Winter Challenge 2006

Winter Challenge 2006 officially comes to PlayStation 2 on December 6th, a three-way competition which is set to begin in Las Vegas on December 2. In this edition of the contest, players will compete in action-packed gaming bouts across the various theme park attractions, in a free-ride packed with unlockable content.

"Winter Challenge 2006 provides a brand new way to play games such as Fortnite, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, or Super Stardust HD," said Philip Oliver, Senior Vice President, Digital Entertainment and Innovation at Naughty Dog. "With the elimination of the end game scenario, players can complete the current challenge at any time while earning trophies and other rewards. The thrilling new mode is called Winter Cup and challenges players to complete a game in a game to earn a gold medal in the Winter Cup."

Naughty Dog was able to draw inspiration from Super Stardust HD in the process, with its controls, graphics, and overall design. The publisher is planning to re-create the core experience, which is as tough as the system that shipped the original Super Stardust on the Super Nintendo.

[UPDATE] During its Tokyo Game Show keynote address, Naughty Dog also made a brief mention of the game's multiplayer mode, saying players will have to face off in an "expedition" to "last man standing" as they "leve the best loot." The company is also considering teaming up with a couple of other major AAA developers.

Following the publication of this story, a representative from Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed the studio's involvement in the new Uncharted game. "We are working on an original story about an original Uncharted game for PlayStation platforms, and we hope you'll enjoy playing it," the rep said.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for the PlayStation 3 was developed by Bend Studio, and it was released in early 2007. The game was one of three titles from the Naughty Dog development branch, and it shipped over 1.5 million units during its lifetime. It shipped 4.5 million units across all platforms, generating $400 million in revenue during its lifetime. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune also helped establish Naughty Dog as one of the biggest video game studios in the world.

One notable factor in the performance of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was the PlayStation Network revenue growth. Digital sales jumped from 1.5 million in 2008 to 1.8 million in 2012. PlayStation Plus, which lets gamers download new games, was a key factor in the uptick in digital sales.

As part of the uptick in digital sales, Sony is setting up a new program that will see PSN sales exceed 8 million units worldwide. The new program will initially include PlayStation Network's Instant Game Collection, which gives PlayStation 3 users access to over 100 PS3 games, including the original Metal Gear Solid, Infamous, and MotorStorm.

"The Instant Game Collection gives PlayStation 3 users the best deal in the history of the service," said Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida.

"PlayStation Plus has helped make the service more attractive and comprehensive for users."

Sony isn't describing the Instant Game Collection as a cloud-based experience, but the company is apparently talking about it. Sony Japan Studio manager Masayasu Ito said during a recent livestream that it would be "cool" to have games streamed to PS3, though this has yet to be confirmed.

"The plan is to go all-out with a new program called the PlayStation Store that will allow users to access games on the go, or on the move," he said. "While the concept is very cool, the execution and the execution will be very different for PlayStation 4."

Also during the stream, Yoshida acknowledged that it's possible for PS3 games to be played natively on PS4, though this is not something Sony is prepared to discuss.

"I personally can't tell you why," Yoshida said. "What is important is that our goal is to make our game library even more accessible to as many players as possible and so, if possible, we'd like to take this opportunity to explore the possibilities that we can and to make sure it's possible for a growing number of players to get the experience they want."

Sony has more than 150 games available through PS4, which is an "incredible number." However, there is a limit on how many PS4 games can be played at any one time. "There are tens of thousands of titles that are available to play," Yoshida said. "It's not something we're prepared to discuss about. I really do believe there's a limit on how many PS4 games can be played at any one time."

The PS4 will feature an all-in-one media player (with two microphones, a 3.5mm headset, and two microphones) that can play Blu-ray discs. This will be released alongside the PS4 Pro on November 10, a console-ready console that looks as though it may be offering a significant upgrade over the PS4 Slim.