The PlayStation Network, the online service that powers PlayStation products, is running into some problems right now. The PSN’s official Status page shows that “Gaming And Social” elements of the service are experiencing some hiccups currently.
“You may have some difficulty launching games, applications, or online features,” reads a line from the page. “Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and we thank you for your patience.”
The service interruption is affecting PlayStation 4 alone, the page says. All other PSN services, including Account Management, PlayStation Now, PlayStation Vue, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Music, are working normally, the support page says.
We’ll report back with more details on this latest PSN service interruption as new details become available. It is unclear how widespread the issues may be or how long the interruption will last. As always, your mileage may vary. Keep checking back for more.
Rhode Island state representative Robert Nardolillo has proposed legislation in the Ocean State that seeks to add an extra tax on violent video games. In a news release this week, the Republican lawmaker said the funds from this tax would go towards mental health and counselling resources. This legislation would put an additional 10 percent sales tax on video games sold in Rhode Island that carry an M-for-Mature or higher rating from the ESRB.
Rhode Island’s sales tax rate is 7 percent, meaning $60 games actually cost $64.20. With the extra 10 percent, an M-rated game like Grand Theft Auto V would cost $70.20. That’s a good amount extra. Nardolillo says the revenue from this tax would be put into a “special account” to be dispersed to school districts for the purposes of funding counselling, mental health programs, and “other conflict resolution activities.”
“Our goal is to make every school in Rhode Island a safe and calm place for students to learn,” Nardolillo said in a news release. “By offering children resources to manage their aggression today, we can ensure a more peaceful tomorrow.”
Nardolillo went on to say, without citing any specific study or data, that “there is evidence that children exposed to violent video games at a young age tend to act more aggressively than those who are not.” He added: “This bill would give schools the additional resources needed to help students deal with that aggression in a positive way.”
Some argue there is assuredly a link between playing violent video games and increased levels of aggressive behaviour, while others maintain that games themselves don’t cause violence, but are rather one prominent risk factor for violent real-world behaviour.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been the most divisive Star Wars film of all time, which is saying something. After the global furor surrounding the prequels, I didn’t think anything could drive a wedge between defenders and detractors more than, say, the gibbering, pandering lunacy that is Jar Jar Binks.
But here we are. Some two months after its release, and The Last Jedi has a critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 91%, and a fan rating of 48%. By comparison, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace has critics rating it 55%, and fans… 59%.
Blizzard today released a cryptic teaser for Overwatch that some believe could be in reference to a new hero named “Emre Sarioglu.” The teaser takes the form of a declassified After-Action report for something called “Operation White Dome.”
As explained in the text below, Operation White Dome took place on the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey and involved captain Ana Amari (a current Overwatch character) being deployed to “deal with a remaining pocket of omnic resistance.” Also on this excursion were Overwatch characters Reinhardt, Torbjorn, and “Private First Class Emre Sariogulu.” That last name is the most notable one, it seems, as it could be a new Overwatch character.
Overwatch’s Lunar New Year event, Year of the Dog, is currently underway until March 5. This year’s event includes many new skins, emotes, and more for the game’s loot boxes, as well as changes to the Capture the Flag mode, a new competitive mode, and a new map called Ayutthaya.
Season 3 of Fortnite‘s Battle Royale mode is underway on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, which means players can now pick up a new Battle Pass. As before, the Season 3 Battle Pass can only be purchased for 950 V-Bucks and lets players unlock items the more they play the game, including a slew of new outfits, gliders, emotes, and more.
For this season, Epic has added 30 more tiers to the Battle Pass, bringing the total number of tiers to 100. Despite this sizable increase, the studio says that players will still be able to unlock everything in the same amount of time it took to complete the Season 2 Battle Pass–roughly 75-150 hours of playtime by Epic’s estimates. Players can also purchase tiers using V-Bucks to unlock items faster, and those who own the Season 2 Battle Pass will unlock five free tiers as a bonus in Season 3.
The Season 3 Battle Pass includes 76 items to unlock in all. Among the new one that players can earn this season are Back Blings–customization items for your character’s back. Epic has also introduced new loading screens, skydiving effects trails, pickaxes, and more. You can see all the Season 3 Battle Pass rewards in our gallery.
Those who purchase the Season 3 Battle Pass will automatically gain access to a batch of free items, including the Mission Specialist Outfit. Epic is also offering a Battle Bundle, which includes the Season 3 Battle Pass and 25 tiers’ worth of items, for 2,800 V-Bucks. Individual tiers, meanwhile, can be purchased for 150 V-Bucks each. You can read more about the Season 3 Battle Pass on the official Fortnite website.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is free to download and play on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while the Save the World mode is currently still in paid early access. If you’ve yet to give the game a try, Xbox Live Gold members can purchase Fornite’s various Founders Packs at a discount on the Xbox Store as part of this week’s Deals with Gold.
Fortnite‘s big new update has arrived, introducing a variety of content to both Battle Royale and Save the World. On the Battle Royale side, Season 3 is now officially underway, and with it, a new Battle Pass is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, which means there are a ton of new items to acquire.
As with previous Battle Passes, this one includes a limited selection of content that anyone can unlock, including some emotes and a new pickaxe. The vast majority of the rewards are restricted to those who actually purchase the full Battle Pass, which costs 950 V-Bucks (or just around $10). If you owned the Season 2 Battle Pass, you’ll automatically get five tiers’ worth of progress for free, helping you to get a jump start on unlocking the new items. Additional tiers can be earned by collecting stars by playing and fulfilling specific objectives, or by purchasing them with additional V-Bucks.
Among the items you’ll find in the premium tier of the Battle Pass are new pickaxes, skins, gliders, emotes, and much more. There’s also Back Bling, which is a new category of item added as part of the 3.0.0 update alongside skydiving trails and loading screens. In the images above, you can see all of the major new items included in the Season 3 Battle Pass. Bear in mind, these are all cosmetic; nothing will actually impact gameplay directly. If you’re a fan of references, though, you’re in luck, as you’ll find skins clearly meant to resemble the likes of John Wick and Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord.
There have been some changes to the Battle Pass for Season 3. Most notably, there are now 30 additional rewards tiers and 76 items in all to unlock. Despite the additions, it should take roughly the same amount of time to obtain everything as it did with the previous Battle Pass–Epic’s estimate is a range of 75-150 hours.
In terms of playable content, Fortnite has received some new additions. Battle Royale now has a new weapon, the Hand Cannon, that uses Heavy ammo. Some notable improvements have also been made to building (which also extends to Save the World), and a 60 FPS framerate is now the default option for all console players. You can see everything the update does in the Fortnite 3.0.0 patch notes.
