25w ago - Following up on the previous rumor and PS4 (Orbis) details, IGN has shared some video footage and details on Version 2 of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) Developer Kits below.

According to their source, a new version 2 of the PlayStation 4 dev kit is currently being distributed to developers with the final version expected next year.

To quote from their page (linked above): Anonymous sources have reportedly told VG247 that new versions of the Orbis kit are winging their way to developers, replete with Blu-ray support and housed in the humble cases of normal PCs.

This is apparently the second iteration of the dev kit; the first, which appeared earlier this year, was in essence just a graphics card, while this version is now a "modified PC". The report asserts that the next update will come in January, when it'll be close to final specifications, with the ultimate version landing with devs next summer.

The shipping of the Orbis kit apparently follows a series of meetings held by Sony...

27w ago - Sony Senior Manager Sarah Thomson of Content Acquisition announced today that the PlayStation Mobile Developer Program has officially launched and those who register can download the SDK.

Below are the details, to quote: I'm one of several members of the team leading our new platform, PlayStation Mobile, working to get you fun, engaging titles on a multitude of PlayStation-Certified smartphones and tablets.

Since we launched PlayStation Mobile on October 3rd, we've been receiving a steady stream of positive responses from both developers and consumers. All of your feedback is crucial to the success of PlayStation Mobile, and we've been working diligently these last few weeks to bring more titles to the newest PlayStation platform.

Get ready to see this library expand in the coming months, because today we are happy to announce the launch of the PlayStation Mobile Developer Program, which provides an enhanced and open environment for content developers to create and release their content on PlayStation Mobile.

The...

29w ago - Following up on the previous PlayStation 4 rumors, today VG247 (linked above) reports that Sony's PlayStation 4 (PS4) developer kits are now shipping and utilize the AMD A10 series as a base.

Below are the details, to quote: "Developers are currently taking receipt of a new PlayStation 4 dev kit, VG247 has been told today, with a final version slated to appear in January. Yes, it'll have Blu-ray. No, it isn't being made in Japan.

Multiple sources have confirmed to VG247 today that a new version of the Orbis kit is now shipping to developers, and that it's housed in a normal PC case.

There are to be four versions of the dev kit, we were told. A previous version was essentially just a graphics card. The version shipping now is a "modified PC," and the third version, appearing in January, will be close to final spec. A final version will be delivered to developers "next summer".

Some US developers attended a "disclosure meeting" at Sony's offices this week, with a further meeting to take place in the coming weeks. The purpose of the meeting is for Sony to tell studios what the machine is designed to do, to detail hardware and to show a set of presentations.

31w ago - Giant Sparrow Game Designer Ben Esposito has shared a video today spotlighting the art and design as part of their The Unfinished Swan developer diary.

To quote: Like a lot of folks, I first saw the tech demo for The Unfinished Swan when it made the rounds online in 2008. The idea stuck in the back of my head but it wasn't until later when Giant Sparrow put up a job posting that I decided: I had to make that game.

I had just graduated from college without much professional experience, so I did what I do best and made a game for them. You can check it out here if you'd like. The video cuts off because the end of the game says "Call me" and has my phone number on it.

It got the attention of the Giant Sparrow team, and I ended up flying out to Los Angeles to work on the game. I was elated and a little shocked, but I came to learn that at Giant Sparrow, the player experience always comes first - and my little game was designed to create a very specific experience.

Now, in October 2012, The Unfinished Swan is out in the wild (well, to PlayStation Plus members) and we're proud that we were able to make a truly experiential game.

33w ago - Killzone Community Editor Victor Zuylen has shared Part 2 of the Killzone HD Re-Developer PS3 interview today with fans.

To quote: In Part 1 of the Killzone HD (re-)developer interview, Guerrilla Technical Director Michiel van der Leeuw and Senior Programmer Frank Compagner discussed the challenges they faced while bringing Killzone to a new platform. In the second part of our interview, they talk about the changes and enhancements made to Killzone HD by the conversion team.

Victor Zuylen: Last week you explained how you retrieved the code and assets for the original Killzone. What happened once you handed them over to the conversion team?

Michiel van der Leeuw, Technical Director: That's where the real fun began! There were corruptions and missing bits in the exported data, which caused all kinds of weird artifacts like polygons shooting through the game world. For the conversion team, the first order of business was to go in and fix all that.

Frank Compagner, Senior Programmer: Our old exporters no longer functioned, so the conversion team rather ingeniously re-used portions of the Killzone 3 pipeline...