For more than 25 years, Sony’s PlayStation has been synonymous with gaming. It’s given players experiences like God of War, The Last of Us, and Final Fantasy VII alongside technological innovations from CD-ROMs all the way up to 4K, VR, and cloud gaming. There have even been attempts at portable gaming with the PSP and Vita. Across multiple generations the company has been a pioneer, starting with the original PlayStation and continuing with the PS5.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Konami’s remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, will be released on August 28th, 2025, according to a trailer found on the PlayStation Store. The Ape Escape-themed Snake vs. Monkey mode apparently returns, too.
I’ve emailed Sony and Konami to ask if this is legit. Sure seems like it, though!
Sony sadly wasn’t kidding when it said the original PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and PS4 themes for the PS5 were a limited-time thing. According to the official PlayStation account on X, the themes are being removed tomorrow, January 31st, but will return “in the months ahead.”
Hopefully we’ll get even better themes so I can make my PS5 look and feel just like a PS2 — minus the disc read errors.
Sony has detailed the PC-specific features and recommended specs for the game, including Nvidia DLSS Ray Reconstruction, support for ultrawide aspect ratios up to 32:9, and more. The game also won’t require a PSN account to play.
According to Bloomberg and user reports, T-Mobile’s list of eligible devices for beta testing Starlink direct-to-cell connections now includes iPhones. While only a few Samsung Galaxy devices were supported at first, now iPhone owners with the most recent update can reportedly connect, as well as some people with Android 15 devices.
That gives those owners an alternative to Apple’s Globalstar-connected service while off the grid that works without pointing their phone at the sky first.
As of April 1st, Hideaki Nishino will become the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company behind the PlayStation brand. This comes nearly a year after he and Herman Hulst were appointed co-CEOs of the PlayStation business, splitting responsibilities for leading the platform business and games following the retirement of Jim Ryan.
Hulst will continue leading development of PlayStation content for consoles, PC, film, and TV but will now report to Nishino.
Nishino:
We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as IP expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation.
Sony shared a video of an “immersive proof-of-concept entertainment experience” for The Last of Us as part of its news at CES. It looks like a fancy theme park-like experience, though it seems too scary for me.
Can Sony make one next for climbing a Horizon Tallneck?
The folks at Digital Foundry have a video and writeup of all the ways the latest Call of Duty takes advantage of the “most powerful PlayStation ever” despite being published by Microsoft-owned Activision.
Some issues with PSSR artifacts need to be straightened out, but the anti-lag VRR feature and enhanced 120Hz mode add something for the Pro’s extra cost.
PlayStation had a rocky 2024 but still put out some great games.
Sony’s handheld seems to have found an audience since launching a year ago, and this info may help explain who that is. With usage that peaks an hour after the PS5, Sony’s exec figures people use their Portal while the family’s big screens are otherwise occupied, something that could be even better now that Sony’s testing cloud streamed PS5 games.
Very well deserved — the game is fantastic.
Here’s the acceptance speech from Nicolas Doucet, studio director of Astro Bot developer Team Asobi.
Nintendo has rescued another Wii title from the dustbin of shuttered digital storefronts, bringing Donkey Kong Country Returns to the Switch in glorious HD on January 16th.
Seemingly out of respect for players who are either Too Old / Busy or Too Young to struggle with the game’s apparent difficulty spike, Nintendo has added a “Modern Mode” that will increase your health and carrying capacity.
Santa’s elves work hard, but Astro Bot’s developers work harder. Out Thursday, December 12th, the Winter Wonder update adds a new Christmas-themed level accessible once you’ve completed the game.
Team Asobi didn’t share details in hopes of preserving the surprises, but they did note, “...it is a celebration enjoyable for children and adults alike. So, no hair-pulling challenge this time.”
PlayStation has rolled out its Wrap Up for 2024 treating players to a personal overview of their gaming habits over the year. Since the site appears to have loading issues right now, I can’t show you how long I’ve spent in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. (A lot.) However, Wario64 was kind enough to share theirs, averaging seven hours over just six games.
Sony is launching a fancy free demo for Gran Turismo 7 with the clever name My First Gran Turismo. It’ll be available on December 6th on both PS4 and PS5, and is aimed at newcomers to the franchise, and racing sims in general. And if you get hooked? You can transfer over your progress to the full game.
