that weren’t in Advent Children will need new voice actors. They haven’t been casted yet.
The date events will be fully voiced, but since the social situation is different from that in which the original game was launched, it will have have to be implemented carefully. Nomura-san also mentioned the Honey Bee Inn (laughing).
Info on the map cannot be provided yet, but the team isn’t worrying on whether it’s considered an open world or sandbox or not. Nomura-san is more interested in focusing on the environments and in showing how characters affect them.
Minigames that have left an impression with the fans will be included. The inclusion of the smaller ones will require consideration, as they all need to be developed with the latest tech.

More after the jump.

Epic ‘Uncharted 4’ Trailer Debuts in Front of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 21, 2015 | 0 comments

Depending on your cinema destination of choice, you may have seen an epic new trailer for Uncharted 4 in front of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Composed completely in CG, the new trailer does little to reveal anything new from the game and instead focuses on a single moment in time. Despite the scene in question only lasting a mere few seconds, Naughty Dog is beautifully able to convey a pretty good idea of what the Uncharted franchise is about and who Nathan Drake is, or isn’t.

The new Uncharted 4 trailer is after the jump.

PS4 Gets New ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops III’ Bundle

by Allegra Osati | Dec 18, 2015 | 0 comments

Don’t know what to get your loved one for Christmas but know they love gaming and Call of Duty? Well lucky for you, Sony has released a new PS4 Call of Duty: Black Ops III bundle. Priced at $349, the new bundle gets you

PS4 – 500 GB hard drive
DualShock 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Blu-ray)
DLC map pack (NUK3TOWN) – arrives in 2016

Interestingly enough, the bundle was accidentally leaked by Amazon nearly 3 months ago but has never been released till now. Besides the CoD bundle, Sony has quite a few other options this holiday season, including Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Star Wars Battlefront bundles along side old favorites like the Destiny: The Taken King with a beautifully designed PS4.

PS4 Had the Best Month Ever in November, Tops NPD

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 14, 2015 | 0 comments

The official November 2015 NPD results are in and in short, PS4 had another stellar month. Perhaps more importantly, November was the best month for all hardware players which is a good sign for the industry as a whole.

November was the best month yet for hardware sales of the new platforms, as total hardware grew 11 percent to $1.12 billion, contributing to a two percent rise in overall industry sales which reached $2.47 billion (up two percent) for the month.

A sore spot for the entire industry has been mobile (PS Vita & 3DS). which continue to lose ground to games on smartphones and tablets.

Growth was driven by console hardware, up 14 percent, which offset a 31 percent decline in portable hardware. November 2015 marked the best month ever in total unit sales for 8th generation consoles (Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U), surpassing sales of December 2014 (now second-highest), and November 2014 (now third-highest).

So how well did PS4 do? Pretty well, it seems. More after the jump.

2016 PS4 First Party Lineup “Looks Incredible”

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 14, 2015 | 0 comments

Despite its raging success, one of the lower points for PS4 has been its contribution from first party developers. While we had a few titles in the first year like Killzone: Shadow Fall, inFamous: Second Son, and eventually The Order: 1886, most other first party devs at the company have been quiet. This is a stark contrast to PS3 where third party devs preferred the competition and the saving grace for the console was all the internal exclusive games. Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, feels that things will be different in 2016.

Games that have been released this year, from Destiny, Call of Duty, Star Wars — most of them we have a collaboration with for additional content if you play on PlayStation 4. So we’re pretty confident with the way Christmas is going. The demand is strong.

His comments about PS4 titles in 2016 and other games we can look forward to are after the jump.