Where is my summer going? It’s the end of July already!!!
A few details have emerged regarding the PlayStation 4‘s 8GB of RAM and how much will actually be usable for games. An anonymous developer for the console released some stats from an internal Sony memo that indicates the operating system will require almost half of the RAM, cutting game RAM to 4.5GB. However, 1GB is apparently being considered flexible memory, which could be leveraged by the games if needed. This flexible memory is expected to only be used by first party developers for the early wave of games, while third parties will learn to use it over time. In contrast, Microsoft’s XBox One is reported to need only 3GB of RAM for its operating system. I’m no math whiz, but I think that means XB1 will utilize more RAM for games in general, but that PS4 has the potential for an extra half-gig in the right hands. Once again, it’s all down to developers and I don’t think the RAM issue will be where the two consoles stand apart.
If you needed more information about PS4‘s community functions and peripherals you have it now. Sony has a released a few details:
- You can add up to 2,000 friends on PSN
- PS Plus is needed for retail multiplayer; not needed for party chat, entertainment apps, and free-to-play games.
- DualShock 3 is not compatible, but your PS3 Move is.
- PS Vita can be used as a controller with some games.
The next gen consoles may both be coming with blu-ray drives, but that media is not the future according to Sony and Panasonic. The two technology giants reportedly have plans to release a 300GB disc format (blu-ray is approximately 50GB) by the end of 2015. From the Sony press release:
Optical discs have excellent properties to protect them against the environment, such as dust-resistance and water-resistance, and can also withstand changes in temperature and humidity when stored.
They also allow inter-generational compatibility between different formats, ensuring that data can continue to be read even as formats evolve. This makes them a robust medium for long-term storage of content.
Both companies have previously developed products based on the Blu-ray format, leveraging the strengths of optical discs. However, both Sony and Panasonic recognized that optical discs will need to accommodate much larger volumes of storage in years to come given the expected future growth in the archive market, and responded by formulating this agreement.
This may surprise some readers, as many believe physical media will be dying off soon. With such a large format media coming, will consumers hang on to discs a while longer? Or will they simply move away from such massive data caches?
Despite being refused classification again in Australia (drugs this time, not a dildo gun), Saints’ Row IV is clearly looking to take the ludicrous factor as far as they can – while poking a little fun at the gaming industry in the process. The number of Game of the Year editions in the PS3/360 era seems to far outweigh the actual number of years the generation has existed. Deep Silver and Volition clearly don’t want their game getting lost in that glut, which is why they’re releasing Emperor Zinyak’s Game of the Generation edition, limited to 5,000 pieces. This special package will include a 12″ Dub Step Replica Gun with lights and sound, Johnny Gat Memorial Statue, Dubstep Doomsday button, a light up rotating display case with individually numbered plaque, Top Shelf protective pouch for the display case, and the Commander in Chief edition of the game. That whole package will run you $130. Too much? You can also take a step down to the Super Dangerous Wub Wub Edition for $100. That’s got everything except the rotating display case and protective pouch. In case you’re curious, the Commander in Chief edition of the game is the standard retail copy with some pre-order bonuses: alternate box art, ‘Merica weapon, Uncle Sam suit, and Screaming Eagle jet. whichever edition you get, this releases August 20th and is open for pre-order now.
If you’ve seen Indie Game: The Movie, you’re likely familiar with Phil Fish. If you haven’t, you may still know of Phil through Fez and by reputation for being outspoken (and whiney), often having control issues in public forums like Twitter. That petulance has struck again, leading Fish to cancel Fez II and apparently quit the game industry forever. The proverbial camel breaking straw was something said by Marcus “Annoyed Gamer” Beer on the Invisible Walls podcast. Beer called Fish a few names because Fish had refused to comment on Microsoft’s recent decision to allow the self-publishing of indie games. This turned into another one of Fish’s famed Twitter fights, ending with Fish saying “I’m getting out of games because I choose not to put up with this abuse anymore.” In hopes of clarifying, he later stated “I’m not cancelling Fez II because some boorish fuck said something stupid, I’m doing it to get out of games.” The Polytron Twitter account later confirmed, “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that Fez II has been cancelled and is no longer in development.” The original Fez reportedly did quite well financially, and if Phil wants to “take the money and run” I support him wholeheartedly. I’ve always said that if I were a professional athlete I would never work beyond my first contract. Give me a few million dollars and I’ll go live humble and happy out of the spotlight. The problem I have with the way Fish handled the situation is that he’s acting like petulant child that takes his ball and jacks and goes home. Worse yet, he’s not taking the money to live humbly ever after. He clearly wants to take the spotlight with him and pretend he doesn’t like its brightness. We are in an age where video games are beginning to be accepted as art, and the behind the scenes artists are becoming a type of celebrity, like Spielberg has done for film or Rick Rubin for music. It sets the entire industry back if gaming celebrities behave like this. So, frankly, I’m glad to see Fish go, provided he stays gone. To read more about what our contributing ‘bots think of the situation, check out Zombietron’s article on the subject. For those that are really interested, Cliffy B has posted an open letter to Fish on his own blog begging him to come back. Congratulations Cliffy, you fell right into his egoism.
Yoshinori Ono, producer of Street Fighter, says he doesn’t want to see the numbered series end with Street Fighter IV. Fans of the series concur. So what does the future hold for the longtime fighting franchise? According to Ono, that could be determined by the success of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters and Tekken Revolution. Both of those games are experimenting with free to play models. Ono says “Going with a free-to-play model would lower the initial cost, which is one of the main positives about it.” But there’s a drawback as well, “On the other hand, whether we could guarantee that we’d recoup development costs is something I don’t currently have an answer for.” Ono will be following these free to play experiments closely as he makes his next-gen plans. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out. I’m not generally a fan of free to play, as I have concerns that it is actually more expensive in the long run. However, I don’t play Street Fighter games mostly because the retail investment isn’t worth the enjoyment I get out of the game. If I could the base game for free and buy Ryu and Ken, the only characters I use, for $2 each then I might give them some money.
Media Molecule has delayed their upcoming Tearaway by about a month. The Vita title needs “a little more time than [they] anticipated to finish the game; to tie all of the mechanics, story and amazing visuals together into the adventure that [they] want you to play.” Fair enough. October was getting a little crowded anyway so I expect this will actually do a little better on November 22nd. It still looks novel and enjoyable. And it comes from the minds behind Littlebigplanet so I’m definitely playing it whenever it comes.
Longtime Bioshock fans should be interested in the upcoming DLC for Bioshock Infinite. The first add-on will be “Clash in the Clouds,” and is available starting today. The two-part follow-up, “Burial at Sea,” will take you to a familiar location, the underwater city of Rapture. You’ll be visiting Rapture during its high times, before everything went crazy in the aquatic utopia. All three chapters are included in the Season Pass but will also be available separately. Trailers for both stories are available here, courtesy of Zombietron.
That’s all for this week’s early edition. But, that’s also it for this week (and next week) from me. I’ll be taking a vacation to the Pacific coast, visiting most of the Oregon beach, a nice chunk of the California Redwoods, and Sonoma’s wine country. I’ll be toting my Vita and a laptop, but I don’t expect to get much writing in. Stay tuned though, as Zombietron and the rest of our gaming crew will still be covering the top stories.