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Sony's aqua blue PS Vita hits GameStop November 2nd
In Japan, Sony's PlayStation Vita console has come in a host of colors for years now, but other countries haven't been so lucky. For the most part, US buyers have been limited to only black or white options, but Sony just announced that'll be changing soon. An "aqua blue" version of the second-generation PS Vita is coming to GameStop on November 2nd, and you can pre-order it now for $199.99. Other than the color, the console is identical to the version out in the market now, but it does appear to be a striking piece of hardware. (We'll have to withhold full judgement until we see it in person, though.) The timing is a little odd, as the Vita isn't getting any younger and developer support is definitely starting to wane. But if the blue color is enough to push you over the edge, you should probably pre-order soon -- Sony says this model won't be around for too long.
'Super Time Force Ultra' comes to PS4 and PS Vita on September 1st
Super Time Force is one of the more mind-bending indie games to break cover in recent years, and now the time-traveling, side-scrolling shooter is coming to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. As of September 1st, the game will be live in the PlayStation Store -- and it'll be free for anyone who subscribes to PlayStation Plus. How much it'll cost for those who don't subscribe to PS Plus has yet to be revealed, however.
UK PS4 owners will soon pay more for online multiplayer
Some PlayStation Plus subscriptions are getting a little more expensive in the UK. From September 1st, Sony's 30-day option will cost £5.99 instead of £5.49, and the 12 week plan is rising to £14.99, up from £11.99. The annual subscription is staying locked at £39.99, however, so if you haven't taken the plunge just yet -- now might be a good time to reconsider. Sony says the changes are "in line with market conditions" and all part of its push to deliver "an unparalleled experience, featuring the best quality games and features." If you need a reminder, PS Plus nets you some "free" games on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita every month, and is also required to play PS4 games online. Maybe, just maybe this extra cash can be used to stop PSN from going down so often too? We're crossing our fingers.
PlayStation Now game streaming officially arrives on Vita and PS TV
If you've been itchin' to give PlayStation Now's streaming a go on your gaming handheld, the wait is over. The subscription service officially arrived on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV, delivering access to over 125 games on those two devices. PlayStation Now had been available on the Vita and PlayStation TV in beta form for months, but now it's making a proper debut after hitting the PS3 back in May. In addition to equipping two more gaming gadgets with the service, five new titles are being added this month. Joining the library of titles in August are Dynasty Warriors 8, MX vs. ATV Supercross, Bomberman Ultra, The Last Guy and, most importantly, God of War III. With new games being added on the regular and Sony offering newcomers a free one-week trial, there's really now excuse for PlayStation owners to take the service for a test drive. [Image credit: Getty Images]
PlayStation Now is a tech miracle, but it's no Netflix for games
Sony wants you to want PS Now, its Netflix-like game-streaming service. The problem is, the company doesn't seem to know how to build that desire. Though the recent app relaunch has seen the service's user interface improve considerably, the same can't be said for the user experience. I used PS Now on the PlayStation 4 almost exclusively for a week and by the time my seven-day trial was set to expire, I still couldn't find a compelling reason to pay for the service -- let alone recommend it to a friend. With Netflix, the value is apparent: $8 per month for on-demand access to thousands of movies and TV shows. Sure the visual and audio quality of that streaming library might not be on par with its Blu-ray counterparts, but the convenience outweighs any cons. For PS Now, that same trade-off isn't quite worth it.
Shuhei Yoshida on China and why PlayStation can never go Home again
One does not simply get enough of Shuhei Yoshida, the head of Sony PlayStation's Worldwide Studios. So following our nice, long chat with him at E3 (seriously, go read it), we managed to get hold of him again in Hong Kong and picked his brain with more questions about Project Morpheus. These include the VR headset's final form (you're looking at it), its compatibility with other devices and whether it'll revive the now-defunct PlayStation Home. We also took the opportunity to ask about the challenges of bringing PlayStation games into China.
Check out Sony's 2015 E3 conference live
Sony's setting itself up for a pretty big 2016 -- with the release of the Project Morpheus virtual reality headset, a remastered Ratchet & Clank title and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End all expected next year. But does that mean there's nothing to look forward to in the second half of 2015? Watch as Sony outlines its plan for this year and beyond at 6PM PT (9PM ET) on June 15th. You can expect the company to discuss first-party franchises (possibly including some that have yet to make their PS4 debut) as well as the upcoming roster of third-party and indie titles. Heck, there might even be a few last-gen titles that have earned the right to a "remastered" makeover. Check out the livestream below and rest assured we'll have all the news from the event in our liveblog right here. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Unreal Engine 4 is (sort of) coming to Wii U and PS Vita
Long-time Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi is currently Kickstarting a spiritual sequel to the series called Bloodstained. Thanks to the overwhelming response to the campaign -- it's now the highest-grossing videogame Kickstarter ever -- the game is coming to PS Vita and Wii U. While that's great news for fans of the genre, the knock-on effect of the port could be huge. Bloodstained is being built using Unreal Engine 4 (UE4), and Armature Studio, the developer in charge of the Vita and Wii U versions, will be the first to port the popular engine to the platforms. Why's that so important? Well, both consoles are currently unsupported, and Armature says it will share its Vita and Wii U code with any developer authorised to create games for the systems, potentially opening the door for many more ports of UE4-powered games in the future.
The next game from 'Thomas Was Alone' developer due August 18th
The follow-up to indie darling Thomas Was Alone finally has a firm release date. Developer Mike Bithell's incredibly stylish stealth-puzzler that hinges on you being heard, Volume, hits PlayStation 4, PlayStation TV, PS Vita and Steam August 18th. Performance capture and voice-over extraordinaire Andy Serkis stars in the game as well, but it doesn't sound like he was ready to make an appearance for the spankin' new trailer below. Given what Bithell achieved with a handful of a handful of colored squares in his last effort, we're pretty excited to see what he can do with something a little more human this time out.
PlayStation Plus gets an answer to Xbox Live's subscriber-only sales
Sony has long been willing to discount certain PlayStation games if you're a Plus subscriber, but it hasn't offered the certainty of Xbox Live's Deals With Gold. You don't know that you're going to get a steady stream of bargains, especially not for newer titles. That doubt should disappear after today, though. Sony has launched PlayStation Plus Specials, a sale program that gives you a break on games and add-ons that are still relatively fresh. How fresh? To start, you're getting 20 percent off Bloodborne in the US -- a sweet deal for a big PS4 hack-and-slash that's only a couple of months old. It's too soon to tell whether these offers will be as tempting down the line, but it's also hard to object to getting more savings for your money.
JXE Streams: Playing 'Shovel Knight' PS4 with Yacht Club Games
Shovel Knight raised a mighty pixelated fist to the sky when it came to Nintendo Wii U, 3DS and PC in 2014. Yacht Club Games created a marvelously assured debut, giving the little blue warrior and his righteous spade an adventure that felt classical in the tradition of Mega Man and Castlevania while also smartly modern. Wandering intricately detailed stages full of enemies and pits to jump over recalled the NES' best but never felt cloying, never retro for retro's sake. Now Shovel Knight's made the leap to PlayStation 4, PS4, and PS Vita so we're checking back in with the game on today's stream with Yacht Club Games.
Claim your PlayStation Vita settlement credit now
If you've been anxiously waiting to claim the credit Sony owes you after it settled with the Federal Trade Commission over misleading PlayStation Vita ads, you'll be glad to hear that you can finally take action. The company handling Sony's settlements has launched a website that lets you file a claim so long as you bought a Vita in the US before June 1st, 2012. The options are fairly tempting. You can receive a $25 check or PSN credit if you're only concerned about the bottom line, but you can also choose from one of three bundles with decent (if aging) games like the God of War Collection and Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Be sure to move quickly, whatever you do -- you have to file for compensation by June 29th.
Your PlayStation account is ready to grow up when you do
What does upgrading a PlayStation Network sub-account to a master account have in common with buying lottery tickets? Well, now both are things you can do when you turn 18. That's right: You won't have to start a new account (or lose any of those platinum trophies) to get an unrestricted connection to game-broadcasting, messaging and PSN Store spending limits. For now, you have to handle the process via the Sony Entertainment Network website, but the PlayStation Blog says that it's en route to the PlayStation 4 as well. Xbox Live has had this feature for awhile, of course, so it's nice to see Sony's listened to its community and followed suit. Naturally, if you're a parent and don't think your kid is ready for unfettered access to everything PSN offers, Sony's quick to note that this is in no way mandatory. Given some of the things we've seen and heard while playing online with adults, that's almost positively one for the "win" column.
'Lego Jurassic World' game packs four movies' worth of brick dinosaurs
We have no idea how Jurassic World is going to turn out come summer, but we do know that it's getting Lego-fied for Lego Jurassic World. The game follows all three Jurassic Park stories in addition to this June's blockbuster, and it'll be available for basically every platform you can think of. Short on imagination? Well then, here's a list: 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Phew. The dino-centric series has always had a bit of a mixed showing when it came to solid video game adaptations (the Sega Genesis movie tie-in and the Xbox's Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis were great, though), but the folks at Traveller's Tale have a pretty good track record with their Lego games.
Your PS Vita is about to get slightly less useful
If you regularly use the Maps and YouTube apps on your PlayStation Vita, please raise a hand. If you'd be mightily disappointed if those were to disappear from the portable console, keep your hand up and someone will bring you a tissue. That's because, unfortunately, Sony has announced that both features will be going the way of all things very shortly. Maps is getting erased from history with the March software update, which will, naturally, also kill the geographic elements of the Near social gaming app. YouTube, meanwhile, will stop working on April 20th, although the app itself is being pulled from the PlayStation Store from today. The company does, however, point out that you can still access YouTube via your browser, but let's be honest - it's at that point you probably just pull out your smartphone.
PlayStation Network is back online following Christmas Day attack
Three days after Lizard Squad's latest denial of service attack knocked the PlayStation Network offline (and Xbox Live, we'd add), the internet gaming service is gradually getting back on its feet. Sony now says that PSN should be up and running for all of its consoles. While the company warns that there might be some "intermittency" as it gets back into the swing of things, you theoretically won't face major interruptions during that big Destiny raid. It's not clear if Sony's infrastructure will be any better at weathering future digital assaults on this scale; given that the attack was supposedly three times larger than the previous record-setter, this probably isn't a permanent fix. However, it's good to know that you can squeak in at least some online gaming on that shiny new PS4 before the holidays are over.
PlayStation Plus gave you $1,349 in 'free' games this year
It won't surprise you to hear that your PlayStation Plus subscription provides a healthy amount of gaming goodness for $50 per year, but have you ever crunched the numbers to see just how much you're getting? Push Square has. According to its calculations, Sony offered Plus subscribers a whopping $1,349 (£960 in the UK) in PS3, PS4 and PS Vita software during 2014. If you were diligent enough to add every title to your library, you got quite a bargain -- especially since many of the titles (such as Don't Starve and Dust: An Elysian Tail) would easily be worthwhile as stand-alone purchases.
Here's everything Sony showed at the PlayStation Experience keynote
Sony just held the keynote for its first-ever PlayStation Experience fan event, and the company didn't hold back on game previews -- it showed dozens of titles that will be hitting the PS3, PS4 and PS Vita in the months ahead. Did you miss out on the whole shebang? Don't worry. We've rounded up all the games that got a showing at the Las Vegas event, ranging from blockbuster sequels like Uncharted 4 and Street Fighter V to eyebrow-raising originals like Wattam. If you're ready to start watching a ton of trailers, grab some popcorn and check out the full game list below.
Get a free game on every modern PlayStation console this weekend
PlayStation owners might not be blessed with Electronic Arts' EA Access subscription program, but the outfit's Peter Moore has a consolation prize for you. Sort of. Starting today at 3 p.m. Eastern / 12 p.m. Pacific, you can download Need for Speed: Most Wanted for PlayStation Vita, Mirror's Edge for PlayStation 3 and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare on PS4, all for free on the PSN Store. Pretty cool, right? But, you can't put this off: when Moore took the stage at today's PlayStation Experience keynote, he said the downloads only last until midnight Pacific tomorrow night -- hopefully you have some free space on your Sony console of choice. If not, well, there's still time to make room. [Image credit: Getty Images]
PlayStation celebrates its 20th birthday with a retro-themed, limited-edition PS4
Happy Birthday, PlayStation! It's been twenty years since the first Sony console, and to celebrate its two-decade run, SCE has decked its fourth-generation console in the same colors and design licks of the original PlayStation. It's, naturally, a limited edition (12,300 consoles will go on sale, matching the launch date of the PS1), and even the controller, camera and (jeez) power cables will all get a coating of 1994 gray. But, what if you already own a PS4? Or don't fancy your chances of snagging one of the limited run? You can still get your dose of nostalgia, as Sony's also released a PSone theme for its current console -- complete with vintage start-up sound -- you just need to download the latest firmware update. Take a closer look at the full detail (and videos) below. We'll add more pictures when we can -- but if you're game for some gray, preorders start December 6 in the US.
