PATREONItems tagged with Sony
While it was never going to a launch title for the PlayStation 5, development studio Polyphony Digital had every intention of wrapping up work on Gran Turismo 7 this year for a 2021 release by publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment. That is no longer going to happen. Covid-19 has thrown a wrench into those plans, causing the highly anticipated game to be delayed until sometime next year. The latest installment in the popular racing simulation series was formally introduced last year during the PS5 reveal event. A launch video showcased the game'ss high resolution graphics with real-time ray tracing effects, and even teased onlookers with some footage of actual gameplay on the PS5. If you missed...
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The past year has been a difficult one, and in an effort to encourage people to stay inside during the pandemic, Sony in 2020 launched its Play at Home initiative, giving PlayStation 4 owners a pair of free games: Uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey. Now for 2021, Sony is reviving its Play at Home program with another free title, Ratchet & Clank (rebooted for PS4) by Insomniac Games. "In these historic times, the team at PlayStation wanted to thank the community by giving something back. These days, we could all use something to look forward to and another reason to stay safely socially distanced, so we are happy to be able to offer a free selection of great games and some entertainment...
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In 2016, PlayStation launched PlayStation VR, bringing virtual reality into many gamers' homes. Since then, Oculus and Valve have come out with new headsets, overall technology has improved, and the PlayStation 5 is now the "must have" console for gamers. Over four years later, Sony is announcing the next generation of PlayStation VR for the PS5, likely arriving next year. Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Planning & Management for PlayStation, made a blog post today expressing his excitement for the future of VR with the PS5. He explained that once the headset is released, it will enable "the ultimate entertainment experience with dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity."...
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Earlier this month, we talked about a class-action lawsuit that was being formulated against Sony's PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP, the law firm that sparked the lawsuit, alleged that the Dual Sense controllers were prone to joystick drift, which means that the controllers "will automatically register movement when the joystick is not being controlled and interfere with gameplay." Now, the teardown experts at iFixit have revisited the DualSense controller following this new legal action to see what's going on under the surface. Most importantly, iFixit describes that the basic joystick mechanism has not been updated with this next-generation...
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The latest generation game consoles from Microsoft and Sony lean heavily on PC hardware, and that includes the core components—both sport a custom system-on-chip by AMD comprised of Zen 2 CPU cores paired with RDNA 2 GPU cores, to enable ray-traced visuals and gameplay at up to 4K. There are some key differences, though, between the custom chips and their PC brethren. Some of those differences are visible in a set of detailed die shots of the PlayStation 5's SoC. Let's talk about the core specifications before getting to the die shots. The PS5 is an impressive console kit featuring an 8-core Zen 2 CPU sporting a variable clock speed up to 3.5GHz. On the graphics side, 36 compute units based...
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Valentine's Day is upon us and if you're a procrastinator like some of us, then it's highly probable that you don't have a gift in hand for your significant other. If your “sweetie” is in to tech gadgets, and if they don't mind waiting until tomorrow or Tuesday to get their gift, Amazon has some deals that might be worth considering. Amazon Hardware Is Discounted By Up To $50 Right Now The fourth-generation Echo was launched in late 2020, and brought with it an all-new spherical shape, a built-in smart home hub, better sound, a digital microphone disconnect, and a low-power mode. The latest Echo is priced at $99, but Amazon is currently running a promotion where if you buy two, you...
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If you are currently in possession of an Xbox Series S/X or PlayStation 5, consider yourself lucky. All the consoles have been in high demand since they launched in mid-November and are quickly snapped up when retailers managed to restock their shelves. Earlier this month, Sony confirmed that it has sold 4.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles since launch, which is roughly the same as the number of PlayStation 4 consoles sold after its launch in Q4 2013. So far, Microsoft hasn't given us any concrete numbers on how many Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X consoles that it has sold, but data from Ampere Analysis (via GamesIndustry) suggests that the figure is a combined 2.9 million...
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Back in late December, we reported on some troubling issues that Sony PlayStation 5 owners were having with their DualSense controllers. At the time, it was reported that the adaptive triggers -- which are the hot new feature of the DualSense controller -- were prone to failure. The problem seemed to mostly stem from a rather undersized spring used for the controller's triggers. However, the DualSense controller is now coming under fire for a separate issue. The law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP is investigating the potential for launching a class action lawsuit over joystick drift with the DualSense controller. Joystick drift is nothing new in the gaming world,...
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It should come as no surprise to anyone that pent-up demand for next-generation consoles has been immense. Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have been hot-sellers ever since they launched in mid-November, and now Sony is giving us some insight into just how strong demand has been. The company revealed that it shipped 4.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles during the October through December quarter. Interestingly enough, that 4.5 million exactly matches the number of PlayStation 4s that Sony sold during that console's Q4 2013 launch. Sony said that it shipped just 1.4 million PlayStation 4 consoles during Q4 2020, which represented a 77 percent decrease year-over-year....
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Count yourself lucky if you managed to snag an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or either of the PlayStation 5 consoles at regular price, because they have all been extremely hard to come by. Supply is just not able to keep up with demand, and scalpers only exacerbate the issue. That's the bad news. The even worse news? Console shortages will likely persist for the next several months, and potentially into the second half of the year. What's the problem? It really just boils down to not making enough CPU and GPU silicon to power these latest generation game systems. The guts are similar—both the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 are built around custom AMD hardware based on the company's Zen 2 CPU and...
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As we all know by now, Sony's PlayStation 5 is a hot ticket item for gamers. Like the competing Xbox Series X, the both versions of the PlayStation 5 are routinely out of stock from retailers, and they easily sell for twice their MSRP (or greater) on online marketplaces like eBay. However, an even more exclusive line of PlayStation 5 consoles was made available this past Friday. These consoles weren’t provided by Sony, but instead came from a company called SUP3R5. Rather than the white and black motif that we see with the standard console, SUP3R5 instead has gone for what it calls an “Anniversary Edition” design, which is solid black to recall the PlayStation 2. ...
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November 2020 saw the introduction of four next-generation game consoles: the PlayStation 5/PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and the Xbox Series X/Xbox Series S. While the Xbox Series X is technically the most powerful of the bunch with respect to its CPU and GPU specs, it's the PlayStation 5 that has garnered the most attention due to exclusives like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and its new DualSense wireless controller. The DualSense controller has drawn particular attention for its adaptive triggers, which can vary their resistance if game developers decide to take advantage of the feature. For example, in basketball games, the triggers might be harder to press to fire off the perfect...
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Sony's PlayStation 5 has been in short supply ever since it launched back in mid-November. It's always expected that demand for a next-generation consoles will be immense at launch, but the PlayStation 5 has been especially tough to secure, with scalpers reselling them for more than double their MSRP on marketplaces like eBay. The company, however, is taking steps to free up production capacity to get more PlayStation 5 units to customers. Sony Japan has confirmed that it is ending production of the previous generation PlayStation 4 Pro. This is the most potent version of the of the PlayStation that was available for customers to purchase prior to the arrival of the PlayStation...
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Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that it has been incredibly hard to find next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony anywhere in stock. Of the newly launched models, the Xbox Series S has been among the easiest to find, while both models of the PlayStation 5 have been the hardest to obtain. The Xbox Series X is somewhere in between. With that being said, if you've still be striking out when it comes to obtaining a PlayStation 5, help is on the way. According to a report from DigiTimes, Sony shipped around 3.4 million PlayStation 5 consoles during its first 4 weeks of availability (which represented the highest total ever for a PlayStation console). However,...
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If you own a PlayStation 5, you’re among an elite group of gamers that was able to lay hands on the hard-to-find next-generation console. The PlayStation 5, like the Xbox Series X, has been in short supply ever since it launched in early November, and the inventory situation hasn’t gotten much better as we approach close of 2020. One of the defining features of the PlayStation 5 is its DualSense controller, which ditches old school vibration motors in favor of haptic feedback, and introduces new adaptive triggers. The adaptive triggers are particularly noteworthy, as they can vary their force based on in-game parameters. For example, as your player tires in a basketball or soccer...
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The latest generation game consoles are some of the hottest selling items this year. Whether you are looking for a PlayStation 5 (with our without a baked-in optical drive), Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, your chances of waltzing into your local Walmart or Best Buy and walking out with one on a random basis are slim. What can you do? Well, with Christmas now just a few days away, the odds of getting a next-gen console for the big day decrease with each passing moment. However, not all is lost, potentially. There are some things you can do to tip the odds ever-so-slightly, and perhaps snag one before a scalper can get their grubby hands on one, only to flip it for an inflated price on eBay or...
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It is a tough time to be a gamer. There has been an extremely limited stock of computer parts (GPUs, CPUs) and next-gen consoles over the last several months. We even have some tips and tricks put together to help you snag a console, such as a PlayStation 5, but even that may not be enough. As GameStop continues to sell PS5 consoles at random, some people have had their orders canceled out from under them. Since the PS5 launched, GameStop and other retailers have been running “drops” where a certain number of consoles are thrown up onto the website for people to purchase. GameStop specifically has done some surprise and planned “drops,” and a few people have been lucky...
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One day after we reported on Sony's refusal offer refunds to gamers that are upset about the bugs and general unpolished nature of Cyberpunk 2077, Sony is reversing its stance. We suggested at the end of our article that Sony should make an exception and allow refunds given how upset PlayStation 4 gamers have been about the game's performance on their consoles. In a tweet posted tonight, Sony Interactive Entertainment addressed the matter head-on. In a statement, the company explained: SIE strives to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased Cyberpunk 2077 via PlayStation Store and want a refund. Please...
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The refund situation over regarding Cyberpunk 2077 is starting to get a bit murkier... at least if you bought the PlayStation 4 version of the game. Earlier this week, developer CD Projekt Red (CDPR) addressed the controversy over poor performance, numerous bugs, and horrible graphics on previous generation consoles by telling customers that they could request a refund. "We'd would appreciate it if you would give us a chance, but if you are not pleased with the game on your console and don't want to wait for updates, you can opt to refund your copy," said CDPR in a tweet on Monday. "For copies purchased digitally, please use the refund system of PSN or Xbox respectively."...
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OK folks, it's that most wonderful time of year again. No, we're not talking about drinking eggnog and watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation for the 100th time; we're talking about the next scheduled "console drop" from a major U.S. retailer. In this case, Best Buy has announced its intent to restock its shelves with Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition consoles. The company says that the big day comes tomorrow, December 15th, as part of a larger 3-day sales bonanza. However, let's get one thing out of the way first: this won't be an in-store sales event. So, don't count on camping out in front of the store in the hopes of laying your...
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Sony's PlayStation 5 has been available for about a month now, and quantities have been extremely limited, to say the least. Sony says the PS5 has been its largest console release ever and that absolutely every unit the company has made has been sold. However, so far the only way we've seen inside the console so far has been thanks to Sony's own pre-launch teardown. The cooling system is as big as the console itself -- which is to say, it's a monster -- but we haven't gotten a good look at the RDNA 2-infused chip inside until now. The fine folks at iFixIt finally got their hands on one for a complete, thorough disassembly, and there's a lot to cover. In case you're unfamiliar with our previous...
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If you wanted to experience Spider-Man: Miles Morales in ray-traced glory on the PlayStation 5, you would have had to trade off performance and drop the game down to 30FPS in “Fidelity Mode.” Running at 60FPS, or “Performance Mode” netted decent frames but dropped the ray tracing. Now, there is a compromise between the two settings with “Performance RT” mode so you can play the game at 60FPS and still enjoy ray tracing on the PS5. Overnight, Insomniac Games, the developers behind Spider-Man: Miles Morales, pushed a 261.9MB update to consoles that brought the “Performance RT” mode. This system hits 60FPS with ray tracing enabled by “adjusting...
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