Category: Sony Interactive Entertainment

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RIGS Developer Guerrilla Cambridge Closing After 19 Years

In a statement today Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced that Guerrilla Cambridge, the studio behind virtual reality (VR) title RIGS: Mechanised Combat League for PlayStation VR will be closing.

Formerly SCEE Cambridge, Guerrilla Cambridge had been in operation for 19 years producing videogames such as the MediEvil franchise, Primal, Ghosthunter and Killzone Mercenary for PS Vita shooter.

RIGS New Screenshot

In the official statement Sony said: “Within SIE Worldwide Studios, we have a regular process of review in order to consider projects coming to completion and the deployment of resources. In such a competitive landscape this enables us to continue to create and produce high-quality, innovative and commercially viable projects. Having reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term, we have decided that in order to deliver on our strategic objectives, it is necessary to make some changes to the European studios structure.

“As a result, it has been decided that Guerrilla Cambridge Studio will close.”

Guerrilla Games Amsterdam, which is making Horizon: Zero Dawn and the Killzone series remains unaffected.

 

SIE goes on to add: “It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. Whilst we accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff, by focusing on other Studios with exciting new projects in development, (including continued work on PlayStation VR), we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality to our players.

This follows on from SIE London Studios, the team behind PlayStation VR Worlds, with SIE announcing in September that the developer would be downsized as it had completed its VR project.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of SIE, reporting back with any further updates.

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Sony’s Platinum Wireless Headphones Set to Launch Next Week

If you’re a serious gamer then you’ll know the importance of a decent sound system, whether for standard videogames or for virtual reality (VR). While console and PC gamers get to choose from a variety of different options, listen to rubbish built-in screen speakers, a full 5.1 system, or some decent headphones, VR players have just one option – the latter. Choosing the right set of cans for the job is important, especially when looking to achieve that all important immersion, and next week Sony will be launching its premium Platinum wireless headset for gaming.

Sitting at the top of the company’s tree of videogame headphones, the Platinum boasts ‘enhanced 7.1 virtual surround sound’, compatible with all PlayStation 4 games, featuring 50mm drivers to aid clarity whilst delivering rich bass. The device also features a 3D Audio mode and several custom audio modes created by studios, enabling players to experience games exactly as the developer intended. Also there’s a built-in noise-cancelling microphone for players to chat and discuss tactics.

Sony Platinum Wireless Headset

While Platinum wireless headphones are indeed cable free for PlayStation 4 players, if you want to use the cans with your PlayStation VR you’ll still need to cable them in through the 3.5mm jack.

There are plenty of gaming headphones on the market – VRFocus looked at a few for Samsung Gear VR –  but for those that like their Sony products the Platinum cans will retail for £130 GBP when they go on sale Monday, 16th January, at GAME and Amazon.

Don’t forget to checkout the other accessories for PlayStation VR, including controller chargers and display stands. For any further PlayStation VR news, keep reading VRFocus.

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Eagle Flight, Pinball FX2, Surgeon Simulator: ER and More Added to PlayStation VR Sale

While the Oculus and Steam winter sales have now ended, PlayStation VR owners are getting even more deals with 14 new titles added to the January sale.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) launched its PlayStation sale just before Christmas, with 13 virtual reality (VR) videogames included. Those discounts end today, but the newly featured titles below are on offer until 20th January 2017. The deals aren’t available in every territory so check your PlayStation Store to see which ones have been included, all the discounts and prices listed below are for the UK.

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  • Ace Banana – £7.39 (was £11.49 GBP)
  • Eagle Flight – £24.99 (was £34.99)
  • Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes – £7.99 (was £11.99)
  • KISMET – £3.99 (was £5.79)
  • Loading Human: Chapter 1 – £19.99 (was £34.99)
  • Pinball FX2 VR – £9.49 (was £11.99)
  • Pixel Gear – £5.79 (was £8.99)
  • Robinson: The Journey – £34.99 (was £54.99)
  • SUPERHYPERCUBE – £15.99 (was £24.99)
  • Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality – £12.99 (was £15.99)
  • The Brookhaven Experiment – £10.99 (was £14.99)
  • VEV: Viva Ex Vivo‎ VR Edition – £2.49 (was £3.99)
  • Weeping Doll – £5.79 (was £7.99)
  • Werewolves Within – £15.99 (was £24.99)

So if you’ve still got some cash left over from Christmas now’s a good time to build your PlayStation VR library. For the latest PlayStation VR news, keep reading VRFocus.

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The Assembly, EVE: Valkyrie, RIGS and More on Sale for PlayStation VR

This week the Christmas sales for virtual reality (VR) software have kicked in hard, with all the major online stores offering a variety of discounts. The latest to be announced comes from PlayStation.Store, revealing lots of offers on PlayStation 4 software and there’s a few PlayStation VR titles thrown in as well.

Due to the head-mounted display (HMD) only launching in October, this is the first time PlayStation VR users will have seen any major discounts leveraged on the PlayStation.Store – excluding PS Plus members discounts. 13 full VR titles are available in the sale, with Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration also included as it does have a VR section. All the following prices are valid from today until 6th January 2017, 23:59 GMT.

PlayStation VR Header 7

The PlayStation VR January Sale discounts are:

  • PlayStation VR Worlds – £24.99 (was £29.99 GBP)
  • EVE: Valkyrie (plus Founder’s Pack) – £34.99 (was £54.99)
  • DRIVECLUB VR – £15.99 (was £29.99)
  • Thumper – £12.99 (was £15.99)
  • RIGS: Mechanized Combat League – £34.99 (was £49.99)
  • Sports Bar VR – £9.99 (was £14.99)
  • Headmaster – £9.99 (was £15.99)
  • Battlezone – £34.99 (was £49.99)
  • Gunjack – £3.99 (was £7.99)
  • The Assembly – £14.99 (was £19.99)
  • Harmonix Music VR – £9.49 (was £11.99)
  • 100ft Robot Golf – £11.49 (was £15.99)
  • Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X – £24.99 (was £36.99)
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (PS VR support for Blood Ties) – £21.99 (was £44.99)

While its certainly a reasonable list of titles for PlayStation VR owners, it does slightly pale in comparison to the Oculus Store and Steam sales currently in progress, both at 100 and 400+ titles respectively, although there will be some crossover of titles between the two platforms.

For all the latest VR offers and discounts, keep reading VRFocus.

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Jaunt’s Cinematic VR App Now Available on PlayStation VR

Jaunt, one of the most prominent virtual reality (VR) content distributors has today announced the launch of a custom-design app for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR.

With Jaunt now bringing its range of 360-degree experiences to PlayStation VR users, they’ll now have access to over 150 pieces of content, ranging from travel, sports, music, film, horror and more, available to download today on all PlayStation 4 consoles.

PlayStation VR Group shot

For users with high-bandwidth internet connections, Jaunt for PlayStation VR offers the same video resolution and low-latency head-tracking as Jaunt for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

“We’re thrilled to introduce our dynamic list of immersive VR experiences to users on a platform that is quickly evolving to be more than a gaming console,” said George Kliavkoff, president and CEO of Jaunt. “We’re committed to entertaining our users, wherever they may be. And the Jaunt VR App for PS VR not only brings hours of cinematic VR content to viewers worldwide, but also ensures that Jaunt continues to be available on every major consumer VR platform available.”

The launch today of the PlayStation VR version is the second this month for Jaunt, at the start of December the company added support for Google Daydream. This means the Jaunt app can be found on most VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) including Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, with iOS and Android for Google Cardboard.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Jaunt, reporting back with any further announcements.

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Acer, Starbreeze, Google, HTC Vive, Oculus, Samsung and Sony Announce Creation of the Global Virtual Reality Association

As the ‘year of virtual reality’ draws to a close its seems as if some of the major players in the industry are starting to come together to nurture and support the fledgling consumer technology. Earlier today VRFocus reported on companies like Epic Games, Razer, Valve and Oculus joining The Khronos Group on an initiative to standardise virtual reality (VR) API standards. Now VR leaders such as Acer Starbreeze, Google, HTC VIVE, Facebook’s Oculus, Samsung, and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), have announced the creation of a non-profit organisation – the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA) – an international group of headset manufacturers  aiming to promote the growth of the global VR industry.

The goal of the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA) is to promote responsible development and adoption of VR, with members developing and sharing best practices for industry and foster dialogue between public and private stakeholders around the world. The group will also serve as a resource for consumers, policymakers, and industry interested in VR.

Global Virtual Reality Association

“As the VR industry is taking off, it is crucial that we increase dialogue among stakeholders to ensure we are building a solid foundation to drive innovation for the years to come. The GVRA brings together industry leaders and fosters collaboration; StarVR looks forward to taking part in this exciting journey,” said Jerry Kao, CEO, Acer Starbreeze Corporation.

While Rikard Steiber, SVP, HTC Vive commented: “It is important that we as an industry are working together to establish best practices and common resources for our industry that will drive toward the $120 billion projection by 2020. The GVRA represents industry leaders and hardware manufacturers across the globe who are creating the best VR experiences available.”

“We’re still very much in the early stages of VR, so it’s critical that industry leaders work together to create and share ideas on how we can safely build this industry,” said Jordan McCollum, General Counsel for Oculus at Facebook. “I’m looking forward to working with other hardware makers to proactively address the challenges we need solve to make VR a success over the long term.”

As the GVRA develops and grows VRFocus will bring you the latest announcements from the new association.

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PlayStation Experience Panels and Game Lineup Detailed

The PlayStation Experience 2016 event takes place a week tomorrow and the annual event is set to be as big as ever. Until this week very little had been revealed, now Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has released preliminary details of what attendees can expect to see at the event with 96 videogames confirmed as well as several panels.

PlayStation Experience 2016 will be taking place from 3rd – 4th December at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. It’ll kick of on the Saturday at 10am PT with the PlayStation Showcase, so expect some big announcements to be featured.

PlayStation VR headset

Then there will be three panels held, at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm, although currently no details have been released on who will be talking or what will be discussed. The three panels for Sunday 4th have been revealed but none seem to be VR related. They are:

10:00am: Horizon Zero Dawn
Join Guerrilla Games for an inside look at the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and the lore and machines that define it.

12:00pm: Kinda Funny: PS I Love You XOXO
Horizon Zero Dawn, GT Sport, and all the latest details coming out of PS Experience — 2017 is looking pretty dang good for PlayStation! Join Greg Miller and Colin Moriarty, plus special guests for a live recording of the internet’s No. 1 PlayStation podcast.

2:00pm: Accessibility: Making Games for All Gamers
Accessibility features help empower all gamers—not just those with disabilities—and we want to set an industry standard of inclusion. We’re bringing together some of the top minds from the accessibility community, PlayStation and Naughty Dog to discuss best practices for game developers and to share powerful stories about the broader impact of accessibility features in games.

As for the videogames on display 96 have so far been confirmed, but over 100 have been teased to be there, so expect something new. Below are all the listed titles, split between PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR, although some of the virtual reality (VR) titles might not be shown on the headset.

For all the latest news on PlayStation Experience 2016, keep reading VRFocus.

 

PlayStation VR Compatible:

Batman: Arkham VR

Bound

EVE Valkyrie

Farpoint

Gang Beasts

Here They Lie

I Expect You To Die

NBA 2KVR

Obduction

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin

Resident Evil 7 biohazard

RIGS Mechanized Combat League

Robinson: The Journey

Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-wing VR Mission

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

VR Worlds

XING: The Land Beyond

 

PlayStation 4:
3on3 Freestyle

Aaero

Ace Combat 7

Boundless

Brawlhalla

Chasm

Cosmic Star Heroine

Cryptark

Death Tales

Death’s Gambit

Destiny: Rise of Iron

Disc Jam

Divide

Drawn to Death

EarthNight

Eitr

Everything

Fallen Legion

Fantasy Strike

Flinthook

For Honor

Full Throttle Remastered

Future Unfolding

FutureGrind

Garou: Mark of the Wolves

GNOG

Graceful Explosion Machine

Gravity Rush 2

GT Sport

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone

Heart Forth, Alicia

Horizon Zero Dawn

Human: Fall Flat

Jenny LeClue: Detectivú

Just Shapes & Beats

Killing Floor 2

Knights and Bikes

Let It Die

Loot Rascals

Mages of Mystralia

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows

MLB The Show

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

Monsters and Monocles

Mosaic

Nidhogg 2

Night in the Woods

Nioh

Orcs Must Die! Unchained

Persona 5

Plague Road

Pox Nora

Pyre

Rain World

Rainbow 6 Siege

Randall

Ray’s the Dead

Refactor

Salt and Sanctuary

Shadow Warrior 2

Shakedown: Hawaii

SmuggleCraft

Snake Pass

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Sonic Mania

Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: Scarif

Statik

Street Fighter V

Sundered

The Church in the Darkness

The King of Fighters XIV

The Last Guardian

Tooth and Tail

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End: Survival

Watch_Dogs 2

Yakuza 0

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

Yooka-Laylee

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Watch How to Maintain the PlayStation VR Lenses

Yesterday VRFocus reported on Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) maintenance video for PlayStation VR and its lightshield, the rubber surround that not only gives a comfortable fit to the headset, but also blocks out annoying background light that can break immersion. Now we have a second video from SIE, this one’s even more entertaining than the last, it’s about lens cleaning.

Head-mounted display (HMD) lenses are the windows into virtual worlds, if gamers don’t look after them then visual quality will diminish, and that wedge of cash that’s been spent will be for nothing.

The video is as self explanatory as you can get, take the supplied cloth out of its packaging – which is shown in the video if you didn’t know how to – unfold it, and wipe the lenses in a circular motion trying not to smudge fingerprints back over the lens. And there you have it, clean lenses for many more hours of virtual reality (VR) gameplay with PlayStation VR.

For all the latest PlayStation VR news, keep reading VRFocus.

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Watch How to Maintain the PlayStation VR Lightshield

So you’ve excitedly received your PlayStation VR after months of waiting, downloaded a ton of content and dived into hours worth of virtual reality (VR) goodness. Then invited mates round to show off your latest purchase, each wanting longer gameplay sessions on titles such as Battlezone or EVE: Valkyrie. After all that the PlayStation VR’s been nestled on several possible sweaty faces, and the rubber lightshield is going to need a proper clean, not just a wipe down, so Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has released a video detailing the best way to do it.

Admittedly the video isn’t the most exciting to watch, but it does demonstrate the best way to remove the shield for easy cleaning. Simple rubber lugs fix into the main body of the unit, which can then be popped out one by one. After the lightshield is removed it can then be washed under running water, just remember to let it dry before re-fixing to the PlayStation VR, you definitely don’t want water on that.

The design certainly shows SIE were thinking about hygiene when designing the head-mounted display (HMD), as the Oculus Rift for example only has a foam surround for comfort and to stop light entering. Foam isn’t as suitable to wash as rubber is.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of PlayStation VR, reporting back with any new updates.

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Sony Sells 50,000 PlayStation VR’s During First Week in Japan

Without official figures from the respective companies, the success of launches by Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR are hard to judge. Yes there are software data sales and other indicators to go on, but concrete information has been hard to come by. For Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR it might be a little early anyway as the worldwide launch only occurred six days ago, but for the Japanese market at least sales figures do seem to be good thanks to a recent report.

From data provided by Media Create, Japanese videogame website 4Gamer has reported that PlayStation VR sold 51,644 units last week. The data is weekly running from 10th to 16th October, and as the head-mounted display (HMD) only arrived on 13th, that’s just three days worth of sales. Most of these will have been made up of pre-orders but some of it could have been direct sales where stock was available.

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For what is essentially a peripheral those do seem to be good numbers so far, adding to the positive UK software chart data VRFocus reported on this week. This showed six PlayStation VR specific virtual reality (VR) titles in the top 40, with two further multiplatform VR videogames on the list as well.

SuperData Research, one of the main companies providing market intelligence on playable media and digital games reaffirmed earlier this month its previous sales forecasts for the device, saying that PlayStation VR is expected to sell 2,602,370 units this year alone.

With PlayStation 4 having a worldwide user base in excess of 40 million, the VR industry is looking towards SIE to gain a major foothold in the higher end market, with an easier mass appeal than the more expensive Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

VRFocus will continue its PlayStation VR coverage, reporting back with any further updates.