Right on schedule, Sony today released a new PlayStation 4 update that adds new features and changes the layout and look of some screens.
PS4 4.00, as the update is called, weighs in at 312 MB. One of its most welcome additions is folders for managing games and apps. There are also redesigned menus. You can see how this looks in the image gallery below.
Additionally, the 4.00 update makes some nice changes to PlayStation Music so you no longer have to leave a game or app to make a song selection or pause the music. There is also a redesigned content info screen, while the What’s New screen has also been updated with a new layout.
Other new features include the introduction of HDR support for all PS4s, which Sony confirmed last week during its PlayStation Meeting event. Also, there is a new data transfer feature that lets you move your games, saves, and account info from one PS4 to another over a wired LAN connection. If you’re planning to pick up a PS4 slim or a PS4 Pro, this will seemingly make it easy to upgrade to either console.
This new update also adds support for Twitch, YouTube, and Dailymotion broadcasts in 720p at 60 FPS. Additionally, there are changes for Trophies, as you can now see the details for hidden Trophies, while you can also view Trophies even when you’re offline.
It’s out now for $60 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, while the PC edition lands on September 15. It wasn’t exactly clear before if the PC version would launch alongside the console editions, but now we know it won’t. A launch trailer for The Collection has also been released and can be seen above.
All single-player DLC is included for the three games, while The Collection also comes with a video series featuring commentary from director Ken Levine and lead artist Shawn Robertson.
As announced previously, BioShock and BioShock 2 are being remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while Infinite is only getting a remastered version for consoles. The Collection for PC does include Infinite, but this will be the regular, non-remastered version that is likely on par with the PC version that is already available.
PC players may also be able to get The Collection free. Read this post to find out if you’re eligible.
The compilation was developed by Blind Squirrel Games, which collaborated with Irrational Games in the past for Infinite.
As part of EA’s “Road to Battlefield 1” campaign, the company gave away DLC for Battlefield 4 (and Battlefield Hardline). These offers were only made available for a week and often included only one expansion, but if you missed out, all of Battlefield 4’s major expansions are now free once more.
Once you download the expansions, they are yours to keep. Also, you do not need an Xbox Live Gold membership to take advantage of the deal, but you do need a subscription to play the game online. The offer is good for one week, starting today, September 13.
You can download the free Battlefield 4 expansions on your console now or by queuing up your download from Xbox.com through the links below. The expansions normally sell for $15 each.
Battlefield 1 comes out on October 21 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A beta for the game recently wrapped up, letting players try out the massive Sinai Desert map and get a feel for the World War I shooter.
Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil 7 will be among the titles that supports 4K and HDR on PlayStation 4 Pro. The system comes out in November, while Resident Evil 7 lands in January 2017. This means that 4K and HDR support will be added by way of a post-launch patch, it seems.
Here is the tweet in which Capcom announced the “great news.”
Great news everyone! Resident Evil 7 biohazard will support PlayStation 4 Pro with 4K and HDR graphics! pic.twitter.com/O2nw2PB7yJ
4K and HDR are two of the major advantages players will have if they purchase a PS4 Pro. The console was announced during the PlayStation Meeting last week and will launch on November 10, 2016 and cost $399/£349/A$560. It features a 1 TB hard drive, doubled GPU power, and boosted CPU clockspeed.
All PS4s, going back to ones sold at launch in 2013, now support HDR by way of today’s 4.00 patch, so you may not need to buy a PS4 Pro to see some of the benefits for Resident Evil 7. However, you will need a compatible TV.
Ghost Rider will be making his Marvel TV debut in the upcoming fourth season of Agents of SHIELD. He was pictured in human form last week, and now the first image of the supernatural anti-hero with his iconic flaming skull has been revealed. Check it out, via Yahoo TV:
This version of Ghost Rider is Robbie Reyes, played by Gabriel Luna. Reyes has been his alter ego since 2014, as opposed to Johnny Blaze, the “classic” Ghost Rider that Nicolas Cage portrayed in two earlier movies.
In addition to the new image, a short teaser for the upcoming season provides a look at Ghost Rider’s flaming car. Watch it here.
At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb spoke about the decision to introduce Ghost Rider in Agents of SHIELD. “The Marvel catalogue is filled with all kinds of really interesting, new, and often weird things,” he said, via ComicBookMovie.com. “So we hit on Ghost Rider and in particular the character of Robbie Reyes, because our show really hinges on the idea of family and how that works in the world.
“Robbie and his relationship with [his brother] Gabe and his relationship with the Ghost Rider are all really interesting things for our SHIELD folks to encounter, possibly in negative ways.”
Agents of SHIELD season 4 premieres on ABC on September 20, 2016.
EA has released a new teaser for Titanfall 2 that highlights the co-operative relationships between mechs and the Pilots that control them. The short video, which you can watch below, features a cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles, which is appropriate but a bit on the nose.
We get to see two Pilots come to blows and then summon their Titans into battle to take on each other. It’s a nice showcase of the new varieties of Titans that are being introduced in Respawn Entertainment’s sequel. You can learn more about these Titans and their abilities here.
EA has said it believes Titanfall 2 will perform better than its predecessor. Chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, said this is due to the increase number of people with current-gen consoles and the game’s multiplatform launch. Unlike the first Titanfall, which was exclusive to Microsoft platforms, the sequel will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
“Titanfall 2’s single-player is crafted to dive deeper into the Titanfall universe, exploring the unique bonds between Pilot and Titan, and taking full advantage of the movement and combat, to deliver a feeling a feeling of being unstoppable together,” EA’s Devin Bennett previously said said.
After the success of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, the next Marvel show to hit Netflix is Luke Cage. The reluctant, bulletproof hero arrives on the streaming service at the end of this month, and a new clip has been released. It features the villainous gang boss Cottonmouth, played by House of Cards‘ Mahershala Ali. Check it out below:
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The show stars Mike Colter as the title character, who first appeared in a supporting role in Jessica Jones. Luke Cage also features Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, and Frank Whaley. A trailer was released last month, and well as the first full clip.
The events of Luke Cage will eventually tie into The Defenders, the superhero team-up show that will also feature Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. It is expected in late 2017. An Iron Fist series is expected before this, and a first teaser was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con this summer.
In addition, it has been confirmed that Daredevil will return for a third season. Although the show has proved extremely popular, Netflix’s increasingly busy Marvel schedule hadn’t included a third outing for the blind superhero until recently.
Luke Cage hits Netflix in its entirety on September 30, 2016.
Network speed and reliability are two important factors for any online service, including Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Now, Microsoft has released the results of an independent study that claims Xbox Live is generally faster and more reliable than PlayStation Network.
This means “you’re getting the fastest, most dependable multiplayer experience possible,” Xbox’s head of operations Dave McCarthy said in an Xbox Wire post.
Xbox Live and PSN, as well as other online gaming networks, go down from time to time whether that be the result of an attack, maintenance, or something else entirely. McCarthy said it’s great to see the new report, from IHS Markit, speak positively about Xbox Live. He also spoke briefly about how Microsoft remains committed to further improving its network and online services to benefit gamers.
“We recognize it is an ongoing journey that requires considerable investment, feedback, and improvement,” he said. “Managing and maintaining a network is complex and there is an army of individuals who work tirelessly on Xbox Live, because at the heart of it, they are gamers just like you. Our goal is to try and see bumps in the road before they start, or get through them as smoothly as possible. Just know that we have a team who works 24×7 to optimize your gaming experience.”
According to the IHS Markit study (read the full thing here; PDF), Xbox Live was faster than PSN when looking at the time it took to log into the network service and game servers, as well as the speed at which uses could join friends in a party and upload images.
As for multiplayer itself, the study gave the edge to Xbox Live when it came to how often the service was successful in allowing players to log in to game servers and stay in a match to completion without an interruption. Overall, Xbox Live ranked higher than PSN for the “overall experience” category; this measured things like the speed at which you can invite friends to a party and voice chat quality.
“We’re always looking for ways to make sure your experience is the very best, and this is just a small milestone in the journey to delivering the best possible gaming experience this year and beyond,” McCarthy said. “In fact, right now, we’re working hard to bring new features like Clubs, Looking for Group and Arena on Xbox Live as well as cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC to make it easier than ever to connect with people who have shared interests over Xbox Live. We look forward to sharing more as these features roll out worldwide.”
The IHS Markit study was conducted in June and July of 2016; it got its results from tests that used top-selling games that features matchmaking support. You can read the full report here, while some of the slides can be seen in the gallery above.
Apparently not tracked in this survey were download speeds; Xbox One and PS4 users alike might agree that speeds could be better, especially given how big some games have become.
What do you make of the survey’s findings? Let us know in the comments below.
With Forza Horizon 3‘s release coming up soon, Microsoft has now announced the racing game’s soundtrack and detailed its background music support.
In an Xbox Wire post, Microsoft confirmed the game has almost 150 songs that span eight in-game radio stations. Returning from Forza Horizon 2 are the Horizon Pulse and Horizon Bass Arena stations, as well as new ones that play music from genres like hip-hop, indie rock, punk/metal, and classical. According to Microsoft, Forza Horizon 3 offers a “broader musical selection than any Horizon game.” The soundtrack certainly seems varied and diverse, as it features songs from Blink 182, Skrillex, and….Beethoven.
Forza Horizon 3 also makes use of background music support, so if want to listen to something else, you have that option as well.
Following the disappointing box office take for this year’s Allegiant, it was reported that the next film in the Divergent film series would be heading to TV. Shailene Woodley is the latest member of the cast to express apparent disinterest in finishing the story on the small screen.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Woodley revealed that she wasn’t keen on Lionsgate’s plans for the series. “Last I heard they were trying to make it into a television show. I didn’t sign up to be in a television show,” she said. “Out of respect to the studio and everyone involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different. But I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show.”
“Things do change anytime they’re messing with something that was not the original intention. We all signed on for it in hopes that it’d be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise].”
Allegiant‘s box office debut brought in $29.1 million, which was a more than 40 percent drop from both Divergent and the second film Insurgent‘s opening weekend earnings. Allegiant went on to make $179.2 million with a budget of $110 million, not including marketing.
The series also stars Theo James (Underworld: Awakening), Ansel Elgort (Carrie), and Zoe Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road), and is is based on a post-apocalyptic book series by author Veronica Roth.
