Sony announces PlayStation virtual reality initiative Project Morpheus

BREAKING--Today during an "innovation" presentation at the 2014 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony officially announced a a virtual reality initiative, which the company hopes will "push the game industry forward."

Sony president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida said, "Nothing elevates the level of immersion better than VR."

Sony has been exploring virtual reality technology for more than three years, even enlisting the help of God of War studio Sony Santa Monica to create multiple prototypes, Yoshida said. One prototype even allowed the user to become Kratos.

Early prototypes used Sony's own HMZ head-mounted display in conjunction with PlayStation Move controllers.

Source Gamespot.com

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD rides in June

The Tony Hawk franchise will ride again this June. The iconic skateboarder revealed recently via Twitter that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD will release on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network in June. Previously, the game was expected to arrive sometime this summer.

In development at Robomodo (Tony Hawk Ride, Tony Hawk Shred) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD will be the first Tony Hawk title distributed exclusively through digital channels. It will contain levels from the first two Tony Hawk titles, retouched and running on a new game engine. The title will also feature some, but not all, of the songs from the original games.

Confirmed characters for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD thus far include familiar favorites like Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Andrew Reynolds, and Eric Koston, as well as newcomers like Chris Cole, Nyjah Huston, and Hawk's son, Riley Hawk. A firm price for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD has not been announced, but it is expected to sell for "around $15."

[gamespot.com]

Sony confirms crossover brawler

The rumors were right. Today, Sony officially announced PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, a Smash Bros.-esque fighting game headed to the PlayStation 3 this year.

In development at SuperBot Entertainment, the title is a four-player "mash-up brawler" that includes a roster of iconic Sony characters. Confirmed characters thus far include Kratos, Parappa the Rapper, Sly Cooper, Colonel Radec, Sweet Tooth, and Fat Princess.

Players will duke it out on a host of Sony-themed environments with static and interactive elements. Locales confirmed for the game include the underworld setting of God of War's Hades, Ratchet and Clank's cityscape Metropolis, and Jak and Daxter's Sandover Village.

As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, All-Stars Battle Royale will feature a number of single- and multiplayer game modes, as well as online play complete with a "robust" tournament option. For more on All-Stars Battle Royale, check out GameSpot's just-published hands-on preview.

[gamespot.com]

Sony blocking PS3 Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Challenges

Sony is blocking BioWare from running its weekend Multiplayer Challenges for Mass Effect 3 on the PlayStation 3, the role-playing game developer explained on its website.

agreement.

According to BioWare community manager Eduardo Vasconcellos, Sony has not yet approved the promotion to run on the PlayStation 3. He said BioWare and Sony are presently working to hammer out a compromise, but none has yet been reached.
BioWare did not say why Sony is blocking Multiplayer Challenges from Mass Effect 3, and as of press time, the publisher had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.
Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Challenges are promotional weekend events that have been running since launch for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. For example, this weekend, BioWare is offering all participating squads in its Operation Resurgence challenge +10 percent additional experience to encourage players to try out the game's new maps.

[source gamespot.com ]

EA exploring Battlefield subscription service

The Battlefield series may one day offer a subscription service. EA Games executive vice president Patrick Soderlund told Venturebeat that the company is exploring such a model for its marquee shooter franchise.

"I think it's fair to say that we're looking at that," he said. "Like all other companies, we're looking at how we can maximize our investment in this and get the most out of our investment, and get more people playing this product. That may take us to different places, but we're not really talking about where that is yet."

EA competitor Activision launched a Call of Duty subscription service, called Call of Duty Elite, last year. A $50 premium annual subscription gives gamers access to all Modern Warfare 3 downloadable content, as well as other perks.

Asked if EA is aiming to take the Call of Duty franchise down with Battlefield, Soderlund said the markets for both games are different, and focusing on quality will lead to greater sales for the publisher.

"When it comes to taking Call of Duty down, you know what? I don't look at it like that. We are in this business because we want to make the best possible products," he said. "Call of Duty is a shooter, but it's a different shooter. And I think they have a market; we have a market. I'm fine with what I'm doing. I'm going to continue innovating and doing as best as I can with my teams. Hopefully that's going to lead us to more units [sold] and more happy consumers."

[source gamespot.com ]

Why You Shouldn't Buy a 3G PS Vita

In just a matter of weeks, Sony's long awaited handheld, the PS Vita will make its debut in the United States. When it launches, customers will have two flavors to choose from -- a standard Wi-Fi-only model and a 3G-enabled version. But the luxury of having constant integrated connectivity comes at significant cost, including an extra $50 for the hardware itself and up to $30 a month in service fees. If the additional expense wasn't enough to dissuade you, here are three more reasons to pass on the 3G-enabled PS Vita. 

The Vita's 3G Functions are Limited

It'd be one thing if the 3G-enabled PS Vita provided constant, unhindered connectivity to the system's entire suite of online features, such as realtime online multiplayer and full game downloads via PSN, but that simply isn't the case. In order to regulate network strain, AT&T and Sony will only allow for basic functions to be accessed over 3G, such as web browsing, PSN messaging, asynchronous multiplayer (i.e. turn-based games) and leaderboard access. If users want to play with other players online in realtime or download a

Sony Reveals Top PSN Downloads For December

The PlayStation Blog released the bestsellers of the PSN during the month of December. Sonic CD took the lead, but there are some surprises sprinkled in there. I am happy to see LIMBO continuing to perform well despite releasing much earlier this year. Here's the list:

1. Sonic CD
2. inFAMOUS 2 Festival of Blood
3. NBA JAM: On Fire Edition
4. PAYDAY: The Heist
5. Trine 2
6. Castle Crashers
7. Saints Row 2
8. Resident Evil 4
9. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection
10. Voltron: Defender of the Universe
11. Penny Arcade Adventures: OTRSPOD, Episodes 1 and 2
12. Scene It? Movie Night
13. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
14. Dungeon Defenders
15. Battlefield 1943
16. Midnight Club Los Angeles Complete Edition
17. Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
18. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
19. REAL STEEL
20. LIMBO

Sony's blog post also breaks down a few other best sellers like top 5 PS3 add-ons, PS Once classics, and PSP games. Head over to the PlayStation Blog to check out all the best sellers.

[source gameinformer.com]

Sony sued over terms of service update

According to court documents obtained by GameSpot, a Northern California man filed suit against Sony late last month on behalf of all customers who purchased a PlayStation 3 and signed up for PSN access before the September change to Sony's terms of service. The suit alleges that Sony engaged in unfair business practices by forcing consumers to either give up their right to file a class-action lawsuit or give up access to the online gaming network they effectively paid for when they purchased the hardware.

The suit says Sony buried the clause section describing the changes near the bottom of a 21-page form viewable through the PS3 and neglected to post an easily accessible version of the form online, even though it had done so with past user agreement updates. While the suit notes that Sony allowed an opt out from the class-action provision, the only way for consumers to do that was to contact the company in writing (no emails, phone calls, or online forms accepted) within 30 days.
Sony had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

[source au.gamespot.com]