It used custom hardware that supported streamlined rendering techniques for better performance, or increased resolutions via checkerboard rendering. Curiously, playback of Ultra-HD Blu-Rays would not appear until the PlayStation 5. The second PlayStation 3 model simplified the design of the system both internally and externally, removing the many card reader slots and PlayStation 2 game support (but not PS1 discs, which work on all PS3s). This redesign also came with a branding refresh, switching from red to blue and adopting a new logo style similar to the PS2, both of which are still in use today. The UMD, or Universal Media Disc, was the physical distribution method for the PSP.
The game is a wave-based shoot ‘em up that is comparable to Zone of the Enders. OK 8386 is referenced a second time on the PlayStation Game Disc Artefact, which has a fictional Astro Bot game label on it and a very low-polygon version of Astro on it. In the PlayStation Labo area are two Bots in VR with a third listening to music, with two microphones behind him. The mics reference 2004’s Singstar for the PS2, developed by London Studio. Singstar was a very popular franchise on the PS2, and came packed with blue and red microphones, as referenced in the Labo area.
Puzzle Piece 3/4 – From the start on the right side of the area, jump to the wooden platform and pull out the three wires to spawn this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 3/4 – After sliding down the long cable, pull the next wire and go up the two platforms moving up and down. Every time I had fun with the game, it always ended in me encountering an area that is simply impossible for me to finish.
As spotted by Twitter user realradec, Astro’s Playroom received an update for February 2025 that added the PS5 Pro as an artifact. In Astro’s Playroom, players can obtain “Artifacts” from a gacha machine that unlocks collectible PlayStation products. Although Team Asobi did not formally announce it, the update also added the PS5 Pulse Elite Headset and Pulse Explore Earbuds. Once players obtain these Artifacts, they can display their giant versions in the PlayStation Labo area. Finally, the update also changed Astro’s Playroom boot-up cover art.
The game serves as a showcase for the DualSense controller’s features and functionality. We awarded the game a 9/10 in our Astro’s Playroom PS5 review, describing it as a “love letter to PlayStation”. Astro’s Playroom was the final game released by Japan Studio before their dissolution in April 2021. Team Asobi was formally spun-off into an independent studio within Sony’s PlayStation Studios in June 2021.
Astro’s Playroom: Here’s What Happens When The Big Timer Hits Zero (astro Bot Countdown Event)
What caught me off guard the most was the hub area, CPU Plaza, having surprise platforming sections along its walls that spring to life instantly. However, the gameplay highlights in Astro’s Playroom are the special suits of the four areas. Astro’s Playroom is not a particularly difficult game, so you shouldn’t really have too much trouble finishing it regardless of your ability level. Nevertheless, in this final part of our Astro’s Playroom guide we’re going to share some tips and tricks to help get you started. Explore four worlds, each one showcasing innovative gameplay using the new and versatile features of the PS5 DualSense™ wireless controller.
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Jump onto the lilypads, and leap across, but be careful not to fall in the frozen water as that’s lethal! The PULSE Elite Wireless Headset is a premium version of the PULSE 3D Wireless Headset that carries over its noise-cancelling tech, and has the same magnetic driver tech as the PULSE Explore earbuds. Its other addition is a boom arm microphone that can be used as an alternative to the DualSense’s microphone for voice chat.
After crossing the first Shock Platforms in the heavy rain section, you’ll see on the right a Bot grinding back and forth on a cable. This references inFamous, released on the PS3 in 2009 by Sucker Punch. Protagonist Cole McGrath has electric superpowers one of which is the induction Grind that lets him accelerate along metal cables. ” Trophy, awarded for jumping into one of the water fountains at the end of Hotel Hopalot in Cooling Springs.
Each of them can be completed in around a minute or less and there’s a leaderboard to see how you stack up. The final boss is a deep cut reference to a classic PS1 tech demo that you’ll immediately recognize if you’ve been gaming with PlayStation long enough and it was a real treat to experience. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – Once you reach the section of the level where it is raining, before going up the dark wall, jump to the platform on the right to reach this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 1/4 – Right at the start of the level, cross the tightrope and jump across to reach this puzzle piece. Artifact 2/2 “EyeToy Camera” – At the next checkpoint you can obtain the machine gun, which allows you to shoot through glass walls. Take the machine gun back to where puzzle piece 3 was, where you might have noticed a box with a wire pull in it.
Artifact 2/2 “PlayStation Mouse” – In the section where you are meant to jump across the clouds, instead of going towards the checkpoint you should jump onto the cliff ledges which lead higher up. From there you can climb up to the top section on the right to find this artifact. Puzzle Piece 2/4– In the area with the first blowing cloud, run against the wind to grab this puzzle piece. Puzzle Piece 4/4 – When you exit the caves and are out of the ship, drop down to the lower floor to find this puzzle piece underneath some glass. Artifact 2/2 “PS2 Memory Card” – Hold both triggers down fullying to puh yourself through the two purple spiderwebs to find this artifact on the other side. Puzzle Piece 3/4 – When you see the electrical hazards, continue to the right where you see the purple webs instead of continuing up.
The first two new levels launched on February 13 and 20, and a new level is to be added weekly until March 13. After completing all DLC levels, a new game mode called Time Attack will be available as well. It is unclear whether Astro’s Playroom will get more updates in the future, but it is likely that Astro Bot will, considering its incredible success. This PS5 pack-in most certainly hues closer to a technical showcase, essentially a loosely-structured sandbox to mess around in and discover what the PS5 has to offer. But it has enough collectibles, creative ideas, and genuinely exciting uses of the DualSense that PS5 owners shouldn’t brush this one aside in the launch lineup. After months and months of hearing how the DualSense would immerse me like never before, Astro’s Playroom put promises into practice and impressively proved what’s possible with the PS5’s new controller.
Early models featured RCA jacks for video and audio output and a Parallel I/O port, but these were all removed by the 1999 models. The PS5 comes with a free game that not only demonstrates the new console’s abilities but celebrates the long history of PlayStation. At the top, wait for the last block to slide left so you can stand on the left-hand side. Use a jump and Beam Glide to land on top of the block (just like you did before), then ride the block left through the Coins. From here you can jump left one last time to land on a button that reveals a Yellow Trampoline. Head back to the teeter-totter and Beam Glide on the left side of it to raise it up to the right.
Combined with the hardware it’s bundled on, it’s something very special indeed – and one of the best launch titles I can remember in an age. It deserves a place among the greats though – Astro’s Playroom has the coherence, character and abundance of ideas, executed with real clarity, of the very best platformers. A tech demo shouldn’t have this much of a following, but that’s the power of Team Asobi’s Astro’s Playroom. The Astro Bots made their debut with the PlayStation VR tech demo, The Playroom. They showcased the capabilities of the VR device and left an impression on the higher-ups at Sony. This spun off into their own full VR action-platformer game, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which got a ton of critical praise and even the Best VR/AR Game award at the 2018 Game Awards.
It’s also the first PlayStation controller to have textured analog sticks and monochrome face button symbols (preceded by the PSP and Vita handhelds). Finally, the controller also has a built-in microphone so that it can be used for game and party chats. Codenamed Project Neo, the PlayStation 4 was the first mid-generation hardware revision that added significant amounts of power compared to earlier models.