Sony has again provided some new details on its next-generation console. As part of Sony's Corporate Strategy Meeting today, the company discussed at a high level what it hopes to achieve in the future across its various business units, including PlayStation.
The two keywords for PlayStation going forward are "immersive" and "seamless," Sony said. Concerning hardware, Sony said its next-generation console, the PlayStation 5, will offer an "immersive experience created by dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds."
This will be made possible through the "employment of further improved computational power and a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD," Sony said.
Overall, the PlayStation 5--or whatever Sony ends up calling its new console--will offer experiences that "greatly exceed" what is possible on PS4 and PS4 Pro. Sony said people can expect "completely transformative and immersive gaming experiences" on the PS5.
One of the features that PlayStation system architect Mark Cerny talked about for the PS5 is how its use of solid-state drives will reduce loading screen times.
Cerny pointed out that the fast travel loading screen in Spider-Man on PS4 took roughly 15 seconds on a PS4 Pro, but less than one second on a dev kit for the PS5. Given that the new hardware will be backwards compatible with older games, that means your load times will likely be reduced across the board when you upgrade. Check out the video below from The Wall Street Journal report Takashi Mochizuki who is attending the Sony event today to see the faster load times in action.
Sony's official video comparing performance of PS4 Pro vs next-gen PlayStation pic.twitter.com/2eUROxKFLq
Cerny also talked about how the PS5 will allow for faster rendering, which means more environmental objects and textures will populate at a faster rate. In the presentation today, Sony said the PS5 will offer "many new features" beyond these advancements to loading and rendering, though none were mentioned.
Also during the presentation, Sony said it expects the PS4 to reach sales of 100 million units by the end of the 2019 calendar year. PS4 sales currently stand at 96.8 million systems sold. PlayStation Network has 94 million monthly active users, the company said.
Additionally, Sony management talked about how streaming will play a big role in the PlayStation brand going forward. The PS5 will support Remote Play functionality, Sony confirmed, while management also said it's looking to its new deal with Microsoft for cloud-gaming solutions to play a role in the company's future success in that area. Sony of course already operates the PlayStation Now streaming service (which has 700,000 subscribers by Sony's latest count), but it appears the company has bigger and bolder plans in the future.
Sony is not attending E3 2019 next month, so the company presumably won't be announcing the PlayStation 5 there. The PlayStation 5 will have an "appealing" price point given its specs, according to Cerny, but there is no ballpark estimate yet regarding what the price may be.
Video: 10 Things We Still Don’t Know For Certain About Super Mario Maker 2
As unbelievable as it might be, there are still a lot of things we don’t know about Super Mario Maker 2. Even after all the Direct footage, in-depth analysis and information via the game’s eShop listing and website, there’s plenty to find out.
That’s why our lovely senior video producer, Alex Olney, has rounded up precisely 10 things, we still don’t know for certain about this upcoming June release. If for one reason or another you don’t have time to watch this amazing 13-minute video, here’s a brief summary of what we’re unsure about simply because Nintendo hasn’t told us, or yeah…some other reason!
Does the sequel include local multiplayer outside of course-making co-op?
Can winged Boos circling in rings now follow Mario?
The lack of amiibo costumes on display – will they actually be in the game, or not?
That Hammer Power-Up? Is it tied to the Hammer Bros. suit or is it something brand new?
A caution cone on the item wheel and a record icon were spotted in the Japanese trailer – is there custom music or a special trigger?
Extra Game Styles – are there more?
Playing as other characters in single player, will it be allowed?
Can you swap items on item wheels?
How will downvotes work in the game?
Where is that weird and tall-looking mushroom that makes Mario look hilarious?
What do you think? Can you provide answers to our questions in the comments below? Watch the above video and share your thoughts.
Spider-Man: Far From Home Teaser Clip Confirms Major Spoiler
When it comes to spoilers in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Marvel Studios and Sony aren't being anywhere near as cautious as with Avengers: Endgame. A new promo manages to spoil something major that was hinted at in an earlier trailer, which is impressive since the clip in question is only five seconds long. If you don't want to be spoiled, now's when you should stop reading.
The promo confirms that MJ (Zendaya) finds out Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) secret identity as Spider-Man, making her the second of Peter's school friends to realize he has extraordinary powers--the other being Ned (Jacob Batalon). The video was caught by a user on Twitter, who shared it.
This plot twist was first hinted at in the latest Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, in which MJ confronts Peter with his secret identity, telling him, "It's kind of obvious." Still, given the Marvel Cinematic Universe's reliance on secrecy and misdirects in trailers, it was hard to believe this is how the story would go.
In the latest clip, though, it's clear that not only does MJ know, she figured it out on her own. What remains to be seen is precisely how she figures it out. Granted, Spider-Man does seem to go wherever Peter does and conveniently pop up as soon as he disappears. So perhaps it's not that hard to figure out.
Spider-Man: Far From Home sees the cast of the first movie return, along with the first appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill since they popped up in Endgame. Another intriguing new addition is Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. While traditionally, Mysterio has been a villain in the comics, the trailers thus far have painted him as a hero from a parallel dimension. Still, we're convinced he's lying and turns out to be the villain of this particular story.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theaters on July 2.
Resident Evil 4 On Switch Is Missing Something Pretty Major For Nintendo Fans
We’re currently playing our way through Resident Evil 4 for our review, and while the prospect of once again enjoying what is perhaps the zenith of the entire franchise has pleased us greatly, there’s one thing missing from the Switch port: motion control.
It would seem that Resident Evil 4 on Switch is very much a straight conversion of the PS4 and Xbox One HD update from a while back, and no attempt has been made to factor in the motion controls that made the Wii edition of the game so appealing.
While alternative control options are available in-game, none of them enable motion control — something that could have been replicated quite easily thanks to the unique nature of the Joy-Con controllers.
You can’t really blame Capcom for this; directly porting the existing HD version is clearly the easiest option, and only a small portion of the user base on Switch will even notice the lack of motion input, but it still means that this isn’t quite the ‘definitive’ version of the game.
Capcom could, of course, patch motion controls in at a later date, but does it need to? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 05-21-2019, 02:09 PM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
‘Gears of War’ 2019 Funko Pop! collection available May 23
The next wave of Gears of War Funko Pop! figures are about to hit store shelves this Thursday, May 23! As we announced earlier this month, the mainline collection includes Kait Diaz in her winter gear from last year’s Gears 5 trailer, Marcus Fenix in his classic gear, Queen Myrrah, the Locust Boomer and the GameStop exclusive Skorge.
But that’s not all! Also releasing on Thursday is a limited-edition Collector’s Box which includes four Gears Pop! pins, a Gears Pop! baseball hat, a Gears Pop! artbook and four limited release Pop! figures: a red Skorge with shaded details, a gold-dipped of Marcus Fenix, a patinaed Myrrah, and Anya Stroud. The Collector’s Box is available exclusively at GameStop (in-stores and online) with limited quantities at EB Games, Sportscard Australia, select retailers throughout Europe and at E3.
All of these Pop! figures include a digital code for the upcoming Gears Pop! mobile game, which releases later this year. The code can be redeemed to your Xbox Live account starting May 23 – once the game has launched, the specific content associated with the code will unlock as it is released in game.
For more information on the Gears franchise, stay tuned to Xbox Wire, and to keep up to date with the latest information about Gears Pop!, you can visit www.gearspop.com and follow @GearsPop on Twitter.
CD Projekt Red talks Cyberpunk 2077 crunch, vows to be ‘more humane’ to devs
“I think this is the commitment we’re ready to make today, and we’ll be listening to people. We definitely open a lot of lines of dialogue here, and we’d like to start with that.”
– CD Projekt Red leadership says speaking publicly about crunch acts as a public commitment to treat its devs humanely
CD Projekt Red’s co-founder Marcin Iwiński and studio head Adam Badowski approached Kotaku to discuss how the studio aims to tackle crunch as development of Cyberpunk 2077 enters its final laps.
Crunch is a persistent topic of conversation in the game industry, but stories about the practice are typically born out of burnt-out developers coming forward as opposed to studio leadership reaching out to the press. Iwiński, however, says the proactive approach aims to act as a public commitment that “we want to be more humane and treat people with respect.”
On the topic of crunch, Iwiński vows that the final stretch of Cyberpunk 2077’s development will “be better than The Witcher’s finishing period,” in the very least. He tells Kotaku that the studio is pushing its existing “non-obligatory crunch policy” even harder this time around and ensuring developers know that crunch isn’t mandatory, even when they’re directly asked to work nights and weekends. (Though, as past stories on crunch often point out, there are many ways crunch can become an implied requirement even without a direct mandate.)
The full Kotaku article has a detailed account on which promises CD Projekt Red would and wouldn’t commit to during the conversation. For instance, Iwiński wouldn’t say much of the specifics of the crunch that has happened so far, or promise to limit crunch to set periods of time. Instead, he reiterates that opening up to the press aims to act as a public commitment to the team working on Cyberpunk 2077.
“We’ve created a lot of force functions for us to improve,” Iwiński told Kotaku. “Making this commitment, I hope it shows that we are treating this matter very seriously.”
Kotaku’s Jason Schreier points out that the proactive approach may aim to preempt a potential investigation similar to the one the site published on BioWare’s Anthem in April. Schreier notes that four former CD Projekt Red devs reached out to Kotaku following that Anthem story to say they’d seen similar labor practices while working on Cyberpunk 2077.
Get a job: Crystal Dynamics, FoxNext Games, and more are hiring now!
Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.
Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.
Here are just some of the many, many positions being advertised right now. If you’re a recruiter looking for talent, you can also post jobs here.
Location: Burbank, California
Insomniac Games is looking for an audio designer to create, edit, and implement game-ready audio of the highest quality for AAA projects. They’ll work closely with the audio and development teams. They’ll maintain a high level of quality and consistency of assets throughout development.
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Our Software Developers drive, innovate, and execute engineering tasks on our games. You will support the technical vision and implementation of the Hyper Hippo games to help us evolve and take our game to new heights, growing our player base and helping create new features that continue to bring our fans back for more. Scaling our games into the top of the charts, you’ll have an opportunity ensure our games and features maintain optimal performance continue to engage our players around the globe.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Under the direction of the Chair, Media Studies, the Professor, is responsible for facilitating and guiding learning and providing an effective learning environment for all students. The professional responsibilities include the design/revision/updating of courses, the teaching of assigned courses, and the provision of academic leadership.
Location: San Jose, California
FoxNext Games is looking for an experienced narrative designer to translate the vision of the creative director into in-game story and playable events, develop fresh and innovative stories, settings, and characters in the Aliens science fiction universe, lead collaboration with other writers and designers, own the story bible and narrative vision for the project, create deep and engaging characters to populate the world, and script in-game dialog to bring them to life, and more as a member of its team.
Location: Redwood City, California
Crystal Dynamics is looking for an outstanding, talented, and experienced FX Artist. The successful FX Artist will have experience with particle editing, texture creation and real-time materials, and will have both a strong creative and technical background. This FX Artist with be able to conceptualize, present, and execute ideas within a schedule, while actively participating in technical and artistic problem solving, and will be able to partner with multiple disciplines to meet project-specific needs. He or she will be able to quickly understand custom toolsets and deliver assets within the confines of real-time engine constraints and programming demands.
May 11th : New Preview Alpha Ring 1905 Update (1905.190510-1845)
Starting at 3:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Alpha Ring will begin receiving the latest 1905 Xbox One system update (19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1905\18362.3055.190510-1845) Read on for more about the new features, fixes and known issues in the latest 1905 system update.
DETAILS:
OS version released: 19H1_RELEASE_XBOX_DEV_1905\18362.3055.190510-1845
Available: 3:00PM PDT 5/11/19
Mandatory Date/Time: 3:00 AM PDT 5/12/19
Fixes:
Audio
Some users may have been impacted recently by their Dolby Atmos for Home Theater audio setting reverting to another audio setting. We have made a fix recently and are looking to our Insider Audience to verify it.
If you intend to use Dolby Atmos for Home Theater, please check out your Audio Settings and make sure it is enabled. If you are continuing to have problems enabling it, please file a bug.
We have fixed an issue in which Users who changed their Headset format settings (to enable/disable Dolby Atmos for Headphones, Windows Sonic For Headphones) did not have their intended setting take effect in the UI flow (even though it looks like it succeeds)
My Games and Apps – Video Apps
We have fixed the issue with video corruption showing in apps such as Youtube and Netflix with 4k playback.
System
Localization fixes.
Known Issues:
Audio
Headsets are not being assigned to the users profiles and not working correctly.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
Today we are announcing that we have made the difficult decision to transition the Minecraft Forum from an active website to a read-only archive. This decision has been made after careful consideration about how we can best serve the Minecraft community with the resources we have available. A read-only archive of the website will ensure that the valuable content contributed over many years is safe-guarded, remaining available for visitors to explore.
From everyone at the Minecraft Forum we are deeply grateful for our communities contributions to the forum over the last decade, big and small. Millions of members have shared tens of millions of posts that have been viewed billions of times, and everyone contributed something to make this forum great. Minecraft Mod creators helped expand the world of Minecraft, support volunteers worked tirelessly to provide access to that world and everyone together turned that world into a community.
Read only mode will be enabled on June 16th, 2019. From this date you will no longer be able to login to the Minecraft Forum and no new content will be created, however all links to the Minecraft Forum will continue to work as-is, all content will remain accessible. This change does not impact the Minecraft Wiki. The Minecraft Wiki will continue as an active website, we have no plans to archive the Minecraft Wiki.
We appreciate that this is a big change and that there will be many questions. I am available in the comments of this news post to answer any questions you may have, and you are welcome to reach out via Private Message if you have any questions you would like to ask privately.
Please use the comments as an opportunity to share your story about what this community has meant to you. We would love to hear about how the forum has impacted you, whether it inspired a passion for creating, helped build friendships or simply provided you somewhere to share your love of the game — any thoughts you may have are welcome.
Step on to the course like never before in the most immersive Everybody?s Golf experience yet! Swing for the flag with your PS Move motion controller or DualShock 4 wireless controller. Play through three incredible courses, practice your putting on the green, or tee off at the driving range to perfect your swing.
