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Variable Refresh Rate support for PS5 is rolling out this week

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Today, we’re excited to announce that Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support will start rolling out globally to PS5 players this week. On HDMI 2.1 VRR-compatible TVs and PC monitors, VRR dynamically syncs the refresh rate of the display to the PS5 console’s graphical output. This enhances visual performance for PS5 games by minimizing or eliminating visual artifacts, such as frame pacing issues and screen tearing. Gameplay in many PS5 titles feels smoother as scenes render seamlessly, graphics look crisper, and input lag is reduced.* Previously released PS5 games can be fully optimized for VRR through a game patch and future games may include VRR support at launch.

In the coming weeks, the PS5 versions of these titles will receive game patches enabling VRR support:

  • Astro’s Playroom
  • Call of Duty: Vanguard
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  • Deathloop
  • Destiny 2
  • Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
  • DIRT 5
  • Godfall
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Resident Evil Village
  • Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
  • Tribes of Midgard

These are just a few of the PS5 titles receiving VRR support and we’d like to thank their talented development teams. Please stay tuned to their channels for updates as you’ll have the best experience with VRR once their game patches are live.

Getting Started

VRR will arrive globally through a PS5 console update over the next few days (make sure you are connected to the internet to receive the update). Once you’ve received the update, VRR will automatically be enabled for supported games if your PS5 console is connected to an HDMI 2.1 VRR-compatible TV or PC monitor. You can also turn it off under “Screen and Video” in system settings.

As an added option, you can also choose to apply VRR to PS5 games that don’t support it. This feature may

A sneak peek at Warframe’s Void Angels enemy, arriving April 27

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Even before the release of our first Cinematic Quest seven years ago, the Zariman Ten Zero has represented one of the biggest mysteries in Warframe. It’s a massive colony ship stranded in a mind-bending dimension called The Void that exists outside of space and time. It’s also the setting of a supernatural and violent tragedy that created Warframe’s player protagonists, the Tenno.

On April 27, Tenno are finally returning to this derelict ship to confront their past in Angels of the Zariman, a free update for PS4 and PS5 players that lets you step directly into this shrouded and bloody chapter of Warframe’s history. Lured by an ethereal song radiating across the Origin System, players will discover how years of Void exposure twisted the Zariman into a place both beautiful and haunting—where ghosts of the past now stalk its lush, overgrown halls. Today, I want to peel back the shroud just a smidge to talk about one of those ghosts: Void Angels.

A Heavenly Chorus

When Tenno briefly visited the Zariman Ten Zero as part of last year’s The New War Update, one of the most unsettling things they witnessed were the vaguely humanoid shapes that formed from The Void molt that congealed throughout the ship. In Angels of the Zariman these elegant, unsettling statues come to life as the update’s main boss encounter. Void Angels are closely tied to the mysterious tragedy that happened aboard the Zariman so many years ago, and creating them has been one of the most exciting and daunting challenges of this entire update.

When we began work on The New War our art team began exploring all the ways The Void might distort the Zariman. We were inspired by the concept of fractals—never-ending patterns that become more complex the closer you look—and the alien look of marine life, and began exploring how that might look when applied to humanoid shapes. The result were these hauntingly beautiful statues that flowed almost like liquid mercury. Half-recognizable faces in a twisting, chrome shell.

When we saw the result, we knew that these Void Angel statues could be so much more than a mere set decoration. So we started planning the moment we could turn them into a challenging new boss and kept their true purpose a closely-guarded secret.

Angels of War

Warframe is already known for its unique aesthetic, but Void Angels required our art, animation, design, and audio teams to really push themselves to create a boss unlike anything Tenno have encountered before.

Even before you fight one, you’ll feel the danger Void Angels pose. Their song echoes through the Zariman’s halls, turning into blood-curdling screams as they close in on your position. And you don’t just fight Void Angels in one plane of existence, either. Players will need to weaken the Void Angel and swap to their Operator in order to enter a pocket dimension of The Void to fight the Angel’s true form. This pocket dimension is a whole different combat arena, one that will test your mastery of your Operator’s Void Abilities as you square off against the Void Angel. In this ethereal form, the Void Angel will bombard you with projectiles that coat the arena in damaging Void Corruption. And once you’ve weakened it enough, you’ll need to gather shattered protective fragments to shield yourself against a fatal energy attack.

That’s just a little of what you can expect when you encounter Void Angels for the first time. In addition to our new Thrax Centurion enemy type, which we revealed back in Devstream 160, players are going to have to use every tool in their Warframe’s and Operator’s Arsenal to stay alive in An

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 429: Easter Egg Bloodhunt

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Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here


Welcome back! This week, we welcome Craig Hubbard and David Sirland from Sharkmob to the show to talk about their free-to-play blood-suckin’ battle royale, Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodhunt, out April 27. Plus, a look back at our favorite gaming Easter Eggs. Listen in!

Stuff We Talked About

  • Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodhunt
  • Our favorite gaming Easter Eggs
  • Deep Rock Galactic Season 2
  • The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
  • Godzilla and King Kong in Call of Duty

The Cast

Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi –  Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Share of the Week: Elden Ring – Bosses

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Last week we asked to face off against the formidable foes and bosses of Elden Ring using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:  

LordOvWoe shares a close up of Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

Shadow1214_ shares a look at Astel, Stars of Darkness.

sirevanztheduke reigns victorious over Rennala.

RB_SKKN faces down the Fire Giant.

Jesslow1511 summons a Jellyfish spirit to help with this boss fight.

pannn03 shares Godfrey, the first Elden Lord standing tall with his axe.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Powerful
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 27, 2022

Next week is all about power. Share heroes, companions, creatures and villains that exude power using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone: Season 3 Classified Arms arrives April 27

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There’s something monstrous in the air, with new prototype weapons being uncovered and hints of an incoming threat far greater than man or machine. We can’t wait for players to discover what’s on the horizon in Season Three, Classified Arms. New maps, new weapons, a new Gulag, updated Points of Interest on Caldera, and the return of the almighty Trophy System are just a few things coming in the new season.

PlayStation players have much to look forward to in Classified Arms, the third season of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone. Can Captain Butcher and the new Task Force Harpy take on the looming threat?

Find out when Classified Arms launches on PlayStation on April 27. Here’s what’s coming.

The Season Three Battle Pass

The Season Three Battle Pass brings 100 Tiers of new content, including two new free weapons: the M1916 Marksman Rifle and the Nikita AVT Assault Rifle.

M1916 Marksman Rifle: A German semiautomatic rifle, the M1916 punches hard with a large two-hit kill range before attachments are factored in. Recoil can be a challenge but is easily countered by moderating your fire rate.

Nikita AVT: The Nikita boasts the highest fire rate in the Assault Rifle category, with a jagged upward kick through sustained fire. Utilize Gunsmith to improve handling in the way of an SMG, or focus on long-range damage and control to fit the more traditional role of an AR.

Purchase the Season Three Battle Pass to get Task Force Harpy Operator Mateo Hernandez instantly at Tier 0. Appearing later in the Store are the other two Harpy Operators, Florence Carter and Kim Tae Young.

Earn two more weapons — the Sledgehammer and the H4 Blixen SMG — by completing their in-game challenges or by purchasing their corresponding Store Bundles later in the season.

 

Warzone Brings Updated POIs, New Gulag, Operation Monarch

Dig Site: Located between the Mine and the Ruins, the new Monarch Dig Site Point of Interest provides Operators the opportunity to rummage through abandoned excavation equipment, tents, and massive skeletons for Supply Boxes and other items.

Updates to Runway, Peak, Lagoon: Only partially constructed for the past two seasons, Caldera’s northern aircraft Runway and its stronghold on the Peak will be fortified by those defending Caldera and its secrets. Meanwhile, the shifting tide on Lagoon will reveal another path to the Lighthouse.

Operation Monarch: While Operation Monarch won’t begin until around May 11, be on the lookout for signs of large creatures, ancient artifacts, Monarch Research equipment and facilities, and…Well, it won’t take much investigating to see the massive glowing axe jutting out of the ground right near the Resort.

New Gulag — Hold: A new Gulag developed by Toys for Bob, this roughly symmetrical arena is based in the belly of a ship moored just off the coast of Caldera, with identical hallways on the perimeter of an otherwise open space.

Mid-Season Intel: Operation Monarch is likely to have a great impact on Caldera, but somet

Why Rocket League deleted the ball for new Knockout mode

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At its core, Rocket League has always been a humble game about rocket-powered cars playing soccer. But now the rules have changed with the introduction of the new Knockout Limited-Time Mode. For the first time, players will need to rethink their strats as they fight head to head in an eight-player free-for-all.               

In this destructive derby, novices and veterans alike will need to master the new attack, block, and grab mechanics to claim victory. Knockout will be part of a new in-game event called Knockout Bash, which runs from April 27 to May 10.

Why Rocket League deleted the ball for new Knockout mode

Psyonix Programmer Sky Breen was part of the team that developed Knockout. We sat down together to talk about what players can expect, the process of introducing new mechanics, and how removing the ball is a big change for Rocket League.               

Knockout is the first game mode without goals or walls. What was it like designing a mode that “broke the rules” compared to other Rocket League Modes?           

Sky: Honestly we had just as much fun making the mode as playing it. When we started designing Knockout, we saw this as an opportunity to evolve the gameplay of Rocket League further. A way to tailor fit Knockout with new vehicle physics and learnable skills, to make the mode as fun as possible. At the same time, we want to give a new experience for players, one that hasn’t changed since our initial release seven years ago. Definitely breaking the rules for sure, but we are hoping players will really love all the changes and new additions we have made.

So, how did the team decide on attack, block, and grab as new mechanics? Were there other directions you took first before deciding on this new form of car vs. car combat?                       

Sky: Initially, the prototype was built around attacking other players. It was fun, but we wanted to add more depth and variety to the player’s move set. So we tried adding a new move set for blocking to protect th

Saints Row customization uncovered

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Saints Row’s customization suite is guaranteed to delight and excite: there are virtually no limits to what you can do and there are no rules as to how you do it. You get the ultimate freedom to express yourself in Santo Ileso – what we call the Weird, Wild, American South West – let’s take a look at what this actually means.

We put player choice first in Saints Row; across the board we offer the best, most vibrant mix of customization features that make this by far the best customization toolset in a Saints Row game to date.

You can adapt almost anything in outlandish or aspirational fashion. From the end of the very first missions you will unlock the ability to update your boss character with clothing, emotes and even your weapon of choice with an almost endless number of options from one of the stores across the city.  As you progress through the game you will earn the cash needed to keep your look up to date.  Through the Criminal Ventures you and your fellow Saints take part in you can modify parts of the city itself, including the Saints HQ – it’s your time to take over Santo Ileso and make it your own; so go build your criminal empire in style.    

We’ve removed the boundaries of gender for players – you can put anything on without limits and rules. Our best in class tools let players choose what their definition is for cool. Serious or silly, we let players express themselves and generate looks that either resemble their own persona, another’s, or even something other-worldly.

You can craft your perfect boss and show off your own style with a copious choice of clothing. With each individual item being customizable – layered clothing is back, so you can add underwear, a t-shirt and then a jacket, and accessorize with sneakers, hats, gloves and even socks! Yes, this much loved feature is also back with a vengeance, and for everything you wear, you can change the color, surface properties, and exotic materials for the perfect look.

Going deeper, you can customize your hairstyle and color from the roots to the tips. For your skin, go beyond a myriad of colors and define the type, texture, and features like scars and muscles, veins, tattoos, prosthetics and piercings. There’s even a trucker tan. When it comes to your face you can make each side the same or different with the inclusion for the very first time of asymmetrical face customization. Add make-up, scars, bruises, tattoos, facial hair, wrinkles – it’s all there and we can’t wait to see what you

LEGO Builder’s Journey out today on PS5 and PS4

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LEGO Builder’s Journey is now available on PS5 and PS4, we are very proud to bring even more playful game experiences to players. 

As a brand new feature in the game, you can unleash your creativity and build and share your own creations in Creative Mode. This is a much-requested feature where you can go and build your own models or scenes with a curated selection of LEGO bricks.

LEGO Builder’s Journey out today on PS5 and PS4

There are several available themes and different options for build plates to start out with: Some have a bit of inspiration built in from the start like the lower half of a car, while some plates leave more room for you to be creative in your build out.

We have kept the controls and interface as simple as the rest of the game: When you open a brick bin, you get a curated selection of bricks to build with. Placing a brick automatically gives you another one in the same shape and color – which is great for building symmetrical things. If you open the bin again, you get a new selection of bricks. The paint bucket can be used to dye your bricks by literally pouring paint over them to change their color.

Once your creation is done, the photo mode lets you adjust the lighting and viewing angle before taking the perfect picture of your model and sharing it with friends.

The vision for Builder’s Journey was to create a different kind of LEGO game – one that puts the bricks at the center of the experience. The main part of the game is about building with bricks to complete small diorama-based puzzles that also tell a story about a child and a parent, and the importance of playing together.

The music, art, design, and animations all come together to bring a non-verbal, atmospheric experience of soothing cerebral mind exercises and creative solutions to the game’s challenges. Sometimes thinking out of the box, getting new ideas and

Designing new Deep Rock Galactic weapons with the DualSense controller in mind

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Deep Rock Galactic, a co-op game about dwarves in space mining minerals and fighting bugs, has been out on PS4 and PS5 for a couple of months now. And it has been amazing seeing so many new players join us in the caves of Hoxxes. Whether you picked up the game while it was available with PlayStation Plus, or you recently bought it, welcome!

The PlayStation release of DRG happened during our very first season in the game, and we will soon release our second season on May 5: Season 02 – Rival Escalation. This season includes four new Secondary weapons, and that gave us the opportunity to design them with the DualSense wireless controller in mind from the start. 

When we were working on the PlayStation version of DRG, we decided to use the DualSense controller features as much as possible to enhance the experience of the weapons in the game (see our previous blog post on How the DualSense controller enhances Deep Rock Galactic’s mining and combat). Below, you can read how we have used the DualSense controller features for each of the new weapons.

The ArmsKore Coil Gun

Haptic feedback helped bring home the feeling of power to each gun. Take the Coil Gun in this new Season: Although small and compact the gun packs a lot of power. And with haptic feedback we could really get the point across with increasingly stronger pulsing during the charge phase, communicating the unstable, high amounts of energy, which releases with a huge kick. 

The Nishanka Boltshark X-80

The Boltshark was the more subtle one of the bunch and benefited greatly from the finer details possible that the haptic feedback provides. Although it is quieter than the others, it gave us more room to emphasize the small details of the crossbow parts clicking, bolts being put in place and the string slapping against the barrel when firing.

The Shard Diffractor

The Shard Diffractor was the simplest of the bunch design-wise, shooting a persistent laser with so much power the player can barely stand on their feet. However, conveying that power over such a long time through rumble would be too much compared to other engineer secondaries. We decided to go with a softer rumble on the beam and put emphasis on the power of the impact. Because of t

Uncovering Easter Eggs in the Forbidden West

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The world of Horizon Forbidden West is grand in scale, but as you explore, you’ll uncover many smaller secrets buried throughout its landscapes. Some of the most unexpected discoveries are three mysterious relics referencing Midgard, the mythical realm featured in a certain Norse action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studios. 

At Guerrilla, we love to collaborate with and nod to our fellow PlayStation Studios. That’s why, hidden throughout the Forbidden West, these special War Totems pay homage to key characters. 

The world of Horizon Forbidden West is grand in scale, but as you explore, you’ll uncover many smaller secrets buried throughout its landscapes. Some of the most unexpected discoveries are three mysterious relics referencing Midgard, the mythical realm featured in a certain Norse action-adventure game from Santa Monica Studio. 

By finding all three of these carved wooden figures, you’ll unlock access to a unique cosmetic bonus for Aloy: the legendary Mark of War face paint worn by Kratos himself. 

Every one of these collectibles was placed in the world with careful consideration by our development team. While we’ll leave it to you to find their exact locations, we hope this peek behind the scenes will give you an idea of where to begin your search. 

We begin with an homage to Kratos’ iconic weapon, the Leviathan Axe. Off a beaten path, Aloy can find the fearsome battleaxe buried in a tree. Scanning it with her Focus reveals a trail to an abandoned cabin, mirroring Kratos’ home. Within, the small Totem of War bears Kratos’ likeness.  

The Totem of Youth is close to an iconic landmark. As you approach, you will discover it is defended fiercely by a machine that holds a likeness to the creature that watches over Helheim, a specific reference to Atreus. 

Finally, the Totem of Brotherhood is found in a Cauldron-like structure on an island, reminiscent of one of the locations of Brok and Sindri’s forge. We chose this location because the Huldra Brothers are a Norse equivalent to the Greek god Hephaestus (the namesake of Horizon Forbidden West’s machine-forging AI). 

“We wanted these to be standalone, hidden easter eggs, which were intentionally more difficult to fi

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