Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Birthdays: The Beginning, a world-building sandbox simulation game from the creator of the Harvest Moon series, will make its English-language debut in March for the PlayStation 4 and Windows PCs via Steam, publisher NIS America announced this week.
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NBA 2K17 fanatics have a new incentive to exercise on a regular basis, as their use of Fitbit activity trackers will soon unlock in-game bonuses and boosted character stats for the latest entry in 2K's popular basketball simulation series.
The post ‘NBA 2K17’ players can step up their game by tracking daily activity with a Fitbit appeared first on Digital Trends.
The upgraded version of Bethesda's open-world RPG 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' offers native support for 4K resolutions when played on a PS4 Pro console, but the game's performance takes an unexpected hit as a trade-off.
The post ‘Skyrim: Special Edition’ frame rate performance suffers on PS4 Pro consoles appeared first on Digital Trends.
There are few things more frustrating than staring at loading screens and progress bars. In the modern age of gaming however, it’s an inevitability. Discs have to be read, hard drives have to load, and files need to be downloaded. Combine this with a lengthy setup process, account verification, game installations, and everything else, it all adds up to a whole lot of waiting. That fate is no different for the soon-to-be-released PS4 Pro.
If you’re getting a new PS4 Pro as your first foray into the PS4 ecosystem, then congrats! Your setup process is fresh and painless. Sign up for or log into your PSN account (you should definitely get PlayStation Plus if you don’t have it already) and enjoy the bountiful world of PlayStation.
But what if you already have a PlayStation 4 and you’re buying the PS4 Pro as a marginal mid-generation upgrade? With over 40 million PS4s sold so far, that likely applies to a lot of people.
Thankfully, Sony has made it relatively painless to transfer all of your data to the your new, beefier, console. But before you start the process, you need to make sure you have everything in order. Otherwise, you’ll hit errors or it won’t go through properly.
First of all, ensure that both of your PS4s are plugged in. Sounds obvious, but it’s important. They both must also be on the most recent firmware version, so just to be safe, check for updates from the settings menus. If you use multiple users and accounts on your PS4, then you’ll have to go in and sync the trophies for each account (Settings>Trophies) and also sign into PSN to link everything together.
Connect your PS4 and PS4 Pro to the same WiFi network, then connect them together using an ethernet cable. That’s really about it. During the initial setup phase of your PS4 Pro, you should have been prompted to start this process assuming you prepared everything correctly, but if not, you can access it from the Settings menu.
Luckily, this transfer process is simple and painless. Now, the PS4 will transfer all of your saved data, captures like screenshots and videos, trophies if they’re synced, console settings, and even your game installations, to your shiny new PS4 Pro. Since the standard hard drive space is double the standard space of the original PS4 (500GB -> 1TB) there is a lot more space, but only a little over 800GB is actually usable. Since the PS4 Pro still doesn’t allow the use of external hard drives, you’d have to upgrade it manually if you so desired.
One thing of note, however, is that it does take some time. Transferring just around 280GB of data from my original PS4 to the PS4 Pro took a little over an hour. Plan accordingly.
Do you have any other questions about the PS4 Pro? Make sure to read our review of the console and how it measures up for use with the PS VR headset.
Global publisher Capcom is exploring the possibility of porting its recent PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases to the Nintendo Switch, potentially giving Nintendo's upcoming console a major boost in third-party support.
The post Capcom is looking to port its PS4 and Xbox One games to Nintendo Switch appeared first on Digital Trends.
Sony has been awfully busy so far in 2016. Less than a month since the PlayStation VR headset released into the wild, the gaming giant is already releasing a brand new iterative upgrade on its flagship gaming console. This week, the PlayStation 4 Pro will release, offering 4K resolutions, HDR content, and improved performance and stability. It’s far from what a theoretical PS5 might look like, but the PS4 Pro is still an improvement over the standard PS4.
If you’re curious about how well the PS4 Pro performs for standard 2D gaming, then this isn’t the review for you. I played Shadows of Mordor and The Last of Us Remastered a bit on the new PS4 Pro that Sony sent me for review because I’m as excited about 4K gaming as the next guy, but that’s not what the bulk of my assessment was focused on. For us here at UploadVR, what we care most about is the immersive medium of virtual reality.
So I decided to instead ask: Does the PS4 Pro really and truly improve the PS VR experience? Let’s dive right in. If you want to get an up-close look at the device, the new controller, and how it looks sitting alongside the VR headset, then take a look a look at our early PS4 Pro unboxing photos from last week.
Stylistically, the PS4 Pro looks awfully similar to the standard PS4. Generally, it has the same parallelogram-meets-sandwich-style design, although it is a bit sleeker. Instead of half the top being glossy and the other half matte, the entire outer casing now has a matte finish. The center PS logo on the top is reflective, which is a nice touch. On the bottom, the cross, square, circle, and triangle icons are used as the little rubber feet that keep the console from sliding around. It looks and works great both laying flat and standing upright. Surprisingly, it’s much quieter than the original PS4 in my experience, even after being left on for a while, and it never overheated for me.
In terms of specs, the PS4 Pro is definitely an upgrade where it counts most. For starters, it features an HDMI 2.0 out port, which is what enables the full 4K resolution and HDR for TVs that support it. Worth noting is that even if your TV is a 4K device, it may not be an HDR device, which adds additional vibrancy and depth to the visuals, so take note if that’s important to you.
Under the hood, the AMD CPU with eight jaguar cores is clocked at 2.1 GHz, compared to the standard PS4’s 1.4 GHz. And since the GPU is powered by AMD’s ‘Polaris’ architecture, it’s actually increased to 4.2 teraflops, from the standard model’s 1.84 — which is a big improvement. Thankfully, the 1TB of default storage is double the size of the standard model, but it still doesn’t support external storage drives, although you can upgrade it internally if you want.
For actually playing games, you’ll be treated to a nearly identical, but slightly improved, DualShock 4 controller as well. It feels better, more precise, and sturdier in your hands without sacrificing the original design. I was especially fond of the new material on the control sticks and the improved hand grip textures.
All this adds up to a machine that can display at much higher resolutions, more stable frame rates, crisper visuals, and increased horsepower. Load times feel shorter in games as well, although that is an entirely anecdotal observation. This console still pales in comparison to a top-of-the-line custom-built PC, but it offers an admirable improvement over Sony’s base model.
In terms of setup, if you do not currently own a PS4 at all, then it couldn’t be easier. Plug the power cord into the wall, plug the HDMI cord into the best socket your TV’s got (with the highest refresh rate, resolution, and HDR support of course,) and ideally jam the ethernet cord in as well to enjoy the sweet taste of hard-wired internet access. That’s really all you have to do as a bare minimum.
If you’ve got a PS4 already, things get a little more time consuming. You can actually transfer all of your installed games, save files, media captures, settings, and essentially everything else quite simply. Just make sure both consoles are logged onto the same PSN account and the same WiFi signal, then link them up with an ethernet cord, and follow the on-screen prompts. While it’s relatively easy to do, it’s still cumbersome. Roughly 300GB of data from my old PS4 took a little over an hour to fully transfer.
If you are setting up your PS VR with your new PS4 Pro as well, then it is worth noting that the Processor Unit that was required for your headset is not only still required, but it also disables HDR content. So that means if you want to view any HDR content, the HDMI cord must go directly from the PS4 Pro to your TV, without passing through the Processor Unit at all. It’s a bit of an annoyance, but it’s easily solved in most cases.
This is the big question for a lot of people: Does the PS4 Pro really improve the PS VR experience? According to Greg Koreman, co-foudner of Impulse Gear, the company that’s developing Farpoint, back when the PS4 Pro was first unveiled he told UploadVR in an interview that, “Across the board, it’s more crisp. That’s because we are rendering roughly twice as many pixels. So absolutely everything will look clearer.” But since the lenses themselves inside the headset aren’t displaying at 4K resolution, why does any of this matter?
Well, it’s a complex answer. Objectively speaking, yes, PS VR games do look better when running on a PS4 Pro. After setting them both up, side-by-side, on the same television using the same headset, I can confirm that games are noticeably sharper and crisper, especially if they have received an official patch incorporating support for PS4 Pro. Games like Battlezone and PS VR Worlds were patched ahead of time for testing, but even games like Driveclub VR, which didn’t have official Pro patches yet, looked crisper and smoother inside the headset.
Since adding Pro support is entirely up to the developers, it’s a bit of a mixed bag still. EVE: Valkyrie could arguable benefit from it the most, as the jagged edges and intense action could use the extra boost that the Pro affords, but I didn’t notice much of a difference in that one yet.
Ultimately though, most of the PS VR games are nearly identical, even if they have been patched with Pro support. No matter what spec sheet you look at, marketing material you read, or trailer you watch, at the end of the day they are all still PS4 games running on a PS4 inside of a PS VR. It won’t ever approach the same level of detail possible on a high-end gaming PC powering an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. The PS VR is still a less powerful, but awfully capable headset — even when propped up by the additional strength of the PS4 Pro.
Does it offer marginal enhancements? Yes. Are those enhancements enough to persuade you to go out and buy a new console? That depends on a lot of factors. Here is a full list of expected launch support for PS VR games on the PS4 Pro.
Even though I was mostly evaluating the PS VR enhancements, I did test out the non-VR 4K features and came away impressed. There is a noticeable difference for games that receive upgraded patches enabling native 4K displays. However, since all developers are still required to support the standard model PS4 as well, that means that it’s going to be supported only on a case-by-case basis.
Some games will just be upscaled to 4K, some will run natively. Some games will run in 4K but only at 30FPS, while other games will run in 1080p but at 60FPS. Some games will see enhanced visuals, load times, and draw distances on a PS4 Pro even on a non-4K TV, while other games will run and play noticeably better on a premium 4K television.
It’s a bit all over the place and you should do research about which games receive which kind of support before diving in.
As for video, the PS4 Pro does support 4K streaming, but not 4K Blu-ray playback. It’s a baffling decision, especially considering the Xbox One S supports native 4K Blu-ray playback. If you’re enjoying videos on Netflix, YouTube, or another streaming service that happen to be in 4k though, then you’re fine.
As is the case most often with these sorts of situations, you likely already know if the PS4 Pro is a device for you. If you’re the type of person that already has an HDR-capable 4K television, then upgrading to a marginally better PS4 Pro is probably a no-brainer decision. However, if you don’t have a 4K TV, aren’t overly concerned with the intricacies of your game’s visual fidelity, or already enjoy the quality of your PS VR experiences, then the PS4 Pro frankly doesn’t offer you a whole lot of advantages.
But if you’ve already got a stellar TV, don’t have a PS4 yet, or want to enjoy the highest-quality VR experience possible on a console, then you might want to look at getting a PS4 Pro. Even then though, wait for a bundle or a sale that catches your eye — there’s no rush. The Standard, Slim, and Pro PS4 models all play the exact same content either way.
For any additional questions about the PS4 Pro, I highly recommend checking out Sony’s official FAQ. You can also read our full review of the PS VR headset itself right here.
The problem with Call of Duty‘s Jackal Assault VR mission is that it doesn’t really have anything to do with Call of Duty. True, it carries the name and puts you in the cockpit of the spacecraft from this year’s entry into gaming’s biggest franchise, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, but it’s about as far as you can get from what we actually associate with the series.
There’s no thrilling on-foot set pieces in this free download, no razor-sharp gunplay, no sprinting away from grenades at the last second, or throwing yourself to the floor and praying that you’ll survive the incoming barrage of bullets. What you get is a very brief (4 – 5 minute) demo in which you fly around in your cockpit, fighting enemies whilst invincible, and then watch a massive capital ship blow up. It feels like the early demos for CCP’s EVE: Valkyrie, not the VR love letter to franchise fans it should be.
I’m not saying this is a bad experience; the sense of place you receive from sitting in the cockpit is arresting, and painting targets with head-tracked controls and then blowing them up with your missiles is innocent fun. It’s bound to delight VR newcomers, though I suspect not as much as the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront VR experience, which will put you in the cockpit of an X-Wing.
Those newcomers were likely at the center of the decision to take out any form of death. Enemies won’t hit you as you fly around, and crashing into larger objects just awkwardly repositions the camera. Many of the tiny details like gun turrets can simply be flown through. The lack of any sort of tension is felt throughout. You can fail the mission towards the end, but it literally has no effect on the experience.
Obviously the challenge here is that the full Call of Duty experience would make you feel sick in VR. The characters move too fast and scripted scenes that take the camera out of your hands are a recipe for nausea. But, in the series’ vast history, there are still plenty of scenes and moments that would have been far better suited to a short experience than this. Imagine replaying Modern Warfare‘s dramatic sniper mission, in which you attempt to eliminate an arms dealer, with you actually leaning into the scope of the rifle.
Perhaps that’s what we would have gotten if this year’s Call of Duty wasn’t heading to space this year. I can understand the decision to essentially use the experience as an advert but, as a result, we have something that will be forgotten about by this time next week. Jackal Assault is a harmless few minutes of VR fun, but for a franchise of this magnitude it’s a missed opportunity.
Next week the PlayStation 4 Pro officially releases to the world. When Sony debuted the console at its PlayStation Meeting two months ago in New York, everyone already knew what to expect and we were left a bit disappointed overall. While it would support 4K and HDR gaming, the supposed enhancements for PlayStation VR [device review]content seemed lackluster. What we’re getting is an overall upgrade of the performance and power of the PlayStation 4 and that’s about it. It’s a brand new console technically, but it’s also not a new generation of hardware. All games that work on the PS4 Pro will work on the standard and Slim PS4s as well and vice versa.
Think of the PS4 Pro as an interim upgrade or an iteration. It’s akin to beefing up your GPU and some other parts of a PC more so than it is getting a brand new gaming console.
We can’t render our full and complete verdict on the system yet — we’re under embargo for a few more days — but you can take a look at what’s inside the box in the image gallery above. We’ve had our hands on the console for just about a week now and Sony is finally letting us officially show it off to you. It’s relatively heavy and feels about the same weight as the standard PS4 model. And it’s actually smaller than the original Xbox One.
The controller is almost identical to the standard DualShock 4, but features much cleaner, more reliable, and nicer grips on the control sticks and the resistance of buttons and triggers feels overall more responsive. Some of the black colors have been lightened to grays in a minor redesign as well. Overall, about the same, but a bit nicer in general.
You’ll have to wait to see what we think with regards to its performance and, most specifically, what it does to enhance the PS VR experience. In the meantime, you can check out Sony’s official FAQ on the console, which includes new information just added yesterday, as well as our breakdown of all of the PS VR games officially receiving PS4 Pro support.
What questions do you have about the PlayStation 4 Pro? Let us know down in the comments!
Sony spotlights 'The Last Guardian' soundtrack as part of its latest wave of pre-release announcements, revealing that players will have multiple options when buying the game's music digitally or physically via a vinyl release.
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Hamster Corporation announced a slate of classic Neo Geo games will be ported to the PlayStation 4 by the end of 2016 as part of its Arcade Archives series, including standouts like 'Metal Slug' and 'Samurai Shodown'.
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