Hello and welcome back to PlayStation Weekly! This is where you can catch up on the latest news for all things PlayStation and other notable video game news. In issue 2 of PlayStation Weekly, catch up on PlayStation Trophies updates, More info about the PS5 and more! Let’s get started! Concerned about the process of transferring your PS4 games to the PS5? Worry not! As it turns out, Sony has confirmed that PS5 owners will be able to transfer their data from PS4 to their new PS5 over WiFi. As this is currently a feature available to us now when transferring from one PS4 to another over WiFi, it shouldn’t come as a surprise as much as it should come as a relief. Transferring your games and save files from PS4 to PS5 will be much quicker and easier than going through each game and save file individually. Speaking of PS5, the internet was treated to a full PS5 tear down that revealed quite a bit about the upcoming console. To start, we found out the panels on the PS5 are easily removed. This is exciting news because instead using sticker skins to deck out or consoles, we will be able to choose from tons of different custom designs that are sure to flood the market. While Sony hasn’t mentioned any first party plans to create and sell custom designed shell casings, the third party market is already making plans to do so and in all seriousness, we can probably count on Sony to do the same thing. You can watch the full video tear down here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaAY-jAjm0w In regards to the size of the console (does size really matter? Zing!), the size and shape is meant to help the cooling of the PS5 work more efficiently. With all the bells and whistles under the hood, it matters because many of us that love our PS4’s, are also bothered by the sound of what most of us describe as a jet taking off. Time will tell, but it does seem that Sony has managed to put together a solution for this problem. The PS5 has dust catchers to help keep your console clean and make maintenance easier! It’s pretty simple to clean up. Pop off your covers and vacuum the dust catchers. I personally think this is a great idea as I already regularly maintain my console to keep it clean and clear. My advice is to clean it regularly before the dust builds up. And this shouldn’t surprise anyone at all, but there is an expandable storage option that will of course, allow you to expand the storage in your PS5. I know there was some speculation on the web that we would be stuck with only 825 gigs of memory, but it was a hard pill to swallow in this day and age. Having a next gen console release with no option of expandable storage would surely be ridiculous in my mind. PS Trophies have gotten … Read More
PlayStation Weekly – Issue #1
Welcome to the first of issue PlayStation Weekly! I appreciate you taking the time to check up on the latest gaming involving PlayStation. As news breaks and we get closer to the PS5 launch, you can expect to find a lot of info here in the coming weeks ahead! Now, let’s get into the highlights of the last week. PS5 To Outsell PS4 In First Fiscal Year Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan has opened up on future sales predictions for the PS5. Ryan has stated that he believes the PS5 will outpace (outsell) the sales of PS4 in the first fiscal year. The PlayStation 4 sold around 7 million units within its first fiscal year, but for Jim Ryan to predict PS5 will eclipse those numbers, gives us hope for a large number of consoles available at launch throughout the first fiscal year. While that doesn’t do much for those in hopes of another pre-order wave (come on Sony! We know you’re not done with pre-orders yet!!), it should offer some comfort for those that solely intend to make the purchase on or after launch day. If you are hoping for another wave or pre-orders, keep your eyes on our site and social media pages. We will immediately post any news on that front. Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Open Beta Set To Begin This Week That’s right, another year down, another Call of Duty release. Interested in checking out the game before you buy it? Well, this weekend you’ll have your chance to try it out in beta form. PS4 players that want to play the beta can do so on October 10th – 12th. Players will be able to download the free open beta this Saturday morning and play at 10:00 am PST. In the meantime, fans that have already preordered the game will be able to download the beat right now and play early. Early access to the beta will begin on October 8th at 10:00 am PST and play until the beta ends. Unless of course the beta goes live early which would be of no real surprise. A second round for the beta will be available to play for all PS4 owners on October 15th – 19th, so there will be plenty of time for most of us to get in there and check it out. Japanese Streamers Went Hands On With PS5 This past Sunday, Japanese Streamers got the chance to go hands on with the PS5 and so far it’s been only good things to be said, not that we should expect any less. Players have been boasting about how the yet to be released PS5 actually is and how fast load times are. This isn’t something I found to be too surprising as these are features that we’ve been hearing about. I guess it’s just nice to hear some gamers confirm that these features do seem to be on par with what we’ve been told. … Read More
PS5 pre-orders are still not available, what to do while you wait!?
PS5 Pre-orders have seemingly come and gone a few times now, but we are still awaiting news as to whether or not Pre-Orders will open one more time before the actual release date. So, the big question here is, what to do while we wait? If you plan on getting a PS5 this year, there are still plenty of things to consider while you wait for that upgrade. Here are a few suggestions to help you bide your time. Start planning ahead. With PS5 offering support for 4K graphics at 120Hz refresh rate and not to mention 8K support, you might want to consider upgrading the television set you plan to use to get the most out of these graphical capabilities. Not only are T.V. sets something to consider, but the PS5 will also feature 3D audio. There is a slew of audio hardware that will be available to take advantage of this stellar sound setting, but keep in mind, the PS5 will not support optical audio. If optical is something you currently use or are planning on using, you’ll have to run the setup through something other than the PS5 and depending on the setup being used, it might not be ideal. That being said, you can follow this link to our listing of the best TV and Sound Systems for the PS5 here:PS5Playstation5.com/best-tv-and-sound-system-for-the-ps5/ TV and Audio equipment aside, there is still plenty to do in the meantime. Let’s discuss gaming space. New consoles means spending more time playing games out the gate. Comfort is key when it comes to gaming for long periods of time. Have a look at your current setup and decide if it’s everything you want for your upcoming game sessions. While sitting on a comfy couch is great, there are a lot of office chairs (gaming chairs if you will) that will offer a great deal of back support for extended play time. Most will be provided with wheels and are fairly light in weight which makes moving them around the house much easier than tugging the couch or recliner to a position that you might find more comforting. Be sure to check out Amazon for some great deals on chairs made for gaming. Sometimes when we’re playing intense game sessions, the convenience of having a little fridge next to us is the difference between winning or losing a match when the game can’t be paused. I have seen mini fridges that will hold up to 6 cans of soda or whatever you might partake in, to minis that can hold half the amount of the average size refrigerator. The amount of cold drinks and snacks you need at hand is a personal choice, but the convenience alone can be a life saver in gaming. Pun kind of intended… Keep in mind that these mini fridges can be pretty durable and not only used for beverages and snacks, but it can also be used to place some lighter weight items on top to keep … Read More
PS4 – The end of an era?
The time is upon us that we see next gen consoles begin to take over the market as preorders continue to be a mess and sell out within what seems to be minutes. It’s a big deal in general for hardcore gamers, but with the world wide pandemic, it’s an even hotter commodity as more people are turning to in-home entertainment and relentless online preorder scalpers seem to be out in full force. Preorders a mess aside, we are once again seeing the end of a console generation that will soon be dubbed last-gen. The PS4 might be around for several years to come, but the reality is, it’s the end of an era. At least my mind, anyway. I have had every PS console so far and let’s be honest, there’s only been 4 prior to what’s coming and that really isn’t a feat as much as it might show my age. I have enjoyed each one thoroughly and with each new release, I have appreciated the leaps and bounds they have made in technology. The PS4 though, that standouts a little more for me. The PS4 was my first actual release day console. Prior to the PS4, I just never had any luck being able to get a console the day it releases. When I managed to get my preorder, I was lucky. A Target store about 45 minutes from where I lived had one preorder in stock and I had to drive there to secure it. Luckily for me, it was still on the rack. I gave them my $25 deposit and waited eagerly until the day I could pick it up. As a longtime gamer that truly does have a passion for video games, it was an amazing day. I had a PS4 on release day. I had my first console on release day. I’ll never forget that feeling. While I have my PS5 preorder secure and I await that day to come, I can’t help but feel differently about it this time around l. Preorders were a nightmare and I am grateful I could score one, but I was prepared ahead of time and had a little inside info to be ready for the orders to live prematurely. Insider info or not, I was extremely lucky to be able to grab one. When I got my PS4, it was different in the way that I missed the preorder window altogether. I didn’t want to stand in line at a store in the early hours before they opened in hopes that I might get one. I just happened to stumble upon a target preorder online that said there was one left in stock. Maybe I was lucky and no one was actually searching for a preorder at that time and someone by chance canceled their order, but again, that feeling of securing a PS4 was just like no other. I remember playing BloodBorne for the first time. Admittedly, the game had … Read More
Play has no limits, but PS5 pre-orders certainly do…The great PS5 Pre-order Fiasco!!
So, we got to watch the PS5 event yesterday and it was mostly a recap of things we were already aware of. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few tidbits that hadn’t been shown before, but nothing we saw yesterday should have been all that surprising. At least not with the game lineup we catered to. I believe the majority of us were there to watch for two things. How much will the PS5 consoles cost and when can we preorder them? Well, Sony did drop the console prices for us. Full disc version of PS5 is $500 USD and the digital PS5 drops in at $400 USD. What came as a surprise to many wasn’t the price, if anything the price was more of a relief. No, the real surprise was the fact that Sony didn’t even mention preorders. I think for many of us, we weren’t just surprised about the lack of details, but a lot of us kind of shrugged it off like we were expecting Sony to make an announcement about preorders and we would have a week or more to prepare to spam out checkout buttons. Nope, not even close! About two hours after the event, Twitter lit up with confirmation that PS5 preorders would in fact go live sometime today at select retailers. Well, with less than a 24 hour notice to prepare to try and order online or possibly in person at stores, Walmart stepped in and offered preorders just minutes after the announcement. So much for Sony promising that the public wouldn’t be surprised with preorders suddenly going live. While we can’t hold Sony accountable for the actions of retailers, giving us less than 24 hours to prepare to preorder was certainly on them and I think the reason it all went down this way is thanks to a false Bloomberg article claiming a massive PS5 shortage which led to Sony shares dropping more than 3.5% in the stock market. Shares have certainly risen back up after the preorders went live and the world saw just how much demand there is for next gen console hardware. So, what happened after Walmart released preorders? Well, others followed suit of course. Target, Best Buy and GameStop opened up their pre orders along with several other major retailers in the UK. Amazon eventually jumped on the bandwagon and started adding PS5 accessories for preorder and even the PS5 went up. Sure, that all sounds simple enough, but the fact of the matter is, it was a mess in the end. From retailer sites crashing to Amazon canceling mass preorders that were apparently not supposed to go live when they did, not everyone got the chance to preorder a PS5 and let’s be honest, not only are people upset, but they have a right to be with this one. What does it mean to be a Gamer? This YouTube video really explains a lot about it! https://youtu.be/LfSIk0lbtDc The first wave of PS5 preorders has got to … Read More
Black Ops Cold War Reveal – How Cool Was That?!
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War got its first official reveal (August 26th) and it was definitely a different kind of experience. At least it was for me anyway. For the first time in CoD history, a game was revealed from within a game. I’m talking about Black Ops Cold War being revealed within the Warzone. If you haven’t heard about the initial reveal, I’m going to fill you in a little and explain. Unfortunately, if you did miss the reveal, you won’t be able to try again at this point. Sorry if that’s disappointing. I wish I could tell you otherwise. Playing through the Know your history game mode, you’re chasing clues and figuring out where to go next. You’ll be on a timer, so if you don’t get it right the first time, you’ll have to do it again. The game mode is active for 1 hour at a time, but it’s not a difficult puzzle to work through, so you should have no problems. Once you have completed all the clues/missions during the play through, you will be treated with the reveal trailer. Of course, the trailer was all over the web almost immediately after the mode first dropped, so you might have watched it already, but don’t let it discourage you from playing it anyway. You’ll be treated to several drops along the way and a couple more once it’s been completed. Not only will get a few cool drops in-game, but it’s also a lot of fun to play. I played with two of my friends and we had a blast. We were laughing as we would get into gun fights along the way and figuring out exactly what to do next. We actually completed it on our first run with 1 second to spare on the clock. Phew! That was a close one! The Know your history mode was a huge success for the Call of Duty franchise and it has people itching for more. Not only do we expect to see more announcements like this in-game down the road, but there is also speculation that this could have very well be the start of some new game modes within Warzone. As it is, Warzone gets different style game modes dropped in and out, but it mostly caters to BR and Plunder. While we have seen some large scale TDM modes so far, a lot of us are touting the idea of a National Treasure (The movie. Sorry if you don’t know it) type game mode. Where a clue leads to another clue and so on and so forth. I personally think it would be cool if we did have a National Treasure mode where all the squads had to track down different clues and not all the same ones like with Know your history. As players collect their intel, they have to survive until they have found the last clues before the timer runs out. If … Read More
Warzone – Season 5 thoughts
There is no doubt in my mind that you have heard about the Battle Royale phenomenon that is Warzone. Hugely popular and in my opinion, extremely fun when you allow yourself to enjoy the game. I know that some of you are thinking “What?! Enjoy a Call of Duty?” Yes, I said I have extreme when I allow myself to enjoy it. Much like other gamers, I get frustrated with the cheaters and issues with the game itself at times, but for the most part, I thoroughly enjoy Warzone. That being said, I have reached somewhat of a standstill feeling with season 5. The battle pass is a lackluster this time around, although one could technically argue that every pass has had its faults thus far. Regardless of that, I’m not here to nitpick season 5 or discuss the past seasons that are behind us. Sure, the stadium has finally opened up and wouldn’t you know it? Choo-Choo! A train has been added to the map as well. A new operator has been released and there’s a couple new weapons. Aside from these additions that we have come to expect with each season, there hasn’t been a whole lot added. Most of the gamers I have spoke with seem to be dissatisfied with season 5 and I have to say that I don’t feel that this is a typical case of being entitled as much as it is a literal lack of content. Cue the “How are you going to complain about a free game, you entitled twirps!” chimers. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move on, shall we? Excellent! Check out this solid win in Warzone trios! https://youtu.be/m2KBAmVqXus So anyway, I think a lot of players were hoping the damn would have broken open op by now or that nukes were going to be set off and destroy the map and offer us a new playing field to battle on. While that all would have been cool to see happen, we can’t really be upset over something that hasn’t actually been confirmed is going to happen. I know many of us would like to see some significant changes by now, but it is August, so my guess would be we are going to see some major changes in October. Possibly sooner, but I think the CoD universe is going to make us wait just a little longer before seeing any meaningful additions or changes. If you’re a big Call of Duty fan, you probably know that I’m getting at the next Black Ops games. Black Ops has been getting teasers in the Warzone. While we haven’t had an official reveal yet, publisher Activision says Warzone has made the company rethink the way it reveals games and it seems as though Black Ops will get a reveal in Warzone. Are they taking a few pages from the devs at Epic? Will we see an actual video reveal during a movie night in … Read More
Ghost of Tsushima Review
There is a lot I want to say about Ghosts of Tsushima, but to get us started, I would like to point out something that Ghosts of Tsushima is not. It is not like Dark Souls or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, from developer FromSoftware Inc. Months before Ghosts of Tsushima released, the opinion of the internet was that this game tite would be similar to the games FromSoftware have developed, but it really isn’t like that at all. Ghosts of Tsushima does not offer the same depth. The controls are simpler in several ways. Even if you were playing Dark Souls as a hack n slasher without strategy, you would still find the learning curve of Ghosts of Tsushima to be simpler. So, if the reason you haven’t played it is because you aren’t a FromSoftware fan, you can take that reason off your list, because they are very, very different games. Now that I got that out of the way, let’s take a look at what Ghosts of Tsushima really is. It is a solid game that has the potential to be a 10 out of 10, but it has its share of things that bring the score down a little. I am not paid to tell you what the developers want you to hear, I am paid to tell you how I feel about the game and with all due respect, opinions differ. So, bear with me here and hear me out. The story is amazing. The story itself is very well written and doesn’t leave you feeling in the dark about what’s going on. Granted, it does reveal itself at times when you might start to wonder where the story is going, but before you find yourself confused over it, things reveal themselves to help make sense of it all along the way. Without spoiling the story, I’ll sum it up. You are a Samurai that is on a mixed path of emotions. A Samurai that is hell bent on revenge, loyalty, protecting those that cannot protect themselves and dare I say, out for justice? As to why this is the path of our Samurai, you will have to play it or read a spoiler review in order to get that info and I’m sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I don’t want to spoil it. This really is a story that I feel people should experience themselves. Yes, I found the story to be that good. Now, a game without a good story is disappointing and can make a game seem meaningless, but we have to remember that it’s not just about a good story, just good graphics don’t make a good game alone. There are plenty of things to factor in and I will do the best I can to point out the good and the bad. So, in regards to graphics, I have to say Ghosts of Tsushima does not disappoint. It is very beautiful and has a great … Read More
Happy 4th of July! Here’s a guide to help you find some game to play this weekend!
Independence Day is once again upon us in the USA. With everything happening across the US and not to mention the world, things might be celebrated a little differently. It all depends on where you are and what you’re willing to do at this point. Whether you plan to go out and party or stay home and be socially distant, there’s bound to be games to play. While I’ve created a list of recommendations, they don’t necessarily represent the 4th of July, I thought it might be fun to list some games I would recommend playing this weekend. Ready? Here we go! 1 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare This tops the list because of the military style shooter that it is, but this isn’t actually compiled to be what’s a choice. This was just the first game that popped in my head. While loved worldwide, it surely feels as American as any game franchise I can think of. Whether you’re playing the campaign, multiplayer, spec ops or the free to play Warzone, you’re sure to find some enjoyment playing this if you’re a fan of CoD. It’s also a triple 2xp weekend, so you can level up quickly. 2 – The Last Of US Part 2 While no game is ever everyone’s cup of tea, The Last Of Part 2 does appeal to many. Be it a trophy hunter or casual player, this game is in a way, a must play in order for you to decide whether or not it was worth your time. Some people loved it and some hated it. Me, I liked it, but didn’t love it. It was still well worth my time and with a long holiday weekend at hand, this could be a great choice for anyone curious about the game or even to go back and play through one more time for the heck of it. 3 – Grand Theft Auto V Playing GTAV is a great american pastime for sure. I mean, the real world has rules and GTAV has rules, but in GTAV, you can break all the rules and the consequences won’t harm you in real life. Honestly, I’ve stolen a few cars in my day when I was a misguided young man and stealing a car in GTA was a lot more fun. Take that how you will, but I highly recommend breaking video games rules/laws over attempting real life heists and crimes. 4 – Resident Evil 3 remake If you have never had the experience of playing Resident Evil 3, there is really no better time to jump into it. After a successful release of the RE2 remake (remaster?), it was no sunrise that part 3 would make its way to the shelves. Nothing says America like trying to stop a zombie apocalypse or at least trying to escape from one. Not because the USA is full of zombies (or is it?), but because the US is obviously obsessed with them. Let’s … Read More
The Last Of Us Part II Review – Let the argument begin
As you probably know, The Last Of Us Part 2 dropped last week. At his point, it has gone on to be the fastest selling PS4 exclusive to date. That’s pretty impressive, but not surprising to many of us. What is surprising though, is the argument that seems to be taking place over the internet. The argument is based on whether or not the game is good. While a lot of game news outlets have seemingly given The Last Of Us Part 2, a rather high score rating, many consumers seem to be voicing a different opinion. Many are saying the game is an utter disappointment. To be fair, that’s not to say the game is trash (although I have seen a good amount of that speech…), but more that the game may not live up to its predecessor. Quite a few gamers went back to play the first entry of TLOU right before part 2 was released. Remember the original? Such a good game. Great storyline, attention to detail and a good amount of actual gameplay. I went back and played it myself and I easily recalled why I enjoyed it so much. It got me even more hyped for part 2 and I couldn’t wait to see where the story would go from there. Well, I am sad to say that I was disappointed with Part 2’s story, Not just the story, there were a few other minor things I will mention throughout this piece. For now, I’ll start with my opinion on the story, but don’t worry, I will not spoil it for those that have not played it yet. I’d also like to stress that you should come up with your own opinion, but I am giving my honest feedback that I believe is relevant here. There are a million ways this story could have been written and played out and some of those other stories could have been better or worse, no doubt. After two playthroughs of the game, I have to say the story felt mediocre at best. I might sound harsh, but my disappointment lays within two things. How quickly things unfolded and how quickly I realized that I just couldn’t form a bond with our protagonist, Ellie. I mean, bits and pieces here and there, I felt some empathy and it could draw me in a little, but it got flat fairly quick. Mostly because the story was dragged out in unnecessary ways. Ways that made feel like it would be fun to watch some paint dry for a little while. Maybe I’m being too hard on the writers, but this entry doesn’t come close to delivering the same charm as the first one did. Sorry if you disagree. Before I go one, let me say that if this game was made by just about any other developer, I wouldn’t be judging nearly hard, but this Naughty Dog. I have come to have certain expectations from this more … Read More