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The latest report from Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has arrived, and we’re giving you a first look at the team and technology that will put you in the cockpit of the most cutting-edge flight shooting game of this generation. In this developer diary video from Project Aces, we’ll take a look at how Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the culmination of 30 years of experience and expertise. Play Video One of the first things Ace Combat 8 explores is your role as a pilot in the world of Strangereal. As the new leader of a squad based on the carrier Endurance, you need to win your team’s trust which Kazutoki Kono, the series brand director, explains. Your character is at the heart of a deeply emotional story, where you move between daily life on the aircraft carrier and high-stakes missions among the clouds as the Federation of Central Usea struggles to survive with limited resources in a bitter war. To truly immerse each player, Project Aces engineered an innovation for the Ace Combat series, first-person perspective during story scenes. New levels of immersion are possible not only due to this new perspective, but also the huge leap forward in photorealistic rendering of your crafts, the environment, and, most importantly, that big, beautiful sky that’s just begging for a battle. Developer and Producer Kosuke Itomi, Masato Kanno, and Keiichi Yamaguchi describe how the art team applied decades of experience and craftsmanship to the task of bringing each fan-favorite aircraft to life. We’re also excited to share more about the exclusive internal “Cloudly” engine, the “Lumen” lightning system which is used to render glorious, light-sensitive clouds and weather, and how this system changes the game for anyone soaring into that wild blue yonder. And of course, beauty isn’t everything. Producer Manabu Shimomoto explains how the team has been working on making Ace Combat 8’s dogfights an unforgettable pulse-pounding ride. You’ll hear about their philosophy of making this a flight shooting game that anyone can enjoy, from the first-time pilot to the battle-hardened ace, and Development Director Akira Yasui will talk about how the new tutorial system helps accomplish that goal as well. This dev diary shares the feelings of a team with 30 years of development experience. Every ounce of that passion and commitment has been poured into environments that will immerse you, a story that will inspire you, and gameplay that will thrill you. Please join us as we prepare to take off for an unforgettable flight. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is coming to PlayStation 5 this year. Wishlist today. View the full article

Just as every secret agent carries their signature weapon, every player has a signature controller. Today, we’re excited to share a first look at the new DualSense wireless controller – 007 First Light Limited Edition. Featuring a golden sheen and radiant barrel design, the controller frames James Bond’s iconic codename and weapon on the DualSense wireless controller touchpad. “With this 007 First Light controller, we saw an opportunity to welcome James Bond back to gaming after more than 13 years in a way that felt instantly iconic. The golden finish pays tribute to the elegance, legacy, and timeless style of the franchise, while the barrel-inspired detailing reflects the themes of the game and how it feels to play it, as well as being a nod to one of pop culture’s most recognizable visual signatures. Every element of the DualSense design was crafted as a celebration of Bond’s return, blending legacy and modernity to create a controller that feels unmistakably 007 from the moment you see it.” -Rasmus Poulsen, Franchise Art Director on 007 First Light View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image TThe DualSense wireless controller – 007 First Light Limited Edition will be available in limited quantities in Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia/Thailand/Philippines/Vietnam for a recommended retail price of SGD 115 / MYR 419 / IDR 1,549,000 / THB 2,890 / PHP 5,411 / VND 2,399,000. Actual retailer prices may vary. Pre-orders begin on April 17 at 10 am local time at participating retailers. The exact launch date and availability for the controller may vary by country/region. The new controller launches starting on May 27 alongside 007 First Light for PS5, where players take on the role of a young Bond at the very beginning of his journey in this standalone, re-imagined origin story for video games, navigating a world of global intrigue and earning his codename. The DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers deliver precise responsiveness during gunfights, while haptic feedback places you in the middle of the action during explosive set pieces from the game. Learn more about 007 First Light and check out the latest trailer here. Play Video View the full article

Just as every secret agent carries their signature weapon, every player has a signature controller. Today, we’re excited to share a first look at the new DualSense wireless controller – 007 First Light Limited Edition. Featuring a golden sheen and radiant barrel design, the controller frames James Bond’s iconic codename and weapon on the DualSense wireless controller touchpad. “With this 007 First Light controller, we saw an opportunity to welcome James Bond back to gaming after more than 13 years in a way that felt instantly iconic. The golden finish pays tribute to the elegance, legacy, and timeless style of the franchise, while the barrel-inspired detailing reflects the themes of the game and how it feels to play it, as well as being a nod to one of pop culture’s most recognizable visual signatures. Every element of the DualSense design was crafted as a celebration of Bond’s return, blending legacy and modernity to create a controller that feels unmistakably 007 from the moment you see it.” -Rasmus Poulsen, Franchise Art Director on 007 First Light View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image The DualSense wireless controller – 007 First Light Limited Edition will be available in limited quantities globally for a recommended retail price of $84.99 USD/ ¥12,480 (including tax) / €84.99/ £74.99. Actual retailer prices may vary. Pre-orders begin on April 17 at 10 am local time at direct.playstation.com (where available), as well as participating retailers. The exact launch date and availability for the controller may vary by country/region. The new controller launches starting on May 27 alongside 007 First Light for PS5, where players take on the role of a young Bond at the very beginning of his journey in this standalone, re-imagined origin story for video games, navigating a world of global intrigue and earning his codename. The DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers deliver precise responsiveness during gunfights, while haptic feedback places you in the middle of the action during explosive set pieces from the game. Learn more about 007 First Light and check out the latest trailer here. Play Video direct.playstation.com Purchase Information Starting 7:00 am PT/10:00 am ET in the U.S., and 10:00 am local time in the U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, players will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller – 007 First Light Limited Edition through direct.playstation.com in limited quantities. When ordering directly from PlayStation, enjoy free launch day delivery for eligible pre-orders. Visit direct.playstation.com for more details. View the full article

The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is all about pushing technology forward, and we like to bring at least some of that Night City energy to our development process too. Players have been asking about this for a long time, so we’re super excited to finally reveal the details of our free Cyberpunk 2077 PlayStation 5 Pro update, available tomorrow, April 8. We wanted to make the most of the PS5 Pro’s cutting-edge technology by bringing 4K visuals, powered-up performance, advanced ray tracing, and more to the Cyberpunk 2077 experience. The goal was to bring the very best out of both the hardware and our game to make Night City shine as brightly as possible. With Cyberpunk 2077 currently available in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, anyone who owns a PS5 Pro can experience this enhanced version of our action role-playing game and fight to become a cyberpunk legend. Let’s talk specifically about how this update enhances players’ experience, starting with PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This tech goes through each pixel, one by one, and upscales it using advanced artificial intelligence. The result is incredible, with every inch of Night City — every thermal katana, every gonk on the street, every supercharged sports car — coming to life. Next is an upgrade to our ray tracing technology. Lighting is a key pillar of the Cyberpunk 2077 aesthetic — the way Night City lights up as day turns to dusk, when the streets glow under the oppressive neon signage of megacorps, is part of the entire visual identity of this world. With the PS5 Pro Update, we implemented BVH8 (8-way Bounding Volume Hierarchy) support to implement ray-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections, bringing the lighting even closer to our artistic vision for this world. Imagine the sunlight catching off the front fairing of your Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X as you park up, depart down a mysterious dark alley, and uncover secrets glowing under neon light. Players’ overall immersion in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 gets a serious boost from PS5 Pro. Speaking of ray tracing, more power also means more options. We know players have different priorities while gaming, so are happy to offer three distinct PS5 Pro modes that allow everyone to unlock an experience that suits them. Ray Tracing Pro enables all available ray tracing enhancements, delivering the most visually advanced version of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 Pro. This includes ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, skylight, shadows, and emissive lighting, all active while Cyberpunk 2077 targets 40 frames per second on variable refresh rate-enabled displays or 30 frames per second otherwise. On the other end of the spectrum, Performance mode focuses on delivering the highest possible frame rate for fast and fluid gameplay. On displays with VRR, Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 Pro reaches up to 90 frames per second while maintaining high image fidelity. And finally, for those seeking the best of both, we designed Ray Tracing mode as the sweet spot between visuals and performance. It features select ray tracing enhancements while maintaining a smooth 60 frames per second, meaning improvements across the board. We’re incredibly excited to bring this update to our players on PS5 Pro. The Cyberpunk 2077 community has been nothing short of incredible over the last five years, and we know many people have been keeping their fingers crossed for this update. Plus, with Cyberpunk 2077 currently available at no extra cost to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members through the Games Catalog, we’re hoping to welcome some new legends into Night City too. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support of Cyberpunk 2077, and I wish new players the very best of experiences! View the full article

On April 21, Drop Duchy Complete Edition launches on PS5. It’s a strategy game about building a kingdom, making tough choices, and sometimes watching everything fall apart. I’m JB, the game director, and I’d like to tell you how this project grew from a small idea into the game it is today. So, how did the idea start? The initial spark came from the realization that I enjoy playing tile-laying board games but couldn’t find many video games built around such mechanics. I was telling myself: imagine if there was a forest tile, and when you place a “Lumber camp” tile next to it, you gain some wood, which you can then spend to build on another tile. And thus the core of Drop Duchy was born. Once this basic idea was in place, I had ideas for many more buildings and terrains, but it also opened the door to many questions. Figuring out the answers took many iterations in the early phases of the project. I opted for a medieval theme because I love this time period, but that begged the question: how do I fit combat into it? I tried different ideas before landing the final design but one thing that remained throughout was the mechanic of forcing the player to place enemy tiles, too (and making them think about how to negate their effect). Then there were questions about the structure: how do you win or lose? When does it end? What makes each game varied? And the answers came naturally once we started introducing roguelite elements. Mechanics like procedural runs and having to draft your buildings from a random selection were making for diverse runs where you had to figure out a new strategy each time. The tension of losing your progress if you lost a fight added stakes to each decision. From an outside perspective, Drop Duchy looked like a lot of mechanics at once, so we had to playtest heavily the early prototypes to make sure everything was intuitive and flowing smoothly from one part to the next. As a game developer, there is no better feeling than handing a controller to a friend and, instead of politely going “ok, this is a nice prototype,” they can’t stop playing for hours. I knew I had something good in my hands. After pitching and signing with The Arcade Crew, I hired two artists to bring the game to life: Gautier & Tom. They worked in tandem to create the charming atmosphere of *Drop Duchy* while keeping the gameplay readable: we had to make sure you could immediately recognize the different terrains and buildings. One bold choice they made, for instance, was to use 2D trees, giving the game a diorama feel. Meanwhile, the rest of the team and I spent most of the production adding lots of content to the game, new buildings, new game modes, new bosses, etc., and constantly playtesting to make sure the balance was in check. For instance, we put a lot of effort into the design of factions, which are the “characters” you select before starting the run. Each faction brings its unique gameplay twists and specialties: The Republic builds a massive, sprawling city, and The Order can recruit and send crusaders on expeditions. The Complete Edition that comes out on PS5 also includes the two additional factions we’ve added since release: the druids of the Tribe and the Vikings of The North. I’m really proud of how both factions ended up because their apparent “weaknesses” can be turned into fantastic strengths once the player figures out the right strategy. On top of these factions, PlayStation players will be able to start their journey enjoying all the additions we’ve made since launch. We’ve added new bosses (including a mighty one that steals your buildings), a challenging ascension mode to test your skills, and endless runs if you want to push your deck to the limits. We’ve also used player feedback to introduce quality-of-life options (such as a button to undo accidental moves). Looking back, it’s crazy to think that all of this started with a simple tile-laying prototype. I’m incredibly proud of what the team and I built, and I can’t wait for you to experience it on PS5. Drop Duchy Complete Edition launches on April 21, so if you enjoy strategy games that reward experimentation and smart decisions, I think Drop Duchy will be right in your alley. View the full article