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'Rocket League' blasts into 4K with PS4 Pro support
With the launch of the PlayStation 4 Pro in November, Sony promised a more powerful console with a boost in framerates and resolution pretty much across the board. Of course, that shiny new hardware doesn't do much good if the games themselves don't support those 4K resolutions. Now, with the impending release of the PS4's 4.50 system update, some of the biggest titles are ready to officially support the Pro in all it's 4K Ultra HD glory.
PS4 Pro might have a 'boost mode' to improve frame rates (update)
Sony's new PS4 Pro provides a noticeable visual upgrade to games that have been patched to take advantage of the console's extra horsepower. But what about all the rest of your games that developers haven't updated yet? Well, a thread over at the NeoGAF forum indicates those games may soon look better too, thanks to a new feature called "Boost Mode."
The PS4 will soon support external drives and 3D movies in VR
It's been a little while since we last saw an update for the PlayStation 4, but that doesn't mean Sony hasn't been hammering away on new tweaks for the console. Today, the company unveiled plans for its version 4.50 (codenamed Sasuke) system update, confirming support for some oft-requested and useful new features like external hard drive support for games, custom wallpaper and and the ability to view 3D Blu-rays via PSVR. PS4 Pro owners will also be pleased to know that they may be getting some love too (more on that later).
'Fallout 4' visual upgrade demands a monster PC
Fallout 4 is already a good-looking game (insofar as a nuclear wasteland can look good, anyway), but Bethesda is about to kick things up a notch. An update rolling out next week will add a High-Resolution Texture Pack that adds an absurd level of visual detail for PC players -- check out the rust and scratches on the power armor above if you need evidence. To say that this will demand a beefy system is an understatement, though. The developer recommends at least a 2015-era desktop Core i7 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a monster graphics card -- you should have either a GeForce GTX 1080 or (until Bethesda pulled mention of it) the as yet unreleased AMD Radeon RX 490. And did we mention that you need an extra 58GB of storage for all that new art?
Four hours with 'Horizon Zero Dawn'
Personally, I don't put much stock in video game previews. Pre-release gameplay events for major, AAA titles are generally controlled and precise experiences, with scenes handpicked by developers to show only the best, most complete parts of a game. They're representative of the studio's goals, but not necessarily the final product. However, most preview events aren't four hours long. For Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games and Sony opened up the robot-dinosaur-infested world and set me loose for nearly four hours. I played straight through the very beginning, skipped a section that apparently includes some spoilery story points, and then ran around the game's massive world completing side quests and following the main narrative. It was a sizable chunk of the game that actually felt representative of a complete experience. I can't say definitively whether Horizon is a good game just yet. But after playing it for a few hours, I can say one thing wholeheartedly: I'm more excited than ever to play Horizon when it comes out on February 28th.
Dino VR adventure 'Robinson: The Journey' stomps to Oculus soon
Virtual reality is the best (and safest) way to get up close and personal with dinosaurs. And next month folks with Oculus Rift headsets can do just that thanks to Robinson: The Journey's PlayStation VR exclusivity going going extinct expiring.
Sony has sold 50 million PlayStation 4s
After surpassing 40 million sales back in May, Sony has now sold 50 million PlayStation 4s. That figure includes PS4, PS4 Pro and the new slim version of the console, and represents sales to customers, rather than shipments to stores. The 50 million milestone took just over three years for Sony to reach. For comparison, the PlayStation 3 was on sale for four and a half years before Sony had shipped the same number.
Watch the PlayStation Experience keynote right here!
PlayStation Experience kicks off today in Anaheim, California, offering a weekend of gaming, Capcom and Call of Duty eSports tournaments, and plenty of news for fans of Sony's wares. The keynote starts at 10AM PT / 1PM ET and it's poised to feature a handful of game announcements and information about the PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro and PS VR as we head into 2017. Catch it all live right here, regardless of your proximity to Anaheim. Sometimes, the internet truly is incredible.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the PS4 Pro
It's going to be another year yet before Microsoft ships its next-gen console, codenamed "Scorpio." So for the next 12 months, then, the most powerful gaming console you'll be able to buy is the PlayStation 4 Pro. Still, that doesn't mean it's worth the upgrade -- at least not now, and certainly not for everybody. Because one of the PS4 Pro's biggest draws its ability to handle 4K HDR video, you won't get much out of it if you don't already own a matching 4K HDR set. So if you already own a regular PS4 and a 1080p set, you have no immediate reason to upgrade. Plus, even if you do have the right kind of TV, many games haven't yet been updated to offer 4K HDR video quality. Also, because the PS4 doesn't support 4K Blu-rays, your only way of getting 4K video right now is through Netflix or YouTube. It's probably best to wait not just for those game patches, but for Sony to port over the 4K streaming store already offered on its Bravia TVs.
'Watch Dogs 2' finally has all the features Ubisoft promised
People who bought Watch Dogs 2 under the promise of a seamless blend between a solo campaign and multiplayer are finally going to get the game they paid for. Yesterday, developer/publisher Ubisoft turned on what it's calling the "second phase" of the feature to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners. From the company statement:
Firewatch's free-roam mode wants you to take a hike on PC, PS4
Sometimes the best therapy for whatever you're going through is taking a walk in the woods and reconnecting with nature. With temperatures starting to drop and urban living, though, that might not be the easiest thing for everyone to do. A pair of free updates to this year's indie darling Firewatch, might offer a virtual respite from current events, however. The game's free-roam mode is available now for players on PlayStation 4 and Steam. it made its way to the Xbox One prior to today. Before you can start hiking what develop Campo Santo describes as "miles of trails" and experiencing a dynamic 24-hour day-and-night cycle, though, you'll have to finish the story mode first. Just a heads up.
The Morning After: Tuesday, November 8, 2016
It's Tuesday morning, Election Day, and you should be reading about the PlayStation 4 Pro, how Audi might have cheated on its emission tests, Mass Effect's grand space opera teaser and oh-so-much more. Fortunately, that's why I'm here. This is the Morning After.
4K gaming has a video service to do it justice
The problem with this Ultra HD future we're moving toward is that we're in a weird in-between spot where the most convenient media delivery method (streaming) can't hold a candle to the quality of the source material. The tech-minded folks at at Digital Foundry are acutely aware of this. As such, rather than relying on YouTube's lossy and compressed method of hosting videos, DF has struck out on its own for offering source-quality downloads for its game-tech analysis videos.
Bethesda paves the way for 'Fallout 4' mods on PlayStation 4
Almost a year after Fallout 4 hit store shelves (and following some consternation from Sony), mod support is finally available for the game's PlayStation 4 version -- thanks to an update to the game's Creation Kit mod toolset*. Now remember, this doesn't mean you replace the towering Deathclaw enemies with "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as unlike the Xbox One version, the one on PS4 only plays nicely with mods created from pre-existing game assets. A post on Bethesda.net reminds as much, saying that these mods are plugins only, and that no archives are permitted. Is that going to limit your creativity? Pop down in the comments and let us know. * A previous version of this post wrongly stated that mods were already available. It has been updated to reflect that correction.
Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro is a perfect way to show off your 4K TV
The PlayStation 4 Pro is a new breed of console. It's not going to replace the original system. Instead, it's meant to tide over gamers who've upgraded to new 4K TVs with fancy high-dynamic-range (HDR) lighting features. It's a more significant step up than the Xbox One S, which is mostly centered around upscaling 4K content, but it'll compete directly with Microsoft's bigger console upgrade, Project Scorpio, next year. Welcome to the new era of gaming systems, which is beginning to resemble the world of PC games with a multitude of minor upgrades, rather than completely new system generations. (Nintendo, ever the iconoclast, is trying to do something both new and traditional with the Switch.) There's no doubt that the $399 PlayStation 4 Pro is the closest we've gotten to high-end PC-quality graphics on a home console. But the thing is, it's not going to be a major upgrade for existing PS4 owners. And to really see the benefits of its faster hardware, you'll have to wait for games to get upgraded. At the very least, though, it's a welcome reward for anyone who's held off on buying a PlayStation 4 until now.
Here are the first games optimized for PlayStation 4 Pro
With only a week until the PlayStation 4 Pro launches, Sony wants to make sure everyone knows exactly what they're going to get when the powerful console arrives. The company is starting with a list of over 30 games that have been optimized to take advantage of the Pro's 8-core x86-64 "Jaguar" AMD CPU and 4.2 teraflop AMD Radeon GPU. Some are new games, which were released with Pro assets already included, but developers of some more established titles have also worked hard to add new aesthetics and experiences.
The PS4 Pro, as explained by the man who designed it
Sony really wants to clarify a few things about the PlayStation 4 Pro: First, the Pro doesn't signal the end of video game console generations, even though its specs and launch window fit a pattern that resembles PC or smartphone upgrade cycles more than traditional console releases. Second, the Pro is valuable even if you don't have a 4K TV. Third, though most games on the Pro won't actually be rendered in true 4K, they're still much improved over the standard PS4. Sony probably feels the need to clarify these points because after it revealed the PS4 Pro in September, there was some confusion over the capabilities and identity of the new console. It was pitched as a mid-generation upgrade that would usher in an era of 4K gaming, but after the scripted presentation, it became obvious that 4K was still out of reach for most developers. At the launch event, we found just one game on the demo floor that actually ran in 4K (that would be Elder Scrolls Online) while others took advantage of the Pro's upgraded guts in other ways. Impressive ways, but not 4K. After the reveal, it was unclear who the PS4 Pro was built for and what it signaled for the future of gaming consoles. It joined Microsoft's Project Scorpio in blurring the generational divide, and with all of this talk about 4K, its benefits for HDTV owners were uncertain. That's when Mark Cerny stepped in.
PlayStation 4 Slim review: Wait for the PS4 Pro if you can
After selling over 40 million consoles, Sony is refreshing the PlayStation 4. That starts with the PlayStation 4 Slim, available now for $299, along with the PlayStation VR headset (out next month) and the higher-powered PS4 Pro, which comes out in November. Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 Slim will become the new standard PS4, replacing the tried-and-true model that launched in 2013. So how does it compare?
HBO Now will soon arrive on PlayStation 3 and 4
Cord cutters who own PlayStation consoles: Now is your time to shine. Sony has announced today that HBO Now, the channel's standalone on-demand service, will soon be available on all PS3 and PS4 systems, (This includes the recently announced PlayStation 4 Pro). What's more, both HBO and Cinemax are coming to PlayStation Vue, Sony's streaming TV service, for $15 a month each. This is an especially big deal for cord cutters, as this marks the first time either network has offered live programming as a standalone service. That's right: live programming, and not just the on-demand shows like you would get on HBO Now.
Jonathan Blow's 'The Witness' gets the PlayStation 4 Pro treatment
The Witness, Jonathan Blow's latest release, is getting a special patch for the PlayStation 4 Pro to augment its visuals since it's coming to a brand new home. Blow's team at Thekla, Inc. is making it possible to enjoy the game at a higher resolution than ever before, offering an upgrade in visual fidelity over an increase in frame rate. The announcement comes right after Sony's special PlayStation event, where the PS4 Pro was officially unveiled.
