HBO Now will soon arrive on PlayStation 3 and 4
Cord cutters who own PlayStation consoles: Now is your time to shine. Sony has announced today that HBO Now, the channel’s standalone on-demand service, will soon be available on all PS3 and PS4 systems, (This includes the recently announced PlayStation 4 Pro). What’s more, both HBO and Cinemax are coming to PlayStation Vue, Sony’s streaming TV service, for $15 a month each. This is an especially big deal for cord cutters, as this marks the first time either network has offered live programming as a standalone service. That’s right: live programming, and not just the on-demand shows like you would get on HBO Now.
And here’s a nice bonus. If you do subscribe to HBO through PS Vue, you’ll be able to access the aforementioned HBO Now on Sony’s game consoles completely free of charge. Existing HBO subscribers could already access the channel’s content through HBO Go, which launched for the PS4 last year. The PS Vue service is available through not just the PS4, but also through Roku, iOS and Android apps.
These streaming offerings will launch prior to October 2nd, which coincides with the launch of a new HBO series called Westworld.
Hopefully the new ‘Resident Evil 7’ demo won’t make you queasy
If the first demo for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard didn’t leave you with a headache or worse (yeah, even in 2D), it might’ve left you scratching your noggin. Well, the “Beginning Hour” demo is getting an update, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. The Twilight update “expands on what you can do and explore” in the run-down shack. Over on Capcom Unity the publisher-developer teases that even if you’ve explored every corner of the house that “we’ve got something special in store for you.” So maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a use for that severed finger. Hopefully the update means the flashlight’s incessant bobbing and swaying been fixed, too.
The patch is scheduled for arrival today, so chances are it’ll be waiting when you turn your PlayStation 4 on next. More than that, this new demo isn’t locked behind a PlayStation Plus subscription like it was previously. In other revisions, the digital deluxe version is getting a price bump, but with it comes the promise of an additional add-on episode. If you previously purchased for $80, no worries as you’ll still get the extra episode. Everyone who’s tempted by the new demo will have to cough up $90 though.
Oh and there’s a new trailer embedded below, too, if you needed further convincing to make a return trip. Here’s to hoping Twilight is more along the lines of the “Lantern” demo from Gamescom last month.
Source: PlayStation Blog, Capcom Unity
Disney-Square mashup ‘Kingdom Hearts 2.8’ is delayed to 2017
Kingdom Hearts 3 is a long way off. To tide keyblade fans over, Square Enix has been remastering the previous games — both the console and handheld instalments — and releasing them as three-part collections for the PlayStation 3. The latest instalment, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, was due to come out on the PS4 in December, but that’s now changed to January. The slight delay was announced at the Tokyo Game Show alongside a new trailer, which teases the ongoing adventures of Sora, Riku and Kairi, as well as older keyblade wielders Aqua, Terra and Ventus.
The compilation includes Dream Drop Distance, a game that was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS. Chronologically, it’s the closest title to Kingdom Hearts 3, charting Sora and Riku’s quest to become keyblade masters. It’s joined by Birth by Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage, a new playable sequence with Aqua, and Back Cover, a one-hour cinematic which serves as a prequel for the overarching series. (The same time period is covered in Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, a free-to-play game on iOS and Android.) Needless to say, the storyline is absurdly convoluted and only the most diehard Kingdom Hearts fan will know what’s going on.
If you’re one of those people, however, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 could serve as a mouth-watering appetiser for Kingdom Hearts 3. It should be coming out in Japan on January 12th, followed by North America on January 24th. Think of it this way — you now have a little more time to power through Final Fantasy XV, exploring the world of Eos and chilling with Noctis’ buddies.
Source: Kingdom Hearts (YouTube)
‘Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Collection’ clambers to PS4, Xbox One
The rumors are true: To make up for a mainline Assassin’s Creed skipping this year, Ubisoft is putting the best entries in the series into one package. Again. Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection brings Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and the story’s finale, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this November 15th. A post on the Ubiblog says that these are the single player campaigns and add-on packs only — none of the multiplayer that started with Brotherhood will be present here. That’s because the developer-publisher believes the “most polished and fully featured version” of the mode already exists in the form of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’s online offering, originally released in 2013.
Back in 2012, Ubisoft did something similar to this and sold the Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The difference now is it looks like we’re getting the PC versions of charming Italian assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze’s adventures running at maxed out settings, to take advantage of current-gen console hardware. That’s contrary to as-is ports of the games in a new box like last time.
The Ezio Collection isn’t a bad move, but hopefully there are some clear benefits to re-buying these games when the series absolute highpoint, 2009’s Assassin’s Creed 2, is backward compatible on Xbox One. Aside from a discounted movie ticket and a few videos that bookend the narrative, that is. Check out the video below to see if the improvements are worth your cash.
What’s most curious is that Ubisoft is repeating history and releasing the game the same day as one of its extremely high-profile titles. This time out it’s Watch Dogs 2. In 2011, the fantastic Rayman Origins was sent to die against Assassin’s Creed Revelations on a very familiar date: November 15th. Nothing like competing against yourself, huh, Ubisoft?
Source: Ubiblog
‘Final Fantasy XV’ slim PS4 bundle hits the US on November 29th
Did you look on wistfully as Sony Japan unveiled a special edition slim PS4 to mark the launch of Final Fantasy XV? You don’t have to anymore. Sony has confirmed that the console will reach GameStop stores in North America on November 29th for $449 US, or $549 Canadian. Besides the conspicuous moon decal on the system, you’re getting a 1TB hard drive, a branded DualShock 4 controller, Square Enix’s role-playing game (plus downloadable extras) and the Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV movie on Blu-ray. It’s a tempting deal if you can’t get enough Final Fantasy into your life, although we have to ask: do you get this, or would it be wiser to spring for the more powerful PS4 Pro plus a separate copy of the game?
Source: PlayStation Blog
‘Final Fantasy XV’ claims the first limited-edition slimline PS4
In a never-ending tale of limited editions, spin-off movies, anime and more, the makers of Final Fantasy XV have also laid claim to the first limited-edition thinner, lighter PS4. The “Luna” edition (did the giant moon decal give it away?) will land alongside the game (finally) on 29th November in Japan, priced at 40,000 yen — the same as the higher-capacity version of the slimline console. Sony also announced two new VIta colors, launching (in Japan for now) on December 1st. Take a peek at those after the break.
The PS4’s HDR-friendly update arrives September 13th
Sony has been talking about the PlayStation 4’s big version 4 update for weeks on end, and now it’s (almost) here. The company has confirmed that the new software will reach existing consoles on September 13th, and it’ll have even more than first promised. You know about headliners like high dynamic range video support, home screen folders and a revamped Quick Menu. However, there are a few perks, some of which are hardware-dependent. If you snag a PS4 Pro, you’ll get 1080p Remote Play and Share Play streaming, 1080p Twitch live broadcasts and 1080p YouTube broadcasts at 60 frames per second. It’s also easier to transfer data to a new PS4 thanks to support for shuffling data over a local wired network — you won’t have to re-download content from the internet just to pick up where you left off.
Some of the previously unmentioned tweaks will run on any system. That new Quick Menu has an upgraded music section that helps you control Spotify music without launching Spotify’s app. You’ll likewise see improvements to the What’s New and content information screens, both of which should have simpler interfaces and better at-a-glance views of what’s going on. In short: between new PS4 hardware and the version 4 update, Sony is determined to keep the PS4 fresh amidst competition that isn’t standing still.
Source: PlayStation Blog
‘The Last Guardian’ is delayed until December
The long-awaited PS4 exclusive The Last Guardian has been pushed back to December 6th. The game was originally scheduled for October 25th, but apparently has more bugs than anticipated. “To ensure that The Last Guardian delivers on the experience that the game’s creators have envisioned, we need to take the extra time to work on those issues,” President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told fans through a blog post.
The Last Guardian is the latest adventure game by Fumito Ueda, the visionary behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. It’s been in development for a decade at Ueda’s genDESIGN studio, famously all-but disappearing for several years, before re-emerging at E3 2015. In it, you play a young boy who befriends a giant “Guardian” called Trico, and set off on a journey together.
When we played The Last Guardian at E3, we suggested it was “an incomplete opus.” During a 45-minute play session, we encountered some severe camera problems, graphical glitches, collision issues and a physics bug that propelled the protagonist 20 feet into the air. Hopefully the extra six weeks is enough time for Ueda and the rest of his team to get the game up to standards.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Mix up ‘Rocket League’ action with Rumble Mode and item trading
We’re still waiting to see fully cross-platform Rocket League, but the game just made some other adjustments to keep things fresh for regular players. Dubbed Rumble Mode, the new 3v3 gameplay variant tosses in everything from a grappling hook to a tornado. Even better, more people can enjoy it now that the game has a beta version available on Linux and OS X, and at least on Steam, the game and all DLC are available for 25 percent off. One thing to note: Psyonix says it is aware of framerate issues post-patch and is “actively investigating.”
Those are hardly the only changes included in the v1.22 patch (you may enjoy trading items with other players or saving car customizations that switch depending on what color team you’re assigned), but you can see the full changelog here.
Source: Rocket League
Xbox One S helped Microsoft outsell the PS4 in August
The Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 in August, thanks to a boost from Microsoft’s latest console, the Xbox One S. A 2TB model of the Xbox One S hit shelves on August 2nd for $400 and sales of the new console are bundled under the broader “Xbox One” banner. The Xbox One S supports HDR, 4K gaming, streaming and Blu-ray, and it’s 40 percent smaller than the launch model.
Microsoft didn’t include sales figures in today’s announcement, though it did take the opportunity to poke fun at Sony. The PlayStation 4 Pro is Sony’s version of a 4K console, though we discovered yesterday that it doesn’t have an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. This is odd coming from the company that ushered in the gaming console Blu-ray player with the PS3.
With that in mind, Xbox Marketing CVP Mike Nichols offered the following in today’s statement about Xbox One S sales (emphasis added): “Thanks to our fans and their excitement for new Xbox One games and the recently launched Xbox One S, which is the only console available this holiday with built-in UHD 4K Blu-ray, 4K video streaming and HDR for video and gaming, Xbox One was the best-selling console in the U.S. in August, according to NPD Group.”
Sick burn, Nichols.
The 1TB and 500GB versions of the Xbox One S hit the market in late August; the 1TB model is $350 and the 500GB edition is $300. And then there’s Project Scorpio, the VR-ready 4K behemoth that Microsoft plans to drop in late 2017. Sony is also iterating on the current console generation, with plans to release the PS4 Pro on November 10th and a slimmer version of the PS4 on September 15th.
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