Sony has confirmed to GameSpot that Share Play will launch with a 60-minute time limit for each shared gaming session.

While this may rankle a few gamers, Sony assures that there is no actual defined limit on how many times you can use Share Play. Once you hit the max one-hour play ceiling you can simply invite your friend and fire it up again.

Even still, this bit of news does put Sony’s Gamescom announcement into perspective, where Share Play was touted as something that seemed too good to be true. Now that gamers know their “virtual couches” will need to be cleared out in hourly intervals and that they can expect interruptions, the whole picture becomes clear.

Other concerns arise when contemplating Share Play. Since the feature is powered by online connections, it stands to reason that latency may be a big issue in the shared sessions. In the PS Now open beta, reports have been piling in on lag issues and some gamers aren’t even able to pass the required connection test.

Could Share Play require a connection test of its own, and will Sony’s acquired Gaikai cloud servers be powerful enough to provide seamless gameplay from start to finish? It’ll be interesting to see if the service is laggy or not, and if these issues are addressed in future interviews.

An active PlayStation Plus subscription is also needed to use Share Play.

Share Play creates a social gaming environment via a virtual couch that allows users to invite online friends to take over their gaming session–even if they don’t own the game themselves.

Share Play isn’t a new idea; it was one of the PS4’s most-celebrated pre-release features, but Sony ended up nixing the function when the console launched last November. So when Sony took the stage in Cologne and revealed that the belated game-share function is coming to the PS4 by way of a new firmware update, everyone was excited.

Despite the time-limit Share Play remains a revolutionary step forward in “next-gen social gaming” because it bridges the accessibility gap by giving non-game owners access to games their friends play. PS Plus members can invite online friends to “take over” their gaming session to help out with problematic areas or to simply let them try out the game itself.

In an interview with Famitsu Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida gave further details on the specifics of Share Play, highlighting the mode’s shared-screen mechanics.

“How it works is, for example, say, a friend has a game that I don’t. I ask them to let me play it, and if they send me an invitation, I can access their PS4 and play while watching the video that is streamed,” he said to the publication.

The mode also effectively revitalizes local co-op by virtualizing the sessions to online environments, simulating local multiplayer with online friends. Using the party chat system to communicate in tandem with Share Play, gamers can basically create their very own private couch co-op sessions across the internet.

Share Play is planned to be compatible with all PS4 games and is expected to roll out with System Update 2.0 sometime this Fall.

The post Report: PS4's Share Play Limited to One-Hour Sessions appeared first on VR World.

There are some games that transport us to faraway worlds of myth and magic, but the new Silent Hill game opens a window to madness.

The game is is playable now as a demo named P.T. on the PlayStation Store, and fair warning, it’s terrifying on a psychological level. It’s since been revealed that P.T. is the codename for  Konami’s new Silent Hill game entitled “Silent Hill”s. Sony showed off an illuminating trailer for the game during their Gamescom presentation.

Silent Hills marks an interesting collaboration between renown film director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim) and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, and so far both industry greats have proven to be masters of macabre.

Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame also stars as the game’s central character.

Shadow and light play an integral role in establishing the mood of Silent Hills, making it an absorbing if not unnerving experience.

The demo itself chronicles a Shining-esque tale of a man who’s been possessed by some harrowing evil, who ultimately succumbs to  terribly unspeakable things to his family. A rash of same-such bloody incidents has broken out in the region, all of which appear to be incited by a supernatural force straight from the hellish bowels of Silent Hill.

Throughout the game the environments slowly change over time to reflect the man’s slow transition into madness–and eventually they become the stuff of nightmares.

The experience is hard to put into words, and really it’s a mix of Outlast’s thrilling scares with deep symbolism and some of the creepiest, most effective psychological horror I’ve seen in any entertainment medium.

The key of Silent Hills‘ mastery is that it uses its transitional atmospheres and everyday objects like radios, telephones, refrigerators, bathroom sinks and mirrors to relay disturbing sounds and visuals of the purest form.

A talking paper bag also challenges your sanity in an unnerving way, spouting disconcerting dialog that’s as memorable as it is odd.

The farther you go into the madness, the more it starts to resonate with utter chaos and malevolence, until finally the entire house is mired in blood-right light. At it’s heart, though, the game is an enigmatic puzzler that is punishingly hard and leaves us trembling in horror while the shadows whisper indecipherable chants in our ears.

The lunacy becomes more and more apparent the more you progress in the demo, and eventually you come across a blood-tinted labyrinth of hideous animated paintings.

It’s a nice change of pace to come across a game that makes us think, and getting to the next stage is accompanied by both elation and dread because you know there’s something bad waiting for you outside. Silent Hills aka P.T. is a unique mix of raw, visceral pandemonium and mind-bending puzzler that seems to transcend the current genre boundaries to create a whole new type of game.

There are no concrete details on a release date for Silent Hills, but it’ll definitely hit on the PlayStation 4.

The post The New 'Silent Hill' Game is the Stuff of Nightmares appeared first on VR World.

At the Gamescom expo in Germany, Sony announced Tuesday that it had earned a definite victory over Microsoft in the console war: sales of 10 million Playstation 4 consoles to consumers to date.

Both Sony and Microsoft loathe to reveal exact numbers of next-generation consoles sold, instead combining them with their last-gen counterparts in earnings reports. Exact numbers usually only come in venues that the two companies choose, such as press releases or blog posts. Sony, for example, said it sold 3.5 million PS3 and PS4 units in the quarter during its most recent earnings report while, Microsoft said it shipped 1.1 million Xbox 360 and Xbox One in the same quarter respectively.

For AMD, this means a healthy supply of revenue — for now. In November, IHS iSuppli announced that based on its methodology it believes that AMD is receiving $100 per PS4 unit manufactured from the included Jaguar APU. It’s unclear what kind of revenues AMD is making on every Jaguar APU it manufacturers. In all likelihood these margins are high because the architecture of the APU, while customized for the customer, is at some level fairly standard for AMD, and is also no longer new technology so AMD has likely found some efficiences and cost savings in the manufacturing process. If the Xbox One’s Jaguar APU is very similar, further efficiences can be had thus the margins would increase.

But the unknown known is what happens to AMD’s revenue source after Sony’s initial manufacturing run that fills the channel? Once Sony finishes manufacturing all the PS4s it needs for the next two years, AMD’s revenue model is understood to change to one based on royalties from every console sold — which would be less than the margins from each Jaguar APU manufactured. All this brings up the question: how sustainable is AMD’s profitability?

The post Sony Hits the 10 Million Mark in PS4 Sales, But What Does That Mean for AMD? appeared first on VR World.

During its Gamescom 2014 presentation, Sony revealed that Share Play will finally make its way to the PS4 in via a new firmware 2.0 update this Fall.

Share Play introduces a “virtual couch” that allows you to invite online friends and take turns in singleplayer games just as if they were in the same room. On the other hand users can enjoy local co-op with online friends through Share Play, effectively reviving the classic couch co-op experience for the modern age.

You do need to be a PlayStation Plus subscriber to reap the benefits of Share Play, however.

“…Share Play is like a “virtual couch”.  [PS4] will create an online local co-op experience by allowing you to invite a friend to join your game—even when they don’t own a copy of it. 

“With Share Play, you can even jump into a game to assist a friend. Like handing over the controller to a friend on your couch, your screen will be shared as your friend gets through the part of the game that has been giving you trouble.”

The PlayStation 4’s System Update 2.0 will also allow users to upload their captured footage straight to YouTube. This convenient feature will alleviate the need to export recorded content to a USB stick and then manually upload the footage via computer.

Share Play could very well revolutionize the console gaming experience and herald the return of local co-op, and it’s great to see the long-awaited feature finally being implemented on the PS4.

We expect there will be a few catches here and there, especially if your online friends don’t own a copy of the game themselves. Maybe we can expect time/play limits or limited functionality with Share Play, but so far the function looks like a clear winner for Sony.

PlayStation 4 System Update 2.0 is scheduled to release this Fall.

The post Gamescom 2014: Sony to Bring Virtualized Local Co-Op to the PS4 With Share Play appeared first on VR World.

As promised, Activision today revealed the mysteries behind Sierra Entertainment’s resurrection at Gamescom 2014.

The previously defunct label will be returning to foster indie games development for the industry giant, and to start Sierra is help create a new entry in the fan-favorite King’s Quest franchise with indie crew The Odd Gentlemen at the helm. Queue the triumphant fanfare!

The new King’s Quest, which is due out in 2015, features a “wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor”. It centers around King Graham, a legendary adventurer, who regails his tales of heroic derring-do with his grand-daughter Gwendolyn, who is enamored by magic of storytelling.

Sierra Entertainment plans to have a key presence in the indie games scene, with a focus on aiding developers in a range of different ways. The newly acquired label will deliver the tools and resources devs need to craft their dreams as well as actively encouraging the creative process.

Bob Loya, Senior Director of External Development at Sierra, elaborates:

“Sierra’s goal is to find and work with talented indie developers working on their own amazing projects, or passionate about working on [great  IP’s], and leverage our expertise to aid them in bring these fun and exciting experiences to gamers with the level of visibility and awareness they deserve.

“In addition to Lucid Games and The Odd Gentlemen, we’re in talks with a large number of other indie devs, and can’t wait to share more details with fans in the near future.”

The first release under Sierra’s guidance will be Geometry Wars³: Dimensions from Lucid Games that will feature all of the fast-paced 3D chaos of its predecessors with both co-op and competitive modes to boot.

With Sierra, Activision has taken a big step forward diversifying its industry presence. The gaming titan is now embracing indies, and in our recent coverage we discussed how big-name publishers could learn a lot from indies.

With the might of Activision behind them, Sierra Entertainment can divvy out a huge helping hand to the gaming community from providing resources like dev-kits, computers and other tech to getting the attention of key PR firms.

It’s inspiring to see Activision go down this course, and this renewed focus on indies will not only help create some original games but also throw a big punch at contenders like EA.

Sierra will release its lineup of games across cross-platform digital stores like Xbox LIVE, the PlayStation Network and Steam, and it will be interesting to see what talented indie devs it can acquire in the next coming months.

The post Sierra Returns as Activision Indie label, new 'King's Quest' Incoming appeared first on VR World.

As promised, Activision today revealed the mysteries behind Sierra Entertainment’s resurrection at Gamescom 2014.

The previously defunct label will be returning to foster indie games development for the industry giant, and to start Sierra is help create a new entry in the fan-favorite King’s Quest franchise with indie crew The Odd Gentlemen at the helm. Queue the triumphant fanfare!

The new King’s Quest, which is due out in 2015, features a “wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor”. It centers around King Graham, a legendary adventurer, who regails his tales of heroic derring-do with his grand-daughter Gwendolyn, who is enamored by magic of storytelling.

Sierra Entertainment plans to have a key presence in the indie games scene, with a focus on aiding developers in a range of different ways. The newly acquired label will deliver the tools and resources devs need to craft their dreams as well as actively encouraging the creative process.

Bob Loya, Senior Director of External Development at Sierra, elaborates:

“Sierra’s goal is to find and work with talented indie developers working on their own amazing projects, or passionate about working on [great  IP’s], and leverage our expertise to aid them in bring these fun and exciting experiences to gamers with the level of visibility and awareness they deserve.

“In addition to Lucid Games and The Odd Gentlemen, we’re in talks with a large number of other indie devs, and can’t wait to share more details with fans in the near future.”

The first release under Sierra’s guidance will be Geometry Wars³: Dimensions from Lucid Games that will feature all of the fast-paced 3D chaos of its predecessors with both co-op and competitive modes to boot.

With Sierra, Activision has taken a big step forward diversifying its industry presence. The gaming titan is now embracing indies, and in our recent coverage we discussed how big-name publishers could learn a lot from indies.

With the might of Activision behind them, Sierra Entertainment can divvy out a huge helping hand to the gaming community from providing resources like dev-kits, computers and other tech to getting the attention of key PR firms.

It’s inspiring to see Activision go down this course, and this renewed focus on indies will not only help create some original games but also throw a big punch at contenders like EA.

Sierra will release its lineup of games across cross-platform digital stores like Xbox LIVE, the PlayStation Network and Steam, and it will be interesting to see what talented indie devs it can acquire in the next coming months.

The post Sierra Returns as Activision Indie label, new 'King's Quest' Incoming appeared first on VR World.