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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation
There were rumblings that PlayStation might have another State of Play stream up its sleeve. Those rumors were indeed true.
Nintendo excited the video game world when it announced it was holding an early-morning Nintendo Direct showcase. Sony decided to get in on the fun and spring on games that it was having a direct.
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The “surprise” stream is going down on September 14, 5:00 pm ET on PlayStation’s YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok accounts. In the announcement, PlayStation told fans there will be “something for everyone.”
At the same time, the blog post also made a valiant effort to temper expectations by noting the ” broadcast will focus on updates to previously announced games coming to PlayStation consoles. From indie and PS VR2 highlights to major upcoming titles from our third-party partners.”
Still, that’s not stopping the speculation train from rolling out of the station. We could get new information on games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Stellar Blade, Death Stranding 2, Alan Wake 2, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and some Indie titles.
Again, we are going into this State of Play with meager expectations to avoid an epic level of disappointment. We know PlayStation usually saves its best for its PlayStation Showcase live streams.
Keep it locked on HHW Gaming. We will share whatever information comes from the State of Play if you miss it.
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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty
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Source: PlayStation / PlayStation Plus
Yesterday’s price is not today’s price for the PlayStation Plus subscription service.
Sony announced that the price of a PlayStation Plus is going up. An annual Essential plan jumps from $60-$80, the Extra plan goes from $100 to $135, and the Premium plan from $120 to $160.
Brace yourselves. The new prices for the tiers go into effect on September 6.
Those still locked into their current subscriptions won’t experience the price hike until November 6, but if you make any changes “such as upgrades, downgrades, or buying additional time,” you will have to pay the extra money for the new subscription price.
As for the reason for the price hike, Sony says it will allow the company to “continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits” to the service.
Basically, if you want them to continue to drop those great games free to subscribers, the price has to go up. Sony also adds that yearly plans continue to come at a discount and are a better value than month-to-month or three-month subscriptions.
New PlayStation Plus was Sony’s answer to Xbox’s subscription service, Game Pass, and offered its users free titles every month, and for the most part, there were plenty of bangers.
Hilariously, the news of the price hikes comes on the heels of the very mid Saints Row coming to the PlayStation Plus service as the month’s free title. It is a rare miss for Team PlayStation regarding its monthly offerings.
Gamers React To The PlayStation Plus Price Hike
As expected, gamers have been sounding off about the news, and no one is happy about the price hike.
“I just saw that PlayStation plus is going up so they can provide us with better games each month and the first month of the price hike is saints row. What a world we live in,” One X user wrote.
Another user noted in an X post, “No dedicated Sony multiplayer games No Day 1 first parties No extra incentives or perks PlayStation: “We’re gonna increase the prices of plus.”
Welp.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: PlayStation / PlayStation Plus
2. Good times
3. Interesting
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation Showcase
Rumor has there is a PlayStation Showcase on the horizon.
There have been rumblings about a PlayStation Showcase happening, and according to one very reliable insider, it could be right around the corner.
Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb shared a schedule on Twitter on Monday detailing what gamers could look forward to in the form of gaming events filling in the void left behind by E3 after it announced it was not happening this year.
On the list were several events we already knew were going down in Los Angeles, but to the surprise and excitement of many, PlayStation Showcase sat at the top of that list, and it’s expected to happen the week of May 25th, according to Grubb.
In a follow-up tweet, he added that it could happen before the 25h, but “that’s probably the latest that week it could happen.”
Grubb is not one to put out baseless information on his Twitter account, and because he is sharing a date means that he’s pretty confident the showcase is happening.
What Games Will Be Shown During The PlayStation Showcase?
Now, the main question is, what the hell will PlayStation show at this showcase? Unlike its smaller scale State of Play presentations that are usually just a collection of trailers and sometimes deep dives in the case of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, PlayStation Showcases are usually big events where Sony pulls out the bangers.
Many believe we could get our first look at gameplay from Insomniacs’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which is still coming sometime this year, and more gameplay footage from Final Fantasy XVI or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Will PlayStation Drop A Konami Bomb?
But, rumors are floating around that Konami will boast a huge presence during the PlayStation Showcase showing off the Silent Hill 2 Remake, which we already know is a PlayStation exclusive, but new to the conversation is a Castlevania game and a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which might be exclusives on the PS5 for a period of time.
This all according to podcast host Nick Baker, so take this news with a grain of salt, but if true, this could be huge for PlayStation, and another sour note for Xbox owners.
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Windows Central editor Jez Corden also said he “heard similar” news about Metal Gear Solid exclusivity to PlayStation. In a follow-up tweet, he wrote, “Just heard Sony landed a deal with Konami for Silent Hill, Metal Gear, and maybe even a new Castlevania.”
Again, we shall wait and see, but you know the video game Twitter is chatting about it. You can see all the reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty
2. If these rumors are true, Sony wins the year again
4. A Spider-Man 2 date would be nice
7. Seeing some Wolverine action would be nice.
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Source: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / Getty / PlayStation
It looks like PlayStation isn’t out of the handheld business after all.
Insider Gaming exclusively reports PlayStation is actively working on a new handheld console called the “Q Lite.” The video game website says it will not center around cloud gaming but will be an extension of the PS5 utilizing the console’s remote play function that the company has been hyping up as of late.
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Per Insider Gaming:
Codenamed the Q Lite, the next PlayStation handheld is the next piece of Sony hardware that aims to be yet another piece of hardware that requires the PlayStation 5. Insider Gaming understands that the Q Lite is not a cloud-streaming device but instead uses Remote Play with the PlayStation 5.
According to the report, the Q Lite will feature adaptive streaming up to 1080p and 60FPS and require constant internet connectivity.
As for its look, Insider Gaming says it will look like a PS5 DualSense controller with “a massive 8-inch LCD touchscreen in the center.” It will also have adaptive triggers and support haptic feedback, plus all of the bells and whistles you come to expect for a portable gaming device.
The Q Lite Could Be A Part of The Second Phase of The PS5
The news of the Q Lite follows reports of Sony working on a PlayStation 5 Pro and PS5 console with a detachable disc drive, and it will arrive before both consoles.
All three devices could be a part of the “second phase of the PS5,” according to Jeff Grubb’s reporting. PlayStation is also said to be working on wireless earbuds called “Project Nomad,” a wireless headset called “Project Voyager,” and The Q Lite could all be coming very soon.
Sony officially discontinued its last portable device, the PS Vita, in 2019, leaving the impression the company is done with handheld consoles.
That appears not to be the case. Are you excited about Q Lite? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Photo: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO / Getty
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Source: HBO / The Last of Us
HBO’s The Last of Us exceptional first season is in the books but, as expected, left many with questions and wondering if we are getting a season two and if one of the first season’s stars is returning.
Right off the bat, we are happy to report that, yes, there is a second season coming. In a no-brainer decision, HBO renewed its new hit series based on the PlayStation video game franchise in January.
The one question lingering was if Bella Ramsey would return as Ellie. Speaking with Deadline, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman (who wrote the video game) talked about Ramsey’s return and her backstory, plus the infected or lack thereof in the show.
One burning question many had about the show was why didn’t Joel and Ellie encounter waves of infected or clickers as the season went along. For those who played the game, there are numerous encounters with raiders, cannibals, and the infected.
In the show, we saw people infected by the cordyceps in the first episode when things first popped off, and sparingly in episodes. We saw a new idea that everyone infected is connected, and if you step on a live vine, you can trigger a swarm. We also saw how real sh*t gets when waves of hordes arrive and how bad that can be.
So it’s not like we didn’t see any infected in the show, but according to Mazin, it’s much more complicated than that.
Mazin Explains The Process of Turning A Game Into A TV Show
“Part of the adaptation process is trying to figure out how to take source material that was built around gameplay and port it over to a medium that is passive,” Mazin said. “And a lot of the gameplay centered on non-playable characters that you have to get around by either avoiding them or stealth killing them or just confronting them head-on. That’s sort of your choices when you’re playing. And the NPCs were either raiders or cannibals, or they were the infected.”
“So there’s a lot of fighting. I don’t know what your ultimate kill count is on a typical run of The Last of Us, but it’s in the triple digits for sure. So we did at times have choices to make about how we wanted to present the infected. I will say that even though we were green-lit for a season of television, Neil and I felt like we couldn’t just make a season of television without considering what would come after. ”
Mazin Says More Infected Is Coming In Season 2
He continues, “There is more The Last of Us to come. I think the balance is not always just about within an episode or even episode to episode, but season to season. It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds. But within the episodes that we were concentrating on, I think ultimately, we generally stressed the power of relationships and trying to find significance within moments of action. So there may be less action than some people wanted because we couldn’t necessarily find significance for quite a bit of it, or [they had a] concern that it would be repetitive. After all, you’re not playing it, you’re watching it. And although a lot of people do like to watch gameplay, it needs to be a little bit more focused and purposeful when we’re putting it on TV.”
The Last of Us HBO also gave us a lot more information than the game did. In the season finale, we finally saw Ellie’s backstory and met her mother, played by Ashley Johnson (the voice actor of Ellie in the video game).
Neil Druckman Explains The Last of Us HBO Resurrected A Storyline Originally Set To Be Its Own Game
“So trying to come up with a story, I wrote this short script about Ellie’s mom and how she gave birth to Ellie, how she was bitten at the same time, and wasn’t sure if she was infected during that birth,” Neil Druckman said. “And it just became this little character drama that spoke to the same themes of parental love and how much you’re willing to do even at when you’re on death’s door. That deal fell apart. Then we were talking to another game company to potentially do it as a whole other game. That deal fell apart. Then I became interested in live-action, and I was talking to Ashley Johnson about her starring in it, and then we both got busy, so that fell apart.”
The Ellie’s Backstory Helped Build An Important Storyline In The Show
Druckman continues, “I just kind of forgot about it until Mr. Mazin and I started meeting to talk about the show. Craig was like, ‘What do you have that we haven’t seen? What is Ellie’s backstory?’ And I was just telling him all this stuff. I’m like, oh, right, there’s this other story about Ellie’s mom and blah, blah, blah. I just kind of told him about it. He’s like, ‘Oh my God, we, that has to go in the show.’ And then we talked about how would it fit.”
“Does it make sense to put it in now? It does gives some theories about why Ellie’s immune, even though we don’t answer that conclusively. But I think, more importantly, it builds the relationship between Marlene and [Ellie’s mom] Anna, so that when you get to the ending, and we pit Marlene against Joel, they have their own opposite philosophical terms over how to approach of the end justify the means. Anna’s dying wish was, take care of my kid. I think it gives it more weight and maybe shows more of the tragedy behind Marlene’s sacrifice, that she was trying to make for the betterment of mankind, “Druckman continued.
Bella Ramsey Will Be Back As Ellie
Speaking of Ellie, there was also a question if Bella Ramsey would return for season two. Mazin put all of that to rest, confirming the young actress will be picking up things right where season one left off.
“When she joined us, she was 17. She’s only, she’s 19 now. Which by the way is the age of Ellie in The Last of Us, part 2. People were like, ‘She doesn’t look like [Ellie]. I’m like, it doesn’t matter. Just watch what happens,” says Mazin.
He continues, “It will be the show that Neil and I wanna make. But we are making it with Bella.”
Well, there you have it.
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Photo: HBO / The Last of Us
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Source: Joe Buglewicz / Getty / Sony
The ongoing battle between Sony and Microsoft over this Activision Blizzard acquisition continues to get weird.
Sony has numerous concerns about Microsoft’s still stalled acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and now thanks to a PDF, we know every one of them.
In the documents sent to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sony says it fears that Microsoft could raise the price of Call of Duty, make it exclusive to its Xbox Game Pass service, and sabotage the game so that it runs poorly on PlayStation consoles.
To be more specific, Sony hints at Microsoft releasing a Call of Duty game on PlayStation full of bugs and errors.
Sony’s claims in its documents:
Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty. Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.
It remains unclear if Sony means that Microsoft would intentionally wreck the game or do the whole “plays best on Xbox” thing because it will own the franchise if the acquisition goes through.
Still, Sony has fears Microsoft could sabotage COD on PlayStation in multiple ways by “degrading the quality and performance of Call of Duty on PlayStation compared to Xbox”; “degrading Call of Duty to ignore PlayStation-specific features (eg. better controller haptics)”; or “restricting, degrading, or not investing in the multiplayer experience on PlayStation.”
None of This Makes Any Sense For Microsoft Financially
While these are legit concerns, financially and optically, it makes no sense for Microsoft to do such a thing even if they wanted to.
Sony is also very concerned about the Xbox Game Pass exclusivity for Call of Duty, fearing Microsoft would prevent the company from putting the game on its subscription service.
Ironically in documents submitted by Microsoft, they claim the exact opposite, with Microsoft claiming “any CoD Game in a Microsoft multi-game subscription is eligible for inclusion in Sony’s multi-game subscription service, at the same time and for the same duration.”
Sony is scoffing at that deal because it does not care about the licensing terms or pricing, adding the terms “would commercially destroy Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) multigame subscription business model.”
MS Has Made Two Big Offers To Ease Regulator’s Concerns
Microsoft did extend a 10-year offer to Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but the Japanese company has yet to sign the deal. Microsoft secured a 10-year agreement with Nintendo hours before meeting with the EU regulators and reached a similar deal with Nvidia in what many saw as a way to put more pressure on Sony.
Sony remains firm in its stance, writing in its documents, “Microsoft has not shown any real commitment to reaching a negotiated outcome. they had dragged their feet, engaged only when they sensed the regulatory outlook was darkening and favored negotiating in the media over engaging with SIE.”
Still, Microsoft’s decision to strike deals with Nintendo and Nvidia seems to have worked, as the EU will reportedly approve the $68.7 billion acquisition deal.
That leaves the United States as the last remaining hurdle.
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Photo: Joe Buglewicz / Getty
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Source: Sony / PlayStation
PlayStation Plus was first launched in 2010 and granted its users a variety of options that made the service a vital part of the gaming experience on the platform. PS Plus, as it is also known, went under a massive revamp in 2022 while introducing three tiers, and we’re putting a focus on the PlayStation Plus Premium level.
For starters, let’s talk about what PlayStation Plus is and break down its three tiers.
Source: Sony / PlayStation
Tier 1 is known as PS Plus Essential, which is the same as the former PS Plus. Nothing has changed in the offerings, which include two monthly free games that can be downloaded to your PlayStation 5 console. Essential subscribers also get periodic discounts, cloud storage for game files, and online multiplayer capabilities. The Essential tier costs $9.99 per month or $59.99 for the year.
Tier 2 is known as PS Plus Extra and it offers everything from the Essential tier along with 400-plus PS4 and PS5 games in a wide variety of offerings from platformers, fighting games, first-person shooters, and more. The Extra tier will run you $14.99 per month and $99.99 for the year.
Tier 3 is known as PS Plus Premium and gives its subscribers all of the offerings in the Essential and Extra tiers. In addition, 340-plus PS3 titles can be streamed and playable, along with classic PS1, PS2, and PSP titles among the overall number. The cloud streaming option replaces the former PS Now streaming service. This tier also gives subscribers time-limited game trials to some of the top games in the PlayStation ecosystem. This will cost you $17.99 per month and $119.00 for the year.
I’ve been using the service since the summer and I am not what someone would consider a power gamer. However, I suffer heavily from FOMO and the Premium tier is perfect for someone like me. I’ve learned the hard way which games I enjoy the most (single-player, story-driven, action-adventure) and which ones I don’t (MOBA, RTS). The tier has a number of high-quality games to play, including two favorites of mine, Returnal, and Deathloop.
Housemarque, a developer under the PlayStation Studios umbrella, released Returnal in 2021 to heavy fanfare and adoration from critics. The game is a “roguelike,” which is an offshoot of role-playing games with characters entering randomly generated levels and, most notably, a permanent end to the player’s life cycle. The game is difficult at times and each time the player perishes, it reveals a bit more of the story. It is the game I feel that made purchasing the Premium tier worth it due to the dazzling gunplay, boss fights, and story development.
Having gotten my roguelike sea legs under me, I decided to try out Deathloop next, developed by Arkane Lyon, and also released in 2021. I won’t try to explain the concept but the game’s title is accurate as the main character, the wisecracking assassin Colt, traipses through a variety of environments that have a funky art deco style. I don’t normally do well with first-person shooters (FPS) but I did enjoy how fun Deathloop is along with the hilarious voice acting and the general sense of stealth and discovery.
This isn’t to say there aren’t other great games to play. The service has interesting titles like the excellent Stray, Grand That Auto: Vice City, and several titles from the Assasin’s Creed series. It does appear that games will cycle in and out from the game catalog but anything obtained from the two monthly free game downloads will remain in your library for as long as you maintain a subscription.
Another game I have to mention, especially for fans of The Lord Of The Rings, is Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. When I’m not dying awful deaths in Returnal or frustrating myself with the amazing God of War, I’m enjoying my time taking out Uruks as Talian, a ranger from the land of Gondor. I don’t want to spoil the story but this game employs something known as the Nemesis system, which means if an Uruk captain takes you out, they’ll remember you. Also, any Uruk (basically a beefed-up Orc) you rubbed the wrong way will seek vengeance. For a game made in 2014, it still holds up.
I would offer that if you’re not someone who plays video games often, the Extra tier would be more than enough for some. If you’re someone who enjoys playing games with friends or online buddies and loves the monthly freebies, you’ll need to get the Essential tier. However, the Premium tier is definitely for those who are true gamers. Having access to literally hundreds of games should balance out the cost of that particular tier. The one true ding on PlayStation Plus is that, unlike Xbox’s Game Pass, subscribers won’t be able to have day one access to games on the date of their release.
For now, I can comfortably recommend, at the very least, fans signing up for the Extra tier of PS Plus. Get the Premium if you’re someone who breezes through games or just enjoys a high level of variety. Also, it gives access to a classic array of games you might’ve missed over the years.
Learn more about PlayStation Plus by following this link.
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Photo: Sony/Playstation
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Source: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
Drake borrows some of Pharrell’s old bling to stunt on all of us in his new visual for Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin. One item, in particular, is catching fans’ eyes.
While his boy 21 Savage is beefing on Clubhouse, the Six God is hard at work in 2023, delivering his second visual of the year with “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” off collaborative album Her Loss.
The Tristan C-M-directed 2:22 visual features Drake in the Caribbean on his braggadocious vibes driving a red Ferrari Enzo while stunting in his absurd jewelry collection, now comprised of Pharrell’s $2.2 million chain and gold PSP he seemingly acquired.
The classic gold PSP (PlayStation Portable) console Drake can be seen holding in his hand while letting off bars stand out more than the chain in the video.
Per The Verge, the PSP-1000 was sold on Pharrell’s auction site Joopiter in November for a modest $20,000. The listing for the iconic device says its case is made of 14-karat solid gold that weighs 659.7 grams, and Pharrell tasked Jacob The Jeweler to bling out the device to compliment his gold Blackberry.
Last year, Pharrell tweeted that he was parting with the jewelry and other items to free himself and “for the beginning of a new era.”
Does The PSP Still Work?
What’s old to Skateboard P is new to Drizzy, who couldn’t help but stunt on everyone with Pharrell’s massive multicolor chain featuring a medallion with the Star-Trak team on it.
As for the PSP also features a custom Goyard carry case, no word if it’s still functioning. Drake did not power on the portable console in the video, but who would spend $20,000 on a broken device?
You can watch Drake call us broke in his new “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” video below.
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Photo: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
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Source: Future Publishing / Getty / PlayStation 5
The days of selling your kidneys and doing strange things for a PlayStation 5 are finally over. Allegedly.
Wednesday, Jan.4, during the company’s CES presentation, Sony boss Jim Ryan declared the PlayStation 5 jig is finally over.
“Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward,” Ryan told CES attendees.
Ryan also said that Sony sold over 30 million PlayStation 5 consoles. That’s 5 million more than what was initially reported in November.
Are those consoles sitting in gamers’ entertainment systems is another question entirely.
Acquiring a PlayStation 5 deserves a platinum trophy, as many gamers found out when the next-gen console launched in November 2020. Not until August 2022 was it a tad bit easier to find a PS5, reportedly.
Still, finding a PS5 at retail price requires patience and a bit of luck, of course. The best way to get a PS5 console without dealing with scalpers is to buy the $550 disc drive edition that either comes with Horizon Forbidden West or God of War: Ragnarok.
That’s a steep asking price if you’re budget is set on copping the $399 digital edition of the PS5 console.
Ryan thanked PlayStation fans for their “managed unprecedented demand amid global challenges over the past two years.”
What’s PS5 Stock Looking Like?
We decided to do some investigating, and we checked Best Buy. It seems bundles are in high demand and requires a Best Buy account to purchase one.
Checking Gamestop says there are limited quantities of the Horizon Forbidden West digital, physical bundle, and digital edition console.
If you want to purchase a God of War: Ragnarok bundle, you have to be a pro-member, but it does seem that it is becoming “easier” to find one.
The real test will be if you can actually walk into a Best Buy or Gamestop location and walk out with a PS5 console.
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Photo: Future Publishing / Getty