PSN
Latest
A PSN outage knocked gamers offline Tuesday afternoon
The PlayStation Network is down, cutting off multiplayer gaming and more.
A PlayStation Network outage is affecting certain games
Sony says PS3, PS4 and PS5 owners may have trouble launching certain games or playing online right now.
Sony tries to clear up confusion over voice chat recording on PS5
There is no opt-out of this — if you use voice chat on PS5, someone in your chat can clip your audio and submit it for review by the moderation team.
Sony fined $2.4 million over illegal return policy in Australia
Sony Europe broke the rules outlined by the Australian Consumer Law, and now must pay a $2.4 million fine.
GOG's Galaxy 2.0 game launcher is available without an invitation
After launching in a limited, invite-only beta earlier this year, GOG Galaxy 2.0 is now available to anyone who wants to try it. You can join the open beta by visiting the GOG Galaxy website and downloading the new client on your PC or Mac.
GOG Galaxy 2.0 aims to put all your digital games in one place
Competition is supposed to be good, right? It means a bigger selection and better prices, so it's great for consumers. But when the Epic Store launched last December, gamers were pissed. Because it meant their digital games collection was now fragmented between even more services. Gamers like having their collection all in one place, and for most that means sticking with Steam. That isn't great for rival sites like GOG. While it was created as a place to buy classic titles, it's evolved into a marketplace that sells a lot of indie games and even some AAA fare. It added some Steam-like features in its GOG Galaxy launcher, which incorporated things like play stats and leaderboards. But still, there was the fragmentation problem. Galaxy 2.0, now in closed beta, is designed to fix that problem by bringing everything back together.
Sony automatically replaces PSN IDs it deems offensive
When Sony finally allowed PSN Online ID changes, it mentioned that you could revert to your old ID as long as it didn't "violate the Terms of Service." But what if your existing name runs afoul of the rules? We now know what will happen. If you choose an ID that Sony deems offensive, such as swearing or bigoted language, it'll automatically assign you a temporary alias ("TempXXXX," where the Xes are numbers) and ask you to choose something more civil. Although that sounds harsh, it's much gentler than what Sony did before name changes were an option -- it would outright ban people who chose offending names.
Sony finally allows PSN Online ID changes
After months of teasing and years of waiting, Sony is finally letting you change your PSN Online ID. As of later on April 10th (April 11th for Europe), all PlayStation 4 users can change their handles either on their console or through a web browser. The first change is free, while any subsequent changes will cost $10 (£8 or €10) if you aren't subscribed to PlayStation Plus, and $5 (£4 or €5) if you are. You can revert back to an old ID for free, and you don't have to worry about someone poaching that past alias.
Sony says it fixed message bug that crashed PS4s
You might not have to dread receiving a message on your PS4. Sony's Twitter-based PlayStation UK support has told customers that the company has "fixed the issue" that let malicious PSN messages crash consoles. While the team didn't explain what had been done to address the problem (we've asked Sony for more details), there's no firmware update involved. This suggests that any fix would have been on Sony's end, such as blocking messages with the unrecognized characters.
PS4 owners say malicious messages are crashing their consoles
Malicious message crashes aren't just for smartphones, it seems. Numerous PS4 owners have reported receiving PSN messages where an unrecognized character effectively bricks their consoles, making them crash and leaving them unable to start properly. And deleting any rogue messages (typically by leaving the conversation in the PS Messages mobile app) isn't enough by itself -- you have to either rebuild the database in Safe Mode or factory reset the system.
Sony will finally let you change your PSN Online ID
After years of talking about the possibility of changing your PlayStation Network handle, Sony is finally close to making that seemingly basic feature a reality. The company has announced that it will soon launch a PSN Online ID Change beta for "select" users who are part of the PlayStation Preview Program. Your first name swap will be free. After that, it'll cost $10 per change ($5 if you're a PlayStation Plus member) to discourage abuse. The preview for the feature will end in November, but don't worry -- it should reach all PS4 owners by early 2019.
PlayStation and Xbox sales discount 'Fortnite' and 'Shadow of War'
Summer tends to have few new video game releases, but that also tends to have an upside: loads of discounts. Both Microsoft and Sony are running limited-time sales on games that promise some steep price drops, and not just on old titles. Microsoft's Ultimate Game Sale, for instance, is promising up to 67 percent off Xbox One games between now and July 30th. You won't get that cut on the biggest games, but there are still some solid offerings. A Fortnite Standard Founder's Pack is 40 percent off (down to $24 in the US), while Assassin's Creed Origins is 40 percent off ($36). And if you missed out on Titanfall 2, you can get the Ultimate Edition for 75 percent off ($10). And this is before the Xbox Live Gold discount, so you can expect better bargains if you're paying to play online.
Sony may finally let you change your PlayStation Network name
Many a gamer has had regrets about their choice of username -- xXxDeathCrusher420xXx might not be quite so appealing in adult life as it was in your teenage years. And for PlayStation fans, that's been a big problem when your PSN name has always been set in stone. Sony may have seen the light, though. In an interview at PlayStation Experience, the company's Shawn Layden said he hoped to have a name change option available by next year's Experience. So what's the holdup? Layden didn't dive into specifics, but he said the technical solutions were "more complex than you think."
Sony will turn your PSN trophies into (a little) real cash
Seems like Sony is throwing a bone to game completionists. The Sony Rewards program will now award points to use in the PSN store for silver, gold and platinum trophies. Not by much, mind you, but isn't it nice to see your hard work (minorly) rewarded?
'Nex Machina' will show you exactly how someone hit a high score
Finnish developer Housemarque's ode to Robotron: 2084, Nex Machina is out for PC and PlayStation 4 this summer. And while we debuted it in December, details for the frantic arcade shooter have been relatively scarce since. But that's slowly changing. Perhaps the most exciting new wrinkle we've learned about is its replay mode. "All of the leaderboard entries are effectively recorded, which means it's possible to enter the leaderboards, select an entry and watch the replay," a post on the PlayStation Blog reads.
Double Fine's mesmerizing 'GNOG' comes to PS4 in May
If you thought that Persona 5 would be the most stylish game you'd play this Spring, you might want to think again. In a move set to please PlayStation owners, Double Fine has announced that it's bringing the beautiful puzzler GNOG to PS4 and PSVR on May 2nd. Developed as a collaboration between toy maker Samuel Boucher and Canadian art collective Ko_Op, this stunningly realized puzzle game sees players exploring a strange world of interconnected heads. With an achingly cool soundtrack complementing GNOG's gorgeous visuals, players are tasked with solving various physics-based puzzles as they attempt to find their way to each head's exit.
Twitch will let you change your username every two months
Starting today, you can change your Twitch username. What's more, you can do it every 60 days, and, seemingly as a shot at Microsoft and Xbox Live, it won't cost you a dime to swap from "FluffyJungle9991" to something a that's easier to commit to memory.
PlayStation's Communities app helps you find teammates faster
PlayStation's official mobile app has been live since 2013, letting players glance at their friends list, keep up with console news and buy new games on the fly. Then Sony released another companion app last December dedicated to messaging within the PlayStation Network. Today, iOS and Android users get a third: Communities, which will let players join groups with similar interests and game preferences.
Sony suspends player who found a sex organ in 'Watch Dogs 2'
Ubisoft might pride itself on Watch Dogs 2's plausible game world, but it looks like the open world title might be a little too realistic... and one player is paying the price for it. Sony suspended NeoGAF forum member Goron2000 from the Sony Entertainment Network (including PSN) after he discovered that at least one of the female character models in the game has a fully rendered vagina. It's not exactly necessary in a hacking-themed action title where intentional nudity is very rare, is it?
PSN's first Humble Bundle gives you Capcom games at a discount
Humble Bundle is best-known for its PC game offers, but it's branching out in a big way. It's partnering with Capcom and Sony to launch PSN's first-ever Humble Bundle, the appropriately titled Humble Capcom PlayStation Bundle. Pay at least $1 and you'll both get a handful of Capcom titles as well as donate some of your purchase toward the American Red Cross, Rettsyndrome.org and Save the Children. You can choose how much goes to charity versus the developer, so there's an incentive to splurge in the name of a good cause.
