The official PlayStation 30th anniversary is this week and PlayStation has announced a PlayStation Store sale with a bunch of games to help celebrate three decades of PlayStation.

The sale has just kicked off and will last until December 21st. Because it’s just gone live, we don’t have a list of prices yet, but if you go to the PlayStation Store and visit for the listing for any of the below games, you’ll see the new prices.

Looking at the list, the sale doesn’t exactly scream 30th Anniversary with not a lot of retro games/PlayStation classics included. The original Ape Escape is down to $10.46 though, which is 30% off, so I highly recommend playing that if you haven’t already. 

There’s obviously a lot of newer PlaySTation games such as God of War, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 on the list. Gran Turismo is 58% off along with The Last Of Us Part 1 and Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy is 60% off.

PLAYSTATION STORE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GAME DEALS

• #BLUD
• A Hat in Time
• A Little to the Left
• A Plague Tale Bundle
• A Way Out
• ABZÛ
• ACE COMBAT7: SKIES UNKNOWN – TOP GUN: Maverick Edition
• Alaskan Road Truckers: Highway Edition
• Alien: Isolation
• Among The Sleep – Enhanced Edition
• Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
• ANIMAL WELL
• Anno 1800 Console Edition – Deluxe
• Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition
• Ape Escape
• Arcade Paradise VR
• Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Deluxe
• Assassin’s Creed® Freedom Cry
• Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag
• Assassin’s Creed® Mirage Deluxe Edition
• Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey
• Assassin’s Creed® Origins Deluxe Edition
• Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate – Season Pass
• Assassin’s Creed® Unity
• Assetto Corsa
• Assetto Corsa Competizione – 2024 Pack
• Asterix & Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Menhir
• ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
• Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack
• Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack
• ATOM RPG
• Attack on Titan
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Gold Edition
• Back 4 Blood: Deluxe Edition
• Batman: The Enemy Within – Season Pass
• Batman: The Telltale Series – Season Pass
• Battlefield 4
• Battlefield 1 Revolution
• Battlefield Hardline Standard Edition
• Bayonetta
• Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions
• BioShock 2 Remastered
• BioShock Remastered
• Black Desert: Traveler Edition
• Blair Witch Deluxe Edition
• Blair Witch VR Deluxe Edition
• Blasphemous 2
• Bloodborne: Game of the Year Edition
• Bloons TD 5
• BLUE REFLECTION
• B?: Path of the Teal Lotus
• Borderlands Legendary Collection
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
• Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged
• Broken Sword 5 – the Serpent’s Curse
• Bugsnax
• Builder Simulator
• Bulletstorm VR
• Bum Simulator
• Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop
• C-Smash VRS New Dimension
• Call of Cthulhu®
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of the Wild: The Angler
• Car Mechanic Simulator
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
• Carnival Games®
• Cars 3: Driven to Win
• Cartel Tycoon
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection
• Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood
• Cat Quest
• Chained Climb Together
• Chained Echoes
• Chants of Sennaar
• Cities: Skylines – Mayor’s Edition
• ClusterTruck
• Commandos 3 – HD Remaster
• Company of Heroes 3
• Control: Ultimate Edition
• Crash Bandicoot Bundle – N. Sane Trilogy + CTR Nitro-Fueled
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
• Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
• Crown Wars: The Black Prince
• Crysis Remastered Trilogy
• Cult of the Lamb: Cultist Edition
• Dark Light
• Darkest Dungeon®
• Darksiders Genesis
• Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
• Darksiders III
• Darksiders Warmastered Edition
• Darksiders: Fury’s Collection – War and Death
• Darkwood – Special Edition
• Days Gone
• Dead Cells
• Dead Island 2 Ultimate Edition
• DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round
• Dead Space Digital Deluxe Edition
• DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
• Deathbound
• Demon’s Souls Digital Deluxe Edition
• Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed: Single Player
• Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection
• Diablo® Prime Evil Collection
• DIRT 5
• DISSIDIA® FINAL FANTASY® NT Digital Deluxe Edition
• DMC4SE Demon Hunter Bundle
• Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
• DOOM
• DOOM + DOOM II
• DOOM 64
• DRAGON BALL FighterZ – FighterZ Edition
• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 Special Edition
• DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Deluxe Edition
• DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
• Dragon’s Crown Pro
• Dreams
• DREDGE
• DRIFTCE
• Drums Rock
• Dying Light
• EA SPORTS FC 25 Ultimate Edition
• EA SPORTS College Football 25 – Deluxe Edition
• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 Deluxe Edition
• EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Deluxe Edition
• ELEX
• Elite Dangerous
• Enotria: The Last Song Standard Edition
• Espresso Tycoon
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game – Year 1 Edition ()
• F1® 24 Champions Edition
• F1® Manager 2024
• Far Cry® 4 Gold Edition
• Far Cry® 6 Deluxe Edition
• Far Cry® Primal
• Farmer’s Dynasty
• FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES Remastered Edition
• FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD
• FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered
• FINAL FANTASY® IX Digital Edition
• FINAL FANTASY® VII
• Firefighting Simulator – The Squad
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
• Flintlock – Deluxe Edition
• FOR HONOR – Gold Edition
• Freddi Fish Collection
• Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator
• Frontier hunter – Deluxe Edition
• Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune
• Funko Fusion + Bob Ross Bundle
• Fusion Bundle
• Gangs of Sherwood – Lionheart Edition
• Garten of Banban 4
• Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
• Generation Zero®
• Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Ghostrunner 2 Deluxe Edition
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection
• GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst
• God of War
• Gone Home: Console Edition
• Gotham Knights: Deluxe
• Gran Turismo® 7
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Graveyard Keeper
• Gravity Rush 2
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
• Hairdresser Simulator
• Handball 21
• Hardspace: Shipbreaker
• Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
• Heavy Rain
• Hello Neighbor
• Hello Neighbor 2
• HITMAN World of Assassination
• Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition
• Homefront®: The Revolution ‘Freedom Fighter’ Bundle
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition
• HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED
• House Flipper
• House Flipper 2
• House of Golf 2
• Humongous Classic Collection
• Hunt: Showdown 1896
• Hunting Simulator 2
• IMMORTALS FENYX RISING
• INDIGO PROPHECY
• inFAMOUS First Light
• Injustice 2 – Legendary Edition
• Jak and Daxter Bundle
• Judgment
• Jurassic World Evolution
• Jurassic World Evolution 2: Deluxe Edition
• Just Cause 3: XXL Edition
• Just Cause 4 – Gold Edition
• Just Die Already
• Kao the Kangaroo
• Kayak VR: Mirage
• Kayak VR: Mirage + So?a Valley
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
• Kerbal Space Program Enhanced Edition
• Kill It With Fire
• Killing Floor 2
• Killing Floor: Double Feature
• KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL
• King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition
• KINGDOM HEARTS III
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• Knack 2
• Lawn Mowing Simulator
• Legendary Tales
• LEGO® Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® Harry Potter Collection
• LEGO® Marvel Collection
• LEGO® Marvel’s Avengers
• LEGO® Star Wars:The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® Worlds
• Liftoff: Drone Racing
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Ultimate Edition
• Like a Dragon: Ishin!
• Little Goody Two Shoes
• Little Nightmares Complete Edition
• Little Nightmares I & II Bundle
• LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP
• Lords of the Fallen
• Lovecraftian Bundle
• Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Standard Edition
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns Digital+ Edition
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition
• Max Mustard
• METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
• Metro 2033 Redux
• Metro: Last Light Redux
• Miasma Chronicles
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War
• Monopoly Family Fun Pack
• Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Deluxe
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate + Injustice 2 Leg. Edition Bundle
• Mortal Kombat XL
• MotoGP22
• MudRunner
• MX vs ATV Legends
• MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE 2
• NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja® STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO
• NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS
• NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
• Need for Speed
• Need for Speed Heat Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Payback – Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Rivals
• Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition
• NEO: The World Ends with You
• Nexomon + Nexomon: Extinction – Complete Collection
• Nexomon: Extinction
• NHL® 25 Deluxe Edition
• Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
• Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition
• Octodad: Dadliest Catch
• Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS1 Emulation)
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
• Offroad Mechanic Simulator
• Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game
• ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD – Gold Edition
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
• ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 Ultimate Edition
• ONE PIECE: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition
• ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS Deluxe Edition
• Onimusha: Warlords
• Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR
• Outlast Whistleblower
• Outlast: Bundle of Terror
• Outlast: Trinity
• Overcooked! + Overcooked! 2
• Overpass
• Overpass 2 – Deluxe Edition
• Paint the Town Red
• Paint the Town Red VR
• PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION
• Payday 3: Chapter 1 – Syntax Error
• PAYDAY 3: Chapter 3 – Houston Breakout
• PBA Pro Bowling 2023
• Penny’s Big Breakaway
• Persona 4 Golden
• Persona 5
• Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection
• Persona®5 Strikers
• PGA TOUR 2K23 Deluxe Edition
• Planet Coaster: Premium Edition
• Planet Zoo
• Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
• Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid
• Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition
• Prison Simulator
• QUANTUM ERROR
• Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Digital Deluxe Edition
• Red Dead Redemption & Red Dead Redemption 2 Bundle
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition
• Returnal
• RIDE 3
• Riders Republic 360 Edition
• Road 96
• Rust Console Edition – Ultimate
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure
• Saints Row Gold Edition
• Saints Row IV Re-Elected
• Sakura Wars Digital Deluxe Edition
• Salt and Sanctuary
• SAMURAI WARRIORS 4
• SAMURAI WARRIORS 4 Empires
• SAND LAND
• SCHiM
• Secret Neighbor
• Secret of Mana
• Session: Skate Sim Year One Complete Edition
• Shadow Man Remastered
• SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
• Sherlock Holmes Essential Bundle
• Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
• Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
• Ship of Fools
• Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI Platinum Edition
• Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition
• SMITE Deluxe Legacy Pass
• Sniper Elite 4
• Sniper Elite 5 Complete Edition
• Sniper Elite V2 Remastered
• Sniper Elite VR
• SnowRunner – 1-Year Anniversary Edition
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate – Digital Deluxe
• Sonic Origins
• South Park: The Video Game Collection
• South Park: The Fractured but Whole
• Space Engineers
• SpeedRunners
• Spelunky 2
• Spike Volleyball
• Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
• Star Ocean®: The Last Hope – 4K and Full HD Remaster
• Star Trek: Resurgence
• STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor Deluxe Edition
• STAR WARS Jedi Cross-Gen Bundle Edition
• Steelrising – Bastille Edition
• Stellaris: Console Edition – Deluxe Edition
• Still Wakes the Deep
• Stilt
• Stranded: Alien Dawn
• SUCCUBUS
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – Digital Deluxe Edition
• Supermarket Simulation Grocery Empire 3D
• SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Tales of Arise
• Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator
• TCG Empire: Card Shop Simulator
• TEKKEN 7 – Originals Edition
• TEKKEN 8 Deluxe Edition
• Terraria
• The Chant
• The Crew Motorfest Deluxe Edition
• The Dark Pictures Anthology : Season One
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
• The Disney Afternoon Collection
• The Escapists
• The Escapists + The Escapists: The Walking Dead Collection
• The Escapists 2
• The Evil Within
• The Game of Life 2
• The Inquisitor
• The Jackbox Party Pack 10
• The Jackbox Party Pack Trilogy
• The Jackbox Party Quintpack
• The Jackbox Quintpack 2.0
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002 UNLIMITED MATCH
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII GLOBAL MATCH
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Deluxe Edition
• The Last of Us Part II
• The Last of Us Part I
• The Last Of Us Remastered
• The Legend of Dragoon
• The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
• The Outer Worlds: Board-Approved Bundle
• The Persona Collection
• The Quarry – Deluxe Edition
• The Settlers: New Allies Deluxe Edition
• The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
• The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
• The Ultimate Sonic Bundle
• The Walking Dead Onslaught
• The Walking Dead: The Final Season – Season Pass
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• theHunter: Call of the Wild
• Thief
• Thief Simulator
• Thief Simulator VR: Greenview Street
• Thymesia
• Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition
• Titan Quest
• Titanfall® 2: Ultimate Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Breakpoint
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands Standard Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Deluxe Edition
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
• Tomb Raider: Legend
• Tombi! Special Edition
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – Cross-Gen Deluxe Bundle
• Tour de France 2024
• Train Sim World® 5: Special Edition
• Trepang2 – Digital Deluxe Edition
• Tropico 6 El Prez Edition
• Truck Driver
• TT Isle Of Man: Ride on the Edge 3
• TUNIC
• Twisted Metal: Black
• Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition
• UFC® 5 Deluxe Edition
• Ultrawings 2
• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection
• UNCHARTED The Nathan Drake Collection
• Undisputed WBC Edition
• Unicorn Overlord
• Unravel
• Unravel Two
• V Rising
• V-Rally 4
• Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
• Valiant Hearts: The Collection
• Vampyr
• Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
• Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr | Imperium edition
• Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Gold Edition
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2
• WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Ultimate
• Wasteland 3 Colorado Collection
• Watch Dogs 2
• Way of the Hunter
• Wild Bastards
• WILD HEARTS Standard Edition
• WipEout Omega Collection
• Wired VR Bundle
• WitchSpring R
• Wizard of Legend
• Wizard with a Gun
• Wobbledogs Console Edition
• Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood
• World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24
• WRC 10 – Deluxe Edition
• WRC Generations – Fully Loaded Edition
• Wreckfest – Complete Edition
• WW2 Rebuilder
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds
• WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition
• XCOM® 2 Collection
• Yakuza 3 Remastered
• Yakuza 4 Remastered
• Yakuza 5 Remastered
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza Kiwami 2
• Yakuza Zero
• Yooka-Laylee
• Zombie Army Trilogy

The post The PlayStation Store’s 30th Anniversary Sale Has Just Kicked Off With A Heap Of Game Deals appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a fun year of PlayStation 30th Anniversary announcements and releases, but PlayStation continues to say that we should “stay tuned for more 30th anniversary celebrations” and people seem to think that there will be a major stream on the actual 30th anniversary next week.

In a recent PS5 trailer, there was a train departure board that had the date/time on it that equated to “03/12/2024” which is the original release date for the PlayStation 1 and the actual 30th anniversary, prompting people to believe that there could be an event happening.

Couple this with the fact that serial PlayStation leaker (who is always right) keeps saying that a bunch of new accessories including a black DualSense Edge, Pulse Explore/Elite headphones, a Helldivers 2 DualSense among other accessories are due to be announced imminently.

? UPCOMING RELEASE ?

Before the 'alleged' release of a new portable console, PlayStation Portal will get a brand new color similar to the accessory set we mentioned earlier,

But that's not all…#PSPortal https://t.co/pLeNbUd6oF

— billbil-kun (@billbil_kun) November 27, 2024

There’s also been a long-standing rumour that the original God of War trilogy is being remastered/remade, with Christopher Judge (voice of Kratos) hinting that announcements were coming soon – this would be the perfect announcement for a 30th anniversary stream.

BREAKING: #Bloodborne servers are undergoing maintenance on 12/03/2024.

The SAME DATE that was hidden in a recent PlayStation trailer.

Is a remaster/remake announcement FINALLY happening?! pic.twitter.com/XpI65kqulu

— FromSoft News (@FromSoftUpdates) November 27, 2024

If that wasn’t enough and you’re looking for a reason to get on the hype train and believe, it was announced that Bloodborne would be down for maintenance on this same day, and whilst this does seem like a stretch, if PlayStation is going to have an event to celebrate 30 years of games, it does seem like it’d be amiss to not do something with Bloodborne.

It does feel like it’s been a long, long time since we’ve heard from PlayStation in a major way, and there’d be no better time than now to celebrate all-things PlayStation with an event.

The post People Think That A Big 30th Anniversary PlayStation Stream Is Happening Next Week appeared first on Press Start.

Bloomberg is reporting that PlayStation is in the early stages of developing a portable console that can play PS5 games on the move.

The product is aimed at expanding Sony’s reach and contending with Nintendo for the portable market. This device is likely years away from launch which means that Sony could also avoid bringing it to market.

The Bloomberg report says that the idea builds on the PlayStation Portal, which was initially intended to function as a standalone device like the Steam Deck, which the report also delves into.

“Sony Group Corp. is in the early stages of developing a portable console that would play its PlayStation 5 games on the move. The product is aimed at expanding Sony’s reach and contending with Nintendo Co. for the portable gaming market, according to people familiar with its development. It would also counter any potential mobile hardware from Xbox maker Microsoft Corp., which is working on prototypes in the category as well. Sony’s portable device is likely years away from launch and the company could still decide against bringing it to market, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private plans” says the report. 

The report is paywalled, but you can find it HERE. 

The post A New PlayStation Portable That Can Play PS5 Games Is Apparently In The Works appeared first on Press Start.

If you’re a Press Start reader of old, you’ll know that Ape Escape is without doubt my favourite gaming franchise of all time (and pretty much my whole personality), so when an original Ape Escape soundtrack vinyl set was announced, I was extremely excited.

The game is 25 years old and was the first to be released alongside PlayStation’s iconic DualSense controller, and this 4 vinyl set has all the original tracks from the original game with one bonus song that hadn’t been released along with a hardcover slipcase box, new 3D artwork and translucent red, clear, blue and yellow vinyls.

In Australia, it’s up for pre-order at Pixelcrib. It’ll set you back $169.99 and it will ship from March 28th, 2025. You can pre-order it HERE.

Ape Escape Originape Soundtrack – $169.99 AUD

APE ESCAPE VINYL SET FEATURES:

• 4xLP Hardcover slipcase box
• Liner notes written by composer Soichi Terada
• Remastered for vinyl by Justin Perkins (Mystery Room Mastering)
• New 3D artwork by Gobo3D
• Color: translucent red, clear, blue, and yellow vinyl
• Designed and manufactured by Cartridge Thunder
• Officially licensed ©Sony Computer Entertainment, by Far East Recording

The post A 4x Vinyl Ape Escape Soundtrack Set Has Been Revealed And Here’s Where Aussies Can Get It appeared first on Press Start.

The Black Friday PlayStation Plus deal has arrived, and unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it used to be without physical PlayStation Plus cards, but there’s seemingly a decent deal to be had still.

It seems as though if you’re a PlayStation Plus Deluxe member, you can subscribe for another 12 months at 30% off, which is probably the best case scenario. This brings it down to $137 for the next 12 months.

If you’re a PlayStation Extra member, you can upgrade to Deluxe at 30% off for the rest of your subscription, and if you’re PlayStation Plus Essential, you can upgrade to Extra for 25% off the remainder of your membership (or 30% to Deluxe).

If you’re a new member, you can subscribe to a 12 month membership for 25/30% off depending on which tier you go for.

It’s a little confusing, but basically, we recommend heading to this link online (or on the PlayStation Store on your PS5), and you’ll be presented with a pre-order offer like below.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY DEALS ON AMAZON

• DualSense Edge Controller – $288
• Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258
• Chroma Indigo DualSense – $84
• Chroma Pearl DualSense – $99
• Camo DualSense – $84
• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $645
• PS5 Slim (Digital) – $549
• Pulse Elite Headset – $195
• Astro Bot – $75
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40
• Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd – $69
• FC 25 – $49
• Elden Ring – $35
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $54
• Returnal – $49
• Helldivers 2 – $47
• Rise of the Ronin – $69
• Stellar Blade – $89
• Gran Turismo 7 – $54
• The Last Of Us Part II – $54
• God Of War Ragnarok – $64
• Avatar – $42
• Horizon Forbidden West – $46
• SPider-Man Miles Morales – $38

The post The Black Friday PlayStation Plus Deal Has Arrived appeared first on Press Start.

The Black Friday sales are in full swing now with all of the PlayStation deals going live this morning, bringing the best prices yet on many accessories, games and consoles with the likes of the DualSense Edge and Pulse Explore Earbuds going to well below their cheapest price ever.

All of these will run until December 2nd or until they’re out of stock, and you can find the whole sale HERE.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY DEALS ON AMAZON

• DualSense Edge Controller – $288
• Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258
• Chroma Indigo DualSense – $84
• Chroma Pearl DualSense – $99
• Camo DualSense – $84
• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $645
• PS5 Slim (Digital) – $549
• Pulse Elite Headset – $195
• Astro Bot – $75
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40
• Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd – $69
• FC 25 – $49
• Elden Ring – $35
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $54
• Returnal – $49
• Helldivers 2 – $47
• Rise of the Ronin – $69
• Stellar Blade – $89
• Gran Turismo 7 – $54
• The Last Of Us Part II – $54
• God Of War Ragnarok – $64
• Avatar – $42
• Horizon Forbidden West – $46
• SPider-Man Miles Morales – $38

The post Amazon Has Some Banger PlayStation Deals appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed its Black Friday sale for 2024. It’s kicking off tonight (midnight) and will last until December 2nd bringing a range of deals on consoles, games, accessories and PlayStation Plus. You can find all of the deals on the PlayStation Blog.

We’ve got a good idea what a lot of the prices will be based on JB Hi-FI’s catalogue but here’s what will be on sale at all retailers later tonight including Amazon.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY 2024 SALE

• DualSense controllers – up to 25% off
• PlayStation VR2 – up to 40% off
• DualSense Elite discount
• Big savings on PS5 Slim Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle
• PlayStation Plus – Up to 30% off for new members, 25% off for Essential subscribers going to Extra and 30% off for Extra subscribers going to Deluxe
• PlayStation Pulse Elite/Pulse Explore Discounted
• Hundreds of games on offer on PlayStation Store/Physical Stores

JB HI-FI PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY SALE

Here’s all the prices for JB Hi-Fi’s PlayStation sale, but we might see cheaper at the likes of Amazon.

• PS5 Slim Disc – $639
• PS5 Slim Digital – $549
• PlayStation VR2 – $549
• DualSense Edge – $289
• DualSense controllers – $89 (incldes Chroma collection)
• Pulse Elite Headset – $199
• Spider-Man 2 – $64
• Astro Bot – $79
• GT 7 – $54
• Space Marine 2 – $64
• FC25 – $49
• NBA 2K25 – $44
• Star Wars Outlaws – $59
• Hogwarts Legacy – $49
• Alan Wake 2 – $64

It’s very likely we will see a lot of competitions on all of these items, so we’ll do our best to update you from tonight onwards.

The post PlayStation’s Black Friday Sale Has Been Officially Revealed And Here’s What’s On Sale appeared first on Press Start.

Serial leaker Deallabs has posted some of PlayStation’s upcoming Black Friday deals early. So far, these are confirmed for the US and Europe, but we’d be shocked if they didn’t make their way down under as well. The deals are set to run from November 22nd until December 12th.

It’s said that the sale will bring significant discounts for the PS5 Slim (both versions) as well as PlayStation VR2 and the Horizon Call of the Mountain pack with the price set to be almost halved.

It’s also expected that a bunch of games will be on sale, both digitally and physically as well, but we’ll let you know once we have confirmation for Australia.

With Black Friday sales set to kick off extremely early in Australia (literally later tonight), we’ll be following all the best deals at retailers. You can find information on Amazon’s sale HERE.

The post PlayStation’s Black Friday Sale Will Apparently Have Big Savings On The PS5 Slim And PlayStation VR2 appeared first on Press Start.

When we all picked up our shiny next-gen console at the end of 2020, we were assuming that we’d be closer to the 4K/60 FPS dream, but with every major AAA release, it became fairly obvious that we were going to be forced to choose between a 4K image and buttery smooth 60 FPS goodness, constantly left wondering what we were missing with the other mode. With the PS5 Pro, that next-gen promise finally feels delivered on, and then some in a number of different ways.

When it comes to the design of the PS5 Pro, it pulls in heavy inspiration from both the original PS5 as well as the PS5 Slim with it being the same height of the original PS5, but the same thickness as the PS5 Slim, and pulling over that same four plate design that the Slim introduced. I really like the racing stripes that break up the faceplates, and whilst it is a tad annoying that the top ones are differently sized to the Slim (it looks so good in black), there’s clearly a different vent design that means this probably wasn’t going to be possible.

There has been a lot of chatter around the PS5 Pro not coming with a disc drive and I’m not going to get into whether this is a good thing, but the disc drive mechanic is super nifty and very easy to put on (if you can get you hands on one). You simply take the faceplate off, and it’s a small connector that the disc drive slips into and then it’s the exact same process to pull it off. Same goes for the empty SSD slot, which is very easy to access and place an SSD into, if the additional 2TB SSD isn’t enough for you.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,199 FROM AMAZON WITH FREE DELIVERY

Similarly, there was a bit of controversy about the console not coming with a vertical stand. The console does stand fine on its own without the stand, and it does come with a much improved horizontal stand in the box in the form of two plastic little legs that clip into the racing strips between each faceplates. This is a huge improvement on the stand that came with PS5 and whilst it looks flimsy, I can assure you, it’s super secure and a great solution.

The only other hardware changes of note are Wi-Fi 7 which is great for future proofing (I’m always going to want to be hardwired), and like the Slim there’s 2 USB-C ports on the front and 2 USB-A ports on the back. The great news when it comes to noise and heat is that the PS5 Pro is practically silent. I have had it on for most of the last week testing a variety of games, and I never heard it ramp up even once, and similarly, waving my hand around the console resulted in a normal amount of heat, which is impressive given the performance.

Just like it was with the PS4 Pro during the review period, performance is hard to talk about with the PS5 Pro, as PlayStation has clearly put some stipulations in place in order for a developer to say that a game is ‘PS5 Pro enhanced’ but as far as how they incorporate that into their game, whether that be a new singular graphic mode, additional graphic modes, or replacement graphic modes, it’s totally up to the developer, and it varies greatly between games even with PlayStation’s first-party studio.

Whilst it’s not always immediately obvious how a game is better, it’s very clear after playing through 15-20 games over the last week that the improvements are going to be massive for games in terms of delivering on that next-gen promise.

The biggest new technology in the PS5 Pro is PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) which is similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS which I’ve spoken about time and time again in regards to how much it helps PC performance through the use of AI upscaling. Whilst I’m not Digital Foundry, it’s pretty clear that what PlayStation has done here is pretty fantastic as some of the improvements that I witnessed across games were night and day, and this is only at the beginning of the console.

MORE PS5 PRO COVERAGE:

• Our PS5 Pro Review
• The PS5 Pro Comes With 1.9TB Of Usable Storage
• The PS5 Pro Has An Exclusive Background
• No Man’s Sky Now Runs At 8K On The PS5 Pro
• Star Wars Outlaws Has One Single PS5 Pro Graphics Mode That Is The Best Of Both Worlds
• The PS5 Slim Faceplates Don’t Fit The PS5 Pro But It Seems To Be For Good Reason
• The PS5 Pro Blends The Best Parts Of The OG PS5 And The PS5 Slim Design

For instance Star Wars Outlaws now has just one mode on the PS5 Pro, which is 4K/60 FPS. On the original PS5 it was either 30 FPS in Quality mode or 60 FPS in Performance mode and neither felt great with the Quality mode lacking a smooth framerate and the 60 FPS mode looking quite blurry, but now, you don’t have to choose as it’s the best of both worlds in one mode.

Similarly, Alan Wake 2 has kept its two modes, but performance mode now runs at 60FPS with base PS5 quality level graphics, and there’s a new ray-tracing Quality mode that sticks to 30 FPS, but looks absolutely incredible and in-line with what you’d get out of a very high-end GPU on PC.

Insomniac Games has done much the same with both Spider-Man 2 and Ratchet & Clank where the new Performance Pro modes now run at 60FPS with quality-like visuals and it’s upped the ray-tracing on Quality modes but kept them at 30 FPS. Realistically, I suspect that going with the 60 FPS mode will be a lot easier decision for most now, with there being next to no visual downgrade.

I really liked the way Naughty Dog took advantage of the PS5 Pro, with a new third mode simply called ‘PS5 Pro’ that utilises PSSR to bring 4K/60 FPS to both The Last Of Us Part 1 and Part 2. These games already looked stunning, but to now be able to play them in 60 FPS without feeling like you’re seeing a downgrade on the visuals just makes all the difference.

Probably the biggest difference was Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth which has a new Versatility graphics mode. This is a game that was heavily critiqued for how blurry it was in performance mode, and this game is one that kept all of its original modes, but this new Versatility mode is both super crisp, looking indistinguishable from the original Quality mode and runs at a smooth 60 FPS.

@shannongrixti

The PS5 Pro delivers on the next-gen promise with higher resolutions and more consistent frame rates across the board #PS5Pro #PlayStation5Pro #PS5 #PlayStation5 #PlayStation #Tech #PS5ProUnboxing #Gaming #Tech

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

Just because of some of lack of information about PS5 Pro upgrades and how different developers were handling the new technology, I reached out to a few developers from the likes of Bioware and Hello Games and it was very clear that these teams were excited in the new world of possibilities that the console unlocks. It was always a little bit of a running joke that the original PS5 had an 8K logo on the box, but now that is starting to become a reality.

Whilst F1 has a super stunning ray-tracing mode at 4K/60 FPS, it also has an 8K option for those that have the compatible TV. No Man’s Sky also has a new 8K option for those that want to jump in. I do suspect that this will still be quite a rarity, and I suspect that most people don’t own an 8K TV and have no intention to upgrade, but if anything, it is a good example of how much more headroom developers have to play with when using PSSR.

It’s not only the PS5 Pro enhanced games that see an improvement. There’s Game Boost that basically acts to lift the frame rates or resolution of any game that has uncapped framerates or dynamic resolution. A great example of this is Elden Ring and the Monster Hunter Wilds beta that both perform better on PS5 Pro and also Resident Evil 2’s uncapped ray-tracing mode that ran at 60 FPS on the PS5 Pro and 45ish FPS on the original PS5.

There’s also an ‘Enhanced Image Quality’ option in the system settings that uses AI upscaling to make PS4 games look clearer. I didn’t spend a heap of time with this, but I did try Bloodborne and a few other games, and it wasn’t a night and day difference, but I did notice things like text being a lot less blurry on the PS5 Pro.

Whilst I’ve been pretty positive on the PS5 Pro, I want to be really careful not to oversell it, because you won’t be blown away going from the PS5 to PS5 Pro, at least with what’s on offer so far. It’s more of a consistent, across the board improvement that feels more what I was expecting coming into this generation. This is the closest that console gaming has felt to playing on a PC in terms of playing a game with a fantastic, crisp resolution at 60 FPS.

If you’re somebody that constantly finds yourself flicking between graphics modes or have thought that something doesn’t run at solid enough frames or look like its running at full resolution, this is the console for you, but if you’re not somebody who cares about that then I’d probably wait until something like Grand Theft Auto 6 or the next big PlayStation first-party game comes along.

What’s on offer here from PlayStation is fairly remarkable from a technological standpoint, and yes the PS5 Pro is expensive, but it does offer a fairly high-end experience in line with a PC that would be far more expensive to put together, and AI upscaling systems only improve over time, so this feels like it’s only the beginning in how far the PS5 Pro will be pushed.

The post PS5 Pro Review – Delivering On The Next-Gen Promise appeared first on Press Start.

The PS5 Pro launched is just a few days away, and PlayStation has today published a list of 50+ games that will be PS5 Pro enhanced on launch day.

Whilst the list that we’ve been counting is pushing 90, the below games are those that PlayStation has confirmed will be enhanced on launch. This includes either advanced ray-tracing, the use of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and boosted frame-rates of 60/120FPS.

There’s a few new inclusions such as Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Diablo 4 that I hadn’t seen confirmed before, so it’ll be interesting to see what updates they bring.

OFFICIAL PS5 PRO DAY ONE LIST OF GAMES

• Alan Wake 2
• Albatroz
• Apex Legends
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• EA Sports College Football 25
• Dead Island 2
• Demon’s Souls
• Diablo IV
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Dying Light 2 Reloaded Edition
• EA Sports FC 25
• Enlisted
• F1 24
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Fortnite
• God of War Ragnarök
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
• Kayak VR: Mirage
• Lies of P
• Lords of the Fallen (2023)
• Madden NFL 25
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• Naraka: Bladepoint
• NBA 2K25
• No Man’s Sky
• Palworld
• Paladin’s Passage
• Planet Coaster 2
• Professional Spirits Baseball 2024-2025
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil 4
• Resident Evil Village
• Rise of the Ronin
• Rogue Flight
• Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
• Star Wars: Outlaws
• Stellar Blade
• Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown
• The Callisto Protocol
• The Crew Motorfest
• The Finals
• The First Descendant
• The Last of Us Part I
• The Last of Us Part II Remastered
• Until Dawn
• War Thunder
• Warframe
• World of Warships: Legends

We published our first look at the PS5 Pro yesterday, you can see the hardware HERE. 

The PS5 Pro launches on November 7th. You can grab it from Amazon for $1,199.95 HERE. 

The post PlayStation Has Published An Official List Of Day One PS5 Pro Enhanced Titles appeared first on Press Start.

November’s PlayStation Plus games have been revealed and it’s a sold month this month. From November 5th you’ll be able to download Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, Ghostwire Tokyo and Death Note Killer Within.

NOVEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS GAMES

• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (PS5/PS4)
• Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5)
• Death Note Killer Within (PS5/PS4)

These will all be available to download on November 5th for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and you’ve still got a few days to get the below games from October as well:

• Dead Space (PS5)
• WWE 2K24 (PS4/PS5)
• Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (PS4/PS5)

The post November’s Free PlayStation Plus Essential Games Have Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

Sony has today announced that Concord won’t be returning with the last few months spent exploring options, ultimately the company has announced that the game will be sunset and not return.

Following this decision, Sony also announced that Firewalk Studios, the game behind Concord would be closed. In addition to this, mobile studio Neon Koi will also be closed.

Both of these announcements were made by Herman Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment on the official website, and you can read that full statement here. 

Hulst posted the below statement:

“I know none of this is easy news to hear, particularly with colleagues and friends departing SIE.  Both decisions were given serious thought, and ultimately, we feel they are the right ones to strengthen the organization.  Neon Koi and Firewalk were home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find placement for some of those impacted within our global community of studios where possible.

I am a big believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new IP. However, growing through sustainable financials, especially in a challenged economic environment is critical.

While today is a difficult day, there is much to look forward to in the months ahead from the Studio Business Group and our teams.  I remain confident that we are building a resilient and capable organization driven by creating unforgettable entertainment experiences for our players.?”

Firewalk Studios made one last statement on its official Twitter page, going through the journey from independent studio to being acquired by PlayStation and going full speed into full production with Concord in 2022. You can read that full message here.

Firewalk is signing off one last time.

Firewalk began with the idea of bringing the joy of multiplayer to a larger audience. Along the way we assembled an incredible team who were able to:
– Navigate growing a new startup into a team during a global pandemic: Firewalk was…

— Firewalk (@FirewalkStudios) October 29, 2024

“We took some risks along the way – marrying aspects of card battlers and fighting games with first-person-shooters – and although some of these and other aspects of the IP didn’t land as we hoped, the idea of putting new things into the world is critical to pushing the medium forward.

The talent at Firewalk and the level of individual craft is truly world-class, and teams within Sony Interactive Entertainment and across the industry will be fortunate to work with them. Please reach out to Recruiting at PlayStation for inquiries, and thank you to all the very many teams, partners and fans who supported us along the way.

See you in the Tempest. – Firewalk Studios” said Firewalk in its finla post on Twitter.

The post Concord Is Officially Gone For Good And PlayStation’s Firewalk Studios Has Been Closed appeared first on Press Start.

UPDATE (24/10): Another round of emails have gone out for JB Hi-Fi’s PlayStation. 30th anniversary ballot. We’ve heard of at least two people: one for a DualSense Edgeand  one for a regular DualSense, but there’s bound to be more.

The email reads “Great news! If you’re still interested in pre-ordering a DualSense 30th Anniversary controller, we have one available for you”.

Is this the 4th chance draw? @PressStartAU pic.twitter.com/8UNOQqSm1s

— Brendan Foley (@brendansfoley) October 24, 2024

UPDATE (16/10): Even more succesful ballot emails have gone out for JB Hi-Fi’s PlayStation 30th anniversary ballot.

In a sighted email, JB contacted more winners today with the message “We’ve been able to allocate more ballot winners and you’ve been selected to pre-order”.

Those that were contacted today will receive an SMS on Thursday October 17th at their nominated phone number attached to their JB Hi-Fi account and will then need to check out by 11:59pm AEDT.

UPDATE (11/10): Second chance emails have gone out for JB Hi-Fi’s PlayStation 30th Anniversary ballot after people presumably opted to not purchase their original offers.

The emails states: “As part of our second-chance draw, you’ve have been selected to pre-order as part of our Perks exclusive PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection pre-order ballot.”

ORIGINAL STORY: It’s finally happened. Emails for the JB HI-Fi PlayStation 30th anniversary ballot have gone out to people this morning.

At the time of writing, we’ve had people tell us that they got selected for the DualSense controller, PlayStation Portal, PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim, but it’s safe to assume that all five products have been accounted for at this point with a lot of people getting emailed this morning.

As expected, it seems as though people are only getting selected for one item, even if they chose all 5, so it’s not clear how this is being chosen. As JB Hi-Fi said, they are then able to pick a date in which they will receive an SMS at their registered number to purchase their item on that selected day.

We’ll keep you posted if any more units come available if people don’t go through with their winning ballot entry or any other retailer magically gets stock.

The post Another Round Of JB Hi-Fi PlayStation 30th Ballot Emails Have Gone Out appeared first on Press Start.

It feels like we’ve been waiting for it forever, but as of today, the PS5 Welcome Hub has arrived on Australian consoles.

This adds a totally new tab for the PS5 home screen that has a quick way to access trophies, battery level, storage summary, news, PlayStation Plus additions, media, online friends, friend activity in one neat place.

It also brings the return of wallpapers to the console as well, with a number of PlayStation themed ones available as well as an animated Astro Bot one. Hopefully these get added to quite frequently as it’s one of the most-missed feature from PS3/PS4 days.

Whilst I knew this was coming, after a quick play with it, I’m very surprised at how robust it is, with you able to totally customise how big or small everything is, what information is shown and even customise what you see from each widget. It’s a big improvement to what was shown on the home screen before.

I had to restart my console to get it to show up, so if you wake from rest mode and don’t see it (and are on the latest version), I recommend giving it a reset.

The post The PS5 Welcome Hub Has Arrived In Australia Bringing A Big Home Screen Improvement appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has today announced PlayStation The Concert, a world tour that will take place across 2025/2026.

This will be a celebration of all things PlayStation with games such as The Last Of Us, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima and God of War all featured, among PlayStation’s 30 years of gaming. This will merge music and cutting edge visuals in what should be an amazing experience.

So far, only the European leg has been revealed with locations in more than 200 cities including the US, UK and beyond to be announced at a later day. We hope that Australia will be included in this.

The cities announced so far are below:

Dublin, Ireland – Glasgow, Scotland, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, UK – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paris, Amnéville, France –  Brussels, Belgium – Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, Oberhausen, Germany – Zurich, Switzerland – Bologna, Italy – Budapest, Hungary – Sofia, Bulgaria – Vienna, Austria – Bratislava, Slovakia – Prague, Czech Republic – Lodz, Poland – Copenhagen, Denmark – Gotenburg, Sweden – Oslo, Norway –

The post PlayStation The Concert Will Bring Iconic PlayStation Soundtracks To The Stage appeared first on Press Start.

Tomorrow is set to be a big day for PlayStation fans with both the PS5 Pro and five PlayStation 30th Anniversary items going on sale at 10:00am AEST on Thursday, September 26th.

If you’re wanting to pre-order a standard PS5 Pro which also goes live at the same time, you can do so on Amazon HERE.

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PS5 PRO BUNDLE IN AUSTRALIA

As far as we know, there’s only two retailers in Australia selling this bundle, and they’ll be super limited both in how many are released and who can get them.

• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 
• EB Games – Must be a Level 5 EB World member 

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY DUALSENSE CONTROLLER IN AUSTRALIA

Quite a few retailers will be selling this one including the below:

• Amazon
• Big W
• EB Games
• JB Hi-FI

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PS5 SLIM DIGITAL IN AUSTRALIA

Quite a few retailers will be selling this one including the below:

• Amazon
• Big W
• EB Games
• JB Hi-FI

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY DUALSENSE EDGE CONTROLLER IN AUSTRALIA

• EB Games
• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PLAYSTATION PORTAL IN AUSTRALIA

• EB Games
• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 

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We’ll be keeping you across all the pre-order updates for PS5 Pro and 30th anniversary collection over the next 24 hours. We recommend turning Twitter notifications for our account on as that’ll be the best way to get updates instantly.  

The post Where To Pre-Order The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Consoles/Accessories In Australia appeared first on Press Start.

EB Games has revealed that it will have a trade deal for PS5 Pro when pre-orders to live tomorrow.

As a reminder, the PS5 Pro price is $1,199 AUD and it releases on November 7th with pre-orders going live at 10:00am on Thursday, September 26th.

It’s unclear if these prices differ for older PS5s and the PS5 Slim Disc edition, but for the sake of what we know right now we’ll assume it’s all the same (or the OG PS5 at least), and update you if we hear otherwise.

PS5 PRO EB GAMES TRADE DEALS

• No EB World – $699 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games
• Level 1 EB World (with EB Plus) – $674 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games
• Level 2 EB World – $649 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games
• Level 3 EB World – $624 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games
• Level 4 EB World – $599 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games
• Level 5 EB World – $574 when trading a PS5 Disc Console and 4 games

I’m fairly sure you can add an extra 5% trade value if you’re an EB World Plus member to each of these prices, which will bring it down even further. Again, check with your local store to be sure.

Going off these prices, It’s pretty fair that EB is knocking off $500 of the price of the PS5 Pro as a base level, with as much as $625 if you’re a level 5. You might hedge your bets and get a bit more online, but it’s a fairly good deal if you’re wanting to upgrade.

If you’re wanting to know all the other places to pre-order a PS5 Pro, you can head to our Aussie buying guide HERE and if you’re wanting a 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro, you can find out more about how to get one (if you’re a Level 5 EB World member) here. 

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The post Here’s The EB Games PS5 Pro Trade Deal And All The EB World Bonus Values appeared first on Press Start.

It’s set to be a big week for PlayStation fans next week with both the standard PS5 Pro as well as five PlayStation 30th anniversary products going up for pre-order including a custom PS5 Pro bundle (12,300 units available globally), a PS5 Slim Digital, a PlayStation Portal and DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers all in the theme of the PS1.

If PS5 Pro pre-orders weren’t going to be chaotic enough (going off the PS5 Disc drive already selling out), then the five limited edition items live at the same is sure to be a bit of a headache, so here’s all the info you know.

WHEN IS THE PS5 PRO RELEASE DATE?

The PS5 Pro will launch on November 7th, 2024, less than two months away.

HOW MUCH WILL THE PS5 PRO COST?

The PS5 Pro will cost $1,199 AUD in Australia and release on November 7th with pre-orders beginning on September 26th. This doesn’t include a disc drive, so we’ve done the price for both together as well (it can be purchased for $159 separately).

• PS5 Pro 2TB (Digital) – $1,199.95 AUD
• PS5 Pro 2TB with Disc Drive purchased separately- $1,360 AUD

WHEN IS THE PS5 PRO AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER IN AUSTRALIA?

Sony has announced that the pre-orders for the PS5 Pro will be available on September 26th at 10:00am AEST at Aussie retailers.

So far the below retailers have confirmed availability:

Amazon

• $1,199 with free shipping (no deposit required)

Big W

• $1,199 (full payment upfront)

Target

• Not stocking

EB Games

• $1,199 ($300 deposit required)
  • Trades deals not yet revealed

JB Hi-Fi

• $1,199 (full payment upfront)

Harvey Norman

• $1,198 (full payment upfront)

The Gamesmen

• $1,199 (full payment upfront)

WHEN ARE THE PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION PRODUCTS RELEASING

All 5 of the PlayStation 30th Anniversary products will release a little bit later on November 21st.

WHEN WILL THE PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTS BE UP FOR PRE-ORDER

In Australia, these will be available for pre-order at the same time as the standard PS5 Pro, which is Thursday, September 26th at 10:00am AEST, which is sure to be chaotic with all of the items going on sale at the same time.

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PS5 PRO BUNDLE IN AUSTRALIA

As far as we know, there’s only two retailers in Australia selling this bundle, and they’ll be super limited both in how many are released and who can get them.

• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 
• EB Games – Must be a Level 5 EB World member 

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY DUALSENSE CONTROLLER IN AUSTRALIA

Quite a few retailers will be selling this one including the below:

• Amazon
• Big W
• EB Games
• JB Hi-FI

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PS5 SLIM DIGITAL IN AUSTRALIA

Quite a few retailers will be selling this one including the below:

• Amazon
• Big W
• EB Games
• JB Hi-FI

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY DUALSENSE EDGE CONTROLLER IN AUSTRALIA

• EB Games
• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY PLAYSTATION PORTAL IN AUSTRALIA

• EB Games
• JB Hi-Fi – Must be a JB Hi-Fi Perks member and can enter a ballot 

WHAT ARE THE PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTS

There’s five of them:

• PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle
  • Includes the console, a themed disc plate (but no disc drive), a themed DualSense controller, themed DualSense Edge controller, a themed DualSense Charging Station, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle
  • Includes the console, a matching Dualsense controller, a console cover for the disc drive, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.
• PlayStation Portal Remote Player – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
• DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
• DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)

The post Here’s When PS5 Pro & PlayStation 30th Anniversary Consoles/Controller Pre-Orders Go Live In Australia appeared first on Press Start.

The Ghost of Tsushima sequel has finally been revealed. It’s called Ghost of Yotei and it will take a new Ghost named Atsu to the lands surrounding Mount Yotei.

It’s releasing exclusively on PS5 and will take the character to sprawling grasslands, snowy tundras and unexpected dangers with a wolf featuring quite prominently. It’s the first Sucker Punch game built from the ground up for PS5 and will take place 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. It will introduce new mechanics and new weapons as well as gameplay improvements.

“In 1603, a new Ghost named Atsu sets out on a journey in the lands surrounding Mount Yotei, an area filled with sprawling grasslands, snowy tundras, and unexpected dangers. Ghost of Y?tei comes to PS5 in 2025.”

You can read more about the PlayStation Blog.

For everything announced at today’s State of Play, head to our round-up HERE.

Everything Announced At The September 2024 PlayStation State Of Play

The post Ghost Of Yotei Has Been Announced As The Sequel To Ghost Of Tsushima appeared first on Press Start.

At this morning’s PlayStation State of Play, Remedy Entertainment revealed the first trailer for Alan Wake II’s upcoming DLC, The Lake House. It is the second and final content update coming to the survival horror title, our Game of the Year last year.

Coming out in October, The Lake House looks to be a more substantive update than the DLC released earlier in the year, expanding more on The Bureau’s presence at Cauldron Lake. Sadly, there’s no specific date as of yet although it’s safe to assume it’ll coincide with the physical release of the game on October 22nd.

Following Agent Estevez, played by Janina Gavankaras, The Lake House sees players investigating the mysterious titular research facility where a pretty grizzly scene awaits, with more Overlap shenanigans keeping her on her toes.

Here’s the official tease from the PlayStation Blog earlier this year:

The Lake House, the second and final expansion to Alan Wake 2, tells the story of a mysterious government facility on the shores of Cauldron Lake, and the time the secret research conducted there went terribly, terribly wrong. Look forward to the Lake House expansion later this year!

Watch the trailer below!

The post Alan Wake II Looks Scarier Than Ever In New Trailer For The Lake House DLC appeared first on Press Start.

Serial leaker Bilbilkun from Dealabs has published US pricing for two of the PlayStation 30th Anniversary items including the DualSense controller and the PS5 Slim Digital Edition.

The PlayStation 30th Anniversary DualSense controller is set to cost the same as previous Limited Edition DualSense controllers such as the recent Astro Bot controller, so you can expect to pay $125 AUD.

As far as the PS5 Slim Digital Edition goes, it’s said to be a $50 USD (roughly $100 AUD) increase over the standard PS5 Slim Digital so you can expect to pay about $780-$800 AUD, which seems reasonable given you’re getting a vertical stand, a faceplate for a disc drive as well as a number of special collector’s items.

As far as the price goes for the PS5 Pro bundle goes, which is the one that people seem to be most keen for, this hasn’t been revealed yet, but we can estimate that it’ll cost about $1,700 going off that same $100 increase after adding in the DualSense Edge controller and DualSense charging dock, but this isn’t confirmed. It’s also possible PlayStation could charge a further premium given how limited it is.

Another element that is unclear is whether the DualSense controller includes the incredible PS1 inspired USB-C cord. It appears that neither the DualSense Edge or DualSense will come with it, unless you purchase one of the console bundles.

We’ll be updating you all week as soon as we have more info on where to pre-order the PS5 Pro and all of the PlayStation 30th Anniversary items. You can find out a bunch more info HERE.  

The post A Few Of The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Prices Have Been Revealed Early appeared first on Press Start.

After announcing the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection overnight, PlayStation Australia has now confirmed that we are getting all 5 items including the PS5 Pro bundle which will be limited to 12,300 units globally.

PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY ITEMS IN AUSTRALIA

• PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle
• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle
• PlayStation Portal Remote Player – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
• DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)
• DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone)

WHEN WILL PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY PS5 PRO BE UP FOR PRE-ORDER IN AUSTRALIA

PlayStation has confirmed that pre-orders for all 5 items will go live on Thursday, September 26th at 10:00am AEST at local retailers. We’ll let you know when we have more information including pricing.

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ALL OF THE PLAYSTATION 30TH ANNIVERSARY ITEMS

PlayStation 5 Pro – 30th Anniversary  Limited Edition Bundle

Includes the console, a themed disc plate (but no disc drive), a themed DualSense controller, themed DualSense Edge controller, a themed DualSense Charging Station, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle

Includes the console, a matching Dualsense controller, a console cover for the disc drive, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.

PlayStation Portal – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

In the meantime, you can check out the collection reveal here:

The post Australia Is Getting All Of The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection And Here’s The Pre-Order Times appeared first on Press Start.

UPDATE: PlayStation Australia has confirmed pre-order details for us. You can find that info HERE.

Sony has unexpectedly announced overnight that they will release a PlayStation 30th Anniversary collection of products that celebrate and commemorate the look of the original PlayStation.

The collection will include a whole bunch of products and are slated to go up for preorder on September 26th with the collection releasing on November 21st. The PlayStation Blog does mention that those outside of PlayStation Direct regions (us) will get the products at local retailers but it doesn’t specify which ones, so we’ll keep you posted as we get local pre-order information.

Without doubt the showpiece of this collection is the PS5 Pro with only 12,300 bundles being created that includes the console that is individually numbered, a bunch of collectibles, a DualSense Edge, a DualSense controller and a DualSense charging station.

The collection will include:

PlayStation 5 Pro – 30th Anniversary  Limited Edition Bundle

Includes the console, a themed disc plate (but no disc drive), a themed DualSense controller, themed DualSense Edge controller, a themed DualSense Charging Station, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle

Includes the console, a matching Dualsense controller, a console cover for the disc drive, a vertical stand, a poster (randomly selected out of 30 possible designs), a PlayStation-style cable connecter housing, four PlayStation Shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and a paperclip.

PlayStation Portal – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

• DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition

As mentioned above, we do not have local details nor pricing, but as soon as we know, we will be sure to update you. You can check out all the details and more pictures of the packages at the PlayStation Blog.

In the meantime, you can check out the collection reveal here:

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The post The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection Includes A Limited Edition PS5 Pro And A Bunch Of Other Products appeared first on Press Start.

Reuters is reporting that AMD landed the contract to provide the chip for the PS6, after a bidding process took place against Broadcom and Intel in 2022.

Ultimately, the report suggests that it was the fact that AMD created the chipset for PS5 and PS5 Pro that was the crucial point for Sony deciding to go with AMD for the PS6 chipset.

“Moving from AMD, which made the PlayStation 5 chip, to Intel would have risked backwards compatibility, which was a subject of discussion between Intel and Sony engineers and executives,” Reuters claims.

“Ensuring backward compatibility with prior versions of the PlayStation would have been costly and taken engineering resources. Allowing PlayStation users to play games they have purchased for older systems is a feature Sony often includes in a next-generation system.” the report continued

It’s also said that a dispute between how much profit that Intel would take from each chip sold was another major reason why Sony decided to not even entertain the idea, and went with AMD.

We know from documents published during the Microsoft x Activision court battle that Sony won’t be releasing the PS6 until 2028 at the absolute earliest.

The post The PS6 Will Seemingly Use An AMD Chip To Ensure Backwards Compatibility appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has today announced the games that will be coming to PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe in September. It includes new games such as The Plucky Squire and Pistol Whip as well as classics such as Secret Agent Clank and Sky Gunner All of these games will be available on September 17th.

PLAYSTATION PLUS EXTRA GAMES (ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DELUXE)

• The Plucky Squire (PS5)
• Under The Waves (PS5/PS4)
• Night In The Woods (PS5/PS4)
• Chernobylite (PS5/PS4)
• Wild Card Football (PS5/PS4)
• Space Engineers (PS5/PS4)
• Road 96 (PS5/PS4)
• Ben 10 (PS4)
• Far Cry 5 (PS4)

PLAYSTATION PLUS DELUXE GAMES

• Pistol Whip (PlayStation VR2)
• Secret Agent Clan (PS5/PS4)
• Sky Gunner (PS5/PS4)
• Mister Mosquito (PS5/PS4)

You’ve got until September 30th to get the current PlayStation Plus Essential games which includes:

• Harry Potter Quidditch Champions (PS5/PS4)
• MLB The Show 24 (PS5/PS4)
• Little Nightmares II (Ps5/PS4)

The post September’s Free PlayStation Plus Extra/Deluxe Games Have Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

The first wave of official PlayStation Shapes figures are all finally out in Australia this week, and there’s already quite a few that are discounted.

All of the figures are all 6-inches big with Kratos, Varl, Jin and Atreus coming with a few different little weapons, but Aloy is a little bit more expensive as she comes with a wide variety of faces and accessories.

• Kratos (God Of War Ragnarok) – $40 (18% off)
• Varl (Horizon Forbidden West) – $40 (19% off)
• Jin (Ghost of Tsushima) – $40 (18% off)
• Atreus (God of War Ragnarok) – $55 
• Aloy (Horizon Forbidden West) – $83 

It’ll be interesting to see what other figures come down the track, but for now, those are the 5 available.

The post The Super Nice PlayStation Shapes Figures Are Already Discounted appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has announced a 30th anniversary celebration event that will take place throughout the next few months. This is just a few of the ways that PlayStation plans to celebrate with the post assuring us that we should be on the “lookout for more announcements in the near future”.

My First GT will be a brand new free version of Gran Turismo designed to help people get into Gran Turismo. It will be available on PS5 and PS4.

A bunch of great digital soundtracks are coming to streaming services including God Of War, God Of War II, God Of War: Ghost of Sparta, Twisted Metal, Starhawk and Unit 13. These will drop from October through January.

A new product line called ‘Shapes of Play’ will drop including a board game, a magnetic set of blocks and a line of stress balls. It’s unclear if these will be coming to Australia but they include the below:

• Shapes of Play: Battle is a board game where you can challenge a friend to line up four different shapes of the same color on the board to win.
• Shapes of Play: Create is a set of magnetic blocks that you can position in any direction to create fun shapes.
• Shapes of Play: Recharge lets you experience a new way to recharge between games, especially after that tough boss battle.

You can read more about the celebrations including a bunch of free PlayStation Plus weekends and tournaments over on the PlayStation Blog HERE.

The post A PlayStation 30th Anniversary Event Has Been Revealed With New Announcements And Awesome Collectables appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has dropped September’s free PlayStation Plus Essential games. Headlining the line-up is the brand new Harry Potter Quidditich Champions, and those that subscribe will also get MLB The Show 24 as well as Little Nightmares II.

SEPTEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS ESSENTIAL GAMES

• Harry Potter Quidditch Champions (PS5/PS4)
• MLB The Show 24 (PS5/PS4)
• Little Nightmares II (Ps5/PS4)

We’ll have a review of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions on the way as well to let you know how it is.

You can find out more about each of the games on the PlayStation Blog HERE.

It’s expected that the PlayStation Plus Extra/Deluxe games will be revealed in the coming days before launching later this month.

The post September’s PlayStation Plus Essential Games Including Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Are Available Now appeared first on Press Start.

The Astro Bot launch trailer was shown off today ahead of the launch next week, and it’s a lot to take in within a two minute period, but the number one moment that caught my eye was Astro having access to an iconic PlayStation weapon.

As seen at the 1:30 mark, Astro gets access to the Leviathan Axe, and he’s also sporting the Kratos beard as well. We then see him taking on enemies in what looks to be a God of War inspired level. We know that Astro Bot is all about getting access to different gadgets, so it’ll be interesting to what else is on offer.

I did suspect that this would be my case in my preview, which ended with a special level being unlocked with Kratos and Atreus, so it’ll be interesting to see how this plays into the rest of the game and what other fun little PlayStation weapons we might get access to along the way.

Astro Bot launches exclusively for PS5 on September 6th. If you’re after the game, it’s cheapest on Amazon for $89 and you can grab it HERE. 

The post The Astro Bot Launch Trailer Shows Off Astro Having An Iconic PlayStation Weapon appeared first on Press Start.

Argonaut Games, the developer behind the original Croc game has revealed that the studio is back and their first game is a Croc Legend of the Gobbos remaster.

The game will come to consoles and PC later this year with the first trailer for the remaster being shown off this morning as well. It includes high-definition graphics, updated modern control mechanics as well as the addition of the Crocipedia which is a digital museum containing long-lost development assets for the game.

The trailer for the game definitely brings all the feels. I can’t say that I thought we’d ever see Croc again, but it’s such a staple of 1990s gaming.

It’s said that Argonaut Games has more games to be revealed in the near future as well, so it’ll be interesting to see if that means that we’ll be getting new Croc games or maybe a few other classics.

The post A Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos Remaster Has Been Announced appeared first on Press Start.

It’s no secret that PlayStation has been getting into the PC space, releasing almost all of its first-party games on the platform in recent years and even more recently making PlayStation VR2 compatible with PC hardware.

The company has now released a PlayStation Accessories app that allows you to update your DualSense/DualSense Edge controller as well as customise the DualSense Edge without needing a PS5.

You can download the PlayStation Accessories app for PC HERE.

Starting today PC gamers can unleash the full customizable power of the DualSense Edge controller directly on their computer.

With the PlayStation Accessories app, customize the controller’s settings and update its firmware directly from your Windows PC: https://t.co/QoPFGu8qC7 pic.twitter.com/FQHNkkfbSf

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 27, 2024

The app is described as the below: “Elevate the performance of your DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controller on your Windows PC. Update the controller’s firmware and fully customise the DualSense Edge wireless controller from your PC.”

You can connect your controller over wire or wirelessly, and there’s a bunch of more information on the PlayStation Accessories product page HERE.

CURRENT PLAYSTATION VR2 DEALS

• PlayStation VR2 – $549 (38% off)
• PlayStation VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain – $629 (34% off)

The post A PlayStation Accessories PC App Just Dropped For Ultimate PC DualSense Compatibility appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation VR2 has had an interesting run over the last 18 months, but with PC support dropping this month, we now have the biggest price drop yet, following on from drops across the world.

If you’re after just the base PlayStation VR2, it’s 38% off down to $549 which is by far the cheapest price yet. You can grab it HERE. 

If you’re after the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle (probably what I’d recommend), you can get that for $629 which is 34% off. You can grab that HERE.

• PlayStation VR2 – $549 (38% off)
• PlayStation VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain – $629 (34% off)

This comes after Sony dropped PC support for PlayStation VR2 earlier this month. You can currently grab the PC adaptor off Amazon for $94 HERE.

Just as a reminder, when using PlayStation VR2 with a PC, several features such as HDR, headset and haptic feedback, eye tracking and adaptive triggers aren’t available. PlayStation says you’ll still get the full 4K visuals, 110-degree FOV, finger touch detection, see-through view, 3D audio and limited foveated rendering, though.

The post The PlayStation VR2 Is Down To Its Cheapest Price Yet appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed the release date for the upcoming PS5 and PC version of 2015’s hit horror title, Until Dawn, announcing that the newly-enhanced version of the game arrives on October 4th.

Along with the date reveal, a new trailer has also released that explores the differences in this “rebuilt” experience, showing off direct comparisons between the old and new game that are genuinely quite impressive.

Running in Unreal Engine 5, the new Until Dawn benefits from entirely overhauled visuals and even includes “revised” cinematography with new motion control, a “reworked” prologue, more immersive audio design and a completely new camera mechanic. There are also new collectibles to find, and more accessibility and usability settings for players to use.

There’s a heap more detail over on the PlayStation Blog, diving deeper into how all of the above enhances Supermassive’s breakout horror hit.

You can see it all in the trailer below:

Sony’s seemingly going all-in on the Until Dawn IP, with production having recently begun on the film adaptation.

The film will feature Peter Stormare reprising his role as Dr. Hill in the game, joined by a new main cast that includes Maia Mitchell, Belmont Cameli Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Ji-young Yoo and Odessa A’zion.

As previously shared by Hollywood Reporter, Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg is helming this adaptation, while the script comes from Blair Butler (The Invitation) and Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle) so there’s some decent horror talent on board here, and the film is being described early as “an R-rated love letter to the horror genre, centering on an ensemble cast.”

Shannon originally gave Until Dawn an 8/10 in his review way back in 2015, saying, “Until Dawn is a thrilling experience. For horror fans, this will be one of the best horror experiences that gaming has seen in years. It’s a perfect balance of story telling and gameplay and doesn’t drag on at all. I constantly found myself wanting to go back to find out what happened next which is rare in gaming narrative. Those looking for constant action may be disappointed, but I’d advise anybody who wants a unique and new experience to give it a go.”

The post The Until Dawn Remaster Has A Release Date Along With A New Comparison Trailer appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation and Firewalk Studios’ 5v5 sci-fi hero shooter, Concord, has almost arrived, landing next week on August 23rd, and in the lead-up to release the studio has revealed a final chunk of information around the game’s launch as well as its plans for post-launch support.

Split up into two key dates, coming in earlier on August 20th for those who pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition, pre-load for Concord has begun now for all players on PS5. The base game will feature a total of six modes across 12 maps, with 16 playable Freegunner characters.

Following a pre-season period, the game’s first full season is set to kick off in October, dubbed Concord Season 1: The Tempest. It’ll include a brand-new playable Freegunner, a new map, new Freegunner Variants, quality-of-life updates, rewards, and of course a new run of the weekly “Cinematic Vignettes” that the studio has been promising since the game was first revealed.

The first season will also add an in-game store with paid cosmetics, though Firewalk stresses that it’ll complement a healthy range of rewards earned through progression and won’t feature any gameplay-affecting gear.

The second season is yet to be named, but is due to arrive in January and will include much of the same types of new content along with the first new post-launch mode.

You can read up on Concord’s future content as well as its philosophies on player progression in the lengthy PlayStation Blog post right here. The post also reveals the exact times that players around the world will be able to begin their Concord journeys, which you can see below in local time zones:

Concord Launch Times Australia & New Zealand

Digital Deluxe Edition – August 20th

• 3.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 2.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 1.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 5.00 AM NZDT (Wellington)

Standard Edition – August 23rd

• 3.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 2.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 1.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 5.00 AM NZDT (Wellington)

Concord – The Cheapest Australian Pre-Orders And Deals

Ewan had a fair amount of praise for Concord following the game’s beta, writing, “The game feels much more approachable for those that have dabbled in hero shooters but grew intimidated by the complexity of the meta. The core mechanics of hero shooters are still present, but cycling through characters makes for a changed pace I think most would enjoy. It’s well-rounded, nicely polished, with a generous assortment of unique but balanced characters.”

Concord launches on August 23rd for PS5 and PC. It’s available for pre-order now at a discounted price of just $49 on Amazon.

The post Concord’s Content Roadmap And Launch Details Have Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

Right now, the PlayStation Store has a simple rating system which allows players to score games listed digitally on the store out of five stars, but it looks like PlayStation may be testing an even deeper system which would enable users to create written reviews of games to be posted to the storefront, much like what you’d see on Steam.

The discovery was sparked by reddit user “cusman78” who posted a screenshot on the PlayStation subreddit of the review menu, which they’d been able to access, asking if others knew when this had become a thing.

From what we can tell by the ensuing chatter on message boards among those who’ve had access, it seems the feature is only available to select users who’ve received an email explicitly asking them to review a game that they’ve tracked time on with their account. Going to a game’s page from the console or a regular browser does not yet offer the option to submit a review, nor does it allow you to read reviews already left, unless you’ve come to the page from one of the invite links. For those that can access it, right now it’s only for digitally-purchased games and can only be done via a web browser.

Images: @cusman78

Given that the feature seems to still be in testing, it’s hard to say when we might see this roll out in full – or if it does at all. User reviews can be a great way to gauge the overall sentiment toward a game outside of professional, critical reviews but it also opens the doors for malicious activity and “review bombing” practices. Emailing specific users who’ve put a reasonable amount of time into a title and inviting them to review it isn’t without its own issues, but could be a workable solution, so perhaps that’s the endgame here.

As soon as I get an email asking me to review Balatro on the PlayStation Store, we’ll know the 200 hours I’ve put into that have amounted to something, I suppose.

The post It Looks Like The PlayStation Store Is Testing A User Reviews Feature appeared first on Press Start.

Folks, the wait is almost over. Vampire Survivors is coming to PlayStation consoles this month.

To be more specific, poncle’s BAFTA award-winning casual rogue-lite indie smash hit arrives on PS5 and PS4 on August 29th, 2024.

Alongside the base game with all of its updates – which totals more than 40 playable characters and 80 weapons, as well as a full list of PlayStation Trophies (yay!) – all four paid DLCs will also be available for purchase PS5 and PS4 day-and-date with the game’s launch. Those are:

• Legacy of the Moonspell DLC
• Tides of the Foscari DLC
• Emergency Meeting – Among Us-Themed DLC
• Operation Guns – Contra-themed DLC

You can find the game listed on the PlayStation Store here to wishlist and get notified when it drops, and check out a (very entertaining) new Release Date Announcement Trailer below:

About Vampire Survivors

Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters thrown at you. 

The genre-defining “be the bullet hell” action game is a multi-million seller, was the highest-rated Steam game of 2022 (over 200,000 reviews, 98% overwhelmingly positive), is one the most played games on Steam Deck, won 2 Baftas (including “Best Game”) and was featured on the New Yorker’s “Best Video Games 2022” list. Vampire Survivors is currently available on PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Android and iOS and does not feature any vampires.

The post Vampire Survivors Finally Has A Release Date For PlayStation appeared first on Press Start.

It sounds as though PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studio could potentially be working on a brand-new IP, if a since-edited “About” section on a staffer’s LinkedIn profile is any indication.

The profile, belonging to a Character Supervisor at the studio, describes having originally left Santa Monica Studios to help for Striking Distance Studios (the folks behind The Callisto Protocol), moving on to Unknown Worlds and finally returning to SMS to work on what was originally stated is a new IP.

“Santa Monica Studios presented the opportunity of coming back as character supervisor, looking after the entire Character Development pipeline, on their new IP, so here I am, thrilled to be back, working again with the crew and pushing characters in video games together,” the developer had written on their profile.

That all-important line has been changed since, to now read, “on their new unannounced project,” making the whole thing a little murkier. It very well could have been a mistake, or a panicked rewrite as the internet began to pick up on it, but until we hear directly from PlayStation/SMS we simply don’t now.

If it is true that the studio is working on an entirely new IP, it’ll be a change from around 20 years of God of War, being the only franchise that Santa Monica Studio has worked on in-house in all of that time. The team’s most recent title, God of War Ragnarok, launched back in 2022 to much critical acclaim, and a PC version set to arrive in September.

I gave God of War Ragnarok a huge 9.5/10 in my review at launch, saying, “God of War Ragnarok is a triumph. Santa Monica Studio has successfully taken everything that was great about the last game and amplified it while correcting just about every problem area and then some. There are slight stumbles, but it’s a constantly surprising, epic adventure that shows genuine growth in its characters, backed up by best-in-class combat and a menagerie of breathtaking scenes. This makes Ragnarök an easy GOTY contender and one of the best games I’ve played in years.”

The post Sony Santa Monica Could Be Working On A Brand-New IP appeared first on Press Start.

Following on from the recent early access and open beta weekends, Firewalk Studios has divulged a heap of info around the upcoming release of Concord on August 23rd, detailing what players can expect from the game at launch and addressing questions players have had post-beta.

Given the genre it occupies, a lot of the discussion is around the game’s progression systems and content plans, and it’s been confirmed that Concord won’t have any kind of “battle pass” mechanic that players will need to work through to earn rewards. Instead, Firewalk says it wants the game to be “a rewarding and robust experience on day one, where just playing the game, leveling up your accounts and characters, and completing jobs yields meaningful rewards.”

It’s also been confirmed that the game will feature all of the six modes that were included in the beta at launch, along with 12 maps, and will also receive a steady stream of new Freegunners (the playable characters), maps, modes, features and more over time and at no extra cost to players.

For anyone hoping for some kind of solo play mode to dip into before heading out into the 5v5 game proper, there’s good and bad news. While there won’t be any solo-specific modes in the game at launch, there will be playable training modes to help players familiarise themselves with different Freegunners, mechanics, gear and anything else – and there’s always the promise of new content and modes down the track.

Thank you to everyone that took part in the #ConcordBeta!

Before you officially board the Northstar next month, we wanted to answer some of your most common questions during the beta! pic.twitter.com/b9VFb2FGXn

— Concord (@PlayConcord) July 24, 2024

pic.twitter.com/mWCklV1AY9

— Concord (@PlayConcord) July 24, 2024

pic.twitter.com/zU6rb1TBP0

— Concord (@PlayConcord) July 24, 2024

pic.twitter.com/0EAqSXolpI

— Concord (@PlayConcord) July 24, 2024

Ewan had a fair amount of praise for Concord following the game’s beta, writing, “The game feels much more approachable for those that have dabbled in hero shooters but grew intimidated by the complexity of the meta. The core mechanics of hero shooters are still present, but cycling through characters makes for a changed pace I think most would enjoy. It’s well-rounded, nicely polished, with a generous assortment of unique but balanced characters.”

Concord launches on August 23rd for PS5 and PC. It’s available for pre-order now at a discounted price of just $49 on Amazon.

The post Concord Will Get Free Post-Launch Content And Won’t Have A Battle Pass appeared first on Press Start.

Rise of the Ronin was one of this year’s earliest PlayStation exclusives and a bold new effort from Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty developer, Team Ninja, and if you’ve managed to hold off from playing it before now and still hold some curiosity – I’ve got good news. A free demo for the game has just arrived on the PlayStation Store, so you can finally try it out for yourself and see if it’s your vibe.

The demo, which can be found right here, allows players to try out roughly the first chapter of the game, up until a pivotal fight where players will be asked to make one of the game’s first major choices. It’s a decent chunk of content to try out, enough to get a feel for how the game plays and what to expect from its narrative, and once you’re done you’ll be able to take your progress straight through to the full game.

The news of the demo came via a post on the PlayStation Blog which divulges some interesting statistics based on those who’ve already picked up the game, showing at a glance some of the splits for story decisions along with some player milestones. 65% of players spared Gonzo, for example, which is the same choice you’ll find in the demo, while 30% of players engaged in romance and an incredibly-disappointing 16% of players collected 100 cats. You can find the rest here or check out a video version below:

We gave Rise of the Ronin a healthy 7/10 in our review, with Harry saying, “While still an apt Souls-like experience, Rise of the Ronin struggles to find its identity amongst Team Ninja’s catalogue. It feels like it’s being pulled in different directions, and starts to collapse under its own ambition in the third act. In saying this, the DNA of Nioh and Wo Long is palpable here, and I have no doubt that fans of Team Ninja will enjoy this first foray into open world design despite its shortcomings.”

The post A Rise Of The Ronin Demo Is Available Now On PS5 appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has dropped a new system update for PS5, bringing it up to version 24.05-09.60.00 and adding in just a couple of new features.

The headline feature in the update is the ability to invite players to open game sessions using a QR code/link, meaning the invite can be shared through social media, messaging apps and so on via a mobile device. It’s a feature that PlayStation had previously promised, and should make finding or sharing online games with people you don’t regularly play with or have as friends on PSN a lot easier.

The second notable addition is the ability to use a voice command to open up Game Help action cards, though all voice command functionality on PS5 is still limited to English-speaking players in the US and UK.

The update naturally also comes with some of the usual “performance and stability” improvements, updates to some DualSense wireless controllers for additional stability and some minor UI/messaging changes.

Here’s everything in the update:

PS5 System Update Version: 24.05-09.60.00 Patch Notes

• You can invite other players to game sessions by sharing a URL to the session.
  • To invite other players, open the game session action card and select Share Link. Then, scan the QR code with your mobile device to share the link.
  • This feature is available only for open sessions that anyone can join.
  • This feature will gradually be rolled out to all players by July 24.
• Voice Command now supports the ability to open Game Help action cards by saying “Show Game Help”.
  • Currently, Voice Command (Preview) is available only in English for players with accounts for PlayStation Network in the US and UK.
• We’ve improved system software performance and stability.
• We’ve updated the device software of some DualSense wireless controllers to improve stability.
• We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.

The post PS5’s Latest System Update Is Out Now And Adds A Handy Game Session Invite Feature appeared first on Press Start.

Concord, the new 5v5 multiplayer hero shooter from PlayStation’s Firewalk studio, is now inviting all players to participate in its open beta, giving them a taste of the game via a curated selection of modes and features along with all of its roster of launch characters to try out.

The open beta runs from now until July 22nd, on both PS5 and PC, and features more content than last weekend’s Early Access beta, adding in a new map for a total of five along with a new mode for a total of four. Players will be able to try out all 16 launch characters, and see the very first of the game’s cinematic vignettes introducing the world and the Northstar crew’s stories.

Those who participate in the beta will also receive bonuses in the game at launch including a weapon charm and player card.

You can download the Concord Open Beta now on the PlayStation Store, on Steam, or the Epic Games Store.

Concord's open beta is now live until 22nd July. Join your Freegunner crew and leave your mark on the galaxy ?? https://t.co/AvkTjUUc0I pic.twitter.com/KvcmSo4N3n

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) July 19, 2024

Our very own Ewan spent a bunch of time with Concord in its Early Access Beta last weekend and came away suitably impressed with the game as a more approachable flavour of hero shooter, saying, “The game feels much more approachable for those that have dabbled in hero shooters but grew intimidated by the complexity of the meta. The core mechanics of hero shooters are still present, but cycling through characters makes for a changed pace I think most would enjoy. It’s well-rounded, nicely polished, with a generous assortment of unique but balanced characters.”

WHERE TO PRE-ORDER CONCORD

• Amazon – $49
• Big W – $59
• JB Hi-Fi – $49
• EB Games – $59.95
• MightyApe – $59
• Gamesmen – $59.95
• Harvey Norman – $58
• PlayStation Store – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95
• Steam – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95
• Epic Games Store – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95

WHAT’S IN EACH EDITION?

Concord comes as both a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition. Here’s what’s in each:

Concord Standard Edition

• Concord full game

Concord Digital Deluxe Edition

• Concord Full game
• 16 character skins
• Up to 72-Hours Early Access

The post Concord’s Open Beta Is On Now For PS5 And PC appeared first on Press Start.

Concord’s first beta weekend has now wrapped. The hero shooter is the first from new PlayStation first-party studio Firewalk and was being testing by those that have pre-ordered the game or subscribed to PlayStation Plus ahead of its release next month. Although doubtful it would resonate, I’ve come away seriously impressed by PlayStation’s latest foray in their much-critiqued live service strategy.

Of course Concord comes hot off the heels of the blockbuster success that was Helldivers 2, I like many other curious players dove in to see if the PlayStation could start a streak of addictive multiplayer titles. Trepidatiously, I fired up the game, but several hours later left pleasantly surprised to find Concord building upon the hero shooter genre with tight mechanics and an interesting cast of characters.

At face value, Concord appears a mere amalgamation of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Destiny’s Crucible, Overwatch and Valorant. I’d argue instead it cherry picks the best aspects of these games, creating something that feels bigger than the sum of its parts. The floaty shooter mechanics characteristic of Destiny lend themselves well to the map design and introduce verticality to each gunfight. Many of the heroes — or “Freegunners” as they’re labelled in Concord — have familiar perks and abilities to Valorant, demanding frequent use of them to control the battlefield with a time-to-kill nearer to Overwatch.

I thoroughly enjoyed the several hours I spent over the course of the weekend with the game. Ducking in and out of hot zones to heal in a moment of reprieve creates tense one-on-ones whilst open central locations lead to frantic team-against-team clashes. Coordination with your team is essential; lone wolves will get mopped up comfortably with rare exception.

Unlike other games in the genre, in which you typically “main” a single character, the game rewards actively changing up your hero. Playing as a character in a match then applies its perk to any other character you later select. Start as Jabari with reduced recoil and that same perk will carry over to each other Freegunner you later chose in the same match. Likewise, then play as a character that reloads upon dodging, and that perk will also be added to any and all future picks. It’s a neat system that rewards switching up your character and experimenting with different combinations.

Given the game encourages you to cycle through characters, the head-to-heads are always changing, affecting your strategy as a team. Adjusting for what your opponents do and which portion of the map attracts the most fighting factors into your decision making. In one match, a Roka (the airborne, rocket launcher-wielding Freegunner) racked up 24 of the 30 required kills in a match, yet we pivoted and still clutched a win fending them off with the shield-carrying Emari.

You quickly unlock the ability to customise your crew of 12, assembling a different roster with variants of the same character should you have collected them. Lennox was the first character for whom I unlocked a variant, with different perks on each. I could play as Lennox twice in one match, but still add different perks to my pool for the duration of the game. It’s a system not well explained by the game, which is devoid of any playable tutorials at this stage.

The hero characters themselves are all quite unique, with the typical range of offensive, defensive and healer archetypes. There’s 16 in total, an almost overwhelming amount at first. You get your head around them reasonably quickly, but a training area to experiment, or at least a reminder of their abilities on the pause screen, would be a welcome addition. As too would be an in-game scoreboard, although it was a little refreshing not to be worrying to much about my stats mid-match.

Playing through your crew in the one match keeps each game feeling fresh despite the limited maps and modes available in the beta. In the beta there’s just a playlist of team deathmatch and kill confirmed (or Trophy Hunt as they call it), and another with search and destroy and hardpoint-style modes. The later two offer no respawns, and prevent you from selecting the same character again having won a round, making for some competitive games.

The maps themselves are again very emblematic of the kind you would encounter in Destiny’s Crucible or Overwatch and Valorant, with a variety of different sci-fi stylings giving each a unique look. They each have different focal points, but otherwise maintain a consistent three-lane design with plenty of flanking opportunities. There’s often a little verticality involved too, all heightening the need to work as a team covering all angles. Opponents can be quickly dispatched with a coordinated pincer movement flanking both sides.

My gripes with the game come mostly down to the spawns as they currently exist, and the movement of some of the characters. Sticking with your team is vital, which is difficult if you’re killed and spawn on the opposite end of the map from your allies. As a tank, you move incredibly slowly, making you an easy target to get picked off if you teammates are wiped at the wrong time and leave you exposed. Some adjustments to spawn and movement speed of the tanks wouldn’t go amiss.

Otherwise, the balance feels pretty solid right now. Whilst I’ve encountered Roka absolutely dominating a match, my squad managed to counter and contain them on numerous occasions. I’ve heard others complain about other characters which might actually indicate the balance is pretty reasonable. It would look to me that, played right, each Freegunner can be useful.

Performance wise, the game is also pretty slick. Environments were sufficiently detailed and visual effects popped, all without any slowdown in the 60 FPS managed on the PlayStation 5. There was a handful of connection hiccups, my friends list refused to load, and some button presses on menus seemingly refused to register, but that’s all very forgivable in a beta assuming its fixed up by launch.

I’m eager to see at launch how the world of the game is expanded upon. Perhaps even more ambitious than the likes of Overwatch and Apex Legends, the team at Firewalk has committed to weekly cutscenes expanding the story of the game. The two cutscenes present in the game look stunning and are well written, borrowing heavily from the tone of Guardians of the Galaxy, but didn’t do enough to grab me at this stage. Humour and set pieces may add some appeal in the short term, but the sooner we see some drama and character development injected into the narrative of the game, the more compelling it will be.

Disappointingly, there’s nothing setting up each match embedding it into the world other than text indicating you’re up against a rival crew. The same cutscene played on repeat loading into a match would get tedious I know, but I felt it was a missed opportunity to ground each session in the world.

The beta also didn’t give much sense of progression with a level cap at level 14. XP is awarded for completing daily and weekly missions, with some bigger event style challenges tied to more consequential rewards like character variants. Cosmetic unlocks are not tied necessarily to the characters you play as, making it perhaps quite a grind to get different skins and accessories for your favourites. It a common formula, but no less annoying.

All said and done, at this stage I’m left to wonder if I would recommend Concord at a $60 It’s hard to tell purely from the content available in the beta, but I’m optimistic I could come launch. More modes, deeper progression, a fleshed out story, adjustment of the spawns, tweaks to character mobility and a final polish all appear achievable. The game’s not far off the mark, and the end result would be a polished, feature rich experience worth the price and deserving of my time.

As for who I might recommend it to, Concord ought to have broad appeal. The game feels much more approachable for those that have dabbled in hero shooters but grew intimidated by the complexity of the meta. The core mechanics of hero shooters are still present, but cycling through characters makes for a changed pace I think most would enjoy. It’s well-rounded, nicely polished, with a generous assortment of unique but balanced characters.

But I’ve been here before. Of late, both The Finals and XDefiant absorbed a decent amount of my time before they were sidelined in favour for the latest hotness. There’s a step up in quality I think Concord brings in comparison to those two games, but only time will tell if it has a stickiness that surpasses them. We will have to wait to see but for the meantime, sign me up for more.

The post Concord Beta Impressions – A Hero Shooter For All appeared first on Press Start.

After announcing them a couple of weeks ago and releasing only the first in the line, more of PlayStation’s new series off collectible figures based on its iconic PlayStation Studios titles, dubbed the Shapes Collection, are available to pre-order in Australia.

The figures, created in a collaboration with toy company Spin Master, all stand 6″ tall and feature iconic characters in a decent amount of detail for the size and price – around $50 each for the upcoming figures which launch in September, with the exception of the already-released Aloy which is a “Deluxe” figure and goes for $85.

Better yet – these are live not only at EB Games but also Amazon, where they’re slightly cheaper at under $50 for the upcoming range and under $80 for Aloy. You can find all of them below:

PlayStation Shapes Collection Pre-Orders Australia

Amazon Australia

• Horizon: Forbidden West – Aloy – $79.99
• Horizon: Forbidden West – Varl – $49.99
• God of War – Kratos – $49.99
• God of War – Atreus – $49.99
• Ghost of Tsushima – Jin Sakai – $49.99

EB Games

• Horizon: Forbidden West – Aloy – $85
• Horizon: Forbidden West – Varl – $55
• God of War – Kratos – $55
• God of War – Atreus – $55
• Ghost of Tsushima – Jin Sakai – $55

PlayStation says that the Shapes Collection will “deliver the interactive storytelling element of these titles in an all-new way, extending the gaming experience from digital to physical,” which is a marketing speak way of saying that you’ll get to appreciate your favourite PlayStation Studios characters even when you’re not playing the games.

Developers from the relevant PlayStation studios are apparently closely involved in the collaboration on these figures, which are based on the actual digital sculpts of the characters used in the games themselves, and the results are definitely impressively-faithful for the size of the figures. As of right now, there’s no word on more characters arriving in the future but here’s hoping these do well enough for the company to dig even deeper into its IP stores (Ratchet & Clank and Ape Escape, please!).

The post PlayStation’s Shapes Collection Figures Are Now Available To Pre-Order In Australia appeared first on Press Start.

Update 12/7: As promised, Concord’s Early Access Beta period is about to begin, kicking off this Saturday, July 13th. This is the first phase of the game’s beta rollout, and was previously exclusive to those who pre-ordered the game. Now though, PlayStation has made the decision to open it to everybody with a PlayStation Plus subscription.

Below, you’ll find the exact dates and times of the Early Access Beta so you can plan where to fit a few rounds into your weekend, and there’s more info available here.

Concord Early Access Beta Australian Dates & Times

Concord’s Early Access Beta starts on Saturday, July 13th at the below times and runs until July 15th:

• 3.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 2.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 1.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 5.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

How To Access The Concord Early Beta

PlayStation has opened up the Concord Early Access beta to players with pre-orders and all PlayStation Plus members.

…and GOOD NEWS! All PlayStation Plus members get Early Access to the Concord Beta this weekend Full details ? https://t.co/iqni9ylqQT

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) July 11, 2024

Where To Pre-Order

• Amazon – $49
• Big W – $59
• JB Hi-Fi – $49
• EB Games – $59.95
• MightyApe – $59
• Gamesmen – $59.95
• Harvey Norman – $58
• PlayStation Store – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95
• Steam – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95
• Epic Games Store – Standard – $59.95 | Digital Deluxe – $94.95

Original Story: PlayStation and Firewalk have announced the dates for Concord’s promised beta access in July, which will give curious players the chance to see what the upcoming 5v5 character-driven, first-person multiplayer shooter is about before it launches in full on August 23rd.

The beta will come in two phases, with an Early Access Beta phase from July 13-15 for those who pre-order the game (and four of their friends, so they can bring the whole crew), and then an Open Beta phase from July 19-22 where anyone on PS5 or PC can download and try it out, with cross-play enabled between both platforms.

The Concord Beta will feature access to four of the game’s maps at first, with a fifth being introduced during the Open Beta weekend, and similarly will contain three game modes during the Early Access Beta weekend before adding one more during the Open Beta. Players will be able to try out all 16 launch characters, and see the very first of the game’s cinematic vignettes introducing the world and the Northstar crew’s stories.

You can get more detail on all of the maps and modes that are featuring in the PlayStation Blog post here.

Along with the reveal of the beta dates, a number of early hands-on previews of the game have gone live and are largely quite positive about the experience so far.

VGC reckons that first reveal trailer really did the game a disservice, and it’s more than it seems, saying, “Firewalk is saying all the right things. It’s also made a game that, based on our early playtest, feels great. While the recent reveal was arguably a misstep (a sentiment echoed by most members of the media in attendance at our session) it doesn’t portray the high-quality shooter that Firewalk has produced.”

PC Gamer’s preview claims the Overwatch comparisons aren’t entirely accurate, saying, “I’ve now played it and can confirm: Concord isn’t Sony Overwatch, and it’s fun. I don’t know if it’ll be a Helldivers 2-level phenomenon, but if that’s the multiplayer hit of the year, Concord could at least be the multiplayer hit of the summer.”

IGN wasn’t overly impressed with the game’s balancing and controls, but hopes these will be addressed leading up to launch, writing in its preview, “Fortunately, there are still a couple of months to go until Concord’s launch – still a decent bit of time for the balancing and tweaking of every aspect of the game that always happens at this stage of the development process. Fingers crossed Concord is able to tighten up its floaty controls and address its character balancing before it drops on August 23 for PS5 and PC.”

The post Concord’s Early Access Beta Has Been Opened Up To All PlayStation Plus Members appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has announced a new line of collectible figures based on its iconic PlayStation Studios titles, in a collaboration with toy company Spin Master.

PlayStation says that this new range, dubbed The Shapes Collection, will “deliver the interactive storytelling element of these titles in an all-new way, extending the gaming experience from digital to physical,” which is a marketing speak way of saying that you’ll get to appreciate your favourite PlayStation Studios characters even when you’re not playing the games.

The first of these to be released is a 6″ Aloy figure, which is available for Aussies to order now at Amazon and EB Games for $85 with figures already shipping and available in EB stores.

This will be followed by 6″ Kratos and Atreus figures, Horizon Forbidden West’s Varl, and Ghost of Tsushima’s Jin Sakai in September with pre-orders kicking off in a couple of weeks (again at Amazon Australia and presumably EB Games for us local fans).

Developers from the relevant PlayStation studios are apparently closely involved in the collaboration on these figures, which are based on the actual digital sculpts of the characters used in the games themselves, and the results are definitely impressively-faithful for the size of the figures. As of right now, there’s no word on more characters arriving in the future but here’s hoping these do well enough for the company to dig even deeper into its IP stores (Ratchet & Clank and Ape Escape, please!).

Here’s a bit more about the already-announced Shapes figures:

The Shapes Collection

Deluxe Figure 6-inch Aloy, Horizon Forbidden West

• Deluxe collector grade figure with 42 points of articulation and 12 different accessories including multiple face plates and alternative hands
• Pre-order on Amazon Australia starting July 3^rd, shipping beginning August.

Core Figures 6-inch Kratos and Atreus (God of War Ragnarök), Varl (Horizon Forbidden West), Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)

• Deluxe collector grade figures with 24-34 points of articulation and 2-4 accessories (varies by character)
• Pre-order on Amazon Australia starting July 15, shipping beginning September.

The post PlayStation Shapes Is A New Line Of Official Collectible Figures And It’s Coming To Australia appeared first on Press Start.

With the not-E3 Summer Game Fest season pretty well done and dusted after yesterday’s stacked Nintendo Direct, eyes are already beginning to turn to the next Geoff Keighley-adjacent event, Gamescom.

Coming up in just a couple of months and beginning on August 21st, Gamescom will not only feature halls and halls of hands-on demos, activations, panels and other fun activities in Cologne, Germany, but will also kick off with Keighley’s Opening Night Live showcase.

And although it just featured one of its brand-new announcements, LEGO Horizon Adventures, at Geoff’s Summer Game Fest show, it looks like we might not see PlayStation show up again at Gamescom or ONL.

German website “Games Wirtschaft” has reported a statement from Sony Interactive Entertainment confirming that it has no plans to exhibit at this year’s event, effectively ruling PlayStation out of the picture unless it decides to take part in some other way (a sponsorship or some other marketing activity around the event). The company simply said, “Sony Interactive currently has no plans to exhibit at Gamescom 2024.”

Zwei von drei Konsolen-Herstellern verzichten auf einen #Gamescom-Messestand: Nach Nintendo sagt auch der #PlayStation-Konzern Sony Interactive offiziell ab.https://t.co/W6YGYWsdfF

— GamesWirtschaft (@gameswirtschaft) June 19, 2024

PlayStation also skipped Gamescom last year, although in 2022 it debuted the DualSense Edge controller during the Opening Night Live showcase.

Nintendo has also already confirmed it won’t be at the event for 2024, despite having just shown off a pretty exciting slate of games for the coming months. Xbox hasn’t made any confirmations yet, but the company usually has a pretty big presence at Gamescom so it would make sense for that to continue.

Last year’s Opening Night Live showcase wasn’t a huge show for brand-new-announcements but did bring some pretty exciting looks at then-upcoming titles like Starfield, Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Tekken 8 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty to name a few.

The post PlayStation Won’t Be Attending Gamescom 2024 appeared first on Press Start.

Update: Thanks to all who entered. The three winners of this giveaway have been drawn and contacted. Congratulations to:

• Jayden F.
• Geoffrey N.
• Riley H.

PlayStation’s epic Days of Play festivities have kicked off once again, with a whole heap of activity including sales on games, new drops of titles in the PlayStation Plus catalogue, discounts for new and returning PS Plus members, exclusive avatars and more, giving fans and gamers more reasons to play.

The fun starts May 29th and runs for two weeks until June 12th, spread across the digital PlayStation Store and retailers and with plenty of surprises and flash deals to come over the course of the promotion. You can find out more on the PlayStation Blog here.

To make it even more exciting, PlayStation has provided three great prize packs for us to give away in celebration of Days of Play 2024, with each pack including a gorgeous, Sterling Silver DualSense wireless controller along with 12 months of PlayStation Plus Deluxe so you can enjoy everything the service has to offer including the new additions to drop during Days of Play!

Three lucky winners will each receive the below prizes provided by PlayStation:

• 1x Sterling Silver DualSense wireless controller
• 1x PlayStation Plus Deluxe 12 month membership

WIN: 1 Of 3 PlayStation Days Of Play Prize Packs

To have a chance at winning one of these great prize packs, make sure you enter below and answer in 40 words or less, “Which your favourite PlayStation 5 game so far and why?”

WIN: 1 Of 3 PlayStation Days Of Play Prize Packs

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON JUNE 12TH AT 11:59PM AEST. OPEN TO ANZ RESIDENTS ONLY.

The post The Winners Of Our PlayStation Days Of Play Giveaway appeared first on Press Start.

E3 may be dead and buried, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of other huge gaming events and showcases to get excited about this month.

Yes, it’s June already (what?!), and pretty much every big showcase has now been penciled into the schedule, so as usual we’ve put together a handy guide to all of the presentations, streams, events and celebrations happening over the month, including all of the times converted to local time zones and the best places to catch them live.

Take a look at everything you can look forward to below:

June Gaming Showcase 2024 Schedule

PlayStation State of Play – May 31st

• 8.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 7.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 6.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 10.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

The show is happening Friday May 31st for us Aussies (and at a somewhat reasonable time!), and will run for 30 minutes covering 14 PS5 and PS VR2 titles, some of which include PlayStation Studios titles due to launch later this year.

Silent Hill Transmission- May 31st

• 9.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 8.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 7.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 11.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

Konami has announced that a Silent Hill Transmission is taking place and it will bring us game updates, a deeper look at the film as well as new merch.

Summer Game Fest 2024 – June 8th

• 7.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 6.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 5.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 9.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

Geoff Keighley, hero to trailer and sponsored segment enthusiasts everywhere, has revealed the dates for Summer Game Fest 2024, after the event was already confirmed to be going ahead right after it wrapped last year. It’ll once again be held in-person at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles as well as streamed live across multiple platforms when it kicks off on Saturday, June 8th, 2024 at 7AM AEST.

Public tickets to attend Summer Game Fest 2024 will be going on sale on May 7th.

???

It's officially official: On Friday, June 7 @SummerGameFest streams live from @youtubetheater in LA at 2p PT / 5p ET / 9p GMT.

A two hour showcase of what's next in gaming.

Sign up now at https://t.co/gO9QVWF4nN for event alerts. pic.twitter.com/5UAiehTPNY

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) March 13, 2024

Day of the Devs – June 8th

Day of the Devs will directly follow the Summer Game Fest showcase and feature the hottest upcoming indies with new announcements, updates and more all thanks to Double Fine and iam8bit.

Devolver Direct 2024  – June 8TH

• 10.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 9.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 8.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 12.00 PM NZST (Wellington)

Devolver will debut a 20-minute presentation on June 8th at 10AM AEST, which it’s claiming will be a celebration of completely made-up iconic mascot, Volvy’s 15th birthday. What that actually means, of course, is we’ll be treated to 20-ish minutes of updates on previously announced games, including some long-awaited release dates, as well as some exciting brand-new reveals.

Metaphor: ReFantazio – “ATLUS Exclusive 2” Showcase – June 8th

• 11.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 10.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 9.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 1.00 PM NZST (Wellington)

Following Summer Game Fest this Friday, watch the “ATLUS Exclusive 2” Showcase at 6pm PT/9pm ET as director Katsura Hashino gives a closer look at the upcoming title.

Future of Play Direct – June 9th

• 1.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 12.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 11.00 PM June 8th AWST (Perth)
• 3.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

Future Games Show – June 9th

• 5.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 4.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 3.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 7.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

Check out our teaser trailer for the #FutureGamesShow Summer Showcase on Saturday, June 8

? Over 40 games
????? Partners include @SuperMGames & @Behaviour, @NetEaseGames_EN and @WeAreSecretMode
?? June 8, 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST

Set a reminder for when we go live:… pic.twitter.com/gB0CfzSe89

— FutureGamesShow (@FutureGamesShow) May 20, 2024

The Future Games Show for 2024 promises updates and deep dives into new and anticipated titles, exciting special guests, demo drops and more.

Wholesome Direct – June 9th

You’ll be able to catch the Wholesome Direct on June 9th on the official YouTube and Twitch channels as part of Summer Game Fest, at the below local times:

• 2.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 1.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 12.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 4.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

? Wholesome Direct will premiere Sat, June 8
? 9am PT / 12pm ET / 6pm CET
? A vibrant lineup of artistic, uplifting, and emotionally resonant games from developers of all sizes from around the world! pic.twitter.com/E0MFnlnqyo

— Wholesome Games (@_wholesomegames) May 7, 2024

Latin American Games Showcase – June 9th

The Latin American Games Showcase is a platform that strives to increase the visibility of the video games being developed in the LATAM Region and Latin Americans in the World. You’ll be able to watch it on YouTube here.

• 3.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 2.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 1.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 5.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

Women-Led Games Showcase – June 9th

Women-led Games brings recognition to the hard working women in the games industry with a showcase every year showing off all the innovative games coming from Women-led and majority women studios. You’ll be able to catch the Women-Led Games Showcase on June 9th on the official YouTube channel as part of Summer Game Fest, at the below local times:

• 4.30 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 4.00 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 2.30 AM AWST (Perth)
• 6.30 AM NZST (Wellington)

Women-Led Games #SummerGameFest Edition will be airing June 8th at 11:30PT!

We're also organizing a steam sale alongside the showcase!
If you would like to submit your game to participate in the sale, please fill out the form here linked below ? pic.twitter.com/bGU1gWb1jA

— Women-Led Games Summer Game Fest June 8th (@womenledgames) May 13, 2024

Xbox Games Showcase – June 10th

• 3.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 2.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 1.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 5.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

The Xbox Games Showcase will feature games from across Xbox’s swelling portfolio of studios including Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda and of course its Xbox Game Studios, along with titles from third-party partners. The follow-up presentation will be a Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Direct dedicated entirely to this year’s entry in the mammoth franchise.

You’ll be able to catch the show at all of the below channels:

• YouTube.com/Xbox
• Twitch.tv/Xbox
• Twitch.tv/XboxASL
• Facebook.com/Xbox

PC Gaming Show – June 10th

• 6.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 5.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 4.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 8.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

It's back! The PC Gaming Show returns on Sunday June 9

? 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT / 9pm BST / 10pm CEST
? Join us on X, Twitch, YouTube and Steam
? 70+ games, exclusives and announcements
? Celebrating 10 years
?? Hosts and lots more still to be announced#PCGamingShow pic.twitter.com/IZb2hSGxOx

— PC Gamer (@pcgamer) May 17, 2024

You’ll be able to catch the PC Gaming Show at the below channels:

• YouTube
• Twitch

Ubisoft Forward – June 11th

• 5.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 4.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 3.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 7.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

The show kicks off on June 11th at the ripe time of 5:00AM AEST, and will feature exclusive new looks at the company’s two key upcoming titles, Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Alongside these two, the just-launched free-to-play shooter XDefiant will also make an appearance, and before the show there’ll be a half hour pre-show where Ubisoft will offer looks at some new updates for its live games.

Yacht Club Presents – June 15th

• 4.30 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 4.00 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 2.30 AM AWST (Perth)
• 6.30 AM NZST (Wellington)

We're thrilled to announce a special edition of "Yacht Club Games Presents" to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shovel Knight.

This live-streamed event will take place on our YouTube channel on Friday, June 14th, 2024 at 11:30 AM PT/ 2:30 PM EST. pic.twitter.com/Wu5u4QcmFI

— Yacht Club Games – YCG Presents airs on 6.14 (@YachtClubGames) June 4, 2024

Still To Be Announced Date/Time:

• Nintendo Direct

The post Every Gaming Showcase Announced For June 2024 With Aussie Dates And Times appeared first on Press Start.

Easily the most exciting reveal during this morning’s PlayStation State of Play was a brand-new, fully-fledged Astro Bot 3D platformer headed to PlayStation 5 on September 6th this year.

Aside from looking like an adorably-good time, the announcement trailer showed us that the game will continue the tradition of being packed full of PlayStation references from iconic characters to consoles and accessories.

For a bit of fun I’ve scoured the trailer myself, picking out as many of these references as I could. Most are pretty obvious, but there’s some deep cuts towards the end. I’ve also probably missed some, so let me know if you’ve seen anything I haven’t! But otherwise, take a look at the ones I’ve found below:

A Few Friends

• Spike and monkey (Ape Escape)
• Kratos and Atreus (God of War)
• Aloy (Horizon)
• Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
• Ratchet and Clank (Ratchet and Clank)

DualSense Controller – Astro’s preferred mode of transport

Uncharted – Nathan Drake doing Nathan Drake things

Journey – What a game

Ico – Self-explanatory

Parappa the Rapper – Also self-explanatory

PS5 console – Even more room for interstellar activities

Shadow of the Colossus – Wander, Agro and Mono

Ratchet and Clank – Ratchet being beamed up

God of War – Kratos and his mighty Leviathan axe

A whole bunch of PlayStation hardware and accessories including:

• PS1 console
• PSOne console
• PlayStation Controller
• PocketStation
• PlayStation Multitap
• PlayStation Mouse
• PS2 console
• DualShock 2
• EyeToy
• PS3 console “fat”
• PS3 console “slim”
• PS3 Eye Camera
• PlayStation Move Controller
• PlayStation Move Navigation Controller
• PlayStation Move Gun Controller
• PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter
• SingStar microphone
• PS4 console
• DualShock 4
• Aim Controller
• PSP console
• UMD disc
• Buzz Controller
• PlayStation VR2

Everyone again for good measure – Atreus, Kratos, Spike, Aloy, Nathan Drake and LocoRoco!

Phew! There are probably (definitely) some I’ve missed, too, so be sure to let me know what else you spot!

You can go hunting for references in the Astro Bot Announcement trailer below:

The post Every PlayStation Reference We Spotted In The Astro Bot Announcement Trailer appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been long rumoured, and PlayStation has finally confirmed that it’s getting ahead of the rest with a State of Play on the last day of May.

It will run for 35 minutes covering 14 PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2 games including PlayStation Studios games launching later this year, and here’s when you’ll be able to watch.

PlayStation State of Play May 2024 Australia & NZ Times

The May PlayStation State of Play is taking place at a great time for Aussies. It’s happening on Friday morning at the below times:

• 8.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 7.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 6.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 10.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

WHERE TO WATCH THE PLAYSTATION MAY STATE OF PLAY

You can watch it on YouTube or at the below embed:

We’ll obviously have all the news announcements for you as it happens as well as a round-up as well.

The post All The Aussie Times For Tomorrow’s PlayStation State Of Play Stream appeared first on Press Start.

It’s finally happened – with the month almost over, PlayStation has slid in at the last second to confirm it’s holding a PlayStation State of Play showcase for May 2024.

The show is happening tomorrow, Friday May 31st for us Aussies (and at a somewhat reasonable time!), and will run for 30 minutes covering 14 PS5 and PS VR2 titles, some of which include PlayStation Studios titles due to launch later this year.

It’s especially exciting news given we know very little about PlayStation’s slate for the rest of 2024, and with rumours of both a new Astro Bot title as well as a LEGO Horizon project swirling, it should hopefully be some very good news. Naturally, no mention has been made of whether or not PlayStation will finally acknowledge the impending PlayStation 5 Pro, but it would be surprising to not have it mentioned at all at this point.

Here’s when you can catch the State of Play live across our different time zones:

PlayStation State of Play May 2024 Australia & NZ Times

• 8.00 AM AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
• 7.30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
• 6.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 10.00 AM NZST (Wellington)

State of Play returns with a 30+ minute broadcast this Thursday at 3pm PT / 11pm BST: https://t.co/eJWbP09sv3

Tune in live for updates on 14 PS5 and PS VR2 titles, including a look at PlayStation Studios titles arriving later this year. pic.twitter.com/B6Uc6aLWKF

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 29, 2024

The post A 30-Minute PlayStation State Of Play Showcase Is Happening Tomorrow appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation’s huge Days of Play celebration is back again, returning for 2024 to celebrate all things PlayStation and the community of players across the globe. As usual, this means a couple of weeks of deals on games on the PlayStation Store, new rewards and catalogue titles for PlayStation Plus members and of course discounts for those looking to sign up to PS Plus or upgrade their membership.

Expect digital sales on the PlayStation Store, including some 24-hour flash deals, along with exclusive avatars to claim and new drops of PS5, PS4, PS VR2, Classics and Game Trials titles for PS Plus members. You can find those list of games HERE.

All of the activity will be revealed in full on the PlayStation Blog, but we’ll also be bringing you all of the Aussie deals as they’re announced right here and across our social channels.

PLAYSTATION DAYS OF PLAY 2024 DATES

PlayStation confirmed that Days of Play will run from tomorrow until June 12th this year.

PLAYSTATION DAYS OF PLAY 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS DEAL

PlayStation has confirmed that there will be a PlayStation Plus deal for both new/returning and current PlayStation members. From May 29th until June 9th, new or lapsed members can subscribe to PlayStation plus for up to 30% off, based on the below tiers:

• 20% off 12-month Essential memberships
• 25% off 12-month Extra memberships
• 30% off 12-month Deluxe memberships

Meanwhile, also from May 29th until June 9th, existing members on the Essential or Extra tier can upgrade their memberships at a discount as below:

• 25% off upgrades to Extra tier
• 30% off upgrades to Deluxe tier

You’ll be able to find the discounted memberships and sign up or upgrade on the PlayStation Store here.

The post PlayStation’s Days Of Play Event Is Back For 2024 With A Banger PlayStation Plus Deal appeared first on Press Start.

Team Ninja has shared a new post over on the PlayStation Blog, giving fans some fairly interesting insight into the development of March’s PS5 exclusive, Rise of the Ronin, and how the studio’s previous games help inform some of the creative decisions behind it.

Along with this, the post also reveals a major new update coming to the game this week that tweaks a number of gameplay improvements and new features along with added and expanded content including new Ally Missions. A lot of the updates are focused on offering more options to players who’ve sunk their teeth into everything the game has to offer and want new challenges and better ways to replay existing content.

Here’s what’s been revealed as rolling out to the game now (and for many, already rolled out):

Rise of the Ronin May 2024 Update

New and expanded content

• 5 new Ally Missions added.
• When replaying a world in Midnight, you can choose to have Public Order deteriorate again.
• Level sync selection feature added to missions from Testament of the Soul.
• Two new Set Bonuses added to Midnight difficulty.
• Addition of dojo training partners.
• Add Martial Skill type bonus and raise limit of target score.

Gameplay Improvements

• When equipped with the same weapon type on weapons 1 and 2, the number of styles can be expanded to a maximum of 6.
• Changed the specifications so that special equipment will be given even if the player does not confess.
• Changed the specifications so that greetings with characters after a breakup will return to normal over time.
• Adjusted to make it easier for asynchronous characters to be selected.

Rise of the Ronin Review – Humbled By Ambition

We gave Rise of the Ronin a respectable 7/10 in our review earlier this year, with Harry saying, “While still an apt Souls-like experience, Rise of the Ronin struggles to find its identity amongst Team Ninja’s catalogue. It feels like it’s being pulled in different directions, and starts to collapse under its own ambition in the third act. In saying this, the DNA of Nioh and Wo Long is palpable here, and I have no doubt that fans of Team Ninja will enjoy this first foray into open world design despite its shortcomings.”

The post A New Rise Of The Ronin Update Has Arrived With Added Missions And Features appeared first on Press Start.

As spotted by the folks at TweakTown, a new job listing from PlayStation Global seems to suggest that the company is looking to greatly expand its offerings in the mobile space, with calls for a Mobile Platform Architect to help it design and implement a new “mobile games platform.”

It’s not entirely clear from just this listing what “mobile games platform” might actually mean in real-world terms, but looking at the job overview it would seem as though PlayStation’s intentions are to develop a unified platform for its development and distribution of mobile games, as opposed to it trying to spin up a whole dedicated storefront similar to what Xbox is working on right now.

“PlayStation Studios Mobile is seeking an experienced software engineer to design PlayStation’s platform for developing, publishing, and operating free-to-play mobile games,” the job ad reads. “An individual in this role will spearhead the design and implementation of this platform; work in partnership with internal teams to connect mobile games to PlayStation services; and ensure that all mobile games meet PlayStation’s quality standards.”

.@Sony Interactive Entertainment is currently developing a PlayStation mobile games platform for 'developing, publishing, and operating free-to-play games' https://t.co/wPHEOmDwpD

— TweakTown (@TweakTown) May 21, 2024

The above does suggest we’ll maybe see a strengthened connection between PlayStation’s mobile games and apps and it’s wider ecosystem, similar to how it just launched a PlayStation overlay for the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut that somewhat bridges the gap between PC and console players and their PlayStation accounts.

PlayStation has dabbled in mobile games in various forms, and with various levels of success, in the past but doesn’t currently have much of a stable outside of a few companion apps. It’ll be interesting to see what its ambitions are going forward in the mobile space, and with the number of successful examples of cross-platform games with mobile support like Call of Duty Warzone, Fortnite and Genshin Impact it’s easy to see why mobile might be a big part of Sony’s plans for the future.

The post PlayStation Is Seemingly Working On A New Mobile Games Platform appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has teamed up with local Korean chicken joint, Gami Chicken, to launch a very special new burger in celebration of the release of Stellar Blade.

Starting today, Monday May 20th, Gami Chicken’s menu will include the new Stellar Blade Chicken Burger, which is the beautiful, blue-bunned number you see in the images on this page and features everything you’d expect in a fried chicken burger. You’ll be able to pick one up for a special price of approximately $12 in Gami locations for dine-in or takeaway, or around $13.50 when ordering via Uber or DoorDash.

Better yet, every purchase of one of these gives you the chance to score one of five prize packs including a PlayStation 5 console, Stellar Blade digital game code, and an extra Cobalt Blue DualSense wireless controller. There are also 50 runner-up prizes of a download code for Stellar Blade on PS5. To enter, you’ll need to submit you receipt and enter a game of skill, and you can find out all of the details right here.

Fresh from the 7th Airborne Squad, the Stellar Blade burger has finally arrived at Gami Chicken across Sydney and Melbourne ? For a limited time only, at participating stores. pic.twitter.com/pkIPPrv6xS

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) May 20, 2024

“We’re thrilled to be working with PlayStation Australia to celebrate the launch of South Korean developed game, Stellar Blade,” Gami’s executive director, Jun Lee, said in a press release. “We look forward to gamers enjoying our Stellar Blade burger with the opportunity to win a PlayStation 5 prize pack.”

Gami Chicken has locations in multiple states, but this promo is limited to just the following stores in VIC and NSW:

VIC

• Bentleigh
• Carnegie
• Chadstone
• Caroline Springs
• Epping
• Fountain Gate
• Glen
• Hawthorn
• Healeys
• Lilydale
• Highpoint
• PointCook
• Springvale
• St. Albans
• Tarneit
• Waurn Ponds
• Werribee
• Windsor

NSW

• Ed. Square
• Castle Towers
• World Square
• Market St.
• Oran Park
• Newtown
• Campbelltown
• Penrith
• Wetherill Park

We gave Stellar Blade a huge 9/10 in our review, with Harry saying, “Stellar Blade recalls the classic era of character-action games in truly inspired fashion. It might struggle to deliver on its core narrative, and its platforming is often more frustrating than it isn’t, but neither of those things are enough to bring down a thoroughly enjoyable action experience. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but manages to build on them in engaging fashion with a deliciously layered combat system and gorgeous presentation to boot.”

Stellar Blade is out now exclusively on PlayStation 5. Grab your copy here.

The post A Stellar Blade Burger Has Arrived At Gami Chicken And You Can Win A PS5 By Ordering One appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has appointed its replacement for former CEO, Jim Ryan, or rather replacements, promoting both Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino to new positions as CEOs of separate groups within the PlayStation Business.

Hulst, who co-founded Horizon studio Guerrilla Games before becoming Head of PlayStation Studios, will now lead the newly-dubbed Studio Business Group, overseeing the company’s first party studios as well as the company’s efforts in other media like TV and film. Meanwhile Nishino, who was previously SVP of Platform Experiences, will head up the Platform Business Group which looks after things like hardware, accessories, PSN as well as third-party publishers and indies.

“I am thrilled to lead the studio business group and continue to build on our success with PlayStation 5, while preparing for the future,” Hulst said in a statement shared via GamesIndustry.biz. “The video game industry is one of the largest entertainment industries in the world and has been built on the marriage of content and technology, and I look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of play and entertainment.”

PlayStation has announced its new CEOs. Hermen Hulst will be CEO of the studios business group, and Hideaki Nishino CEO of Platforms. Effective June 1. pic.twitter.com/1U9W8u3kAE

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) May 13, 2024

“We will continue to connect players and creators through world-class products, services, and technology,” Nishino said. “We always strive to grow our community even bigger with innovation in every area at Sony Interactive Entertainment.”

“I am honored to be appointed such an important role alongside Hermen. By working more closely together, we will be positioned to build incredible experiences for an ever-expanding audience now and in the future.”

The pair will report to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s current chairman, Hiroki Totoki, who has been been as CEO since Ryan stepped down earlier this year, with the two new roles coming into effect as of June 1st.

“Sony Interactive Entertainment is a dynamic and growing business that delivers incredible entertainment experiences through the connection of content and technology,” Totoki said. “These two leaders will have clear responsibilities and will manage strategic direction to ensure the focus remains on deepening engagement with existing PlayStation users and expanding experiences to new audiences.”

The post PlayStation Has Announced Jim Ryan’s Replacements With Two New CEOs appeared first on Press Start.

Deviation Games, which was started up back in 2021 by ex-Call of Duty developers Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony and was set to work on a new AAA PlayStation exclusive, found itself a casualty of the ongoing unrest in the games industry right now and shuttered before its debut project could even be revealed.

Now, it’s being reported that a number of former Deviation staff have rejoined to form a new studio, once again led by Jason Blundell, and this time as part of PlayStation’s own stable of studios.

The potential news was picked up on Resetera and shared on the “Gaming Leaks And Rumours” subreddit, after outspoken former Deviation technical director, Michael Anthony, commented on the potential new studio in a post on LinkedIn, which reads:

“Hey, I hear that a lot of previous Deviation Games employees have setup their own studio at Sony working on an undisclosed new IP.

“All the people I see working there that have signed up are top class developers and hope that you can create a top class new IP with your studio that hopefully gives you all the time you need to create a quality product and not have to deal with red tape from previous projects.

“Best wishes, expecially [sic] if JB, AR, FT, MG, JS, KS and JC is involved

“Go go JB and do what yoiu do best”

Ex-Deviation Games Technical Director says that former colleagues have set up a new internal Sony studio (Led by Jason Blundel, new IP)
byu/Careless_Main3 inGamingLeaksAndRumours

Anthony had previously publicly criticised a portion of Deviation’s ex-leadership, suggesting that things weren’t entirely smooth at the studio before it was completely shut down. They seem to advocate quite positively for Blundell though, so with any luck this new outfit is a more constructive representation of the studio’s previous talent and better poised to deliver something exciting.

While nothing has been officially confirmed yet, some sleuthing from users did also turn up another reference to this new studio with at least one person saying they’d been hired at PlayStation and would be working under Blundell as recently as December last year:

JOB UPDATE!

I've been wanting to say this for a while, but now I finally can! ?

I'm a Junior Game Designer @PlayStation Studios.

And I work for Jason Blundell. ??

— JC (@JCbackfire) December 18, 2023

The post PlayStation Looks To Have Formed A New Studio With A Number Of Ex-Deviation Staff appeared first on Press Start.

The PlayStation Store’s ceaseless march of savings never ends, and with the current May Deals sale already winding up, another big digital promo has kicked off – this time with over 1,200 individual titles discounted along with heaps more extra content and bundles as part of the Big Games, Big Deals sale.

You can view the full sale here or take a peek at some of our picks of the best deals (or just best games) below:

PLAYSTATION STORE BIG GAMES, BIG DEALS SALE

As usual, the deals below are just a quick list of highlights, and some deals may be cheaper or already included for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Most of these prices end on May 23rd at 8:59 AM AEST.

Game I Reckon You Should Check Out

• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – $79.96
• Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft – $33.71
• METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.1 – $67.96
• RoboCop: Rogue City – Alex Murphy Edition – $59.97 ($49.97 with PlayStation Plus)
• Lords of the Fallen – $53.97
• Pacific Drive: Deluxe Edition – $35.96
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – $80.46
• Jurassic World Evolution 2 – $21.23
• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection – $29.98
• DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT – $19.99
• Batman: Return to Arkham – $8.39
• Sonic Origins – $26.97
• Forspoken – $45.98
• Moonglow Bay – $30.36 ($26.56 with PlayStation Plus)
• Alien: Isolation – $16.30
• FINAL FANTASY XVI Digital Deluxe Edition – $72.47
• STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R – $55.96
• The Jackbox Party Pack 7 – $26.97
• Where the Water Tastes Like Wine – $7.19
• No Straight Roads – Digital Deluxe Edition – $15.28
• Minute Of Islands – $5.99
• MINABO – A walk through life – $15.14
• The Spectrum Retreat – $5.83
• Highwater – $13.47 ($12.12 with PlayStation Plus)
• Chasing Static – $9.18
• Fall of Porcupine – $14.97
• Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo – $7.48 ($6.23 with PlayStation Plus)
• The Forgotten City – $17.97
• Cookie Cutter – $13.47 ($12.12 with PlayStation Plus)
• The Chant – $7.73
• Hardspace: Shipbreaker – $20.98
• Venba – $14.91 ($13.76 with PlayStation Plus)
• WILD HEARTS – $38.48

Remember These?

• Hi-Fi RUSH Deluxe Edition – $35.97
• Dishonored® Definitive Edition – $6.23
• The Evil Within 2 – $13.99
• Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition – $13.73

Packed Deluxe Editions And Bundles

• Assassin’s Creed Mirage® Master Assassin Edition – $64.97
• The Crew Motorfest Gold Edition – $74.97
• UFC® 5 Deluxe Edition – $82.47
• Spyro + Crash Remastered Game Bundle – $43.03
• Anno 1800 Console Edition – Deluxe – $39.97
• Dead Island 2 Deluxe Edition – $58.97
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy – $24.48
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Ragnarök Edition – $29.99
• Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Deluxe Edition – $71.26
• Skyrim Anniversary Edition + Fallout 4 G.O.T.Y Bundle – $42.88
• SONIC SUPERSTARS Digital Deluxe Edition featuring LEGO – $56.47
• Saints Row Gold Edition – $17.98
• ONE PIECE ODYSSEY Deluxe Edition – $41.38
• Watch Dogs: Legion – Ultimate Edition – $35.99
• Sniper Elite 5 Complete Edition – $63.98 ($47.98 with PlayStation Plus)
• The Settlers: New Allies Deluxe Edition – $36.28
• Little Nightmares II Deluxe Edition – $19.23
• Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition – $13.73
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection – $27.47
• Soul Hackers 2 Digital Deluxe Edition – $30.73
• Lost Judgment Digital Deluxe Edition – $28.73
• Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania Bundle – $29.37
• Sonic Colours: Ultimate – Digital Deluxe – $25.98
• Park Beyond Visioneer Edition – $71.47
• The Callisto Protocol – Digital Deluxe Edition – $30.23
• FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE Digital Deluxe Edition – $50.97
• THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE Premium Digital Deluxe Edition – $79.97
• Like a Dragon: Ishin! Digital Deluxe Edition – $49.18

PS VR2 Bangers

• Moss and Moss: Book II Bundle – $37.76
• Red Matter Collection – $44.96
• Demeo – $29.97
• Green Hell VR – $26.97
• Pixel Ripped 1995 – $20.96
• Jurassic World Aftermath Collection – $15.73 ($13.48 with PlayStation Plus)

The post The Best Deals In The PlayStation Store’s “Big Games, Big Deals” Sale appeared first on Press Start.

Spin Rhythm XD, the joyous and accessible EDM rhythm-action game from Melbourne developers Super Spin Digital, is easily one of the best rhythm games out there since it launched last year on PC and eventually Nintendo Switch, and now it’s coming to even more platforms including a very special update for VR fans.

The game is not only headed to PlayStation consoles for the first time with a PS5 and PS4 release on July 9th, but on the same day it’s also getting a free VR update for players on PC and PS VR2.

The PlayStation version of Spin Rhythm XD will naturally include some neat features based on the DualSense/DualShock 4 controllers, including motion controls to move the wheel and even touchpad support to “flick and scratch like a DJ.” The PlayStation version of the game will also include more than 40 trophies to unlock and Challenge Activities on PS5 so you can see when your friends have beaten your high scores and jump right back in to show them how it’s done.

Maybe more exciting, the first-ever VR version of Spin Rhythm XD will bring the experience to a whole new level, redesigned for VR input like the PS VR2’s Sense controllers for a smooth and almost drum-like style of play that looks like a ton of fun.

The game already has more than 60 tracks available including music from artists including Anamanaguchi, Hyper Potions, Panda Eyes, Lena Raine, 2 Mello, Tokyo Machine, and a whole heap more, but this new release will also coincide with a fresh drop of DLC, offering up an additional 10 tracks from Chillhop music, and the existing Monstercat DLC pack will also be available to PlayStation players at launch.

Check out the reveal trailer for these new platform releases for Spin Rhythm XD below and wishlist the game on the PlayStation Store here.

The post The Aussie-Made Rhythm Banger Spin Rhythm XD Is Coming To PlayStation And VR appeared first on Press Start.

Update 01/05: As we could have reasonably predicted after the initial teases rolled out, a Returnal graphic novel from publisher Dark Horse Comics has been revealed to celebrate three years since the game’s release, along with a new artbook.

The graphic novel is titled Returnal: Fallen Asteria and will release on October 22nd, along with the 224-page oversized book named The Art of Returnal on the same day. The artbook will feature “concept art of the volatile biomes and terrifying enemies, as well as insightful commentary from the game’s creative team.”

There’s also an animated version of the graphic novel’s first chapter available to watch here.

Celebrate @Housemarque and @PlayStation's award-winning game with Returnal: Fallen Asteria, a graphic novel that expands and reimagines the original story. Plus, complete your collection with NEW hardcover art book. Releasing this October.@GamesRadar has the exclusive details:… pic.twitter.com/LSASASTdGs

— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) April 30, 2024

Original Story: Housemarque, the studio behind 2021’s markedly excellent roguelike third-person shooter, is teasing something in anticipation of the game’s third anniversary, which happens to be today.

Last night the studio’s official social media accounts began posting cryptic images and videos featuring protagonist Selene’s eyes amongst a shattering glass motif and the word “TOMORROW,” suggesting we’ll get an announcement of one kind or another in the coming day (it should be today, but y’know, time zones).

As for what this announcement might be, it’s probably not what you’re hoping for. The studio already said more than two years ago that its next game wouldn’t be Returnal 2, so we can rule that out unless it’s changed its tune in the time since (I would be okay with this). Dark Horse Comics also reposted the tease with its own comment, suggesting what this is more likely to be is a printed adaptation of some kind to continue Selene’s story from the game, especially likely given the “graphic novel” look of the teaser image and video.

Whatever the case, we’ll know soon enough.

pic.twitter.com/uAkzYOCjjn

— Housemarque (@Housemarque) April 29, 2024

Brodie said in his original review of Returnal back in 2021, “With some doubt at the front of people’s minds, Returnal is a shushing finger across the lips of detractors as well as a tremendous example that PlayStation’s middle line titles can still offer as much value and entertainment as its tentpole exclusives. Housemarque achieves an atmosphere like few can and set up a universe ripe for expansion while marrying it to a grind — which is more forgiving than most of its kind but will still alienate some —that’s both brutal and gratifying all at once.”

If you’re yet to pick up a copy, Amazon currently has the original Returnal for $69. The huge, free update, Returnal: Ascension, also includes the brutal Tower of Sisyphis survival mode along with the ability to play through the entire campaign in online co-op.

The post A New Returnal Graphic Novel And Artbook Have Been Revealed For Its 3rd Anniversary appeared first on Press Start.

Stellar Blade launched last week to a pretty positive critical reception, garnering an 82 on Metacritic after 118 verified reviews, with our own scoring it a huge 9/10. The game, a debut big-budget console effort from mobile developer SHIFT UP, was always going to land weirdly though thanks to a lead character that recalls the heights of 90s/early 2000s over-sexualised video game women.

And while most people who’ve played or are playing Stellar Blade will happily confirm that the game manages to do a lot of good things besides being a vehicle for anime fuck doll eye candy, EVE has quickly become the poster girl for the same corners of the gaming community that tried to yassify Aloy and went berserk after learning that consulting companies exist. For Stellar Blade, a game about big swords and even bigger tits, and one that proudly proclaimed itself as “uncensored in all countries,” to launch to good reviews and strong sales would seemingly be the vindication the anti-woke gamer crowd was looking for.

Until this happened.

Once word got out that some of the costumes in version 1.0 of Stellar Blade were marginally more erotic than the ones in the game’s launch-day patch, you can bet that things went downhill real fast. As it turns out, SHIFT UP wound up altering a few outfits to add just a touch more fabric here and there, and because the version of the game printed to physical discs and played in its earliest iterations by the press and creators still contained the old versions the cry of “Censorship!” rang out.

At that point it was pretty much bedlam with the offended gamers quickly fact-checking a fictional woman’s wardrobe against early trailers, review footage and whatever else they could find – it even turned out that at least one modified outfit still had its old saucy version show up in the in-game tutorials (I checked this in my own copy of the game as you can see below and it’s true.)

Aussie content creator, game hacker and nudie-detector Lance McDonald spent a good while trying to shore up the facts in this big ol’ thread, concluding that the above example never even made it into Version 1.0 of the game (it appears it was changed between when the tutorial assets were generated and when discs were printed), before eventually reminding everyone that this shit happens all the time and just isn’t worth having a tanty over when there’s a good game to be played.

Sometimes game character outfits are more revealing in early builds of a game but then they get changed a bit for release to be less so. Most of the time we never even know it happened, but in rare cases we find out due to leaks or obsessive freeze-framing of early trailers. https://t.co/xEX74TuMG6

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 29, 2024

But what about the developer’s response? SHIFT UP reportedly already addressed the controversy well before it hit its fever pitch, suggesting that it wasn’t strong-armed into “censoring” or changing anything about the outfits, and that despite how last-minute it seemed to be, what’s in the current 1.0.0.2 version of the game is what the studio intended.

CEO, Kim Hyeong-tae, has been quoted as saying at a pre-launch press conference for the game, “I think it’s a result of the Day One patch. We couldn’t prevent people from not connecting to the network. It’s true that the version of the costume was installed in the package before it was finally delivered to users. Erotic doesn’t always mean good. In some situations, there are things that need to be modified to make it work, and there are things that are less arousing or more arousing as a result. These are all intended outcomes. This patch is the final product we want to show you.”

Of course, that was never going to be enough to quell the raging boners storm now surrounding the game on sites like X and Reddit, and prominent grifters like Mark “Grummz” Kern have even started to rally their following against SHIFT UP and Sony with inane campaigns to “free” Stellar Blade. This one’s almost up to 50k signatures, which is wild. 

Some folks have reported being able to claim refunds from Sony for being “misled” when making their purchase, so if you’re up for embarrassing yourself on the phone with some poor call centre worker who’s going to have to go home and have the world’s most uncomfortable “So how was your day?” chat, you could certainly give that a go.

And look, nobody likes to feel like they’ve been “cheated” by a game’s early marketing. We learned that with things like the infamous Watch Dogs reveal trailer that looked lightyears ahead of the final product, and the industry’s kinda self-policed its way into making occurrences like that less common.

But a studio deciding of its own volition to rethink some costumes that, let’s all admit, have no value outside of some 40-year-old dudes creaming their trackies in the middle of a boss fight against a giant monster with a chainsaw head, shouldn’t be this big of a deal. Doubly so when this isn’t some days-later reaction to complaints about too much skin – in fact it all seems pretty quiet on that front, from where I’m standing – but something devised ahead of time.

Some folks worry that things like this could open the doors for studios or publishers to tinker with your purchased games after the fact, and while I don’t personally feel all that concerned about it, I understand why the thought upsets people. I just don’t believe that’s the situation here (maybe more will come to light in the days to follow and I’ll be wrong, and that’s okay.)

Besides, it could be worse. I’m really enjoying my time with Stellar Blade so far and have already pumped 20 hours in since launch, but the censorship in my copy of the game has run absolutely rampant:

The post What’s Going On With Stellar Blade’s “Censorship” Controversy? appeared first on Press Start.

Character action games are few and far between these days. Though the action genre was built on the backs of industry icons like Dante, Ryu Hayabusa, and Bayonetta, you’d be hard-pressed to find many studios that focus on frenzied action experiences with a charismatic lead lying at the core of it all. While it isn’t strictly classifiable as one, SHIFT UP’s Stellar Blade still feels like a game ripped straight from that era of gaming.

Between an eye-catchingly stylised protagonist, a focus on flashy and execution-heavy combat, and a deliciously old-school approach to level design, Stellar Blade often feels like a crystallised summation of pre-2010s gaming. Though that isn’t to say Stellar Blade is lacking modern sensibilities. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, borrowing heavily from the sombre hopelessness of NieR: Automata’s post-apocalypse as well as the kinetic clashing of steel you can find in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. While they way Stellar Blade riffs on these titles reaches varying degrees of success, the overall experience is undeniably great.

If you’ve played Stellar Blade’s demo, you already know that the game gets off to a rip-roaring start. Players step into the shoes of Eve, a member of an elite force built to eradicate the monstrous Naytibas from a now-desolate Earth. The dispatch of Eve’s squad from an off-world colony goes horribly wrong, leaving her as a sole survivor with a renewed hatred for the Naytiba. Shortly after meeting with a survivor named Adam, the pair set out to aid humanity’s last surviving city, Xion, while furthering Eve’s own mission to wipe out the Naytibas.

It takes more than a few cues from Yoko Taro’s own NieR: Automata, and can feel a bit predictable as a result. While there’s some initial mystery surrounding the origin of the Naytibas and the hold that the seraphic Mother Sphere has over what’s left of humanity, Stellar Blade shows its hand too early for its major story twists to have much impact. It’s laid on pretty thick at certain points in the story, but doesn’t play with your expectations or dissect themes in the way Automata does.

Despite this, the world SHIFT UP have created here is incredibly well-realised. Right from Stellar Blade’s opening hours, it feels like Earth is fighting a battle it’s already lost. Cities are abandoned, decrepit, and overrun with Naytibas, vast wastelands and deserts are near-devoid of life, and futuristic cities paint a picture of a utopian society brought to its knees in an instant. Nowhere is this feeling more prominent then in Xion itself, where the remnants of humanity struggle with the Naytibas and their faith in the Mother Sphere.

Propaganda claiming that the Mother Sphere is a false icon litters the streets of Xion, Angels like Eve are treated with reverence or dismay – there’s no in-between. This is a miserable and hopeless world. In a way, Eve’s relative naivety serves as a sort of stand-in for the player. She’s exposed to the horrors of this world as we are, making powerful moments of realisation that most fates in this world end cruelly. This widespread suffering also serves to highlight Stellar Blade’s sporadic moments of triumph and hope, a reminder that maybe one day, things will be okay.

When it comes to Eve herself, I suspect that she’ll be quite different from what most expect. Aside from an absolutely killer design, she isn’t positioned as a femme fatale akin to Bayonetta. Eve, like us, is new to this conflict. In this sense, she’s closer to NieR: Automata’s 2B, wanting to understand how the Naytibas impact humanity, Xion, and help them where she can. It helps her to grow and become more independent over the course of the game, able to make her own decisions without the guidance of the Mother Sphere by the end of the game.

If you were surprised by my earlier comparisons to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it’s easy to understand why. It’s clear Stellar Blade’s combat is somewhat inspired by other character action games, but it straddles a line between flashy juggle combos and the more considered swordplay of FROMSOFTWARE’s 2019 darling. Parrying enemy strikes and knocking them off balance is the clear focus here, incentivising you to play defensively until an opportunity presents itself for Eve to unleash all manner of carnage against her enemies.

It’s hard to make parrying feel satisfying in games when it’s a regular part of every combat interaction. Much like Sekiro, though, Stellar Blade’s combat has an immensely satisfying game feel that never lets up. Sparks fly as Eve’s sword collides with the chitinous limbs of the Naytibas, which is in stark contrast with how easily the rest of their bodies are torn to pieces when an opening presents itself. You’ll quickly learn that throwing out combos is a surefire way to get hit, but getting into the rhythm of reading enemy patterns to knock them off balance quickly feels natural.

If you do find yourself in a pinch, Eve has a few other options you can throw in the mix to get the upper-hand. Burst Skills are what you’ll be using most, which are powerful skills you can throw out or tack onto the end of your combos for some bonus damage. These can only be used if Eve has enough Burst Energy, so you can’t just abuse them when things get hairy. Burst Energy is only replenished through successful defensive maneuvers, which further encourages you to go for those perfect parries and perfect dodges.

You’ll also get the ability to use Adam’s drone as a ranged weapon fairly early on, which is particularly handy for locking down some of the more agile Naytibas. There’s even a few gun-only sections, where Eve is locked out of using her sword. While this sounds counterintuitive to the kind of experience Stellar Blade is, these are ridiculously cathartic and provide a nice break from all the hacking and slashing you’ll be doing. There are a couple of other elements introduced to combat throughout the game, but it’d be a shame to spoil them here, both narratively and in the way they shake up the flow of combat.

THE BEST SHIPPED DEAL IS AT AMAZON FOR $109 WITH FREE RELEASE DAY DELIVERY

While there’s plenty of enemy variety on show here, Stellar Blade’s combat excels most in its myriad boss fights. You’ll often feel outclassed at first – put up against Naytibas that trounce Eve in size and sheer physical force. You can get into a real flow-state with some of the more challenging ones, as you desperately parry, dodge, Blink, and Repulse your way out of danger to launch your own assaults. Proper play culminates in staggering your enemy, opening them up for a flashy Retribution attack which never get old.

Instead of adopting a full open-world design, Stellar Blade opts to focus on separate, smaller locales that can be explored independently. These vary wildly in size and linearity. The Wasteland and the Great Desert, for example, are vast, wide open spaces with plenty of secrets to uncover and requests to complete. Areas like Eidos VII, though, are more linear affairs with occasional opportunity for exploration. It’s a diverse mix of locales, each one offering something different from a visual and design perspective.

You’ll undoubtedly spend most of your time in the larger areas, especially the Wasteland. As it’s connected to Xion directly, many requests you can pick up from the city’s people will take you out into the Naytiba-ridden area. There’s a lot to engage with in these spaces outside of main story progression. You can find Cores to upgrade Eve’s total health and Burst Energy capacity, new outfits, accessories, Gear, Exo-Spines, and crafting materials.

You’ll often need to overcome platforming or combat challenges to reach these rewards, the latter of which is always a blast, the former – not so much. Platforming in Stellar Blade feels quite janky, especially when it requires more precision from the player. While Eve controls like a dream in combat, she simultaneously feels floaty and heavy. Movement often feels jerky which makes it hard to line up jumps in the moment, and it lacks a general consistency that makes it more frustrating than it is fun.

Even though I had irks with traversal, I still found myself exploring these environments and completing requests. Mostly because the side content here really does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to Stellar Blade’s worldbuilding. I mentioned it earlier, but the way in which the hopelessness and total despair of the situation is conveyed through NPCs and the general happenings of Xion and its surroundings is so engaging.

They almost always boil down to the same stuff when it comes to what you’re actually doing, but they all tell unique stories. An early example is an android, Enya, who’s fallen into disrepair, unable to perform for the bar’s patrons like she used to, much to the dismay of her closest friend. You can go out to get the gear to help repair Enya, leading to a chain of side quests following the two that concludes in a rewarding and heartfelt manner. It’s a rare example of one of the more hopeful beats in Stellar Blade, but it’s one that’ll stick with me for some time.

Another highlight was a relatively late quest where an anonymous tip is given to Eve about a store in the sunken district of Eidos VII. You can gain access to the building with a provided code to drain all the flooding, revealing a room full of deceased humans. It serves an unspoken narrative purpose, implying that the flooding was intentional on behalf of whoever is responsible for the murders – likely the same person who gave Eve the anonymous tip. The game is just packed with this stuff, all of it helping to build an image of what Xion is truly like and how those who live there go about their lives.

This side content regularly contributes to Eve’s progression as well. This is split into a few different facets, some of which are simple attack and health boosts, while others are more customisable. Exo-Spines, for example, are equippable spines that Eve can use to lean into a playstyle. Where one might focus on dealing extra critical strike damage, another focuses on managing Burst Energy. Gears also play into this, which further modify Eve’s stats and capabilities. It adds a touch of flexibility in how you approach combat and accommodate your weaknesses or strengths.

Another area that really serves to help the worldbuilding and overall aesthetic of Stellar Blade, is its visual style. This is a hauntingly beautiful game, brought to life by countless inspired designs and a striking visual exploration of religious iconography and interpretations. The Naytibas echo similar design elements found in Bayonetta’s biblically accurate angels, only far more fleshy and monstrous in their overall presentation. They’re juxtaposed by the slick, sci-fi, futuristic designs of Eve and the surviving humans. It’s incredibly inspired and striking regardless of the visual preset you play on.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Stellar Blade’s sublime soundtrack. While just over half of it was composed in-house, the rest was led by Keiichi Okabe of NieR Replicant and Automata fame. His signature style from those titles translates flawlessly here – mesmerising vocals punctuate soft overworld themes that lend a dream-like quality to the world and exploration. SHIFT UP’s own tracks also deliver, with some great high octane tunes that score the game’s myriad set-pieces.

At a glance, it’s easy to write off Stellar Blade’s key inspirations as surface level and imitative. While a few 0f these elements don’t live up to the titles they’re borrowed from, Stellar Blade more than makes up for it so many other ways. It’s a fantastic example of combining tried and true elements to create something that’s new in its totality. Its commitment to the vision of its world coupled with the kind of gameplay we just don’t see enough of these days makes for a stellar experience all-round.

The post Stellar Blade Review – Shooting for the Stars appeared first on Press Start.

Update: This newest PS5 system update has now landed, bringing the Community Game Help feature to all players.

As previously revealed, this new featured builds on the PS5’s unique existing Game Help system to further enrich available content by automatically adding in footage from other players who’ve opted in to be contributors, meaning even more help will be on tap in supported games.

The way it works, is after opting in, the system will automatically capture and upload videos in supported games where you’ve completed an activity featured in Game Help, and then those videos go to moderation before potentially being added to the game’s help menu for all players to see. There’s a maximum of four uploads per month, and you can lower it further if you’d like, so you won’t be blasting out videos every minute and chewing up your bandwidth/storage if you’re keen to get involved.

You can see the full breakdown of how it works and how to contribute in the original story further down.

The update also adds an option in Remote Play to get ride of annoying status messages as well as brings more of the classic “improved system software performance and stability.” You can see the full update notes below:

Version: 24.03-09.20.00

• Game Help has been expanded by adding Community Game Help features.
  • In Game Help, you will see hints labeled Community Game Help in supported games, which indicates that the hint was generated from other players’ gameplay videos.
  • You can participate in Community Game Help by allowing your gameplay video to be automatically captured and added to the feature upon review.
    To opt in, go to Settings > Captures & Broadcasts > Captures > Auto Captures > Community Game Help, and then select Participate. You can also opt out at any time.
• In Remote Play, if the persistent message “Remote Play connected.” is displayed during Remote Play, you can now hide this on your game screen. Go to Settings > System > Remote Play and turn on Hide Remote Play Connection Status.
• We’ve improved system software performance and stability.
• We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.

Original Story: One of the PS5 software’s more unique features, and one that’s been a part of the console since it launched in 2020, is Game Help. This feature enabled developers to include game tips, video hints, collectable and trophy guides and more for their games, all with built into the PS5 UI to make for quick access.

Now, PlayStation has revealed a major new update for Game Help that’s slated to launch later this year, called Community Game Help. It’ll build on the existing system to further enrich Game Help content by automatically adding in footage from other players who’ve opted in to be contributors, meaning even more help will be on tap in supported games.

PlayStation says that Community Game Help will start to roll out to select games later this year, with the goal to expand it to as many titles as possible in the future. Over on the PlayStation Blog, it’s already published a full guide on how to access Community Game Help as well as how to become a contributor, which you can read below:

How to access Community Game Help

If you are already familiar with the current Game Help experience, Community Game Help will be largely similar. If you find yourself in a tricky situation and need help, press the PS button to open the Control Center and look for an Action Card with the “Hints inside” icon.

In addition to the developer-generated hints that are currently provided in supported games, you will eventually start to see hints labeled “Community Game Help”, which indicates that the clip was generated from other players’ gameplay footage. You can also rate the usefulness of these hints, which will allow us to curate informative help content for players.

Game Help is currently available on PlayStation App, so you can also use your mobile device to access these hints without taking space on your game screen.

How to contribute to Community Game Help

If you enjoy sharing your gaming expertise with others and are willing to contribute to Community Game Help, you can participate by opting in from the Settings menu.* You can also opt out any time, which will remove all of your published videos from Community Game Help. These settings will become available within the next few months, so please stay tuned for more information.

• Go to [Captures & Broadcasts] >[Captures] > [Auto Captures] > [Community Game Help], then select [Participate] to opt in to the program.
• You can also select the monthly capture limit to control how many videos you will allow to be captured from your gameplay per month.

The post A New PS5 Update Has Dropped And Allows Players To Contribute Their Own Game Help Videos appeared first on Press Start.

As we inch ever closer to the launch of Stellar Blade this Friday, April 26th, developer has put together a special “motion comic” to act as a quick prologue to the game and prime players to see more of its sci-fi world and story.

The short comic can be viewed in a browser and shows protagonist EVE being trained by her mentor, Tachy, while the two discuss the ongoing conflict they’re about to enter in between what’s left of humanity and a destructive species of monsters known as the Naytiba that have taken over Earth.

If you’ve played the recently-released free demo for Stellar Blade, you’ll no doubt already know at least some of the fate that awaits EVE and Tachy when their squad first reaches Earth, and so the scenes in the comic where the two discuss what their futures hold will likely pack even more of a punch. Overall it’s a 60-second read (if that) with not much new to say, but it’s quite eye-catching and adds a nice touch of extra context to the game’s opening. You can look at it right here.

Eve and Tachy clash in new Stellar Blade motion comic ? https://t.co/7BKNCqVZSz pic.twitter.com/UryznTq36l

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) April 23, 2024

Stellar Blade launches on April 26th exclusively for PS5. A free playable demo is available now that allows players to sample the first stage of the game, with progress carrying over to the full release. You can pre-order the game now on Amazon at a discounted price of $109 with free release day delivery.

Find our pre-order guide with all of the other information you need to know right here. We’ll have a full review of the game available to read at 12AM AEST on Thursday, April 25th!

The post Get Ready For Stellar Blade With This Gorgeous New Prologue Motion Comic appeared first on Press Start.

Stellar Blade, the PS5-exclusive action adventure from SHIFT UP and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is due to launch soon on April 26th and looks to be a fresh and exciting new experience with gorgeous visuals and nail-biting combat.

A free demo will be available to download and play starting March 30th at 1AM AEDT, with save progress carrying across to the full game.

With launch coming up, we’ve taken the time to go over everything from where to pre-order the game and get the best deal, to what editions of the game will be available, pre-order bonuses, trade deals and more. Check it all out below:

WHERE TO GET STELLAR BLADE IN AUSTRALIA

Stellar Blade is available to pre-order at most of the usual local retailers as a physical standard edition.

THE BEST SHIPPED DEAL IS AT AMAZON FOR $109 WITH FREE RELEASE DAY DELIVERY

Amazon – $109

Big W – $109

JB Hi-Fi – $109

EB Games – $124.95

MightyApe – $108 plus shipping

Gamesmen – $114.95

Harvey Norman – $108 plus shipping

PlayStation Store – Standard – $124.95 | Digital Deluxe Edition – $139.95

ARE THERE PRE-ORDER BONUSES?

Pre-orders of the any physical or digital edition of the game come the following bonuses:

• Planet Diving Suit for EVE.
• Classic Round Glasses for EVE.
• Ear Armour Earrings for EVE.

WHAT’S IN EACH EDITION?

Stellar Blade comes as a Standard Edition, and a Digital Deluxe Edition. Here’s what’s in each:

Stellar Blade Standard Edition

• Stellar Blade full game

Stellar Blade Digital Deluxe Edition

• Stellar Blade full game
• Stargazer Suit for EVE.
• Half-rim Glasses for EVE.
• Quadruple Rectangle Earrings for EVE.
• Stargazer Wear for Adam and Lily.
• Stargazer Pack for the Drone.
• 2,000 SP EXP.
• 5,000 Gold in-game currency.

ARE THERE TRADE DEALS?

EB Games will have the game available for $49 when trading in two selected PS5, Xbox Series X|S or Switch titles. Find out more here.

WHEN DOES IT UNLOCK?

Digital versions of Stellar Blade will start unlocking at 12AM local time on April 26th.

OUR REVIEW

We’ll have a full review of the game available to read at 12AM AEST on Thursday, April 25th!

WHERE ARE THE TRAILERS?

Take a look at some trailers for Stellar Blade below:

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS

The post Stellar Blade – The Cheapest Australian Pre-Orders And Deals appeared first on Press Start.

Following a “temporary” outage that started in January this year due to technical issues, Sony has revealed it’s made the decision to take the servers for LittleBigPlanet 3 offline permanently.

As a result of all online services being shut down, access to the millions of player-made creations for the game is now impossible, which is a shame for the LittleBigPlanet community who weren’t anticipating a complete shutdown. Recently, a similar situation occurred with the online servers for the WiiU and 3DS being closed off a couple of weeks ago and Super Mario Maker players rallying to play as many user-generated levels as they could before the end, an opportunity that LBP3 players won’t have.

Here’s what an update on the official PlayStation website has to say about the changes:

LittleBigPlanet 3

Due to ongoing technical issues which resulted in the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers for PS4 being taken offline temporarily in January 2024, the decision has been made to keep the servers offline indefinitely. All online services including access to other players’ creations for LittleBigPlanet 3 are no longer available. User generated content (UGC) stored locally on your PS4 will remain available. Any new UGC you create can be played on your PS4 but not shared. Offline features such as the campaign will remain playable.

It’s been a bleak time for those of us who’d spend dozens of hours meticulously crafting levels, sharing them with friends and downloading the most cooked and punishing user creations from around the globe. Earlier this year, footage emerged of an early build of LittleBigPlanet Hub, a free-to-play live service take on the adorable PlayStation platformer series that was announced over 10 years ago and then never saw the light of day, and original LittleBigPlanet developers MediaMolecule also recently (allegedly) canned a project of their own, with a PS5 and PC port of the fantastic Dreams supposedly being nearly finished and then abandoned.

The post Sony Has Taken LittleBigPlanet 3 Offline For Good appeared first on Press Start.

SHIFT UP has revealed, via a post on the official account for the game on X, that Stellar Blade will be releasing globally as an identical, “uncensored” version, including in Japan.

While there’s no doubt this is an (admittedly effective) attempt to have a certain demographic ready to drop their $125 at the promise of seeing something censor-worthy, it’s more likely that this is confirmation the Japanese version of the game won’t be altered to tone down gore or language, as has been the case with some previous PlayStation titles like The Last of Us and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Either way, there are certain to be players out there pleased with the fact they’ll be getting the same experience as everyone else when the game launches later this week.

?Stellar Blade? offers the same uncensored version in all countries, including the Japanese version.
?????????????????????????????????????????????#StellarBlade #PS5 #Uncensored pic.twitter.com/dJojSgZH9y

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 21, 2024

Stellar Blade launches on April 26th exclusively for PS5. A free playable demo is available now that allows players to sample the first stage of the game, with progress carrying over to the full release. You can pre-order the game now on Amazon at a discounted price of $109 with free release day delivery.

Find our pre-order guide with all of the other information you need to know right here. We’ll have a full review of the game available to read at 12AM AEST on Thursday, April 25th!

The post Stellar Blade Will Be “Uncensored” In All Regions appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation and developer SHIFT UP have gone all-out in the lead-up to next week’s highly-anticipated release of Stellar Blade, teaming up with BIBI, a rising K-Pop star hailing from the studio’s home country of South Korea.

Billed as a singer, rapper and songwriter, BIBI has also recently entered the world of film and television, acting in projects like The Worst of Evil and Hopeless.

Working along with Sony Computer Entertainment and SHIFT UP, BIBI has released a single and music video inspired by the world of Stellar Blade and named after the game’s heroine, EVE. You can check it out below:

Stellar Blade launches on April 26th exclusively for PS5. A free playable demo is available now that allows players to sample the first stage of the game, with progress carrying over to the full release. You can pre-order the game now on Amazon at a discounted price of $109 with free release day delivery.

Find our pre-order guide with all of the other information you need to know right here. We’ll have a full review of the game available to read at 12AM AEST on Thursday, April 25th!

The post Stellar Blade Just Got Its Own Music Video Courtesy Of K-Pop Star BIBI appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed the hardware requirements for its upcoming PC port of Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, and in doing so has also revealed a brand-new PlayStation UI rolling out to its future PC game releases.

Ghost of Tsushima will be the first game to utilise the new PlayStation UI overlay for PC, which allows players to access their friends list, settings, profile and most excitingly – trophies. Games on PC will share a trophy list with their console counterparts, meaning in the case of something like Ghost of Tsushima any trophies you’ve unlocked on PS5 will also be unlocked on PC. Using the new interface will be optional, and of course will require signing into your existing PlayStation account.

Here’s what the PlayStation Blog says about the new UI:

“Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the first PlayStation title on PC that uses a new PlayStation overlay, which includes your Friends list, Trophies, Settings, and your Profile. This feature is available on Windows PCs and will be accessible from the in-game menu or, for keyboard players, by pressing the “SHIFT +F1” shortcut on your keyboard.

“While playing the game, you can earn PlayStation Trophies just like on PlayStation consoles. Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut on PC shares the same Trophy set as the game on PlayStation 5 consoles. In addition, the PC version also has full support for Achievements on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

“To make use of features like Trophies, Friends list, and cross-play, you can sign in with your existing account for PlayStation Network or create a new account. The use of PlayStation overlay is optional for both the single player experience and Legends mode.”

You can read more about this, and the PC hardware requirements for Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, right here.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut launches for PC on May 16th.

The post PlayStation Trophies Are Coming To PC appeared first on Press Start.

PUMA and PlayStation have revealed a new collaboration bringing yet another line of PlayStation-inspired sneakers to the world following similar efforts from the likes of Nike with its numerous PlayStation collabs and Adidas with its Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 line.

The collection is slated to launch on April 18th in most markets and will include a range of apparel from hoodies to shorts, graphic tees, jackets, bags, caps and more all emblazoned with the iconic PlayStation shapes and other iconography, as well as the main features – new PlayStation-themed Suede and RS-X shoes.

While the entire line-up hasn’t been confirmed yet, we do know that at least the Suede sneakers and blue hoodie will be available in Australia on April 18th at Footlocker with prices still TDA.

“Play-inspired graphics, holo-scene prints, and shimmer techniques punctuate the collaboration’s apparel, while the PUMA and PLAYSTATION collection also serves up new renditions of the Suede and RS-X sneakers,” reads the press release accompanying the announcement.

“Taking inspiration from cutting-edge PUMATECH technology, the apparel’s performance-inspired cuts are emblazoned with the iconic PlayStation shapes. Active silhouettes like the Track Jacket and Technical Cap are mixed with daily essentials like the Hoodie and Shorts.

“Available in both adult and kids sizing for all genders, the collaboration’s accompanying footwear features PUMA court icons like the Suede paired with running-inspired models like the RS-X, which feature elevated PlayStation detailing, debossed prints, and gradient color schemes.“

It’s a good time to be a gamer looking to show off your fandom for games or platforms, with Uniqlo having recently revealed collections based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as well as a second round of Final Fantasy UT shirts featuring Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy XIV Online and Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters.

Converse also recently dropped a pretty sick Dungeons & Dragons line, so RIP my wallet for the next few months, I guess.

The post PUMA Is Launching A Hot New PlayStation Collection appeared first on Press Start.

Vampire Survivors is coming to PlayStation.

These are words I’ve longed to hear, even as someone that does own a Switch, an Xbox, a PC that can probably just run the game and a mobile phone where I’ve had every opportunity to play developer Poncle’s fiendishly-addictive hit. And to be fair I have played a ton of it already. But trophies, people!

Poncle has confirmed that the game will be headed to PlayStation consoles in “Winter” this year, so at some point around mid-year. The base game as well as all of its DLC packs will be available when it launches.

The studio also announced another exciting crossover DLC pack with “Operation Guns,” a Contra-themed expansion that adds (you guessed it) a heap of guns as well as a difficulty curve tuned to excite old-school arcade shoot-em-up fans.

“Operation Guns embraces the visceral simplicity of classic Contra, with build-focused Characters that encourage min-maxing and stat manipulation, a tonne of weapons (we’re talking 20 including evolutions!), and a difficulty curve that combines quintessentially arcade-hard gameplay with the original Vampire Survivors formula,” Poncle says of the DLC.

The post Vampire Survivors Is Coming To PlayStation appeared first on Press Start.

I’ll admit that Stellar Blade’s debut announcement during a PlayStation Showcase back in 2021, when it was still running under the working title of Project EVE, didn’t immediately land with me. It’s clear that developer SHIFT UP, also responsible for the incredibly horny NIKKE: Goddess of Victory mobile gacha game, was putting its best asset forward from the jump, and while I can appreciate a well-rendered posterior as much as the next person there just wasn’t enough to really sell me on the game part of the game.

Fast forward to Stellar Blade’s most recent State of Play showing, where SHIFT UP very confidently showed off more of the overall tone and gameplay, and suddenly I was all in. Announcing a release date that wasn’t all that far off was the cherry on top for this showing, and I reckon Mission Accomplished as far as building pre-launch hype goes. It gets even better though, with a lengthy playable demo dropping March 30th for every curious onlooker to get their hands on the opening hour or two of the game, and I was lucky enough to get early access to this demo to really dig into what Stellar Blade is trying to achieve.

The Stellar Blade demo gives players the full early experience of the game, and it opens quite hot, introducing protagonist EVE as she hurtles toward Earth in an escape pod, her fellow members of the 7th Airborne Squad all but obliterated by an ungodly entity occupying our once peaceful planet. Control is given away to the player quite succinctly and an unplanned beach assault becomes its tutorialised slice of gameplay, hinting that this could be an adventure built mostly on vibes over lengthy exposition, and I’m totally okay with that. The whole intro does give off an air of homage to the likes of NieR Automata, including the musical score, but there’s also a charming 7th-gen quality to it that I’ve missed in recent years

Pre-order on Amazon at a discounted price of $109 with free release day delivery.

This opening introduces the Naytiba, the mysterious and gruesome creatures that have inhabited Earth and are the cause for humanity’s fleeing to the stars, and while there’s very little explanation as to what their origins or biology are at this point they’re at least cool as fuck to look at in a very Parasite Eve/body horror kind of way. And crucially, they’re fun to fight.

Something that surprised me initially as soon as I started the demo is how much weightier and more considered Stellar Blade’s combat is. I was fully expecting Bayonetta and instead got a little more Sekiro. There’s a big focus on parries and counter blows, and simply rushing in and mashing attacks will see you fail pretty quickly. It’s not as punishing as a FromSoftware game, but you’re certainly kept on your toes, at least on the standard difficulty setting. EVE’s shield is an interesting wrinkle. While blocking can fully negate damage from an attack, it depletes the shield gauge, and the more empty it is the more damage you take if you don’t manage to block a hit. It means that the more you block, the more you’re at risk, forcing you to keep moving and pressing your foes rather than just guarding and biding your time.

There’s a really nice overall rhythm to combat that, while not as high-octane as I might have expected, still manages to feel really dynamic – even this early on with very few skills unlocked. EVE has special moves, which she can use after filling up a “Beta” gauge through damaging and parrying enemies, and there are at least five skill trees with other abilities and augments to tailor combat further. The best part is the Naytiba themselves, with the demo already featuring at least seven or eight entirely different enemy designs that are both delightfully grotesque in their designs and also all unique in confrontation. An early highlight are the starfish-looking beasties that are able to go completely invisible, but can be seen by using the game’s equivalent of Detective Mode or Eagle Vision – proving that there’s still new utility in a lot of the design tropes that the game cribs from its peers.

Stellar Blade’s mostly-linear level design seems to speak to the same inspirations as its combat, with the demo’s main featured stage offering a jaunt through a ruined city that’s fairly straightforward with some scope for added exploration and optional gameplay. There’s a bit of light platforming, climbing and environmental puzzles to engage with between combat and as areas open up you’ll be opening new routes back and forth to make puzzling out every last secret a bit faster and easier – though the game loves to throw a surprise enemy at you from around corners or near treasures, which got me almost every time.

A lack of patience with my own failures is a big reason I struggle to get into “soulslikes,” so seeing Stellar Blade’s camps for the first time – spots where EVE can recover her health and healing items as well as spend points on new skills – did give me some pause. And while using these does reset general enemy mobs there’s no punishing respawn mechanic in place where dying robs you of items and sends you packing to the most recent camp. Instead, there are regular checkpoints which give you a full heal and take nothing in return for your new shot at life. Larger rest spots also exist that allow for even further upgrades and crafting, as well as fast travel to other camps. The demo culminates in a pretty exciting boss fight that looks and feels quite Souls-y, though none of this really gives away how the game itself is structured and how this segment of the game will flow into the next.

Stellar Blade feels well-tuned to be approachable and still offer a challenge (there’s an easy difficulty if need be), and overall it’s quite slick. Visually, it’s an interesting one. It looks nice and performs well with three different performance levels to pick from that are essentially a 30FPS mode, a 60FPS mode and something in-between, with the latter being the way I played. Artistically it’s got that very “2000/10s anime fuck dolls in high-res environments” thing going on, which will or won’t be your bag, but I genuinely think I’m here for it. I’m unconvinced that it’ll turn out to be subversive in the way that NieR Automata aspired to but I don’t think it’s gunning for that at all. It’s tits and monsters all the way, and although I thought the male gaze had mostly died along with Dead or Alive, I guess sometimes we can have a little bit as a treat.

I will give a shout to the DualSense’s haptic feedback features in this game, which in this particular section feature a lot of lovely raindrops pitter-pattering in your hands. It’s a little thing, but it speaks to the polish and care that SHIFT UP has put into its first proper console game. I also adore that the game has a dedicated toggle in the settings menu for whether EVE has a short or long ponytail, which serves absolutely no purpose other than to let you decide what level of hair physics you can stomach.

In case it wasn’t clear across everything I’ve described here, Stellar Blade definitely feels like an amalgamation of everything that’s trendy in a modern action game. That’s not inherently a bad thing though, and the way that it’s all put together here and tweaked to feel fresh seems like a genuine success – at least so far. That’s all still an unknown until I manage to get my hands on the full thing, but as a demo this feels like a pretty solid success. It’s a good chunk of game to try out, there’s a taste of a little of everything, progress carries across to the full experience and it all just feels very confident and, most importantly, fun.

Stellar Blade launches on April 26th exclusively for PS5. You can download the demo starting March 30th on the PlayStation Store, and you can pre-order the game now on Amazon at a discounted price of $109 with free release day delivery.

The post Stellar Blade Demo Impressions – A Promising Start appeared first on Press Start.

My early hours with Team Ninja’s latest – Rise of the Ronin – have been plagued with comparisons. Since its reveal in 2022, many parallels have been drawn between it and games like Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Nioh, and much more. It’s easy to see why this is the case. An open world Souls-like set in feudal Japan during a time of uncertainty, with shadows of western influence looming large over a country emerging from isolation. It echoes ideas, themes, and settings that some of these aforementioned titles predicate themselves upon.

It didn’t take long for me to realise most of these comparisons are skin-deep. If my time with Rise of the Ronin so far has left me with one thing, it’s that it feels like a combination of Team Ninja’s recent works stretching back to Nioh – for better and for worse. Where it separates itself from those titles, though, is in its open world framework and through a refreshingly grounded setting that lends Rise of the Ronin some real identity.

While Team Ninja usually imbue their historic settings with supernatural elements, Rise of the Ronin feels very grounded. This might sound insignificant to those who’ve yet to undertake either Nioh titles or the more recent Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but it’s genuinely refreshing to see Team Ninja try their hand at something that lacks demons or yokai. It’s a tumultuous time in Japan as the west attempts to pull the country out of seclusion, which sets the stage nicely for a story that’s more rooted in reality.

You play as what’s known as a Blade Twin, half of a lethal warrior unit called the Veiled Edge. After creating both Blade Twins in the character creator and a brief tutorial in the Veiled Edge village, you’re sent to infiltrate one of the western Black Ships lurking in dark waters. You board it with the goal of stealing a secret message and assassinating its captain. The plan quickly goes awry, though, spurring your chosen Blade Twin to leave the village behind in hopes of finding answers to what exactly happened on the Black Ship.

Rise of the Ronin’s opening hour goes in a direction I didn’t expect at all, which immediately hooked me in. Much like other Team Ninja titles set in historical periods of our own, it also pulls from figures of great import from the late 19th century setting, you’re slowly but steadily introduced to characters like Ryoma Sakamoto, Igashichi Iizuka, Taka Murayama, and more. The cast is quite engaging to interact with and each is well-realised within the scope of their real world counterparts.

So far, it feels like there’s a deeper focus on these characters and their relationship with the protagonist. You often have different dialogue choices as you converse with them, and a lot of the early game quests are kicked-off through their assistance. It’s through these characters that your set on the path to your Blade Twin’s core goal while also getting mixed up in the events of the time.

One aspect I’ve been enjoying more than I’d anticipated is Rise of the Ronin’s open world. Mechanically it isn’t out to break any ground, primarily made up of points of interest, enemy encampments, side quests, and photo opportunities. What’s nice about it, is that each activity is really digestible and almost always provides a worthwhile reward. Whether it be skill points from Shrines or new villages to fast travel between after clearing out some goons, nothing feels superficial. It also helps that traversal is a real blast, from standard horse-back riding to grappling and gliding all over the place.

THE BEST SHIPPED PRICE IS AT AMAZON FOR $109 WITH FREE RELEASE DAY DELIVERY

Ticking these activities off also increases your Bond Level with that region, netting you rewards and bringing order back to the countryside. It all follows a flow that’s easy to slip into, and feeds nicely into player progression as you improve your character. Some of these will even have enemy outposts that are much higher level than you, encouraging you to revisit regions once you’ve gained enough power to tackle the challenge comfortably.

The reason these activities feel so digestible is because of how they fit into main story progression. The golden path has taken me to many different regions of the open world, from the newly established cityscapes of Yokohama, to the surrounding quaint countryside regions. Quests also regularly take you into linear missions in self-contained areas, which feel more in-line with the missions present in Team Ninja’s previous titles. It does a lot to break up the pacing and has kept the early hours feeling quite varied.

One thing I need to shout out is some of the RPG elements included in Rise of the Ronin. These aren’t something you’d expect from Team Ninja, but they go a long way to making the world feel alive despite their simplicity. An early example of this is a decision I had to make in one of the aforementioned linear missions. A gang of bandits and their chief, Gonzo, have seized the estate of a magistrate and have been terrorising the nearby village. Gonzo is made out to be a pretty nasty piece of work – known to kill his own henchman for the slightest of missteps.

I was surprised that upon besting Gonzo in a boss fight, I had the option to spare him in exchange for some extra rewards. I let him live in curiosity of seeing what the outcome would be. After some disapproval from Ryoma, who accompanied me during the mission, I moved on with my new gear and a slight sense of guilt. An hour or so later, I stumbled on Gonzo in the open world with his own side quest chain involving some other no-good individuals. I was genuinely surprised to see the choice I made had an impact on the world, and immediately started thinking about how the other choices I made might be molding my playthrough.

There are also other small things, like being able to pickpocket locals for a bit of cash, or engaging in scuffles with other ronin in towns for equipment and weapon proficiency. The trade-off, is that doing these things raises your Wanted Level, so sowing absolute chaos doesn’t go unnoticed by local authorities. I’m really invested in seeing how these systems are taken further, especially given you can invest skill points in the ability to lie to people in conversation, or even intimidate them.

Unsurprisingly, combat is probably my favourite part of the experience thus far, which lines up if you’re a Team Ninja fan. Rise of the Ronin’s combat feels like an amalgamation of everything that’s come before. You have a system similar to Nioh’s Ki Pulse, weapon styles which are akin to Nioh’s stances, a parry system, sub-weapons, and much more. While all the pieces feel pulled from previous works, Rise of the Ronin separates itself in the flow of its combat.

Everything revolves around Ki, which essentially functions as stamina. Every action in combat drains Ki, and running out means leaving yourself open to attack. This means that combat is always an intricate dance of managing your own Ki while trying to deplete your enemy’s. The main difference is that you can’t just wail on your adversaries. Even the standard foes won’t be staggered by your regular combo attacks, and will attempt to strike you while they weather your assaults. This means you need to make use of the Counterspark system to gain the adavantage.

Counterspark is Rise of the Ronin’s parry system. Hitting the Counterspark button just as an enemy attacks will deflect it and leave them open for a counterattack. If you Counterspark a whole combo string, you get an even longer opportunity to strike in the hopes of depleting their Ki for a lethal Critical Hit. Counterspark being such a big part of combat forces you to take a slower and more methodical approach to combat. It usually isn’t a great idea to try and deflect mid-combo as you try to overwhelm your enemy. It feels more calculated and rhythm-like overall, and always feels rewarding.

There’s also enemy Martial Skills, which are unblockable and can only be dodged or deflected with a perfectly-timed Counterspark. This is all without getting into weapon types, sub-weapons, items, your own Martial Skills, the grapple hook, and more. My only concern so far is with enemy variety. The supernatural nature of yokai and demons in previous games means that there are so many different aspects you can pull from to create unique enemies and boss encounters. Rise of the Ronin lacks this flexibility, so I’m waiting to see how things are shaken up when it comes to boss fights and regular enemies as I make more progress.

Speaking of combat, let’s touch on difficulty a bit. It’s always a point of contention in any Souls-like, but Rise of the Ronin is notable in its inclusion of difficulty settings. There’s three out of the gate, Dawn, Dusk, and Twilight, which are easy, normal, and hard respectively. I’ve spent most of my time so far on Dusk which feels like the standard Team Ninja challenge. There’s a significant drop in the damage that enemies deal on Dawn, but the demand for precise Counterspark timing and a considered approach to combat is still somewhat there.

Combat is made easier by other aspects, though. Smart use of stealth can grant you a massive advantage over your enemies, healing is plentiful, and health is regenerated outside of combat. So far, I think it strikes a good balance of being accessible to newcomers while retaining the power fantasy of being a ronin, but it’s yet to be seen if this holds up through the rest of the game.

If my early hours with Rise of the Ronin have confirmed one thing – it’s that this is definitely a Team Ninja game. It’s absolutely different in its structure, grounded nature, and approach to difficulty, but the identity that makes Nioh, Wo Long, and Strangers of Paradise tick is palpable here. This is far from a bad thing, but I am curious to see how Team Ninja’s typical design trappings fare after more time with this open world setting.

Rise of the Ronin launches on March 22nd exclusively for the PS5. You can pre-order it here, and you’ll be able to read our full review on Tuesday, March 12 at 9:00 AM AEDT

The post Rise Of The Ronin Hands-On Preview – Forging A Path Of Its Own appeared first on Press Start.

Rise of the Ronin, Team Ninja’s upcoming open-world action RPG set in 19th-centure Japan, is nearly upon as its March 22nd release date on PS5 draws closer by the day.

To that end, PlayStation has dropped a shiny new launch trailer for the game, dubbed The Aftermath, which mixes live-action visuals with cinematic cuts from the game and looks suitably hype as a result. You can check it out below:

We’ve been playing Rise of the Ronin for review, and you can already read out early impressions right here.

Harry said in his preview, “If my early hours with Rise of the Ronin have confirmed one thing – it’s that this is definitely a Team Ninja game. It’s absolutely different in its structure, grounded nature, and approach to difficulty, but the identity that makes Nioh, Wo Long, and Strangers of Paradise tick is palpable here.”

If you’re keen to get stuck into Rise of the Ronin when it launches next week, make sure you stop by our comprehensive pre-order and bargain guide right here to check out everything you need to know about picking the game up for yourself.

Rise Of The Ronin – The Cheapest Australian Pre-Orders And Deals

Rise of the Ronin launches on March 22nd exclusively for the PS5. You can pre-order it here, and you’ll be able to read our full review on Tuesday, March 12 at 9:00 AM AEDT

The post Rise Of The Ronin’s Epic Launch Trailer Has Arrived Ahead Of Release Next Week appeared first on Press Start.

A new update dropped for Helldivers 2 earlier in the week, famously bringing with it some much-requested nerfs to particular Terminid enemies – namely Chargers and Bile Titans – thinning their numbers and increasing their vulnerability to give Divers some well-deserved reprieve. One thing that wasn’t anticipated, or even revealed in the Update 1.000.102 patch notes, was the simultaneous introduction of flying Terminids dubbed Shriekers.

PSA for fellow Helldivers:

Flying Bugs are in game now! They are called "Shriekers" | #Helldivers2 pic.twitter.com/9JAz8u2Iub

— HELLDIVERS 2 Updates (@Helldivers2HQ) March 13, 2024

These flying pests will pop up in missions that note a side mission to take out their nests (thanks Windows Central) meaning you won’t always have to be scanning the skies for death from above but can at least anticipate where you’ll encounter them.

Arrowhead Game Studios continues to have fun with the game’s premise and community, with director Johan Pilestedt going on the record shortly after the flying menaces arrived to outright deny their existence, saying, “I’ve heard rumours of flying bugs in Helldivers 2. I want to officially refute such preposterous claims. Everyone knows that “Bugs can’t fly.” And I’m not alone in thinking this. The Ministry of Truth agrees that this is propaganda from bug sympathisers that want to brainwash good people. #Lies”

I've heard rumors of flying bugs in @helldivers2. I want to officially refute such preposterous claims.

Everyone knows that "Bugs can't fly".

And I'm not alone in thinking this. The Ministry of Truth agrees that this is propaganda from bug sympathizers that want to brainwash…

— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) March 12, 2024

Helldivers 2 players will have their hands full this week with these new changes along with the introduction of a brand-new Warbond, Cutting Edge, which will bring even more goodies to unlock as part of a premium progression path.

We gave Helldivers 2 a stellar 9/10 in our review, saying “Helldivers 2 is a masterstroke, a sensational sequel to one of my favourite games and an absolute must play for people who enjoy simple, cinematic, and irreverent fun. The shift in perspective, the upgraded graphics and sound design, and the hard lean into satirical humour have launched it easily into one of my favourite games of 2024. I highly recommend that you suit up and hit the Hellpods soldier, I’m doing my part, are you?”

Helldivers 2 is available now. You can get physical copies at a discounted $59 here.

The post Helldivers 2’s Bugs Can Fly Now, So Keep An Eye On The Skies appeared first on Press Start.

Deviation Games, the studio which started up in 2021 with the goal of creating a new PlayStation-exclusive AAA IP, is shutting down.

When it was first introduced to the world, Deviation reportedly had over 100 developers working on its unnamed project, including veteran Call of Duty developers Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony, and had the backing of Sony Interactive Entertainment to boot, but it’s now the latest in a long line of closures and mass layoffs in the industry.

The studio’s chief HR and operations officer, Kriste Stull, broke the unfortunate news in a heartfelt LinkedIn post, writing:

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Deviation Games. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and contributions to Deviation; I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with each and every one of you.

“To the entire video game industry, we will be hosting a networking event, and we would love for any/all companies/studios hiring to participate. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested in attending.

“To all the Deviators out there, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Go get ’em!”

The studio had already reportedly been affected by layoffs last year, but now it’s officially packing up shop before its debut game could even be revealed.

“We’re drawing on what we’ve learned over our collective decades making games, but we’re also out to make something fresh and brimming with innovation like you’ve never experienced before,” Blundell had said of the project at the time. “We’re not afraid to say that our ambitions are super high: we’re setting out to make a huge, content-rich game with a focus on a lot of action and a lot of energy, but let’s leave it at that for now and hopefully it won’t be long before we can share more.”

The post Deviation Games Is Shutting Down Before Its Debut Game Could Even Be Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a hot minute since we heard anything from HBO’s The Last of Us as its second season continues production, but now following earlier news of the casting of Abby, Dina and Jesse we’ve got more casting reports for characters out of The Last of Us Part II.

Variety reports that four more new cast members have been added and will take on the roles of Manny, Mel, Nora and Owen – who fans of the game will know from Abby’s time in the WLF and through much of Part II.

According to the outlet, Manny will be played by Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick, Silo), who’s described in the show as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.”

Ariela Barer (Marvel’s Runaways, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will play Mel, “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.”

Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past,” will be played by Tati Gabrielle (Uncharted, The 100) and finally and Spencer Lord (Riverdale, The Good Doctor) has been cast as Owen, who the show calls, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding some of those character descriptions a bit odd with knowledge of the characters from the games, but hopefully all of that will make some sort of sense once the new season begins to roll out.

The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us entered production earlier this year, with the season premiere officially pegged for a 2025 release at this stage.

The post More The Last Of Us Season 2 Cast Have Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

After news broke this week of Sony laying off around 900 staff across its global collection of PlayStation Studios, we started to learn some of the impact it would have on development teams that have become household names and creators of hugely-successful games and franchises. The sweeping cuts not only saw the shuttering of London Studio and reported cancellations of projects at teams like Firesprite but have even reached seemingly-infallible studios like Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla – with the latter apparently losing up to 10% of its workforce.

In the wake, Insomniac Games – developers of PlayStation’s fastest selling game to date, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – has issued a statement on social media addressing the outcome and giving a solemn farewell to the talent it’s losing.

“Like several other teams across SIE and PlayStation Studios, Insomniac Games was impacted by yesterday’s layoffs. There are no sufficient words to express our feelings about it. This is a solemn and unprecedented moment for our studio,” the statement reads.

“We are focusing our energy on helping everyone affected through this challenging time. For those who are hiring, there are great people seeking new roles who made important contributions to Insomniac’s history. We’re extremely grateful for them and they will be missed.”

pic.twitter.com/B0AloBRyy5

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) February 28, 2024

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan shared the disappointing news of the company’s decision to fire around 8% of its global workforce earlier this week, saying, “The PlayStation community means everything to us, so I felt it was important to update you on a difficult day at our company. We have made the extremely hard decision to announce our plan to commence a reduction of our overall headcount globally by about 8% or about 900 people, subject to local law and consultation processes. Employees across the globe, including our studios, are impacted.

“These are incredibly talented people who have been part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions. However, the industry has changed immensely, and we need to future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead. We need to deliver on expectations from developers and gamers and continue to propel future technology in gaming, so we took a step back to ensure we are set up to continue bringing the best gaming experiences to the community.”

The post Insomniac Games Has Spoken Out About The Mass Layoffs At PlayStation appeared first on Press Start.

While the PlayStation’ Stores big Planet of the Discounts sale begins wrapping up, we’ve got yet another round of new digital deals – this time with over 2,500 titles discounted with the Mega March event. Also includes one of the best deals yet on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum!

You can view the full sale here or take a peek at some of the deals below:

PLAYSTATION STORE MEGA DEALS SALE

As usual, the deals below are just a quick list of highlights, and some deals may be cheaper or already included for PlayStation Plus subscribers. These prices end on 14/3 at 10:59 AM AEDT.

Gems That You Should Definitely Play

• Mail Time – $20.96
• Citizen Sleeper – $20.96
• A Space for the Unbound – $19.46
• Mato Anomalies – $13.73
• Strayed Lights – $22.77 ($20.87 with PlayStation Plus)
• STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN – $41.97 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Lost in Random – $3.84
• Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly – $11.66 ($9.86 with PlayStation Plus)
• The Cub – $13.77
• Teardown – $29.96 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Blasphemous 2 – $26.76
• RESIDENT EVIL 2 – $13.73
• Sonic Frontiers – $39.98
• A Plague Tale: Requiem – $49.97
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition – $25.48
• Coral Island – $35.96
• Exoprimal – $42.47
• The Last of Us Part I – $77.46
• RESIDENT EVIL 3 – $13.73
• Resident Evil Village – $21.98
• Cult of the Lamb – $22.77
• Evil West – $49.97
• DREDGE – $21.66
• Team Sonic Racing – $23.98
• Viewfinder – $26.56
• Paleo Pines – $27.96
• Digimon Survive – $23.08
• Wizard with a Gun – $18.57
• SteamWorld Build – $33.71 ($31.46 with PlayStation Plus)

Banger Remasters/Remakes/Repackages/Revengeance

• Sonic Colours: Ultimate – $23.98
• Batman: Arkham Collection – $11.04
• Monster Hunter Rise – $29.97
• Little Nightmares I & II Bundle – $20.98
• DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT – $29.98 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Persona 5 Royal Ultimate Edition – $47.47
• Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – $6.19 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Survivor Trilogy – $24.48
• CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION – $14.97
• DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – $32.97
• Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered – $35.16
• Onimusha: Warlords – $11.98
• Yakuza 3 Remastered – $6.23
• Yakuza 4 Remastered – $6.23
• Yakuza 5 Remastered – $6.23
• The Disney Afternoon Collection – $6.23
• Dragon’s Crown Pro – $9.59 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Weird West: Definitive Edition – $13.73
• Laika: Aged Through Blood – $23.96 ($22.46 with PlayStation Plus)
• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – $29.98 (included with PlayStation Plus Extra)
• Forgive Me Father – $23.21 ($21.66 with PlayStation Plus)
• AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative – $33.98
• Sable – $22.77
• Tails of Iron – $7.73

So Fresh: The Hits of 2023

• Street Fighter 6 – $55.97
• Lords of the Fallen Deluxe Edition – $73.77
• Lies of P Deluxe Edition – $74.96
• Destiny 2: Lightfall – $24.73
• Mortal Kombat 1 Premium Edition – $89.97
• EA SPORTS FC 24 Ultimate Edition – $59.98
• HUMANKIND Heritage Edition – $55.21 ($50.96 with PlayStation Plus)
• Ghostrunner 2 Brutal Edition – $49.97
• STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor – $49.47
• Resident Evil 4 – $41.21
• SONIC SUPERSTARS – $56.97
• Like a Dragon: Ishin! – $49.97
• Immortals of Aveum Deluxe Edition – $29.98
• SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake – $38.46
• Park Beyond – $28.03

PlayStation VR2 Joints

• Red Matter – $22.46
• Ghost Signal: A Stellaris Game – $17.97
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice – $31.46
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 1 & 2 – $45.47
• Cooking Simulator VR – $28.76
• The Room VR: A Dark Matter – $24.72
• Crossfire: Sierra Squad – $36.71
• Nock – $22.46
• Transformers Beyond Reality – $28.46 ($26.56 with PlayStation Plus)
• Kayak VR: Mirage – $23.36
• Pavlov – $30.36
• Drums Rock – $20.96 ($19.46 with PlayStation Plus)
• Synth Riders – Remastered Edition – $18.57
• Arashi: Castles of Sin: Final Cut – $30.76

Games That Have Ended My Relationships

• UNO Ultimate Edition – $11.98

Games Where Their Name Is Mayo

• My Name Is Mayo – $1.48 ($1.38 with PlayStation Plus)
• My Name Is Mayo 2 – $1.48 ($1.38 with PlayStation Plus)
• My Name Is Mayo 3 – $3.00 ($2.81 with PlayStation Plus)

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

• The Lord of the Rings: Gollum – $16.99

The post The PlayStation Store’s March Sale Has Thousands Of Digital Deals appeared first on Press Start.

In yet another massive blow in a particularly relentless first couple months of the year in the gaming industry, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a mass layoff within PlayStation, with around 900 staff (or about 8% of its total workforce) set to lose their jobs globally.

In a blog post, SIE president and CEO Jim Ryan says calls the event a “difficult day at our company” and cites the changing industry and an eye towards long-term sustainability as some of the reasons for this incredibly deflating news, which might naturally come across as surprising for a division making billions in revenue and hundreds of millions in operating profits.

Ryan also shared the email sent out to staff with the news, which reveals some more in-depth detail on what this round of layoffs will entail and who it might affect. The CEO says that these changes will impact all SIE regions, meaning The Americas, EMEA, Japan and APAC and will hit “several” PlayStation studios.

Sony Interactive Entertainment announces a reduction in its global workforce: https://t.co/O5hLTYGltq

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 27, 2024

In the UK in particular, Firesprite will see a reduction in staff and London Studio, which has a 22-year history with PlayStation that includes the likes of EyeToy, SingStar and PlayStation VR Worlds, will be completely shut down. Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier writes that the layoffs will also affect some of PlayStation’s biggest and most successful studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac and Guerrilla.

The email says that affected employees will receive support including severance benefits, though the exact nature of this will seemingly be impacted by local employment laws where these staff are located.

Ryan’s email ends with the message, “While these are challenging times, it is not indicative of a lack of strength of our company, our brand, or our industry. Our goal is to remain agile and adaptable and to continue to focus on delivering the best gaming experiences possible now and in the future.

“Thank you for your understanding during this difficult period. Please be kind to yourselves and to each other.”

The post Sony Is Laying Off Around 900 PlayStation Employees And Shutting At Least One Studio appeared first on Press Start.

The PlayStation Portal is proving to be a bigger hit with players than Sony had initially anticipated.

That’s according to an interview with PlayStation’s VP of product management Hiromo Wakai who spoke to Game File’s Stephen Totilo at length about the conception and launch of the device. “Although we don’t have any numbers to share, the demand has continued to exceed our expectations,” Wakai told the outlet, speaking to the device’s consistent sell-out status globally (here in Australia it’s still tricky to find in retail stores with online orders the go-to).

The VP assured that supply is the top priority for the Portal currently. “The production is running smoothly and we’ve been shipping more units consistently.”

Elsewhere in the piece, Totilo quizzes Wakai on how the concept of the Portal came to be and how it’s positioned in comparison to a dedicated handheld like the PlayStation Vita.

“The original idea of the PlayStation Portal remote player came from our goal to provide high quality console gaming experiences in the players’ hands,” Wakai said. “We presumed that we would be able to achieve this goal at an affordable price by utilising a technical solution often referred to as ‘Thin Client’, while maintaining the full features of a DualSense wireless controller and a screen that is capable of displaying content with crisp image and text.”

“The initial discussions of this product started out from the question of how to expand the PS5 console game experience, not launch a separate handheld device.”

EXCLUSIVE: I interviewed Sony's Hiromi Wakai about the PlayStation Portal, the first extensive interview Sony has given about their unusual remote play handheld

– Where the idea came from
– Who worked on it
– Why it's not Vita 2
– More!

Read for free: https://t.co/8bb20lt5hm

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 26, 2024

Wakai told Game File that the Portal team knew the device would appear niche at first, acknowledging that the initial reaction to the Portal was mixed. “From the beginning, PlayStation Portal was intended to be a product best suited for people with specific needs and those who want to play in a specific way, so the reactions after the announcement were very much within our expectations.”

Recently, a team of Google engineers claimed that they had hacked the Portal to run PSP games natively via an emulator, a feat which came after Totilo’s interview. Still, it was confirmed that Sony has nothing to share regarding future plans for the device as of yet.

In my review, I called the PlayStation Portal the best PlayStation remote play solution yet, saying, “The PlayStation Portal gets a lot of things right. It’s got the proper DualSense controller experience, a big and vibrant screen, decent battery life and seamless PS5 connectivity over WiFi. All of that is enough to make it worth considering over other PS5 Remote Play solutions, but some missing features and the unpredictability of WiFi in general mean it’s not going to cut through to a wider audience.”

Read the full interview piece on Game File here.

Amazon has the PlayStation Portal in stock in Australia here.

The post The PlayStation Portal Has Been More Popular Than Sony Anticipated appeared first on Press Start.

Update 27/02: After being introduced in select regions, such as Australia and New Zealand, a few weeks ago, Passkey for PlayStation has now been rolled out globally.

As a reminder, switching to a Passkey for PlayStation removes your account’s traditional password as well as two-factor authentication and instead makes use of your phone, tablet or computer’s existing secure login (whether it’s PIN, fingerprint, facial recognition or something else) to provide universal access to your account that’s resistant to things like phishing or password cracking.

You can find more information below via the official PlayStation website, including how to activate a passkey for your account now. The process takes a few seconds and a couple of clicks, and I was able to start signing in via my phone and Windows Hello right away. It’ll also work with any other Sony services that you might have attached to your account.

PlayStation introduced a new Blog post going into even more detail along with a quick explainer video which you can see below:

Original Story: PlayStation Australia has announced that Aussie PS5 and PS4 owners can now activate a passkey to enable easier and more secure login to their PlayStation Network accounts from any device.

A passkey removes your account’s traditional password as well as two-factor authentication and instead makes use of your phone, tablet or computer’s existing login (whether it’s PIN, fingerprint, facial recognition or something else) to provide secure and universal access to your account that’s resistant to things like phishing or password cracking.

You can find more information below via the official PlayStation website, including how to activate a passkey for your account now. The process takes a few seconds and a couple of clicks, and I was able to start signing in via my phone and Windows Hello right away.

Starting today, players in Australia can activate a passkey for a password-free sign in experience on PlayStation Network. Learn more ? https://t.co/0KVKxYeVDb pic.twitter.com/b2meEElcp5

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) February 13, 2024

How To Activate a PlayStation Network Passkey In Australia

The post Passkey For PlayStation Has Rolled Out Globally So You Can Ditch Your Passwords appeared first on Press Start.

At a point in time where the words “live service” are almost guaranteed to induce groans and eye rolls among players, a scrappy little AA experience by the name of Helldivers 2 has managed to find a level of success that’s seemingly taken everyone by surprise – including developer Arrowhead Game Studios and publisher PlayStation. It’s been so popular in fact, that the game’s servers were absolutely hammered in the early days and capacities needed to be raised significantly just to get new ‘divers through the door.

But how did this sequel to a somewhat low-impact isometric multiplayer action game manage to explode in a way that would make Super Earth’s most hard-to-please generals crack a satisfied smile? Obviously there’s an intrinsic appeal to shooting hordes of Mean Things with friends, as evidenced by the many other, similar experiences out there, but there’s a secret sauce in Helldivers 2 that I think has helped it cut through the noise. And that sauce has two key ingredients: Respect and Unseriousness.

Looking at the finish to this concoction first, nothing struck me more in the first few hours of playing Helldivers 2 than how god damned goofy and Unserious it is. The most obvious point of comparison when it comes to the tone here is something like Starship Troopers, which many folks have pointed out, but it goes beyond just the satire of hyper-patriotism and militarised fascism. Like some other recent co-op experiences such as Lethal Company there’s also a pervasive element of slapstick tragedy, where heightened tensions or frantic action can lead to the unexpected and unintended deaths of players at the hands of enemies, the environment, teammates or even themselves.

Not only does an immediate uproar of laughter from your mates take some of the edge of being the person that fucked right up, it’s a massive contributor to the conversation and community that’s formed around the game. It’s Funniest Home Videos for the Fortnite generation.

But while I’ve certainly seen my fair share of gorgeous moments borne from ill-planned drops or very unfriendly friendly fire, it was an encounter with a more intentional gag that’s been the most memorable in my time with the game so far. On discovering that players’ base of operations houses a very simple arcade-like machine with the “game” of Stratagem Hero – a play on Helldivers 2’s input-based mechanic of calling in various supports – I immediately found myself laser-focused and unwavering in attempting to land an impressive high score. I must have been at it for a good 20-odd minutes before I decided my performance had peaked and that it was time to log out. Just as I did though, a message came in from one of my PlayStation friends that contained an in-game screenshot of my character standing transfixed at the Stratagem Hero machine and the words “God’s work.”

I had no idea that Mark was even present in my game, let alone quietly watching my less-than-useful contributions to Super Earth’s cause, but it just drove home the fact that there are distinct advantages to always-online games, much as I usually detest them, it’s just a case of leaning into where the fun really is and what players are looking for in these connected experiences.

The other ideal being championed by Helldivers 2, and Arrowhead, is a very intentional Respect for players’ time. Each and every time that I’ve jumped into whatever “live service” game is the current zeitgeist, the biggest reason for eventually bouncing off has been the feeling that I need to be putting regular and considerable hours into it to have any sense of payoff or progression. It’s how these games operate, and it obviously works for some, but for those of us without a heap of spare time to dedicate to a single title it can be quite prohibitive.

Contrast this with Helldivers 2, which is a game that I feel incredibly comfortable dipping into for an hour or two at a time with no pressure to keep that up daily or even semi-regularly to know that I’m going to keep having fun with it. That’s not to say that there’s no work involved in progressing and unlocking neat new ways to lay waste bugs, bots and blindsided buddies, but subsequent unlocks and rewards exist to give players exactly that – new and interesting ways to destroy things.

I don’t feel any kind of pressure to grind to feel like I’m keeping up with the community or the content offering, but at the same time I know that I’ll still get out what I put in, and that’s such a breath of fresh air in the landscape. At the end of the day, the moment-to-moment gameplay is so much fun, and Arrowhead has no interest in getting in the way of that just to squeeze more engagement out of you.

That respect for my time also manifests in the way that Helldivers 2’s monetisation efforts are not nearly as predatory as its peers. Yes, there are a bunch of currencies to manage and the ability to drop real money down in order to hasten the process, but everything feels set up to be rewarding to those who play and not just those who pay. There are a heap of opportunities to earn Super Credits beyond opening your wallet, and you have all the time in the world to work through the battle pass-esque Warbonds, which aren’t time-limited and will always be available to players to complete. I’ve already seen plenty of folks loudly and proudly say they’ve thrown extra cash at the game just because they felt good about giving the studio money, which is exactly how it should be.

Arrowhead’s CEO Johan Pilestedt has said it himself, “You have to earn the right to monetise,” and that philosophy can be felt deeply within Helldivers 2. It’s a game that dares to ask whether its players are getting value out of simply playing the game, before it even thinks to ask what kind of value it can get out of its players. And that’s going pretty well for them, I reckon.

Helldivers 2 is available now on PlayStation 5 and PC.

The post Helldivers 2 Is More Interested In Exploding Its Players Than Exploiting Them appeared first on Press Start.

Sony revealed its financial results for the last quarter in which it revised PS5 console sales down, but the most interesting takeaway was that the company doesn’t plan to release any first-party software from existing franchises before April 2025.

“Regarding first-party software, we aim to continue to focus on producing high-quality productions and producing live service games. But while major projects are currently under development, we do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year like God of War: Ragnarok and Marvel Spider-Man 2.” said Sony president Hiroki Totoki.

Now, obviously, this doesn’t mean that we won’t get any PlayStation games this year, but it’s likely we’ll see more second party games as well as smaller games and new IP.

It’ll be interesting to see how PlayStation’s year looks with rumoured new hardware coming later this year.

The post No New Major First-Party PS5 Games From Existing Franchises Will Be Released Before April 2025 appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed the games coming to PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Deluxe in February and it’s a decent bunch. You’ve got newer games such as Need For Speed: Unbound and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and in terms of classics, Resistance Retribution comes to the service.

FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS EXTRA GAMES

• Need For Speed Unbound
• The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition
• Tales of Arise
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• LEGO Worlds
• LEGO Jurassic World
• Roguebook
• Rogue Lords
• Tales of Zestiria

FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS DELUXE GAMES

• Resistance: Retribution
• Jet Rider 2
• Tales of Symphonia

These games will all drop on in just under a week on February 20th.

The post February’s PlayStation Plus Extra/Deluxe Games Have Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

Helldivers 2 has gotten off to a pretty strong start after launching yesterday/last night, managing to rocket up to the #2 spot on Steam for revenue and seeing a pretty healthy concurrent player base on PC in the early hours (though we don’t have a very good idea of the comparison on PS5).

Along with that success did come some unfortunate teething issues though, with players experiencing troubles with matchmaking and crashes as servers seemingly buckled under the flood of players coming in for the first time. Developer Arrowhead Game Studios has been quick to jump in and start working on patching it up, with Steam already seeing some hotfixes and PS5 hopefully not far behind.

The tweet from Game Director Mikael Eriksson reads:

“Hey everyone! Mikael here again. I want to give you an update on the issues we’ve experienced today. I’m happy to say that we’ve now improved matchmaking and the most frequent crashes.

“We’ve made a patch, and are about to start playing alongside you to check it works as intended. If it’s a success, we’ll trigger a hotfix and get it out to the Steam community first, then roll it out to PS5 players as quickly as we can.

“Thank you – seriously – for your patience. We really want you all to have a blast playing this game. Bear with us, we’re almost there. See you on the battlefield soon!”

A message to the HELLDIVERS 2 community from Game Director Mikael Eriksson: pic.twitter.com/LC38UgcSQV

— Arrowhead Game Studios (@ArrowheadGS) February 8, 2024

A subsequent update arrived not long after to let fans know that a patch had been uploaded to Steam which should improve matchmaking on PC and solve some other crash fixes, with more on the way.

Also on PC, some users have been quick to point out that Helldivers 2 uses the slightly-controversial nProtect Gameguard anti-cheat software, which is a particularly intense bit of software that has access to users’ PCs at a very deep level to dig for any files that might be used for cheating.

The reception to the game itself though has been hugely positive, with many praising the game’s fun, multiplayer action, humour and relative lack of predatory monetisation. Kinda Funny has already published a review-in-progress video which shows the crew having an absolute blast with the game. You can watch that below:

Helldivers 2 is out now on PS5 and PC and features cross-play between both platforms. You can pick up the physical version on Amazon here for $59 or grab the game digitally on the PlayStation Store here or on Steam here.

The post The Helldivers 2 Devs Are Working To Fix Matchmaking And Crashes After A Strong Launch appeared first on Press Start.

Another February, another State of Play from Sony and PlayStation. But this one felt different. Over forty minutes long, Sony have promised an extended look at both Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, confirming both for this year.

But what else? Sony rolled out everything else they promised – more games for both PS5 and PSVR2 and, of course, some special guests.

The New Trailer For Death Stranding 2 Clarified Less, As Expected, But Still Looks Intriguing

The game looks great from all fronts, and it looks like Higgs is back as one of the main villains, although he’s dressed as Amelie for some reason and wields an electric guitar that shoots electricity. I’m in.

After Years, We’ve Finally Got A Look At Silent Hill: The Short Message And It’s Out Today

The full game is free to play and is available today. It’s a first-person experience that’s entirely different from the other Silent Hill projects previously announced.

We FINALLY Got Another Look At The Silent Hill 2 Remake

A lot more extended looks at the gameplay, combat and exploration were shown. It’s not got quite the polish of the recent Resident Evil remakes but I’m still keen to give it a shot. But unfortunately it’s still got no date.

We Got A Much Longer Look At Rise Of The Ronin

The game is shaping up to have a good mix of shooting and swordfighting as you’d expect a Team Ninja game to have. It’s releasing on March 22nd 2024.

An Until Dawn Remake Is Coming

The game has been rebuilt and enhanced for PlayStation 5 and PC, and is out this year. It’s being developed by a new studio in the UK called Ballistic Moon.

Another Trailer For Helldivers II Was Shown

I’m sure if you liked the original you’ll like this. It’s still on track for February 8th 2024, which is next week wow.

As Promised, A More Extended Look At Stellar Blade Was Shown And It Was Dated Too

The action RPG is from a new Korean studio and features fast and frenetic gameplay, massive bosses to defeat, and a unique world to explore between battles. It certainly looks like one for the Souls fans. It’s out on April 26th 2024.

A Sonic Generations Remaster Is On The Way With A Bit Of An Edge

It’s called Sonic x Shadow Generations, and as you’d expect, they’ve added Shadow to the proceedings. 2 edgy 4 me. It’s out in Autumn 2024. Which is basically the third quarter of the year. And it has a new campaign where you play as Shadow.

Zenless Zone Zero Is Coming To PlayStation 5

The game is an “urban action role playing game” that takes place in an apocalyptic setting from the developers who brought us Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail.

Dave The Diver Is Coming To Consoles With Godzilla Popping Up Too

Lay eggs in my mouth Goddy. It’s out in May 2024.

If You Like Vampires, You’ll Like V Rising

The game is billed as a Vampire Action RPG Survival Game with castle-building elements. Groundbreaking. It’s out in 2024.

Ken Levine’s Next Game, Judas, Is Giving BioShock

The game is looking to play around with planted memories but still looks like the games that put Ken Levine on the map all those years ago. It’s out at some point, but confirmed to be in development for PlayStation 5.

A Brand New Metro Game Was Announced For VR

It’s out this year and is inspired by the Metro 2033 novels.

Legendary Tales Was Announced For PSVR2

It’s an action RPG designed for PlayStation VR2. It’s a dungeon crawling adventure that features multiplayer options.

Yet Another Dragon’s Dogma II Trailer Was Shown

Lots of great magic, huge beasts to hunt and talking Lion priests. What’s not to love? The game is still on track for a March 22nd release.

Kojima Also Announced That He’s Working On An Action Espionage Game After Death Stranding 2

It’s early days, obviously, but there’s more details to come in the future. I hope they call it Wood Equipment Liquid or something.

The post Everything Announced At The February 2024 PlayStation State Of Play appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed that a February 2024 State of Play showcase is indeed going ahead, and it’s happening tomorrow, February 1st at 9AM AEDT.

PlayStation says this’ll be a whopping 40-minute presentation covering more than 15 games, with new looks at the likes of Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin as well as other games headed to PS5 and PS VR2 in 2024 and beyond.

WHAT ARE THE AUSTRALIAN TIMES FOR THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

You’ll be able to watch the State of Play on Thursday, February 1st at 9AM AEDT. Here’s how that shakes out across the nation:

• 9.00 AM AEDT (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra)
• 8.30 AM ACDT (Adelaide)
• 8.00 AM AEST (Brisbane)
• 7.30 AM ACST (Darwin)
• 6.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 11.00 AM NZDT (Wellington)

WHERE CAN I WATCH THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

Right here!

“The first State of Play of 2024 will be over 40 minutes long, and feature guest appearances from some of the most talented minds in gaming. Among many other updates, we’ll feature extended looks at Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, two great games coming to PS5 this year. And we’ll give you a new look at other titles coming to PS5 and PS VR2 in 2024 and beyond.”

WHAT WILL BE SHOWN AT THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

Thanks to a combination of early leaks and general deduction/guess work we already have a plausible idea of what we’ll see a this new State of Play. Death Stranding 2 (believed to be subtitled On The Beach) and a PS5/PC port of Until Dawn are very likely contenders. We know for sure that we’ll see Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a shoo-in, but looking deeper into the crystal ball I wouldn’t be surprised to see updates from PS5-centric titles like the Silent Hill 2 remake, and maybe even some rumoured appearances from Judas, a new Sonic game and a VR take on Metro.

WILL WE SEE A NEW PS5 CONSOLE ANNOUNCEMENT?

Highly unlikely, but I like to include this question in the hopes I’ll eventually manifest something.

The post Here’s When And Where To Watch Tomorrow’s Huge PlayStation State Of Play In Australia appeared first on Press Start.

As predicted by just about anyone with a working memory of the last few years, PlayStation has revealed that a February 2024 State of Play showcase is indeed going ahead, and it’s happening on Thursday, February 1st at 9AM AEDT.

PlayStation says this’ll be a whopping 40-minute presentation covering more than 15 games, with new looks at the likes of Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin as well as other games headed to PS5 and PS VR2 in 2024 and beyond.

WHAT ARE THE AUSTRALIAN TIMES FOR THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

You’ll be able to watch the State of Play on Thursday, February 1st at 9AM AEDT. Here’s how that shakes out across the nation:

• 9.00 AM AEDT (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra)
• 8.30 AM ACDT (Adelaide)
• 8.00 AM AEST (Brisbane)
• 7.30 AM ACST (Darwin)
• 6.00 AM AWST (Perth)
• 11.00 AM NZDT (Wellington)

WHERE CAN I WATCH THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

Right here!

WHAT WILL BE SHOWN AT THE FEBRUARY 2024 PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY?

Thanks to a combination of early leaks and general deduction/guess work we already have a plausible idea of what we’ll see a this new State of Play. Death Stranding 2 (believed to be subtitled On The Beach) and a PS5/PC port of Until Dawn are very likely contenders. We know for sure that we’ll see Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a shoo-in, but looking deeper into the crystal ball I wouldn’t be surprised to see updates from PS5-centric titles like the Silent Hill 2 remake, and maybe even some rumoured appearances from Judas, a new Sonic game and a VR take on Metro.

WILL WE SEE A NEW PS5 CONSOLE ANNOUNCEMENT?

Highly unlikely, but I like to include this question in the hopes I’ll eventually manifest something.

The post A 40-Minute PlayStation State Of Play Is Happening This Thursday appeared first on Press Start.

Helldivers 2 is coming incredibly close to launch now, dropping next Friday, February 8th for PS5 and PC. This sequel takes the humble isometric cooperative alien shooting action of the original and expands it into an action-packed third person take on the formula, and it’s got the potential to be a quiet hit for PlayStation.

Given it’s almost time to get space boots on the ground, PlayStation and Arrowhead Game Studios have published yet another trailer and new PlayStation Blog Post stacked with information on the game including what players can expect from its “Galactic War” mission structure, multiplayer, player progression and enemy factions. We already got a pretty groovy launch trailer recently after the game went gold, but this new 5-minute video in particular is probably the best bit of media yet to actually impart how this game will work once players can dive in next week.

Take a look at that below:

Helldivers 2 launches on February 8th for PS5 and PC and will feature cross-play between both platforms. You can pre-order the physical version on Amazon here for $59 or wishlist the game digitally on the PlayStation Store here or on Steam here.

The post Here’s Your Best Look Yet At Helldivers 2 Ahead Of Launch Next Week appeared first on Press Start.

With The Last of Us Part II Remastered launching today and people’s digital pre-orders finally being available to play, some users have noticed that PlayStation has gone ahead and issued a refund.

The reason for this, is that it’s proactively identified folks who placed a full $74.95 AUD digital pre-order for the game but already owned a digital copy of the original PS4 version of the game, and therefore could have paid the cheaper $15 AUD ($10 USD if you’re in the States) upgrade fee instead.

The message users received reads:

“Thank you for your pre-order of The Last of Us Part II Remastered from the PlayStation Store.

“As an owner of the PS4 digital version of The Last of Us Part II, a digital upgrade to the PS5 digital version will be available at a deeply discounted price on launch day 19/1/24. We don’t want you to lose out on that opportunity so, as a gesture of good will, we have refunded your purchase for the pre-order of the PS5 version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered so that you may purchase the digital upgrade on launch day. Rest assured that by purchasing the digital upgrade, you will also receive any pre-order bonuses included in your original pre-order. The refund amount is paid back to your original payment method.

“This may take up to 60 days to appear on your statement. If for any reason we are unable to issue the refund to your original payment method, the amount will be credited to your PlayStation Network wallet.”

Sony is refunding people of the Last of us part 2 remaster who have the digital ps4 version because at launch day the upgrade is 10 dollars.

For example, someone pre ordered it for 50 dollars but can upgrade it at launch for 10 because they own it. W move imo ? pic.twitter.com/WQgqP21Dga

— Pyo 5?? (@mrpyo1) January 18, 2024

Brodie gave The Last of Us Part II Remastered a 9.5/10 in his review, saying “The Last of Us Part II Remastered might ring up an emotional toll that some aren’t ready to part with so soon after its original launch, however it’s still a worthwhile release thanks in large part to its celebratory behind-the-scene glimpses at how the game came to be. Adding more value to the package is No Return, an excellent, compact roguelike that feels like an apt showcase for the game’s blunt force combat.”

The post PlayStation Is Refunding The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered Pre-Orders If You Own The PS4 Game appeared first on Press Start.

Although there’s no doubt that Laura Bailey’s Abby Anderson, co-protagonist of The Last of Us Part II, will go down as one of the most divisive and perhaps misunderstood video game characters of all time, her fate during the game’s closing act is far from the one originally written for her. 

Caution: The remainder of the article will include story spoilers for The Last of Us Part II, do not read on if you’re yet to play the game. 

As anybody who has played The Last of Us Part II would be aware, despite revenge leading to the grisly deaths of all of her friends, Abby spares the lives of Ellie, Dina, and Tommy after a showdown at the theatre. She instead heads back into the world with Lev, the Seraphite boy she’d saved and become guardian to, in search of the Fireflies in hopes she could leave obsessive hatred behind to rekindle that part of her humanity. 

The pair are ultimately taken hostage by human slavers in coastal California, and things look pretty grim for them until Ellie—still hellbent on squaring the ledger for Joel’s death at Abby’s hands—arrives to set them free from their captivity. 

What follows is one of the more uncomfortable and conflicting scenes of the game where Ellie bludgeons a reluctant Abby in knee-deep water. After being plagued by traumatic memories of Joel’s murder throughout the campaign, she instead sees a flash of him perched up with his guitar. At this moment, she lets Abby and Lev leave. 

It’s been revealed in the commentary tracks for The Last of Us Part II that it was originally planned for Abby to die at Ellie’s hands here in a moment that certainly would have brought the cycle of violence full circle. 

“So originally, the concept was that Abby dies here,” explained the game’s co-writer Halley Gross as the scene depicts Ellie pinning Abby underwater. 

“I did not know that Abby died here originally,” revealed the character’s voice actor, Laura Bailey, in bewilderment. Bailey’s work on the game would ultimately earn her a Game Award and a BAFTA. 

“Originally, I think, both Yara and Lev died and this was just Abby by herself when you meet up with her,” expanded Neil Druckmann, creative director. 

“And then Ellie kills Abby.”

“I think leaving Ellie with three percent of the humanity that she got from who she was, that scrappy kid that Joel helped shape—I think if she killed Abby you’d never see that kid again,” continued Gross. 

“And this gives a hope that she’s still in there a little bit and could be revived in the same way that Abby was revived. In the right circumstance.”

With two big themes of the game being forgiveness and redemption, I do feel as though following through on killing Abby would have left Ellie in a dark, inescapable place. At least we know watching her walk away from the farm right before the credits roll that there’s hope for her still.

See our full review, more guides and other content for The Last of Us Part II Remastered right here.

The post The Last Of Us Part 2’s Abby Originally Had A Much Different Fate appeared first on Press Start.

After a massive couple of years, PlayStation’s plans for the 12 months ahead are potentially the most mysterious in recent memory. After a handful of first-party or third-party exclusives in the front part of the year there’s really no telling what Sony has cooking for PlayStation players for the rest of 2024.

Still, that’s not to say there aren’t a bunch of exciting PlayStation exclusive titles on the way, whether that’s wholly PS5/PS4 exclusive or shared with the folks playing on PC. To that end, we’ve started compiling a list of what’s to come For The Players (take a look at the Nintendo Switch equivalent here, Xbox to come soon) that should be on your radar.

And of course, there are some titles that could launch in 2024 but haven’t confirmed as much yet. Games like Lost Soul Aside, Phantom Blade Zero and Sword of the Sea, or if you’re being especially hopeful – perhaps even something like Death Stranding 2. We’ll continue to update this list as we learn more.

PLAYSTATION EXCLUSIVES COMING IN 2024

The Last of Us Part II Remastered

Release Date: January 19th

Platforms: PS5

The Cheapest Copy: $74 at Amazon

Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, now remastered for the PlayStation 5 console. Experience for the first time or relive Ellie and Abby’s story with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense wireless controller integration, and more.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Release Date: February 1st

Platforms: PS5, PC

The Cheapest Copy: $79 at Amazon

The international hit mobile and PC game Granblue Fantasy returns to consoles as an action RPG with a real-time combat system. The beautiful 2D artwork enjoyed by millions of fans has been painstakingly recreated in gorgeous 3D with cutting-edge visuals, as players traverse the familiar Sky Realm teeming with new life and details. Prepare your battle party by selecting up to four characters with unique skill sets to suit your fighting style as you take on giant enemies that seemingly stretch forever into the sky, or hop online to join up to three friends for cooperative multiplayer to tackle quests together.

Helldivers 2

Release Date: February 8th

Platforms: PS5, PC

The Cheapest Copy: $59 at Amazon

Freedom. Peace. Managed Democracy. Your Super Earth-born rights. The key pillars of our civilization are under attack from deadly alien creatures conspiring to destroy your planet and its values.

The Helldivers must take on the role of peacekeepers in this Galactic War and protect their home planet, spread the message of Democracy and repel the hostiles by force. Join forces with up to three friends and wreak havoc on an alien scourge threatening the safety of your home planet, Super Earth, in this multiplayer co-op shooter for PS5 and PC from Arrowhead Game Studios.

Pacific Drive

Release Date: February 22nd

Platforms: PS5, PC

Pacific Drive is a run-based, first-person driving survival game. Your car is your only companion as you navigate a surreal and anomaly-filled reimagining of the Pacific Northwest.

Structured as a “road-lite”, each excursion into the wilderness brings unique and strange challenges, as you restore and upgrade your car from an abandoned garage that acts as your home base. With the car as your lifeline, you’ll unravel a long-forgotten mystery as you make your way to the heart of the Olympic Exclusion Zone.

Read our preview here.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Release Date: February 29th

Platforms: PS5

The Cheapest Copy: $99 at Amazon

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games.

Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.

Read our preview here.

Rise of the Ronin

Release Date: March 22nd

Platforms: PS5

The Cheapest Copy: $109 at Amazon

Embark on an epic journey across war-torn 19th-century Japan in this combat-focused open-world action RPG from Team NINJA, the veteran studio behind Nioh and NINJA GAIDEN.

Japan, 1863. After three centuries of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s oppressive rule, the Black Ships of the West descend upon the nation’s borders and the country falls into a state of turmoil. Amidst the chaos of war, disease and political unrest, a nameless warrior forges their own path, holding the very fate of Japan in their hands.

Foamstars

Release Date: TBA 2024

Platforms: PS5

Introducing FOAMSTARS, the new 4v4 online party shooter for PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®4.

Use foam to build terrain, creating slippery surfaces to surf around the arena at high speed, help defend from enemy attacks, or create vantage points to take out opponents.

And most importantly, to foam up the opposition!

Silent Hill 2

Release Date: TBA 2024

Platforms: PS5, PC

Experience a master class in psychological survival horror – lauded as the best in the series – on the latest hardware with chilling visuals and visceral sounds.

Take on the role of James Sunderland and venture into the mostly-deserted town of Silent Hill in this highly anticipated remake of the 2001 classic. Drawn to this mysterious place by a letter from his wife who died three years previously, James searches the town for clues as to why he received this impossible letter.

Enter a dream-like world and encounter twisted monsters, the menacing Pyramid Head and a seemingly-ordinary cast of characters wrestling with their past.

Baby Steps

Release Date: TBA 2024

Platforms: PS5, PC

Step into the underused limbs of Nate, an unemployed failson who rarely leaves the sofa. Explore a world shrouded in mist as you discover a power you didn’t know you had – the ability to put one foot in front of another.

Hike through unforgettable scenery as you take in the sights and meet local fauna in this rib-tickling, physics-driven adventure game where you control each leg individually. Fall for Nate as you attempt to guide this hapless hero to safety and find some meaning in a wasted life.

Earth Defense Force 6

Release Date: Autumn 2024

Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC

The year is 2024 AD. Mankind has won the long battle against the unknown invaders. The enemy Primers are now gone and peace has returned to Mother Earth. However, the population has shrunk to 10% and the world was on the verge of collapse. The survivors fought against the remaining threats while trying their best to continue their recovery. Three years passed in the year 2027. In a new world without hope, the time has come to once again resist the fate of the Earth.

Concord

Release Date: TBA 2024

Platforms: PS5, PC

Concord a brand-new multiplayer FPS with a unique universe of vibrant worlds and a rich cast of colourful characters, and is in development at American studio Firewalk Studios and published by parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Towers of Aghasba

Release Date: TBA 2024

Platforms: PS5, PC

Towers of Aghasba is an open-world fantasy experience where players must balance between constructing bustling villages for their growing tribe and nurturing exotic ecosystems of otherworldly plant life. Express your creativity by developing your island however you’d like, explore the whimsical land of Aghasba, and connect with friends to show off your unique world!

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide

Release Date: Autumn 2024

Platforms: PS5

The Rising Tide is the second major expansion DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, available as part of the game’s Expansion Pass. It’ll bring with it new challenges, including an epic new Eikon battle against the mighty Leviathan.

The post PlayStation Exclusives To Look Forward To In 2024 appeared first on Press Start.

Fans who’ve been patiently waiting for the upcoming remakes of two Konami classics in Metal Gear Solid 3 and Silent Hill 2 may finally have cause to be excited as both titles have been quietly confirmed as releasing at some point this year.

In a blog post outlining the big releases of 2024, PlayStation has nodded to both Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Silent Hill 2, with a very clear disclaimer in the article saying that “All featured titles scheduled for release in 2024 at the time of publication,” which all but seals the deal. Of course, tentative release dates are always subject to change – especially ones that haven’t been otherwise revealed – but it’s hard to believe we won’t see these launch in the next 12 months.

The Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is coming from Konami and developer Virtuous and will seemingly be a faithful recreation of the PS2 classic, going as far as including the original voice work. Meanwhile, the remake Silent Hill 2 is being handled by Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team and will reportedly feature overhauled gameplay mechanics and reimagined story sequences among other updates.

The biggest games coming to PS5 in 2024 ? pic.twitter.com/hG2mO3rQro

— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) January 5, 2024

Here’s how the PlayStation Blog post describes each of the games:

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Re-discover the origin story of iconic military operative Snake and unravel the plot of the legendary METAL GEAR series. METAL GEAR SOLID DELTA: SNAKE EATER re-envisages the immersive stealth action gameplay of the PS2 classic with modern audio-visual design, returning players to the riveting world of METAL GEAR.

Silent Hill 2

Experience a master class in psychological horror – lauded as the best in the series – recreated for PlayStation 5 with chilling visuals and visceral audio.

The post The Metal Gear Solid 3 And Silent Hill 2 Remakes Are Confirmed To Launch In 2024 appeared first on Press Start.

As part of its “Ultimate Review of the Year” for 2023, PlayStation has published a neat interactive world map that shows which three games were the most played on PS5 and PS4 systems across various parts of the world.

In news that will shock exactly nobody, those top three games right here in Australia are:

• Fortnite
• Call of Duty
• EA Sports FC 24

And those three titles continue to pop up across many regions with Fortnite and EA Sports FC 24nearly sweeping the whole thing between each other, if not for some outliers in East Asian countries like Japan, which seemingly really loves Apex Legends or South Korea which plays a lot of Diablo IV, apparently.

You can look at the full post, which also reveals some of the top-selling games and shouts out some other great titles from 2023, and explore the interactive map for yourself right here.

The post PlayStation Has Revealed The Most-Played Games In Australia And The Rest Of The World In 2023 appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation Australia, Sydney’s Darling Harbour and the Sony Foundation have teamed up for an incredibly-unique and heartwarming competition ahead of this year’s iconic Christmas Fireworks.

Right now, anyone who donates at least $2 to the Sony Foundation Australia’s Children’s Holiday Camp program via this link will go in the draw to win the very prestigious honour of pushing the button on Darling Harbour’s Christmas Fireworks show, as well as walk away with one of the new, slimmer look PlayStation 5 consoles as a bonus. There will be three winners in total to set off the fireworks across three nights, and one lucky family has already had the opportunity, so if you’re in Sydney there’s no reason not to chuck a donation in for a good cause (and if you’re not in Sydney, well, still a great cause to donate to!):

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Sony Foundation’s Children’s Holiday Camp Program provides the holiday of a lifetime for children with disability, whilst also providing free overnight respite care to give the parents and carers of the children a much-needed break. Uniquely, campers are provided with 24/7 primary care for four days/three nights by high school and university students who also create fun and new experiences for the children while building lifelong friendships; a Christmas before Christmas.

In 2023:

180 children with disability will enjoy the holiday of a lifetime at one of seven NSW-based Sony Foundation Camps, held in partnership with 13 schools and universities.

370 high school and university students will provide 24/7 care to the children over the three-night / four-day camp, breaking down stigmas around disability and encouraging pathways into the disability sector.

For the children’s families, Sony Foundation Camps provide critical free overnight respite care.

The post PlayStation Australia Is Giving Away A Sydney Fireworks Experience And PS5 Consoles For A Great Cause appeared first on Press Start.

Although PlayStation has always offered its own, growing range of first-party peripherals with each new console generation, it’s been especially bold with the line up of official accessories for the PS5. Not just in the breadth of technology or striking designs but in delving into particularly luxurious attachments that command just as much of a price tag as they do your attention. But while the majority of higher-end third party devices for the PS5 takes a kitchen sink approach to features, PlayStation’s own have been more about quality and integration than outright innovation.

The DualSense Edge controller is a great example of this. It doesn’t do a huge amount to compete with other “pro” controllers in its price class when it comes to feature set, but it’s undeniably well designed and built, and by virtue of being a proprietary PlayStation product it integrates wonderfully with the PS5 software. The new Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, a first for PlayStation, share a similar philosophy – they’re not packing as many back-of-the-box bullet points as other wireless buds available for the PS5, but they sound fantastic and work seamlessly with the console and likewise will with the upcoming PlayStation Portal.

The most immediately noticeable thing about the Pulse Explore buds is their design, which continues PlayStation’s commitment to the striking, black-and-white aesthetic of the PS5 console and all of its assorted add-ons. Even the charging case is novel, opting for a sliding cover as opposed to the flip-tops most wireless earbud users are accustomed to. It’s quite big too, but a lot of that comes down to the buds themselves, which have a uniquely elongated shape that makes them a fair bit larger than a lot of others that I’ve used.

Thankfully, the unusual shape and size of the Pulse Explore buds hasn’t resulted in them feeling overly hefty. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary depending on their individual ear shapes, but in my use they’ve actually been shockingly comfy and snugly secure even for long periods of play. These buds are packing planar magnetic drivers – more on that in a bit – which more than likely necessitated them being a bit girthier, but PlayStation’s done a commendable job of moulding them into a design that’s both visually remarkable and supremely comfortable. Plus, there are a total of four sets of interchangeable tips which is fairly generous in my experience.

Also included in the box is the PlayStation Link USB Adapter, facilitating a new low-latency, lossless audio streaming solution that works with the Pulse Explore buds and will similarly feature in next year’s Pulse Elite wireless headset. PlayStation Link not only provides high-speed, high-fidelity audio but enables seamless compatibility with PS5 devices like the PlayStation Portal, which has the Link tech built-in. The PlayStation Link USB Adapter also works flawlessly with PC, and you can buy extras separately, so you can easily pair the Pulse Explore buds with multiple adapters and switch between your devices as you need just by pressing the buttons on both. 

The fact that PlayStation just launched a revised version of the PS5 console without taking the opportunity to integrate PlayStation Link into it feels like a bit of a misstep though, especially because the adapter is USB-A and therefore will need to go into one of the rear ports if you have the new “slim” machine. Still, the setup is mercifully easy out of the box. You just whack the adapter into your console, take the buds out of their case and voila – you’ve got sound.

And excellent sound, too. Thanks no doubt to PlayStation’s buyout of audio innovators, Audeze, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are packing planar magnetic drivers that are more commonly reserved for the kinds of high-end headsets used by the folks that engineer the audio in games and movies as opposed to the conical, dynamic drivers found in typical consumer headphones or buds. 

The result is incredibly crisp, nuanced and detailed sound that absolutely blew me away from the jump. They also manage this without sounding overly thin or flat, instead providing a deep and rich soundscape that really elevated the experience in games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and brought out new subtleties I’d missed even with a half-decent external sound system. Couple that with the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio and I was genuinely floored with what I was hearing from a pair of wireless buds. No matter what games I threw at them and what kind of spectacle was occurring on-screen, these unassuming buds handled it spectacularly and I often felt the kind of auditory immersion reserved for booming cinema speakers.

There are a couple of drawbacks to the use of planar magnetic drivers, though. For starters, they tend to use more power, which has meant that the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds have a fairly average battery life. PlayStation says it’s about five hours per charge, with the case providing roughly three full charges, and in my testing that’s been about bang on. It’s not awfully short, especially when these are geared more toward gaming than being an all-day headphone for commuting, working out and the like, but it’s worth noting. 

More disappointing though, and perhaps also due to power concerns, is that the Pulse Explore buds don’t get as loud as I’d have liked. I wouldn’t say they’re too quiet, but I can imagine most users will find the sweet spot is all the way up 100% volume which naturally leaves no room for extra oomph should it be needed. They also don’t feature any kind of active noise cancelling, so if you’re trying to use them in a louder environment you’re not left with many options. Thankfully this was only ever really an issue when I tried to use them out and about to listen to music, which honestly isn’t the greatest use for them anyway – it sounds fine, but it’s clear these are meant for listening to cinematic, pulse-pounding video games and movies and not the latest TJ Mack banger. 

Along with the omission of noise cancelling, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are also missing some other niceties found in more general-use buds, like touch controls or sensors to turn them on and off as you insert or remove them. These strike me as things that were deemed less important to gaming and worth skipping in favour of keeping these things at a somewhat-reasonable price tag given the cutting-edge audio tech inside them. Wireless headphones with planar magnetic drivers are typically exorbitantly priced, so the trade-off makes some sense.

While I haven’t spent a heap of time using the Pulse Explore buds to chat with mates, what little response I’ve had from others online so far has been pretty positive. The built-in noise rejection from the microphone seems to be surprisingly decent at not picking up anything other than my voice, and the quality is pretty much on par with anything you’d expect out of a gaming headset mic. The great thing is that the Explores can be paired simultaneously to PlayStation Link and Bluetooth, so you can chat or listen to music and podcasts using another device while still getting game audio. Given the otherwise walled-in nature of these PlayStation products I was pleasantly surprised with how flexible they are in terms of connectivity.

They work nicely with the PS5 software as well, being a proprietary device they’re properly integrated into the UI and you can tweak basic stuff like volume and 3D audio and see battery life and connection status of both left and right buds on-screen. Beyond that there’s not much more you can do to customise the experience, I do wish there was some kind of equaliser or at least some presets, but again these are intended for gaming over anything else so that won’t be a dealbreaker for most.

The post PlayStation Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds Review – Premium PlayStation Sound appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation’s innovative new Access Controller has arrived, and it’s set to unlock a whole new world of possibility on PS5 for even more gamers than ever.

The PlayStation Access Controller is available as of today for $139.95 AUD (you can get it right here) and packs a huge number of features designed to allow players to fully customise their accessible experience depending on their range of mobility and other needs, including being able to add on third-party devices.

You can learn everything you need to know about the The PlayStation Access Controller below:

WHAT IS THE PLAYSTATION ACCESS CONTROLLER?

The PlayStation Access Controller is a highly customisable controller kit designed to help players with disabilities play games more comfortably, for longer. Built for easy access, the controller can be operated from any 360° orientation, used on flat surfaces without needing to be held and can also be attached to an AMPS pattern mount or tripod.

The PlayStation Access Controller allows users to fully customise the physical layout with swappable analogue stick and buttons caps, adjust the length of its extension arm, fit onto tabletops, wheelchairs trays, AMPS mounts or tripods in any 360° orientation, create and swap between multiple profiles at the touch of a button and fully adjust stick settings from direction calibration to sensitivity.

It’s also able to interface with third party devices through industry-standard 3.5.mm expansion ports, or add on a second Access Controller or even a PS5 DualSense controller to augment the setup to individual needs.

The base kit includes:

• Access controller
• USB cable
• 8 Pillow button caps (attached to controller)
• 4 Flat button caps
• 4 Curve button caps
• 2 Overhang button caps
• 1 Wide flat button caps
• Standard stick cap
• Dome stick cap (attached to controller)
• Ball stick cap
• 23 tags
• Quick start guide and safety guide

WHERE CAN I GET THE PLAYSTATION ACCESS CONTROLLER IN AUSTRALIA?

The PlayStation Access Controller is available right now at most local Australian retailers for an RRP of $139.95 AUD. You can get it at any of the below:

• Amazon
• Sony Store
• EB Games
• JB Hi-Fi

PLAYSTATION ACCESS CONTROLLER SETUP AND CUSTOMISATION

The PlayStation Blog has a host of videos of the setup experience with the Access Controller, including its uniquely-accessible unboxing, connection to the PS5, initial setup UI as well as setting up and managing profiles to save your controllers button assignments, orientation, sensitivity and more. You can watch that below:

Another video goes into more depth around how to customise the Access Controller’s hardware to suit a range of needs, including what you get in the box, how to switch buttons and tags, set up the analogue stick, secure it to an AMPS mount or tripod and integrate third-party devices through its four expansion ports.

You can watch them both below:

THE LOGITECH G ADAPTIVE GAMING KIT FOR ACCESS CONTROLLER

Logitech has also revealed the first third-party accessory kit for the Access Controller, developed in collaboration with SIE. The Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit for Access Controller adds extra, customisable plug and play buttons that can be arranged in any way on a slip mat or easily mounted to suit a diverse range of needs.

These extra buttons plug straight into the four 3.5mm expansion ports on the Access Controller, which is an industry-standard connection and will allow players to plug in a range of third-party buttons, switches and other accessories.  The kit will be available starting January 2024.

All up, the kit will include:

• 8 plug-and-play buttons and triggers, including two small buttons and two large buttons that feature gaming-grade mechanical switches, two light-touch buttons, and two variable trigger controls. Easily configure them on your PS5 console to suit your gaming needs.

• Firm gaming mats with a hook and loop system that let you freely lay out buttons and triggers to fit your unique needs.

• Velcro ties to maximize mounting options, such as attaching buttons and triggers to objects like arm rests.

• Custom stick-on labels of PS5 symbols so you can easily mark your buttons and triggers for seamless gameplay.

PLAYSTATION ACCESS CONTROLLER SUPPORT PAGE

PlayStation has also launched a dedicated Support page for the Access Controller, where users can get any extra information or help they need from what each part is called and how it functions, how to connect and personalise it and how to troubleshoot any issues or get extra support from PlayStation. You can visit the page right here.

The PlayStation Access Controller is available now for $139.95. Amazon has is here with free shipping.

The post The PlayStation Access Controller Is Out Now So Here’s Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has released an update on its Aloy’s Forest initiative, a project it began as part of its commitment to the UN’s Playing for the Planet Alliance where it worked with a number of partners as well as the PlayStation community to support reforestation and other biodiversity and habitat projects around the world.

With the help of Horizon Forbidden West players earning trophies in the name of these important initiatives, it’s been revealed that over 600,000 new trees have been planted along with an estimate 1,800 acres of indigenous lands and wildlife habitats restored.

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

You can see a video detailing some of the important work done below, along with a rundown of the partners that PlayStation has worked with on this project and the impact they’ve had in their respective regions:

We are proud to have worked with the following partners and organizations on impactful restoration projects around the world:

Arbor Day Foundation

United States

The Arbor Day Foundation planted 288,000 trees for players who successfully achieved the “Reached the Daunt” trophy in Horizon Forbidden West. Through this initiative, SIE is helping to complete three major reforestation projects in forests of need across areas in California, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Brazil

333,000 trees are in the process of being planted by the end of this year to help restore 946 acres of indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon. This work will improve food security and income alternatives for thousands of indigenous people while contributing to conservation efforts and helping mitigate climate change.

The Eden Project (United Kingdom)

Taking inspiration from Seeds of Aloy, the partnership with the Eden Project has so far seen the creation of wildflower habitat in Morecambe, Lancashire, including urban environments. This new habitat will support local wildlife, aid biodiversity, and connect the local community to the natural world.

Forest & Bird (New Zealand)

Flox, street stencil artist from New Zealand, leant her creative expertise to launch Horizon Forbidden West via a highly-visible campaign that took over urban locations across Auckland. Through the use of native plants and eye-catching art work, the team encouraged social engagement by planting a tree for every social share of the outdoor activity. In partnership with Forest & Bird, 1,000 trees were planted at Bushy Park Tarapuruhi to help restore the country’s native forests and wildlife.

Stiftung “Wir helfen dem Wald” (Bavaria division, Germany)

Stiftung “Wir helfen dem Wald”  planted 3,000 trees for trophies shared via #AloysWald on Twitter. The restoration of this degraded forest site is part of a research forest initiated by Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald in Bavaria, which is studying climate-resistant tree species.

WWF-Canada (Canada)

Proceeds from copies of Horizon Forbidden West sold in Canada were donated to WWF-Canada to restore 1 km² of coastal habitat in British Columbia. We helped to support WWF-Canada’s work to rehabilitate seagrass, a vital food and shelter resource for many aquatic species. Restoring seagrass also helps to absorb carbon dioxide.

MyTree (France)

MyTree planted a total of 10,000 trees, helping restore damaged forests in France. One tree was planted for every five players who achieved the “Reached the Daunt” trophy in Horizon Forbidden West.

There is certainly much more work to do, and we are pleased to be able to continue our collaborations with our partner, The Arbor Day Foundation to work on further biodiversity-related projects in African and Asian regions. We look forward to sharing further progress on all these important projects in future.

The post PlayStation’s Aloy’s Forest Project Has Resulted In Over 600,000 Trees Planted Globally appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good deal on PlayStation credit but that all changes right now.

Amazon has launched a PlayStation Gift Card offer where when you purchase any PlayStation gift card between November 20th and December 3rd, you will get 15% of the value back in Amazon credit for use with a future purchase. You can use these gift cards to load up your digital credit which can then buy PlayStation Plus or digital games.

This works out in the below credits

• $30 PlayStation Store Gift Card – $5 credit back
• $50 PlayStation Store Gift Card – $8 credit back
• $80 PlayStation Store Gift Card – $12 credit back
• $100 PlayStation Store Gift Card – $10 credit back
• $135 PlayStation Store Gift Card – $21 credit back

OTHER DIGITAL CURRENCY DEALS

• 15% off Xbox Game Pass Core
• 15% off Nintendo Switch Online

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

OTHER PLAYSTATION DEALS ON AMAZON

PLAYSTATION

PS5 Hardware

• PS5 Console + Copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – $655 (normally $924.90 bought separately)
• PS VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain Digital Download – $799 (normally $924.90)
• PS VR2 standalone bundle – $769 (normally $879.95)

PS5 Accessories

• DualSense Controller (White) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Galactic Purple) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Midnight Black) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Cosmic Red) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Starlight Blue) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Nova Pink) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Volcanic Red) – $75
• DualSense Controller (Cobalt Blue) – $75

Games

• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $69.95
• God of War Ragnarok – $70.95
• Gran Turismo 7 – $60.95
• Horizon Forbidden West – $58.95
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $56.95
• Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – $29
• Sackboy A Big Adventure – $44.95
• The Nioh Collection – $45.95
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales – $45.95
• Demon’s Souls – $56.95
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition – $69.85
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut – $33.95
• Returnal – $57
• The Crew Motorfest – $61.95
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage – $49
• Just Dance 2023 (Code in Box) – $19.95
• MX vs ATV Legends – $21
• Wreckfest – $30
• Remnant 2 – $51
• Let’s Sing 2024 – $39
• Wild Card Football – $45
• Saints Row Day One Edition – $15
• Park Beyond – $49.95

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

The post Amazon Has A Great PlayStation Gift Card Offer For Black Friday appeared first on Press Start.

When did you last really feel something? Beyond the everyday. Beyond the extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now on PlayStation 5.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and Aussie holidays mean BBQs at the park and baking on the beach before escaping the heat by chilling indoors with the air-con blasting and a controller in hand.

Whether you’re getting started on crafting your own wish list of epic holiday gifts or about to embark on shopping adventures for the perfect gifts for friends and family members, there’s never been a bigger or more exciting array of PlayStation®5 consoles, accessories and epic gaming experiences to stick under the tree. With that in mind, we’ve put together what we reckon is the definitive list of PS5 holiday gift ideas to suit just about everyone. Take a look:

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

The Hottest Summer Accessories

DualSense wireless controller

There are few added accessories as essential to a great console experience as a second (or third, or fourth) controller. Whether it’s getting friends and family involved in the latest split-screen experience or just having a spare on standby for those all-night gaming binge sessions, an extra DualSense wireless controller is always a smart gift idea.

Better yet, the DualSense comes in a ton of gorgeous-looking colourways, from the classic Midnight Black or bold Starlight Blue to the just-launched Cobalt Blue and Volcanic Red with their alluring metallic shells inspired by the powerful hues found in the depths of our planet.

The PS5 DualSense wireless controller is available now starting at $109.95 RRP.

DualSense Edge wireless controller

Of course, if you or a loved one are truly serious about your gaming, then the DualSense Edge wireless controller is the perfect upgrade. Packing pro-level features including mappable back buttons, changeable stick caps and modules, personalised profiles with quick access buttons and signature DualSense comfort in a cutting-edge design it’s the only official PS5 high performance controller and a must-have for anything from high-skill tournaments to epic single player action adventures.

PULSE 3D wireless headset and PULSE Explore wireless earbuds 

Arguably just as important as the controller you play with or the display you play on is your PS5 audio experience. Luckily, PlayStation has you covered with a number of feature-rich options to suit any budget.

The PULSE 3D wireless headset offers an affordable entry point to an immersive 3D audio experience, fine-tuned specifically for the PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech to produce incredible soundscapes in epic PlayStation titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok, and also packs dual microphones, easy access controls and up to 12 hours of play from its built-in rechargeable battery.

The PS5 PULSE 3D Wireless Headset is available now for $159.95 RRP.

Launching just before the gifting season are the brand-new PULSE Explore wireless earbuds, offering a top-notch PS5 audio experience in the first official PlayStation earbuds. Planar magnetic drivers combined with new ultra-low latency PlayStation Link technology, AI-enhanced noise rejection and multi-device connectivity make these a no-brainer for anyone looking for a comfortable and versatile wireless PS5 audio solution.

The PS5 PULSE Explore Wireless Earbuds launch on December 6th for $329.95 RRP.

The Access Controller 

Also launching just before the holiday gifting season, the Access controller is a brand-new way for gamers with disabilities or accessibility concerns to be a part of the fun on PS5, making it a genuinely special consideration for anyone in your life that experiences physical barriers to gaming.

The Access controller is a highly customisable controller kit designed to help players with disabilities play games more comfortably, for longer. It allows users to fully customise the physical layout with swappable analogue stick and buttons caps, adjust the length of its extension arm, fit onto tabletops, wheelchairs trays, AMPS mounts or tripods in any 360° orientation, create and swap between multiple profiles at the touch of a button and fully adjust stick settings from direction calibration to sensitivity.

It’s also able to interface with third party devices through industry-standard 3.5.mm expansion ports, or add on a second Access controller or even a DualSense wireless controller to augment the setup to individual needs.

The PS5 Access Controller launches on December 6th for $139.95 RRP.

Must-Play PS5 Games

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Arguably the biggest game on PS5 right now, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 takes players on an incredible superhero adventure in a gorgeous rendition of New York City made possible by the power of PS5 and its ultra-fast SSD. Swing through the streets at breakneck speeds as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and face down some of the most iconic and fearsome villains of all time.

God of War Ragnarök

The holidays are all about family, and few games exemplify the lengths we’ll go to for our loved ones like God of War Ragnarök. Kratos’ latest journey will take him to all corners of multiple beautiful and diverse fantasy realms as he and his son, Atreus, tackle shocking prophecies, cunning old gods and all manner of deadly mythical creatures.

Final Fantasy XVI

You don’t need to be a Final Fantasy fan to get into Final Fantasy XVI, an all-new RPG epic set in the world of Valisthea and following a band of heroes working together against great evil. Stunning visuals, fast-paced combat and some of the most epic boss battles gaming has ever seen await players who take up the sword as Clive Rosfield in this unmissable adventure.

Horizon Forbidden West

Aloy’s second outing takes her to an even bigger slice of post-apocalyptic USA as she faces down both human threats and terrifying machines while uncovering the secrets of this bold new world. The PS5 version of the game boasts even more incredible visuals as well as the option to dive into the exclusive Burning Shores expansion for even more adventures.

The Last of Us Part I

Whether you’re shopping for a longtime fan or someone who’s just gotten into the franchise via the excellent HBO series, The Last of Us Part I is a must-play on PS5. With visuals rebuilt from the ground up for the power of the PS5 it’s the best way to experience the original story of Joel and Ellie.

Gran Turismo 7

For the car nut in your life, Gran Turismo 7 is the ultimate racing simulator boasting painstakingly-detailed recreations of hundreds of real-world cars, dozens of tracks and events and plenty of car culture-centric extra features. There’s never been a better time to get into gear either with plenty of added post-launch content and updates including four-player split screen multiplayer – perfect for gathering around the telly this holiday season.

An Instant Library With PlayStation Plus Extra

What’s better than finding a brand-new PlayStation game under the tree these holidays? Finding hundreds of them! A PlayStation Plus Extra subscription gives players access to an enormous catalogue of fantastic games across PS5 and PS4, from epic adventures to chaotic party games, deep strategy time sinks and larger-than-life sports sims, along with added benefits like bonus monthly games, exclusive discounts and of course online multiplayer.

Go all-out on a PlayStation Plus Deluxe subscription and you’ll also get access to a curated library of PlayStation Classics including games from the PS1, PS2 and PSP – perfect for the older gamer in your life who spent way too much time playing Ape Escape or Syphon Filter back in the day.

PlayStation Store Gift Cards

You can purchase PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra or Deluxe directly through a PlayStation account using an attached payment method or send someone a PlayStation Store Gift Card to top up and subscribe.

Better yet, PlayStation Gift Cards can be used for everything else from purchasing games, to in-game content and expansions, subscriptions and more, making them an easy and versatile gift option for anyone that has a PS5. They’re available in a number of denominations too, from just $10 all the way up to $135.

A Whole New World In VR

The ultimate add-on for any PS5 owner, the PlayStation®VR2 transports players to the most immersive and impressive console VR experience yet. High-resolution OLED displays, intuitive eye tracking, cutting-edge Sense wireless controllers and astonishing game experiences combine to create something truly beyond belief and a gift that’ll be absolutely unforgettable.

The PlayStation VR2 is available standalone for $879.95 RRP in a bundle with Horizon Call of the Mountain for $959.95 RRP.

The post The Must Have Games And Accessories To Enhance Your PS5 Experience These Holidays appeared first on Press Start.

Not only are the holidays nearly upon us, but we’re headed deep into sales season with Black Friday deals heating up across the country. That means it’s the perfect time to start getting your Christmas shopping sorted, and for many this year that’s going to mean picking up a shiny new video game console to slide under the tree.

If that’s you, we’re here to tell you that right now is absolutely the time to pick up a PlayStation 5 console for Christmas.

One of the hot ticket items in Black Friday sales this year is the PS5, with the console going for easily the best deal we’ve seen as a bundle with the more expensive disc-based PS5 console (meaning you can play physical game discs and movies on it) along with a copy of the just-released and hugely popular Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for just $655. Bought separately, these would normally run you $924.90 so it’s a huge saving of over $245.

If a PS5 is under consideration at all this holidays, stop looking and grab this deal while you can:

PS5 Disc Console + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Game – $655 on Amazon with free shipping.

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

And if you need any other ideas for added extras with the PS5 console, Amazon’s also got a ton of deals on accessories and games:

PS5 Accessories

• DualSense Controller (White) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Galactic Purple) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Midnight Black) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Cosmic Red) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Starlight Blue) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Nova Pink) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Grey Camo) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Volcanic Red) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Cobalt Blue) – $79.95

PlayStation VR2

• PlayStation VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain Digital Download – $799 (normally $924.90)
• PlayStation VR2 standalone bundle – $769 (normally $879.95)

PS5 Games

• Gran Turismo 7 – $60.95
• Horizon Forbidden West– $58.95
• God of War Ragnarok – $70.95
• Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – $33.95
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $69.95
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $56.95
• Returnal – $57.95
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut – $33.95
• The Nioh Collection – $45.95
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate – $69.85
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales – $45.95
• Demon’s Souls – $56.95

The post The PlayStation 5 Is Going For Its Best Deal Ever Right In Time For Christmas appeared first on Press Start.

With Black Friday sales season well and truly upon us (check out our dedicated Bargain Hub), PlayStation has begun rolling out its deals across physical retailers with plenty of savings to be had on controllers, accessories, games and especially consoles.

The star deal this year is the PS5 disc console and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle which has been dropped sharply, no doubt to make way for impending “PS5 slim” stock. It’s just $655 on Amazon.

[presto_player id=150280]

Feel more with PS5. Beyond the everyday. Beyond extraordinary. Even beyond imagination. Feel it now.

The deals we’ve seen come up so far are below, but keep checking back as these will no doubt shift, change and grow as the days go on:

PlayStation Black Friday 2023 Deals

PlayStation Plus/PlayStation Store

PlayStation has revealed that players who join PlayStation Plus during the Black Friday sales November 17th – 27th can save up to 30% on 12-month membership plans. Current PlayStation Plus members can save 25% when upgrading a current plan to PlayStation Plus Extra, or save 30% when upgrading to PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe.

The PlayStation Store will also have a number of deals available for Black Friday sales, which we’ll update with once they arrive.

Amazon

PS5 Hardware

• PS5 Console + Copy of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – $655 (normally $924.90 bought separately)
• PS VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain Digital Download – $799 (normally $924.90)
• PS VR2 standalone bundle – $769 (normally $879.95)

PS5 Accessories

• DualSense Controller (White) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Galactic Purple) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Midnight Black) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Cosmic Red) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Starlight Blue) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Nova Pink) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Grey Camo) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Volcanic Red) – $79.95
• DualSense Controller (Cobalt Blue) – $79.95

PS5 Games

• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – $99
• Gran Turismo 7 – $60.95
• Horizon Forbidden West– $58.95
• God of War Ragnarok – $70.95
• Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – $33.95
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $69.95
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $56.95
• Returnal – $57.95
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut – $33.95
• The Nioh Collection – $45.95
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate – $69.85
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales – $45.95
• Demon’s Souls – $56.95

JB Hi-Fi

PS5 Hardware

• PS5 Console Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle – $679

PS5 Accessories

• DualSense Wireless Controllers – $79 each
• Pulse3D Wireless Headsets – $114 each

PS5 Games

• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – $99
• Gran Turismo 7 – $57
• Horizon Forbidden West – $59
• God of War Ragnarok – $64
• Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – $29
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $69
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $57
• Returnal – $57
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut – $29
• The Nioh Collection – $39
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate – $69
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales – $44
• Demon’s Souls – $57

EB Games

PS5 Hardware

• PS5 Console Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle – $699

PS5 Accessories

• DualSense Wireless Controllers – $89 each
• Pulse3D Wireless Headsets – $144 each

PS5 Games

• Gran Turismo 7 – $62.48
• Horizon Forbidden West – $57
• God of War Ragnarok – $77
• Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection – $28
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $77
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – $62.48
• Returnal – $62.48
• Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut – $62.48
• The Nioh Collection – $47
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate – $77
• Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales – $47.48
• Demon’s Souls – $62.48

More to come… watch this space!

The post PlayStation Has Cracking Black Friday Deals On PS5 Consoles And More appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has again spoken to its plans for a sizeable push into the live service game market in its most recent financial report and earnings call, confirming that it’s still working on releasing a total of 12 “live service” titles, though it’s updated its forecast from having all 12 out in the market by March 2026 to just six.

This news comes after Sony’s acquisition of Bungie reportedly led to the two working together to go over the portfolio and, according to reports, reassessing some its titles. Bungie was also the subject of a round of layoffs recently with around 100 employees at the studio let go and the release of Destiny 2’s Final Shape expansion potentially pushed back.

During the earnings call, Sony’s president Hiroki Totoki essentially confirmed that some of its planned games had been pushed back, implying that quality concerns had been the deciding factor.

“We are reviewing this… we are trying as much as possible to ensure [these games] are enjoyed and liked by gamers for a long time,” Totoki said (thanks VGC). “Of the 12 titles, six titles will be released by FY25 – that’s our current plan. As for the remaining six titles, we are still working on that.

“That’s the total number of live service and multiplayers titles, mid-to-long-term we want to [push] this kind of service and that’s the unchanged policy of the company. It’s not like we stick to certain titles, but game quality should be the most important.”

One of the titles in question is the troubled multiplayer The Last of Us game, which is believed to have been scaled back and/or slowed down after its direction was “re-evaluated.” We also know about an online multiplayer title set in the Horizon universe, Fairgame$ from Jade Raymond’s new studio Haven, as well as another new IP from London Studio.

The post PlayStation Has Delayed Half Of Its Planned Live Service Games appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation and Insomniac have revealed that the massively-anticipated Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which launched on October 20th, has already managed to cross the 5 million sold mark. While it wasn’t shared in its public messaging, according to PlayStation in its recent financial report, that feat was achieved in just the first 11 days of its release.

Insomniac wrote in a post celebrating the news, “Woo! We’re incredibly honoured to announce Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has sold over 5 MILLION COPIES! Thank you to our incredible community for supporting us and helping us reach this milestone!”

Woo! We're incredibly honored to announce Marvel's #SpiderMan2PS5 has sold over 5 MILLION COPIES!

Thank you to our incredible community for supporting us and helping us reach this milestone! #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/KkXGXbsAB5

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) November 9, 2023

PlayStation had previously revealed that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was its fastest selling release yet when it racked up 2.5 million sales in just 24 hours of launch.

For comparisons sake, God of War Ragnarok “sold through” 5.1 million copies across both PS4 and PS5 in its first week, and Bethesda’s massive 2023 release, Starfield, racked up 6 million players in around the same time frame – though that was naturally helped along by a release on two platforms as well its inclusion on Game Pass.

We gave Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a huge 9/10 in our review, saying “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 cleverly pairs its added width and breadth with more depth and meaningful new gameplay and story opportunities. There’s rarely a moment here that doesn’t feel thrilling, enchanting, heartbreaking, awe-inspiring or some combination of it all. Beyond untangling the finer threads of its design or narrative ambitions though, it’s genuinely just the most fun, gorgeous open world superhero game out there.”

The post Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Sold 5 Million Copies In Just 11 Days appeared first on Press Start.

Update: PlayStation has announced the release date and Aussie pricing for its new Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore headsets, and pre-orders are available right now in most local retailers.

The Pulse Explore wireless earbuds will officially launch in Australia Wednesday, December 6, 2023, and the Pulse Elite wireless headset will launch in early 2024. Local prices are as follows: 

• PULSE Explore – $329.95 AUD – Pre-order here.

• PULSE Elite – $239.95 AUD – Pre-order here.

A PlayStation Link USB Adapter is included with Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore and will also be available as a standalone purchase for the recommended retail price of $34.95 AUD. Standalone adapters launch Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

Read the original story below for more info on this new headset and pair of wireless earbuds:

Original Story: PlayStation announced its first wireless earbuds earlier this year. It has now given those a name and also announced a new over-ear premium headset as well.

The Pulse Explore is PlayStation’s wireless earbuds wirebuds with dual microphones, and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering out background sounds. It comes with a charging case and also offers lossless audio. The Pulse Explore will release later this year for $199.99 USD (~$310 AUD).

PlayStation also revealed the Pulse Elite headset which is a new over-ear headset for PS5 that offers lossless audio, a retractable boom microphone and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background noises out. It also includes a charging hanger. The Pulse Elite will cost $150 USD (~$232 AUD) and don’t seem as feature complete as the InZone H7 which also have active noise cancelling.

Both of these headsets do offer some features that other PlayStation headsets don’t. Firstly, they’re both designed using planar magnetic drivers (Sony says its one of the first companies to bring this technology to market).

They both also feature PlayStation Link which is a new wireless technology by PlayStation that offers low latency, lossless audio and easy switching between the PS5 usb adaptor and PlayStation Portal.

You can also buy a standalone PlayStation Link USB adaptor to bring losless and low latency audio to PC and Mac.

You can read more about both headsets HERE and more about PlayStation’s new portable the PlayStation Portal HERE.

The post Pre-Orders For The PlayStation Pulse Explore And Pulse Elite Are Open Now And Here’s The Australian Pricing appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has dropped another one of its live-action promo videos to get folks in the mood for a holiday of gaming, and once again it’s wall-to-wall references to iconic first and third party franchises from God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man and The Last of Us to Final Fantasy VII and XVI and Destiny.

The new video comes as PlayStation is gearing up to launch its new “slim” PS5 models, which have already begun appearing in the wild and in teardown videos on YouTube showing off their smaller footprint and detachable disc drives.

In a blog post accompanying the new promo, PlayStation’s Senior VP of Brand, Product and Services Marketing Andrea Perez wrote, “Next week marks the third year since PS5 launched and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank the more than 40 million players who’ve joined our global PS5 community. In these first three years, PlayStation Studios and third-party developers have introduced more than 2,500 PS5 games for players to enjoy, including fan-favourite titles in recent months like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Final Fantasy XVI.”

Watch PlayStation’s new Feel It Now video below:

The post PlayStation’s Latest Promo Video Is Packed With Iconic Characters And Worlds appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation users will soon no longer be able to share screenshots or videos directly from their consoles to X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) with PlayStation announcing that it’ll no longer support the feature as of next week on November 13th.

The company wrote in a notice on its official website:

“As of November 13, 2023, integration with X (formerly known as Twitter) will no longer function on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles. This includes the ability to view any content published on X on PS5/PS4, and the ability to post and view content, trophies, and other gameplay-related activities on X directly from PS5/PS4 (or link an X account to do so). For details on how to share game captures from PS5, click here, and for PS4, click here.”

Users are also seeing a pop-up when they boot up their PlayStation consoles which shares the same message.

Of course, when it comes to sharing screenshots and captures from your PlayStation console, things have improved greatly since the glory days of Twitter. PS5 owners have the benefit of the PlayStation app which can be set up to automatically gather the last 14 days of captures or allow users to manually upload anything they want to capture straight to the app, ready to download, post, email, print out at your local Big W, etc.

While a reason for the change hasn’t been given in an official capacity, it’s most likely due to the changes to X’s API, which underwent a number of changes including moving to a paid model. Other major tech companies have also disabled X integrations in the past, including Microsoft with Xbox’s own capture sharing tools.

The post PlayStation Is Removing The Twitter/X Share Feature Next Week appeared first on Press Start.