PlayStation 4 passes 80 million milestone, Nintendo Switch close to 20 million

Console manufacturers Sony and Nintendo have both released sales reports, with both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch within touching distance of their immediate predecessors.

82.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold between a November 2013 launch and a July 2018 financial report detailing shipments up to June 30.

Sales had been lagging 2.9 million units behind retail shipments in June and December 2017, meaning that at an estimated 79.1 million total sales, the five-year-old PlayStation 4 has just a little way to go to surpass the 80-million seven-year lifetime total of its predecessor.


Sony stopped reporting PlayStation 3 sales in 2013. It has forecast a total of 17 million PlayStation 4 sales for the fiscal year ending March 2019.

As for Nintendo, Sony’s fellow Japanese console company reported 19.67 million sales of its hybrid home and portable console, the Switch, between its launch in March 2017 and the end of its most recent financial period on June 30, 2018.

The Switch had outsold its immediate predecessor, the Wii U, by the end of 2017 after nine months of availability, and is now on the verge of overtaking the 21.7 million sales of the more popular 2001 GameCube.

Next up in the Nintendo family would be the 1990 SNES (49 million) 1983 NES (62 million), and the portable 2011 3DS (72 million), which is still on sale as a lower-priced alternative to the Switch.

Both consoles are some way off from the title of their manufacturers’ crowning achievements. For Sony, that would be the 1994 PlayStation (102 million) and year 2000 PlayStation 2 (over 155 million), and for Nintendo, that’s the 2004 Nintendo DS (154 million), the 1989 Game Boy and its 1998 successor, the Game Boy Color, which achieved a combined total of 118 million sales, and the 2006 Wii on a tally of 101 million.

The good news for Sony and Nintendo is that both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch appear to be in good health.

PlayStation 4 owners can look forward to creative sandbox “Dreams” and a Marvel “Spider-Man” tie-in as upcoming 2018 exclusives, while Nintendo has announced a self-assembly Nintendo Labo pack for September with “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” and two “Pokémon: Let’s Go” games towards the end of the year. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Playstation 4 introduces ‘remote play’ feature with latest update

Sony Interactive Entertainment released the 3.50 system software for the Playstation 4 on Thursday, allowing users to stream games from the console directly to their computers through the use of an internet connection.

The new remote feature, which is applicable to Windows and Mac devices, requires PC users to run either a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 software.

Mac users, meanwhile, will need OS X 10.10 or 10.11 to be able to avail of the services.

In addition to the prescribed operating system, gamers should also be equipped with a 2.76 GHz Intel Core i5-560M processor or better, and at least 2GB of RAM.

Once the essentials have been met, users just need to plug a DualShock 4 controller in their computer and enable the Remote Play Installer on the console.

‘Remote play’ is possible through a fast internet network, however, the PS4 will alter the resolution of the stream to match the user’s connection speed.

The feature was made available last year, but it only worked with Sony smartphones, tablets and handheld gaming devices like the PS Vita.

The 3.50 system software update will also give gamers the option to appear offline. Khristian Ibarrola, INQUIRER.net

source: technology.inquirer.net

Sony unveils prototype virtual reality headset for Playstation

SAN FRANCISCO - Sony Corp unveiled a prototype for a new virtual reality headset accessory for its Playstation 4 games console on Tuesday at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, as it bids to further acceptance of the concept.

The headset, still in development under the name "Project Morpheus", is designed to provide an immersive experience for gamers by projecting a virtual reality image in front of their eyes that shifts as it tracks the movement of their head.

Sony has been eager to popularise virtual reality goggles, releasing its first "personal 3D viewer" for watching movies in August 2011, but the concept has been slow to catch on among users that rejected it as clunky and gimmicky.

However, Project Morpheus marks the first specialist gaming headset from Sony Computer Entertainment, which has been experimenting with the format since 2010. The president of the division, Shuhei Yoshida, said the company was "encouraged by the enthusiastic response" to similar products from start-ups like Oculus VR and Valve in recent months.

"This is the culmination of our work for three-plus years and realizes our vision of VR for games," said Yoshida at an event at the conference organised by Sony, as he showed off a prototype at a surprise announcement attended by over 350 developers, journalists and game enthusiasts.

The prototype is a black and white headset with a thin strip of blue light on the rim. The headset will be integrated with the PlayStation 4's camera, controller and Move motion sensors, and has stereoscopic sound to immerse users in the games they are playing.

Sony said it would make the headset available to game developers soon. It has not set a date for its release.

Sony had sold 6 million units of its Playstation 4 as of March 2, speeding ahead of its target of 5 million for the fiscal year to the end of this month. The console went on sale on Nov. 29 in the United States, Western Europe and Latin America, around the same time that rival Microsoft Corp 's Xbox One was released. That console topped 3 million units at the end of last year. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Moody's cuts Sony's credit rating to junk

TOKYO – Moody's cut its credit rating on Sony to junk on Monday, saying the Japanese electronics giant had more work to do in repairing its battered balance sheet.

The international ratings agency lowered its view of the company to Ba1 from Baa3, meaning its debt is now seen as below investment grade, a move that threatens to push up Sony's borrowing costs.

"While Sony has made progress in its restructuring and benefits from continued profitability in several of its business segments, it still faces challenges to improve and stabilize its overall profitability," Moody's said in a statement.

"Of primary concern are the challenges facing the company's TV and PC businesses, both of which face intense global competition, rapid changes in technology, and product obsolescence."

The downgrade was the latest to hit Japan's embattled electronics industry – including Sony rivals Sharp and Panasonic – which has continued to lose ground to overseas rivals even as a weak yen helped boost their profitability.

"Sony's profitability is likely to remain weak and volatile, as we expect the majority of its core consumer electronics businesses – such as TVs, mobile, digital cameras and personal computers – to continue to face significant downward earnings pressure," Moody's said.

It added that Sony's popular new PlayStation 4 console would help earnings at its videogames unit, but warned that profitability would likely not top levels seen in previous years. – Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Naughty Dog reveals: Ellie returns in The Last of Us DLC, new Uncharted game for PS4

Naughty Dog has just revealed some exciting news regarding the much-anticipated downloadable content (DLC) for "The Last of Us,” and the long-awaited sequel to the mega-popular Uncharted franchise.

The announcements were made during the PlayStation 4 launch event on Spike TV, according to Arcade Sushi and Computer and Video Games.


Ellie returns in 'The Last of Us: Left Behind'

Those who fell in love with Ellie from The Last of Us will be happy to know that the indomitable Cordyceps apocalypse survivor is making a comeback in the new story DLC for the game, titled "Left Behind.”




“Ashley Johnson reprises her role as Ellie in The Last of Us: Left Behind single-player DLC,” stated Naughty Dog on the PlayStation blog. “Left Behind takes place while Ellie is attending a military boarding school in the Boston quarantine zone, prior to meeting Joel and the events in the main campaign of The Last of Us.”

Aside from Ellie herself, the video—shown during the launch event—also reveals her best friend Riley Abel, who was only briefly mentioned in the original game.

“Joining Ellie on this new adventure is Riley, her best friend and also a mentor of sorts at the military boarding school. Just as 'The Last of Us' focused on the bond between Ellie and Joel, 'Left Behind' explores the bond between Ellie and Riley through a series of events that will forever change both of their lives,” said the original game’s creative director and writer, Neil Druckmann.

Riley Abel also appeared in the comic book miniseries, “The Last of Us: American Dreams,” written by Druckmann himself, and published by Dark Horse Comics. The comics show how Ellie and Riley meet and become friends, and so serves as a canonical prequel to the events that will happen in Left Behind. Left Behind, in turn, is a prequel to The Last of Us.

Though both Ellie and Riley will play central roles in the DLC, it has yet to be announced whether only one or both of them will be playable in the game.

Druckmann also dropped some hints about a possible sequel for The Last of Us. “We’re playing with some ideas, but no direction has been set yet for the next game,” he said.

Though Sony has not yet announced an official release date, Left Behind is expected for release in early 2014.

New Uncharted game exclusive for the PS4

Fans of Naughty Dog’s other flagship title also have something to look forward to. Also revealed during the event was a teaser trailer for Sony’s seminal franchise, Uncharted.



“We have great news for all our Uncharted fans,” said Naughty Dog on the PlayStation blog. “Amy (Hennig), Justin (Richmond), and the team are hard at work on an amazing new installment of the Uncharted series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation 4 system. Our goal is to continue what we’ve done in previous console generations and once again deliver the best in storytelling, performance capture, technical innovation and graphics on the PS4.”

It is unclear from the video if Nathan Drake is coming back for the sequel, leaving some fans understandably worried that that the game will have a new protagonist. In fact the teaser shows very little about the actual game; only a voiceover and a map serve as clues as to what it will be about.

More news regarding both titles are expected to surface in the coming week. — VC, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com