RemotePlay
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PlayStation 4 update delivers 16-player parties and Android Remote Play for all
Sony has rolled out its latest Playstation 4 update, and as it teased earlier, it includes an improved Party function. You can now double up the number of participants to 16 from eight, making playing sessions more of a, well, party. On top of that, Sony has improved the feature's network connectivity and audio quality, while increasing accessibility with a new chat transcription feature. The latter converts all your Party chats to text, while text can be spoken by a robot on the PS4 Second Screen app.
PS4 Pro will take UHD screenshots and broadcast 1080p video
In addition to running games at higher resolution, the PlayStation 4 Pro will also take bigger and more detailed screenshots as well. Hitting the Share button on the controller will grab a 4K-sized image of whatever is on-screen at that moment according to Polygon.
PS4 Remote Play comes to your computer on April 6th
At last, PS4 Remote Play is coming to your computer. Sony has confirmed that the console's big 3.50 system update is arriving on April 6th with the game streaming feature intact, giving you a chance to play console titles from your PC or Mac. You can't play beyond 720p (albeit at 60 frames per second if you like), and you'll need to connect your DualShock 4 controller over USB, but this could still be a big relief if you can't wait to play on your TV. And don't worry if you have no interest in Remote Play -- there's much more on tap.
Sony's next big PS4 update brings Remote Play to PC and Mac
Sony surprised a lot of people when it announced you'd be able to remotely play PlayStation 4 games on a PC or Mac back in November. But we're just as surprised at how quickly it's turned this around: Remote Play will come with the next big PlayStation software update. Unfortunately, although the beta for the new firmware -- version 3.5 -- starts tomorrow, Remote Play will not be part of that pilot.
Sony confirms official PS4 Remote Play app for Windows and Mac
Well that was quick. It's only been a couple of days since someone came up with an unofficial app to stream PlayStation 4 gaming to PC, but earlier today, Sony's awesome Shuhei Yoshida confirmed on Twitter that his company is "indeed working on an official [Remote Play] application for PC/Mac." Yes, it will support both Windows and Mac OS X, which is already more than what the Xbox One offers, though Yoshida has yet to provide a date. Regardless, this is bad news for the unofficial app's developer, who has apparently been working on this project on and off for over a year and planned on charging $10 for the hard work, but at least we can give him or her some credit for getting Sony to up the game for its consoles.
Unofficial app makes PlayStation 4 to PC streaming a reality
Sony's had its Remote Play tech in one form or another since the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, but it didn't truly take off until its implementation on PlayStation 4 and the PS Vita handheld. But that's kind of wasted when nobody is buying the Vita and it's getting zero love from its parent company. Remote Play PC is exactly what its name implies: an application that tricks the PS4 into thinking a PC is a Remote Play device. Microsoft changed the game (sorry) with the ability for the Xbox One to stream its games to Windows 10-based hardware and until Sony catches up we're just going to have to settle for an unofficial app that costs money to perform the task.
PS4's next update brings Suspend for games, 60fps Share Play
Confirming the leaked information from last week, Sony announced tonight that it's testing a big update for the PS4. Codenamed "Yukimura", v2.50 it will add the Suspend/Resume feature we've been awaiting since before the system launched. That feature will let gamers put the system in standby, then come right back and resume playing like nothing happened. According to a blog post the feature will be supported by "almost" all PS4 games, although there's no word yet on which ones. We're also getting the ability to upgrade PSN sub-accounts to Master accounts (especially useful for gamers that have gone from kids to adults since the PS3 launched), 60fps Remote Play / Share Play and the ability to find the PSN account of your Facebook friends.
You can Remote Play PS4 games on your Xperia Z2 devices now, too
We're going to say that Sony's relationship with the PS Vita is a little bit, well, complicated. Why? Because one of the biggest reasons to even own one these days, Remote Play, is now available in more places. Specifically, the Xperia Z2 smartphone and its similarly-named tablet cousin. That's right, you no longer need to own the catch-up king's portable gaming system or Z3 device to play PlayStation 4 games while you're away from your console and TV. Given that it uses the console's DualShock 4 controller rather than the slightly cramped confines of the Vita, depending on the size of your hands it could be a better experience, too. Sony says that the Xperia line is the only place you'll get full Remote Play functionality, but folks on the XDA Developers forums are already working to get around that bit of exclusivity so it's available on all capable Android gizmos. Are you a new Vita (or Z3) owner feeling a bit slighted now? Let us know in the comments.
Sony reminds us what the PlayStation TV can do ahead of its US launch
If you need a video refresher of just exactly what the PlayStation TV is capable of ahead of its US and Canadian release, Sony has something to take care of that. The video we've embedded below reinforces that Sony's micro console is a device for families with kids and touts its ability to do more than just Remote Play PlayStation 4 games or stream some of Sony's back catalog via PS Now -- it's a low-cost media-streaming gizmo as well. Perhaps best of all, it gets the point across in under 90 seconds. What the clip doesn't tell you, however, is that while the PlayStation TV can play PS Vita games natively, some of the handheld's best releases (think Tearaway and Wipeout 2048) aren't yet compatible because of that system's use of touch controls. Will that caveat make you reconsider plopping down $100 come October 14th? Let us know in the comments.
Buy 'Destiny' on PS3 or Xbox 360 and upgrade to new-gen for free
The wait is almost over: Destiny, former Halo-developer Bungie's ambitious shooter, releases this coming Tuesday. If you're holding out on it because you don't have a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, though, there's no reason. Bungie has announced that should you purchase the game for PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, until next January 15th you're eligible for a free upgrade to a current-gen digital copy. That's as long as you within the console family you bought the game for originally. Meaning, if you buy the game for PS3 you'll get a download of it on PS4, gratis. Any extra content like season passes will carry over too -- just like your character's progress and gear.
Sony's Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact stuffs full performance into an 8-inch slate
Sony had a minor hit when it unveiled the Xperia Z1 Compact, which crammed a full-power smartphone into a smaller frame; now, it's hoping to repeat that success with tablets. Its new Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is not only one of the thinnest (6.4mm) and lightest (0.6lbs) waterproof, 8-inch tablet you'll find, but it's also actually more powerful than the full-size Z2 Tablet. It still has a 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, an 8.1-megapixel rear camera and a 2.2-megapixel front shooter, but it runs a speedier 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor. The Compact should also last for a very healthy 13 hours of nonstop video playback.
Is Sony prepping a PlayStation 4 and PS Vita bundle for the UK?
It's the hardware marriage we all assumed (and hoped) would eventually happen. A report over on gaming site MCV claims Sony is planning to offer an 'Ultimate Edition' PlayStation 4 bundle that would include its portable console, the PS Vita, as a pack-in for the UK. Further corroborating this rumor is an alleged image of the bundle (pictured above) said to be featured in MCV's upcoming print edition. If this turns out to be true, Brits could very well see the next-gen PlayStation combo hit retail in time for the holidays, although there's no word on how much it'll cost. Aside from being a match made in gamer heaven, the purported move is somewhat of a no-brainer for Sony, given the PS4's much touted Remote Play functionality (which streams next-gen games to the handheld) and the Vita's less-than-stellar install base. With about a month to go before holiday mania sets in, we should know sooner rather than later just how real this bundle fantasy is and whether it's also destined for US shores.
This is how the PlayStation 4 and Vita hook up via Remote Play
When the PlayStation 4 launches in ten days, it'll need a day one patch to make its touted Remote Play functionality work. The Vita's already all set, having just received the patch it needed to enable the PS4 Link application. We even gave you an idea of how the new feature works from the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. The only missing piece of the puzzle, then, is how the Vita and the PS4 actually hook up -- Sony is thankfully illuminating that final piece today in the video we've dropped just below the break!
Sony's PlayStation 4 will require a Day One update, mobile app to be released pre-launch
Sony's PlayStation 4 US launch is now less than a month away and -- surprise, surprise -- it's going to require a Day One system update. The company just announced today that a significant software patch (about 300MB in size) will be necessary to enable a slew of functionality, like Remote Play on PS Vita and the Share button, that Sony's been championing through the year. Also going hand-in-hand with this patch is the release of Sony's second screen PlayStation App, which will be available on November 13th in the US (just two days before launch) and on the 22nd in Europe on both Android and iOS.
Sony's Yoshida confirms all PlayStation 4 games work with Vita via Remote Play (with minor exceptions)
Sony's PlayStation Vita is getting a major content boost when the PlayStation 4 launches later this year, as all PlayStation 4 games will run on the Vita via Remote Play. The only exceptions offered by Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida were, "unless the game requires specific hardware like the camera [PS4 Eye]." It also stands to reason that PlayStation Move-specific titles won't run via Remote Play, nor anything else that requires peripheral hardware (the Buzz! series, for example). The PlayStation 4's Remote Play functionality with the Vita is said to be far more robust than its previous PlayStation 3 / PlayStation Portable iteration. Developers can even put Vita-specific controls in their PS4 games, enabling Wii U-esque second screen functionality, Yoshida told us earlier this year. We'll have our Vitas on-hand at E3 in a few weeks when we expect Sony will offer first hands-on with its next gaming console.
Report: Xbox One has remote play between consoles so a friend can help
Unnamed sources speaking with Polygon say the Xbox One has a remote play feature between consoles, both hardwired and online, allowing friends to take over gameplay remotely. The demonstration the sources claim to have witnessed featured one Xbox One connecting to another using "a local hardwired connection between consoles," with a Skype call bridging the two users. A similar feature is available on Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 4, both between consoles and via PlayStation Vita. The other piece of the report adds to a bit we already knew concerning the new Kinect. "At some point, we'll be able to have conversational understanding," Microsoft hardware lead Todd Holmdahl told us last week. That "some point" may be sooner than later, as Microsoft reps were apparently already demonstrating the functionality, and said it'll be available either at launch or "post-launch within the first few months."
The DualShock 4 is 'near final' hardware, Remote Play is more than an afterthought, and other notes from Shuhei Yoshida
The only hardware shown on-stage during Sony's PlayStation 4 event was the retooled DualShock controller, the DualShock 4. No box. No PS4 Eye. No new version of Move. As for the console itself, its absence makes some sense in light of today's news from SCEA prez Jack Tretton that the console's internals are "still in development in terms of final specs and design." So, how final is the only piece of hardware Sony was willing to trot out? "It's near final. It's just gonna be small tweaks being done," Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida told us in an interview this morning. Sadly, he also admitted we won't be able to touch any of it anytime soon. "By E3, I think" was the best he could offer. He blamed Sony's hardware folks for not allowing access, despite him pleading with PR to give hands-on time. "I was just asking our PR team can we just let you touch this stuff. Our hardware guys don't want you to find out some detail that ..." he said, trailing off. "Some dirty secret?" we asked. "Of course," he responded with a smile. Moving on to Vita and the Remote Play functionality on PS4 (which allows you to play any PS4 game on your Vita, via streaming), Yoshida said that -- unlike with the PlayStation 3's Remote Play functionality -- Sony's asking devs to try their game via Remote Play on Vita before submitting final code for publishing. He also said that, using Remote Play, developers could implement Vita-specific controls. "Some PS Vita games make use of the edge of the screen to add contextual buttons -- that works really well, I think, and it's easy to see. So that kind of thing I'd like to see developers do on PS Vita over Remote Play," Yoshida explained. He also apologized for not showing the final box, getting out ahead of the inevitable question from the room full of journalists. But hey, we sympathize -- Sony's gotta save something for E3, right? PlayStation Plus on PlayStation 4 may also be on that list; when we asked Yoshida about its presence on the next Sony game console, he coyly answered, "I know the answer, but we're not talking about it. I'm a subscriber, so I'd like to see it." Us too!
PlayStation 4 supports remote play on PlayStation Vita
Sony is eking more out of its Gaikai acquisition than we thought -- it's using the streaming game technology to allow for remote play on the PlayStation Vita, advancing what we saw with the PS3. From a brief demo on stage, the company showed gameplay of the PS4 title Knack on the Vita with little apparent degradation in the visual quality -- it's not leaning on the smaller system's processing, after all. There was also a hint that remote play might not be exclusive, although there's nothing specific in this regard. Not every game will support remote play, either, so don't expect it to be a ubiquitous feature -- but it may help justify the Vita as a companion. Check out our liveblog of Sony's event to get the latest news as it happens!
Sony's PlayMemories Studio now live on PSN, get your Playstation 3 photo-edit on
Yesterday's rumor about Sony launching PlayMemories Studio this week has just become fact. The $15 editing suite has just gone live on the PlayStation Store, enabling plebes to edit, organize and share photos (and video) right on their home console of choice, the PS3. Those with a spare Vita or PSP laying around can also put those to good use through Remote Play functionality. Unsure if Sony's couch-iPhoto experience is for you? Hit the source for more info on the whole shindig, in addition to details on how to get your creative side on with a gratis thirty day trial.
Living la vita hacker: PS3 firmware exploit expands Vita Remote Play options
Those gosh-darned hackers just refuse to get off Sony's lawn, serving up yet another exploit for the outfit's latest baby, the PlayStation Vita. Well, sort of -- the Vita's own code hasn't been breached, but it sure plays nice with PlayStation 3 custom firmware 3.55. The PS3 tweak apparently recognizes the Vita as a mobile phone, which somehow allows it to Remote Play a wider assortment of PS3 games than normal. It's not all unicorns and double rainbows, however, as input lag appears to be an issue -- but it should help tide over enterprising Vita owners until Sony officially expands its list of Remote Play-compatible titles. In the meantime, those on the straight and narrow can console themselves with the Vita's recently updated 3G data plan. Hit the break to see the trick cram Battlefield 3 onto the small screen.
