You may have heard about the partnership announced last week between Microsoft and Sony. It was an unprecedented move for both companies that caught everyone off-guard, including Sony’s own PlayStation team. While high-level deals like this stay a secret from the public and lower levels of the corporation, you would think PlayStation’s own team would know what’s going on. Needless to say, people weren’t happy. PlayStation Team Panics in Wake of Microsoft News The exact nature of Microsoft and Sony’s partnership has to do with the Azure cloud platform owned by the manufacturers of the Xbox. The goal is to co-develop game streaming technology and host some of PlayStation’s online components on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. This comes after years of Sony developing its own cloud streaming service, PlayStation Now. You can probably imagine how this news struck the PlayStation team. They were reasonably afraid that their work was in jeopardy or their efforts were going to be in vain thanks to a decision well above their pay grade. According to anonymous Sony employees who spoke to Bloomberg, managers had to calm down team members and assure them that the work they were doing on the PS5 wouldn’t be affected by this news. The deal, while shocking, makes sense. Microsoft’s Azure platform is among the largest in the world. It would cost billions of dollars and countless hours to even try to match the growth and speed of this platform. In the end it boils down to “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Some argue that Sony is also afraid of what Microsoft and Google are doing with game streaming, so this could be a way to get into the latest tech without the wait associated with building up their own solution. Sony shares also went up a noticeable amount after the announcement. This points to a smart move on Sony’s part. According to sources from Sony, they tried to deepen their collaboration with Amazon Web Services, but couldn’t come to an agreement. This led to the talk with Microsoft. It’s not ideal to work with your competitor, but Sony doesn’t have many choices when it comes to cloud servers. Ultimately, the tech is the foundation, but the games will decide who the true winner is in this partnership. Sony has massive exclusives, but Microsoft has been buying up studios for the same purpose. Regardless of how it plays out, this next generation is going to be very, very interesting indeed. What do you think about this partnership? Does it make sense, or do you think Sony jumped the gun? Let us know in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Insert date – 5/20/19
PS5 Officially Announced by Mark Cerny!
For those who need a refresher, Mark Cerny is the Lead System Architect for Sony’s Playstation console. He designed the PS4 and, as we all knew in our hearts, he’s also been secretly working on the PS5 for the last several years. Today is the day, fellow gamers, as Mark Cerny himself sat down with Wired magazine to set the stage for the PS5 and reveal details that have only been mere rumors up until this point. This was a BIG PS5 news event, so let’s dive in and see what Mark revealed! PS5 Specs: New Details Confirmed! The interview between Mark Cerny and Wired Magazine is our first public look at real concrete PS5 details. For starters, he confirmed that the console is not coming in 2019. This points towards our current PS5 release date prediction of November 2020. Mark also allures to the PS5 being a massive leap forward in this juicy quote: “The key question, is whether the console adds another layer to the sorts of experiences you already have access to, or if it allows for fundamental changes in what a game can be.” Mark Cerny was indeed the architect for the PS4, and he’s been working on the PS5 for the last four years, so this kind of claim really gets the hype train rolling. Here are some reveals from Cerny regarding the specs of the next-gen console: The chip is AMD manufactured, and based on the third generation of AMD’s Ryzen line, with 8 cores of the new 7nm Zen 2 micro-architecture The GPU is a custom Radeon Navi solution that supports ray tracing to simulate complex light rays and interactions PSVR Still a Focus For Sony Interestingly, the AMD chip also includes support for 3D audio that will work through TV speakers (but works best with headphones). PSVR owners will know the impact this has for immersion, but it will be interesting to see how established speakers provide that kind of effect. Ray tracing is also a big win for the graphics side of things. This advanced lighting model allows for incredibly realistic reflections, light rays, refractions through water or glass, and other applications as well. Cerny explains: “If you wanted to run tests to see if the player can hear certain audio sources or if the enemies can hear the player’s footsteps, ray tracing is useful for that. It’s the same thing as taking a ray through the environment.” Cerny didn’t talk about PSVR 2, but he did confirm the current headset is compatible with the new console, and that VR is very important to Sony going forward, which is a good sign! Hard Drive Tech: The Main Focus For PS5? An interesting turn of events was when Mark Cerny revealed that an SSD hard drive was the focus of the next-gen. He demonstrated the power of this hard drive technology by showcasing Spider-Man for on both the current and new technology. Currently load times for fast traveling in the game on … Read More
Anonymous Developer Post on Pastebin Details PS5 Price, Specs, and Launch Titles
Everything we’ve seen thus far is pointing towards a PS5 release date in 2020. As we march closer to the inevitable announcement, new rumors are popping up faster than ever. The latest comes from an anonymous developer post on Pastebin. This person claims to be a European developer in AAA development, working on a launch title for the PS5. As a result, they have a bunch of info they are willing to divulge anonymously in their post. Upon first glance, it all looks a little fishy, so make sure you take this with a grain of salt. Let’s dive in and what they predicted. Breaking Down This PS5 Rumor The person claims these rumors are 99% correct, but they don’t offer any proof that they are in fact a developer. Also, there are numerous typos which doesn’t give me a lot of confidence. That being said, this is the breakdown of the many claims in the post: PS5 official reveal in Q2 2019, release date in March or November of 2020 Backwards compatibility confirmed Physical and digital game support PS+ and a premium version with access to betas and early access CPU: 7nm Ryzen 8 core, 16 threads, around 14 teraflops of power 24 GB GDDR6 RAM + 4GB DDR4 for OS. 2TB hard drive 8K upscaling PSVR2 in 2020 with major resolution boost, higher field of view, eye tracking, and wireless with 4-5 hours of battery life. Retail is around $250. DualShock 5 with a camera in the controller Price is $499, and Sony will take a $100 loss per sale in the beginning Those cover the release date, price, and specs, but this post also claims to know about several launch titles and exclusives in development. Among these are a VR version of Gran Turismo 7, a PUBG remaster, a PS5 version of The Last of Us: Part II, Horizon: Zero Dawn 2, and a PS5 version of Ghosts of Tsushima. They also provide several non-exclusives for 2020, including Battlefield Bad Company 3, a Harry Potter game, and a new Assassin’s Creed (rumored to be set in a viking time period). Lastly, they even predict a holiday 2020 release date for Grand Theft Auto VI. This is pretty shocking, but it’s even more insane when they claim that Sony is pushing for a 1 month timed exclusive on the title. This a lot to unpack, and without any proof, it’s hard to take it seriously. That being said, I’m totally fine with everything revealed here. Much of it does line up with our current predictions, but as always, we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think of these rumors in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Insert date – 4/15/19
Image Leak Reveals Potential Release Date For The Last of Us: Part II
When it comes to Sony’s first-party developers, Naughty Dog is among the the best. While they’ve been known for their work in the past on Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter, and Uncharted, The Last of Us holds a special place in gamer hearts everywhere. As a result, we’ve all been eagerly awaiting some kind of release date for The Last of Us: Part II. A newly leaked image points to October of 2019 as a possible answer to this burning question, but what about the rumors that Sony has shifted focus to PS5 games? Let’s unpack this story and see where the bread crumb trail takes us. The Last of Us: Part II May Release in October of 2019 The leaked image comes from a Peruvian retailer called LawGamers. The promotional image shows Ellie’s face, along with cover art, price, and month of release. As promotional art goes, it’s pretty standard. Having worked in the gaming retail industry for almost a decade, though, I picked up a few things when it comes to this type of advertising. Let’s consider a few facts here: The cover art doesn’t look final, it looks like a stock photo Promotional art like this has shown incorrect dates in the past (when games were pushed back prior to launch) Sony has yet to confirm if this is a PS4 or PS5 title (or both) And, of course, release dates can always change While we must take this with a grain of salt, the ultimate question here is how an October release date could play into the PS5’s release date. Could The Last of Us: Part II Be a Launch Title For PS5? With the PS5 on the horizon, it would make sense for Sony to switch their first-party studios over to next generation titles. It would also explain the lackluster E3 2018 showing and the fact that Sony has decided to skip E3 2019. Daniel Ahmad, a Niko Partners analyst who moderates the ResetEra message boards, claims that Sony is looking to make current projects cross-generation compatible or exclusively release them on the PS5. Here’s what he had to say: “Sony also has a couple of unannounced games (already existing IP) with PS4 in mind, but I’m conscious that there have been discussions around making them cross gen/next gen titles.” We’ve predicted in the past that Sony’s lack of commitment on the release date for titles like The Last of Us: Part II, Death Stranding, and Ghosts of Tsushima could point to them being PS5 titles, and this news solidifies that prediction. It makes the most sense for Sony to make the titles available on both the PS4 and the PS5, as gamers kind of expect them to be on the PS4 and pushback would be significant if they moved them all to a new console. The October release date also would make sense for a PS4 version of The Last of Us: Part II, but all evidence points to the PS5 coming out in … Read More
GTA VI: 5 Time Periods We Want to Visit
Grand Theft Auto has always been a series that takes place in the modern era, save a few exceptions. It’s usually a commentary on the society we live in, but what if Rockstar took GTA VI to a brand new time period? With this in mind, these are five time periods we think would be a great fit for Grand Theft Auto VI. 5 Settings For GTA VI Besides Present Day Looking at the state of our world right now, it’s clear that Rockstar would have a lot to work with if they tried to satirize the events of 2018 and 2019 as they develop. Despite this, Rock co-founder Dan Houser told GQ in October of 2018 that he’s “thankful” they weren’t working on GTA VI just yet. He went on to elaborate on his statement: “It’s really unclear what we would even do with it, let alone how upset people would get with whatever we did,” he said. “Both intense liberal progression and intense conservatism are both very militant, and very angry. It is scary but it’s also strange, and yet both of them seem occasionally to veer towards the absurd. It’s hard to satirise for those reasons. Some of the stuff you see is straightforwardly beyond satire.” Well, he’s not wrong. This could be a good opportunity for Rockstar to take their trademark style to another time period. No matter what they do, they’ll stick court controversy, but at least this way they can do it outside the lens of modern politics. Here are our picks for five time periods that Rockstar could use for GTA VI: 1920’s – The Height of the Mafia The organized crime wave of the 1920s led to a network of operations across multiple US cities, including New York and Chicago. Their rise to power came largely from the success of the liquor trade during the 1920s Prohibition era. Once prohibition was lifted, mafia activities shifted to drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and infiltrating businesses like labor unions and construction firms. You can see how this story writes itself, right? Now, we’ve seen the Mafia series adopt the GTA formula in several releases, and while the storytelling in those games was quite good, the gameplay left a lot to be desired. Imagine what Rockstar could do with this time period. The closest we ever got to this idea made real was probably EA’s The Godfather game that released on Xbox 360 and PS3. This title followed the popular film of the same name, but it offered some really unique gameplay mechanics and the opportunity to intimidate business owners for protection money. It may not offer the technology of the modern era, but I for one would be interested in Rockstar’s take on this turbulent time period, and perhaps some reimaginings of major events like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. 1970’s – Detroit Rock City Credit for this idea goes to both /u/redcomet0079 and /u/cruzweb, who suggested a GTA game set in Detroit during the … Read More
New Patent Filed by Sony Points to Backwards Compatibility on The PS5
If you were to ask gamers what they want most from the PS5, the most likely answer would be Backwards Compatibility. With Microsoft offering a growing selection of titles to play from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox era on their current systems, pressure is mounting on Sony to deliver. Apparently they’ve heard us, because a new patent filed by Sony has emerged. This patent suggests that Sony is working on backwards compatibility for PS4, PS3, PS2, and PSX games for a future machine. Breaking Down The New Patent This new information surfaced when a Japanese blog post showcased the details of the patent. A Redditor by the name of u/boskee, translated Spanish coverage of the patent into English, which revealed some details about the patent itself. The patent’s author was Mark Cerny, lead architect of the PS4, and presumably the PS5, so that’s a good start. The patent describes a system whereby legacy applications could run perfectly on newer hardware. To do this, the system would need to eliminate synchronization errors between the newer and older hardware. Since newer hardware has a faster CPU, it’s possible that data could be overwritten while it’s still in use by another component. To solve this, the processor would adapt to the behavior of the original hardware. The games would provide “calls” to the CPU, which it would then use to respond in a similar way to the original console. It would also have the ability to detect the needs of any legacy title and behave similar to the original hardware, thus fooling the game’s software into thinking it’s running on a PS4/PS3/PS2/PSX. For systems with difficult architecture, like the PS3 or PS2, the PS5 may have additional hardware to compensate for this. This comes off the heels of another similar patent Sony submitted on SRGAN technology, which converts SD resolution footage into 4K using artificial intelligence. While this isn’t a guarantee that we’ll see backwards compatibility on the PS5, it’s a strong indicator that the feature is at the forefront of Sony’s mind. Are you someone who wants backwards compatibility on the PS5? Let us know which games you would like to play on the next-gen console in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Posted: 2/6/19 Recent Articles: 10 Ideas GTA VI Should “Borrow” From Other Games PS5 is a “Monster” According to Reddit Leak Sony May Overhaul the PSN For PS5’s Release
10 Ideas GTA VI Should “Borrow” From Other Games
Rockstar has long defined the open world genre of games with each and every Grand Theft Auto release, but I for one would like to see GTA VI take things one step further and “borrow” some of the best mechanics and design choices from the last generation of gaming. Imagine what Rockstar would do, given the ability implement these ideas. While many games have used concepts from Grand Theft Auto, these are the ideas we want Rockstar to take back in GTA VI. 10 Mechanics Rockstar Should Use and Improve on in GTA VI This list is by no means an exhaustive look at innovative game mechanics, but it does look at a few ideas we’ve seen in past GTA games, and plenty of new ideas from other open world titles in recent years. There’s no shame is using the same idea or mechanic in a newer game. The important part is that you innovate on it and make it better. Rockstar isn’t a developer that would simply rip off a concept from another title, so I for one would love to see what they could do with these: Hygiene Affects How People Treat You (Kingdom Come: Deliverance) Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the kind of RPG that only fans of ultra-realistic games will appreciate. The game had some rough spots at launch, but it also had a lot of interesting ideas. While it’s certainly worth a look if you’re into a realistic medieval RPG, one mechanic could work really well in GTA VI. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance you need to maintain your hygiene if you want people to respect you or discover romantic options. After fighting, swimming, or falling into mud, your character begins to look dirty and will eventually smell to the point where other characters comment on it. You can wash yourself in buckets of water, but the only true way to clean up is to find bathhouses. This kind of mechanic in GTA VI would allow for deeper interactions with NPCs in the world. It’s also possible that certain missions would require you to be more or less clean to fit in, which could be really interesting. In either case, it would add to the realism and give Rockstar a chance to insert more of the social commentary that makes their games great. Crafting/Cooking Mechanics (Survival Games, Minecraft, etc.) While Grand Theft Auto games typically take place in modern cities where you buy pretty much anything you want, they’ve never given you the chance to craft your own weapons or cook meals to boost your stats. The idea of characters creating makeshift weapons and bombs is not outside the realm of possibility in any modern city. Furthermore, it would be fun to go grocery shopping and cook meals for yourself that you can consume to give you a boost of strength or health. GTA VI doesn’t need survival mechanics (unless that applies to the setting), but the option to create your own items or cook meals would … Read More
PS5 vs Xbox: The Fires of War Reignite!
The time is once again where two gaming powerhouses are set for an epic battle. The next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony are coming. By all accounts, both of them will be on store shelves by the end of 2020. Very little has been confirmed, but as of January 2019, we have plenty of rumors that help us see where these two consoles are going. Sony absolutely crushed it this generation, so will Microsoft manage to bounce back? Let the battle begin! The State of The Gaming Union While Microsoft officially confirmed they’re working on a new console at E3 2018, Sony has been more subtle with their confirmations. Even so, we know that both companies have something up their sleeves. A massive reveal of information about the PS5 appeared on Reddit in November of 2018, courtesy of /u/RuthenicCookie. They were accurately able to predict Sony’s decision to skip E3 2019 over 24 hours prior to the official announcement. This was joined by several comments that described PS5 dev kits in the hands of developers, impressive specs, a $500 price point, and confirmation of a PSVR 2. None of the information was official, but the accurate E3 prediction made this one rumor that seemed possible. Meanwhile, rumors about the next Xbox have been heating up since Phil Spencer confirmed the company was working on their next generation hardware at E3 2018. The current rumors point to a Project Scarlett, which describes a family of devices. It’s rumored that there will be two consoles, currently named Project Anaconda and Lockhart respectively. Both of these fall under the Scarlett umbrella. Anaconda is going to be a beast of a console like the Xbox One X, with a higher price point. Meanwhile, Lockhart will offer a standard console that costs less and has less power. Think of it like a successor to the Xbox One S and the X. Given the current rumors, we have two consoles coming from Microsoft to replace both their current offerings, while Sony is going to focus on one main console and VR. The next question on everyone’s minds are the specs. Let’s see how the two consoles will stack up. Power Matters People are pushing for higher resolutions, faster frame rates, and better graphics than anything we’ve seen. Those kinds of demands require a lot of power to make a reality. On the PS5 side of things, there’s still a lot of speculation for the PS5 specs, but our Reddit friend did mention something in their leak. They confirmed a Ryzen 8 core. This is referring to the processor, which will be manufactured by AMD. These processors sell for close to $300 on their own for high-end PCs, with 3.6 GHz speeds and 4.0 GHz turbo. Now, in the past, consoles are manufactured with a chipset that combines your processor and GPU into a single APU. An exclusive from TweakTown revealed that an anonymous source suggested the PS5 could in fact have its own dedicated GPU. … Read More
GTA VI on The PS5: 10 Places We Would Love to Visit
Rockstar delivered another hit with Red Dead Redemption 2, but we all know what’s coming next from the acclaimed game developer. While we most certainly won’t see it for a few more years, Grand Theft Auto VI, abbreviated as GTA VI, is coming to the PS5. The settings of these games is always an important decision. Should the new title go somewhere new, or revive a fan favorite in glorious 4K? These are ten places we wouldn’t mind visiting for the next entry in the GTA series. 10 Places Rockstar Could Choose For GTA VI’s Setting Some of these places are backed by substantial rumors. Others are complete speculation, and a few are wishful thinking. Rockstar usually creates a map of their own based on real world locations. Given this, if they decide to use one of these locations, it will most likely be under a different name. For example, Liberty City is based on New York. So where will GTA 6 take place?Let’s check out the best places the world has to offer for a Grand Theft Auto experience! 1. Vice City (Miami, FL) Our first pick is a GTA classic. The original GTA: Vice City was released on the PS2 and remains one of the best entries for a number of reasons. The setting, which was a fun twist on the 80s version of Miami, Florida, added a lot of color and style to proceedings. Not only has this setting been teased in the past, but a report from The Know revealed that a trusted source claims this is indeed going to be the setting of the next game. The game is currently dubbed “Project Americas” according to them. They even went on to predict that it would delve into the drug trade of the time and have the player visiting South America on occasion as well. Plenty of potential stories to work with here, which makes this one of the most likely settings for Grand Theft Auto VI. 2. The Entire United States What’s wrong with dreaming big? Other games this generation have tried to pack the entire United States into a single map (I’m looking at you The Crew), and had somewhat successful results. With the power of the PS5 at their back, Rockstar could finally connect all of their cities together into a super map. Imagine being able to visit San Andreas, Liberty City, Vice City, and possibly other locations as well without ever switching games. It would certainly be amazing, but this kind of decision wouldn’t leave much for future titles to go on. They would have to plan for the long-term if they wanted to use a map as large as this. 3. Chicago How would you like the next Grand Theft Auto to take place in the Windy City? It retains a lot of the scenic views that have inspired other locations, but it also has its own unique sights and a rich history to boot. If Rockstar decided to use this … Read More
Fake PS5 Photos Take The Internet by Storm
The image above looks pretty real, doesn’t it? When this and a few other images surfaced on Russian tech site Rozetked, people lost their minds. The first images of a PS5 prototype would certainly be a juicy leak, but don’t judge this book by its cover. The same site reported shortly after that they were fakes. It wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility, especially given the fact that multiple sources have claimed PS5 development kits are out in the wild. Despite the hoax, there’s no denying that they’re pretty convincing. Would these images have fooled you? Let’s take a look and see. Fake PS5 Prototype Images Look Like The Real Thing This Russian site has been the source of tech leaks in the past. Their last credible leak was prior to the release of the Google Pixel 3 smartphone. When the site posted these fake PS5 images, their source claimed the console was running in bootloader mode. The same source also said the console’s appearance would change before it ships. Both these things are true of development kits for past consoles. Typically, a development kit has a simple design and looks more like a PC tower than anything. It’s simply the guts of a console in a standard housing. Combine that fact with the source’s provided firmware screenshot (pictured below), and it’s easy to see how this could have fooled anyone. For a hoax, the anonymous source went through a lot of trouble to make it look real. From the PlayStation logo, to the glossy design, it looks like something would produce. Then again, it’s a lot of work to put into a dev kit, so there were probably some red flags from the beginning here. What do you think of these images? Would you have fallen for this hoax, or could you see right through the illusion here? If you were able to spot the red flags, let us know what tipped you off in the comments! Article by – Bradley Ramsey Posted: 11/29/18 Recent Articles: Sony is Skipping E3 2019 PS5 is a “Monster” According to Reddit Leak Sony May Overhaul the PSN For PS5’s Release