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Sony's original series 'Powers' renewed for a second season
Sony has announced it is bringing Powers back for a second season. And, all things considered, it's easy to see why. As an entertainment platform, the future of PlayStation's original programming depends heavily on the success of Powers, a series based on the comic book story from Brian Michael Bendis. Thankfully for Sony, after premiering back in March, Powers quickly became a favorite for viewers and rose to the top of the charts on PlayStation Network. The company says season two is scheduled to debut in the US next year, although it didn't provide a specific time frame. In a statement, President of Programming and Development at Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht, said the new chapter will "broaden the Powers universe and bring even more of the fan-favorite characters and storylines to life."
PlayStation Now closed beta arrives in the UK this spring
It's been an awfully long wait, but finally Sony is prepared to launch its video game streaming service outside of North America. A private beta for PlayStation Now is headed to the UK, and curious gamers can register their interest right now. To gain access later this Spring, you'll need to own both a PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Plus membership. Otherwise, the selection criteria is rather ambiguous -- you'll just have to fill out the survey and hope your responses chime with the ideal player base Sony is looking for.
Transistor, Yakuza 4 heading to PlayStation Plus next month
Sony has revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Transistor, Yakuza 4, and more starting next week. Featured PlayStation 4 freebies for next month include Supergiant Games' Bastion follow-up Transistor and Alien Trap Games' side-scrolling action game Apotheon, while PlayStation 3 owners can expect to see Sega's open-world crime drama Yakuza 4 and Eidos Montreal's first-person stealth game Thief. The PlayStation Vita will host Jaywalkers Interactive's Kick & Fennick, and Cellar Door Games' roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy will be freely downloadable across the PlayStation 4, PS3, and Vita. All featured games will be available as free downloads for PlayStation Plus subscribers after the PlayStation Store updates on February 3. [Image: Sony]
PSN members get one-use 10% discount code this weekend
Sony's goodwill discount is up for the taking this weekend, allowing users to save 10 percent off a one-time total cart purchase in the PlayStation Store. The offer is part of Sony's show of appreciation for PSN members' patience following the network issues over the holidays. The rules are that the purchase must be made between 9AM PT/12PM ET on January 23 and the same time on January 26. To reiterate, it's 10 percent off a total cart purchase rather than a single item, so if you're in the mood for a PSN splurge then it's your lucky day. However, it's a one-time dealio, so make sure you put all your PSN eggs in your 10 percent basket.
Sony: PS4 sales surpass 18.5 million following holiday boom
PlayStation 4 sales are now beyond the 18.5 million mark, according to Sony's announcement at CES 2015. The PS4's pubertal growth into the late teens (millions-wise) occurred in a prolific holiday season, with more than 4.1 million units shifted worldwide since November 23, 2014. Sony's numbers represent the company's estimates of units sold to consumers, as opposed to retail shipments. According to Sony, the PS4 "continues to demonstrate the fastest and strongest growth in PlayStation hardware history." To contrast and compare, the PS3 shipped 10.5 million units within a similar timeframe, and the PS2 10.6 million units. "We are absolutely delighted that so many customers around the globe have continued to select PS4 as their console of choice throughout this holiday season," said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House. "We will continue to reinforce and deliver additional value on PS4 as the best place to play, by bringing even more exciting content and by enriching our wide array of service offerings."
Joystiq Weekly: Awesome Games Done Quick, Kalimba review, DIY Mario and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. It was a pretty quiet week thanks to the end-of-the-year holiday lull, but things should pick up soon! Like, today even – Awesome Games Done Quick has just kicked off a week-long marathon of high-skill and speedrun-oriented livestreams, with all donations benefiting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. If supporting a worthwhile cause isn't enough of an excuse to watch talented players blaze through games, what is? ... Yes, okay, other than free puppies. While you're waiting on something of interest that's buried in the event's schedule, catch up on what you might have missed while you were doing relaxing, vacation-y things. PlayStation Network users got good news regarding last week's service outage, Contributing Editor Danny Cowan's relationship survived his Kalimba review, and we explored the history of do-it-yourself Mario and the technical shift in Mortal Kombat X's gore.
Sony to compensate PSN users with Plus extension, discount code
Sony's offering five days of extra PlayStation Plus membership as its way of making up for the recent network outage. The gesture of goodwill isn't limited to Plus subscribers, as all PlayStation Network users are getting a one-time 10 percent discount code for the PS Store. Sony's Eric Lempel said the company "wanted to show our appreciation" for users' patience after last month's PSN outage, which saw services like the Store and online multiplayer go AWOL. Both PSN and Microsoft's Xbox Live service went offline on Christmas Eve following distributed denial of service attacks.
Full PlayStation Plus line-up for January revealed [update]
Update: Sony's confirmed North America's PS Plus line-up for January is the same as Europe's. We've updated the post to reflect that and other details. We already knew Infamous: First Light and The Swapper were coming to the Instant Game Collection next month, but now we've got the full January PlayStation Plus line-up. The two PS3 freebies headed to the continent are Prototype 2 and DuckTales: Remastered, while the Vita duo is Whoa Dave and Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition. The line-up hits the PS Store stateside on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. As ever, Europe joins the PS Plus party the day after.
PSN Store Update: Alien Isolation, Diablo 3, more
In a last-ditch effort to get in your wallet before the end of the year, the PlayStation Store has a number of good deals on games this week. Among the many deals for PS4 players at the moment, Alien: Isolation is $35.99 ($29.99 for PS Plus members), while the game's season pass is down to $14.99. Additionally, Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition is $39.59 ($35.99 on PS Plus), Escape Goat 2 is half-price ($5, $4 on PS Plus), Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is just $6.80 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is $25 ($20 on PS Plus). As for Vita, players can download Danganronpa 2 for $27.99 ($23.99 on PS Plus), Nidhogg for $10.49 ($8.99 through PS Plus), Thomas Was Alone and Stealth Inc. for $3.99 each as well as Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut for $5 ($4 via PS Plus). A number of games, such as Nidhogg and Thomas Was Alone, are Cross-Buy compatible, so those with multiple systems only need to pay once to access each version. That includes Flippfly's Race the Sun, which is down to $6.99 at the moment across all three PlayStation platforms ($5.99 on PS Plus). Head over to PlayStation Blog for a full list of the current deals. [Image: Sega]
PlayStation Plus' free games totaled more than $1,300 in value per subscription this year
Sony would, of course, like you to see its PlayStation Plus service as a bargain, but how much value does it really add to your gaming life? Well, according to data compiled by UK publication Push Square, quite a lot, actually. After combing through the 2014 selection of games offered as part of the service's Instant Game Collection, Push Square reports that Sony offered $1,349.29 worth of games in North America, and £960.64 worth of games in Europe. Now, there are some caveats to this data. While the games themselves are free to add to your collection and free to play while you have a current PS Plus subscription ($50 for a year in the US), once your subscription lapses you'll lose access to said games. Push Square's numbers also do not separate games by system, so you only got the full, $1,349.29 value of games if you owned a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and a PlayStation Vita. Still, considering that the average monthly Metacritic score (factoring in all games) was 79 for the US and 78 in Europe, as well as the fact that PS Plus also grants subscribers access to discounts, giveaways, Share Play and online multiplayer on PS4, it's not a bad deal. And that's how you (possibly) saved more than $1,200 in 12 months on your game collection. [Image: Sony]
Joystiq Weekly: Free stuff for AC: Unity, Telltale's Borderlands review, a Zelda story and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Oh wow, look at that scenic view from every retail store in the United States! Hopefully everyone survived Black Friday, an annual, nationwide recreation of that Lion King stampede scene where customers are unwavering bringers of death and retail employees are terrified reincarnations of Simba. We understand the thought process though – cheap video games and consoles are awesome! While you're mending your wounds, whether they were sustained physically or through your wallet, you can catch up on the past week's worth of prominent news with the Joystiq Weekly. News of free vouchers for Vita owners, free games for Assassin's Creed: Unity season pass owners, reviews of Assassin's Creed Rogue and Tales from the Borderlands, a spoken tale of a staff member's first journey to obtain The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and more is all waiting for you after the break!
Hitman HD, Deadly Premonition join December's free PS Plus slate
Sony already mentioned that PlayStation 4 owners with subscriptions to PlayStation Plus will receive gratis access to both Secret Ponchos and Injustice: Gods Among Us in December, but this morning we learned of the other four games joining the service that month. PlayStation 3 owners with active PlayStation Plus subscriptions will have access to both bizarre horror game Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut and the Hitman HD Trilogy, an upgraded re-release of Hitman 2, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. Vita owners will also receive two games: tower defense strategy game Final Horizon and neo-retro shooter Titan Attacks. As always, these free games are only available to those with active PlayStation Plus subscriptions. A one month subscription is priced at $10, while a year-long subscription features a $50 price tag. Sony has all the information you need to sign up at its online store. [Image: Ignition Entertainment]
Secret Ponchos makes PS4, PS Plus debut on December 2
As Sony alluded earlier this month, spaghetti Western shooter Secret Ponchos will reach the PlayStation 4 on December 2. That's great news for fans of top-down competitive shooters that borrow liberally from both fighting games and John Wayne-era cowboy lore, but even better news for PlayStation Plus subscribers who will find the game added to the service's Instant Game Collection for the entirety of December. Once it's arrived, PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download Secret Ponchos at no additional charge, and can play the game as long as their subscription remains valid. According to Sony's earlier tease, it will be joined there by the Netherrealm Studios/DC Comics fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us, though we've yet to receive official confirmation of when that game will arrive, nor any word on when the long-delayed Driveclub: PS Plus Edition might reach the service. [Image: Switchblade Monkeys]
Injustice, Secret Ponchos join PS4 Instant Game Collection in December
Sony teased some of its coming PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection releases today, revealing that subscribers will receive free copies of NetherRealm's one-on-one fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition and Wild West shoot-'em-up Secret Ponchos for the PlayStation 4 next month. Standalone Infamous: Second Son expansion Infamous: First Light and atmospheric puzzler The Swapper are next in line to join the PS4 Instant Game Collection in January. Sony notes that Injustice arrives as "the first AAA Blu-ray title to join the Instant Game Collection for PS4," replacing the postponed racer Driveclub: PS Plus Edition while developer Evolution Studios sorts out lingering server issues. "We understand many of you are waiting for Driveclub PS Plus Edition to be added to the Instant Game Collection, and we apologize that the game is not yet ready to launch," PlayStation Digital Platforms senior manager Matthew Harper stated. "We want you to know that we're committed to providing Driveclub PS Plus Edition to members when it's ready, and the Evolution team is working hard to make it a reality." [Image: Warner Bros]
PSA: Last chance to grab Spelunky and more on PS Plus
Heads up, would-be explorers: today is your last chance to pick up a free PlayStation Plus copy of Mossmouth's roguelike platformer Spelunky for the PlayStation 4, PS3, and Vita before it returns to full price tomorrow. The rest of October's freebies also expire tomorrow, making today your final opportunity to grab Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rainbow Moon, Dust: An Elysian Tail, and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. Make sure to check out Pix the Cat on the PS4 and Vita, too -- it's an oddly compelling mixture of Snake and Pac-Man Championship Edition, and it's the one game I've played the most out of last month's PS Plus additions. November's featured games, including The Binding of Isaac Rebirth and SteamWorld Dig, will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers when the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow. [Image: Mossmouth]
PlayStation Plus subscriber count adds up to 7.9 million
7.9 million users are signed up to PlayStation Plus, a figure Sony said was a factor behind the success of the company's games division last quarter. Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Kenichiro Yoshida divulged the subscriber count during Sony's investors call, following its earnings release last week. When asked about the PlayStation division's prolific second quarter which saw an 83.2 percent year-on-year improvement in revenue, Yoshida first put down the momentum to Destiny and FIFA 15, noting both games contributed "quite significantly." He then added that "at the same time" the PS Plus subscription service had reached "7.9 million members."
Resogun sets course for PS Vita
Arcade-style shooter Resogun will receive a PlayStation Vita version, developer Housemarque confirmed via Twitter today. The Vita port will be handled by Climax Studios, which developed the PS4 and Vita versions of another Housemarque original, Dead Nation. While no release date for the Vita version was given, the developer noted that "more details on the port will soon be released by Sony." Resogun launched alongside the PS4 in November 2013 as a free download for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game's first major "Heroes" expansion arrived this past June and added new survival and demolition modes to the shooter. The DLC launched shortly after a free update for the game patched in a ship editor and local cooperative multiplayer options. [Image: Housemarque]
Driveclub deploys server update, PS Plus Edition 'on hold'
PlayStation 4-exclusive racer Driveclub has seen a "significant" server update to address online issues that linger after the game's launch earlier this month, developer Evolution Studios announced. Players should see improvements in Driveclub's competitive multiplayer component starting this week, and leaderboard fixes are also on the way. Many of Driveclub's online features were previously disabled as its developers addressed connectivity issues that cropped up post-launch. "The issues with server performance were never encountered during the past year, in any of the many rounds of testing prior to launch," a reply from Driveclub's official Facebook account reads. "The servers were actually live for over a week before Oct 7 for reviewers and none of these issues were discovered during that time either. "The servers hit their absolute limit soon after the midnight launch on Oct 7 [...] and we have been working around the clock every day since, to get more servers online and improve the way that the servers handle social activity between players." The team is additionally holding back Driveclub's free PlayStation Plus Edition, pending online fixes. "The PS Plus Edition is on hold while this work progresses and we want to get it back on track as quickly as possible, because we want everyone to enjoy the game we've poured our hearts into throughout development," Evolution Studios revealed via Facebook. [Update: Evolution Studios has issued another Facebook update explaining this week's fixes in detail. "Our diagnostics show the majority of you are now able to get online and racing," the developer states. "Today we also released a server update to optimize multiplayer matchmaking so you will now be matched with more suitable players based on the type of internet connection you have, which means matchmaking should be more reliable. This update will also fix some bugs we had with clubs where some players couldn't join or leave a club."] [Image: Sony]
How to take a seat on the PS4's virtual couch with Share Play
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for boarding Joystiq Airways. If you'll direct your attention to your screens, our extremely good-looking (and funny, don't forget funny) crew will be going over the Share Play features coming to PlayStation 4 on Tuesday, October 28, courtesy of the PlayStation Blog. Share Play, if you need a refresher, is the PS4's virtual couch. If you want to play a game with a faraway friend but said friend doesn't own the game, Share Play lets you do just that, one hour at a time. Not so good at first-person shooters but know a friend who is? Use Share Play to have your pal get you through tough spots. Want to play a quick round of competitive multiplayer in <your favorite series here> but your friend doesn't own the game? Share Play will let them join you - again, for an hour. After the PS4 update - codenamed "Masamune" - arrives, the option for Share Play will pop up when you create a party with a friend. Whoever is hosting the Share Play session will need to have an active PlayStation Plus membership no matter what. If you're the guest though, you only need your PS Plus membership to be active if you want to play with the host simultaneously. To see Play Share in action, check out an overview video from Sony after the break:
Driveclub's imminent update to re-enable some online features
Server woes remain ongoing for PS4 racer Driveclub, but developer Evolution Studios announced a new update should allow the team to bring more functionality to the game's online side. Yesterday afternoon the UK studio said the update was due "within 24 hours," and would mean the dev could "switch on more of the online features, so that you will be able to play more of Driveclub online." When Driveclub launched last week, its servers buckled so hard under the traffic that Evolution decided to delay the launch of the content-lighter PlayStation Plus version to ease the load, as well as the companion iOS and Android app. Over the weekend a new patch allowed the servers to handle more players, but the studio added further work would make certain online features unavailable, such as challenge and social updates.
