PlayStation Vita to use a 45nm CPU from Samsung

By Adam Rosenberg July 29, 2011

Here’s a small news blip that’s probably more of interest to the hardcore techies among you gathered gamers. Sony‘s upcoming PlayStation Vita portable gaming device will come packing a 45nm CPU from Samsung. The info comes from The Semiconductor Industry News (via Andriasang), though no other details are given.

It is notable that Sony is opting to go with a third-party component manufacturer rather than designing something in-house. The PlayStation 3 used the Sony-developed Cell processor and was prohibitively expensive at launch, even with each console being sold at a loss. The Vita, with its HD touchscreen, rear touchpad and ability to run an Uncharted game, carries a very reasonable $250 price tag. You can thank the Samsung processor for that, at least in part.

That reasonable price is going to be critical too, now that Nintendo has cut $80 off the original $250 price of its 3DS handheld. With Nintendo offering a cheaper portable that also plays Mario, the dual-screen device is a much dangerous competitor against the more expensive, more powerful Vita.

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

Turn your PS5 into a colorful throwback with these translucent faceplates

Purple Dbrand retro darkplates for the PlayStation 5.

Dbrand is back with new console covers, or as it calls them "darkplates," for PlayStation 5 consoles. These new Retro Darkplates are supposed to be throwbacks that mimic the colors of translucent Nintendo 64 systems.

This announcement marks the accessory manufacturer's grand return to making console covers for the PS5. Dbrand previously sold PS5 darkplates during the system's first year on the market, but Sony threatened legal action against the company. After that, Dbrand said at the time that it was forced to "submit to the terrorists' demands" and stopped selling darkplates. Sony ended up releasing colored console covers of its own in 2022. Clearly, Dbrand is now confident enough again in its product (or found a legal loophole) to start selling these darkplates for the PS5, and decided to base them on some of its viral social media posts.
These new darkplates come in four N64-inspired colors: Atomic Purple, Ice Blue, Fire Orange, and Smoke Black. The side panels are translucent, while Dbrand also provides a cover for the black center bar on the PS5, which makes it look like it's translucent as it shows an image of the system's innards. If you choose to buy a Retro Darkplates kit, you'll get one Retro Darkplate set, one hue-matched retro middle and bottom skin, three left light strips, three right light strips, and a microfiber cloth.

Gaming

Xbox Games Showcase can succeed where the PlayStation Showcase struggled

Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

If there’s one video game presentation happening over the next week that has the most to prove, it’s the Xbox Games Showcase. Despite a strong start to the year with Hi-Fi Rush and a solid Developer Direct showcase, Microsoft’s gaming branch has floundered in recent months because of struggles with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the rocky launch of Redfall. With the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct Double Feature, Microsoft must reconfirm its commitment to gaming and to releasing high-quality first-party exclusives.

That said, Xbox is in an excellent position to do just that because of Sony’s underwhelming May showcase. As the first major gaming presentation of the summer, Sony had the chance to “win” the whole game reveal season early with its PlayStation Showcase. Ultimately, that live stream proved disappointing because of its focus on CGI reveal trailers and live service games.

Gaming

PlayStation Showcase teased Sony’s live service future, but I’m not impressed yet

playstation showcase live service games reveals marathon

Ahead of the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, I wrote that the presentation needed to “elicit confidence in Sony’s future with live service.” Well, multiplayer-focused live service games did end up being a big part of the show, but I can’t say I’m that confident in them yet.
Between neat looks at single-player exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Synapse, Sony revealed four live-service games that it's publishing. Those games are Haven Studios’ Fairgame$, Arrowhead Studios’ Helldivers 2, Bungie’s Marathon, and Firewalk Studios’ Concord. The fact that these accounted for almost every major first-party announcements of the show signals that we’re entering a new era for Sony: one where multiplayer rules.
Over the past year or so, PlayStation Studios has made it very clear that it’s trying to break into the games-as-a-service sector now that it’s perfected the single-player adventure with games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok. Unfortunately, these early live service announcements raised more concerns than hope, which isn’t a great start when it comes to establishing a new direction for PlayStation.
A live service showcase
Haven’s sci-fi PvPvE heist game Fairgame$ was the PlayStation Showcase’s opening, and honestly, it wasn’t a memorable first showing. The trailer was purely cinematic, but its shots were composed like they were live gameplay. That still feels misleading 18 years after Sony did it with Killzone 2, even if it clarified it at the start of the trailer. It also means I don’t have a good idea of how this game will be structured and when I’ll have a chance to play it. All I know is that this is an anti-capitalist game that will probably also be a heavily monetized live service experience. It wasn’t a strong show opener; at least, like all of the other titles on this list, it’s also coming to PC.

Fairgame$ was followed up by the long-awaited reveal of Helldivers 2, a sequel to an entertaining 2015 PS Plus sci-fi top-down shooter. To Helldivers 2’s credit, it had the most honest-feeling showing of these games, with a trailer that showed lots of impressive third-person action gameplay and even gave a 2023 release window. Even if its anti-capitalist undertones were a bit similar to Fairgame$, this was the style of reveal I was hoping to see from Sony’s live service announcements. Unfortunately, it was the only live service game reveal to feature any actual gameplay.
After a break from live service announcements, Bungie emerged to reveal that it was reviving Marathon as a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter. While it’s very surprising to see Marathon coming back and that Bungie is making something other than Destiny, it was a purely cinematic trailer that leaned into its techno-futuristic aesthetics -- much like Fairgame$’s reveal trailer. A dev diary released after the reveal also says that we’ll need to wait a while to learn more and see gameplay. But you can buy a $77 shirt based on this game we don’t know much about yet, though.