PlayStation Network

Tiny Brains Announced As PS4 Launch Title, Playable at PAX Prime

by Brien Bell | Aug 14, 2013 | 2 comments

PAX Prime 2013 is coming soon, and studios are busy putting together their best possible showings. With this comes some great announcements, like this one from Spearhead Games, a Montreal-based indie studio made up of former Assassin’s Creed and Dead Space developers. Tiny Brains, a co-op action puzzle game, has been confirmed as a launch title for the PlayStation 4.

According to the press release, Tiny Brains “challenges players to escape a mad scientist’s nefarious puzzles as one of four mysteriously powerful lab rodents.” Tiny Brains will be coming to other platforms this fall, including Steam and possibly Xbox Live Arcade. If you’re coming to PAX in Seattle, you’ll be able to play Tiny Brains (with a DualShock 4!) at booth 6305. If you can’t make it, look for a hands-on preview from the show floor right here at Sony Rumors, and check out the latest screenshots of this cute puzzler:

DuckTales Remastered Has No Platinum Trophy, Not Coming to PlayStation Vita

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 14, 2013 | 3 comments

Rey Jimenez, Producer of DuckTales Remastered at Capcom, recently sat down with the PlayStation Blog to talk about the classic game. While giving you plenty of reasons to buy the game, Jimenez also revealed a few interesting details like why the game would not feature a Platinum trophy when asked by a reader:

If we put a platinum trophy, there wouldn’t be enough points left for any other trophies. We did consider it for a short time though.

When asked further about it, Jimenez went on:

We looked into it, but there just wasn’t enough points to allocate. Different size games are allotted a different amount of points. We only have 315 points.

Jimenez is talking about the notion that depending on the scope and length of each game, Sony awards the title with a certain set of points which break down the trophy values and DuckTales Remastered simply did not fit the bill.

PlayStation Store Update (08-13-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Aug 13, 2013 | 2 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for August 13th, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great content. Leading the way is the highly anticipated DuckTales Remastered. This retro classic comes to the PS3 with updated graphics, voice acting, and a brand new story.

The highly popular mobile game, Fruit Ninja, slices its way to the Vita this week. Vita owners are now also able to take advantage of a PlayStation Vita Japanese Games Sale. Soul Sacrifice, Gravity Rush, and Touch My Katamari are just a few of the titles discounted this week.

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving Runner2 for free along with a discount on the Tomb Raider Digital Edition Bundle. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

PlayStation Store Update (08-06-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Aug 6, 2013 | 3 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for August 6th, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great content. Leading the way is the beautiful hack and slash beat’em up Dragon’s Crown available for both PS3 and PS Vita. The brand new entry in the JRPG ‘Tales’ series, Tales of Xillia, also comes to the PS3 today with a day one discount.

The PSN Play promotion continues this week with the release of ibb & obb. There is only one week left to pre-order the final game in the promotion, Ducktales, so take advantage of this deal while you can!

Along with PlayStation Plus users receiving Hitman: Absolution for free today, there is a store-wide sale on content to celebrate Sound Shapes’ birthday. Keep reading to see everything else available on the PlayStation Store today.

PlayStation Plus August Content Announced

by Trevor Rodenberger | Aug 5, 2013 | 2 comments

Are you ready for more information about free games and discounts? If so, you have come to the right place! The PlayStation Blog has announced all of the new content coming to North American PlayStation Plus subscribers for the month of August.

Hitman: Absolution brought the beloved franchise to the PS3 late last year and will be available to PlayStation Plus members starting tomorrow August 6th. Bit.Trip Runner2 headlines the remainder of the games that will be free later in the month.

Starting on August 6th, there will also be large discounts for EscapeVektor and many Rayman titles, so this is the time to check out these games if you haven’t already! Keep reading for the full list of free games and discounts.

Sony to Pay £250K Fine in UK for 2011 PSN Data Breach

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 18, 2013 | 0 comments

Just a little over two years ago, Sony’s PlayStation Network was hacked which resulted in a quarter million customer accounts being leaked to the internet. Sony in turn would take down PSN for over a month which resulted in a loss of revenue for the company and, with no access to PSN, gamers could not access the PlayStation Store or game online. To help take care of gamers, Sony offered those who wanted free credit and identity theft monitoring for two years free PlayStation + for two months, and a host of free games once the service was back up and running. During these last two years, most gamers have moved on and enjoyed PSN but government agencies around the world haven’t been as understanding.

PSN Passes 110 Million Accounts, Xbox Live Sits at 48 Million

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2013 | 5 comments

The PlayStation train is continuing to chug for Sony while pulling ahead of Microsoft in all different sectors. Despite being released a year after the Xbox 360 and always having a price difference of $100 or more, the PS3 continues to go strong and is now ahead of the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales by nearly 500,000 units. With newly-released titles like The Last of Us and upcoming exclusives like Beyond: Two Souls, Diablo 3 (new for consoles), Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus, and Gran Turismo 6 headed to the PS3, it’s easy to see why the PlayStation brand is as strong as ever.

Now, Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment has released some new stats for the PlayStation Network (PSN) which place it well ahead of Xbox Live with a 62 million user difference between the two services.

Take Your PlayStation 4 Digital Library Anywhere, and 19 Other Things You May Not Have Known

by Brien Bell | Jul 12, 2013 | 2 comments

There’s a lot of cool information we’ve learned about the PlayStation 4 since it was unveiled on February 20. We know it’s going to cost $399 in the US. We know it’s specs are great, and that it’s 50% more powerful than it’s competitor this holiday. We know it has a pretty good sized hard drive, but that it’s also removable to allow for upgrades. Yes, PlayStation Plus is going to be required for online multiplayer, but Sony is letting free-to-play developers decide whether they’ll be using that feature–and some great ones aren’t!

PS4 has been riding some great momentum, with pre-orders at GameStop and Amazon setting records (and finally being shut down due to high demand). But the news just keeps getting better. At the Develop conference in the UK this week, Sony R&D senior team leader Neil Brown outlined how you’ll be able to access your library of digital titles on the go:

Could Gaikai Be In Trouble? Patent Infringement Could Put Halt on PlayStation Cloud Gaming

by Brien Bell | Jun 29, 2013 | 6 comments

Gaikai, the cloud-based game streaming service, was acquired by Sony in 2012. In February, Gaikai CEO David Perry announced the vision of the service for the new PlayStation 4. At E3 this year, SCEA President Jack Tretton said that Gaikai will be coming first to North American PS4 users in 2014. But a patent suit filed in October of last year could bring all of that to a screeching halt.

GameIndustry.biz was one of the first to break the story last October about Case No.: 1:12-cv-01281-MPT, filed in the United States District Court of Delaware by T5 Labs LLC, a London-based technology firm. In a new report from PatentArcade, T5 Labs contends that their patent, U.S. Patent No. 8,203,568 (or just “568”), gives them exclusive license for “using a centralized server within a bank of servers that allows remote access by a user.” In essence, this is the basis of cloud-based gaming services like Gaikai–the client accesses a remote server which plays the game, and the game is streamed through the client’s set-top box to their television. PatentArcade reports that “T5 alleges that by offering for sale and selling the use of its GPU cloud, Gaikai is committing contributory infringement as well as inducing the direct infringement of others.”

PlayStation Plus “Up To Developers” for Free-to-Play PS4 Multiplayer Games

by Brien Bell | Jun 13, 2013 | 2 comments

PlayStation Plus is a great service, and one easily recommended to both the casual and lifelong PlayStation fans. Launched just two years ago, the subscription-based online service allows cloud storage of game saves, automatic update downloads, access to exclusive betas, and free access to games through the Instant Game Collection — which just this week added Uncharted 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and LittleBigPlanet Karting to its roster. On Monday at Sony’s E3 media event, president of Sony Computer Entertainment America Jack Tretton revealed that the service would also now be required for online multiplayer gameplay on the PlayStation 4, a feature that is currently–and presumably still will be–free to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita owners.

The question regarding PlayStation Plus requirements for online games was quickly raised by fans and the press, especially in light of a number of recent announcements of free-to-play games coming to the PS4. On Sony Online Entertainment’s Twitch.tv livestream yesterday, the developers behind DC Universe Online revealed that their game would not require PlayStation Plus in order to play. Sony Online’s other free-to-play MMO Planetside 2 is also playable without a PS Plus subscription, according to a statement received by Polygon. Polygon’s story was updated late yesterday with a quote from President of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida, who said that “[a]s far as free-to-play games are concerned, it’s a publisher’s decision whether they put it inside or outside of the PlayStation Plus requirements.”

Uncharted 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, LittleBigPlanet Karting Added to June’s PlayStation Plus Update

by Brien Bell | Jun 7, 2013 | 6 comments

If you didn’t already think that PlayStation Plus was one of the best values in gaming, you may want to have your head examined. Last year at E3, Sony introduced the Instant Game Collection to PS Plus, a revolving door of free games each month, with a total of 12 available every month regardless of when you sign up for the premium service. Games like Infamous 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Spec Ops: The Line, Sleeping Dogs, and Demon’s Souls are just a few of the titles that have been free for PlayStation Plus users, with almost seventy games available for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita over the last year.

This month was already shaping up to be another feather in the service’s cap, as Deus Ex: Human Revolution is already available and Saints Row The Third, Machinarium, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, and God Eater Burst will be coming soon. Today, Sony announced that three more games will be added to mark the Instant Game Collection’s one year anniversary. XCOM: Enemy Unknown from Firaxis, LittleBigPlanet Karting from United Front Games, and Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will all be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers on Tuesday, June 11. They will be replacing Infamous 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, all three of which had been part of the Instant Game Collection since it was announced at Sony’s E3 press conference last year.

Limbo Available on PlayStation Vita Today, Supports Cross-Buy

by Brien Bell | Jun 4, 2013 | 1 comment

Limbo, the acclaimed indie title from developer Playdead, is available today for the PlayStation Vita. That news, by itself, is great — but if you already own the PS3 version, it gets even better. Thanks to the Cross-Buy initiative, which is kind of like the Avengers Initiative but even better, anyone who already purchased the game on PS3 will have it for the Vita too, at no extra charge. And vice versa — those who buy the newly released Vita version will have access to the PSN titles on their PlayStation 3 console.

SEN and PlayStation Network Web Store Launch in Japan Today

by Sohrab Osati | May 29, 2013 | 0 comments

While it’s traditionally Japan, Sony’s home turf, that gets things first, this time around, it’s been the West that’s enjoyed the earlier arrival date. Five months ago, Sony launched SEN (Sony Entertainment Network) and the PlayStation Store in one web portal which encompasses music, movies, and games. The idea is to begin expanding beyond ownership of content for singular devices. Purchased content from the store can then be redownloaded and accesses by different devices like the PS3, PS Vita, and their mobile fleet of tablets and smartphones. The web portal is also designed to make purchasing and discovery of content easier by allowing users to purchase their media of choice when away from say the PS3 and then simply visiting the download center on the game console to start the download process once home. In fact, come PS4 time, Sony will be expanding this web portal to iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android via a native app which will make discovery of content a breeze. Even better is that the PS4 will automatically begin the downloading of your purchased content, reducing the time between your purchase and enjoyment of the content.

Editorial: A Budding Love For PSN

by Sarah Ingram | May 4, 2013 | 1 comment

For those of you who read my last editorial, this next one might seem a bit confusing. And while yes, I certainly do think the Playstation Store loading time is WAAAAAYYYYYYYY TOOOOOOO LLOONNNGGGGGGGG, what lies behind the spinning circle of loading time agony is a poorly-organized gold mine. The Playstation Store has a plethora of various exclusive titles that are available to download, and as I have very recently begun to get over my aversion to digital games, I have found some amazing ones that I’ve loved playing.

I am a gamer and also a collector, so purchasing a game digitally is not my first choice. I also don’t particularly like the idea of spending 60.00 on downloading a newly-released game when for the exact same price I can get a disc, and the case for my display wall, and probably a steelbook or DLC or pre-order bonus. However, the budding love I have for PSN comes from the strictly digital PSN games, and there are a couple reasons why my love is growing.

1. They are unique

Games like Journey or The Unfinished Swan are not just games; they’re experiences. There’s something special about them that wouldn’t quite work the same if it needed to be “worth” what a full-priced title is. The shorter play time, or lack of multiplayer, or simplicity of design in these is something only successful through a platform like PSN. Something like The Walking Dead game came out episodically – again, something that only could succeed through the digital world, and an approach that drew you in and left you wanting more. And while games like Rainbow Moon or Dragon Fantasy Book 1 are not necessarily unique in a historical sense, they are unique in today’s market. Old school RPG style games are not common anymore, and still having a source to play new iterations of this theme is refreshing.

PlayStation Store Update 2-7-13

by A Glitch | Feb 7, 2013 | 0 comments

Once again, your weekly PlayStation Store update is live and there are plenty of reasons to fire up your PS3. Following in the footsteps of PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Sony is offering Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time on the PS3 on the same day as its physical release. Better yet, those who purchase the PS3 version will also nab themselves a copy of the game for the PlayStation Vita with Sony’s Cross-Buy program. More details, after the jump.