Last Wednesday, PlayStation’s product development teams introduced new system software updates for PS5, PS4 and the PS Remote Play App. 

I sat down with Hideaki Nishino, SVP of Platform Experience, to get the scoop behind some of the new features, including 3D audio for built-in TV speakers and M.2 SSD storage expansion on PS5. We also discussed mobile app updates like Share Screen on PS App, which started rolling out yesterday on iOS and Android.*

Listen to our full interview on the Official PlayStation Podcast here for insights on how the features came together, or read on for some key excerpts, edited for brevity and clarity. 

PlayStation.Blog: Can you give us a little sense of what you do as SVP of Platform Experience?

Nishino-san: Here at SIE, I work for hardware, system software, and network platform products and services. I don’t contribute to the games or studio teams, but everything other than the games side of things. 

PlayStation.Blog: Congrats on the launch of the September system update on PS5. Are there a couple features you found particularly important?

Nishino-san: We launched many features with the September Update, but one I’m personally enjoying is the trophy tracker. Of course, I want to get more trophies and show them off. The trophy tracker allows me to easily pin the trophies I’m tracking down.

PlayStation.Blog: A lot of people have been asking, when are we going to get an update on 3D audio coming through the TV speakers (in addition to headsets).

Nishino-san: Yeah, absolutely. 3D audio has been a key part of our vision for PS5: delivering a really immersive experience not just through visuals but audio as well. When I turn on 3D audio for TV speakers, it sounds different. It’s difficult to describe, but I hope everybody will try it and experience it. 

It feels like the sound is coming from around my ears and from the front as well. So, it’s definitely giving you a different experience. I’m really proud of the team that delivered this 3D audio experience.

PlayStation.Blog: I think a big feature for many people is the ability to expand PS5 storage [through M.2 SSD]…What does adding a new feature of this magnitude represent for the team?

Nishino-san: As we have many PS4 users today, we saw various console usage patterns. We launched PS5 in two forms: one comes with the disc drive and one comes without. We really wanted to provide customer choice — that was the concept.

We knew any capacity we put into the machine as storage, one day you’ll hit the capacity. We wanted to provide options. It was important for us to enable upgrade capability for users. We designed the M.2 SSD feature back in 2018. At that time, we were not sure if Gen4 SSDs were coming up or not, but we believed they were. 

With [lead system architect Mark Cerny], we debated and discussed. We finally decided, ‘yeah, let’s do this.’ This will open the door for users to expand and improve the capability of the PS5. So, that’s the behind-the-scenes conversation we had internally, and I’m glad we can deliver this now for the holiday season.

In Adventure Mode, follow Tanjiro Kamado through the story from the “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” anime by diving in and taking control yourself!

This game includes the events of “Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc” where Tanjiro would begin his journey, join the Demon Slayer Corps and fight a variety of demons, as well as “the Movie: Mugen Train” where he was accompanied by the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku!

The fights against the demons from the anime are given new life with incredible graphics!

Intro trailer for Adventure Mode – Asakusa Arc

Play Video Read more

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars was officially announced today, and the demo is now available at PlayStation Store.

The full game will release digitally on PS4 on October 28, but what’s the deal with this unique card-based RPG from Square Enix? Here’s everything you need to know. 

Loads of talent behind the scenes

Fans of NieR and Drakengard rejoice! Creative talent from both of these beloved series have come together to create a brand-new tabletop-style RPG. The talent behind Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars includes Creative Director Yoko Taro (Drakengard series, NieR series), Executive Producer Yosuke Saito (NieR series) and Music Director Keiichi Okabe (Drakengard 3, NieR series), as well as Character Designer Kimihiko Fujisaka (Drakengard series).

Play Video

An exciting new story at the heart of the game 

In Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars, the Game Master (voiced in English by Todd Haberkorn) will narrate and guide players through a story set in a world shrouded with mystery. Players will join our protagonist and his companions and set off on a journey to defeat a recently reawakened Dragon that threatens the land and its people. 

Throughout their journey, players will face many battles and make many choices, which can change the outcome of their quest.

More screens and character art

A club of interesting characters 

Our main protagonist is a bounty hunter who hopes to secure an immense reward for slaying the dragon. He’s joined on his travels by his companions: Mar, a monster very attached to him, and Melanie, a black witch with a grudge against the Dragon. 

Along the way, they will meet an array of unique characters including Wynifred of the Ivory Order and her silent soldier, Berwyn, and Heddwyn, her sage and mentor, as well as the Queen of Castle Advent, who rules over this vast land. 

Read more

With today’s release of Actraiser Renaissance on PlayStation Store, players around the world* can experience frantic-yet-methodical platforming action as well as the ability to build and simulate their own cities in this dual-genre adventure on PS4 and PS5. More than 30 years after its original release, this remaster of a retro classic comes with an HD graphical overhaul, a re-arranged soundtrack by composer Yuzo Koshiro, and additional content, including the new real-time strategy “Settlement Siege” mode, more stages, and a new boss to cut down to size.

Not sure what Actraiser Renaissance is, or why people are so excited to see this beloved classic make its return? Never fear, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know. 

What WAS Actraiser?

First released over 30 years ago, Actraiser was a platformer and city-builder sim where players took on the role of the Lord of Light, a benevolent god who has awakened from a long slumber, only to find the world beset with evil and chaos. With a trusty angel companion and the faith of his believers, the Lord of Light must lead the people of the world to salvation by destroying monstrous creatures, building safe havens, and ultimately defeating the ringleader of it all: The Evil One.

During the city building segments, players assumed the role of the Lord of Light’s trusted angel, and would guide a new civilization to prosperity and salvation by controlling the elements and performing miracles. Were monsters to attack, your angel could shoot them with arrows and signal to the Lord of Light where to send miracles, such as bolts of lightning and earthquakes to keep the hordes at bay.

Alongside these city-building segments were action-platforming sequences, where players took on the form of a human-like statue brought to life by the Lord of Light. In these tense side-scrolling sections, players would need to strike down the creatures and boss monsters that laid in wait while navigating perilous traps.

By mastering both disciplines, players would be able to vanquish The Evil One once and for all, bringing peace to the world of Actraiser.

What IS Actraiser Renaissance?

Simply put, Actraiser Renaissance is a bigger, bolder, and lovingly remastered version of the game that became a cult classic all those years ago. Actraiser Renaissance brings back many of the features that made the original so beloved, plus brand-new content and enhancements to make it easier to pick up and play.

Actraiser Renaissance comes with beautiful HD graphics, allowing the monsters you fight and the cities you grow to look even bigger and better than before. It also has a new auto-save feature, meaning that whether you’re holding off the forces of evil in city-building or trying to slay them in the action sequences, there’s plenty of opportunity to attempt new tricks and tactics without the fear of losing too much progress.

Become humanity’s salvation 

The city-building has been given even more love with brand-new features, such as an enhanced development phase that allows for more customisation of cities and your budding civilisations. These

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while since you last heard from us regarding new merch, and we have been hard at work doing just that. While The Last of Us Day — our annual community celebration — isn’t until September 26, we wanted to kick off the weekend with a couple products we think you’ll love.

In addition to the merch below, we will be revealing some all-new content on September 26 at 9:00am PT/ 6:00pm CET. Be sure to come back and check it out on TheLastofUs.com/TLOUDay.

With that, let’s dive in!

North and South America | Europe

The Last of Us Part II Abby Tee

To get us started, we have our first official Abby t-shirt. This 100% ringspun tee features the formidable Abby in a painterly watercolor and inked portrait on a strong stone white shirt.

North and South America | Europe 

Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK.

The Last of Us Part II Knit Beanie – Gray

North and South America

The weather can be a bit chilly during certain times of the year, especially if you’re living in Jackson or Seattle. Grab this cuffed knit beanie before you go on patrol to keep cozy!

Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay

The Last of Us Part II Flannels

North and South America: Charcoal Plaid | Red Plaid

Europe: Red Plaid 

If you’re looking for a classic, lumberjack button-up, like you have been living in Jackson for years, well, you don’t have to leave the safety of the town walls to get this one! In a red and black plaid with a leather detail tag, you

Thanks to the new Apple TV+ offer, I’ve been catching up on some terrific TV shows and movies over the past month – Ted Lasso, See, and Greyhound just to name a few. 

This Friday, Apple TV+ will see arguably its most ambitious entry yet with the premiere of Foundation, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s legendary sci-fi novel series. Foundation is about as big as it gets – a towering tale of how humanity survives the end of civilization.

I caught up with showrunner, writer, and executive producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) to learn more about how the accomplished writer/director planned to tackle this monumental new series.

The book series Foundation is legendarily difficult to adapt due to its epic scope… its plot spans many thousands of years. What appealed to you about tackling something so huge and complex?

DG: Hubris! [laughs] I was weaned on Foundation. My father introduced it to me when I was 13 years old, he said it was the greatest science-fiction work ever written. I first read it in my 20s… I didn’t completely get it. I read it again [once] I was a father, and I understood more how important and revolutionary it was. Also, twice before in my career I was given the opportunity to adapt it as a feature [film], and I turned it down because I didn’t think it was possible to condense everything down into two or three hours. 

It was only in the past six or seven years…when some of these giant streaming shows started happening, like Game of Thrones and others. You saw these big novelistic adaptations, and I thought that maybe the audience and the medium had matured to a place where Foundation might be possible. For the first time, we weren’t talking about having to condense everything – in success, we were talking about the possibility of being able to expand. 

So the idea of telling this story across 70 episodes, or 80 episodes, that was really appealing to me. We don’t even get all the way through the first book in the first season. We can take our time, and really dig into the characters. The books were light on emotion, they were more about ideas and philosophy. But I think when people watch these shows, what hooks them are the emotion and the characters. 

So I had to figure out ways to take Asimov’s themes and embody them in characters. And that’s what led me to create the Genetic Dynasty, which is not an idea that exists in the book. In the book, the Empire is resistant to change, it’s monolithic and rigid. And I thought, what’s the craziest expression of that? How do you take that to 11? Well, what if the Empire is the same Emperor cloning himself again and again and again, and imposing his ego across the galaxy? That was my way of exploring Asimov’s theme. And that led to all these interesting character things we could do with the Emperor. It allowed me to depict the Emperors as monsters, but also these sympathetic figures who were desperate to individuate themselves, who were living in the shadow of Cleon I. That approach was kind of, in a microscope, my approach to the series writ large.

Asimov’s writing style is famously straightforward. Did you feel like you had a wide opening to leave your own creative fingerprints on this universe?

A little bit… I was a fan of the books, so I approached it as a fan. I don’t think it would be successful if I hadn’t liked the books. One of the first things I did wa

Hi I’m Howard, the team lead of Muse Games, the developer of Embr – a frantic co-op firefighting (plus other side-jobs) game set in a hyper-capitalist alt reality where traditional emergency services are a thing of the past!

Game jam in traffic jam – How Embr got its spark

Stuck in a horrendous traffic jam back from MAGFest showing Guns of Icarus, we had nothing to do, so what better way to spend time than to jam on game ideas. We started tossing ideas around, and all of a sudden we remembered the Brave Firefighters arcade game that we all loved. In a moment of inspiration, we started dissecting what made that game so fun, and we realized that there hadn’t been an attempt in co-op firefighting in a long time. The idea of exploring the mechanics and theme took root that day.

When we started grey boxing the core mechanics of firefighting and creating procedural fire, we knew we wanted to imbue it with a message, something meaningful and drawing an emotional response. As the LA fires were raging, we read about celebrities saving their mega-mansions with private firefighters. We read about the consequences of municipal budget cuts and the plight of gig-economy workers. It all struck an emotional chord, and we decided that this is it. We felt an imperative to shape the game as a satire aimed at venture capitalism and the gig economy, making fun of what rampant privatization at the expense of human condition could do to public services such as firefighting.

Fight fires, take on extra gigs, and make money

Embr is a frantic co-op firefighting experience where players are pitted against an amorphous, constantly evolving, and procedurally generated enemy – fire – in close quarters. While Embr pays homage to the few pioneering forays such as Burning Rangers and Brave Firefighters, we innovate by forging deeply interconnected material systems and interactions, exploring the endless chaos that these systems create whilst focusing on teamwork.

As a team of Embr Respondrs, private gig firefighters, you will rush into burning buildings, and will be confronted with an array of deadly and dangerous hazards. Fire burns around you, spreading through flammable materials, eating oxygen and moisture from the environment as it goes. But it’s not your only risk. As Embr Respondrs, you have to keep your eyes open for dangerous gas leaks, electrical shocks, and deadly explosions as well. Profitable Respondrs have to balance five-star ratings, tool upgrades, and new vehicles against their own health and safety.

During beta, Embr’s services have expanded from private firefighting to food delivery, box delivery (because everyone needs more boxes), to cleanup and demolition (clients need that insurance claim for a brand new start sometimes). As your own boss, you have complete agency and freedom of choice to follow objectives, or flaunt them. How you choose to play, or make mon

We’re so excited to announce that First Class Trouble is coming to PlayStation 5. Let the chaos in space begin!

Play Video

Developed by Invisible Walls, First Class Trouble is a social deduction party game where six people play together aboard a luxury space cruiser. At the start of each game, four players will be randomly selected to be Residents, cooperatively trying to shut down a rogue A.I. at the heart of the ship. The other two players will be Personoids, who will lie, deceive, and do whatever it takes to stop them!

Teamwork is the key to survival, but who can you trust?

When development originally began on First Class Trouble, it actually looked nothing like the game you see today. It took place in the snowy wilderness of Cainwood, and you couldn’t throw a single champagne bottle. THE HORROR!

After extensive playtesting and feedback from our community, one by one, we began implementing new gameplay mechanics. Soon, Project Cainwood became a thing of the past, and First Class Trouble was born, now taking place aboard a luxury space cruiser during an alternative 1950s timeline.

With First Class Trouble making its PlayStation 5 debut, let’s talk about the cool new features exclusive to this version!

Thanks to the PS5 controller’s haptic feedback, you’ll be able to feel and experience the chaos in the palm of your hands. Squeeze the trigger to spray a fire extinguisher, and the controller rumbles and emits audio that corresponds with it.

Or how about the water pistol? Feel the resistance as you pull the trigger, which stops once you squeeze past the trigger point.

Throwing bottles in First Class Trouble is a real crowd pleaser! When bottles smash near you, the controller will emit audio and corresponding haptics. What’s really cool is that the intensity will fall off based on distance from the point of impact!

Environmental hazards, like blazing fires and electrical malfunction, have a similar effect. Get too close to a live wire and you’ll feel the shocking results! 

In-game proximity chat will enhance your interactions and experiences as you hear muffled screams, shouts for help, or bogus attempts at accusing someone else of a vile act.  It’s a core element to First Cla

 Amy from Survios here, popping in with some big news: Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey is launching on PS4 and PS5 this October 5! In addition, we’re offering Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey as a cross-buy title, meaning every PS4 purchase will automatically come with the PS5 version of the game at no additional cost. 

Play Video

Bubble popping takes a turn with spacial puzzle solving

We’re so excited to celebrate Bub’s 35^th anniversary with our very own “spin” on the iconic and beloved franchise, and we took it quite literally. Building the world in a 3D space introduces a new layer of complexity, and puzzles spin when being hit. In addition to color-matching, players will need to take depth and physics into account when solving each level.

Left: Flat-screen gameplay | Right: VR gameplay

Play your way with PlayStation Cross-Reality

Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey is Survios’ first true Cross-Reality title, supporting PS4, PS5, or PS VR gameplay. A big goal for us was giving as many Puzzle Bobble fans access to the game, and the agency to choose how they wanted to play. This led to creating a game that can be fully experienced with or without a headset, and seamlessly swapped in-game for those who want to approach puzzles from a different perspective!

When using the PS VR headset, players can step into the role of Bub; With the PlayStation Move controllers, they will be able to physically harness his trusty Bubble Cannon like a slingshot, as well the Paintbrush, Spin Orb, and Chili Bomb power-ups.

Balancing 100 progressively difficult puzzles

Our Story Mode offers 100 3D bubbles puzzles with con

It’s almost time! We can’t wait to welcome PS5 and PS4 players into the loop next week when Lemnis Gate launches.

Lemnis Gate is the time-manipulating, turn-based strategy FPS prizing skill and smarts. Your ability to flex your brainpower through creative thinking, as well as your mastery of seven uniquely talented Operatives who each come with their own signature weaponry, will be the difference between victory and defeat. Here’s how it works.

Time loop

Lemnis Gate pits players against each other within a 25-second time loop. The aim is simple: pick your Operative, enter the loop, and then execute your plan. This might mean killing an enemy, protecting a teammate, or destroying an objective. When those 25 seconds are up, the next loop begins. Essentially, each loop stacks upon the previous one. These progressive layers let you build ingenious strategies over five thrilling rounds.

Every teammate you see on the map is you from a previous round. That means bustling, ten-Operative matches are comprised of just two players, populating the battlefield with past instances of themselves. Winning requires ample forethought as you plan four-dimensionally to create subversive, unorthodox strategies.

Ghost mode

So, what happens when you die? In Lemnis Gate, death is not the end. Lose your health, whether through bullets, explosions, or any other damaging effects, and you’ll continue the round as a ghost. Now you’re executing the actions you would take if you were alive. Should the enemy who killed you die, your previously eliminated Operative is brought back to life, and the actions you took as a ghost are enacted.

For example, let’s say you’re playing as chemical weapons expert Toxin. Set a trap of noxious sludge on the ground and die, and that sludge will cease to exist. But if you kill the Operative who killed Toxin, the sludge will reappear, along with Toxin. Since the present can directly alter the past, you must think multiple moves in the future. This means you can always come back from a losing position.

Reconnaissance drone

After you’ve taken your turn, your opponent will take theirs. Now, you’ll monitor the situation with your aerial drone as your opponent attempts to counter your moves. Your drone not only helps you keep tabs on everything happening in the match, but also enables you to place strategy markers to highlight points of interest. See a vulnerable target you want to take out in the next round? Place a marker on them. The drone is there to inform your strategy as you survey the battlefield between turns.

Ways to play

There’s a multitude of ways to play, both online and offline. Enter the time loop separately with turn-based rules, or enter together and battle simultaneously within the same turn in both 1v1 and 2v2 games. For local gameplay, there’s also a “pass-the-controller” option allowing players to strategize alongside each other in person. Within these match types there are four familiar game modes to enjoy, including Seek & Destroy, Domination, Retrieve XM and Deathmatch.

For those with a competitive streak, ranked play pi