The PS4 has been a success for Sony is many ways. Not only has it outsold the Xbox One with over 1.2 million more units sold, Sony has also revealed that PlayStation Plus subscription are up 90% since the next-gen console launched. The increase in subscriptions is largely due to PlayStation Plus being required for online gaming on the new console, although it’s not required by all games.
New content is now available on the North American PlayStation Store, including Don’t Starve (PS4), Tiny Brains (PS3, cross-buy), and Furmins + Bonus World (PS Vita). Don’t Starve has also been added to the Instant Game Collection if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, along with DmC (PS3).
I find it strange that Sony has gone through the trouble of letting the PS4 detect PS3 discs inserted into the system, instead of just showing a generic “Unsupported disc” error message. I did a small experiment to see how the PS4 would handle PS3, PS2 and PSOne discs and what I found was a little surprising, as the video below shows.
Earlier today at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, Sony’s Andrew House revealed that the company sold 4.2 million PS4s world wide as of December 28th 2013. The PS4 outsold the Xbox One by 1.2 million units, with Microsoft confirming that 3 million Xbox Ones were sold in 2013 in its 13 launch territories.
At CES 2014 in Las Vegas today, Sony announced a new service called PlayStation Now (PS Now). PS Now will lets gamers stream popular hits and classic games from the PS3 library, first on PS4 and PS3 systems, followed by PS Vita using Gaikai technology. In addition to PlayStation platforms, most 2014 US models of Sony’s BRAVIA TV lineup will support PS Now.
Don’t Starve is the latest PS4 game to join the Instant Game Collection this month for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game’s trophy list has been revealed, detailing the requirements to earn each one. As expected, the game does not have a platinum trophy, and only includes a total of 10 trophies.
Sony has revealed that shipments of PS4 will arrive at game retailers across the UK this week via adverts in national newspapers today. The next-gen console is selling fast in the UK, with over half a million units sold in its first five weeks. The standalone PS4 has already sold out on Amazon.co.uk, but the Knack bundle will be getting more stock on January 15th.
The PS4 has built-in functionality to let you broadcast live gameplay to Twitch.tv or uStream, allowing friends and other users to watch you play. We’ve created this short video tutorial on just how easy it is to start broadcasting your gameplay using Twitch.tv and the limitations of the PS4.
The UK Games chart has remained largely unchanged in the New Year, with the usual suspects dominating the top 10. FIFA 14 continues to rein the chart, followed by CoD: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV, Battlefield 4 and GTA V. PS4 exclusive Killzone: Shadow Fall as now completely dropped out of the Top 20 after falling to 14th place at the end of 2013.
Both the PS4 and Xbox One have done incredibly well in the UK, shifting a total of 894,000 units combined at the end of December 2013. However, the PS4 has a significant lead compared to the Xbox One, selling 166,000 more units in a slightly shorter time.
