PS5 – PlayStation.Blog

First look at new images and UI of the Access controller for PS5, an all-new accessibility controller kit

Hideaki Nishino — Thu, 18 May 2023 08:00:23 +0000

While accessibility is an important topic year-round, May is always special as we celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day and recognize the strides made by the accessibility community and the games industry to make gaming more inclusive. At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we are committed to furthering that mission, so today we’re excited to share new details and images of the Access controller for the PS5 console.

New details and product images

First revealed at CES this year as “Project Leonardo,” the Access controller for PS5 is an all-new, highly-customizable accessibility controller kit designed to help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods.

Developed in collaboration with accessibility experts, the Access controller will include a wide array of swappable button and stick caps so players can freely create different layouts that work for their unique strength, range of motion, and physical needs. Each Access controller will include:

Analog stick caps (standard, dome and ball stick cap)
Button caps in different shapes and sizes, including:
- Pillow button caps
- Flat button caps
- Wide flat button cap (which covers two button sockets)
- Overhang button caps (which benefit players with smaller hands as they are positioned closer to the center)
- Curve button caps (which can be pushed if placed along the top or pulled if placed along the bottom of the controller)
Swappable button cap tags for players to easily mark which inputs they map to each button

In addition, players can use the Access controller on flat surfaces, orient it 360 degrees, or easily secure the controller to an AMPS mount* or tripod. They can also adjust the distance of the analog stick from the controller.

Through the Access controller’s four 3.5mm AUX ports, players can integrate their own specialty switches, buttons or analog sticks.

You can read more about the Access controller’s hardware features in our original blog post. You can also visit our new web page here where you can sign up for email updates and be informed when preorders launch, so you can secure your controller at the earliest opportunity.

First look at the Access controller UI

Beyond the wide range of hardware customization options, the Access controller features a myriad of ways for players to create personalized UI settings and configurations that unlock new ways to play.

Button mapping & control profiles. On the PS5 console, players can select their preferred orientation for the Access controller, map different inputs to the various buttons, toggle buttons on or off, or even map two different inputs onto the same button. They can also create and store their favorite control profiles for different games or genres (such as “combat” or “driving”).

Controller pairing and analog stick adjustments. Up to two Access controllers and one DualSense (or DualSense Edge) wireless controller can be used together as a single virtual controller, allowing players to mix and match devices or play collaboratively with others. Similar to the DualSense Edge wireless controller, players can also fine-tune the starting position and sensitivity of input. The ability to adjust deadzones (the distance your analog stick moves before it’s recognized in a game) and stick sensitivity is particularly helpful for players to improve their fine motor control during gameplay.

Toggle mode. The Access controller also features a toggle mode, which allows players to adjust the behavior of any button to work like a caps lock key on a keyboard. For example, if you enable toggle mode for the acceleration input in a racing game, the Access controller will accelerate the car without you needing to hold the button down.

Players can enable toggle mode for any programmable input. As an example, if a game only allows you to sprint by holding down “L3” (the left analog stick), which can be physically challenging, you can change that input to behave like “click L3 to toggle sprint” by enabling toggle mode for the button you’ve assigned to L3.

Our journey of accessibility on PS5

Alongside new details on the Access controller, we’re excited to share a video today that highlights ongoing efforts across our product development and PlayStation Studios teams to make gaming accessible for more players on PS5. Hear from team members around the world about the work they’re doing to expand gaming accessibility on PS5 through our upcoming Access controller, console UI, and games:

We’ll have more to share about the Access controller for PS5, including more product and release details, in the months ahead. Thanks to all the players who’ve shared valuable feedback and inspire us every day to bring the joy of gaming to more people through innovation and collaboration with you – our community.

*AMPS is an industry-standard mounting screw pattern for attaching devices to equipment, including accessibility equipment.

(For Southeast Asia) You’re Invited: PlayStation Showcase broadcasts live next Thursday, 25 May at 3am (BKK/JKT) / 4AM (SG/KL/MNL)

Sid Shuman (he/him) — Thu, 18 May 2023 04:53:10 +0000

It’s almost time to see what’s next — PlayStation Showcase broadcasts live next Thursday, 25 May at 3am (BKK/JKT) / 4AM (SG/KL/MNL).

The show will run a bit over an hour, focusing on PS5 and PS VR2 games in development from top studios from around the world. Expect a glimpse at several new creations from PlayStation Studios, as well as spellbinding games from our third-party partners and indie creators.

The live broadcast starts next Thursday, 25 May at 3am (BKK/JKT) / 4AM (SG/KL/MNL) on YouTube and Twitch. Hope to see you there!

Regarding Co-streaming and Video-On-Demand (VOD)

Please note that this web broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could possibly interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this stream.

If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.

Inside the creative minds of Humanity developers Yugo Nakamura and Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Shuhei Yoshida — Tue, 16 May 2023 22:00:23 +0000

Shuhei Yoshida chats with Yugo Nakamura, creative director, art director, designer, and narrative designer for Humanity, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi, executive producer for Humanity, on how the title delivers a new puzzle game experience. They discuss the thought process behind the creation of Humanity as a new form of interactive experience and how they came up with the game’s main theme.

Humanity is available starting today as a Day 1 PlayStation Plus Game Catalog title.*

Inspired by the “flocking behavior of birds”

Shuhei Yoshida (SY): I heard that Nakamura-san likes to observe flocks of birds, and that’s where you found inspiration for Humanity. Can you tell us more about that?

Yugo Nakamura(YN): I specialize in Interactive Design, and I like to spend my time programming, sharing my work, and creating visual experiences; I enjoy these things and that’s why I do them for a living. I think a lot of people like me have used a simulation program called “Boids,” which essentially simulates the flocking behavior of birds. If you focus on just a single creature, you’re able to create very organic movements just by programming three simple rules and connecting them. But in the case of birds, the simulation looked so alive, and it was fascinating to see how organically the flock of birds moved, even though it was based on such a simple mechanism.

From there, I spent some time making a bite-size mobile game that used simple bird movements as motifs. It was like a racing game where you control a flock of birds.

SY: It’s the one where you try to progress further into the game, right?

YN: Yes. In a regular racing game, you’re only responsible for controlling one car, but in this game, you basically had to control 300 different cars. If you made a small mistake, you lost 100 birds, but then eventually gained back 200!

SY: Game developers like us are always looking to surprise people by creating something that goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a hardware’s capabilities. So when I saw your game, I felt something similar.

YN: I had similar thoughts as a consumer myself. I was shocked at how smoothly games ran back on the original PlayStation, and I thought that was such a great achievement. From there, I decided that since I already made a game with birds on a smartphone, next I wanted to create a system that controlled large groups of humans. That’s how the idea for Humanity was born.

SY: Birds’ movements are driven completely by instinct, but in the case of humans, a mix of intellect and social conventions come into play. What aspects did you focus on when designing the movement of crowds of humans?

YN: My first eureka moment was when I saw huge crowds of people at Comic Market (Comiket) in Japan, all properly lined up and waiting patiently. I was fascinated by how the movement of that many people was so controlled and regulated – I think this sort of behavior is unique to humans who are not just herded by instinct.

“Humanity is something special” – how development started

SY: How did you meet Mizuguchi-san?

YN: I’ve always loved games, and I’d seen Mizuguchi-san many times in gaming magazines since his time at Sega. I was a fan of his work. I once had a chance to meet him briefly, but then I saw him again at Unity Developer’s Delight – a developer event hosted by Unity. There, one of our engineers, Yama, showcased a human crowd simulator demo which was the prototype for Humanity. Mizuguchi-san was one of the judges there, and he later got in touch.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi (TM): I met Yugo once at the Japan Media Arts Festival, hosted by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, but to me he was like a superstar creator that produced so many unique and creative products. If you turned on the TV you’d see a show that he produced, and if you walked the streets of Ginza, you’d see UNIQLO ads that he had worked on.

Enhance helps navigate the complexities of game design

SY: Nakamura-san’s “tha ltd.” isn’t a game development studio. How does the collaboration between Enhance work?

YN: We aren’t a game studio, but our expertise lies in design and tech for interactive experiences. Even though we didn’t know much about video game design, we were overly optimistic at the beginning, and decided that our team will be responsible for development, and Enhance will take on the role of publisher and producer.

However, the deeper we went into development, we realized that game development was not at all like we had imagined. I realized rather early on that creating a fun gaming experience is not something an amateur can easily pull off, so I spoke to Mizuguchi-san to have seasoned game designers oversee our work. From there, we had staff from Enhance join our development as well.

The fun and terror of collectivized humanity

SY: I felt like the game’s title, Humanity, is ironic in a sense that it reflects how humanity as a concept can be perceived. Heaps of people walking around in hordes almost reminds me of a totalitarian society. I was really curious as to whether you developed the game with such irony in mind, or whether you were just genuinely interested in people. When creating a game, you have to implement a lot of rules, which may cause the game to end up becoming something that was not originally intended. Did you face any dilemma like that?

YN: Actually, the inspiration behind the game title is a T-shirt that I own with a logo that says “Humanity” – I thought that was a cool logo and the word itself had a nice ring to it. But when you think about it, Humanity has a very deep meaning, and when I reflected on how humanity plays a role in my daily life, many thoughts came to mind. Each and every one of us is generally kind and rational, and not many of us are inherently mad or crazy. However, this all changes drastically when it comes to ‘groups’. Politics, war, cancel culture on social media – people tend to go to extremes when they are part of a larger group. The title, Humanity, embodies the idea that humans gain a new trait when they come together.

When we view human beings as a cluster, and not as individuals, we may associate them with the totalitarian and homogenous image you mentioned earlier, and the fear and extremities that derive from that are certainly an important motif in the game.

SY: Visuals of the game evoke fear as well.

YN: It was even more terrifying and ruthless at the earlier stages. When you looked at a single human from a group’s perspective, they looked like a speck of dust or even a tiny piece of trash. Mizuguchi-san provided us with some guidance and we went in a more gentle direction.

Expanding the community with the Stage Creator

SY: What was the idea behind Stage Creator?

YN: Originally, the development team was working on a tool for level design, and we thought it would be fun to make it public. However, it was quite a challenge to develop it into something that users could play with a controller.

When we previously released the demo, I saw users creating stages that went far beyond our expectations, so I felt reassured that we made a good decision

SY: I felt the same with LittleBigPlanet and Dreams. It’s nice to see players leveraging the games in ways that the creators never imagined, and sharing their creations with other gamers. Humanity’s UI is also very well designed. Stages with high user ratings and recommendations are showcased at the top, allowing users to quickly discover fun and interesting community-made content.

The world of Humanity in PS VR2

SY: In my position, I must bring up the fact that the game is compatible with PS VR2. The team at Enhance has produced VR masterpieces such as Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect: Connected, so I imagine it was a familiar process for Mizuguchi-san. What was your impression of VR as a medium, Yugo?

YN: I enjoy VR so I have been playing around with it since the early days, but I had an impression that the majority of VR content was immersive first-person experiences. When Mizuguchi-san suggested trying out VR, I didn’t think it would be a good fit for this game, but there were so many discoveries when I gave it a try. I didn’t realize VR was capable of capturing extremely detailed 3D human movements in such high resolution. We were able to utilize VR in a unique way, where the player can watch over small crowds of people walking around in an elaborate diorama, as if you’re observing a swarm of ants.

TM: Most of the VR games I have worked on so far are immersive first-person experiences, but I had a feeling that Humanity would be interesting to play from a third-person perspective – sort of like Sim City where you can walk around and get a bird’s eye view of everything. At first, members of the team were a little skeptical, but when we tried it out, everyone agreed that it was a good idea. The development went smoothly from there.

SY: Performance, such as framerate, can be a concern on VR. Did you run into any issues around that?

YN: It was quite challenging optimizing for PS VR, but we had a lot of leeway with PS VR2. I think we were able to achieve the level of detail we were aiming for, with the resolution of the PS VR2.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s take on the potential of PS VR2

SY: As a developer, how do you feel about PS VR2 overall – not just limited to Humanity?

TM: Compared to the original PS VR, the overall quality has improved dramatically, and I think it is an amazing generational leap forward. As a developer, I’m particularly interested and see a lot of potential in the new eye tracking feature.

Also, you may think that we at Enhance are obsessed with haptics – well, we are haha – but we are interested in building experiences that involve haptics. In that sense, the inclusion of haptic feedback in the headset is very significant. What I found out when I created the Synesthesia Suit for Rez Infinite, for example, is that when there is distance, you can experience the world through the senses of your whole body. You can feel the sensation of objects passing by or the alternating beat of the music. What only existed in the palm of your hands is now extended to the headset, so there are so many new possibilities.

A perfect chemistry of puzzles and narrative that make it worth playing till the end

SY: It’s been five years since development started. How do you feel looking back?

YN: We were struggling the whole time basically (haha). I mentioned earlier that the game was an extension of an interactive design we worked on, and there were parts of the process that were exactly as we had imagined and parts that were completely unexpected. The basic aspects of development were what we had expected, but the process of refining the game to make it more fun and enjoyable was very unique.

Extensive playtesting and listening to various user feedback is common practice in the game industry. Even when there were opinions I thought were okay to ignore, we diligently repeated the process of resolving them. We would eliminate even the slightest stress, and the end result would be a game that is pleasant and comfortable to play, even if you can’t quite complete it.

SY: Indeed, there is no stress when playing Humanity. You can retry immediately if you fail, and it drops you right back into the middle of what you have been doing. I felt that the game was being accommodating to the user and made them feel comfortable during gameplay.Players from around the globe enjoyed the demo released in February, and now the full version is available as part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.How do you feel about that?

YN: In one word, I am terrified! The content I usually produce lasts five to 15 minutes at most. With videos, I only need to grab the attention of the viewer for that short amount of time, so I can focus on that and make it happen. Games, however, can take up to several tens of hours, so I cannot help but wonder if our game is really worth that amount of players’ time. As the creator, I don’t have that much objective confidence, and because I’ve been a part of the game’s development for so long I can’t say I’m objective anymore.

SY: Do you have a message for those who haven’t played Humanity yet?

YN: There may be people who don’t enjoy puzzles or are not too fond of it as a game genre, but I hope people will see past that and give it a try. Of course the puzzles are fun, but I encourage gamers to jump in and play around as if it’s a playground; move the crowds in various ways and experiment by making them do different things. You’ll see a lot of interesting behaviors and results. We put work in creating a game that you won’t get tired of.

It is part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, so if you are already a member, you can play it whenever you feel like it. I’ll be delighted if everyone could give it a try.

TM: Humanity is a game that delivers a whole new experience. If you ask me what genre it is, I would probably say it is a puzzle game. I think it is easy enough for anyone to pick up – from children to the elderly, even our parents’ generation. Everything that happens is a spectacle, and that alone is interesting, but I think the game is about experiencing the narrative, and immersing yourself in the story of Humanity.

It’s a fun game that can be enjoyed on your own, or have family and friends with you helping to solve the puzzles. You can also treat it like a party game where everyone beats the game together. I hope players enjoy the game in their own way, and are able to witness the end that we prepared for them.

*Humanity is available now on PS4, PS5, PS VR, and PS VR2. It’s also included with the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog with PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium memberships.

Recreating Tolkien’s world for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, out May 25

Tilman Schanen — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:00:18 +0000

“Why didn’t the Eagles just take the One Ring and drop it into Mount Doom?” Well, as developers working on a “Lord of the Rings” game, let me tell you exactly why: because it gave us the opportunity to explore and immerse ourselves in a rich and complex universe!

In creating The Lord of the Rings: Gollum our motto has been to honor the way J. R. R. Tolkien looked at the richness of the world he had created, using his vision as a guidepost for our visual interpretation of his world.

Tolkien always wanted other artists to bring his writings to life and continue the creation of his great English myth. Of course, he didn’t have video games in mind back then. But his passion for meticulous detail, the history, languages, and names that he used to populate Middle-earth has always inspired our industry. Whether we realize it or not, all game creators owe a lot to Tolkien’s writings.

Following Gollum’s journey, we had the opportunity to explore parts of the world that we had never seen in such detail before. We started with everything we could find in the lore. Then we filled in the gaps with our own ideas and knowledge about the cultures and peoples who lived in these places.

For example, for the mighty fortress of Barad-dûr, we wanted to emphasize the huge scale and the stark contrast to our small hero. We imagined that the fortress was constantly expanding and changing. The builders could not keep up with the speed and size of their ever-growing walls and towers. Everything around the perfectly shaped main tower became increasingly chaotic.

One example is this service bridge that crosses the tower’s enormous moat, and that the builders probably meant to be straight:

While Mordor is an iconic and recognizable place with its dark volcanic rocks and reddish lights, designing Thranduil’s palace in Mirkwood was more challenging.

The contrast is intentional. While Mordor is spiky, Thranduil’s halls feature round shapes. While Barad-dûr tries to dominate and transform its environment, the Elvish buildings preserve and respect the shape of the mountain. It’s a harmonious interplay between architecture and nature. Welcoming instead of threatening. A place that repels Gollum but attracts Sméagol. Water, his native element, is everywhere and comes alive in different forms.

King Thranduil’s chambers were another fascinating place to create. The King likes to ride out at night and hunt under the stars. His rooms are decorated like a dreamy night forest, more symbolic than functional. The King’s bed is like a ceremonial boat on a river, where he only occasionally boards to have dreams and visions.

Working on this game has been both a great honor and a big responsibility. We felt a lot of excitement and nervousness when we started this adventure together. How would it all turn out? Would it feel right in the end? And we feel a similar excitement and nervousness now that we are about to share it with all of you.

We hope that our boundless passion for the world of Middle-earth shines through in all these little details, and hopefully, you will feel the same way once you have started your journey.

See you soon, in the world of Middle-earth!

Unleash your creativity in Humanity with the stage creator

Brian Hargrove — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:00:17 +0000

Un-leash. Get it!? Dog-gone it! Anything? To be more on the nose, you play as a Shiba Inu in Humanity, available on PS5 and PS4 starting tomorrow and available as a Day 1 release in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. With the game’s launch less than a day away, we wanted to celebrate and maybe inspire you to check out the Stage Creator by sharing this PlayStation logo-inspired stage with you.

Building a PlayStation logo-themed stage

Using Humanity’s ultra-intuitive editor, you can let your imagination run wild. Whatever you’re in the mood for, a perplexing puzzle or a relaxing work of art, it’s easy to make it inside Humanity. The absolute best part is when you’re finished, you can share your creations with the world!

Get to know the Palette menu, which has everything you need to construct a stage. The basic building blocks of any level are…well, Blocks! To create the PlayStation stage you see here, we used the static (non-moving) and motorized (can be made to move along a pre-planned route) types, but many more options are available for your custom level. All you need are some Blocks, humans, and a Goal to send them to. If you have those three things, you’ve got yourself a working level! If you get stuck or need some help, the Stage Creator includes an extensive library of tutorial videos to assist you every step of the way.

We’ll start by drawing the ‘S’ in the ‘PS’ logo. This will be the base for our puzzle. Next, we’ll create a pathway for the humans to walk on while avoiding the Others walking below and trying to stop us from collecting that precious Goldy. Finally, the ‘S’ snakes around and attaches to the back of a towering letter ‘P.’

That’s one giant PlayStation logo!

Ahhhh, we forgot to add an essential piece! So, let’s bring up the Palette and drop in a Boulder. There, now it looks like it’s got a “registered” symbol. You didn’t see that one coming, huh? Get creative and don’t forget to have fun when designing your level!

Making a level fun to solve

Now that we’ve finished the basic design, we must add the puzzle aspects to the level. The humans will march along the S, climb the towering P and reach the three goals at the top. But wait, there’s a tricky part. Did you see that gold goal at the top? Use that cute Shiba Inu of yours, place commands, and escort your human flock with Goldy to the Goldy Goal. That’s no easy task, let me tell ya! Not only do you need to guide the Goldy in its own goal, but you’ll also need the humans flowing to the other two goals. You have to do all this and avoid the Others waiting to beat you down with their clubs.

Think you can finish our stage? With practice, I’m sure you can. The level is sitting in User Stages, waiting for you to take on the challenge:

“PlayStation Logo” Stage ID 001-157-8556.

Once you beat it, you can rate and save it to your Favorites. It’s a five-star level for sure, right?

This PlayStation stage should illustrate just how flexible the editor is. If you’re a beginner, you can start much simpler. Here are a couple of tips:

Not sure where to begin? Pick two mechanics in Humanity and mash them up. Pushable Blocks with Conveyor Belts. Fans with the Dog Switch. Climbable walls and water. Make a smaller puzzle and expand from there.
Do your own take on a stage from Humanity’s Story Mode and remix/change some aspects of it.
Pick a theme and see what you can design. Make a sculpture with the blocks and then design a puzzle afterward.

Bottom line—have fun. And don’t forget to share your stage with us, too! We are eager to see what people in the community can do with these tools.

You can get your hands on Humanity starting tomorrow, May 16, on PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 4. Play on your TV or optionally with PS VR2 or PS VR. The game is also part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog now available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members.

Share of the Week: Horizon Forbidden West – Seyka

Kristen Zitani (she/her) — Fri, 12 May 2023 16:00:11 +0000

Last week, we asked you to turn your Focus on Seyka, Aloy’s newest companion from the Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores expansion using #PSshare #PSBlog. From portraits to action shots, here are this week’s highlights:

Callyforniaa_ng shares Seyka crouching in grass in front of the aged Hollywood sign.

RevolutionAndre shares Seyka using her Focus to reveal something.

AreeLyBadPun shares Seyka mid-leap, aiming her bow and arrow.

ForgottenJasmin shares Aloy’s contemplative gaze towards Seyka.

teeparty_s shares an action shot of Seyka about to fire her bow and arrow.

dande__lion55 shares Seyka in front of a colorful hologram display.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme.

Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on May 17, 2023

Next week, we’re returning to a galaxy far far away. Share epic moments from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Kaiju Series content brings monster fun to MLB The Show 23 in Season 2

Steve Peer — Fri, 12 May 2023 13:00:37 +0000

MLB The Show 23’s Season 2 Rewards Program drops today*, bringing an amazing array of new content including, but definitely not limited to, the Kaiju Series.

Inspired by the Kaiju, or “Strange Beast,” film genre, the Kaiju Series features some of the most devastatingly effective MLB Legends and Superstars of the past and present, such as Monte Irvin, John Franco, and Corey Kluber.

Kaiju Series Program

The Kaiju Series Program, available in Other Programs, is the perfect way to kick off your Season 2 Rewards Program and begin adding Kaiju Series players to your Diamond Dynasty squad.

Play brand-new Moments and complete Missions spotlighting Kaiju Series Program players including Hunter Renfroe, Brandonw Lowe, Stephen Strasburg and Billy Williams.

Take on the three Kaiju Events starting today with “Kaiju, Part I” Then on May 19th, play the “Kaiju, Part II”, followed by the final “Kaiju, Part III” on May 25^th.
In Showdown mode, stand your ground against Showdown boss Stephen Strasburg to earn progress in the Kaiju Other Program.
In Conquest mode, complete the Kaiju Conquest Map to earn packs, Stubs, and progress.

Not only will completing each of these tasks provide you progress in the Kaiju Other Program, but they’ll also give you ample opportunity to earn XP towards the Season 2 XP Rewards Path.

Kaiju in Stadium Creator

Along with the monstrous amount of Kaiju content to play and rewards to earn, you can also find all-new Kaiju props in the Stadium Creator on current-gen consoles, including PlayStation 5. Create your stadium with imposing Kaiju looming directly behind the outfield walls. Combine these new Kaiju props with existing props such as the t-Rex, boats, or the UFO Mothership, among others, to create the ultimate Kaiju-inspired setting for your games to take place in.

More to come in Season 2

All of this Kaiju content, while undeniably cool, is just the tip of the iceberg for the new content available in Season 2 of Diamond Dynasty mode.

Play new content in Team Affinity 2 Programs with rewards for all 30 MLB clubs, new Mini Seasons challenges, earn rewards with your friends in the new Ranked Program and climb the leaderboards in co-op mode, complete new Collections for 99 overall bosses, as well as the mysterious Incognito Series that will all be headed your way in Season 2.

So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to get in on the action in MLB The Show 23. See you on the field.

*Internet connection required for Season 2 update and rewards.

How to optimize your gameplay with the DualSense Edge wireless controller

Justin Corrie — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:00:56 +0000

Player choice is a core tenant for PlayStation 5’s DualSense Edge wireless controller. The ultra-customizable, high-performance features unlock a wealth of options to tailor gameplay to players’ preferences. The array of choices to select from excites both gamers and developers alike, so who better to share insights on tuning your DualSense Edge wireless controller than the people making the games?

A new Developer Experience Series featuring perspectives from devs at Santa Monica Studio, EA Sports, and Bungie highlights game-specific ways to optimize gameplay with the DualSense Edge wireless controller. From adjusting trigger heights to rapidly blitz on the pitch in FIFA 23 to modifying back buttons for seamless weapon toggling in God of War Ragnarök, here’s a look into how you can make the DualSense Edge wireless controller work for your style of play.

God of War Ragnarök

Developer: Santa Monica Studio

In God of War, you’re hitting the triggers a lot because that’s where your primary attacks and aiming are, so I ended up using the low stops for the triggers to make them feel more like regular buttons.
Jason McDonald, Design Director, Santa Monica Studio

In God of War Ragnarök, you want to move the character fairly quickly, especially in the middle of combat, so the left analog stick I set to the Quick setting, and I did the inverse of that on the right analog stick, which is used for camera movement, aiming, etc.
Mihir Sheth, Lead Combat Designer, Santa Monica Studio

FIFA 23

Developer: EA Sports

The DualSense Edge wireless controller enables FIFA/FC players to personalize their FIFA/FC experience further, focusing on what matters more to them regarding the controller. Some players prefer their right stick to be perfectly precise for Skill Moves, while others favor a specific sensitivity when Switching. Some players will want to remap controls at a system level to suit their preferences. In contrast, others will be delighted with the ability to have a quicker-to-activate Sprint by adjusting the length of the triggers.

The DualSense Edge controller helped my defending game tremendously, as I can more easily keep Running Jockey active (L2 + R2) while activating Teammate Contain or player Switching by using the new back buttons (as L1 and R1). Having extra buttons on the back of the controller and personalizing them with the command you want can become invaluable when playing a decisive FUT Champions match or a rival derby in Career Mode.
Thomas Caleffi, Gameplay Producer, EA Sports

Among the most useful features that make the DualSense Edge controller stand out and particularly suitable for FC enthusiasts are its adaptive triggers and back buttons, which enable players to have faster reactions and play smarter on the pitch by swiftly switching between different team tactics or changing the team mentality without having to take their thumbs off the sticks. In addition to that, having the option to remap any button to match your preferences and adjust the sensitivity of the triggers will give FC fans more control and customization over their gameplay experience. It is certainly a more enjoyable and improved experience.
Danillo Abreu, Game Designer, EA Sports

Destiny 2

Developer: Bungie

The DualSense Edge Controller has been amazing for letting me dig in deeper with Destiny 2’s pinnacle activities across both PvP and PvE! I’ve currently got two primary configurations I bounce between for Trials of Osiris and Raids – and, I’ve got a matching in-game loadout to compliment each one. Being able to seamlessly swap between the needs of Destiny 2’s pinnacle activities both in-game and out of game has been a game changer!
Andy Salisbury, Senior Social Media Manager, Bungie

As a massive fan of PvP modes in Destiny 2 like Iron Banner and Scorched, the ability to map my desired controller settings makes it really easy to tailor to my specific playstyle. If I’m going into Scorched, I want chaos. Being able to charge up this mode’s explode-y goodness and then mapping out exactly how I let that fire rain from above using the switchable back options is a blast. It keeps me in the flow, keeps me out of my head, and lets me enjoy the total mayhem that always ensues when taking this mode head-on. With the different options to both the front-side and back-side of the controller, it’s a more personalized experience and that personalization means more ways for everyone to play.
Liana Rupert, Community Manager, Bungie

Despelote, a slice-of-life soccer game for everyone, hits PS5 in 2024

Nick Suttner — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:00:54 +0000

Hello, PlayStation! It’s us, Panic! Publishers of Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game, and the upcoming Nour: Play With Your Food. We have a veritable bevy of upcoming PlayStation games news to share, starting with despelote, coming to PS5 in 2024. The game will also be part of Tribeca’s 2023 Festival Selection, which we’re deeply honored by.

Despelote is a beautiful slice-of-life adventure about childhood, and the magical grip that soccer held over the people of Quito, Ecuador in 2001. Right from their first pitch, we were instantly transported by the work of its creators, Julián Cordero & Sebastian Valbuena. As a semi-autobiographical story of Julián’s childhood, it feels deeply authentic to a specific time and place – while also managing to feel universal in many respects, as you wander the streets of Quito, getting caught up in mischief and soaking in the local culture.

Despelote’s gameplay leans on many of the verbs you’d associate with soccer – dribbling, passing, and kicking (and all feeling great from a first-person perspective!) – but used for a variety of playful, funny interactions as you explore the town, as well as affecting storytelling, as you’re swept up into the fervor of Ecuador’s first qualifying run for the World Cup.

As you can see from the trailer, the game has a very distinct look – one created in part from both reference photos as well as actual textures captured on-site in Quito. This is true for the audio as well, as Julián and Sebastian recorded real conversations and city ambience to create the soundscape within the game. And appropriately, the game is fully voiced in Spanish, with localized subtitles depending on your preference.

Whether you’re a casual soccer fan, someone who enjoys being immersed in other cultures, or just have a love for good storytelling, we think you’ll find something special in Despelote when it launches on PS5 in 2024. Thanks for reading, and there’s much more to come from both Panic and Despelote soon.

How Reunion of Memories changes the One Piece Odyssey experience, Out May 25

John Liao — Thu, 11 May 2023 14:00:23 +0000

Luffy and the Straw Hats must uncover one final hidden mystery in the upcoming DLC, Reunion of Memories. After their adventure on Waford, Luffy and the Straw Hats decide to enjoy a banquet where they are suddenly approached by a girl, clothed in black, bearing a striking resemblance to Lim. She then uses the power of a mysterious black cube to send the Straw Hats into an altered World of memories, where things are not as they remember them. Not only will Reunion of Memories take you on a new adventure, but it will also introduce two new systems that will change the One Piece Odyssey experience.

Let’s now look at how these new systems change the experience.

Limited Order Battles

In the DLC, a new battle system is implemented to supplement the combat experience.

Limited Order battles are specific encounters that you’ll experience in Reunion of Memories and are tuned for higher level play to allow for deeper strategic gameplay. These battles have exceptional enemies with strong abilities that will need to be planned around for best results. For an example of what Limited order battles are, let’s breakdown the battle with the Rear Admiral Barricade below.

In this battle, the Straw Hats must defeat Rear Admiral Barricade to succeed. The accompanying sailors do not need to be defeated to win. In fact, any defeated sailors will result in Rear Admiral Barricade receiving a boost to his power. If all sailors are defeated, the admiral will boost to an astronomical level of power and can make quick work of the Straw Hats.

So how do we get past this? The straightforward solution is to focus solely on taking down the admiral. However, the admiral is tough and the sailors will overwhelm the Straw Hats if left alone. Fortunately, the Straw Hats are well equipped for this issue as Brook, Nami, and more can incapacitate the sailors with abilities that can stun or confuse them. But the obstacles don’t end there. As one more fun mechanic to the battle, the Straw Hats will be joined by an NPC ally that will not hesitate to defeat the sailors and boost the power of the admiral. This “ally” can cause some chaos in any plan, making the battle more exciting.

This new system brings a refreshing change to the combat of Odyssey as the strategic decisions made in battle allow for a much bigger impact in the outcome of the fight.

Let’s now look at the narrative of Reunion of Memories and how the next system changes that experience.

Captain’s Selection

Reunion of Memories also adds a branching storyline system to improve the narrative experience.

Over the course of the story, there will be several points where the system will prompt you to make a story choice between two options. Your choice may be able to steer the Straw Hats away from danger or straight into it for the bold and the daring.

In this situation here, the Straw Hats are looking to save the mayor of Water Seven and they can go about it in two ways: Save the workers and ask for their help or take the back streets to the mayor’s house. In this case, both choices will lead to a battle but the foes that you will face will be different.

The Captain’s Selection system strengthens the narrative of Reunion of Memories by empowering the player to interact with the story for a deeper level of immersion.

Reunion of Memories comes out May 25 on PS5 and PS4. Come join the Straw Hats for a new and different way to experience One Piece Odyssey.