Since the original PlayStation, the DualShock controller (or, at least its previous incarnations and names) has been the iconic standard bearer for generations of consoles and gamers. Its shape, form and function legendary, perfect for almost any type of game.
It has, of course, evolved. Analog sticks punctuated the sleek design during its first run, and since then there’s been analog buttons, reversed triggers and – famously – vibration. But one thing has remained largely constant throughout: its recognisable physical characteristics.
This design is much loved but might a casual-friendly refresh be in order?
It works, because it’s a great design.
When Sony first showed off the PlayStation 3, the hardware designers went off on a couple of crazy tangents with the control, the infamous boomerang shape quickly (and widely) derided by most, and ultimately reversed by SCEI back to the shape we know and love. Minus, of course, vibration, although that was to follow.
With the advent of the PlayStation 4, are we as gamers hoping Sony sticks to their principles, or tweaks and remixes the classic controller?
Familiarity is a warming, comfortable feeling. Imagine picking up a PS4 on launch night and just being able to dive right in, your fingers and thumbs instantly locking into place. That’s a positive – we like that sensation and it means we can just focus on the games.
But there’s a certain appeal of the new, the unfamiliar. Most other consoles change their input devices, Nintendo perhaps most famously. Is there merit in opening the same PS4 box and finding something new, something exciting to fit between your palms?
Yes, and it’s likely this’ll be the case.
Nobody wants this, of course, but some new innovations might be good.
And something we’ve looked at in the past – a touch screen – has today reared its rumour shaped head. We’ve mentioned that we’d like something in the centre of the Dual Shock 4, a small touch pad that’ll let you swing a bat, throw a shuriken or aim a football at a goal. Again, it won’t change the shape, but it does present some interesting gameplay possibilities.
A literal touch screen though? One with actual visuals on it? That seems too much of a stretch. What’s more likely is complete Move integration, somehow – Sony aren’t likely to want to throw away years of technical experimentation and research, and they’re unlikely to throw in a traditional Move wand, too.
Our guesses are simply that – but it’s our hopes that Sony don’t go too far down the route of the unfamiliar but bundle in enough tweaks that mean there’s something new to play with. A Vita-esque touch pad ticks that box, but we’d also like to see Move incorporated too, the mechanics that could open up are limitless.
But this has to be a controller for the masses, too, and that’s the balancing act Sony need to get right. We’ll know soon enough, but in the meantime, what would you like to see them do with the beloved DualShock you know and love?
Source: http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/01/18/what-should-sony-do-with-the-dualshock-on-ps4/
Could A PS4 Announcement Be Only Weeks Away?
Could a PS4 announcement be only weeks away? According to some that’s very much the case. Let’s get something out of the way first, this isn’t some kind of Masonic Gamer exclusive but I have been browsing the web and some interesting news has been emerging regarding the PS4. It would be silly to turn a blind eye to this kind of news.
The first bit of news comes from the good folks at CVG, I say good folks because as a kid growing up I used to buy the monthly CVG magazine so I have fond memories of all things CVG. According to CVG two different sources have told them the following information.
A senior games studio source working on an upcoming Sony game says the new system’s controller has undergone numerous iterations, few of which resemble the DualShock build that has become synonymous with PlayStation.
Experiments within Sony’s R&D department are thought to have been extensive. Versions of the new PS4 pad include biometric sensors on the grips and an LCD touch screen, the development source claimed.
The new console – codenamed Orbis – will be revealed in a matter of weeks, not months.
Anyone else getting a Vita vibe after reading that?
Personally I can’t stand the dual shock design, sure it was great in the 90′s but these days it’s easily the most “blocky & square” controller out there. The D-pad sucks, the analogs feel loose, the triggers are crap and require attachments but at least it’s light compared to the Xbox 360 controller. I’m all for Sony redesigning the DualShock, bring back the boomerang.
The code name Orbis isn’t new to me, I personally first heard of it back in November last year when I was on Dual Pixels reading up on all sorts of rumours regarding the next generation. Feel free to check them out here if you enjoy reading rumours that may or may not be true.
Sony is near the middle end part of their Project Orbis, their next generation PS4. It will not be called Playstation 4, teams have started to call the final name as Omni. Omni will reflect their new hardware and content delivery philosophy
Eurogamer is up next with claims that a number of trusted sources have given them all sorts of details of what we can expect from both a PS4 and Xbox 720 from a technical point of view. Again be sure to give them a visit too if you enjoy reading about all things tech related.
Both the next generation PlayStation – and its Xbox competitor – feature eight-core CPUs clocked at 1.6GHz according to sources trusted by Digital Foundry. The main processor architecture driving both consoles is said to be derived the new ”Jaguar” technologycurrently in development by Intel’s arch-rival, AMD. These are low-power processor cores designed for the entry-level laptop and tablet market, offering an excellent ratio between power consumption and performance.
That’s the news from everyone else but what about me? Well I’ve heard all sorts of things too such the Xbox 720 pulling a “Sega Saturn” at E3 which I find rather amusing. To those not in the know, “pulling a Sega Saturn” is going to E3 and announcing that the system is basically already out, oh Sega how we miss you. The games industry just isn’t quiet the same without your crazy antics.
Rather than sit here link you to every different story from all sorts of different sources I’ll tell you this much. True or false there’s no denying that talk of Sony & Microsoft’s next systems is heating up quickly as we approach E3. If you’ve been reading my daily posts then you’ll know that every game ever made is launching in March which I find rather interesting, is everyone trying to get their games out before these systems hit? What’s the big fear of launching after March?
Oh yeah, the Game Developer’s Conference. Could the PS4 debut here?
Splinter Cell Blacklist saw a delay from March to August and there has been talk that Ubisoft wouldn’t place such a big budget title to compete against a new hardware launch. Unless of course Blacklist is also set to launch on the new PS4 or Xbox 720 as a launch title, hmm. Is Splinter Cell Blacklist delay shifting away or closer to the PS4 and Xbox 720 launch? Are we looking too much into this?
The only predictions I’m going to give you is that we will hear about the PS4 and Xbox 720 before E3, Sony will once again “steal” from Nintendo with something that resembles the GamePad and Microsoft will offer up a Kinect 2.
To me it’s all about the games, I don’t care what the hardware is like. I’m sure all three systems including Wii U are capable of pretty visuals, just give me kick ass games all year round. With that said going into E3 I’m more excited about Watch Dogs than I am new hardware.
Source: http://masonicgamer.com/could-a-ps4-announcement-be-only-weeks-away/
US PSN users can now add funds through PayPal
January 19th, 2013 Posted in News, PS3, PSP, VitaPosted By: Valay
In October, Sony launched a new PSN payment option in certain European countries. Funds could now be added to users’ wallets via PayPal. Unfortunately, this feature has been unavailable in the US… until today.
Sony appears to have added the payment option in following the recent PSN maintenance downtime. Simply head on over to this link, log in, click on “Add Funds to Wallet” a couple of times, and then select PayPal. You’re able to add increments of $5, $10, $25, $50. It’s also possible to add funds up to the amount it would take you to reach $150.
Source: http://gamingeverything.com/37838/us-psn-users-can-now-add-funds-through-paypal/
How the PS3 Excelled and Failed at Delivering the Goods
It is a new year, which is also a new year in gaming and a new era rapidly approaches. Nintendo has already taken that first big step with the Wii U’s release in November of 2012, but both Microsoft and Sony have yet to pull the trigger when it comes to even announcing their next generation consoles to the public. Sure, we have rumors, but words are wind, are they not? Last time out, I took a look at how the Microsoft Xbox 360 both succeeded and failed when it came to delivering raw value to consumers and came to the conclusion that they did great at being a full media center but hardware limitations and failure rates made it a real pain in the ass for everyone.
Now it is time to look at Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, which should be replaced, eventually, by the PlayStation 4.
PlayStation 4
Success – Sony has always been a mixed bag when it comes to presenting exclusive titles, with them having no real mascot to speak of, unlike Nintendo, Microsoft or Sega. That being said, the exclusives they did pump out were really great games for the most part and there was really a lot of experimental games mixed in with more traditional Japanese-style games and just straight-up fun games. The system was built to last, which meant it was expensive in the beginning, but that you could expect it to last. On top of that, the Blu-Ray player in it, while expensive at first, helped to push the format into being the standard and it is still one of the better consumer Blu-Ray players on the market. The PlayStation Network is free, which is awesome, and if you subscribe to PlayStation Plus you get free games and great discounts. They also do a great job of pushing forward with digital distribution. Bravo.
Failures – The PlayStation Network is free and hackers really had a field day with it and made it look easy. Having to politely ask your entire user base to change their passwords because you didn’t protect them well enough is unacceptable. Another PSN gripe is no party voice chat, which is just confusing. When the system came out it was ungodly expensive compared to the competition. Sure, it had a Blu-Ray player and had some massive hard drives, but it was expensive and didn’t offer that much value to your average consumer at the time. Why the hell did they remove backward compatibility from the PS3? I get that they wanted to sell more PS2s, but it has been a long time, release a firmware update and just allow it already, it is ridiculous.
Overall – The PS3 is a well-built, forward-thinking console, which does make it special. That being said, it has problems looking back and security issues really marred the PlayStation Network for quite a while. It also had a very slow start due to the initial high price point, but has finally caught up with the Xbox 360 later on in the game.
Source: http://www.explosion.com/18349/how-the-ps3-excelled-and-failed-at-delivering-the-goods/