PlayStation Network finally adds two-factor authentication
Considering how much the PlayStation Network breach cost Sony, it’s kind of crazy that the service didn’t offer two-factor login authentication before now. But, that’s no longer the case. Protecting your PlayStation account is SMS-based (which has its own limitations) versus using an authenticator app, however. You can set up device passwords for the PlayStation 3 and Vita handheld, and, really, from there it doesn’t differ much than you’re used to with other apps and services.
Xbox One has had something similar for a few years, but hey, with how susceptible seemingly every service is to ne’er-do-wells these days, a late arrival for the feature is definitely preferable to never getting it at all. To see what accounts of yours (even outside of gaming) can be protected with the extra layer of security, give TwoFactorAuth.org a visit.
2-step verification feature for PlayStation Network accounts launches tonight, offers additional security: https://t.co/uubOFHGnxn
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 25, 2016
Source: PlayStation
The ‘Battlefield 1’ Premium Pass nets you four new expansions
Battlefield 1’s upcoming Premium Pass was officially announced today, and it’ll run you $49.99 if you want to add all four of the planned expansion packs to your collection.
You’ll be able to add both the French and Russian armies to your campaign when you pick up the Premium Pass in addition to the first DLC pack, called They Shall Not Pass. Premium Pass owners will be given two-week early access to each DLC package, beginning with They Shall Not Pass, which is scheduled for release in March 2017.
In addition, the pass offers 16 new multiplayer maps, new Operations and game modes, Elite classes, 20 new weapons and a slew of new vehicles to mess about with. Battlefield’s Battlepacks are making a return as well, which will be delivered each month beginning November 2016. If you’re a collector, you’ll want to check out the 14 new dog tags that’ll be released over the Premium Pass season period.
Battlefield 1 hits Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4 on October 21st.
Source: Battlefield Blog
Explore indie puzzler ‘The Witness’ on Xbox One in September
“Ideally we want the game to be in as many places as we can get it, but since we are a small developer and it’s a complicated game, we can only do so much at once.” That’s The Witness developer Jonathan Blow describing to us his desire for the indie puzzler to be available on more than just PlayStation 4. All the way back in February 2013. Now those dreams are coming to fruition as The Witness will make its way to Xbox One on September 13th — two and a half years after that interview with my coworker Jessica Conditt and six months after its debut on PS4 and PC. In a post on Xbox Wire, Blow lays out what new players should do when they get their hands on it.
Basically, if you get stuck on a puzzle, don’t look up solutions on YouTube or from a text-based walk through. Instead, explore another part of the island and you might find the solution while you’re at it. If you’ve avoided the game’s spoilers since January, it shouldn’t be too hard to resist the urge for a few more weeks, should it?
Source: Xbox Wire
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.
As always, what you get depends on how much you’re willing to spend. Everyone who chips in will get Strider, Final Fight: Double Impact, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and a 45 percent discount for Street Fighter V. They’re nothing to write home about (Strider is the only PS4 title at this tier if you’re not buying SFV), but it’s still a good value. Naturally, things get more interesting the more you’re willing to pay. Pay above the average and you’ll snag the HD remasters of Okami and Resident Evil alongside four other games. Spend at least $15, meanwhile, and you’ll score Devil May Cry HD, Resident Evil 0 Remastered and a half-off coupon for Mega Man Legacy Collection.
If you like what you see, you’ll have until September 5th at 2PM Eastern to take advantage of the Humble Bundle. It’s not a killer deal, but it could be a good way to catch up on games that you missed the first time around. And look at it this way: if this offer proves to be a hit, you might just see other developers offering PSN bundles of their own.
Source: Humble Bundle, PlayStation Blog
Video claims to show a redesigned PS4 slim controller
Earlier today Eurogamer took pictures and video of what appears to be a redesigned slim PlayStation 4, and now YouTube channel ZRZ is showing off what it says is the console’s new controller. The only immediately noticeable tweak is up top, where there’s either a second light bar or the DualShock 4’s touchpad is allowing the light to shine through. That could be useful for syncing up with the PlayStation VR headset or just taking advantage of games that use the light indicator to give the player feedback. Lat year when we asked Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida about his favorite use for the feature, he called out Bloodborne’s blood-red indicator.
New PS4 Slim Dualshock 4 with Light bar on touchpad pad VIDEO #PS4Slim #PS4 #DS4 #Leaked pic.twitter.com/mxscX7eWpH
— ZRZ (@ZRZtweet) August 22, 2016
Supporting the video’s legitimacy is that the same person who bought the redesigned PS4 that we’ve seen pictures and video of has confirmed it According to @shortman82, it seems to be a see through section on the touchpad, which should also mean it won’t impact the DS4’s battery life (which is notoriously short, and the reason Sony added the ability to dim the lightbar in 2014 via a software update). Of course, until something’s announced we won’t know for sure what is or is not on the way, but take a look for yourself.
Via: Destructoid
Source: ZRZ (YouTube)
The slim PS4 is looking realer every day
When photos of a purported slim PS4 redesign emerged, you could hear the skeptics’ cries from a mile away: fake! Photoshopped! However, it looks like this new console is very much real. Eurogamer visited the person who bought the unreleased console from a Gumtree listing, and has posted video (below) proving that this is a real, working game system. You’ll have to wait until later for more details, but what you saw before holds true: it’s smaller, rounder and more utilitarian than the original.
Also, there’s further support for beliefs that this is a new basic model, not the 4K-ready Neo. Wall Street Journal sources understand that there will be a “new PlayStation 4 standard model” alongside the Neo at Sony’s September 7th event. While the tip is shy on details (there’s no price or ship date), analysts suspect that it’ll be less expensive than the $350 system you can buy today. Frankly, that’s only logical. The slim PS4 certainly looks like it was subject to some cost-cutting, and Sony likely wants to close the price gap with the $300 Xbox One S as quickly as possible.
Source: Eurogamer (YouTube), Wall Street Journal
PlayStation Plus membership prices rise in September
PlayStation Plus memberships will cost more starting on September 22nd. On that date, a one-year membership in the US will rise from $50 to $60, while three-month memberships will rise from $18 to $25. The price of a monthly plan will remain the same in the US ($10). Existing members will not have to pay the increased amount until their plans renew on or after September 22nd.
Sony announced the change in an update to its July 27th PlayStation Plus blog post, where the company notes that this is the first time it’s raised Plus prices since launching the service in 2010.
“The new pricing reflects the current market conditions while enabling us to continue providing exceptional value to our members,” Sony writes. “As a member, you will continue to enjoy the benefits and features that enable shared experiences, such as online multiplayer, free games and exclusive discounts. You will also continue to get exclusive benefits such as online game save storage and discounts across the PlayStation digital services.”
Any current subscribers who want to ditch Plus before the new prices take effect, turn off auto-renewal in your account settings before September 22nd.
An important update for all our PlayStation Plus members: https://t.co/iEd4L49och pic.twitter.com/Ni7jL29ADI
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 22, 2016
Source: PlayStation Blog
‘Big City Stories’ is a free-to-play city builder for PS4
Hellfire Games’ Big City Stories is looking to combine the best parts of city-building games like Sim City or Cities: Skylines with the open-world mechanics of an MMO. The result? An awesome-looking PlayStation 4 exclusive.
Big City Stories will feature some additional mechanics city-building sims don’t typically offer, like the ability to drop down from a bird’s-eye view to see your city at street level without loading time. You can get an up-close-and-personal view of the skyscrapers and structures you’re building, but what good would that do without seeing the people hanging out in the city?
The game will offer customizable avatars with various clothing items and emotes, a vehicle system with cars you can actually drive, mini-games, and stunt ramps scattered throughout the city. Not only will you be able to create your own cities, but you can get down in them and explore, too. Your friends can come hang out in the spaces you’ve created thanks to persistent spaces and come to your city even when you’re offline as well.
Big City Stories is slated for an August 23rd launch in the US, and then it’ll be slowly rolling out to other locations as well. It’s The Sims meets Second Life, basically. Who knew?
Source: PlayStation Blog
PS4 redesign supposedly pops up at an auction
Wondering what Sony might have in store at its September 7th PlayStation event? You might be getting a sneak peek. An auction purports to be selling an as yet unreleased “slim line” PS4 that would be thinner, rounder and (let’s be honest) decidedly plainer than the original. There’s no mention of whether or not this would be the vaunted 4K-capable Neo, but that seems unlikely when Sony said that Neo would be a more expensive complement to the base system — 500GB looks pretty basic to us.
We’d take this apparent leak with a big grain of salt, although there are things in the photos that check out. The packaging is decidedly different than what you get with the current, standard edition PS4 including a different model number (CUH-2016A) and a plug for PlayStation VR. And the system itself? As long-time PlayStation fans will attest, Sony has a habit of introducing refreshed consoles that aren’t as ornate as the first-run systems. You’ll likely get the full story in a couple of weeks.
Via: Wario64 (Twitter)
Source: Gumtree, NeoGAF
‘Titanfall 2’ multiplayer tech test is now open to all
Jon Shiring, the lead engineer for Titanfall 2 at Respawn Entertainment, announced via Twitter on Friday that the game’s first “Multiplayer Tech Test” session is now live. The open event (no pre-orders or game codes necessary) which runs through the weekend will give players the chance to try out the game’s first two mechs (Ion and Scorch). Players will also be treated to five new competition styles: Bounty Hunt, 5v5, Pilots vs. Pilots and 8v8.
In another tweet, Shiring describes this test version as a pre-alpha build with known bugs, so don’t be surprised if the gameplay isn’t quite polished yet. The whole point of letting anyone interested play is so Respawn can road test the game’s new server setup and hopefully avoid problems at launch. Next weekend phase two of the testing will occur with different maps, game modes, titans and more. The full game is slated for release on October 28th.
In another tweet, Shiring describes this test version as a pre-alpha build with known bugs, so don’t be surprised if the gameplay isn’t quite polished yet. The whole point of letting anyone interested play is so Respawn can road test the game’s new server setup and hopefully avoid problems at launch. Next weekend phase two of the testing will occur with different maps, game modes, titans and more. The full game is slated for release on October 28th.
No Code Needed!
Open MP Tech Test Is Live.
Details: https://t.co/QXCgPbJelq https://t.co/pyFAflYD3k— Titanfall (@Titanfallgame) August 19, 2016
For those joining us this weekend – the MP Tech Test is an ACTUAL pre-alpha build, with known bugs. This is not a marketing demo build.
— Jon Shiring (@jonshiring) August 18, 2016
Via: Daily Dot, Gamespot
Source: Jon Shiring (Twitter), Titanfall 2 Tech Test details
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