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PlayStation Experience panel topics include God of War, Nathan Drake, PlayStation AMA
The PlayStation Experience will host fans of the PlayStation family next month as they try out recently-released and upcoming games, but about 20 panels are also on the agenda for next month's event in Las Vegas. While an exact schedule hasn't been nailed down, a recent PlayStation Blog post has outlined the topics for each confirmed panel. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, voices and animation sources of The Last of Us' respective Joel and Ellie, will be present for a panel on how voice-over and performance capture are integrated into games. Naughty Dog will host two panels, one featuring a video that looks back on the studio's 30 years of existence, the other following the process of character creation (including Nathan Drake's transition to PS4). Santa Monica Studio will offer up a God of War series retrospective, and Sony President Shuhei Yoshida, VP of Publisher Relations Adam Boyes and Software Product Development Head for Sony Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde will also be present for an "Ask Me Anything"-style presentation. A full list of event descriptions can be parsed through on the PS Blog, with additional panels covering N++, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition, the LittleBigPlanet series and what it's like to work in Japan's gaming industry. If any topics interest you or you just like the idea of playing games before they're released, PlayStation Experience is inviting those 18 and over to Las Vegas for the weekend of December 6. [Image: PlayStation Experience]
Adam Boyes would like to give Early Access to the PS4
Sony Computer Entertainment of America VP of Developer and Publisher Relations Adam Boyes (man that business card must be long) is interested in making an Early Access-style program for PS4 developers, according to a recent interview with Gamasutra. When asked if Sony was considering making a game available while said game was still in development, Boyes responded, "That's one of the massive conversations we have internally; that, at what point does [a game meet standards of release]? We still at some point ensure that we're being mindful of the consumer. We don't want somebody to stumble across that title and expect a full product, and have a negative experience." "We're figuring out what's ok," Boyes added. "We obviously have our tech requirement checklist that people have to adhere to. So we're internally discussing, what does that list look like? What are the caveats? Stuff like this. So it's still a project that a lot of minds are considering. No details yet, but it's something on the top of my mind every day." In other words: no early access for Boyes' vision of early access on PS4. At least for now. [Image: Sony]
PlayStation's Adam Boyes points the spotlight on diverse games
Adam Boyes connects developers and publishers to PlayStation, making their appearance on the platform as seamless and as fair as possible. There's an attempt to create equal footing for everyone, which is why it's no longer a surprise to see independent games like No Man's Sky and Abzu getting screen time and drawing applause at Sony's E3 presentation. "The thing I never want to say is, 'You're going to like this, because gaming is such a personal thing," Boyes told me after Sony's E3 presentation. Though he can cast the PlayStation spotlight on games that need a little boost in prominence, highlighting them through the storefront or PlayStation Plus, Boyes prefers not to beat a drum until people care about games outside their comfort zone. "Our whole idea is just, basically, to show you as many different things - and make the judgement for yourself."
Couples reveal PS4 streaming on Twitch to be a double-edged sword
Twitch streaming on the PlayStation 4 has allowed for the creation of a call-in show, and it's caught the attention of several higher-ups at Sony. Engadget reports that a Washington couple utilizing The Playroom and their PlayStation Camera streamed what they're calling "The Spartan Show" on November 21, and it wasn't long before Shuhei Yoshida, president of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, and Adam Boyes, head of publisher relations at Sony Computer Entertainment America, joined in. Boyes even phoned in, much to the delight of the couple. Unfortunately, the combined powers of PS4, The Playroom and Twitch have also been used for great evil not so good; GameRevolution reports [Warning: subject matter NSFW] that a man exposed his drunk wife's breast and later stripped her completely naked during a livestream. Twitch banned the offending account, but we have to wonder if we're going to have a Nintendo-shutting down-SpotPass-for-Swapnote situation on our hands.
Double Fine working on DLC for 'The Playroom' on PS4
During the PlayStation Indie Arcade event tonight at PAX Prime, Sony's Adam Boyes announced Double Fine is working on DLC for PS4 tech demo, The Playroom. The DLC will be available to all PS4 owners free of charge. The Playroom, first demoed at E3 this year, includes a variety of micro-games and augmented reality experiences meant to showcase the features of the PS4. The Playroom will be bundled with every PS4 system when it launches on November 15.
PlayStation Plus price not changing for PS4, video services don't require Plus
The PlayStation Plus service will remain the same price at the launch of the PlayStation 4. SCE America VP of Publisher & Developer Relations Adam Boyes confirmed to Joystiq during a roundtable that the price will remain $50 annually in North America. Boyes also said "all video services [on the PS4] will be outside of Plus," meaning that services like Netflix and Hulu won't require Plus. Furthermore, free-to-play games won't require PlayStation Plus for online multiplayer. During a separate roundtable Joystiq was present at, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said, "As far as free-to-play games are concerned, it's the publisher's decision whether they put it inside or outside of PS Plus." The news follows confirmation that a PlayStation Plus subscription is required for online multiplayer on the PS4. Existing PS Plus subscriptions will extend onto the console's lineup when it launches this holiday.
'Pid' is a pretty platformer from Grin vets Might & Delight, planned for XBLA/PSN/PC in 2012
We're suckers for artsy platformers, so when Beefy Media's Adam Boyes took to Giant Bomb's livestream this evening with a debut trailer for Might & Delight's latest offering, "Pid," and the game was a gorgeous hand-drawn platformer, we were pretty excited to tell you all about it. In Pid, you'll control what appears to be a little boy in a colorful and mysterious world of platforms and robots -- like Limbo and Machinarium had a digital baby, if you will. The trailer showed off a bit of co-op play, as well as a variety of different environments through which to romp. Pid is being built using the Unity engine (like that mystery Square Enix game, among many others), thus making its ubiquity across platforms all the easier. While Boyes admitted the M&D folks don't have a publisher for the game yet, he said they've been actively speaking with publishers and are looking at an Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC release in "the back half of 2012." Expect more details and the trailer tomorrow, on Joystiq, when the game gets announced "officially." Head past the break for a quick snap of the game in action.
