Gaming News: PS Plus Members Getting New Recurring PS4/PS3/Vita Sale

Sony has announced a new promotion called PlayStation Plus Specials that will offer discounts on PSN games and DLC exclusively for PS Plus subscribers.

These sales seem like Sony's answer to Microsoft's weekly Deals With Gold promotions, whereinXbox Live Gold owners are offered exclusive deals on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and DLC. However, based on the language of the PlayStation Blog announcement, it's unclear if Sony intends to offer PS Plus Specials every week. We've followed up with the company to find out more about its plans.

The first such sale is currently underway, discounting a number of games across PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. This includes the first discount on the PSN version of Bloodborne, bringing it down to $48. The remaster of Dark Souls II, Scholar of the First Sin, can also be had for $48 on PS4 or $32 on PS3.

The full list of deals, which are available from now through June 1, follows below.

PS4:

Title	PS Plus Specials Price	Original Price
Bloodborne	$47.99	$59.99
Dark Souls II: Scholar of The First Sin	$47.99	$59.99
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse PS+ Bundle	$53.99	$59.99
Helldivers: Turning Up the Heat Edition	$17.99	$19.99
The Order: 1886	$47.99	$59.99

PS3:

Title	PS Plus Specials Price	Original Price
Chivalry: Medieval Warfare Bundle	$11.24	$14.99
Dark Souls II: Scholar of The First Sin	$31.99	$39.99
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse PS+ Bundle	$44.99	$49.99
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires	$27.99	$39.99
Helldivers: Turning Up the Heat Edition	$17.99	$19.99

PS Vita:

Title	PS Plus Specials Price	Original Price
Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk	$27.99	$39.99
Helldivers: Turning Up the Heat Edition	$17.99	$19.99
Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart	$27.99	$39.99
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines Bundle	$14.99	$19.99

Gaming News: PS4 Darksiders 2 "Death-initive" Edition Revealed

2012 action role-playing game Darksiders II is getting a definitive edition. Now we know what it's called and what the box art looks like courtesy of an Amazon product page that appears to have gone live early.

The new version is reportedly called the "Deathinitive Edition," a title that it both amazing and terrible. In Darksiders II, you play as Death, one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse; so the name does make some sense.

The $40 Deathinitive Edition is listed only for PlayStation 4, while the page provides a December 31, 2015 placeholder release date. There is no word on an Xbox One version.

We've contacted publisher Nordic Games for more details.

Darksiders II was one of the final releases from now-defunct publisher THQ, and was released to critical acclaim in August 2012.

Upon its launch on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, GameSpot critic Kevin VanOrd wrote: "Darksiders II is remarkably well put together, particularly in light of its impressive scope."

The Darksiders franchise found no buyer in THQ's initial bankruptcy auction. However, Nordic Games lateracquired the rights to the series in a multimillion dollar deal.

Gaming News: PSN is Back Online [UPDATE]

UPDATE 10:05 PM PDT -- Sony's online services should now be back online.

UPDATE 7:45 PM PDT -- The official AskPlayStation support twitter's last message reads: "We appreciate your patience as we continue working to resolve the PSN issues."

And as many people in the comments below have reported, attempting to login online prompts Sony to send an "update your password" email.

The original story appears below.

Are you having trouble logging into your Sony PlayStation Network account? You're not the only. The service is currently down across both the web and consoles.

According to the , the outtage is far-ranging and affects everything from account management on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 to access to severices such as Vue, Video, and Now.

The message on the site currently reads, "You may be experiencing issues related to launching games,applications, and/or social features such as trophies, messaging, or friends list. We appreciate your patience while we address this."

Gaming News: Bloodborne Sales Surprised Sony

Sony thought that PlayStation 4-exclusive Bloodborne will sell well, but the game has apparently surpassed its expectations, the company has said.

“It did surprise us,” Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara told MCV. “We had expectations to do well. We looked at the Souls series as a frame of reference, and we thought we could do better than that. We did—and then some. Relative to some of our sister territories, we were being quite ambitious, but even that proved to be conservative."

Gara said that this was in part thanks to good timing, as the game was released at a relatively slow time, and that while Sony was a bit behind in meeting demand, it was able to catch up take advantage of the opportunity.

Gara didn't share any new sales numbers, but last month Sony said Bloodborne sold through more than one million copies worldwide. Xbox executive Phil Spencer, the top gaming boss inside of Microsoft, has has even congratulated Sony on hitting that sales number with a new IP.

While Bloodborne is a new IP, it was made by Dark Souls developer From Software, and was marketed as being a very similar game.

Gaming News: Oculus Rift vs. Morpheus vs. Vive VR

Virtual reality gaming has gained momentum in the last few years, with the Oculus Rift, Sony's Project Morpheus, and Valve's HTC Vive each pitching forward their own take on the virtual space. As VR hardware draws closer to a consumer launch, which are you most interested in picking up? To help out, we list and compare the specifications and game library of the Oculus Rift, Project Morpheus, and HTC Vive.

Oculus Rift

Release Date

Q1 2016

Specifications

• Resolution: 960x1080
• Screen: 5.7" OLED (DK2, may change)
• Refresh rate: 75 Hz, 72 Hz, 60 Hz
• Field of view: 100 degrees
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer
• Connection: HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0

Games

The Oculus Rift is traditionally supported by a PC, although Oculus VR vice president Nate Mitchell has not ruled out the possibility of bringing the hardware to the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Oculus has confirmed that a rather "beefy" PC rig will be required to support the Rift, and will release a list of required PC technical specifications in the lead-up to E3.

Oculus VR was purchased by Facebook in March last year, which expressed plans to extend the hardware's use beyond gaming to "communications, media and entertainment, education, and other areas."

Here's a list that includes games that currently have full support for the Oculus Rift:

Adrift

Among the Sleep

Daylight

Dirt Rally

Elite: Dangerous

Euro Truck Simulator 2

Grid Autosport

Half-Life 2

Half-Life: Source

Hawken

Project Cars

Slender: The Arrival

Strike Suit Zero

Surgeon Simulator 2013

Team Fortress 2

Trackmania 2

War Thunder

Project Morpheus

Release Date

First half of 2016

Specifications

• Resolution: 1920x1080
• Screen: 5.7" OLED
• Refresh rate: 120Hz, 60Hz
• Field of view: Approximately 100 degrees
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope
• Connection: HDMI, USB 

Games

Sony's Project Morpheus will be supported by the PlayStation 4 and, allegedly, the PlayStation Vita. Games that have confirmed Morpheus support include Project Cars, Surgeon Simulator, and Among the Sleep.

At past events, Sony has showcased Project Morpheus running demos that included a special re-worked version of Thief, EVE Valkyrie, a game from Sony's London studio called The Deep, and a game titled The Castle. Early builds incorporated usage of PlayStation Move controllers.

Sony has confirmed that Project Morpheus will be able to support online multiplayer and local couch multiplayer. Some of Sony's first partners for Project Morpheus include Epic Games, Unity, Crytek, and Autodesk. God of War studio Sony Santa Monica has created a prototype that allowed the user to become Kratos. Sony has also partnered with NASA to create a demo that places the player on the surface of Mars.

At GDC this year Sony boss Shuhei Yoshida said many of Sony's studios were working on games for the Morpheus and said, "starting probably at E3, we will start to show the actual games."

Valve's HTC Vive

Release Date

Holiday 2015

Specifications

• Resolution: 1200x1080
• Screen size: TBC
• Refresh rate: 90Hz
• Field of view: TBC
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyrosensor, laser position sensor
• Connection: HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0

Games

Valve's Vive headset will be powered by SteamVR software, with games to be available "soon" through digital distribution platform Steam.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X developer Dovertail Games, The Room developer Fireproof Games, and Cloudhead games have already signed up to make content for the device. Google, Lionsgate, and HBO have also been confirmed as content partners. At GDC this year developer Owlchemy Labs debuted one of the first games designed specifically for Valve's SteamVR, titled Job Simulator.

The Vive makes use of Lighthouse, a motion tracking technology which uses lasers to read the position of a VR helmet and reproduce a person’s real-world movements with accuracy. The headset will support use ofValve's Steam Controller. Those waiting on a Half-Life game for the Vive may be waiting a while though, as Valve is reportedly not currently working on a new Half-Life game for VR.