Hi, I’m Mike Booth, Chief Creative Officer at Bad Robot Games, and Game Director of 4:Loop. In my last post, I shared how our core gameplay systems come together to create an unpredictable and endlessly replayable experience. Today, I’d like to share more details on one of our co-op shooter’s high-stakes boss fights. 

Specifically, I’d like to talk about how our team approaches designing these battles, and how these considerations led to one of our most unique enemies so far: The Scanner. 

No two bosses are alike

One of our main goals when designing bosses in 4:Loop is making each of them unique – not only in their visual design, but in how they behave. We know we’re on the right track when a boss requires players to adopt new forms of cooperation, improvisation, and combinations of equipment and abilities. All of this results in the kind of creative problem solving at the heart of 4:Loop. When we first started exploring the Scanner, or “The Cube,” as it’s called internally, I wanted to do something a bit different: create a boss battle that wasn’t about direct combat, but navigation, spatial awareness, and cross-map coordination.

Keep moving to stay alive

For some of our boss battles, players can succeed by finding cover, hunkering down, and dishing out heaps of damage. But with the Scanner, that’s a sure-fire way to get yourself killed. Rather than attacking players directly, the Scanner emits a Laser Matrix over the entire map. This “Grid of Doom” (to use another internal name) is an interlocking grid of bright red and extremely dangerous lasers. One hit is enough to knock a player down. A second hit and you are out of the fight. 

The grid is slow moving and easy to see, making it manageable enough at the start of the encounter – and seemingly safe enough to lull you into a sense of complacency. But as the fight progresses, the laser grid becomes tighter and tighter, making navigation and survival increasingly difficult to manag

In Marathon, sharp aim matters, but so does healing, utility, movement, communication, and how you use your shell abilities. The DualSense Edge wireless controller gives you the flexibility to tailor the controls around your preferred playstyle, and save multiple custom profiles for your favourite shells and loadouts.

Marathon’s default settings already gives you a strong baseline alongside extra flexibility with options for presses, taps, holds and double presses. For most players, the best overall approach is to keep the default settings, then use the DualSense Edge controller to bring your highest value actions closer at hand.

Read on for setting recommendations straight from the Marathon dev team at Bungie.

Button remapping

In many shooters, the first instinct is to map jump and reload to the back buttons so you can keep your thumbs on the sticks during combat. That works great in Marathon too, but the back buttons are even better used elsewhere.

Mapping them to the consumable radial and equipment radial gives you quick access to two of the most important survival tools in the game. Since those actions normally require you to hold Directional Button Down and Left, moving them to the back buttons means you can heal and prepare utility, without interrupting your aim and movement.

Finger on the trigger

DualSense Edge controller gives you both physical trigger stop sliders and the option to fine tune trigger input ranges within custom profiles.

In Marathon, most weapons fire before the trigger reaches full travel, so setting the medium trigger stop on R2 can make repeated shots feel faster and more controlled, especially with semi automatic weapons. If you prefer an even more responsive feel, try the short trigger stop.

In your custom profile, adjust the trigger input range on L2 from 0 to 70. This can make aiming down sights feel more immediate, since less trigger travel is needed before the input kicks in, while still maintaining the comfort of a full trigger pull.

Steady your aim

Marathon already offers a strong set of in-game aim curves and sensitivity settings, with Classic serving as the standard curve used for decades in Bungie action games. It’s a great baseline, and players who prefer to tune everything in game have a lot to work with.

If you are shaping your setup through the DualSense Edge controller, keep Marathon’s defaults and make your refinements at the controller level instead. With custom stick sensitivity, sensitivity curve, and deadzone settings available in each profile, you’ve got plenty of room to tailor the feel to your preference.

Stick sensitivity curves

The DualSense Edge controller offers six different stick sensitivity curves, with one of the most effective combinations for Marathon being Precise on the right stick and Quick on the left stick.

Precise helps the right stick feel more controlled during smaller movements, like making fine aiming adjustments with precision weapons such as the Lo

With the release of Arc Raiders update 1.26 on April 28, PS5 Pro players will now be able to benefit from the new upgraded version of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This machine-learning based upscaling technology analyzes game images pixel by pixel to reconstruct a sharper, higher-quality output.

A sharper, more stable image

The upgraded PSSR brings a range of meaningful improvements that PS5 Pro players will notice immediately, particularly in the demanding, detail-rich environments that Arc Raiders is known for.

Crisp, stable image, less flickering and shimmer:  The new PSSR delivers crisp visuals across all environments, doing a great job at preserving fine details. Visual artifacts such as flickering and shimmering are significantly reduced, resulting in a cleaner and more consistent picture especially in complex scenes.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

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Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about the upcoming release of Saros, the cartoon world of Mouse: P.I. for Hire, best convenience store snacks, and upcoming updates.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • NTE: Neverness to Everness | PS5
  • MotoGP 26 | PS5
  • Saros | PS5
  • inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories | PS5
  • Invincible Vs | PS5
    
    
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 announced  — The annual Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour two-day event happened this past weekend, and with it came a host of new announcements for FighterZ, Sparking Zero, revealing Xenoverse 3 coming in 2027, and more.
  
  
• Neverness to Everness gameplay details — See what’s in store for this anime-inspired open-world title with Persona 5 and Porsche collabs, first-person mode for dates, and the Bank Heist stages. Coming to PS5 on April 29. 
  
  
• Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond — The new Warbond arrives April 28 ready to roll out some new goodies. Check out new machine-based weapons and Stratagems, armors, and emotes.
  
  
• Gran Turismo 7 update — Add the Porsche 911 Turbo S Leichtbau, Renault Twingo ’93, and Yangwang U9 ’24 to your garage today. In addition, Power Pack owners can access new challenges, and there are updates for the Gran Turismo World Series.
  
• Saros starter tips  — Learn how to adjust your level of challenge with Carcosan Modifiers, see expanded accessibility options, and gain helpful insight to prepare for the perilous journey ahead on April 30.
  
  
• Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced — The remake of this swashbuckling tale arrives on PS5 July 9. See how the new game expands on sailing and combat in our hands-on report.

The Cast

Last week, we asked you to share portraits of Grace in Resident Evil Requiem using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

riainwonderland shares younger Grace holding a flashlight in the dark

midnight.hyp3 shares Grace standing in red lighting

Yuric83 shares Grace’s FBI report reflected in her glasses

 grayfoxvp shares Grace sneaking past an exit sign

Ixion_VII shares Grace in the Lady Dimitrescu costume

leonsbathwater shares Grace throwing a punch

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Cozy
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 29, 2026 

Next week, share moments from your favorite cozy game using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Has it really been 13 years since we took privateer-turned-pirate and assassin Edward Kenway across the seven seas? Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remains one of the series’ most treasured titles, so whether you’re familiar with its swashbuckling exploits or a new fish to its depths, Ubisoft’s announcement of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on PS5 offers the perfect chance to see why it’s hoisted in such high regard.

A faithful remake which focuses on the original’s core single-player adventure, the development team haven’t only applied a fresh lick of presentational paint to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. They’ve also looked at quality of life gameplay improvements, conducting workshops for player feedback to ensure any changes didn’t stray too far from what made the game tick.

So, what can we expect?

Play Video

Hey everyone! We’re really excited to be back on PlayStation Blog with a brand new trailer for Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. Last year in September’s State of Play, we showed off some of the gameplay features that set Zero Parades apart. Today, we want to shed some first light onto the characters at the heart of our story.

Play Video

Today we are thrilled to share our launch trailer for Saros, coming out on April 30 for PlayStation 5 and enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro. We’re also excited to share new information on gameplay modifiers, accessibility options, and more.

Play Video

In this month’s free update, the Polyphony team is dropping the ridiculously fast 1,286-BHP ’24 Yangwang U9 (0-62.1 mph in 2.36 seconds). They are also introducing the practical ’93 Renault Twingo (1.2L inline-4 OHV engine). In addition, the Leichtbau 964, a mix of classic 911 styling and air-cooled ruggedness, is included. It’s considered one of Porsche’s greatest hits, with only 86 produced, making it one of the rarest of this generation.  

The update also includes a new menu, three new World Circuits events, move the camera up and down III curation (height adjustability) in Scapes, and Power Pack updates in Update 1.69, which will be available beginning today at 11:00pm PT / April 23 at 7:00am BST / 3:00pm JST*. 

Additionally, the new Gran Turismo World Series Season is beginning!

Play Video

Welcome back, cozy gamers, and welcome home to those of you just joining the Palian community on PlayStation 5.

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting Palia since the game launched on PS5 last year. There’s something special about snuggling in on the couch with a cup of coffee, decorating your Home Plot, then casting a line in the fishing pond with the haptic feedback of a DualSense controller! And there’s a whole lot more where that came from.

On May 12, we’re opening the gates to Palia’s next major expansion: The Royal Highlands. The upcoming expansion introduces a sprawling, sun-drenched region; a brand-new chapter in Palia’s story; more Villagers to meet; and so many features we’ve been champing at the bit to unveil.

And this time… you’ll be hoofin’ it in style.

A new frontier awaits in the Royal Highlands

The Royal Highlands is our third Adventure Zone, and by far our most ambitious.

The massive new map offers an elevated countryside of windswept cliffs, rolling golden fields, and ancient stone structures steeped in quiet, old-world elegance. From the moment you arrive, the space feels refined and regal – but beneath that beauty lies something older, an ancient secret lost to time.

As you explore, you’ll meet Eshelon, heir to the Bahari Dukedom, who has been sent to investigate some peculiar occurrences unfolding across the “Highlands.” Together, you’ll dig into the mysteries behind Amber Echo, a strange substance spreading across the region that encapsulates and traps anything – or anyone – caught in its snare. Not much is understood about Amber Echo… only that those confined within are frozen in time for years, decades, maybe a millenia… a sticky situation indeed!

Despite the danger, the Adventure Zone is filled with opportunity. New materials to gather, insects to catch, fish to reel in, and creatures to hunt, including the elusive Jaakcat, await across every hill and valley.

Saddle up: horses arrive in Palia

Exploring a vast new region is no small task. But we’ve made sure you won’t have to go it alone.

For the first time, you can meet, tame, and ride your very own horse. Early in your Royal Highlands journey, you’ll be introduced to your first mount, opening up faster, smoother traversal across the world.

Riding is designed to feel both responsive and grounded. Horses move through natural gaits, building into speed in a way that feels tactile and intuitive. Whether you’re galloping across open terrain or taking a relaxed trot along ridge-lined roads, the experience is meant to feel calm, immersive, and connected.

You’ll be able to choose from three distinct horse types at launch, each with its own look and personality. Horses also tie directly into the Ranching skill, allowing you to ra