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Sony UK has 'pool of stock' to deal with 'dead on arrival' PS4s
Sony UK has prepared for any malfunctioning PS4 consoles, including the dreaded "blinking blue light" error. PlayStation UK Managing Director Fergal Gara told Eurogamer Sony has a stock of PS4s ready to deal with any consoles that are "dead on arrival." "One thing we've done within our stock allocation is make sure we've got a pool of stock to deal with any 'dead on arrival' issues," Gara said. "It's not a vast volume, because there's no evidence to suggest we need a vast volume to deal with that. But our consumer services helpline is there to support gamers and solve any problems that do emerge." When the PS4 launched in North America on November 15, reports of isolated issues started to surface. Now, with the PS4 enjoying the most successful launch week in UK video game history, Sony says the roll-out has benefitted from the extra time between regional launches. "[There has been] no major panic or changes required, but little bits of fine-tuning, not just on our side but also on the publishers' side," Gara said. "So, some small little glitches on some games that can be ironed out, patched and tweaked before it comes into Europe." Gara concluded, "the great news is there isn't anything serious."
PS4 + Vita bundle in UK today
Sony has confirmed the rumored PlayStation 4 and Vita bundle for the UK, and it told Eurogamer that it will be available today to coincide with the European launch of the PS4. The bundle, however, may not be what you were expecting and almost certainly isn't what you were hoping for. The offer will be a "soft bundle," meaning that it's dependent on retailer stock of both consoles. In other words, you won't necessarily get your PS4 and Vita in the fancy "Ultimate Edition" box that was reported last week. Retailers will be allowed to combine the Vita and PS4 however they wish, but Sony expects the bundle to sell for under £500, not exactly a steal given that the PS4 is priced at £349 and the Vita hovers around £150, according to Eurogamer. Again, availability will depend on retailer stock – and remember there are a lot of PS4 pre-orders to fill – but the bundle should go on sale as of today, continuing into the holidays.
Here is the PS4 launch lineup for Europe, Australia
The PS4 launches in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on Friday, November 29. In anticipation of the European launch, the PlayStation Blog has posted the full launch lineup, which we've listed past the break. There are a multitude of games and apps that will be available at launch, so don't waste time here: Head on past the break and peruse the full list.
PSA: PS4 firmware out early in Europe
PlayStation Europe has already rolled out the PS4 1.51 firmware update, so continental PS4 owners-to-be can prepared extra early for the console's launch on November 29. As per the 1.5 update that arrived ahead of the North American launch, Europeans can download the 308MB update and store it on a USB stick. When their PS4s (hopefully) arrive on Friday, it's just a matter of copying the file from the USB stick across to the console - and given the strain the PlayStation Network endured last time and the features conferred by the update, it's probably the wise thing to do.
GameStop sells through PS4 allocation, 2.3 million people on 'first to know' list [Update]
GameStop has sold through all of its PS4 reservations and some additional allocated consoles it received from Sony, the retailer announced during its third quarter earnings call. GameStop President Tony Bartel added that the company has "over 2.3 million customers on the 'first to know' list, which indicates continued demand for months to come" for Sony's console. "Although we won't reveal the total amount of units for competitive reasons, our share was higher than on any previous console launch, and our sell-through since launch was 80 percent higher than the total amount of PS3s that we sold in our 2006 fiscal year," Bartel said. Bartel corroborated Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton's recent projection that the PS4 would sell 3 million units in North America by the end of the year, noting that GameStop expects "to sell a large portion of that." In regards to projections for Xbox One sales, which launched today, Bartel said "the value of our reservations and the additional allocation is 15 percent higher than the amount of Xbox 360s that we sold during our entire 2005 fiscal year. So we are poised for a powerful launch." Update: As a clarification, GameStop has informed Joystiq that the 2.3 million people on its 'first to know' list is for PS4 and Xbox One customers combined, not just the former.
EA: 140 million gameplay minutes logged on PS4 in five days
140 million gameplay minutes were logged on Electronic Arts-published PlayStation 4 games, the publisher revealed via Twitter yesterday. The data is spread across five days of EA's PS4 games being on store shelves. Across the same period of time, the publisher said that over five million online gaming sessions were logged as well. Likewise, EA president Peter Moore recently estimated that one in every three PS4 games sold are EA-branded products. EA's data comes from its five PS4 launch games: Battlefield 4, Need for Speed: Rivals, NBA Live 14, Madden NFL 25 and FIFA 14. Battlefield 4 has suffered a number of issues since its next-gen launch, including game crashes and loss of save files for the game's campaign. Given that the Xbox One launches tomorrow, the number of online games and minutes logged by players will certainly grow.
NBA 2K14 Xbox One review: Swear fealty to the prince
If NBA 2K14 on current-gen systems is the king, then the next-gen version is the prince. While it features the same unparalleled gameplay and control of its current-gen cousin, NBA 2K14 on Xbox One ends up feeling like less of a fully-realized product – a younger, prettier facsimile of what has been the best, and only, basketball sim on the market for the last few years. The next-gen version of NBA 2K14 One lacks some of the substance seen on Xbox 360 and PS3, though it benefits from being one of the most realistic-looking video games I've ever played.
PS4 costs $381 to make, according to hardware teardown
The PlayStation 4 costs $381 for Sony to build, $18 under its retail price of $399. The figure comes from a hardware teardown by research firm IHS that included the bill of materials, which amounts to $372, as well as per-unit cost of assembly in the assessment. The teardown notes that the system's processor and memory account for about half of the cost of the entire console at $188, and that the PS4's 500 GB hard drive is $1 cheaper than the 120 GB one found in the PS3, thanks to the "major decline in HDD costs during the past four years." Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House said in August that the system "will not generate anything like the losses we did for the PlayStation 3," which amounted to $3.5 billion in 2007 and 2008, after the PS3 launched in November 2006 for $599. IHS' teardown of the PS3 at the time found that the system cost Sony $805, and the company still lost roughly $40 per system as of December 2009. The PS4 is off to a good start, as Sony sold one million units in the console's first day at retail. Sony addressed a few issues with launch systems, estimating that the number of problematic PS4 consoles is less than one percent of those shipped.
Sony: 'Less than one percent' of PS4s have issues
Sony addressed numerous reports of defective PlayStation 4 systems this week, and estimated that the number of damaged consoles is relatively low. "The number of affected PS4 systems is less than one percent, which represents a very small percentage of total units shipped to date and is within the expected range for a new product introduction," a Sony representative told Engadget. "We understand the frustration of consumers that have had a problem and are working with them and our retail partners to help troubleshoot issues and ensure affected units are exchanged." Given that several issues were reported to Sony, the hardware manufacturer believes "there isn't a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of PS4 units." The company previously said it is investigating "isolated" PS4 issues and offered troubleshooting steps for players experiencing "blinking blue light" problems.
Ubisoft expects 'double the console installed base of previous generations'
Tony Key, senior VP of marketing and sales at Ubisoft, recently said the publisher's "feeling is the installed base of these machines will be much faster to take hold than previous generations" in regards to the PS4 and Xbox One an interview with Games Industry International. "In the first couple of years, we expect double the installed based of previous generations," he added, referring to the number of systems sold over the same period of time. "The reason why is: The last cycle was longer, so there's a lot of pent up demand." Key isn't alone in believing that the new systems will continue to sell well, as Sony's Jack Tretton projected that three million PS4 consoles would be sold by the end of the year. The PS4 is off to a good start; the next-generation console sold one million units within its first 24 hours at retail. Key also spoke to the delay of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs to spring 2014 in the interview, saying that "Watch Dogs is designed to be a long-term brand for Ubisoft. We won't launch it until we know it's equaling the vision it can achieve." Update: Clarified language regarding Key's expectation for next-generation console sales.
PlayStation Support offers advice for 'blinking blue light PS4 issues'
PlayStation Support has opened a thread on the official Sony forums for users experiencing problems with the PS4. The post lists "blue indicator light blinking," "no video/audio output to television" and "console powering off after blinking blue" as potential symptoms, but does not point to single cause. Instead, the post suggests issues may stem from TV compatibility alongside potential issues with the PS4 power supply, hard drive or "other PS4 hardware." The frequency of these issues was not confirmed in the post. To troubleshoot the system, PlayStation Support suggests performing a hard reset, checking your hard drive connection, booting the PS4 in Safe Mode and checking the firmware of your television. If none of the above work and you need to contact Sony for further assistance, the company suggests using live chat as opposed to calling in. All contact information can be found here.
Europe: Buy a PS Vita, get a month of PlayStation Plus for free
If you're a Vita-less gamer in Europe that's intrigued by the PlayStation 4's Remote Play capabilities, Sony will throw in a free month of PlayStation Plus if you link a new Vita system to your SEN account by December 31. If you're already a PS+ member, the extra month still stack atop your current subscription. You can check to see if your country is eligible for the promotion at the end of the involved PlayStation Blog post. For those that take advantage of the deal, Sony will also send an email detailing a competition to win a PlayStation 4. If you'd rather not leave that up to luck, you can start hunting for one in stores on November 29. On an equally important note, PS4s were compatible with dancing cats on day one.
PlayStation 4 sold 1 million units in first day of availability
PlayStation 4 sales reached the 1 million mark within the console's first 24 hours at retail, Sony announced this morning. The PS4 launched in North America on November 15, so that figure is restricted to the US & Canada; the console comes to Europe on November 29, and Japan on February 22, 2014. SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton is predicting 3 million sales by the end of the year, and with the European launch to come, that's looking increasingly realistic. Sony targets that figure to rise to 5 million by the close of the company's fiscal year in March 2014, by which point the console will have reached Japan. According to data gatherer NPD, Sony only sold 197,000 PS3 units to the US in its first two weeks of availability, with shortages of supply to blame. Around this time last year, the Wii U sold 425,000 units in the US within its first week at retail, with Nintendo going on to ship 3 million units worldwide by the end of 2012.
Joystiq Streams: Need for Speed Rivals (PS4) [Watch the replay!]
Update: The live stream has ended. Watch the live stream replay above. Need for Speed: Rivals, EA's reckless (but not wreck-free) open-world racer, is officially en route. In the meantime, join us as we hurtle down the highways in an Aston Martin – well, once we unlock it. You have to get the Aston first, right?
Review: PlayStation 4
We're rolling out PlayStation 4 review coverage all the way through the launch on Nov. 15. Check out more coverage here! For much of the PlayStation 3's existence, the PlayStation Network was seen as second fiddle to Microsoft's Xbox Live, which offered more content and more features – at a price. Over the past couple of years, the tables began to turn, with PSN's free service matching the premium tier of Xbox Live almost feature for feature. Meanwhile, for $50 a year, PlayStation Plus gives its members entire collections of popular and critically-acclaimed games at no extra cost. Now, seven years after the launch of PlayStation 3, Sony is releasing the PlayStation 4, and it's pitching PSN and internet-enabled features as a central pillar. We were promised hardware that would connect us more closely with our friends, that we would be allowed to share our best gaming moments at the touch of a button, or to prove our skills in real time via livestreams. Flow-killing system updates would be delivered automatically, Sony assured us. And finally, finally, we were promised cross-game party chat. The PlayStation 4 appears to deliver on most of these commitments but, like the Wii U last year, the brunt of the console's most highly-lauded features are coming in hot. In fact, nearly every feature other than the ability to play retail games was enabled via a system update only a few hours before this writing. That makes a detailed, timely review problematic, but we've done our best to delve into the PS4's big ticket features and answer as many questions as we can. Given the circumstances, we'll be updating this review as we dig further into Sony's slanted console. Update: Sections on Live Streaming, Remote Play, Media Services, some extra details and a conclusion have been added.
Japan waits for greatness, much of Asia gets PS4 in December
If you early adopters thought waiting until November 15 for the PlayStation 4 was rough, consider our friends on other continents. The PS4 will reach the Malaysian market on December 20 for 1,799 RM ($561), PlayStation Asia has announced. 23 games will be available at its launch, including Call of Duty: Ghosts, Sound Shapes, and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Those interested in carrying only one box out of a store have three options in the form of bundles - one with the PlayStation Camera for 1,899 RM ($593), another with Battlefield 4 for 1,969 RM ($614), or one with Killzone: Shadow Fall 1,939 RM ($604). The vanilla PS4 and Camera bundles will both come with one month of PlayStation Plus, while the game bundles will include two month subscriptions to PS+ and a 20 RM ($6) voucher for the PlayStation Network. To view this from a global perspective, Hong Kong will beat Malaysia to the goods by three days, Europe will get theirs on November 29, and Japan is stuck waiting for greatness until February 22. Meanwhile, North Americans that just got their consoles are stressing the PSN, while a small percentage of them are having bad days.
These are the 23 games in the PlayStation 4 launch-day line-up
After all the last-minute shuffling, Sony confirmed its final list of the 23 launch-day PlayStation 4 games in North America. We've integrated the list with our library of news and views on each game (we put some links in), and linked to our reviews where possible. Check it out after the break.
Sony looking into 'isolated' PS4 issues
Sony is investigating what it claims is a "very small" number of "isolated" issues with PS4 hardware, after a couple of high-profile games sites reported problems with their newly-acquired devices. Both Kotaku and IGN received consoles unable to output through HDMI, in the latter's case after updating the firmware to 1.50 and downloading the Netflix app. While it's unclear what exactly caused IGN's PS4 to stop working, Sony was able to quickly identify and fix the issue with Kotaku's unit. As Sony reps told the site, an "obstructing piece of metal" in the PS4 had knocked some of the connecting "teeth" out of inserted HDMI cables. Neither Kotaku nor Sony was able to explain how the issue arose, although the site didn't discount human error from its end. Meanwhile, a Reddit user who received a PS4 early through a promotion also experienced issues; his PS4 turned on, producing the blue pulsating light on the console, but wouldn't send a signal to TV. The issue with his unit remains unresolved, but Sony will provide him with a replacement unit. Responding to these reports and ones that surfaced elsewhere including on NeoGAF, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida tweeted, "Be assured we are investigating reported PS4 issues. The number is very small compared to shipped, we believe they are isolated incidents."
Spot the games in the PlayStation 4 launch trailer
You may already be playing some of the games featured in this trailer, or maybe you're stuck waiting for the mail truck to roll in. If you're giving some retailer's shipping info the evil eye, we (well, Xav) feel your pain. Whatever's going on with you today, take three minutes out to watch the Sony vid that launches the PlayStation 4 today in North America.
PS4 launch puts strain on Playstation Network
Some users are having problems connecting to the PlayStation Network, after Sony noted a "very high volume" on the service following the midnight launch of the PS4. There's no word yet as to when these issues are likely to clear up. With hundred of thousands of new consoles in the wild, and a significant 308MB firmware patch to download, it's perhaps unsurprising to see issues at this stage. Sony said it thanks users for their patience, and through its Ask PlayStation account asked them to "please sit tight" for the time being. That account directs people to a PlayStation Forum thread for further updates, and we'll be keeping an eye on how things develop too. Update 12PM ET: PS4 owners will receive a notification that "Sony Entertainment Network is currently undergoing maintenance."
