PlayStation Ramadan Deals Sees Physical Games Go As Low As RM55

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced its PlayStation Ramadan Deals. In addition to discounted hardware like controllers, this sees the discounts going to even the PS VR headset, as well as physical copies of games.

According to the list sent out by SIE, you can get the following deals from PlayStation Authorised Dealers:

• PlayStation VR – RM979
• DualShock 4 – RM179 (selected colours)
• Ghost of Tsushima – RM169
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time – RM169
• The Last of Us Part II – RM129
• Final Fantasy VII Remake – RM129
• God of War  – RM55
• The Last of Us Remastered  – RM55
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End  – RM55
• Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition  – RM55
• Ratchet & Clank  – RM55

 

Beyond physical items, SIE also has discounts for digital copies of games on the PlayStation Store. Discounts here also go all the way up to 80%. Both of these sets of discounts are in effect starting today, 28 April until 12 May.

If you don’t already have a PS Plus subscription, you can also get a year’s subscription for RM127, which is 20% off the usual price. Though this offer is shorter than the ones mentioned above, ending on 5 May instead. But if yours is expiring, there should be little reason to not get it, considering the free games you get every month.

Sony Will Cease PlayStation Store Service For PS3, PSP And PS Vita From July Onwards

Sony has quietly confirmed that it will be ceasing the PlayStation Network (PSN) Store service for its older video game consoles later this year. According to the company’s recently updated PlayStation support page, it is revealed that the service is slated to shut down on the PS3 and PSP on 2 July, while the PS Vita will lose access to it much later on 27 August.

What this means is that users will no longer be able to purchase any new content for the aforementioned PlayStation consoles once the PSN Store service officially ends. Sony added that wallet vouchers will no longer be applicable to the PS3, PSP and PS Vita around that time as well. Naturally, since the service is universal to PlayStation’s ecosystem, any remaining balance in your PSN wallet can still be used to purchase digital content for other platforms such as the PS4 or PS5 – provided that you own these consoles.

Fortunately, all is not lost for those who still game on the older generation Sony platforms. According to the company, any existing content such as games or media in a player’s library will still be retained and can be redownloaded at any time, even after the closure of the PSN Store. In addition, users may also still be able to redeem non-wallet vouchers on these consoles, such as PS Plus subscriptions and codes for claiming digital versions of certain video game titles.

The closure of the PSN Store will certainly cause inconveniences to fans of retro gaming (yes, these consoles are considered retro now), especially for acquiring console-exclusive titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PS3 and even Patapon for the PSP. Even though there is still a chance that used (or new, in some rare cases) copies of these games may still be available for sale, the most sure shot way of having them in your gaming library is by buying them digitally.

Purchasing these games digitally via PSN Store also guarantees that you’ll be able to nab them at a recommended retail price, therefore saving you the trouble of potentially sifting through physical copies sold by scalpers at unbelievable prices. That being said, the time is right if you are planning to fill up your library with these games, as you won’t be able to do so once Sony ceases its Store service for its aging consoles this summer.

Sony Unveils Next-Gen PlayStation VR Controllers; Features Adaptive Triggers And More

Back in February, Sony revealed that it is currently working on a next generation PlayStation (PS) VR system for the PS5 that would feature a brand new headset and controllers. Thanks to a recent entry to the official PlayStation Blog by PSVR lead Hideaki Nishino, we now know what the upcoming controllers will look like.

Based on the images provided, the new PSVR controllers have dropped the PlayStation Move’s “nunchuk” look for a more unique-looking grip design for each hand. Nishino refers to this as the “orb” shape, which has been designed with “great ergonomics” in mind – allowing users to “hold the controller naturally, while playing with a high degree of freedom.” He claims that the surrounding “rings” will not constrain hand movement, and have been tested on a range of hand sizes.

The button layout on the new PlayStation VR controllers bear a slight resemblance to those from Oculus, where each grip comes with two face buttons, a trigger button, a side “grip” button, a Share/Options button, and an analog stick. As mentioned by Nishino in his previous blog post, the new controllers will also include key features from the PS5’s DualSense as well as several new features of its own. These include left and right adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and a built-in tracking ring for the corresponding VR headset.

Unique to the controller is the finger touch detection feature which can, well, detect your fingers without any pressing in the areas of the device where your thumb, index and middle fingers are placed. Nishino says that this will enable users to make “more natural gestures” with their hands during gameplay.

Other details such as battery life or charging methods were not mentioned in the blog. Development for the new PlayStation VR system is still a long way off and, as previously reported, is not aimed to be launched this year.

PlayStation To Make Eight More Games Free On 26 March

Earlier this month, Sony Interactive Entertainment gave away Ratchet & Clank for free. This was part of the company’s Play at Home initiative. While the game is still available for download, SIE will be adding eight more titles to the list at the end of the month.

Though this time around, there is a nice mix of indie and VR titles in the list. In the former category, we have Abzu, Rez Infinite, Subnautica and The Witness. Another title, Enter the Gungeon, is also in the list, but SIE says that this one will not be available in Malaysia, alongside a few other countries.

For VR titles, there’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Moss, Thumper and Paper Beast. Naturally, you’ll need not just a PS4, but also the PS VR headset for these. If you want to enjoy them on the PS5, you’ll also need an additional adapter.

These free indie and VR games will be available for you to claim come 26 March. Though you will have to claim them before 23 April 2021. In addition to all that, SIE says that it will also be making Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition free, but at a later date. More specifically, it will be available on 20 April. This is a great title to pick up if you don’t already have it, be it on either PlayStation console or on PC.

PlayStation Shuts Down Japan Studio, Its Oldest First-Party Dev

Sony Interactive Entertainment is closing its oldest first-party developer studio, known simply as Japan Studio. The studio was responsible for a wide range of games, such as Ape Esape, Patapon, Gravity Rush and Knack.

Sources to VGC say that the “vast majority” of its staff were let go, with their contract not renewed ahead of the company’s next business year starting 1 April. That being said, localisation and business staff will remain. And Team ASOBI, which made the Astro Bot games, will continue as its own standalone studio.

In a statement to IGN, SIE confirmed that it is reorganising the Japan Studio, re-centering it to Team ASOBI. External production, localisation and IP management of Japan Studio titles will be handled by the “global functions” of PlayStation Studios.

The restructuring follows a number of high profile departures, and announcements of that nature. According to VGC, Sony Japan Studio veterans Kazunobu Sato, Junya Okura and Keiichiro Toyama left late last year to set up Bokeh Game Studio. Toyama was the director of the Gravity Rush and Silent Hill series. Then there was Teruyuki Toriyama, producer for Bloodborne and the Demon Souls remake, who said he was leaving at the end of 2020.

A VGC source also said that Sony Japan Studio hasn’t been profitable enough in recent years. The studio wanted to prioritise making games that appeal to the Japanese market first. This meant that its projects were overshadowed by big international hits by other first-party studios.

Sony Confirms Next-Gen PlayStation VR For PS5; Will Feature A New Controller

Sony has confirmed via its official PlayStation (PS) blog that the next generation PS Virtual Reality (VR) system will be coming to its recently launched console, the PlayStation 5. According to senior vice president of platform planning and management Hideaki Nishino, the new iteration will offer players “dramatic leaps in performance and interactivity”, which would offer them a “greater sense of presence” and immersion.

Nishino did not provide any specific details of the upcoming VR headset, but mentioned that it will connect to the PS5 via a single cord to improve ease-of-use. This suggests that Sony will finally ditch the multi-cable and splitter setup that is featured on the device’s predecessor, which – in all honesty – is a hassle to get up and running.

The company also confirmed that the next-gen PSVR will come with a new VR-specific controller, which would finally replace the 11-year-old PlayStation Move remote. Nishino added that the controller will come with better ergonomics and incorporate some of the key features found in the PS5’s DualSense. If we were to guess, it is possible that it may come with the controller’s excellent adaptive trigger and haptic feedback features. Hopefully, Sony would remove the ugly “sphere light” module from its predecessor as well.

Just like the headset, Sony did not provide any images of the upcoming controller either. Those hoping to see the new PlayStation VR soon will be disappointed, as Nishino confirmed that it will not launch in 2021 and no expected release date was mentioned. “There’s still a lot of development underway for our new VR system,” he added.

PlayStation Plus Subscribers To Get Five Free Games Next Month

PlayStation Plus usually gives its subscribers two free games, and this month, we got three. For February, it looks like Sony Interactive Entertainment is pushing five titles out for free.

The free games in question are Concrete Genie, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Biped, Control: Ultimate Edition, and Destruction AllStars. The first three games are for the PS4, while the latter two are for the PS5.

Though it’s worth pointing out that Control: Ultimate Edition is a bit controversial, in more ways than one. There is the issue with the way upgrades from the PS4 to PS5 versions were handled, which we won’t get to now. And then, there’s this, where seemingly only the PS5 version of the game is free for the Asia region. In the US, the version for both versions of the console will be claimable next month.

That aside, the highlights for this month are probably Destruciton AllStars and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The former launches on the day it becomes free, much like Fall Guys last year. As for the latter, it’s made by Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi, and is considered the spiritual successor to the series since Konami is still sleeping on the IP.

At any rate, PlayStation Plus subscribers can claim these games starting from 2 February until 1 March 2021. Destruction AllStars, though, will be available until 5 April, for some reason. As always, if you haven’t gotten this month’s free games, now’s as good a time as any to claim them.

PlayStation And Burger King Malaysia Tease A Collaboration

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Burger King aren’t usually names that you’d imagine working together. But on Burger King Malaysia’s Facebook page, we see a teaser of one such thing happening.

Naturally, the post itself doesn’t say much. All you see is the PlayStation logo and Burger King’s logo, followed by the words “coming soon”. It does lead to a lot of speculation as to what this collaboration could be.

Though if we look at what the two companies have done together before this in the US, we may get an idea as to what this is all about. Specifically, back in October last year, the two companies had a deal, in which customers of Burger King had a chance of winning a PS5. And all they had to do was purchase two US$5 deals.

And since Burger King Malaysia captioned the post as “Wishes do come true”, it’s quite possible that something similar may be happening. The post also comes with the date of 22 January 2021, which indicates the day the actual promo will be announced.

That being said, it’s probably better to not have your hopes too high just yet. If it is indeed the very same promo, then great. But if not, at least you didn’t invest too much emotionally into it happening.