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Sony will limit PlayStation download speeds in the US
Earlier this week, both Sony and Microsoft announced that they would follow the lead of many streaming companies and limit the bandwidth of their gaming services in Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Today, Sony updated PlayStation fans, saying that it will take similar measures in the US. By capping download speeds, the company hopes to maintain network stability as more and more people resort to gaming to pass the time while social distancing. Sony says gamers should expect slower game downloads, but assures them that they will experience the same robust gameplay as normal. In other words, it sounds like Sony isn't planning on throttling traffic for online games -- just file downloads.
Xbox and PlayStation networks adjusted due to surging demand
As internet usage around the world soars due to the effects of the coronavirus, tech companies are taking steps to ensure their services remain as unaffected as possible. Services such as gaming are seeing record levels of engagement, but two major names -- Microsoft and Sony -- have assured players they're watching the situation closely.
Watch Sony's PS5 deep dive in under 10 minutes
Today Sony revealed a ton of information and specs about the upcoming PlayStation 5. Everything from its speedy SSD, details on the clock speed of its CPU and GPU and plans for 3D audio are now revealed. If you tuned in for the hour-long livestream then you've probably heard everything, but if you'd prefer to cut out any filler or just get a quick replay then we have the solution. Besides a rundown of known PS5 specs compared to the Xbox Series X, we have this ten minute video that brings just the parts you need from Sony's presentation. It's the fastest way to get caught up on how Sony's next box will "shape the future of games."
The PlayStation 5 vs. the Xbox Series X: Which is more powerful?
The next generation of consoles is coming, with plenty of emphasis on how much power these things have — the better to render modern graphics. Last week we got a look at what's inside Microsoft's Xbox Series X, and today we're finally seeing what's under the hood with the PlayStation 5. As usual, we've lined up their specs for a side-by-side comparison, though for a final verdict we'd wait to see what games each system has lined up and Engadget's full review when both systems launch later this year.
PlayStation 5 will feature a 10.2-teraflop GPU and a speedy custom SSD
It's been almost a year since Sony started talking about the PlayStation 5 in an uncharacteristically revealing Wired interview. We learned the next-generation console will be powered by AMD's third-generation Ryzen CPU and a custom Radeon Navi GPU. Additionally, it'll support hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and feature speedy SSD storage. But beyond confirming the name "PlayStation 5" and announcing a familiar-looking logo, Sony hasn't given us many specific details about the console -- certainly not as many as Microsoft has around the Xbox Series X, which on paper has similar hardware.
Watch Sony's PlayStation 5 'deep dive' right here at 12PM ET
At last, Sony is ready to divulge some more PlayStation 5 details. The company has been rather hush-hush since lead architect Mark Cerny revealed some basic specs and system features in a Wired interview last year. Sony has divulged the console's name, release window and logo, sure, but there's still so much that we don't know. Well, we should find out a little more in a video that kicks off today at 9AM PT/12PM ET. It will be hosted by Cerny and offer "a deep dive into PS5's system architecture, and how it will shape the future of games," Sony explained in a tweet. Excited? So are we. For all the juicy tidbits, be sure to watch the livestream below.
Indie horror classic 'Amnesia' is getting a sequel called 'Rebirth'
Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a breath of fresh air when it hit PCs in 2010. Rather than using Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or any of the other classic survival horror games as a template, it created a unique and exploratory take on the genre. It quickly became a classic -- both as a game and as a livestreaming sensation. Ten years later, fans will finally be able to play a sequel. Frictional Games announced Amensia: Rebirth today and assured players that the game will stay true to the original's roots.
My favorite PlayStation 2 game was DVDs
The PlayStation 2 was the first game console I ever bought. Heck, it was the first big ticket item I ever bought, period. That was a big deal at a time when I was only making $135 a week, and most of that cash was going toward college costs: tuition, textbooks and transportation. So I had to save up for months, while also finding a way to justify the high cost to myself (and my skeptical mother). The PS2 had one trump card in its deck, one thing that I could point at and say, "Look, it's not just a game machine, I didn't waste my money on such a single-use luxury!" It could play DVDs. It was in fact, my first DVD player.
We're all kinda fine with DRM now
Digital Rights Management. The phrase alone, or just its abbreviation, DRM, once had the power to spark scathing editorials and spawn furious debates in online forums worldwide. In the 2000s, major PC video game publishers began adding software to their discs that limited the number of times these games could be installed, tracking and verifying players in new, conspicuous ways. Variations of this system persisted throughout the early 2010s, when Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with built-in DRM checks. The response from fans was so vicious that Microsoft abandoned its strategy and rebuilt the Xbox One without DRM just months before its launch date. Fast forward to February 2020. NVIDIA launched GeForce Now, the first and only cloud gaming platform to operate on a "DRM-free" basis. When you buy a game via GeForce Now, you get to keep it, regardless of whether the service itself remains live -- a promise that its competitors, Google Stadia and Microsoft's xCloud, can't make. Yet, no one seems to care.
How do you feel about the PlayStation 2 as it turns 20?
In a few short weeks, the PlayStation 2 will turn 20. It was released March 4, 2000 in Japan, with the rest of the world eventually getting their hands on it that fall. It was backward compatible with games for the original PlayStation, and also played DVDs. (Personally, it was the first video disc player I ever owned.) And of course, there were the games. Shadow of the Colossus, Kingdom Hearts, Katamari Damacy — plenty of classic titles and series got their start there, as well as new installments in famous franchises, like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy X. The system was ultimately in production for a whopping 13 years, with more than 4,000 games released in total and over 155 million consoles sold.
Sony closes UK PSVR studio before it even released a game
Sony's VR-focused games studio in Manchester, UK, has closed down without ever releasing a game. The business -- which was formed back in 2015 -- had been working on an unannounced VR project but as now been shut "as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness." GamesIndustry.biz reports that it understands the entire studio has been made redundant.
Sony's PlayStation business is slowing faster than expected
Back in 2018 Sony made it clear that its games department would be slowing down as it prepared for the next generation PlayStation. Now it's released its quarterly results which go beyond a "slowing down" to illustrate a much more significant drop in revenue for the business.
YouTube TV arrives on PS4 ahead of PlayStation Vue shut down
PlayStation Vue subscribers have likely already marked their calendars for January 30th, the day when Sony will pull the plug on its live TV service. But the death of Vue doesn't mean PS4 users will have to move to different hardware for their live and on-demand fix, as YouTube TV is now available on the console. The service has a solid lineup of channels and DVR functions for $50 a month -- the same price as Vue's cheapest bundle -- so the transition from Sony's service to Google's could be a relatively painless one.
Sony's PlayStation wrap-up reveals your top games of 2019
PlayStation has started sending out its year-end wrap-up reports, and they may bring back fond memories of the time you spent playing your favorite games last year. The report will tell you how many titles you've played in 2019, along with a list of the three you've accessed the most and the number of hours you've spent on each one. If you were ever in denial about hoarding games only to play a handful in rotation, then the report can give you a reality check.
PlayStation's new Back Button accessory is a wasted opportunity
Sony's DualShock is a good controller. Its Emmy award-winning design has hardly changed over the last couple of decades. It had a run of minor refinements until the DualShock 4 added a touchpanel, some fancy lights and a grippier texture. But things have moved on. PlayStation's biggest rival, Xbox, has a high-end controller for top-level gamers, while expensive third-party options from SCUFF and Hori have proved there are better ways to play PS4. Enter the unimaginatively named Back Button Attachment, aimed at giving your six-year-old DualShock 4 a few new tricks. But just a few.
We're live from Sony's CES 2020 press event!
Sony's CES mood in recent years is one of quiet confidence and, well, not many big hardware announcements. Instead, it uses CES press conferences as a showcase for what it did the year before. That's not great news if you were angling for details on the next-generation PlayStation, but expect updates to the company's TVs and audio hardware. Maybe we'll get some new cameras, as both Nikon and Canon have launched new systems in the last year. We'll be liveblogging whatever Sony has planned, so join us here at 5:00 PM PST (8:00 PM EST). Any questions or demands? You can ask me on Twitter (@thatmatsmith).
'Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection' is free on PS Plus in January
Sony is giving the PS4 a proper send-off by making some of its most important games available to just about everyone... if they have PlayStation Plus subscriptions, that is. The company has announced that January's free PS Plus games will include Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, giving you a chance to play the first three games in Drake's story (no multiplayer, alas) in remastered PS4 versions. Some games have aged more gracefully than others (the original feels like a prototype for what the others would become), but it's a good way to catch up -- or just to avoid digging your PS3 out of the closet.
The 10-year challenge: Video game edition
The 10-year challenge swept social media in January, with people posting images of themselves from 2009 and 2019, usually accompanied by a cute remark about things being the same yet totally different. It's a fun, heartwarming way to train machine learning algorithms in facial recognition.
Sony lands patent for a new PlayStation controller design
A new PlayStation controller may be in the works at Sony HQ. The tech giant has secured a prototype for a new controller design on December 26th, according to Dutch publication LetsGoDigital, which found its documentation on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database. Based on the illustrations on the website, the new design looks pretty much like the current DualShock 4 controllers, except it doesn't have a PS button and there are two additional buttons on its backside.
Battle royale brawler 'Darwin Project' gets full release in January
Scavenger Studio's Darwin Project made waves at Microsoft's E3 conference all the way back in 2017. It's been sat in Xbox Game Preview ever since, and despite going free to play in 2018, there's not been a whole bunch of activity around the battle royale brawler. Until now, as Scavenger has announced it's getting a full release in January 2020, which will also see it -- to the delight of the 3.6 million players the game has already attracted -- make its way to PlayStation 4.