Polygon - PS4 launch week: Reviews, interviews and morehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/42931/favicon.ico2013-11-25T12:00:03-05:00http://www.polygon.com/rss/stream/48564152013-11-25T12:00:03-05:002013-11-25T12:00:03-05:00The Wii U proves you should wait before buying a new console
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<p>The next generation in gaming is officially five to 10 years away.</p>
<p><span>The Wii U, launched last year, and the PS4 and Xbox One, which both hit earlier this month, are now the status quo in gaming. Or at least that's what the companies behind those consoles want you to think.</span></p>
<p>But the reality is that rushing to the newest piece of gaming hardware <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/8/5054674/when-should-you-buy-a-next-gen-console">isn't always the best idea</a>.</p>
<p>This "now generation" of consoles is a perfect example of why waiting is sometimes the best decision.</p>
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<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/ps4" style="line-height: 16px;">Sony's PlayStation 4</a> comes with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/31/5050330/ps4-controller-comparison-video">arguably the best first-party gaming controller on the market</a>. The console itself, a beefy bit of technology that can for the time being compete with gaming computers, also brings with it a meaningful change in the way Sony views...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/25/5143286/the-wii-u-proves-you-should-wait-before-buying-a-new-console">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/25/5143286/the-wii-u-proves-you-should-wait-before-buying-a-new-consoleBrian Crecente2013-11-21T15:18:47-05:002013-11-21T15:18:47-05:00How to get TV remotes to work with the PS4
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<p>PlayStation 4 owners using televisions compatible with HDMI-CEC can navigate the next-gen console's operating system using their television's remote control. Through a series of tests, Polygon found that functionality seems to differ between apps, brands and setups. </p>
<p>Sony's next-gen console does not include an infrared (IR) receiver that could receive a signal directly from a remote control. As noted in <a href="http://www.polygon.com/a/ps4-review/console" style="line-height: 16px;">Polygon's PlayStation 4 review</a>, the PS4 does not support the Bluetooth remote control for the PlayStation 3. However, televisions that include the HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature can receive input from a remote control and pass that information to the PS4 through an HDMI connection.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps4/settings/devicelink.html">online PlayStation 4...</a></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/21/5126628/ps4-remote-control-hdmi-cec-tv-sony-samsung-panasonic">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/21/5126628/ps4-remote-control-hdmi-cec-tv-sony-samsung-panasonicDave Tach2013-11-19T11:02:11-05:002013-11-19T11:02:11-05:00The revolution will be livestreamed
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<p>Forget better graphics, fancy controllers or voice commands, the next big thing in gaming might just be you.</p>
<p><span>The ability to quickly and easily start streaming videos of yourself playing video games from a next-gen console is proving to be quite popular.</span></p>
<p>Livestreaming through Twitch or UStream is a launch feature on the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft says <a target="_blank" href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/19/5121284/xbox-one-wont-let-you-livestream-gameplay-at-launch">that ability is coming to the Xbox One early next year </a>through their partnership with Twitch. While streaming live video gameplay to video services isn't new, historically it hasn't been exactly easy to do from a console either.</p>
<p>"Broadcasting from the current generation of consoles you can do, but it's really, really hard," said Matthew DiPietro, vice president of marketing for Twitch....</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/19/5121930/the-revolution-will-be-livestreamed">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/19/5121930/the-revolution-will-be-livestreamedBrian Crecente2013-11-18T11:00:04-05:002013-11-18T11:00:04-05:00Video sharing is the key for Facebook on PS4, Xbox One
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<p>Social media like Facebook has never been much use on games consoles. </p>
<p><span>The unwieldy control mechanism of entering text through a controller, often via poorly designed apps, have made them dead-ends. Gamers prefer to make use of more practical options such as cell phones.</span></p>
<p><span></span><span>But with the coming of the next generation, Facebook believes more people will connect using consoles like the</span><a href="http://www.polygon.com/a/ps4-review" target="_blank"> recently launched PlayStation 4</a><span>. The reason? New consoles are </span><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/12/5093556/why-facebook-isnt-creating-a-dedicated-app-for-playstation-4"></a><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/12/5093556/why-facebook-isnt-creating-a-dedicated-app-for-playstation-4" target="_blank">hard-wired to collect video</a> <span>from gameplay which can then be shared. </span></p>
<p>Although many games included Facebook integration in the past, the experience was often clunky and the results directed more towards marketing products than generating individual kudos.</p>
<p><span>So now, although a games console browser...</span></p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/18/5109232/video-sharing-is-the-key-for-facebook-on-playstation-4">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/18/5109232/video-sharing-is-the-key-for-facebook-on-playstation-4Colin Campbell2013-11-15T16:00:02-05:002013-11-15T16:00:02-05:00Assassin's Creed 4 will run at 1080p natively on PS4 after patch
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<p>The PlayStation 4 version of <a href="http://www.polygon.com/game/assassin-s-creed-4-black-flag/10328"><i>Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag</i></a> will run at a native 1080p resolution, but will require a title update to do so, according to an update on the official <a href="http://blog.ubi.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-in-native-1080p-on-playstation-4/">Ubisoft blog</a>.</p>
<p>Without the patch, <i>Assassin's Creed 4</i> will render at 900p and be upscaled to 1080p resolution on PS4. <span>Ubisoft communications manager Gary Steinman explains why there's a discrepancy between the game that shipped and the title update Ubisoft is rolling out after launch. </span></p>
<p>"[It was to] meet an essential goal: deliver a visually brilliant game at a steady 30 frames per second (the industry gold standard for open-world games)," Steinman said. "Finishing the game at 900p gave the development team the extra room in terms of the GPU and CPU usage to...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5108790/assassins-creed-4-1080p-native-ps4-software-update">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5108790/assassins-creed-4-1080p-native-ps4-software-updateMichael McWhertor2013-11-15T15:36:29-05:002013-11-15T15:36:29-05:00EA posts PS4 instability warning by mistake
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<p><b>Update 2:</b> The message on EA's Help site about the PlayStation 4's day-one software update causing instability in PS4 games was "posted in error," said an EA representative in an email to Polygon. The spokesperson pointed PS4 users to <a href="https://support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5102" target="new">Sony's support website</a> for information on the PS4.</p>
<p><b>Original story:</b> The PlayStation 4's day-one firmware update is responsible for "stability issues" across all games, according to a <a href="http://help.ea.com/article/sony-playstation-4-update-1-5-instability" target="new">post on Electronic Arts' support site</a>.</p>
<p>According to EA, the problems — which include crashing and freezing, as well as "non-responsive connections between the player's console and their TV screen," during gameplay — affect all PS4 games, not just EA titles. The support page goes on to say that Sony is working on a new firmware...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5108762/ps4-day-one-patch-causing-instability-all-games-says-ea">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5108762/ps4-day-one-patch-causing-instability-all-games-says-eaSamit Sarkar2013-11-15T09:01:03-05:002013-11-15T09:01:03-05:00How MGS 5: Ground Zeroes tells its story like a TV series
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<p><em><a href="/game/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes/11580" class="sbn-auto-link">Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes</a></em> will be the first game in the 15-year-old <a href="/franchise/metal-gear-solid/672" class="sbn-auto-link">Metal Gear Solid</a> franchise with open-world elements, and will serve as the prologue to the fully open-world title known as <em><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="/game/metal-gear-solid-5-the-phantom-pain/7219">Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain</a></em>. But that doesn't mean <em>Ground Zeroes</em> is an extreme departure from the existing Metal Gear Solid games, at least not in the eyes of series creator Hideo Kojima. The way Kojima sees it is that with <em>Ground Zeroes</em>, he and developer Kojima Productions are bringing the franchise's hallmark of stealth action into the next generation.</p>
<p>"It is a stealth-action game, and I don't think that we are making any radical changes. Because I believe that we are making just the natural evolution of what stealth action is,"...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5106858/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-ps4-tv-storytelling-hideo-kojima-interview">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5106858/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-ps4-tv-storytelling-hideo-kojima-interviewSamit Sarkar2013-11-15T04:13:54-05:002013-11-15T04:13:54-05:00PSN suffering network issues, Sony asks for patience (update)
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<p>Following the midnight launch of Sony's PlayStation 4 across North America, users of the next-generation hardware are reporting difficulty in connecting their console to the PlayStation Network, prompting Sony Computer Entertainment to issue a statement asking for patience.</p>
<p>"The PlayStation Network is currently experiencing extremely high volume, some gamers may experience some difficulty connecting. We ask for your patience," a statement on the<a href="https://support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2185/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzg0NTA0NDA0L3NpZC9xZjNtdG9GbA%3D%3D"> PlayStation Support </a>site reads. PS4 users have taken to PlayStation's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152068658581803&set=a.186905261802.155462.14104316802&type=1">Facebook page</a>, the <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-4-Support/bd-p/22090">official PS4</a> and <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-Network-Support/bd-p/22039">PSN forums</a>, Twitter and more, to share their PSN issues.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PlayStation-4-Support/Managed-Thread-Login-error-message-for-PSN-on-PS4-state/m-p/42120955#U42120955">post</a> on the official PlayStation forums, Sony is aware of issues where some PS4 users are receiving an error message...</p>
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<a href="https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5107058/psn-suffering-network-issues-sony-asks-for-patience">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/15/5107058/psn-suffering-network-issues-sony-asks-for-patienceJenna Pitcher