Sony partners with Seagate to make a PlayStation-branded 2TB hard drive

Sony partners with Seagate to make a PlayStation-branded 2TB hard drive 1

Sony annouced that it’ll be partnering up with Seagate to make a PlayStation-branded external hard drive exclusively for the PS4. While news about the upcoming next-gen PS5 is still scarce, Sony seems to be still focusing on giving out some last-minute offerings for their PS4 console. They’ve ponied up with Seagate, one of the world’s … Read more

SouljaGame Handheld is a $100 PS Vita knock-off

SouljaGame Handheld is a $100 PS Vita knock-off 2

Soulja Boy has released a new console after following a suspected Nintendo lawsuit. This time around, it’s the SouljaGame Handheld, which is clearly just a rip-off of the PlayStation Vita. He’s been making headlines through the release of many branded Soulja products. Some of them were previously released consoles that seem to be a knock-off of … Read more

Nike’s PG 2.5 X PlayStation Colorway shoes have a secret “glow” option

Nike's PG 2.5 X PlayStation Colorway shoes have a secret "glow" option 4

A small but awesome easter egg has been discovered on the new pair of PG 2.5 x PlayStation Colorway sneakers.

For those who are unaware, this pair of kicks were inspired by the original PlayStation and they’re being made by Nike for PS fans. Right now, there are tons of pictures surfacing the web, but there’s an homage to PS4 that many people are missing. These are very hard to find right now in stores, so the best place to look is online if you’re just window shopping.

Many of the features of the sneakers pay tribute directly to the original PlayStation, such as the logo, color scheme, and even design and print. But Nike also snuck in a tribute to the current PS4 with a minor easter egg shoutout. A glowing Paul George logo with the PlayStation’s power button is found on the left shoe’s tongue. This is obvious just from any picture, but what’s not so obvious is that it can be controlled.

But what’s interesting is that the glowing logo has two options:

  • A solid blue glow
  • A rapid breathing, “sleep mode” strobe reminiscent of the PS4 before it goes to sleep

Twitter user SpongeYaDig shared this new information to DualShockers alongside a video demonstrating the effect:

For PlayStation fans, this is just pure bliss. When it comes to easter eggs, the minor attention to details is what matters. Paul George and Nike are both endorsers of PlayStation it seems since this isn’t the first time they’ve released PlayStation-themed sneakers.

The PG 2.5 x PlayStation Colorway sneakers have limited shelf availability and will likely never be found on shelves. The best way to get your hands on a pair of them is to used platforms like eBay or craigslist. I just checked on eBay and they range in price from $140 up to $600 at the time of this writing, so the limited stock release plus the special theme make these a valuable pair of shoes and definitely a collector’s item. You won’t see many people sporting these on the streets.

PlayStation users in Chicago will be paying a 9% “Amusement Tax” starting November 14

PlayStation users in Chicago will be paying a 9% "Amusement Tax" starting November 14 5

Sony has confirmed that PlayStation users in Chicago will be subject to the 9% “Amusement Tax.” Starting on November 14, the tax will be applicable to purchases of PlayStation Plus, PS Now, PS Vue, PS Music, PS VOD, and PS Video Live Events. The tax is also called the “Hamilton Tax” after its effect over the musical Hamilton, a Broadway musical, which is also taxed in Chicago.

Sony began enforcing local tax policies on PSN since 2016 and local taxes can affect literally any purchase you make depending on the current city’s situation and conditions.

What this means is that users in Chicago will have to pay an additional 9% on all cloud services- including a PS Plus subscription, which will run it at about $5 more than other states in the US. The tax isn’t popular in the city of Chicago, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel says that they’re necessary for the city’s pensions. Other companies like Netflix and even Xbox are all subject to the tax. Netflix has already raised prices in Chicago in order to negate the tax for their profit margins.

Sony has joined the tax group alongside other giants and will start collecting taxes from gamers tomorrow. Some companies like Apple are taking action against the city for the taxes saying it’s unconstitutional and a violated of the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 which prohibits counties, states, and municipalities from adding taxes on electronic commerce.

Sony doesn’t seem to be fighting the tax at this point and PlayStation gamers will now be subject to the same tax as other amusement activities until changes are made (if any).

At this point, only Chicago is subject to the cloud tax. No other city has been reported to be enforcing such a tax. Speculation says that this local tax could affect New York City.

Players “locked” out of PT on PS4; Konami denies allegations

Players "locked" out of PT on PS4; Konami denies allegations 6

A few days ago, a rumor surfaced the web that Konami had recently released a new update for their horror game PT that was locking the game for specific players and making it unable to be played. However, this didn’t seem to be a legitimate action even with more player reports all over the ‘net.

Now, Konami has spoken on the issue. They said that there’s indeed been no new update to PT in version 1.01 that would’ve locked the game.

A statement sent to DualShockers read as follows:

“After our investigation we can confirm that there have been no Konami or PlayStation Network (PSN) update that would have affected or prevent access to the game.”

So that’s the confirmation we’ve been looking for. They never prevented access to the game. Though some players can’t access the game on their PS4, this is likely due to a licensing issue or region issue. The whole story could’ve been a hoax from the beginning, but with Koanim’s word, that’s straight from the horse’s mouth.

Though we can’t confirm the whereabouts of this story, we at least know that the developer didn’t actually take any action to lock the game. That’s about as much as we can confirm about the whole uprising. But if any other news surfaces, we’ll keep you updated. We suggest deleting PT and redownloading it if you can’t play the game right now on your PS4. Then again, this is just a demo. People do like drama.

PlayStation confirms PSN name change feature; Program details released

PlayStation confirms PSN name change feature; Program details released 7

Sony has announced that players can officially change their PSN username.

This has been a long-awaited feature (if you can call it that) that PSN users have been demanding for years. Xbox 360 and Xbox One users could change it anytime for a fee, but PlayStation users are set in stone once their online name has been chosen. They couldn’t change it even if they paid cash.

Microsoft gives every player a default, computer-generated username at the start, but can be changed once for free. Afterward, there’s a small fee for doing so. But the process is painless.

PlayStation announced that they would allow changes to your PSN Online ID. This news surfaced the web this morning and is beginning with a group of guinea pigs. The process doesn’t have an exact date, but they said the ability to change your username “is coming.” The testing phase will end next month. Rumors have been said that the program will roll out to everyone next year.

The first name change is free (just like Xbox), but following name changes will cost $9.99. If you’re a PS Plus member, it’ll cost just $4.99 (about 50% off). The feature works just as how you’d expect, but you also have the options to “display your previous ID with your new ID, so your friends can recognize you.” However, this decision is permanent and can’t be reversed to hide the old and new username associated together.

The majority of games will support the feature, but not all. PlayStation says that “a large majority of the most-played PS4 games” will support it and any game that’s released after April 1, 2018. A list will be released when the program is rolled out so players can refer to it and see if a name change is supported.

“This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date. However, please note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games.”

Since the feature is still new, users are bound to face bugs, glitches, and errors. They can revert back to their old name for free if they should encounter any, but only one revision is allowed during the preview program.

Best-selling PSVR titles of all time documented

Best-selling PSVR titles of all time documented 8

Mat Piscatella, a video game industry analyst working for The NPD Group, documented the five best-selling games of all time based on the PSVR label in the US. He posted his research via a tweet on his Twiter account. He listed the top five best-selling “PSVR Required” titles in order of sales:

  • Farpoint
  • Worlds VR
  • Batman: Arkham VR
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • Driveclub VR

https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1047147289532219397

He noted that the ranking was determined by dollar sales. Whether or not you like these titles, sales are the best measurement of how a game performs. While we can argue back and forth with personal anecdotes, Metacritic scores, and even personal reviews, nothing can be said about the sales figures for games.

This is often the strongest measure of success in the industry. Even if you’ve heard a game sucks, as long as it sells, it’s a success.

Piscatella ranked the games by dollar amount and not sales figures. His research only contains PS4 games that require PSVR, not where the VR is optional. Three of the five games were published by Sony and Sony’s offerings have been more popular than others in terms of PSVR

First-party titles seem to be often more successful than third-party games in terms of PSVR sales overall. With only Skyrim and Batman being third-party titles, they need to step it up in order to compete with Sony’s own lineup. Of course, it’s much easier for Sony to promote their own titles on their own PS Store.

VR gaming is becoming more mainstream as companies like Sony facilitate the process. With the rise of more affordable VR tech, like the Oculus Quest, VR gaming is only expanding worldwide. As we get more and more games adopting this tech, we’re entering a new frontier. Or should I say, a new dimension?

Image: PlayStation.

Source: The NPD Group.

PlayStation Experience 2018 won’t be happening – “Not enough PS exclusives”

PlayStation Experience 2018 won't be happening - "Not enough PS exclusives" 9

Fans have been questioning for months now on the debacle of whether or not Sony will be hosting PlayStation Experience this year- the fan-powered event that takes place every year in December. As we edge towards the holidays, Sony still hasn’t announced anything regarding when the event would take place in 2018.

Sony’s Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden, just confirmed that the PS Experience will be canceled for 2018. This was confirmed in this week’s episode of the PlayStation Blogcast (the official PS Blog)

Layden said he knows many fans will be upset over this news. He somewhat trotted on the idea that due to 2019 wouldn’t have an expansive lineup of PlayStation exclusive others than Days Gone and Dreams, so thus, Sony wouldn’t be able to make costs meet to host the event this year. He didn’t want to disappoint fans either by not having any solid lineup of games to show off.

PlayStation Experience may return again next year. This is just due to a coincidental poor lineup of exclusives.

Sony still has other games like Ghost of Tsushima, Death Standing, and The Last of Us Part II, but none of them are worthy to talk about during the event. Sony may attend Paris Games Week again this year, and we may hear something about their first-party lineup before the new year. Let’s get an awesome lineup for next year’s PS Experience.