PlayStation Plus is a household name at this point in the PlayStation’s legacy, but it wasn’t always that way. Having only just emerged during the PS3 era, it is a younger program than it’s closest equivalent, Xbox Live, but one could argue that it’s a far better value. Clearly, the concept works because Xbox Live adopted a similar approach. Of course we’re not here to talk about the past or the present, we’re here to talk about the future. We’ll start today’s glimpse into the infinite number of possible futures by first examining the evolution of PlayStation Plus, from it’s first steps on the PS3, to its current state on the PS4. From there, we’ll look to the PS5 and see where this service could be going in the future. With each new feature it seems to gain popularity. With 10.9 million subscribers as of January 2015, it’s also not going anywhere anytime soon. From Awesome, to Even More Awesome: the PS+ Journey Thus Far At its core, PlayStation Plus (abbreviated as PS+) is a PlayStation Network subscription service that acts like a V.I.P program of sorts, providing users with premium features. This began quite simply, with a pre-chosen free game offered each month on both the home and handheld consoles. In addition, users could take advantage of cloud storage for their save files, up to 3GB of space in total per user. This made transferring or duplicating saved data simple and easy for members. The service was immediately lauded for offering high-quality titles each month. At only $50 for an entire year, the value was impossible not to see. What’s more is that multiplayer was free on PS3, so people weren’t forced to buy a subscription if they wanted to play online like another popular console of the time did. The name escapes me, it starts with an “x” and rhymes with Xbox 360. Doesn’t matter, the service was off to a great start. Online gaming wasn’t quite up to par on the PS3 though, but that would be remedied soon. Enter the PS4 and with it, some awesome changes to the PS+ formula. For starters, subscribers now enjoy two free games each month on each of the three Sony consoles. That’s six games total each month! PS4 does require PS+ to play online, but the entire network is much, much better as a result of the paid funding for maintenance. Meanwhile, Xbox has started offering free games each month for gold subscribers. Can’t imagine they were getting any flak for charging people to play online while Sony’s dropping the free titles left and right. Most recently is the addition of yet another feature called Vote to Play. This new program offers players a set of games to choose from each month. Players vote and the winner is one of the free titles on the next month’s list. The others still go on sale for a discounted price for PS+ members so it’s win-win. So, given this new program, … Read More
What Is 4K UHD and Will the PS5 Utilize It?
If you’ve ever gone television shopping, then you’ve probably been exposed to all kinds of confusing terms. Do any of these sound familiar? LED/LCD Refresh Rates (120Hz, 240Hz) The Soap Opera Effect 1080p Full HD And so on. Now we’ve been exposed to yet another term which is Ultra High Definition or UHD. This simply refers to anything with more pixels than a HDTV in addition to more realistic colors and higher frame rates. Currently, one of the steps forward in this regard is 4K resolution. Television makers are scrambling to make units that support this new resolution, but there isn’t a whole lot of support from the software side of things. Image via Wikipedia, TRauMa [CC0] The question on all of our minds is of course: is this the future? Will PS5 utilize 4K displays?. First we’ll discuss the details of this resolution, and then we’ll look into the future to see if this is indeed the resolution that will present your PS5 games to you. What is 4K: A Crash Course on Digital Resolution These days you’ll see most HD televisions advertising a 1080p resolution. 4K is actually 2160p. The term refers to a minimum resolution of 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels high which makes it the equivalent of two 1080p screens in height and length respectively. In essence, it is another jump in both visual clarity, color, and frame rate. The origins of 4K began in the movie theaters, but when you bring that technology home, it becomes far less of a difference to the average viewer. The jump from standard to high definition was huge, but 4K at a normal viewing distance on a home television doesn’t look that much different than 1080p. 4K sets are extremely expensive compared to 1080p offerings. One of the main features they tout is the compatibility of HDMI 2.0 which promises faster data transfer and 60-frames-per-second visuals. Unfortunately, nothing on the market, save for PC games on powerful machines, can support this resolution. PS4 does not support 4K gaming. Streaming video (possibly games in the future) is the current push for utilizing 4K more commonly. Current 4K sets will upconvert lower resolutions, giving them the ability to push the resolution of current HD games and blu-ray movies. The real question is whether or not this technology will be the standard going forward like high definition has been for the last ten years. The answer is still up in the air seeing as how LG and Toshiba were showing 8K resolution televisions at CES 2012. Will the PS5 Utilize 4K Resolution? While 4K and 8K resolutions are being used right now, the entire picture involves a lot more than simple visuals. It’s one thing to watch a movie in 4K, but to play a game in that kind of resolution, you need some serious hardware. That’s why only high-end PC systems are able to support this resolution for games. It’s for this very reason that the PS4 doesn’t support the … Read More
Is PlayStation VR Holding Back the PS5 Release Date?
It’s no secret that the PS4 is an incredibly successful next generation console thus far. With over 20 million already sold and counting, it’s putting the other options to shame. There is one small issue though: it doesn’t have enough power to sustain itself for a full life-cycle. While the PS4 specs are impressive compared to the PS3, they are dwarfed by modern PC standards, and will continue to fall behind as time goes on. That’s most likely why Sony has already begun work on the PS5. They know the hardware doesn’t add up for the long-term with how fast things are progressing, but they also don’t want to shoot the PS4 in the foot just after its gotten a good sprint going. Some believe the PS5 will be hear as soon as 2017, and while the new console may be ready by then, it doesn’t look like Sony is going to let it go free until the time is right. Image via PlayStation Blog A little virtual reality headset called PlayStation VR is set to release in 2016 for the PS4. Is this accessory part of Sony’s plan to keep the PS4 relevant until such a time that they need to reveal the PS5? Let’s find out. Throwing Fuel on the Fire PlayStation VR is expected to release sometime in the first half of 2016. At the most recent Game Developer’s Conference, Sony showcased a prototype of this VR headset with the following specs: 1920 x 1080 RGB OLED Display 120hz refresh rate 5.7-inch display nine LEDs for position head tracking Again, respectable, but not ground-breaking. Other companies are pulling out their own virtual reality solutions such as the Oculus Rift and Valve’s recently unveiled headset. That being said, now that pre-orders have begun on the Oculus Rift, people are shocked to see that the device is running $600! On top of this, that price is said to be a loss for the company, not a profit. How much would they have to charge to turn a profit on these things? If PlayStation VR sells for $600, the same price as the PS3 at launch, then it’s going to run into problems. People paid $399 for their PS4 system, why would they pay more than that for an accessory? It’s a question that Sony is going to have to answer, and soon. Sony is making a smart decision by creating this accessory for the PS4. With the popularity of VR on the rise, the market is poised to explode, and with 20 million plus PS4 owners out there, the install base leaves a lot of opportunities to sell this new product. If Sony supports it with games, they will have a good couple of years to ride on. This is clearly a move to grow the potential and sucess of the PS4 which suggests that Sony is in fact biding their time, waiting until the PS4 has run its course before unveiling the next console. What do you think … Read More
PlayStation Hiring For Work on a “Next Generation Gaming System”
More than a few rumors in the past have started as a result of job postings. In some cases it’s a company asking for work on a new title, and in other cases someone puts a sensitive bit of information on their resume or LinkedIn profile, which blows the lid off the whole thing. It looks like we have one of those situations in the form of a job posting on the official PlayStation Website. Details on The Job Posting If we mosey on over to the Sony PlayStation Page, we’ll see a job posting that is for a “Senior Game Programmer.” Here’s what the description says: “We have an exciting opportunity at Sony Computer Entertainment of America. We seek a senior game programmer to assist us in developing a game used for R&D purposes related to our next generation gaming system. For someone passionate about gaming this is a very rare opportunity. After reviewing the below job profile, if this is for you, please apply!” The job responsibilities also provide us with some clues: Contribute to the architecture design and development of OS subsystems Advanced level systems programming and debugging using C and C++ Multi-threaded programming Whoa, if that’s not a sign that Sony is pushing forward on PS5 development, I don’t know what is. As we know, R&D refers to “research and development,” so that’s our first clue. The job responsibilities refer to subsystems of an OS, so this could be work on the PS5’s interface or base operating system. Interpreting This News The fact that they’re using a game programmer means that they are most likely developing a prototype for something that would work on the PS5. It could be that they are referring to Project Morpheus as a “next generation gaming system,” but it’s really more a peripheral, so I’m going to write that one off. While PlayStation VR isn’t a system, it could be used as a peripheral with the PS5, so we shouldn’t rule out the possibility that this game is VR in nature. The fact of the matter though is that this is big news for the future of PlayStation. Depending on how Sony progresses, we could see more news quite soon. Perhaps we’ll have concrete evidence on whether or not the PS5 will be cloud-based? This programmer could be developing an operating system that relies on a streaming service, the possibility is certainly there. One of the theories that I’ve been throwing around is the concept of a unified operating system like Windows 10. It’s interesting that Microsoft took this approach, and it’s something that I think Sony may adopt as well. Microsoft wants Windows 10 to be the last operating system they do. They want to transform the platform into a service that is constantly updated instead of replaced. If this job posting is indeed for an OS structure, it could be that Sony is developing an operating system that can run across multiple devices. It may be something as simple … Read More
PS5 Transformer – Portable Concept by Kevin Tan
A PS5 portable design that transforms based on usage. This Innovative PS5 concept was created by graphic artist Kevin Tan. A hybrid console that is portable and playable on the TV is something that the Nintendo Switch has popularized since its release. Sony could be considering something similar with a design like these. As you scroll through these concept images, take a look at how the console looks when deployed and how it can collapse into a convenient size that fits into a carrying case. Would you want a portable system? If so, would you want it to be a hybrid console like this one? Let us know in the comments below! PS5 Portable OpenView High Resolution PS5 Portable – TransformingView High Resolution PS5 Portable – Vertical ModeView High Resolution PS5 Portable – Closed ModeView High Resolution PS5 Portable Plus Carrying CaseView High Resolution PS5 Portable Packed In Carrying CaseView High Resolution PS5 Transform Earlier Concept PhaseView High Resolution Is it possible that the PS5 will be a portable console? Our modern society is very reliant on smartphones. More and more people are playing their games on the go, so could these be the focus of the PS5? Tell us your thoughts and if you would like to see more concepts by this designer, post your comments below! See Also: See all the PS5 Concept Designs DualShock 5
PS5 Slim and Sleek Concept by Kevin Tan
Excellent new sleek PS5 concept by graphic artist Kevin Tan. This is a sleek touchscreen interface that can be both raised and lowered combining both beauty and function.A slim system like this could fit in just about any area, and with a screen on the front, it could be used as a portable as well. Imagine being able to take your PS5 with you. You can prop it up on a table and play on-the-go. Would you want a portable system like this one? Let us know how you like this design in the comments! PS5 Slim / Sleek Design – Powered On View High Resolution Wallpaper! PS5 Slim / Sleek – Elevated Side View View High Resolution Wallpaper! PS5 Slim / Sleek – Profile View View High Resolution Wallpaper! PS5 Slim / Sleek – Elevated Side View View High Resolution Wallpaper! PS5 Slim / Sleek – Lowered Side View View High Resolution Wallpaper! PS5 Slim / Sleek – Rear Port View View High Resolution Wallpaper! Original Early Concept View High Resolution Wallpaper! See Also: See all the PS5 Concept Designs DualShock 5
Grieving For a Character: The Emotional Implications of Crossing the Uncanny Valley
“To say that we shouldn’t react to fictional characters as “real people” is exactly equivalent to saying that we shouldn’t be frightened by the things we meet in nightmares.” – John Gardner Source: flickr One of the things I love most about being a writer is the ability to create something from nothing. I’m not a god though, nor is any other writer out there, no matter how famous they may be. When we place a name to the page, give them characteristics, and build them up, they’re still just words at the end of the day. Characters aren’t real people, right? Whether it’s in a book, a TV show, a movie, or more specifically to our interests, a game, characters build bonds with us. Could it be that they are portrayed by real people in movies and TV shows? Perhaps, but then why do you people cry when they’re reading a book and one of their favorite characters dies? As it stands, there are plenty of people who aren’t emotionally affected by the deaths of characters in any medium of entertainment, but there are also plenty of people who are. Now, let’s narrow our focus a bit here and look at games in particular. We’re not at the point where we have photo-realistic graphics, but we’re getting closer to making these characters look and feel real. Acting and motion capture have helped, plus the rise of more advanced technology, but we’re still falling into something called “the uncanny valley” where those emotional connections aren’t happening as often as they could. So, let’s find out if the PS5 will have your mourning the loss of characters as if they were real people. Why Do We Care in the First Place? The best kinds of characters are the ones that feel real to us. Without considering the additional weight of interacting with and seeing the character in front of you, let’s examine the very basis of a character: their personality. It’s hard to truly replicate the kind of human nature that we all possess, but many authors have managed to do so in books, games, movies, and TV shows. Imagine your favorite movie, TV show, or book. Remember how it made you empathize with the characters? You felt what they felt, and it hurt you in the same way it would hurt anyone else. That’s the key here, if we feel empathy, then the character is real enough to make our brains treat them like real people. Since humans are empathetic creatures, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to think that our brains can be tricked into thinking that someone who isn’t necessarily real is in fact real in our brain’s eyes. An essay by Howard Sklar entitled “Believeable Fictions: On the Nature of Emotional Responses to Fictional Characters,” goes into detail about how and why we grieve for certain characters the same way we would if they were real people. Part of the reason comes from the fact that … Read More
Forget The PS5, Our Entire Universe Could be a Video Game!
“From the point of view of science it’s a catastrophic idea, the purpose of science is to understand reality. If we’re living in a virtual reality we are forever barred from understanding nature.” – David Deutsch When we talk about video games, one of the main aspects of a great and engaging experience is immersion. We love to be pulled into the world of the game so much so that the world around us fades away. The concept of being fully submersed in the game world, be it through great atmosphere or virtual reality, doesn’t scare us. Do you know why? It’s because we can leave whenever we want. Games can be engaging, terrifying, frustrating, and many other things. No matter how much they pull us in though, we always have reality to retreat back to. Our real world may not be perfect, in fact, it makes us retreat into games to escape from it sometimes. What if it’s all the same though? What if the world you know as “real” is just a game too? You may be shaking your head, and why wouldn’t you? You know this world is real, you can touch your computer screen, you can taste food, you can breathe air, you’ve grown up, you’re growing older. So many reasons flood to your mind, assuring you that this is in fact, reality . You may be right, but then again, you could be wrong. I mean, Keanu Reeves was pretty convinced The Matrix was the real world in the movie, wasn’t he? Today, we’re moving past the PS5 and into another realm of philosophy. Today, we’re going to consider the reasons why our universe could be one giant simulation. The Science Side: The Holographic Principle and String Theory We know a lot of things about our universe, but in the grand scheme of things we know absolutely nothing. It’s frustrating to think about how much is still up in the air. For example, our current understanding of physics leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the nature of things like Dark Matter and Dark Energy. We don’t know much of anything about those two concepts, and yet they make up 95% of the total mass of the universe! One major pursuit of physics is something called a “theory of everything” which would explain how all the physical aspects of the universe work. One such candidate for this theory is something called “string theory” which suggests that the universe is composed of one-dimensional objects called “strings.” Without going to the point where we need a P.H.D to understand this, let’s move to a property of string theory called the “holographic principle.” This concept takes the idea that the cosmic strings in string theory exist in a lower-dimensional where gravity emerges in a way that seems projected or holographic. When we look into the universe, we’re seeing only the light that has traveled this far. The farther away we look, the older the image is. Light travels … Read More
PS5 Graphics – Indistinguishable From the Real Thing
Realism is a bad word. In a sense everything is realistic. I see no line between the imaginary and the real. – Federico Fellini Each time a new generation of consoles is release, the graphics move up a notch. The leap from PS1 to PS2 was perhaps the largest, but the changes from PS3 to PS4 are no slouch either. What comes next? What will PS5 graphics be like? That’s the question we’re here to answer. With the rate at which technology and graphics are progressing, we’re thinking we could make that next big leap when the PS5 releases. Photo-realistic graphics, anyone? The Current State of Video Game Graphics The term “Uncanny” or in the original German translation “Das Unheimliche” is a concept generally known to been Freudian in nature. It has to do with things that are both familiar and alien all at once. Things that we recognize, but not in the form we expect. Would it be so much of a stretch to say that video game graphics are “uncanny” in a number of ways? It really depends on the game. We’ve been able to make huge strides forward in facial rendering and animation. Environments look spectacular, but people and characters have never looked better. Take a game like Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, for example. Check out the video below: This is an early tech demo of the amazing technology that went into Hellblade on the PS4. Having played the full game myself, I can safely say that this is the closest I’ve seen to what the PS5’s graphics could be like. This is all based on new technology from Epic Games, developers of the Unreal Engine 4. This same engine is used in a lot of modern games, but Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice really showcases how realistic human characters can be. Now, a game like Hellblade is the exception, not the rule. We still have many games on the PS4 that fall deep into the uncanny valley. Games like Mass Effect: Andromeda, and even acclaimed titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn can sometimes suffer from less than human appearances. We’ve really nailed down realistic environments and physics, but lighting and believable humans still leave a bit to be desired in many games. Hopefully PS5 vs PS4 graphics will showcase a major difference in this regard. Let’s examine the uncanny valley concept, and then move into the possibilities that we could see in the PS5’s graphics. Close, But no Cigar: An Examination of The Uncanny Valley One of the largest obstacles (beyond technology limitations we will discuss later in the article) in achieving photorealistic graphics, is creating people in games that look, sound, and act completely real. We’re close, but it isn’t perfect yet. The same goes for computer generated imaging, and for robotics. A graph representing the Uncanny Valley By Smurrayinchester [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Sigmund Freud described the uncanny as something that creates a repulsive response. Think of it like an odd feeling in your gut. He … Read More
Gaming with All Five Senses: the Evolution of Virtual Reality
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one – Albert Einstein For the most part, we’ve always known gaming as a medium that we interact with from a distance. Whether it’s a handheld or a home console, it’s always been us and it. The controller was our connection, our bridge between our world and the one in front of us. We’ve always imagined a type of game that puts us into the world. Virtual reality is the common term for it, but what if we went past simple visuals in front of us? What if we could, truly, step into another world. What would it take for us to become fully immersed? Reality is malleable in the sense that it’s different for everyone. Socrates’ Allegory of the Cave in Regards to Gamers Let me get philosophical for a moment here. Let us consider Socrates and his “Allegory of the Cave.” This concept boiled down essentially describes a cave where people have been chained down since childhood. They are forced to stare directly in front of them at a wall that is illuminated by a fire behind them. Between the prisoners and the fire is a walkway where others walk by holding objects and going about their lives. These people cast their shadows on the wall for the prisoners to see. Their voices also echo off the wall, making it appear as if these shadows are speaking to the prisoners. Socrates goes on to say that these shadows are reality for the prisoners. They know nothing outside of the cave and the figures they see on the wall. Now, the allegory goes on to describe what would happen if someone were to escape, but for our purposes, would you not agree that gamers thus far are very similar to these prisoners in the allegory? We’re accustomed to staying at arm’s length from the things we experience in games. Things are changing though. Gamers are escaping from the prison of a separated world and instead are boldly stepping into this brave new reality. The Current State of VR The Oculus Rift brought back to the forefront the concept of VR. Nintendo had the Virtual Boy back in the day, but that did nothing more than give people horrific migraines. After that VR was something you saw at places like Disney Quest and the occasional arcade. It was never a household thing. To look at the Oculus Rift, it looks like a piece of hardware that you strap over your eyes which then projects a 3D image for your eyes to perceive. You can move your head and view the world around you as if you were there. Quite exciting as a concept. This device began life as a kickstarter and was recently purchased by Facebook for two billion dollars! Another competitor in the current field is GameFace Labs which has their own high-powered wireless headset running on a custom Android-based VR operating system. Then you’ve got the Avegant which has … Read More