Square Enix has announced that PS2 title Final Fantasy XII will be remastered in HD for the PS4. The title will be called Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age and will release sometime in 2017. The game will feature higher resolution visuals and cutscenes, 7.1 surround sound and much faster load times.
Sony have confirmed to Wired that they are working on bringing PS2 games to the PlayStation 4 via emulation. In an email to Wired, a Sony representative revealed that they are “working on utilizing PS2 emulation technology to bring PS2 games forward to the current generation.”
I find it strange that Sony has gone through the trouble of letting the PS4 detect PS3 discs inserted into the system, instead of just showing a generic “Unsupported disc” error message. I did a small experiment to see how the PS4 would handle PS3, PS2 and PSOne discs and what I found was a little surprising, as the video below shows.
Namco has revealed that it will be re-releasing PS2 title Soul Calibur 2 on current-gen consoles this year as Soul Calibur 2 HD. The game will include the PS2 exclusive character Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series, and will feature improved graphics and online gameplay. The game was originally released on Xbox, PS2 and GameCube, each platform having it’s own exclusive character.
Sony’s #PlayStationMemories campaign in Europe continues today with a massive sale on PS2 titles. The console, which was released back in late 2000, has sold over 150 million units worldwide, and saw great games like Final Fantasy X, Tekken 5, GTA III, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and many more great titles – some of which are now on sale.
Over the weekend, it’s been confirmed that the PS3 has ended production worldwide. The very last PS2 console has come of the production line, marking an end to the best selling console of all time. This news suggests that Sony is making room for manufacturing the next PlayStation console, rumoured to make an appearance later this year.
Sony has stopped shipping the PlayStation 2 in Japan according to Famitsu. The console, which was launched back in 2000, has sold over 154 million units worldwide, and still remains the primary PlayStation console in certain territories. Its uncertain if Sony will stop shipments to other countries too, but with the rumoured PS4 reveal on the horizon, it’s likely to happen soon.
SOCOM Developers, Zipper Interactive, have revealed that a total of eight SOCOM titles will have their online servers shut down on August 31st 2012. The closure will come four days after the series’ ten-year anniversary and will affect a number of PS2 and PSP titles (see below).
Last month, the PlayStation celebrated its 15th Anniversary, and this month another milestone is reached. The PlayStation 2 is now ten years old and one of the best selling consoles of all time, with more than 140 million units around the world. The PlayStation 2 was also the first console to hit 50 million units sold in North America.
Sony and SEGA met in early August of this year to discuss SEGA’s PS3 and PSP releases, as well as Sony’s plans for the console in the near future. The confidential notes from the meeting were leaked by SEGA (included below), and suggest Sony is looking to emulate all PlayStation 2 titles and release them on the PlayStation Network. There was also mention of Dreamcast titles.
