Category: Techradar

UPDATED: If you’re looking for a Pro console, the savings playing field is pretty empty at the moment, but the best deal going is from Amazon, and it’s bundled with some exclusive Fortnite content to boot. Check it out below.

Sony beat Microsoft to the punch with its new 4K gaming system, the PS4 Pro, and you should definitely grab one.

Here you’ll find the best prices around on the PlayStation 4 Pro console and any bundle deals available so you can score Sony’s excellent 4K system and jump right into the amazing array of PS4 games available at the moment.

We’ve got a dedicated page if you’re looking for some excellent prices on the PlayStation VR and PlayStation Camera.

Keep this page bookmarked and we’ll update it with bundles as they arrive, or scroll further down if you’ve got any burning questions about the new 4K PS4 Pro. To compare PlayStation 4 Pro prices in real time, check out our pick below, or visit our sister site Getprice.

The best PlayStation 4 Pro bundles

While Playstation 4 Pro bundles are constantly shifting from store to store, we’ve listed and ranked the best current options from the major retailers below so you don’t have to do the sniffing and scratching yourself. 

Remember that the value of a bundle will ultimately come down to whether or not you were going to purchase the included game (or games) anyway and while some bundles are obviously better priced than others, you should check to see if that saving is worthwhile.

Need an extra controller on the cheap? Take a look at the best DualShock 4 deals.

What is the PS4 Pro?

Although the PS4 Pro isn’t a ‘next-gen’ console necessarily, it is an upgrade of the PS4 and features the coveted 4K and HDR options that we’re hearing so much about. 

The new machine will allow game developers to include 4K options in their games, so expect the like of Uncharted 4, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn and more to look even better on a 4K TV.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range is the other buzzword to be excited about as the PS4 Pro will allow for extra detail to be seen on a range of games and also a wider range of colours not usually displayed by traditional HD TVs.

Will my old PS4 games work on PS4 Pro?

Yes. While not every game will be patched to take advantage of the new 4K/HDR capabilities, all of your old games will still work. Not only that, but the default upscaling (if you have a 4K TV) will likely see some improvements to the visuals and the boosted console power may give a slight nudge to the frame rates for some smoother play.

What else can I watch in 4K/HDR on PS4 Pro?

With services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video adopting 4K and HDR, with an ever-growing library entering the services, the PS4 Pro will be excellent as a streaming and media hub for your home theatre. There’s also a lot of free 4K content on the YouTube app, and Stan has plenty of 4K although no HDR-compatible content yet.

Does the PS4 Pro support 4K Blu-rays?

No. The Xbox One S does support them though, so this was a bit of a surprise from Sony. So if you’re specifically after a 4K Blu-ray player then head over to the competition, but as many viewers are crossing over to streaming services for their digital viewing, this may prove a wise move from Sony in the long run.

Do I need a 4K TV to run a PS4 Pro?

You don’t NEED a 4K TV, no. The PS4 Pro will still run as per normal on a regular 1080p TV, although you won’t get the benefits of upscaling or HDR though. There’s a chance you may see a frame-rate boost or a slim amount of extra detail, but we wouldn’t expect a massive leap.

If your mind is on a 4K TV, then you should probably go with a Pro rather than a Slim as it’ll future proof you for a while and, realistically, the price jump is worth the longevity. Be sure to look out for a TV that supports HDR too, in order to take full advantage of the PS4 Pro’s capabilities.

Will PlayStation VR be better on the PS4 Pro?

Maybe. Early reports seem to suggest it will as the PlayStation VR frame-rate is better on PS4 Pro and the resolution gets a bit of a bump too. You don’t need a PS4 Pro to use PlayStation VR but this increase in specs may contribute a little to the immersion.

Does the PS4 Pro have optical audio support?

Yes! Although the optical audio output has been removed from the PS4 Slim, PS4 Pro owners  will still be able to use optical connections for their soundbars and sound systems.

What are the best games on PS4 Pro?

After scrounging through our back catalogue of PS4 games that have received a Pro update patch, we’ve come up with a feature packed with the games that look the best and have a noticeable difference. Take a look at our extensive list – The best PS4 Pro games.

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Red Dead Redemption 2’s release date is approaching faster than a runaway train and we couldn’t be more excited to get our hands on a copy. 

The sequel to one of the Xbox 360 and PS3’s best games promises to be a gigantic, gun-toting open-world romp through the Wild West that will pit us against rival gangs, authority figures and the elements of a brutal world.

The game has been revealed with perfect pacing on the part of Rockstar Games, the developers of hits like the Grand Theft Auto series, L.A. Noire and Max Payne, who have released one avalanche of information after another since the game’s debut. 

We now know more than ever before about the game before its October 26 release date and have lassoed up all the details below.

Ready to saddle up and ride out on Rockstar’s latest western adventure? Here’s what you need to know before you hit the dusty trail.

[Update: Rockstar has released the official launch trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2.]

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The sequel to the Wild West Rockstar hit, Red Dead Redemption
• When can I play it? October 26 2018
• What can I play it on? PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have been confirmed so far

Red Dead Redemption 2 trailers

The first trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 which was released shortly after the game’s announcement. It doesn’t reveal much other than that we’re going to be returning to the Wild West. The game locations in the trailer are diverse and beautiful and it looks highly likely that the game will be open world. 

The game’s second trailer came on September 28, after Rockstar teased some new information would be coming in a tweet earlier that week. This time around we got to see a bit more about the game, including a glimpse of its new protagonist Arthur Morgan.

Watch the trailer for yourself below and take a gander at all the screenshots we’ve collected as well as see some of the new theories this trailer has dragged up:

The third trailer rode into town on May 2, all guns blazing. We thought we were ready for it thanks to a tip-off from Rockstar’s twitter feed, but it still hit us right in the feels. 

This trailer puts us right in the middle of the action and confirms (spoiler) that John Marston, the hero of Red Dead Redemption will feature in the game. There’s only a fleeting glimpse of him, the wounds that will become his distinctive scars still fresh on his face. 

We’ll stop now, you just check it out for yourself below:

Rockstar released the first gameplay trailer on August 9 (well, the first part), giving us a closer look at the highly-anticipated sequel in action. 

The trailer gives us a look at the new richly-detailed world which Arthur Morgan inhabits, complete with sprawling deserts, mucky swaps, winding mountain road, and bustling cities. We also get to see some of the wildlife which live in these areas, and that you will no doubt hunt down for a bit of money. 

As part of the notorious Van Der Linde gang, Arthur is an outlaw. The gang are constantly forced to leave areas, setting up a new camp somewhere. This camp is your base, it’s where gang members eat, sleep, play, games, and do chores. And you’ll have to pull your weight to keep morale high and your your comrades friendly.

It’s not just your camp mates  who are effected by your actions. All your interactions have consequences, allowing you to interact with citizens on a deeper level. But if your moral compass isn’t pointing straight, you could pick up some enemies along the way.

You can check out the gameplay trailer below:

Last but certainly not least, the second gameplay trailer dropped on October 1 2018, just a few weeks shy of the game’s release. In it, we got to see the expanded Dead Eye system that allows Arthur to not only slow down time to take out enemies but see vital weak spots or tag enemies for quick, rapid-fire executions.

In addition to gameplay details, we also got a chance to see some of the seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay with Arthur in combat one second before transitioning straight into a dialogue sequence. This cinematic storytelling approach was something Rockstar tackled in Grand Theft Auto V and has taken to a new level in its open-world Western. 

Finally the trailer shows us what we’ll be doing when we’re not robbing, shooting, hustling and bandit-ing and, from the looks of things there’ll be plenty to see and do when we’re not on a crime spree. Check it out for yourself below:

Rockstar released the official launch trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 on October 18. Check it out below:

Red Dead Redemption 2 release date

We thought we’d have Red Dead Redemption 2 in our stockings come Holiday 2017, but it turns out that may have been a bit preemptive on our part. 

Initially a blog post on the publisher’s website from May 2017 said that we’ll have to wait until Spring of 2018 to saddle up for Rockstar Games’ next epic western:

“Red Dead Redemption 2 is now set to launch Spring 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This outlaw epic set across the vast and unforgiving American heartland will be the first Rockstar game created from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans … We are very sorry for any disappointment this delay causes, but we are firm believers in delivering a game only when it is ready.”

However, Rockstar Games later tweeted to say that the game would instead be released on October 26 2018, which is a few months later than the June 8 release date that leaked earlier this year. 

If you’re thinking “we’ve heard all that before” don’t worry too much: Take Two’s CEO, Straus Zelnick, has promised that the game won’t be delayed again. Talking to Mad Money Host, Jim Cramer, Zelnick promised “hand on heart” that Red Dead Redemption 2’s release date is October 26, adding that the entire team is on track. 

But what about a PC version? So far, there’s been no official word from Rockstar on a Red Dead Redemption 2 PC outing, with only the console versions so far announced.

However, we saw a similar story with the release of Grand Theft Auto V. A roaring success on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it was several years before it made the jump to the PC, and eventually even crossed console generations with a remastered version of the game turning up on PS4 and Xbox One.

Could it be a similar story for Red Dead 2? It’s looking likely – the LinkedIn profile of a programmer with previous experience at RockStar shows that the employee has been working on the game from a PC standpoint, with the profile verified by several sources. We’d say a PC version is incredibly likely at some point.

What we do know, however, is that the game will launch alongside a companion game guide book. The Red Dead Redemption 2 Complete Official Guide book will also release on October 26, and is published by Piggyback.

Two versions will release (with pre-orders available now from the Rockstar Warehouse) . The standard cheaper, standard version offers a mission and character guide, with walkthroughs, detailed maps and an index among other features. The Collector’s Edition is more expensive, is on “art quality” paper, and includes all of the above plus an exclusive character art gallery.

Red Dead Redemption 2 rumors

PlayStation exclusivity

It seems that there will be some PlayStation exclusive content when Red Dead Redemption 2 is released on the PS4 later this year. After Rockstar announced some of its pre-order bonuses for the game, the PlayStation Store listing stated that players will be able to “play select content first on PlayStation 4” with “details to follow.” 

Now, we don’t know what kind of content is under this timed exclusivity – it could be something completely inconsequential – but it could also mean blocking other platforms from accessing maps or weapons for a long time. We’ll be updating as soon as we find out more.

Online mode

The game’s online portion (called Red Dead Online) will, apparently, have three different modes: ‘Revive and Survive’ ‘Battle Royale’ and ‘Money Grab.’ Given the wild popularity of games such as PUBG and Fortnite, it doesn’t seem unlikely that Rockstar would be interested in turning its hand to this kind of gameplay and seizing on the popularity. 

‘Revive and Survive’ will set two teams against one another in an all out battle where teams will have to fight to stay alive, risking their own necks to revive team members and keep the game going. 

Finally, ‘Money Grab’ will be a heist-style mode where two teams will go head-to-head in order to collect money from a central location and return it safely to their hideout. 

The report also says that, like Grand Theft Auto’s online mode, Red Dead Redemption 2 will allow players to explore the game’s open world, with rewards for completing tasks, activities to take part in, and upgradeable tents instead of apartments. It even suggests that there’ll be a companion app launched with social features and a poker minigame (a great way for players to increase their in-game funds without having to sit down and play the game). 

New mechanics

The report also states that the game will have new mechanics. There’ll be locations dedicated to procuring new items and gambling, as well as a slum market where it’ll apparently be possible to pick up these items on a discount. All stores will operate according to the game’s day-night cycle – so no going to purchase a new pistol and midnight. 

Vehicles will range from minecarts to horse-drawn carriages. It may even be possible to use full-explorable trains to traverse the map.

It’s also being said that the main campaign and online mode will be playable in first-person and the Eagle Eye function will make a return, allowing players to track bounties and detect fish for catching. 

Mission branches

According to the report, player actions in main campaign missions will affect the direction in which the story moves. Interacting with certain characters over others or interacting with them in different ways, for example, may result in a different outcome or objectives. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 news and features

It’s a’65-hour’ game with a 2,000-page script

In an interview with Vulture, Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser estimated that Red Dead Redemption 2 will take player 65 hours to finish. In addition, Houser revealed the title spans 2,000 pages of script, makes use of 300,000 animations and 500,000 lines of dialogue, and Rockstar employed 1,200 actors for motion-capture work – 700 of whom also recorded dialogue.

Interactions are deeper

You’ll now be able to react with citizens in a way you couldn’t before. From calling out to fellow riders to talking your way out of trouble with the sheriff, your actions have consequences. It’s up to you whether you choose to escalate or diffuse volatile situations, but negative actions could result in making enemies.

Camp life is important

Due to the Van Der Linde gang not being the friendliest neighbours, you’ll often be forced out of an area and have to set up camp somewhere new. Camp serves as your gang’s base, it’s where you eat, sleep, play games, and perform chores. You need to pull your weight, fetching food and supplies to keep morale high. You’ll also be able to take part in activities for fellow gang members which improve your relationship with them.

Variety of terrain

With the open world deeper than ever before, there are plenty of different regions for you to explore including sprawling forests, scorching deserts, bustling cities, sheer mountains and mucky swamps. These areas will be inhabited by appropriate wildlife, with alligators roaming the swamps and eagles circling mountain tops.

Weapons are more realistic and unique

Each weapon has a unique characteristic and is valuable in different situations. In a detailed post on Rockstar’s website, we got our first glimpse of the detailed firearms that are going into RDR2 – and boy, does the rabbit hole run deep. According to the text, you’ll be able to customize each weapon down to the material used to craft the weapon and what type of ammunition each gun holds. The game will require you to keep your weapons maintained, but if you use the same weapon long enough you’ll become more efficient and effective with it. 

Before heading into combat, you’ll need to stock up on the right weapons – your mobile arsenal will be carried around by your horse but you can only hold so many weapons at one time. Choices include the Cattleman Revolver and Springfield Rifle, as well as the more potent Sawed-off Shotgun and Volcanic Pistol that you’ll need for close quarters combat. For hunting, you’ll want to use the Varmint Rifle to keep hides free from big bullet holes, and the Double-Action Revolver makes a good riding companion due to its quick firing speeds.

Speaking of quick firing speeds, Dead Eye mode is making a comeback and it looks absolutely brutal.  

Befriending your horse is beneficial

As you progress, your relationship with your valiant steed will blossom. The stronger the bond, the easier the horse is to control. There are also a wider variety of horses than before, with each horse having a specific purpose (such as racing).

There’s a new protagonist

John Marston is no more. Red Dead Redemption 2 brings players a brand new protagonist called Arthur Morgan and the game will follow this outlaw and the Van der Linde gang as they rob and fight their way across America. 

That doesn’t mean that John is entirely absent. From trailer number three we’ve learnt that John is in the game, although how major a player he’s going to be we’re yet to see.

Dutch is back

The main antagonist from Red Dead Redemption showed his face in this game’s second trailer which confirms he’ll be back. Whether or not he’ll be the same antagonistic force is unclear but we think it’s highly unlikely he’s going to be a force for good.

There’s mention of “the sons of Dutch” in the third trailer, and while this is more than likely a reference to the familial nature of the Van Der Linde gang, is there a possibility Arthur Morgan could be Dutch’s progeny? 

It’ll have an open world

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sequel to an open world game and it’s being developed by Rockstar so this isn’t exactly surprising information. Though Red Dead Revolver was a more linear affair, it was apparent that Rockstar was moving away from this with its spiritual successor Red Dead Redemption and we imagine this trend will continue. 

On the game’s site, Rockstar has called the game world “vast and atmospheric” and the trailer certainly backs up this claim. 

The environments shown in the trailer are diverse and stunning and we imagine that as before you’ll be able to traverse them on foot, horseback and perhaps even by rail at your own pace. 

It’ll have single and multiplayer

As you’d expect of a Rockstar game, Red Dead Redemption 2’s vast open game world will be the backdrop to a thrilling single-player campaign. 

Though the first game followed the story of one man, we’re not sure whether that will be the case with Red Dead Redemption 2. The game’s trailer shows 7 figures on horseback which does suggest there could be multiple stories weaving together here like Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto 5. We’ll just have to wait to find out if this is the case.

One similarity we do know Red Dead Redemption 2 will have to Grand Theft Auto 5 is its huge online multiplayer world and it could be this element of the game that the 7 cowboys on horseback imagery is referring to. 

On the game’s website, Rockstar has stated that the world of the single player campaign will “also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.” 

Considering Grand Theft Auto 5’s online world is still growing and thriving 4 years after the game’s initial release this is an exciting prospect. We imagine the cooperative missions that involve heists, races, gangs and money making will transfer neatly over to the Wild West world of Red Dead Redemption 2. 

PlayStation 4 players will get early access to some online content

Thanks to a partnership between PlayStation and Rockstar, PlayStation 4 owners will get early access to some of the game’s online content. In a post on the official PlayStation Blog where the announcement was made it wasn’t clear what the online content would be, however it was promised that more details would be revealed soon. 

Unlockable weapons in Grand Theft Auto Online

Grand theft Auto Online players are getting some interesting Red Dead Redemption 2 treats in the form of unlockable weapons. An in-game email went out in December with a clue for hunting down the Double Action Revolver.

Once the revolver is acquired, a Headshot Challenge will launch in Freemode which, if completed, will give players a $250,000 in-game prize and the opportunity to unlock the revolver for use in Red Dead Redemption 2 when it’s released in 2018. 

Two redditors also found evidence of a new Stone Hatchet weapon in the patch code from GTA Online’s recent nightclub update, as a reward for capturing or killing five chosen in-game targets. Getting 25 kills with the weapon also then unlocks it in Red Dead Redemption 2 – and while the mission isn’t officially live, there is a way of triggering it early, as shown in this video.

Art book

There’s a listing for a book called The Art of Red Dead Redemption 2 that has popped up on Amazon (and has been swiftly deleted). The book is being published by Random House and had a slated release of October so looks likely to be an official product and in the listing claimed to be “a peek behind the curtain of Rockstar Games and its intensely guarded approach to the creation of the lush, Old West open-world gameplay”. 

Characters

In September 2018, Rockstar revealed character cards which introduced us to a selection of gang members we will be encountering in Red Dead Redemption 2. While there were some familiar faces, such as Dutch Van Der Linde, there were also some brand new characters we haven’t met previously. 

We’ve rounded up the posse so you can take a look:

What we want to see from Red Dead Redemption 2

Considering solid facts on the game are pretty thin on the ground, speculation and rumors are understandably rife, with most of the basis for guessing at possible features coming from the game’s two trailers.

It could be a prequel or sequel

Red Dead Redemption 2 will have a brand new protagonist called Arthur Morgan which puts John Marston out of the picture. 

It was the appearance of Red Dead Redemption antagonist, Dutch Van der Linde, in the second trailer for this game, however, that made fans think it could very well be a prequel. Dutch looks much younger and more fresh in the trailer which gives this pre-Red Dead Redemption theory credence. 

That said, others have pointed out some anachronistic background details from the trailer which throw the prequel nature of the story into question. First up is a telephone which appears in an office scene of the trailer. This phone has a design which would have been in use long after 1890. However, a train which appears later in the trailer is being pointed out as being from a much earlier time than this.

Red Dead Redemption is largely set in 1911, so all of these details taken together suggest that Red Dead Redemption 2 could actually have a very long timeline which begins before John Marston’s Red Dead Redemption and then runs concurrent to it, perhaps starring multiple characters.

However, it could also be a prequel that just doesn’t stretch too far back in time – it’s also being rumored that the game is set only 5 years before the previous game around 1906 which would make a great deal of sense. 

Bows and arrows and dual wielding weapons 

In the game’s second trailer we see protagonist Morgan wielding a bow and arrow as well as simultaneously firing two revolvers. This suggests combat mechanics have advanced significantly from the previous game. 

Bow and arrows were actually a weapon option in Red Dead Revolver before being nixed in Red Dead Redemption. Since then, fans have been crying out for their return and the trailer certainly seems to show that’s happening. 

Out on the water

You couldn’t even swim in Red Dead Redemption but a glimpse of a character out on the open water in a kayak in the trailer for the sequel has people wondering if you’ll be able to travel across water or maybe even swim this time around. It’d certainly make an already sure to be large game world even larger. 

More animals than ever 

The game’s second trailers shows in no uncertain terms that bears are back. But this time they’re being joined by crocodiles. This makes the surrounding game world significantly more dangerous and although we like to see as much wildlife as possible, we’re not looking forward to being taken by surprise by a crocodile in a swamp. 

Sharing the load

A scene of a character walking alongside a mule loaded up with equipment also has fans wondering if it’ll be possible to share your inventory with your steed. We imagine this would work in a similar manner to sharing your inventory with your companion in games like Skyrim. 

Could this be the game’s map?

Earlier this April, a map claiming to be the setting for the next Red Dead leaked on NeoGAF.

The biggest takeaways from the tentative topography was a slight move eastward from the arid plains of Red Dead Redemption, showing more marshy locations, islands, and even a mention of a bayou city called New Bordeaux – possibly a tie-in with the recently released, 2K-published Mafia III?

A source with insider knowledge did confirm to us that the map was legit, adding that the game plans to take place before the events of Red Dead Redemption.

However, it is still a leaked map from the internet, so checked expectations are always a smart move. 

Rockstar has revealed that the map of the game will be used as the foundation for building an online multiplayer world similar to that of Grand Theft Auto 5 so the incredible scale and diverse landscape suggested by this map would be suited to an online world. 

Keep checking back here for more Red Dead Redemption 2 news and rumors! We’ll report everything as and when it’s revealed. 

• More excited about Rockstar’s other franchise? Here’s everything we know about GTA 6

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PlayStation Now: the streaming service for video games. Or one of them, at least.

Real-time game streaming isn’t quite the fantastical pipe-dream it was even a few years ago. Google is now trialling streams of AAA games to its Chrome browser. Microsoft is planning a streaming-only Xbox console, code-named Xbox Scarlett Cloud. Even the far less powerful hardware of the Nintendo Switch is getting in on the action.

And yet huge hurdles with internet connectivity and game provision remain, meaning noone’s quite able to offer a flawless service yet – even if PS Now offers the most fleshed-out platform right now.

At its heart, PlayStation Now is a monthly subscription service that allows you to stream legacy or current-gen PlayStation games, much as you would stream a TV episode or video online. We’ve run through all the other details you might want in our in-depth PlayStation Now review.

We’re here to discuss something very specific – is PS Now worth a subscription yet?

The case for PlayStation Now

PS Now has been around in some form or another since 2014, when Sony first began its closed beta of the streaming service in the US, Europe, and Japan. It saw a full public release later in 2015, and has been developed and added to in the years since. 

Sony has retained the same competitive pricing from its inception. One month of the service will run you $19.99/£12.99, or at a slightly discounted $99.99/£84.99 for the year. 

For that you get access to a wide array of titles, with Sony having grown its offering from 80 titles at launch to over 650 today. Its eclectic offering varies between classic titles like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and Gravity Rush – and more recent AAA games like Batman: Arkham trilogy, The Last of Us, Heavy Rain, Borderlands 2, and Red Dead Redemption.

There’s plenty to get on with, though just as with the free games that come with a PlayStation Plus subscription, you’re not getting the latest, hottest titles. These are largely games that we’ve stopped buying at full price, and it’s hard to shake off the feeling that you’re playing on PS Now for historical, or curatorial reasons – so you know what came before the new releases you’re actually excited to play.

Any PS4 owner can trial the service for free for seven days before being charged for a month’s use, meaning you can try out how well your internet connection can run the service before committing to any payments.

Only weeks ago we also saw PS Now add a new download feature for PS2 and PS4 games, meaning you could ‘save’ rented games from the service on your hard drive and then play offline without worries about lag – taking the central feature of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass and integrating it into a streaming-focused service. All the groundwork is being laid for a momentously disruptive force in the way we play and access games.

The issue is that this still isn’t enough.

Still waiting

The current lack of download functions for PS3 games is disappointing – as the largest section of the library, and therefore the one with the highest demand, PS Now still has a long way to go before it can offer the convenience we’re still waiting to see from it.

While PS Now has certainly grown its library and ways of accessing its content, it’s also restricted its service in some ways as well. You can no longer use PS Now on the PS3, PS Vita, PlayStation TV, or any supported smart TVs like the Sony Bravia  TV range. If you want to use PS Now, you need a PS4.

It’s naturally easier for Sony to focus its provision on one platform, which we don’t entirely blame them for doing. It’s more important to have a service that works, than one you can find everywhere that disappoints in execution.

But the real potential for game streaming is in access and affordability. If Sony and Microsoft can offer a service with access to hundreds of games at a fraction of the cost of regular RRP purchases, while outsourcing the hard work of processing and rendering to its own servers, it goes a long way to removing the price barrier for gaming hardware. It brings old and essentially lost legacy titles back within reach of a modern audience. It opens up Sony’s catalogue of games for discovery, for play, without the sour taste of only getting a few hours into an AAA game you paid £40 / $50 to own.

Right now, though, streaming games is still something you can only realistically do with above-average internet speeds and a current-gen PS4 console – for a strong selection of games, yes, but not ones everyone will want to play.

And while players don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription in addition, there’ll be very few players who opt for PS Now – with its variable performance and limited titles – over the Plus membership, which gives very concrete returns like online competitive play and free monthly games at a much lower cost.

We’re still surprised there isn’t a bundled subscription for both at a reduced cost, because right now, even if some gamers will get a lot out of the service as a supplement to their main purchases, PS Now still isn’t capable enough to stand on its own feet.

• Undecided? Read through our in-depth PlayStation Now review before making up your mind

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In August 2018 Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox All Access, a limited-time offer (only available in the US) which allows those who sign up to get an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, Xbox Games Pass and Xbox Live Gold for a set fee per month – with no upfront costs. 

To see if the Xbox All Access offer is for you, we put together this handy guide explaining everything we know about Xbox All Access and how you can sign up.

Xbox All Access: what is it?

Xbox All Access is a limited-time subscription offer which sees you receive an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, 24-months of Xbox Live Gold (required for online multiplayer) and 24-months of Xbox Games Pass (Microsoft’s subscription service which grants access to over 100 games) in return for paying a fixed fee for 24 months. There is no upfront cost and 0% APR.

The offer is available until October 31, 2018.

Xbox All Access: how do you apply?

The offer is currently only available to those in the US. To sign up, you must go to your closest Microsoft store (it can only be applied for in person), choose a Xbox All Access bundle and apply for a Dell Preferred Account (DPA). 

According Dell’s website , the Dell Preferred Account is a “revolving line of credit that gives you the purchasing power to update your technology”. In other words, you pay a set amount each month rather than a lump sum (however, that is also an option).

When you apply at the Microsoft Store, you immediately find out if you can qualify for DPA and therefore Xbox Access All Areas. If you are approved, you will receive a DPA welcome kit by mail within 10 days, which contains account information and payment options.

Xbox All Access: how much is it?

There are two bundles currently available: the Xbox One S and Xbox One X bundles Xbox All Access bundles.

The Xbox One X Xbox All Access bundle start at $34.99 per month and includes an Xbox One X console, 24 months of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. This bundle has 0% APR for 24 months and no upfront cost.

The Xbox One S Xbox All Access bundle starts at $21.99 per month and includes Xbox Live Gold and 20% saving on Xbox All Access.  This bundle also has 0% APR for 24 months and no upfront cost.

Xbox All Access: important things to know

Before you sign up for Xbox All Access there are some crucial details to be aware of:

If you return the console, you are still responsible to pay for both memberships

Xbox All Access is subject to the Microsoft Store standard return policy. This means your chosen console has a 30-day return policy. However both memberships are not returnable and are non-refundable.  

It’s yours to keep after the two years

Signing up for Xbox All Access means you own the console and the 24 month Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold memberships outright upon purchase. 

Microsoft Limited Warranty only covers the Xbox console for one year (90 days for the controller and accessories) 

If it malfunctions after that then you are responsible for any repair costs and monthly payments will continue until the remaining balance on your Dell Preferred Account is paid in full.

Outstanding balances at the end of 24 months are subject to APR

Rates range from 19.24% to 29.99% variable APR. The Minimum Interest Charge is $2. 

More information is available at Microsoft’s website. 

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Battlefield V isn’t interested in boots treading the same old ground of World War II. There’s no re-enactment of the D-Day landings that have been long etched in our consciousness from films such as Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and last year’s Call of Duty: WWII. Instead, as I play through the War Stories that make up its single-player campaign, the big D this time around is ‘Diversity’.

Scandinavian sandbox

The first and most prominent of the war stories is ‘Nordlys’. Set in the snowy mountains of Norway under the beautiful Northern Lights, you’re a young resistance fighter called Solveig on a mission to rescue another resistance member who’s very close to her. It seems neatly coincidental that DICE, a Swedish studio, is depicting a story closer to home, though franchise design director Daniel Berlin tells me there were other factors. 

“It wasn’t necessarily, ah, we’re Scandinavian, we need to go to Scandinavia,” he laughs. 

“It’s a particular part of the world that hasn’t been depicted much. Solveig’s personal story about her family really speaks to us but also in terms of the location.”

Indeed, the ice and snow, which you can even get around certain parts of with skis, makes for a distinct visual palette that greatly contrasts with the hotter climate of ‘Under No Flag’ where you’re part of a small crew from the Special Boat Service infiltrating enemy lines on the shore of North Africa. Even when you do take to more familiar sights like the rural battlefields of France, it’s as colonial soldiers who had previously never set foot in this country they’re fighting for.

A scripted experience can be great, but the truly great experiences are when we just give you a set of tools and then you author your experience yourself

In Norway, my approach differs from the all-out warfare of Battlefield’s multiplayer. While it’s possible to go in guns blazing, the open environments allow me to take a far stealthier approach. I manage to distract the enemy with lures before throwing a knife in their back, or just take the higher ground, bypassing one outpost without firing a single shot, lest I give myself away, prompting a soldier to rush for the nearby alarm.

This persists in the story’s latter half when I find myself in a vast sandbox (or rather icebox?) surrounded by mountains and alpine trees, giving me freedom in how I approach three targets I need to find and destroy in a bid to sabotage German plans to create a new devastating weapon. Compared to the way Call of Duty’s campaigns have often been referred to as big-budget shooting galleries (left out altogether in the new Black Ops 4), this open approach is a natural fit for Battlefield V’s War Stories. 

“A scripted experience can be great, but the truly great experiences are when we just give you a set of tools and then you author your experience yourself,” says Berlin.

These experiences are still punctuated by cinematic cutscenes with specific narrative and emotional beats, but I also get a feel for a variety of tones and narrative techniques. For instance, ‘Under No Flag’ feels more comical in nature, bolstered by the colorful language of the cockney band of cut-throats and criminals that make up your SBS unit. As convict Billy, you learn that his particular set of skills in robbing banks are very transferable for making bombs to blow up German aircraft, so this operation almost has something of a heist element to it.

No glory

The next war story to grab my attention was ‘Tirailleur’, immediately reminding me of the 2006 French film Days of Glory. Days of Glory depicts an ensemble of North African soldiers in the Free French Forces, which Berlin tells me was a definite inspiration point. 

“That perspective really ties into what we want to do in Battlefield V,” he explains. 

“It’s a tragic story about this company that’s fighting for a nation that doesn’t accept them and a land that they’ve never been to.”

Narrated by your character Deme as an old veteran recounting his experiences as a tirailleur, the discrimination he encounters from white soldiers is painfully visible from the moment he first steps onto French soil to when he and other black soldiers like him are sent on a suicide mission to capture a part of the countryside beset with enemy gun placements and tank-stoppers while planes fly overhead. While it conveys the sense of scale Battlefield is known for, you also feel the impossible odds that these black lives are thrown against without any regard from their white commanders.

While I was able to play ‘Nordlys’ in full, I only had a taster of these other two stories. However, Berlin assures me that all of them will be consistently substantial. 

“This time around, we knew what we were doing to a larger extent, so we made sure from the get-go that each and every war story had a certain length and quality,” he says.

Enemy lines

There’s also one more story that will be released later as part of the new free post-launch service Tides of War, though it may stir some controversy. In ‘The Last Tiger’, you’re not just playing a devastatingly powerful tank, but from the German perspective. Berlin explains that the well-received tank mission in Battlefield 1 had influenced their decision to create a tank mission in Battlefield V, for which there was only one candidate.

“The Tiger is pretty much what Spitfire is to the airplanes – it’s the most iconic tank of the era. The gun alone is the same length as a full American tank,” Berlin says. 

“But with that depiction comes the German perspective, and how we tell that story. I don’t want to spoil anything but the emotion we want to evoke is the feeling of consequence, and the fact that, even if you deny your actions in war, you have to live with the consequences of what you have done.”

It’s by no means a heroic story then, but just as the other War Stories are demonstrating a diversity in its, well, diversity, not only through its characters but also in the emotions, narrative, gameplay and palettes, it seems appropriate that DICE isn’t shying away from tackling a darker grey area of World War II. 

“We want to show diversity, and we want to show untold stories,” says Berlin. 

“Everything comes together as a varied product with a lot of diversity across the board.”

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Call of Duty has been around for a long time. A good 15 years, in fact, and it’s gone from WW2-set Medal of Honor rival to the very blueprint of what it means to be ‘triple-A’ in modern gaming. For 13 of those years the series has released a new entry on an annual basis, but since 2016’s Infinite Warfare, the cracks have really started to show.

Sales have slowly declined, and what was once the most exciting FPS experience on the market has become fatigued by its own over-saturation. Traditional asymmetrical shooters are no longer the kill of the hill. Now hero shooters such as Overwatch, and Battle Royale titles such as Fortnite, wear that crown.

Last year’s Call of Duty WW2 was a fun return to the series’ roots, but in order to change CoD needs to look forward rather than back. So what has long-time developer Treyarch done to solve this problem? Copied those hero shooters and Battle Royale titles, of course.

The result is Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. A game that quite shamelessly cherry-picks the most in-vogue mechanics and features, and combines them with that instantly familiar FPS template. It’s certainly far from a original plan, but for all its mimicry, Black Ops 4 manages to give itself the shot of adrenaline it’s lacked since 2015’s Black Ops 3.

Back to black

The traditional single-player campaign is the first casualty, dropped in favor of some brief ‘stories’ that introduce the game’s eight Specialists and their respective backstories. Considering that these solo modes used to be the big selling point of CoDs of old – think the heyday of Modern Warfare – you’d think its omission would be a bad thing, but Treyarch has proved time and again that deft storytelling is not its forte, so the absence of a campaign isn’t the grand loss it first appears to be.

Black Ops 4’s new three pillars are the long-running veterans Multiplayer and Zombies and newcomer Blackout, marking the series’ first entry to embrace online play across all modes. Multiplayer has received some of the biggest changes this year, weaving the familiar bombastic gunplay and some new features that aim to elicit a more tactical approach.

Health is no longer regenerative, so taking refuge behind cover and waiting for your lifeblood to return won’t do you any good here. You now have a StimPack mapped to ‘L1’/’LB’ that refills your health bar, Far Cry-style. If you’re a long-time CoD devotee, this one mechanic alone takes a while to feel natural, but its inclusion only serves to add to the flow of play rather than hindering it. Now you have to manage your health, your gear and your ammunition, forcing you to play smarter when you need to choose between healing and reloading.

The length of time it takes for your health to refill once you’ve administered a Stim Shot, and the time it takes for it to recharge, has also been slightly increased from the Beta – to stop players from abusing it. As with every new change in Multiplayer, learning to compensate for this delay fundamentally changes how you approach each systemic encounter. Every player now has their health displayed above their avatar, so you can see in real-time how much life a player has. It’s by no means a game changer, but it proves a little extra tactical information (especially if you’re playing Search & Destroy as a team).

Those aforementioned Specialists – first introduced in Black Ops 3 as an attempt to give traditional classes a little more personality – have been rejigged to create a symbiosis between their key traits and abilities. While you can still just jump in and play as whichever character you like (running, gunning and camping ad infinitum), there’s a pleasing synergy to using each operator as part of a wider team effort.

Crash can throw an Assault Pack to refill his team’s ammo supply, or use a special ability to heal everyone on the team in seconds. Prophet has a Stun Drone that will automatically incapacitate enemy players, while Recon can use a carefully placed Sensor Dart can reveal enemy positions in real time. There’s still the likes of Ruin and Battery, who are just there to cause mayhem, but the fact there’s a renewed focus on cooperation is a change Black Ops 4 benefits from tenfold. Every bullet, reload and mantle feels like the CoD you know, but it’s just different enough to shake up the minutia of play.

There are 14 maps available at launch – one of the largest selections to ship with the series – but it’s definitely a mixed bag. Being able to play some of the classic maps from Black Ops’ earlier entries is certainly a treat – Summit is still a masterpiece in level design, and Jungle will forever be the home of sneaky ambushes – but some of the best are actually new additions to the roster. 

Icebreaker is easily the most enjoyable – which uses a submarine trapped in a glacier as its setting, complete with tight corridors, open areas and ice water for sneaky underwater kills – while Hacienda, Slums and Contraband are destined to cement themselves as new fan favourites thanks to how well they suit Domination and other objective based mode.

Dead to rights

Zombies returns with its biggest launch-day haul of content yet. As much fun as its tongue-in-cheek horror action has been over the last decade or more, it’s also started to feel a little fatigued overall. This year’s entry adds in another installment in the long-running Aether storyline, but it’s in the new Chaos storyline that things really get mixed up for the better.

The two launch stories – set aboard the Titanic and a trap-filled Roman arena – are some of the craziest yet, with everything from exploding tigers to axe-flinging gladiators to battle. The addition of customizable classes and a rejig of how long it takes to revive teammates coalesce to make one of the most enjoyable iterations on the mode yet. Much like Multiplayer, it’s no grand reimaging, but a handful of adjustments in many of the right places.

Much like Multiplayer, Zombies is no grand reimagining, but a handful of adjustments in many of the right places. The voiceover, as always, is top-notch and the interplay between characters shows Treyarch has worked hard to add a new depth to its undead lore. Every map is riddled with secrets, traps, shortcuts and weapons galore. It’s brilliant fun with a bunch of strangers, but even better when you’re fending off the dead with friends.

Royale with cheese

Finally, there’s Blackout – the new Battle Royale mode that’s hoping to give the likes of Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds a run for their money. It certainly doesn’t try to hide its blatant mimicry of those elements that have made this genre so popular over the last couple of years – skydiving into a giant sandbox, looting for weapons, and fighting down to the last man or woman as the map shrinks around you – but it works because it’s using the slick production values of CoD, and integrates all the familiar ingredients you’ve come to expect from it.

The gunplay is spot-on, with the random placement of weapons forcing you to adapt your play not just to the situation you’re in, but the gun in your hands. Just found a sniper rifle but realized you’re an awful shot? Few things are going to teach you to learn to no-scope like a champ than a team of remaining survivors bearing down on your position. The map itself is incredible in scope, around twice the size of Fortnite’s iconic locale. Littered with areas that call back to classic Black Ops levels – such as NukeTown 2025 – it’s effectively a playable CoD monument.

However, the size does mean buildings are spaced out quite far apart in some sections of the map, so it can take a while to find a weapon if you’re trying to avoid other players touching down in the same area. This means there’s a far steeper learning curve for players less experienced with BR games, but with all manner of CoD elements sprinkled in for extra flavor – such as randomly placed zombies and collectable perks – there’s plenty to keep you on your toes once you learn the ropes.

Treyarch has clearly made an effort to make its systems as user-friendly as possible, such as auto-fitting accessories to a specific weapon as soon as pick it up. Mapping health items to the same button as your Stim Shot in Multiplayer also creates a neat synergy to transition from one mode to another. Your wingsuit (the game’s equivalent of Fortnite’s glider) is also incredibly easy to control, especially when you’re leaping off a tall building for a quick escape from an ambush. There’s also support for split-screen play in Blackout, but the frame rate can take a bit of kicking when it’s in use.

Interestingly, Supply Drops seem to have been dropped entirely by Treyarch for this year’s CoD. Considering their prevalence in series since 2014’s Advanced Warfare (where players spend in-game currency or real-world money to buy packs with randomly collated skins/weapons), their absence is hard to miss. However, with the instant popularity of Blackout, it does seem likely that the studio will be adding a different microtransaction system in its place since. As to how this affects Multiplayer and Blackout remains to be seen, but they’re likely to still be only cosmetic in nature.

Verdict: play it now

Despite the loss of a proper single-player campaign, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 doesn’t feel like a game with a central pillar missing. In fact, the slick execution of the new Blackout mode and the key changes to Zombies and Multiplayer make this one of the most content-rich instalments in years. It’s not going to win any awards for imaginative design, but with every mode firing on all cylinders it doesn’t need to. CoD finally has its fun factor back – and about time, too.

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