Tag Archives: Sony

Train2Game News Creative England offering investment

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Creative EnglandCreative England and SCEE have announced a new £250,000 fund to accelerate and incubate five UK games companies.

The organisation’s will invest £50,000 into each of the selected five developers to support the development of new titles for PS3, PS4 and PlayStation Vita. The studios will also receive business support, dev kits for the three PlayStation platforms and other technical and fringe benefits.

The partnership is part of a new incubator and accelerator programme called GamesLab Campus. Information on how to apply will be made available soon at www.creativeengland.co.uk/games.

The partnership was announced by SCEE’s senior account manager for publisher and developer relations Agostino Simonetta during the Develop Conference in Brighton today.

“We are delighted to work with Creative England on this program,” he said. “We believe this to be a great partnership and an opportunity to illustrate our continuous support and commitment to the independent development community.”

Jaspal Sohal, head of games and digital media at Creative England, added: “At Creative England, we are always looking to support new game development talent and opening doors to help ndie studios grow and achieve commercial success. It’s fantastic to have PlayStation on board and together we’ve designed GamesLab Campus to be a complete investment and support package.

“Whether you’re a start-up or an experienced developer, we’re looking for exciting and innovative projects to invest in.”

Train2Game News Unity for PS Mobile offers Vita support

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PS VitaUnity now fully supports PlayStation Mobile, allowing users on the PSM Developer Program to publish content to the PlayStation Store and Vita for free.

The PSM build option works with both the free and Pro versions of the Unity game engine.

The new release features in-app purchase APIs and also allows developers to distribute their titles to PlayStation TV.

Unity for PS Mobile differs from the existing Vita build option however. PSM support is designed to provide free access for development on a standard retail Vita, while the existing Vita build option provides full native access to the handheld and full access to PSN.

Visit the official website for more information.

Train2Game News Unity for PS4

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unity-logoUnity for PlayStation 4 has been fully released for all registered Sony developers.

The new version brings full support to Shader Model 5 and compute shaders, as well as for all DualShock 4 features including the touchpad, vibration, light colour and speaker control.

Developers will also be able to access camera features such as depth detection, hand and face positioning and PS Move detection.

Sony will be making a number of licences available free of charge for approved titles.

Unity also said it was working on full support for integration with Sony’s virtual reality headset Project Morpheus.

Train2Game News Sony at E3

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SONY_logoAt its annual E3 Media & Business Summit press conference today, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) unveiled a line-up of premiere content for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system.

The games included Destiny from Bungie & Activision , Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from Naughty Dog , Far Cry 4 from Ubisoft , Batman: Arkham Knight from Rocksteady & Warner Bros Interactive , The Order: 1886 from Ready at Dawn, the highly anticipated No Man’s Sky by Hello Games, and many more.

SCEA also unveiled an exclusive PS4 Destiny bundle that includes a custom glacier white PS4, provided an update on its original content series “Powers,” introduced PlayStation TV (PS TV) for the North American and European markets, and discussed the rollout of “PlayStation Now” (PS Now) in the United States and Canada.

“With the success of PS4 − the number one next generation platform globally − and the announcements we made tonight around exciting new content, platforms and services, PlayStation is delivering unique and powerful entertainment experiences that speak to the hearts and minds of gamers,” said Shawn Layden, president and CEO of SCEA.

“PlayStation offers something for everyone, whether you want to lose yourself in a massive virtual world with tons of social interaction like Destiny or you’re looking for a more intimate, unique experience offering plenty of challenge like Entwined. Our unwavering commitment to gamers will ensure that PlayStation will always be where the greatest play happens.”

You can view more information on the Sony E3 conference in the link below

Sony at E3

Train2Game News Develop 2014 keynote speakers

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DevelopAndrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), and Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, have been confirmed as the keynote for the Develop in Brighton conference which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 8-10 July 2014.

House and Cerny’s in conversation keynote, 20 Years of PlayStation, 40 Years of Console Games, and 100 Years to Come, will see these two industry heavyweights look over the history of PlayStation and how it propelled console gaming into the mainstream.

The pair will explore what the company has learnt along this journey, how these principles were applied to PlayStation 4 and what the future holds, both in terms of the opportunities PlayStation 4 presents and the long term direction of the industry.

Andrew House has been President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) since September 2011.  Working closely with Sony Corporation’s senior management, as well as business units and regional management teams, he is responsible for the development and growth of the PlayStation business globally.

House joined the Sony family in 1990 and in those 24 years has held a number of positions including Executive Vice President, Sony Computer Entertainment America and, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Chief Marketing Officer, Sony Corporation.  He has been part of the PlayStation team virtually since its inception.

Since joining Atari Games in 1982, Mark Cerny has had a long and storied career. He has worked variously as a producer, programmer, and game designer, in the US and Japan, in arcade games and console games. He is best known for his collaborations with Naughty Dog (on Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Uncharted) and Insomniac Games (on Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Resistance).

Most recently Cerny served as Lead System Architect of the PlayStation 4 system, guiding the development of the hardware and system software over the course of its six years of development.

“It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since the arrival of the first PlayStation,” commented President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Andrew House. “Mark Cerny and I will look back over this fantastic period in which console gaming became mainstream, how our experiences shaped PlayStation 4 and where the industry will go from here.”

“We learnt a lot of lessons over the past 20 years which shaped the decisions taken in designing PlayStation 4,” said Mark Cerny, Lead System Architect on PlayStation 4 and President of Cerny Games. “The Develop in Brighton conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to share some of these experiences with the industry and discuss what the future might hold.”

“Following the rave reviews and accolades PlayStation 4 has received we are honoured to have Andrew House and Mark Cerny deliver the Develop in Brighton this July,” said Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events.

Registration is open at www.developconference.com with passes starting from as little as £75. Entry to the Expo is free.

Train2Game News Mark Cerny Developmental Legend

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Mark CernyMark Cerny will be inducted as 2014’s Development Legend at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton, UK on July 9th.

The video games icon will join an elite few to pick up the prestigious accolade. Previous recipients include the likes of Tim Sweeney, Mark Rein, David Perry, Peter Molyneux, David Braben, Charles Cecil, Phil Harrison and Ian Livingstone.

The award acknowledges Cerny’s significant contribution to the games industry throughout his impressive career.

His debut game at age 18 was Marble Madness for Atari in 1984, the first release in a sparkling career that saw him travel the world working on major hits such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Killzone 3, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Most recently Cerny is celebrated for being the mastermind behind the technical architecture of Sony’s PS4 console. The device for which he was lead system architect has already sold over seven million units, just six months after release – a games industry record.

Cerny will collect the award in person at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards, an event hosted by Develop (www.develop-online.net) and its publisher Intent Media.

“Mark Cerny is a true legend of games development,” said Develop’s publisher Michael French. “He is a respected games designer and hardware developer with a multi-faceted, cross-discipline skill set. He has helped shape some of the most compelling original titles in the history of interactive entertainment, and has been a true visionary in the design of new games machines. We look forward to presenting this award to him and celebrating his career on July 9th.”

The Develop Awards take place at the Brighton Metropole hotel. The event honours the achievements and efforts in the last year by European games studios, global technology partners and hardworking service companies.

The finalists for the award were unveiled last week. 136 companies are in the running to win one of 24 awards. You can see the full its of nominees here:  http://www.develop-online.net/news/develop-awards-2014-the-finalists-revealed/0192226

You can book a table or single seat at the event by contacting  Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk or calling 01992 535 646.

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 big update

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PS4Sony have announced a huge update for PlayStation 4 including a rich new video editing application, is available today.

In version 1.70 SHAREfactory will be available to download on to your next generation Sony console. Once installed, the app will let you edit video game captures with special effects and, video commentary with picture in picture and the ability to add a custom sound track to your videos. Once created your videos can then be shared straight to Facebook or downloaded on to a USB hard drive.

In the new update you will also have the ability to automatic pre-download so those games that you have pre-ordered that you are dieing to play will be available to be downloaded several days before the release date so that your game is ready to go on the day with no pesky waiting!

There are many other updates coming in the new update and a full list of features can be found at http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/04/30/ps4-system-update-1-70-launches-tomorrow-full-feature-list/

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 hits huge landmark

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PS4PlayStation 4 has passed seven million units sold worldwide as of April 6th, Sony has confirmed today. Sony’s console is outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One by more than a third.

Microsoft said earlier this year that its console has been selling more quickly than the Xbox 360 and original Xbox when they debuted, but has admitted that it needs to be in more markets. The console will be coming to 26 more countries in September.

The Xbox maker last gave firm sales figures of 3.9 million in January, but with the March release of Titanfall MCV reported a sales spike of 96 per cent.

“The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice,” said SCEI president and group CEO Andrew House.

“The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage.”

For PS4 owners, of more interest than sales figures will be the 1.70 firmware update that’s coming to consoles next week. Sony said includes a new video editing tool called ShareFactory. The app will allow users to more easily edit their recorded footage, adding transitions, commentary and custom soundtracks.

The update will also let users automatically download games they’ve pre-ordered, a feature that may help relieve server crashes on game launch days.

Train2Game News Unity games on Sony platforms free

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unity-logoUnity game engine support for PlayStation Mobile app development is on the way, and a preview version has just been released.

A public preview has been released today gives Unity users the opportunity to bring their games to PlayStation Mobile-compatible devices, including PS Vita, for no additional cost.

Unity users can register for free with Sony Computer Entertainment to obtain a licence to test and deploy on the PS Mobile and PS Vita platforms.

A full release for the new Unity for PSM development environment will follow in the summer.

Right now, however, the developers can get to grips with the preview version, which uses a specially customised version of Unity 4.3.

Sony said that the Unity for PS Mobile suite enables easy porting of iOS and Android games for Vita and Vita TV.

Unity support for PS Vita was added in January, and includes features such as Trophies, Friends list and matchmaking. The ongoing developments with Unity are part of a partnership the engine maker brokered with Sony at the beginning of its PS4 campaign.

Developer can find out more about the new software and register with SCE here.

Source: Develop

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 one handed controller

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benheckonehandedps4_1Ben Heck, who makes some great projects for element14 and Farnell has created a one handed PS4 controller, to make gaming accessible for players with disabilities.

By moving the left analogue stick to the rear of the controller, the player is able to use their leg to manoeuvre the controller. The shoulder buttons and D-pad have also be rewired to the right side of the controller.

This is a great project that allows more people to experience the world of gaming that has helped a lot of us through our lives.

You can enjoy the video of the controller being built below thanks to http://uk.farnell.com/: