Grave Gamer News & Views — playstation

Major Improvements to Sharing and Streaming Coming to the PS4

Power to the people! Or, rather, power to the players! Wait, shit, that’s Gamestop’s slogan, isn’t it? They’re gonna be up my ass if I use that and they’ve already sued me the one time… Whatever, moving on. Point is, thanks to the PlayStation Nation’s feedback – as in your feedback – some pretty serious improvements are hitting the PS4’s Share functionality.

Coming soon via a patch, the PlayStation blog reports that a new video editor will be added that’ll let you “personalize your video clips” through use of a simple tool. Better yet, the update allows you to export screenshots and gameplay clips to a USB drive. Just hit share, choose your device, and you’re ready to rock. Hopefully this means we’ll have more avenues to share content than just Facebook.

Those who have been wishing for an alternative to capturing and streaming gameplay than the built-in Twitch/Ustream suite will be pleased as hell to learn that this very same update includes an “HDCP off” option, finally allowing gameplay capture via HDMI. The blog also promises even more unannounced features are being worked into this patch.

Sometime after that patch, Sony is planning yet another system software update that’ll integrate the ability to archive Twitch broadcasts. No more going live and having your sessions disappear into the ether. Additionally, Sony is looking to enhance streaming resolution to 720p. PC-less and capture device, uh, -less, I’m most excited by these upgrades (commence shameless plug: follow The Red Herb on Twitch!).

More info on these updates are said to follow in the weeks to come.

PlayStation 4 Release Date Finally Announced

Sony’s Gamescom conference today brought much in the way of news for just about everything slapped with the PlayStation logo today.  I’ll get to the notables in a tic, but I wanted to get it out of the way since Sony’s hour and a half conference was an hour and fifteen minutes of too much foreplay:

The PlayStation 4 is launching November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.

We were already treated to the revelation that a PS Plus subscription is the new requirement for online play (but, gracefully, little else, meaning services like Netflix won’t be barred from use without Plus).  With your PS4 purchase, however, Sony is throwing in a 14-day trial of the service at no cost.

Additionally, Music Unlimited – the PS3’s, uh, unlimited music service – is back in a modified form where you can easily access it by pressing the DualShock 4’s PS Button, allowing you to play music in the background of any and all games.  As someone who is swayed by a custom tracks option even if the PS3 version of a game is technically superior, this is a triumph (I’m sorry Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3, I cannot listen to your bullshit loop indefinitely in my eardrums).

Also, those looking for style in their accessories will be pleased as a plum to see the Magma Red and Wave Blue DualShock controllers (above) releasing alongside the console, priced at $59.99.  You’re gonna earn yourself a hard, squinted look from me if you ask which one I’m springing for.

PS Vita’s Price Dropkicked

The thing that needed to happen, thankfully, went and happened.  Sony’s impressive yet struggling handheld, the PlayStation Vita, has taken a $50 price cut, dropping its tag to $200.  Additionally, Sony promised the bloated pricing found on the system’s proprietary memory cards will see a significant reduction in the future.

Remote Play functionality, in which PS4 games can be remotely streamed via WiFi to the handheld turning the Vita into a second-screen controller, will be found on “almost every” title according to the company.

Increased affordability and unique compatibility with PlayStation’s next household device, along with an up-spike in third-party support – yes, Borderlands 2 on the system is a humongous win –  may just surge some life into the Vita (it’s a pun if you know Italian; it’s also a bad pun if you know humor).

PlayStation 4’s Launch Date Will Be Announced at Gamescom

Today I must serve to you one of my most hated forms of news – an announcement of an announcement.  Before images of Xzibit’s shit-eating grin pop into your head (too late), let’s get this over with.

Sony has confirmed that they plan on sharing the PlayStation 4’s ‘release plans’ with the gaming masses at Germany’s Gamescom on August 20th, 1:00 P.M. EDT.  Updates on the PS3 and PS Vita are also planned but not snazzy enough to deserve a headline.

A few weeks back, listings on Toys R Us’ UK site dated Sony’s next-gen console for December 13th while the Xbox One saw a November 29th release date.  The big box retailer backed up the listings as legitimate but their partners, Sony and Microsoft, did not.  What I’m trying to say is that if you have a serious addiction to betting on mundane things, your opportunity has presented itself.

So.  Which console will hit retail first?  More importantly, with the dawn of the next-gen upon us – GET BACK TO YOUR CORNER, WII U – which console will you folks be getting?

Flower Blooms on the PlayStation Vita

thatgamecompany may have found widespread success with a little digital diddy called Journey, but the L.A. based developer was burning up the indie scene at all four corners way before gamers were chirping and hopping the cresting dunes of, er, Journey-ville?

I’m referring to 2009’s critically acclaimed PSN download — and my personal favorite from the studio — Flower.  In this motion-sensitive game, you are the wind, and as the wind, you blow a flower pedal about, interacting with the world’s flora and gathering a colorful flotilla of even more pedals as you bring brighteness and life to sometimes sparse and desolate environments.  It sounds like a six gram mushroom trip, I know, but it’s actually a relaxing bout of artful, offbeat fun.

Despite co-founder and lead designer Jenova Chen’s insistence on seeing his games made as widely available as possible, the majority of TGC’s catalog is PSN-only.  Today, though, brings the news that Flower is being ported to the PlayStation Vita.  The Vita version will come equipped with new motion and touch controls specific to the Sony’s handheld.

A release date hasn’t been locked down but Flower for the Vita will make an appearance as a part of IndieCade’s E3 display.  While Flower arguably makes tons more sense for the Vita, I think the question stands among fans whether a portable visit to Journey-ville is in store?  (They, uh, they’d probably word the question differently.)

The Golden Age

Sony’s evidently bringing classy back in the nerdiest fashion possible.  The great, golden console above was mailed to Notch – some know him as Markus Persson, more know him as Minecraft’s daddy – as an unfathomably awesome VIP invitation to their E3 event.

As of this writing, the famed developer is unsure if the gold PSone still functions (he’s yet to dig out his cords from storage), but Sony also sending him a copy of Dungeon Master II as another “nerd bribe” seems to suggest the golden classic still has some fight in her.