Category: PlayStation

The launch of the Access controller for PS5 is around the corner on December 6. Today, we’re excited to go behind the scenes with some accessibility experts who consulted on this project, as well as share new resources for players with disabilities to learn more about how this highly customizable controller kit can help them play more comfortably and for longer periods.

Behind the scenes: stories from accessibility experts 

The Access controller would not have been possible without the support and feedback from consultants and community playtesters across the U.S., Europe, and Japan. We recently provided some of these experts with the final product so they can start customizing their favorite setups. Hear from accessibility consultants Paul Amadeus Lane and Cesar Flores, AbleGamers’ Peer Counselor Aaron Price, SpecialEffect Ambassador Paul Phillips, and Insomniac Games’ Accessibility Design Researcher Sam Schaffel about how the Access controller opens up new ways for them to enjoy gaming that previously weren’t possible:

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New tutorial guides and videos

As a versatile PS5 controller kit with a novel design and expansive customization options, the Access controller includes a lot of new features and functionality for players to explore. We’re pleased to launch a new support hub that includes detailed how-to guides and video tutorials, including steps to tailor the Access controller’s hardware and software features to create a setup that suits you best.

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We hope these resources help you get a better understanding of how the Access controller can benefit your play experiences. As we get closer to launch, we’ll provide even more information to help you discover all the ways it can make gaming more accessible. For more information and to preorder yours, visit playstation.com.

Today, we’re happy to reveal two fighters joining Tekken 8’s roster: Reina, who employs an acrobatic fighting style rooted in Taido, and Victor Chevalier, who utilizes super spy-style CQB in combat. In this PS Blog post, we’ll dive into the design and story backgrounds of both. 

Reina

Reina was a character conceived during Tekken 7’s story development a decade ago. She plays a vital role in Tekken 8’s story, The Dark Awakens. Despite her fashionable and charming appearance, she exudes a charismatic sense of evil, reflecting her character’s duality in both personality and fighting style.

Attacks that reflect her personality and acrobatic movement based on Taido

Reina employs an acrobatic fighting style rooted in Taido, using swift and brutal techniques such as knife-hand strikes, eye pokes, and scratching that reflect her character. She utilizes a special movement called Sentai to close the distance quickly and launch rushes, while Unsoku allows her to deliver powerful attacks with agile footwork, demonstrating a speedy and aggressive combat approach. In addition, Reina has somehow acquired techniques like Wind God Fist and Spinning Demon, synonymous with the Mishima-style karate, and even exhibits a power fighter aspect, delivering powerful moves from the Heaven’s Wrath stance once used by Heihachi, who is now deceased. Her offensive capabilities near walls, in particular, are among the most potent of all characters.

Reina is a character that emphasizes duality in various aspects. To create a distinct counterpart to the powerful Mishima-style karate, we chose Taido as the second fighting style. Taido is known for its graceful and speedy movements, with sharp and agile attacks. When producing Reina’s Taido techniques, we collaborated with the renowned expert, Mr. Tetsuji Nakano, who has won the Taido World Championships four times. Mr. Nakano is not only knowledgeable in Taido but also in various other martial arts. His advice on brutal techniques helped bring out the distinctive features and personality in Reina’s movements even more.

A design that emphasizes the duality in Reina‘s character.

We were eager to work with Ms. Mariko Shimazaki, who had previously contributed as a designer for characters like Kazumi and Josie for Tekken 7. We contacted her to handle the design during the early stages of brainstorming character concepts and keywords, despite giving her the challenging task of capturing a genuine martial artist’s appearance with a bold fighting style that blends elements of Taido and Mishima-style karate, while being a young woman who appears somewhat mysterious and has that duality. She delivered an exceptional design.

Thanks to the design proposals we received from Ms. Shimazaki, the grand direction for Reina was clear from the beginning. In creating the 3D model, we worked on incorporating elements related to her hidden background and duality and how to shape it into an appealing design. So, please do keep an eye out for these aspects.

Victor Chevalier

Founder of the Union of Nations’ armed forces and a living legend in the French military. During his time in the Navy, he carried out numerous dangerous missions. He successfully returned, all while displaying the quirks of being an extreme penny-pincher and having a flamboyant history of romantic relationships with more partners than one can count. He left behind various anecdotes in different countries. Driven by his aspiration to save more people, he eventually assumed the role of the commander of the UN’s forces and decided to lead from the front lines in battle.

Victor Chevalier, a key character in shaping the power balance in the world of Tekken 8

Victor plays a vital role in the setting of Tekken 8, influencing the power balance in the world. In past installments, the leader of the UN was not revealed. However, in this game, with the growing influence of the G Corporation led by Kazuya Mishima, the founder of the UN’s armed forces, Victor, makes his debut. His participation promises a unique and substantial twist in the story compared to previous titles.

Victor’s unique fighting style – super spy-style CQB

Victor is an extraordinary combatant with combat knives, karambit knives, and optical weapons. He excels in dual-wielding, combining skills from military combat techniques, science fiction, ninjutsu, super spy tactics, and gentlemanly style. He can attack from a distance with firearms, strike from outside an opponent’s range with his long-reaching sword, and use his flashlight at close quarters to take opponents by surprise. He possesses remarkable spatial control abilities, particularly with his beloved sword, Takemikazuchi. With his “Iai Position” stance, he employs electromagnetic battōjutsu with superlative reach to break through an opponent’s defenses. His high-speed movements with optical camouflage allow him to effectively evade enemy attacks and launch counterattacks.

Stylish and practical, his sleek suit style is fashionable yet highly functional

Although Victor wears a slim suit, he’s a character who carries multiple weapons. Thus, the design focuses on making sure each weapon is easily accessible and practical while also ensuring that the overall silhouette looks aesthetically pleasing. Given his position as Raven’s superior, the concept was to convey a somewhat sophisticated and conceited image, with the idea of him looking fashionable and appealing to the ladies. Therefore, a suit style was established as a direction quite early in the process. Being a simple suit style, attention was paid to the sleekness of the silhouette, texture, and fine details in accessories to convey Victor’s gentlemanly character. Moreover, the simplicity of the suit style serves as a great contrast that highlights the various weapons he carries.

Although he may appear perfect, he’s an extreme penny-pincher

With his esteemed family background and expertise in arts and martial arts, Victor may appear as the perfect gentleman at first glance. However, given the nature of Tekken characters, many of whom have distinctive and somewhat quirky traits, it was decided to add a unique feature to Victor. Thus, despite being a high-ranking individual as the founder of the military, in his personal life, he enjoys romances with more than a dozen women and is extremely frugal, creating an overly extreme personality. 

Additionally, Victor’s deep knowledge of Eastern martial arts and culture is evident through his skillful use of a Japanese sword during combat. His stingy personality is an embodiment of the Japanese virtue of Mottainai (disdain for wastefulness), which is reflected in his actions, lines, and more. I hope players will discover and appreciate these unique traits of Victor when the game is released.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

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Hey y’all! This week the team celebrates three years of PS5, the upcoming PlayStation Portal launch, and the one-year anniversary of God of War Ragnarök! Plus more Alan Wake 2 talk.

Stuff We Talked About

• PlayStation Portal launches November 15
• Tiger Blade – PS VR2
• Three Years of PS5 – Feel it Now campaign
• Players’ Choice October winner – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
• God of War Ragnarök One-Year Anniversary Blog
• Listener letter
• Alan Wake 2 – PS5
• The Talos Principle 2 – PS5

The Cast

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Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

O’Dell Harmon, Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Last week, we asked you to share pictures of Peter Parker himself swinging through Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

shimo_ps shares Peter moving through the sky using the Web Wings

gunpla_works shares Peter perched on a pole wearing the Scarlet Spider suit

Pintinho375 shares Young Peter shooting webs towards the camera from his high school’s darkroom

virtua_photo shares Peter crawling down a reflective building in the rain wearing the Black Suit

Brentassins shares Peter posed against an all red background in the Scarlet III Suit

PhotoModeGamer shares Peter standing against a cloudy night sky in the Classic Black Suit

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:  Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Miles Morales

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on November 15, 2023

Next week, we’re lighting up for Miles. Share epic moments in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 playing as Miles using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

It has officially been one year since the launch of God of War Ragnarök. Since the very first time this game was announced, the support we felt from fans has been truly incredible. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to see players finally get ahold of the game and create so much wonderful conversation, content, and community around it.

As a thank you from all of us at Santa Monica Studio for your continued support of the games we make, we put together a few things to celebrate God of War Ragnarök officially turning one-year-old!

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God of War Ragnarök Lofi Beats to Journal to

Join Atreus in the Realm Between Realms for a chill session of journaling, working, or beating up monsters. Featuring a mix of three tracks, you’ll recognize familiar songs from Bear McCreary’s iconic God of War Ragnarök and God of War (2018) scores with LoFi spin.  

We’re thrilled to be able to partner with the talented Alex Moukala (assisted by Lawrence Ravagnan) for the musical performance and the wonderful team at Spud Gun Studios for the animation on this piece.

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God of War Ragnarök – Midgard Mishaps 2

A sequel to the first Midgard Mishaps we released after the launch of God of War (2018), this misadventure through game development captures some of the unintentionally hilarious moments that emerged during the creation of God of War Ragnarök.

A special thank you and shout-out to the QA teams at Santa Monica Studio and PlayStation whose work helped keep these mishaps out of the experience we were able to share with fans one year ago.

One Year Later Infographic

You all have been keeping Kratos busy in the Nine Realms over the last year. From comforting Best Girls Speki and Svanna to besting Valkyrie Queen Gná, we wanted to celebrate a selection of your many accomplishments in God of War Ragnarök.

Community Showcase – Combat Experts and Speedrunners

Whether doing no-hit Spartan Armor run or trying to beat the Berserkers as fast as possible, the God of War community has a ton of talented creators who have dedicated themselves towards mastering the combat with finesse.

Learn more about what it takes to be some of the best in the world at God of War’s combat in our latest community showcase.

Once again, we want to extend our gratitude to all the fans around the world who have shown support for God of War Ragnarök. It means everything to our team at Santa Monica Studio to be able to continue making games we love for players who enjoy them.

This last year has been truly amazing, thank you.  

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For the latest updates around God of War Ragnarök, make sure you follow Santa Monica Studio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To join the conversation with other fans, head to the official Santa Monica Studio Discord. God of War Ragnarök is available now.

Attention all PlayStation players, ready yourself for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. The war has changed, and for the first time in back-to-back years, Call of Duty returns with a direct sequel. The entire game, featuring the full Campaign, seminal Multiplayer, and all-new open-world Modern Warfare Zombies experience, launches on November 10.

Since the game’s reveal back on August 17, we’ve dropped a variety of important game innovations and revelations. We’ll share everything you need to know to prepare for Nov 10, plus some insider tips and tricks as you squad up and enter the fray with Modern Warfare III this week.

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Campaign

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III campaign is the direct sequel to the events of Modern Warfare II. This time with an enemy, Vladimir Makarov, offering an existential challenge that’s unlike anything Task Force 141 have faced before.

As Task Force 141’s rules of engagement have changed to fight the ultimate threat, so does the way you approach the campaign. Modern Warfare III is set to redefine player agency, offering an unparalleled degree of freedom and adaptability thanks to Open Combat Missions. These new mission types are dispersed throughout the campaign in a seamless experience alongside the cinematic missions that have defined two decades of the franchise’s single-player experiences.

Prepare for uneasy alliances and unfinished business: To save a world on the brink, the time has come to confront your past….

Campaign: completion rewards.

The campaign consists of 15 different missions. Almost every one of these missions rewards players with items upon completion, which can be used across multiplayer and Zombies. These are available to all players, regardless of whether the campaign was played during the Early Access period or not.

Insider tip:

Open Combat Missions have plenty to discover each time you play them. When you load in be on the lookout for crates and weapons, as well as tacticals and lethals, that are scattered throughout the environment. If you want to try a stealth strategy in your first go, pick up those NVGs and throwing knives. If you want to pick up the pace a bit, feel free to replay the mission but utilize some of the more bombastic tools at your disposal. When you acquire weapons in each playthrough they get added to your inventory, so you have more options and more at your disposal each time you try a mission. Don’t be afraid to try something different each time… a little creativity can go a long way.

Multiplayer: maps and modes

Welcome home: Afghan. Derail. Estate. Favela. Karachi. Highrise. Invasion. Quarry. Rundown. Rust. Scrapyard. Skidrow. Sub Base. Terminal. Underpass. Wasteland — 16 Core Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, constructed to maintain authenticity with a thorough modernization, will be available on launch day.

Expect a variety of launch modes, including 3v3v3, 6v6 and 32v32, scheduled for rotation in the available Playlists, with more being added in the following weeks.

Multiplayer: weapons

Modern Warfare III launches with an impressive arsenal of new weapons, to complement the armaments carrying forward from Modern Warfare II and the six seasons of weapon content from that title.

Expect the Modern Warfare III Gunsmith to be an approachable, familiar, and vastly customizable weapon builder. Its goal is to make nearly every weapon in the game a true extension of your personal playstyle.

But that’s not all, MWIII Multiplayer Operators have access to amped-up weapon functionality through the Aftermarket Parts feature, representing Gunsmith’s biggest change to the weapons you use. These parts drastically change the functionality and appearance of your weapon in some fun and unexpected ways.

Insider tips:

It’s all in the details! Prepare for matches in a new way, as perks have evolved to allow for more customization. Pick between a variety of vests, gloves, boots, and gear to create your ideal loadout… bonus points if each of these items complement one another to offer maximum effectiveness.

Ready to toggle Tac-Stance on? Tac-Stance is a new movement mechanic that is the perfect middle-ground between hip-fire and aiming downsights. Find the button combination that works best for you to employ Tac-Stance, since it’s an action that you will want to be able to go in-and-out of on a moment’s notice in order to maximize its effectiveness. There are several options to try, we encourage you to try different button combinations to find the best fit.

Watch out for that flash! If you’re looking to avoid obscured vision in the midst of a flash grenade, be sure to avert your eyes. If you see where the grenade falls, quickly look away before detonation and you’ll be able to continue on un-blinded and unhindered.

Modern Warfare Zombies

Welcome to Operation Deadbolt. Prepare for a massive, open-world experience as a team of multinational Operators assist the members of Task Force 141 in taking down not only the vast undead hordes, but also Viktor Zakhaev and his hired private military company, Terminus Outcomes.

Your main tasks – aside from surviving hordes of zombies and the machinations of the PMC group Terminus Outcomes – is threefold:

Operation Deadbolt: Unravel intel on this emergency contingency plan put into action by the CIA. In each mission, you will uncover more about this plan and how it came to fruition.

A world of opportunity: Complete Contracts to earn Essence, collect Acquisitions, and clear missions to discover what is really happening in the EZ.

Secure and extract: You also need to learn when the situation on the ground becomes advantageous as well as untenable. Immerse yourself and work with other players to complete the more difficult objectives, and extract before you’re overwhelmed.

Insider tip:

Looking for something? Perk machines are a well-known way in Call of Duty Zombies to boost your abilities in your fight against the undead. However, in addition to these in Modern Warfare Zombies, Perk-a-Colas can also be found in fridges around the open-world … but only if you’re lucky. You should be warned, this is a rare discovery so cherish every can you find.

Modern Warfare III launch

Modern Warfare III launches November 10, but there is still time to pre-order. PlayStation players who pre-order the game get access to the Lockpick Operator Pack for use in multiplayer and Zombies when the game launches.

We look forward to seeing you all in the lobbies starting November 10.

Next week marks the third year since PS5 launched and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank the more than 40 million players who’ve joined our global PS5 community. In these first three years, PlayStation Studios and third-party developers have introduced more than 2,500 PS5 games for players to enjoy, including fan-favorite titles in recent months like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Final Fantasy XVI.

We’re entering a holiday season with more console supply than we’ve had since the launch of PS5, including a new PS5 model in a smaller form factor. Players can also find PS5 bundles for Marvel’s Spider- Man 2, EA Sports FC 24, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

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To celebrate this moment, we’re welcoming gamers around the world to experience the emotional power of immersive play on PS5 with our new spot, “Feel it Now on PlayStation 5.” Through the creative imagination of developers and innovative use of console features like 4K visuals, 3D audio, the ultra high-speed SSD, and the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, gaming on PS5 evokes heightened sensations. Our latest spot highlights the breadth of emotions players feel while exploring PS5 worlds, from a snapshot of fear, coming face to face with a Clicker from The Last of Us Part I, to the joy of meeting mooncalves from Hogwarts Legacy and befriending a frost wolf in Final Fantasy XVI.

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Players in the U.S., U.K, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Portugal can visit direct.playstation.com to purchase a PS5 console, games, and accessories directly from PlayStation. PS5 products are also available at participating retailers globally.

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Expanding the best games lineup in PlayStation history

Since swinging into our living rooms last month, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has captivated players with its epic storyline, two playable Super Heroes, and visually-stunning Marvel’s New York. In the past 12 months, PlayStation Studios and our partners have delivered a steady stream of critically-acclaimed hits, including God of War Ragnarök, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Diablo IV, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Humanity, and remakes of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4.

These extraordinary experiences add to the best lineup of games in our history, which already includes fan-favorite PlayStation console exclusives like The Last of Us Part I, Final Fantasy XVI, Gran Turismo 7, Returnal, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

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Meanwhile, the Game Catalog for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium/Deluxe members continues to refresh monthly with popular titles like Horizon Forbidden West, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Sea of Stars, and more.

Innovative new products coming this holiday

This holiday, we’re also introducing a range of new hardware products and accessories that unlock new ways to play, including PlayStation Portal remote player, Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, and Access controller for PS5.

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With these new products, alongside PlayStation VR2 and the DualSense Edge wireless controller, gamers can enhance their PS5 experience with more innovative options than ever before in PlayStation console history.

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More amazing games on the horizon

While 2023 has been an epic year for gaming, there are even more great games to look forward to next year, including Helldivers 2, Concord, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Tekken 8, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Pacific Drive, and more.

We’re grateful to all our fans for your continued support and can’t wait for you to experience all the exciting new games and products on PS5 this holiday and beyond.

Hey, internet people, this is Yasmine here from the marketing team at Survios. We’re over the moon to reveal the upcoming Sweet Science update, heading to Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition tomorrow on PS VR2! After the nationwide premiere of Creed III in theaters earlier this year, Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition has introduced an array of new boxers, a Muscle Beach setting inspired by the film, and an expanded version of the original 2018 PS VR game.

From improved matchmaking to a slew of fitness updates, plus a brand new playable fighter, we don’t mean this lightly when we say you’ll be on your way to mastering the sweet science of PS VR boxing. Since we’re simply hours away from the content update going live, let’s go ahead and dive into what makes this update so sweet.

Set personal fitness goals

While experience is king, we know how necessary fitness is in every champion’s journey. Introducing the many ways Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition can bring you closer to your fitness endgame, players can now set personal calorie or time goals, no matter what mode or fight they’re in. Whenever you’re out duking it in PvP with a friend or working out in the various gyms available to you, your goals stay with you thick or thin.

Simply open the handheld menu with your PS VR2 Sense Controller and navigate to Fitness Goals. There, you can tweak your calorie or time goals on the fly. As you play, you can track your total time and calorie burn per play session, now more accurate than ever with our improved calorie tracking algorithm.

And of course, players can continue to utilize the Calorie and Timed Sparring modes under Fitness mode for tailored fitness-focused sessions.

Tommy Gunn enters the ring

Heavyweight champion legend Tommy “The Machine” Gunn, famously portrayed by Tommy Morrison in Rocky V, arrives in the ring to fight – anytime, anyplace, anywhere! With raw and incomparable power, Tommy is a force to be reckoned with in our extension roster of playable PvP characters. And for our Deluxe Edition owners, you will automatically receive an additional exclusive glow costume for Tommy Gunn upon update.

Thank you to all our fans who have joined us on this thrilling five-year-plus journey with us! We’re so excited to see what you think of this new update. If you haven’t already picked it up for yourself or a challenger-in-waiting, visit PlayStation Store for PS VR2 and download Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition, where you can experience the thrill of cinematic boxing for yourself.