PlayStation Vita

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 Vita System Software Update 2.60 Now Available (updated)

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 6, 2013 | 1 comment

If you haven’t fired up your PlayStation Vita in the last 24 hours, then it’s time to do so as Sony has a brand new firmware update for the powerful handheld with a few nice additions. A great many of the enhancements revolve around not needing to connect your PS Vita to the PS3 or PC for content, like downloading previously purchased media from Sony’s music and video library. Instead, you will now be able to simply redownload the content be visiting the appropriate section on PSN. Nearly two weeks ago, Sony updated their ToS for Video and Music Unlimited, giving users access to download their content multiple times and bringing the service in line with other platforms like iTunes.

Other enhancements include easier access to Trophies, cloud saved files, and the web browser. After the jump, the full list of features from the PlayStation Vita system software update 2.60 awaits you.

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 Video Unlimited Now Allows Access to Purchased Content on Multiple Devices

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 17, 2013 | 4 comments

In edition to Vidzone for the PlayStation 3 which brings access to over 55,000 music videos, Sony continues to beef up its media presence on PlayStation devices. Till now, unlike iTunes which ties your purchases to your account, allowing you to redownload your content on your Mac, PC, and iOS device, Video Unlimited has tied your purchases to the device. That means that if you bought a movie on the PS3, it would stay on the PS3 unless you actually transferred it to say the PS Vita by connecting the two devices. In fact, after your download, the said content would disappear from your download list. PS3 to PS3 would even be trickier and PS3 to PS4? Who knows! That is, till now.

Editorial: For the Love of JRPG’s

by Sarah Ingram | Jul 7, 2013 | 16 comments

I have a video game weakness, and that is role playing games – specifically, Japanese role playing games. Something about their involved story-lines, side quests, endless equipment combinations and specializations, and music and artwork hooks me no matter what world or crisis it surrounds. My initial love for the Playstation system specifically comes from these types of experiences. Nothing hooked me more into a video game than the beautiful, intricate details in the art style of Dark Cloud, as primitive as it was, and I’m sure we’ve all experienced that moment of excitement when a cut scene would begin: I remember yelling for my brother when one would pop up in Final Fantasy IX. They’ve made me smile, cry, and occasionally throw my controller down in anger (FFVII. end of disc 1. you know.).

When I first started gaming on my own, and buying games outside of the influence of my brother, I gravitated towards games like Tales of Symphonia and Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX. As I grew up this love for what they offered grew, and I not only indulged in new titles like Star Ocean and Resonance of Fate, but also went back and experienced games I had previously missed, like Kingdom Hearts and Phantom Brave. Now, as an adult with my own money, I have started the slow (and expensive) process of picking up those titles that I may have missed before. Collecting them adds to my enjoyment: having them on display seems fitting for the role they’ve played in my life, and collecting the ones I’ve missed as a kid gives me the opportunity to more completely immerse myself in the genre.

PlayStation Plus for July: Battlefield 3, Jet Set Radio HD and More

by Brien Bell | Jul 2, 2013 | 0 comments

PlayStation Plus has been on a lot of people’s minds over the past month. In June, the service celebrated its 2-year-anniversary – and the first anniversary of the Instant Game Collection program – by offering a bevy of great games for subscribers. At E3, SCEA President Jack Tretton announced that PlayStation Plus would be coming to PS4 this holiday, and that it would be required for multiplayer games on the system. One caveat to the online requirement, however, is for free-to-play games–Sony is leaving it up to developers whether such games will be locked behind a pay wall. Needless to say, the future of PlayStation Plus is shaping up to be interesting. But for now, the present of PlayStation Plus is looking pretty good.

PSA: PlayStation Plus Will Be Required for PS4 in Order to Play Online

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 28, 2013 | 3 comments

One of the key differentiation between the PS3 and Xbox 360 has been the lack of online fees. While on the PS3 anyone can access Netflix (normal fees apply) or play Battlefield 3 online for free, on the 360, an additional monthly payment is required for Xbox Live. While a pleasant option for PlayStation fans, this approach is an unsustainable one by Sony as online games continue to grow which means further expenses for the company. With the PS4, all of this will change and gamers will be required to have PlayStation+ in order to access online gaming, but there is more to it than that.

Editorial: Why I Think Sony Won E3

by Sarah Ingram | Jun 23, 2013 | 13 comments

Now that the dust has settled and we have all had some time to digest the news that came out of E3, I feel like it’s the right time to reflect about what we saw and what it means. I was able to catch both the Microsoft and Playstation conferences live as they happened, and once it was all over there was a clear winner for me. But I didn’t go into the expo already declaring Sony the winner: I really wanted to see what each had to say about the hardware, sharing, used games and connectivity. And what I ended up getting out of a comparison of the two presentations after the fact was something a little more, and something I think is much more important.

Sony really handed it to Microsoft this year. I watched Microsoft first, and was admittedly impressed. The games looked good, they had Insomniac on their stage, and a partnership with Twitch is nothing to shake a stick at. I expected the DR and used game news, and was interested in learning more about the cloud sharing. The price tag didn’t even surprise me, and I was curious as to what Sony had in store. I had originally predicted that if Microsoft went through with some of these things, then Sony would have to follow suit. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. They allow used games, there is the capability to play games offline, and they hit the price tag out of the park, something even I didn’t expect. It was an all round A+ performance.

Dear Readers, What Won You Over at E3?

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 16, 2013 | 2 comments

There is always a lot of talk after a show like E3 of who won and who lost. Like all real things though, the outcome is far more complicated then that. While Nintendo didn’t bother to really show up, Sony and Microsoft were poised to butt heads with more concrete information about the PS4 and Xbox One. Being a long time PlayStation fan, I have to say that there are parts of the Xbox One vision that I get and connect with. Still, a lot of the announcements and news from the Xbox camp the past month has been purely bizarre and anti-consumer in some ways while Sony has been able to better connect to gamers. With an array of exclusive games like Killzone: Shadow Fall, inFamous: Second Son, The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls Gran Turismo 6, and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5, Sony had game after game to show for PlayStation at E3.

This of course doesn’t mean that there weren’t a host of other good content out there. Microsoft has been able to woe in EA/Popcap and get a timed exclusive for Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare while long time favorite series of mine, Command & Conquer is once again to PC with a new entry. All of this translates as a victory for gamers with lots of old favorites making debuts like Call of Duty and Battlefield while new IP’s like Puppeteer, Tearaway, and Titanfall had plenty of spotlight left for themselves.

PS4 to PS Vita Remote Play ‘Just Works’

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 13, 2013 | 8 comments

During the initial PlayStation 4 announcement in February, Sony indicated that the PlayStation Vita would be a crucial companion device to the PS4. This will be achieved by the PS4’s Remote Play capabilities which streams the given game onto the Vita. Since then, Sony has further clarified that Remote Play will be required for every PS4 game, barring those that require additional accessories like the PS4 Eye or Move controller. So will such a requirement leave developers burdened? Apparently not, as the feature “just works.”

Lone Survivor PS Vita Preview – Survival Horror On The Go

by Jan Hutchings | Jun 7, 2013 | 0 comments

What would you do if you were the survivor of a deadly epidemic? You’re low on supplies and you’re stuck inside a boarded up, decrepit apartment complex surrounded by shambling corpses of the infected. Do you stay and rot or do you venture out into the dangerous complex, tempting fate and attracting the mutants to your scent? Thankfully, you’ll be able to decide for yourself once Lone Survivor arrives on PS Vita later this year.

Lone Survivor is an retro-styled indie psychological-survival horror title fusing the adventure, stealth, and platformer genres into one incredibly scary package. The game casts you as a lone survivor (unmistakable because of your iconic surgical mask) of an unknown contagion that wiped out most of the population. You’re low on food and supplies so you must explore and discover useful food and items that will help keep you alive and sane a little while longer.

More on our Lone Survivor PS Vita preview after the break.

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.

Sony’s E3 2013: More Than 40 Games for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita

by Brien Bell | Jun 6, 2013 | 2 comments

Sony Computer Entertainment is expecting big things from the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The PlayStation 3 is now the best-selling HD console worldwide, the PlayStation Vita is riding an indie resurgence, and the PlayStation 4 will be coming full force in preparation for a holiday release. As such, you’d expect that Sony would be bringing a metric ton of games to showcase their systems. And correct you are: according to Sid Shuman, social media manager for the PlayStation Blog, the company will be featuring over 40 games on all three platforms during their E3 showcase.

Shuman, along with members of the PlayStation social media team and other special guests, will be live-streaming coverage of both the Sony media conference on Monday night and throughout the week from the show floor at the PlayStation booth. Among the games to be featured, according to the Blog post, are Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream), Destiny (Bungie), DriveClub (Evolution Studios), The Evil Within (Tango GameWorks), Gran Turismo 6 (Polyphony Digital), inFAMOUS: Second Son (Sucker Punch), Killzone: Shadow Fall and Killzone: Mercenary (Guerilla Games), The Last of Us (Naughty Dog), Tearaway (Media Molecule), and Wolfenstein: The New Order (Machine Games). We can safely assume even more will be added to that list as new games are revealed in the upcoming days.

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.