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Getty Images / PlayStation / PS5 / PlayStation Portal
The PS5 and PS Portal just got exciting updates.
PS5 owners have been screaming for PlayStation to give them the ability to customize their PS5 homepages with themes, specifically dynamic ones like on the PS4, and we are finally getting something in that same vein.
PlayStation Lifestyle reports that PlayStation has been slowly rolling out an update that allows PS5 owners to change their welcome screen with one of many new animated backgrounds.
Players with access to the new animated backgrounds will be greeted by a system notification about adding the animated themes.
A screenshot revealed that players can access themes from these games: Days Gone Remastered, Ghost of Yotei, Ghost of Tsushima, Demon’s Souls, God of War Ragnarok, the Horizon Zero Dawn games, and more.
https://twitter.com/Genki_JPN/status/1909954530080444446
The PlayStation Portal Also Gets A Significant Update
The PS Portal has also gotten a significant update that dramatically improves it. Now, players can access many new features that will enhance their gaming experience while using Cloud Game Streaming Beta.
Here is a breakdown via the PlayStation Blog:
Sort
You can now sort games in the Cloud Streaming (Beta) catalog screen. There will be a new sort icon added to the top left corner, allowing you to sort games by: Recently added to PS Plus (default), Name, and Release date.
Capture gameplay
The Create button on your PS Portal will now be enabled during a Cloud Streaming (Beta) session. Here is what you can do:
Press once: Display the create menu
Press and hold: Take a screenshot
Press twice: Start/finish recording a video clip**
Images and videos captured during a streaming session will be automatically uploaded to the cloud server, which can be accessed from the PlayStation App by selecting [Library] > [Captures]. Your captures will be stored for 14 days after they were created.
Queue
You can now wait for your turn to play when the streaming server is full. The estimated wait time will be displayed on screen, and the game session will automatically start as soon as it’s your turn.
Pause
During a Cloud Streaming (Beta) game session, gameplay will now pause in the following situations:
Gameplay will pause when you open the PS Portal quick menu. You can open the quick menu by pressing the PS button, swiping left from the top right corner of your screen, or tapping the quick menu icon from the status bar.
When you press the power button once, PS Portal will be put into rest mode and the game will be paused. You can un-pause and get back to your game play by pressing the power button again. If PS Portal remains in rest mode for more than 15 seconds, the cloud streaming session will be disconnected.
Gameplay will also pause when a system error message is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Note that the pause feature will not be supported in some cases, such as during an online multiplay session.
Notification of inactivity
You will now receive a system notification when your streaming session is about to close due to inactivity of over 10 minutes.
User feedback screen
We have added a user feedback screen at the end of the streaming sessions to rate the quality of your streaming experience. This will help us identify what went well or could be improved, as we continue to enhance the quality of our service.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PSVR 2
If you have been putting off getting a PSVR 2, this might be your moment to pull the trigger and hit the purchase button finally.
It’s no secret that the PSVR 2 didn’t sell like hotcakes, so we have reached the point in the device’s lifecycle where price drops are the next best option.
Beginning March 1, you can buy a base PSVR 2 version or Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle for $399. No, that’s not a typo; both versions cost the same.
The base version has a PSVR 2 headset, Sense controller, and stereo headphones. The Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle features all the previous listed plus a PlayStation Store voucher code to download the game.
PlayStation Says It’s Never Been A More Exciting Time To Get A PSVR 2
“With recently released hits like Alien: Rogue Incursion, Skydance’s Behemoth, and Metro Awakening VR, and exciting new game launches on the way including Aces of Thunder, Dreams of Another, Hitman World of Assassination, and The Midnight Walk, it’s never been a better time to jump into the action with PSVR 2,” Sony wrote in a blog post. “Using the PSVR 2 PC Adapter, players will also have access to browse, buy and play thousands of virtual reality games on Steam.”
The post continues “In addition, with a recent update to PS VR2, it now supports low-latency hand tracking, which allows developers to create games that tracks a player’s hand position and movement through the cameras embedded on the PS VR2 headset. Through this new feature, players will be able to experience intuitive controls in supported games such as Waltz of the Wizard.”
It remains to be seen whether this is the beginning of the end of the PSVR 2 and Sony’s last attempt to make VR a thing on PlayStation, but we are definitely not mad at this price drop.
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Source: Sony / PlayStation 5
According to recent sales numbers, Sony isn’t having a problem moving PlayStation 5 consoles.
During its earnings release, Sony announced that it had its best holiday season yet with PlayStation 5 sales, moving 9.5 million consoles over the last three months (2024 Q3), selling 1.3 million more than it sold in the same quarter the previous year, raising all-time PS5 sales to 74.9 million.
The latest addition to the PS5 console family, the PS5 Pro, could have helped boost those numbers. Sony did not provide sales numbers for that console.
With that record quarter in the books, the PS5 is 1.5 million units behind the PS4 during its sales lifecycle. Sony also posted a profit of 469.3 billion yen ($3.05 billion), which was higher than expected.
Game sales were also up, reaching 95.9 million units sold in Q3 2024 compared to 89.7 million in the previous quarter despite a decline in first-party sales.
Sony’s game software revenue rose to 784 billion yen ($5.1 billion) in Q3 2023, compared to 733 billion yen in Q3 2023.
The company also acknowledged the success of Astro Bot, which took the video game award season by storm, and Helldivers 2, noting it intends to expand its live service offerings despite canceling several projects and Concord flopping before it even hit shelves.
Sony is very optimistic about the future. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ghost of Yotei, and allegedly Grand Theft Auto 6 will all come in 2025, which could help more consoles fly off shelves.
While Sony reports console sales, it hasn’t been the same for Xbox. Although Xbox’s hardware sales have taken a hit and are down 29% since switching the company model, Game Pass has experienced record growth.
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Source: Sony / PlayStation Plus / PSN
PSN subscribers are still awaiting the compensation PlayStation promised them following a global service outage that left them staring at the PS5 and PS4 consoles instead of doing some intense weekend gaming.
Following last weekend’s global service outage, caused by an “operational issue” that took down PSN for about 24 hours, PlayStation broke its deafening silence and told gamers they would extend the PS Plus subscriptions by five days.
Those same gamers, many of whom thought PlayStation’s offer was weak, are still waiting for those five free days after their subscriptions expired.
Damn.
PlayStation’s favorability has taken a serious hit this past weekend due to what many believe is the company’s perceived lack of transparency about what happened.
It took almost a day following the initial interruption of service for them to get on X, formerly Twitter, to say that the global outage that made multiplayer games useless, took the PSN store down, and made some games in folks’ digital libraries inaccessible was the result of an “operational issue.”
Was PSN Hacked? Many Gamers Think So
Many gamers think there is more to this situation and believe PSN was hacked. PlayStation is doing a disservice to its subscribers by revealing this to them.
Some users even tell current subscribers to change their “passwords on everything” out of fear that this is more than just an “operational issue.”
“If you are a Playstation user make sure to change your passwords on everything. This is looking more and more like a giant hack by their lack of transparency,” one post on X read.
We hope it was just an “operational issue” and not a severe hack, as many people feel. We don’t need the ghosts of 2011’s massive attack on the PSN to return.
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Source: Patrick Smith / Getty / Kendrick Lamar / PlayStation
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance had more easter eggs than a Marvel Studios film. One in particular caught the attention of gamers who were tuned in.
You were absolutely correct if you thought Kendrick Lamar’s performance had a video gamey-feel. Super Bowl LIX halftime show art director Shelley Rodgers confirmed to Wired that Lamar uses PlayStation imagery, mainly the icons on the PlayStation controller.
In the interview, Rodgers revealed that K.Dot devised the video game-themed performance, adding that “each performance space was shaped like a button on a PlayStation-style controller, a performance intended to portray Lamar’s life as a video game.”
No one knows why Lamar chose PlayStation or decided to go that route while he bullied Drake again, but the art director did have some suggestions.
“I think the was symbolic, his way to reach young people,” Rodgers told Wired. “A lot of it is showing his journey, [showing him] traveling through the American dream.”
Creative Director Mike Carson added more insight, adding that Lamar and his production company, pgLang, are “really into keeping things clean and minimal.”
“We went with a monochromatic concrete look and allowed the video game motif to come alive through dialogue, lighting, choreography, and music.”
There is no word on whether PlayStation knew about Lamar’s vision, but if they did, do you think Drake would also be BIG MAD at the video company for being involved, or nah?
Fans Loved The PlayStation Inclusion
Fans also had plenty to say about the moment. “Kendrick Lamar brought out the PlayStation symbols and said,’ Game Over,’” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote following the performance.
Another user added, “Serena Williams, Samuel Jackson, PlayStation references, the GNX, the whole stadium yelling “AMINORR” ugh the dancers in red, white & blue, SZA?! Thank you Kendrick. The revolution will be televised.”
Kendrick Lamar did that! Debate your auntie.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Still need an answer
6. So cool
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / PlayStation
Next to Kansas City Chiefs fans and Drake, no one had a crappier weekend than PlayStation console owners, thanks to a massive service outage. The company finally explained what happened, but gamers were not feeling it.
The AskPlayStation account on X, formerly Twitter, finally broke its silence on the massive service outage that kept PS5 and PS4 owners from playing multiplayer games, games that require online connectivity,y and even some games in their digital library for over 24 hours.
According to PlayStation, the outage that began on Friday, February 7, around 6 p.m. ET and ended at 6:58 p.m. ET on Saturday (February 8) was due to an “operational issue.” To compensate for ruining gamers’ weekends, PlayStation said it would offer subscribers additional days of service at no additional cost.
“Network services have fully recovered from an operational issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank the community for their patience. All PlayStation Plus members will automatically receive an additional 5 days of service.”
That’s all they had to say? Hmm
As you can imagine, gamers are not buying what PlayStation is selling, especially the “additional 5 days of service,” because it just feels cheap on their part.
“What was the reason behind Network failure? this is extremely shady and tone deaf communication. I lost my profile back in ps3 hack and this one of the reason why i don’t trust this Brand atleast security wise,” one post on X read in reply to AskPlayStation’s post.
Another post read, “5 days of PlayStation Plus as an apology? That’s like getting a small fry after they mess up your entire order.”
Listen, we understand that there has to be a better explanation for what happened. However, we still believe that it was Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fault.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
7. Interesting
9. Howling
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / PlayStation Network
Gamers worldwide are screaming at their televisions because the PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing a major outage heading into the weekend when most people play video games.
PlayStation 5 and PS4 owners have taken to social media to voice their displeasure that they cannot connect to Sony’s online services, including multiplayer and the PlayStation Store.
While the US PlayStation account is still silent about the outage, the Ask PlayStation Japan account acknowledged the network’s current struggles in a post on X that Kotaku translated.
“At this time, the PlayStation Network (including PlayStation Store) may not be available,” the announcement reads that was posted at 7:12 p.m. ET on Friday, February 7. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers. We are currently investigating the issue and working to restore service, so please be patient.”
PlayStation has yet to provide a reason for the massive outage affecting gamers across the globe. All services are still down if you check the PlayStation status page.
The timing of the outage couldn’t have come at a worse time, with Monster Hunter Wilds currently holding a beta test weekend and Call of Duty having a double XP weekend.
Gamers Are Not Taking This Well
The reactions to the outage are pouring in on X, formerly Twitter. “Xbox mfs taking the chance to say “should’ve gotten an Xbox” while PlayStation network down. B***h f**k you & your shit box,” one post hilariously said.
Comedian Roy Wood Jr. came up with a gem, reminding gamers that there are games with single-player campaigns that do not require an online connection.
Welp.
You can listen to Roy Wood Jr. or turn on one of your Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, PC, or Steam Deck. If you don’t have any of those other options, you’ll have to wait this out.
Hit the gallery below for more reactions to the PSN outage.
3. All of us right now
4. Felt this one
5. Uggghhhh
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Source: Sucker Punch Productions / Ghosts of Yotei / PlayStation
Nintendo announced the Switch 2 very subtly, Xbox had a bomb a** Developer_Direct showcase, and now PlayStation reportedly is gearing up to show us what they got in store for 2025.
Word on the video game streets is that PlayStation is dropping a State of Play broadcast next week. The tip comes from none other than NateTheHate, the same person who accurately called the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, NateTheHate responded “Yes” when a follower asked, “Is the first State of Play of the year still coming in February?”
When the follower asked if the State of Play was coming either early, mid, or late February, NateTheHate responded, “What does your heart tell you?”
https://x.com/NateTheHate2/status/1885748440132456877
Eurogamer reports that we could expect to see the State of Play sometime around Valentine’s Day and points out that Sony has held a State of Play broadcast every February since 2021.
What Games Will PlayStation Show?
It remains a mystery what games we can expect to see. One good guess is that we will definitely see more of Ghosts of Yotei, the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, which is slated to arrive sometime this year.
We could also get an update on Insomniac’s Wolverine game, which we haven’t heard anything official about since it was announced during a September 2021 PlayStation Showcase.
Keep in mind that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was also announced. The game has come out and was just released on PC last week.
Leaked footage from an early build of the game did hit the web.
We could also see more of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 On The Beach or his next Tactical Espionage Action game, Physint.
We’ll just have to wait until PlayStation hits us with the official announcement.
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Source: T3 Magazine / Getty / PS4
PS4 PlayStation Plus subscribers received bad news: In 2026, Sony will no longer offer free monthly PS4 games.
You have a year to upgrade your life and get a PS5 or PS5 Pro console because it seems Sony is moving on from the PS4 console and shifting all of its attention to the current generation.
However, all is not lost. Sony will also offer PS4 titles occasionally through PS Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog.
“As many of our players are currently playing on PS5 and have shifted toward redeeming and accessing PS5 titles from the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit, PlayStation Plus is also evolving with this trend and will focus on offering PS5 titles through the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit starting January 2026,” a statement on the PlayStation Blog reads.
PS Plus members enjoyed the monthly benefit of PS4 and PS5 titles as part of the least expensive “Essential” tier. Those subscribed to the higher tier enjoy a rotating selection of games added to the PlayStation Plus’ Game Catalog.
Another Announcements From PlayStation
Sony did note that PS4 games that users have already added to their collection through the monthly games program will not be affected. Sony said that PC players will now get in-game bonus awards for players who log in with a PSN account on PC ports PlayStation’s first-party titles like the recently announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Yup, it looks like the PS4’s time is winding down; it was a good run for the console that blessed us with titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Last of Part II, Infamous Second Son, and more.
On a more positive note, game developers can now focus on making games primarily for the PS5 console and not worry about optimizing them for the PS4.
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Source: T3 Magazine / Getty / PS4
PS4 PlayStation Plus subscribers received bad news: In 2026, Sony will no longer offer free monthly PS4 games.
You have a year to upgrade your life and get a PS5 or PS5 Pro console because it seems Sony is moving on from the PS4 console and shifting all of its attention to the current generation.
However, all is not lost. Sony will also offer PS4 titles occasionally through PS Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog.
“As many of our players are currently playing on PS5 and have shifted toward redeeming and accessing PS5 titles from the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit, PlayStation Plus is also evolving with this trend and will focus on offering PS5 titles through the Monthly Games and Game Catalog benefit starting January 2026,” a statement on the PlayStation Blog reads.
PS Plus members enjoyed the monthly benefit of PS4 and PS5 titles as part of the least expensive “Essential” tier. Those subscribed to the higher tier enjoy a rotating selection of games added to the PlayStation Plus’ Game Catalog.
Another Announcements From PlayStation
Sony did note that PS4 games that users have already added to their collection through the monthly games program will not be affected. Sony said that PC players will now get in-game bonus awards for players who log in with a PSN account on PC ports PlayStation’s first-party titles like the recently announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Yup, it looks like the PS4’s time is winding down; it was a good run for the console that blessed us with titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Last of Part II, Infamous Second Son, and more.
On a more positive note, game developers can now focus on making games primarily for the PS5 console and not worry about optimizing them for the PS4.