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.
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.
Bilibil-kun, the Dealabs leaker who correctly revealed the design of the PlayStation 5 Pro, now says the currently white PS Portal will soon be available in black for the same $200 price.
While the PS Portal can only stream games, it recently got updated to stream some of them from the cloud. Meanwhile, Sony’s also reportedly working on a true Nintendo Switch / Steam Deck rival.
[Dealabs Magazine]
Sony launched a site outlining the history of PlayStation, and it includes a fun tidbit: the PS2 has officially sold 160 million units. That strengthens its position as the best-selling console of all time. Nintendo is nipping at its heels with the Switch, though its momentum is slowing for obvious reasons.
The former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios and current head of indie initiatives has been a part of PlayStation since it started in 1993, but now he’s leaving in January.
Shuhei Yoshida (aka @yosp) explains on the official podcast and in another in-depth interview that he felt it was time and that PlayStation is in good hands.
Sony is giving you another shot to try and buy the retro-gray PS5 slim, DualSense, and DualSense Edge tomorrow at 12PM ET from PlayStation Direct, as spotted by Wario64. Good luck!
Simogo’s mind-melting puzzle noir is getting a PlayStation version on December 3rd, following its initial launch on PC and Switch. No matter what platform you’re playing on, though, make sure to keep a notebook handy.
Ratatan doesn’t just look and sound like Patapon, it even has Hiroyuki Kotani, the designer of the PSP original, working on it.
Oh, and it’s a four-player co-op roguelike? Okay, that’s it — I’m dead. Someone please res me when this launches in 2025.
Based on the video, the inside of Sony’s most advanced PS5 looks pretty similar to the inside of the slim PS5. It’s still pretty cool to see, though — and the PS5 Pro at least has an easier way to access the CMOS battery.
Check out our PS5 Pro review if you want to learn more about the console.
I’ve got a whole series of these hands-on gadget videos — find more on my Threads — but with the PS5 Pro, it’s only now I’ve been able to make one! At Sony’s preview event, journalists couldn’t touch the final hardware so I focused on what it’s like to play; at review time, my video tried to show off the graphics.
Speaking of...
