The ‘Call of Duty’ VR mission is free for PSVR owners
Activision has announced that the Jackal Assault VR Experience will be available, for free, for all PS4 owners. Jackal Assault is the standalone virtual reality component of its latest game, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The short level sees you piloting a Jackal fighter jet as it gets shot into space for a spot of, uhm, infinite warfare.
Previously, it was assumed that only those who bought Infinite Warfare would be able to access the level. But now it’s been opened up to everyone who owns a PlayStation 4, although you’ll need PlayStation VR to actually use it. Still, it’ll be fun just to relive the halcyon days of space combat, Wing Commander-style, even if it is just for a few minutes at a time.
If you’re looking to trying out the title, head over to the PlayStation VR area in the PlayStation Store and select Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Jackal Assault VR Experience. Happy flying.
Via: Upload VR
Source: Activision
The Morning After: Thursday, November 4, 2016
TGIF.
Before you fall back this weekend, it’s time to take a look at Google’s Assistant-powered Home device, take a spin with GoPro’s drone and find out how Singapore is pushing to be the first “Smart Nation.” Also, undecided (or, more likely, firmly decided) voters can peruse Engadget’s election guide to see where presidential candidates stand on tech issues.
A “living lab” nation-stateInside the Smart Nation initiative pushing Singapore into the digital age
Across this 30-mile-wide island, a network of fiber connections and sensors underpin scientists’ efforts to address the problems of urban living. The “Smart Nation” plan is trying to address pain points, like energy usage, health and transportation, while also accumulating data to fill out a detailed model of Virtual Singapore, where planners can test new projects to see their potential impact. The only problem? Figuring out the potential privacy impact of pulling together all of that information.
Google is in your home, showing you how smart it isReview: Google Home brings its Assistant to your living room
Nathan Ingraham says Google Home is a great way to show off just how smart Google is, but it doesn’t feel like an essential experience yet. That’s mainly because it lags behind Amazon’s Echo in terms of support for third-party services. For now, the Echo might be a smarter buy, but Home is a perfectly viable option for those who use lots of Google services.
Less for drone lovers, more for outdoor moviemakersReview: GoPro’s debut drone, the Karma
As a standalone drone, GoPro’s Karma lacks a lot of the features found on rival fliers. Worse still, the battery life is borderline acceptable. However, the charm with GoPro’s first foray into drones is its ease of use and overall versatility. If you’re invested in the GoPro ecosystem, Karma makes a lot of sense. More serious drone enthusiasts, however, might want to look elsewhere.
Something old, something new …Here are the first games optimized and ready for the PlayStation 4 Pro
It’s a mix of recent titles (“Battlefield 1,” “Bound,” “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” “FIFA 17,” “Hitman,” “Mafia III,” “Rise of the Tomb Raider”) and flagship older hits like “inFamous Second Son,” “Knack,” “Ratchet” and “Clank,” as well as a bunch of PSVR titles.
Mark this down for Turkey DayNFL Films is producing a nine-episode VR series for Google’s Daydream platform
A still-untitled project will offer a 360-degree view of NFL action from the perspectives of players, coaches and fans. It’s coming to the Google Daydream platform, with the first episode debuting Thanksgiving Day, so expect some additional demo content to show the family on your new Pixel.
It is election seasonThe “New York Times” is free to read during the presidential election
Yes, the Gray Lady is opening up those paywall curtains to let readers in for 72 hours of election coverage. Alongside live coverage, the paper will also be Facebook livestreaming on Election Night as well as hosting a call-in show run by the crew of the “Run-Up” podcast.
But wait, there’s more…
- Engadget’s guide to the 2016 presidential election
- The first sex toy on Kickstarter is the Fin
- PlayStation’s official coloring book is here
- Huawei’s Mate 9 is a solid, smart device that optimizes itself to fit your needs
Valve is testing DualShock 4 support in Steam’s beta channel
If you never quite got the hang of Valve’s weird touch-pad laden game controller, you’re in luck: the company is testing out Steam Configuration support for the DualShock 4. Steam beta client users can now customize every button on the PlayStation 4 gamepad using the same key-mapping interface Valve uses for its own Steam Controller. This makes the more traditional gamepad compatible with every non-VR title in the Steam library — even those without native controller support.
Why choose the PlayStation 4 controller as Steam’s next officially supported gamepad? Well, it turns out the DualShock 4 and the Steam Controller have a lot in common — in addition to having a standard gamepad layout, the DualShock 4 also features a touchpad and gyro sensor that can be mapped to mouse or joystick movement. Properly configured, this means the DS4 can be used to navigate mouse-only menus and implement Splatoon-like tilt controls in first person shooters.
For now, DualShock 4 support is only available in Steam’s beta client, and even then it needs to be activated in a special menu. Still, it’s a great alternative for PC gamers that want more control options, but weren’t interested in learning how to use Valve’s official gamepad.
Source: Valve
Re-skin Kratos with the offficial PlayStation coloring book
What do you get when you mash up a coloring book for grown-ups with a wildly popular video game platform? The entirely unnecessary, but completely official PlayStation coloring book, featuring colorless artwork from some of video gaming’s most beloved franchises.
“Since the PS one first came into our homes, PlayStation has always been a symbol of quality gameplay, pushing the boundaries of entertainment,” an announcement from Sony EU says, attempting to justify the existence of Art For The Players. “One of the unique factors which has made it such an exciting platform for players is the incredible creativity and eye-wateringly good art at the heart of the games.”
So, what better way to celebrate that boundary-pushing art from games like Bloodborne, Little Big World and Uncharted than to strip it all down to nearly nothing and re-create it with even fewer colors? So, forget the PS4 Pro. And leave your PSVR headset in the box. Next time you’re looking for some PlayStation action, reach for the your PlayStation coloring book and a well-sharpened, old-fashioned set of colored pencils. At least you won’t have to worry about PSN outages.
The book is available for £9.98 from Amazon UK or you can just download and print a couple high-res pages here.
Source: Amazon UK, PlayStation Blog
Sony brings PSN toolbar to Playstation.com
Sony has been slow to add new functionality to its PlayStation Network and integrate it across platforms. Take two-factor authorization, for example, which they first announced last April and finally released in August. Today, they’ve introduced another better-late-than-never feature: adding PSN interaction to their Playstation.com home site. Simply log in using your browser and you’ll be able to message all your buddies and view your profile, in case you need to prove to your coworkers how many platinum trophies you’ve earned.
Sure, it’s not a ton of functionality, but it’s at least more convenient to type dispatches on a laptop than tapping them out on a PlayStation App-equipped device or, god forbid, using a PS4 controller. It’s a bit more cumbersome to use with a mobile browser, but if you’re on an Android or iOS machine then just use the app, you silly goose.
Source: PlayStation blog
‘I Expect You To Die’ will come to PlayStation VR this year
Schell Games has announced that its forthcoming title I Expect You To Die will arrive on PlayStation VR in time for the holidays. Previously the game was announced for the Oculus Rift, and was designed to work with that platform’s touch controls. I Expect You To Die is a locked room mystery, wth a spy trying to escape capture by solving a series of puzzles and avoiding death-defying traps. The company hasn’t issued a specific launch date for PlayStation support, but given that the game launches for PCs on December 6th, it’s not hard to assume it’ll be around there.
Game studios go all-out with Halloween events and sales
Game developers thrive on seasonal events, and that’s truer than ever this Halloween. It’s not just themed skins and game modes, although there are plenty of those — there are some serious bargains to be had, whether you’re a Steam veteran or just getting into virtual reality. Even PlayStation Now has some Halloween goodies. We’ve rounded up some of the spookier events and sales to make sure you don’t miss out.
The bottom line: Our quick verdict on the PlayStation VR
And then there were three. The PlayStation VR went on sale earlier this month, making it the third big-name tethered VR headset to arrive this year. Though it’s less immersive than either the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive that came before it, the PSVR is compelling for an entirely different set of reasons. It’s cheaper than the competition, for one, with a starting price of $400.
Secondly, look at all the content available for it! The PSVR launched with 30 compatible games, and Sony promises that number will grow to 50 by year’s end. And that includes some major franchises too, including Batman and Resident Evil. Not only are these games people will want to play, but the gear you need to experience them — a PS4, PlayStation Camera and Sony’s “Move” motion controllers — are already in millions of homes. Equally important, the PSVR is comfortable to wear — something we haven’t been able to say about every headset we’ve tested. That’s the bottom line, but if you’re craving a little more, find our full review here.
It looks like Sony’s 10-year-plan for the PS3 is over
Yesterday, Sony announced that MLB The Show 17 will launch on PS4 next March — but it won’t be coming to the PS3. As the previous year’s edition of the sports game was the last first-party title to come to the aging console, this probably means Sony won’t put out new content. If so, we’ve reached the end of the company’s 10-year-plan to support the system. Goodnight, sweet prince.
There’s no sign that Sony will stop giving PS3 owners free old games through PS+, but without first-party support, owners of the legacy console don’t have much to look forward to. The last third-party developers making content for the old system have quietly stopped in the last year, which is still a long time to keep content coming out after the PS4 debuted in 2013.
Back in June, Bungie stated that the next Destiny expansion coming in the fall would split character progression along two paths, preventing players from earning anything when they jump between systems. As we noted when the new content went live at the end of July, it’s likely the developer’s first step in jettisoning support for last-generation console owners. At least they’ve held out longer than Activision, which announced last year that PS3 and Xbox 360 owners would be getting neither the single-player campaign nor the fourth DLC maps for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
As for the latest harbinger of the PS3’s end days, MLB The Show 17 will come out on March 28th, 2017. Legendary slugger Ken Griffey, Jr. will bestir the cover of the American version, though Sony hasn’t announced which players will stare out from the international covers at the dejected faces of PlayStation 3 diehards, for whom brand-new digital baseball experiences are now the stuff of memory.
Source: Playstation blog
‘The Last Guardian’ soundtrack is getting a vinyl release
Pumped for The Last Guardian? Yeah, we are too. The long-awaited follow-up to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus stars a young boy and a giant feathered creature called Trico as they explore a world filled with broken, temple-like structures. The emotional puzzle-platformer has an equally distinctive soundtrack — the work of composer Takeshi Furukawa — and Sony has dropped a few extra pieces of news about audio in The Last Guardian.
Sony will release a special app for the game’s launch, inspiringly titled “The Last Guardian Composer’s Choice PS4 Music App.” It’ll feature 17 tracks from the game’s soundtrack, support stereo and surround sound, and allow gamers to export tracks as stereo MP3s to a USB drive. There’s no word on how much this app will cost, but Sony says the album will also go on sale through iTunes at a later date.
Additionally, if you buy The Last Guardian and happen to own a PlayStation headset that’s compatible with the Headset Companion App, Sony says there’s a “special mode” just for you. You’ll be able to activate a “custom audio mode” in-game for a “fine-tuned audio experience engineered for maximum immersion.” We have no idea what that means, but maybe it’ll be great.
Unsurprisingly — what game doesn’t have one at this point — there’s a vinyl collection in the works too. Produced by iam8bit, the collection boasts two LPs and an “epic tri-fold design” stretching more than 36 inches. It’ll cost $35 and ship in early 2017. For super-fans with a love of vinyl, it looks to be a price worth paying. Just check out that album art:
Aaron Souppouris contributed to this report.
Source: PlayStation Blog
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