11w ago - Today Gamasutra has revealed several Sony PlayStation 4 / PS4 development Tools and Engines for those interested in developing on the next-generation video game console with details below.

To quote: "It looks as if the NDAs for several tool-makers supporting Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 were lifted today, as our inboxes have been flooded this morning with announcements.

Below are the tools and engines that should be available now for those of you developing on the PlayStation 4. We'll update this story should any other announcements come our way.

Update: Added NVIDIA's PhysX and APEX, and NaturalMotion's Morpheme 4.

FaceFX

Animation tool FaceFX is billed as "an advanced facial animation solution unique in its ability to liberate artists from the complexities of creating realistic dialogue and emotive characters." Recent titles that used the tech include Far Cry 3, Halo 4 and Dishonored. More information is available here (facefx.com).

xaitControl

Germany's xaitment is supporting the PS4 with xaitControl, its AI software package for game logic and character behavioral modeling.

xaitment was founded in Germany in 2004 as an offshoot of the German Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence. More on xaitControl...

11w ago - Following up on the previous reports, today DigiTimes revealed that according to sources Sony is pushing for 16 million PlayStation 4 / PS4 shipments in 2013.

Below are the details, to quote: "Having high hopes on its PlayStation 4 (PS4) game console, Sony internally expects the machine's annual shipments to reach 16 million units in 2013 with the supply chain expected to start mass shipments in August, according to sources from PS4 component makers.

The sources pointed out that the PS4 will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and Pegatron Technology, and the player have just begun the processes of request for quotation (RFQ) for the related components. Therefore, the component shipments are unlikely to start until August, but should allow the machine to show up before the year-end holidays in 2013.

Sony shipped a total of 150 million Playstation 2s and 100 million Playstations and has shipped 77 million Playstation 3s over the past seven years."

Finally, in related news Sony tweeted (twitter.com/PlayStation/status/309769646582677506) the following warning to users:

Important: Sites or individuals offering "PS4 beta...

12w ago - Ubisoft Community Developer Gabriel Graziani has shared a video today introducing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which is coming to both PS4 and PS3 consoles.

Below are the details, to quote: After an incredible demonstration of support from our community, sharing the news of our newest Assassin's Creed title, we are finally prepared to unveil our new Assassin, Captain Edward Kenway, and the new setting for Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag.

You'll get a chance to dive into Edward's adventure on PS3 on October 29th (and also on PS4, but we'll announce the release date later), but right now we have something we are truly proud to show off.

Watch the new CGI Trailer below and we'll meet back up to make sure you caught all the glorious details.





The first thing you're likely to notice is the narrator of this trailer is none other than one of the most notorious pirates of all time: Edward "Blackbeard" Teach.

But, surprisingly, Blackbeard is not the focus of this trailer, no sir (or madam) - that would be our newest Assassin, Captain Edward Kenway.

You can already see that he's a perfect fit for the life of plunder, adventure...

12w ago - Today Nilay Patel of TheVerge.com spoke to Sony Electronics President and Chief Operating Officer Phil Molyneux who confirmed in the interview that Sony's 4K movie service will be hitting PS4 / PlayStation 4 and require 100GB-plus downloads!

Below are the details, to quote: "Sony is still being secretive about its forthcoming "world's first" 4K movie download service, but it sounds like it will eventually work with the equally-mysterious PS4. That's the word according to Sony Electronics President and COO Phil Molyneux, who said "I promise you will not be disappointed" when asked if the service would support his company's new console. That certainly makes sense, and it lines up with previous reports that the PS4 would support 4K photos and video, but not games.

Molyneux spoke to The Verge at a Sony event in New York City where he'd invited the press to compare Sony's newest TVs, headphones, and cameras to similar products from competitors - an event designed to highlight what Molyneux called his "utter confidence" in his product lineup. Still, the questions about why consumers would buy 4K TVs remained, especially around the upcoming download service.

And while...

12w ago - Sony Social Media Manager Sid Shuman is here with an interview and videos of Jim Ryan and Michael Denny discussing the upcoming PS4 / PlayStation 4 console.

To quote: After last week's big PS4 announcement, our intrepid Blog manager Fred Dutton conducted a fascinating interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President and CEO Jim Ryan and Senior VP of Worldwide Studios Michael Denny.

Though PS4's price, release date and form factor haven't yet been revealed, Jim and Michael provide some valuable insight into the inspiration behind PS4 - as well as how European World Wide Studios teams like Guerrilla Games, Evolution Studios, and Media Molecule are leading the charge into the next generation of gaming.

PlayStation.Blog: Why did we settle on February 20th, 2013 to announce PlayStation 4?

Jim Ryan: Well, we fixed on the launch window - Holiday 2013. Once that decision was made you have to work back from there and really the main factor is the availability of some great games to share with the world. Once it became clear that we had large number of exciting games to share, this window around 20th February became...