Live in Your World, HAX in Ours!
Hello World! I've been reporting on Sony PlayStation hacking news since 2000 and started PSXHAX in 2014 to cover PlayStation (PSX), PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation Portable (PSP), PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), PlayStation TV (PS TV) and next-gen PlayStation 5 (PS5) platforms along with anything else of interest.
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
Click on my UserName author link above and you'll be able to view a curated list of all the articles I've contributed thus far to PSXHAX.COM!
DirectDraw Surface (DDS) Converter for Dynamic PS4 Themes & PS4 HKX Verifier by Backporter
Following his PS4 Retail Theme Unlocker Windows GUI, today PlayStation 4 developer @Backporter shared on Twitter a DirectDraw Surface (DDS) Converter that can be quite handy for those seeking to make Dynamic PS4 Themes alongside a PS4 HKX Verifier to check the Havok Animations (.hkx) and make sure they're in the PS4 format. 
Download: TGA-PNG-JPG TO DDS / GIT / UP0002-CUSA99229_00-FIREPLACEROOMT01-A0000-V0100.pkg (24.69 MB - Custom Fireplace Theme) / UP0002-CUSA79874_00-SEXYESCALATOR001-A0000-V0100.pkg (18.81 MB) / dynamic_custom_theme_sample.zip (28.77 MB via @yyoossk of Yyoossk.Blogspot.com on Twitter) / UP2020-CUSA02020_00-0FIREPLACETHEME0-A0000-V0100.pkg by @Coco Jones / Verify-PS4-HKX.zip (includes Verify-PS4-HKX.exe) / GIT
He also has a Discord Channel set up for related support, and from the README.md: TGA-PNG-JPG-TO DDS
This will convert (*.TGA *.PNG *.JPG) to DDS (DirectDraw Surface)
Setup:
1: Download and install Nvidia GameWorks Legacy Texture Tool: DDS Utilities
2: Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\DDS Utilities and grab nvdxt.exe and put it in the Data...
Download: TGA-PNG-JPG TO DDS / GIT / UP0002-CUSA99229_00-FIREPLACEROOMT01-A0000-V0100.pkg (24.69 MB - Custom Fireplace Theme) / UP0002-CUSA79874_00-SEXYESCALATOR001-A0000-V0100.pkg (18.81 MB) / dynamic_custom_theme_sample.zip (28.77 MB via @yyoossk of Yyoossk.Blogspot.com on Twitter) / UP2020-CUSA02020_00-0FIREPLACETHEME0-A0000-V0100.pkg by @Coco Jones / Verify-PS4-HKX.zip (includes Verify-PS4-HKX.exe) / GIT
He also has a Discord Channel set up for related support, and from the README.md: TGA-PNG-JPG-TO DDS
This will convert (*.TGA *.PNG *.JPG) to DDS (DirectDraw Surface)
Setup:
1: Download and install Nvidia GameWorks Legacy Texture Tool: DDS Utilities
2: Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\DDS Utilities and grab nvdxt.exe and put it in the Data...
PS Plus Double Discounts Return to PSN with PS4 Games Up to Half Off
Double discounts return for PS Plus members in Sony's latest PlayStation Plus sale with select PS4 games up to 50% off through March 18th at 8 AM PT.
Featured titles include Rocket League, MMORPG Black Desert: Standard Edition and Mortal Kombat 11 with the Double Discounts full list below courtesy of Sony Global Store and Services Sr. Manager of Digital Promotions Brian Fujimoto:
Featured titles include Rocket League, MMORPG Black Desert: Standard Edition and Mortal Kombat 11 with the Double Discounts full list below courtesy of Sony Global Store and Services Sr. Manager of Digital Promotions Brian Fujimoto:
| PS4 Games | - | - | - |
| Title | $Sale | $PSPlus | $Original |
| AGES OF MAGES: THE LAST KEEPER | 8.99 | 5.99 | 11.99 |
| ANTHEM | 35.99 | 11.99 | 59.99 |
| ANTHEM: LEGION OF DAWN EDITION | 41.99 | 13.99 | 69.99 |
| ASDIVINE MENACE | 10.49 | 5.99 | 14.99 |
| ASH OF GODS REDEMPTION | 23.99 | 17.99 | 29.99 |
| BATTLEFIELD 1 | 13.99 | 7.99 | 19.99 |
| BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE | 11.99 | 3.99 | 19.99 |
| BATTLEFIELD V | 25.99 | 11.99 | 39.99 |
| BLACK DESERT – 1000 PEARLS | 8.99 | 7.99 | 9.99 |
| BLACK DESERT – 10000 PEARLS | 89.99 | 79.99 | 99.99 |
| BLACK DESERT – 2000 PEARLS | 17.99 | 15.99 | 19.99 |
| BLACK DESERT – 3000 PEARLS | 26.99 | 23.99 | 29.99 |
| BLACK DESERT – 6000 PEARLS | 53.99 | 47.99 | 59.99 |
| BLACK DESERT: DELUXE EDITION | 37.49 | 24.99 | 49.99 |
| BLACK DESERT: STANDARD EDITION | 22.49 | ... |
Sony Reveals the PlayStation Now Video Game Releases for March 2020
This month Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and more join PlayStation Now digital video game library of more than 800 PS4, PS3 and PS2 titles. 
Here's PlayStation Now Senior Marketing Manager Brian Dunn with details on each new arrival coming to PS Now this month, to quote:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya Apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream through Monday, August 31.
Control
After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control. From developer Remedy Entertainment, Control is a supernatural third-person action adventure which will challenge you to master the combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts, and reactive environments, while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream through Monday, August 31.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus sends players to Nazi-controlled America on a mission to recruit the boldest resistance leaders left. Battle in iconic American locations, equip an arsenal of badass guns, and unleash new abilities to fight your way through legions of enemy soldiers, and spark the second American Revolution.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream.
Here is a full list of games joining the PlayStation Now library in March:
Enjoying PUBG on PS Now? Well, good news: the genre-defining battle royale...
Here's PlayStation Now Senior Marketing Manager Brian Dunn with details on each new arrival coming to PS Now this month, to quote:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya Apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream through Monday, August 31.
Control
After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control. From developer Remedy Entertainment, Control is a supernatural third-person action adventure which will challenge you to master the combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts, and reactive environments, while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream through Monday, August 31.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus sends players to Nazi-controlled America on a mission to recruit the boldest resistance leaders left. Battle in iconic American locations, equip an arsenal of badass guns, and unleash new abilities to fight your way through legions of enemy soldiers, and spark the second American Revolution.
Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream.
Here is a full list of games joining the PlayStation Now library in March:
- Control (available until Monday, August 31)
- Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
- Nascar Heat 3
- Nights of Azure
- Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (available until August 31)
- Toukiden 2
- Toukiden Kiwami
- Warriors All-Stars
- Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Enjoying PUBG on PS Now? Well, good news: the genre-defining battle royale...
Skater XL by Easy Day Studios Rolls to PlayStation 4 This Year
Break out your Valterra skateboard (ahh, the memories..) as the upcoming skateboarding game Skater XL by Easy Day Studios rolls onto PlayStation 4 later this year, granting unparalleled access to skateboarding and its culture with the latest PS4 trailer video below! 
Here's more from Easy Day Studios Director Dain Hedgpeth via PS Blog, to quote:
It's been ten years since a new, authentic skateboarding game hit the market, and a lot has changed in that time. Skateboarding franchises were some of the most played and beloved video games of the 2000's — many of us have fond memories of Friday nights chilling on the couch with a few buds passing the controller around playing EA’s Skate or the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series.
Fans of the genre have famously been clamoring for a new Skate and a revival of an old franchise, but the question we’ve been asking ourselves at Easy Day Studios is — what would a skateboarding game designed from the ground up today look like? We’ve spent the last few years looking to answer that question, designing and improving Skater XL through Early Access, and now moving towards the full launch of the complete 1.0 game.
The most important thing to understand about Skater XL is that it’s designed to be fun in the same way that skateboarding is fun. The core of the gameplay is designed more as an expressive and creative tool than a traditional video game with pre-set challenges to complete.
The game is unique in that it doesn’t have any tricks programmed into it, only control of the movement through the thumbsticks. Each thumbstick is connected to the character’s corresponding foot — the right stick controls the right foot, the left stick controls the left foot.
This control scheme is consistent through all parts of the gameplay, making it easy to learn and rely on when inventing new tricks and movements. See below where the same movements have been made on the sticks in different modes of the gameplay. The front foot is pushed left and the back foot is pushed right, creating the same movement of the board in each situation.
There are a range of basic movements, with a ton of freedom in how they are performed. Skater XL uses physics controlled by the thumbsticks to drive all movement in the game, which is a big step away from traditional ‘canned animation’ based systems.
Precise...
Here's more from Easy Day Studios Director Dain Hedgpeth via PS Blog, to quote:
It's been ten years since a new, authentic skateboarding game hit the market, and a lot has changed in that time. Skateboarding franchises were some of the most played and beloved video games of the 2000's — many of us have fond memories of Friday nights chilling on the couch with a few buds passing the controller around playing EA’s Skate or the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series.
Fans of the genre have famously been clamoring for a new Skate and a revival of an old franchise, but the question we’ve been asking ourselves at Easy Day Studios is — what would a skateboarding game designed from the ground up today look like? We’ve spent the last few years looking to answer that question, designing and improving Skater XL through Early Access, and now moving towards the full launch of the complete 1.0 game.
The most important thing to understand about Skater XL is that it’s designed to be fun in the same way that skateboarding is fun. The core of the gameplay is designed more as an expressive and creative tool than a traditional video game with pre-set challenges to complete.
The game is unique in that it doesn’t have any tricks programmed into it, only control of the movement through the thumbsticks. Each thumbstick is connected to the character’s corresponding foot — the right stick controls the right foot, the left stick controls the left foot.
This control scheme is consistent through all parts of the gameplay, making it easy to learn and rely on when inventing new tricks and movements. See below where the same movements have been made on the sticks in different modes of the gameplay. The front foot is pushed left and the back foot is pushed right, creating the same movement of the board in each situation.
There are a range of basic movements, with a ton of freedom in how they are performed. Skater XL uses physics controlled by the thumbsticks to drive all movement in the game, which is a big step away from traditional ‘canned animation’ based systems.
Precise...