PS5 gamers are getting a cool free perk

Great news for PS5 owners comes directly from Sony itself, which has confirmed that PlayStation 5 gamers are getting a cool free perk.

That's because, writing on Twitter (see below), Sony has confirmed that for the weekend of August 27-28 PS5 gamers who don't have a PlayStation Plus membership will be able to play online with their friends.

Dubbed the 'Online Multilpayer Weekend', the free perk will let any gamer with a PS5 (or a PS4) to play games like Grand Theft Auto Online, Call of Duty Modern Warfare and 2K22, along with many more, without having to pay for PlayStation Plus.

The obvious benefit to this is super clear. If you don't subscribe to PlayStation Plus then you can play PS5 online this weekend, while if you do but your friends don't, then you can challenge them to take you on in any games you both own. Finally want to take on your mate in FIFA 22 after just experiencing the single player game? Well, this coming weekend then you can do thanks to this free perk.

Analysis: PS5 and PlayStation Plus is a great combo

It is evident, at least to me, why Sony is running this free Online Multiplayer Weekend event, and it is to give PS5 gamers a taste of what is on offer with a new PlayStation Plus membership.

Online play is obviously a major benefit to subscribing to PlayStation Plus, but that is only the start of what it offers, with free games unlocked each month, large libraries of games both new and old to download, cloud-streaming, sweet time-limited game trials and more.

But, to me at least, it is also quite obvious that Sony is lagging behind Microsoft with its subscription service offering, with far less PS5 gamers subscribing to PlayStation Plus than Xbox gamers have with Xbox Game Pass. I'm a firm advocate of PS5 gamers subscribing to PlayStation Plus though, and not just for what it immediately delivers for them.

So, this Online Multiplayer Weekend event seems smart to me – it gives PS5 gamers a taste of what they get with PlayStation Plus. I'm a PlayStation Plus subscriber so I don't benefit from this perk, but if it gets me playing online with more of my non-subscribing friends, then I'm all for that. Thanks Sony!

And soon I'll be able to play with a new PS5 controller

In other PS5 news this week I've been thrilled to see Sony drop the brand new DualSense Edge controller for PlayStation 5.

This controller is very much a pro offering, coming with the ability to uniquely remap or deactivate specific button impacts, customise stick sensitivity, create and save multiple control profiles on the device, and swap in and out different stick caps.

In addition, the DualSense Edge comes with a braided cable with unique controller locking mechanism, as well as a carrier case to transport the PS5 controller while on the go.

There's no pricing or release date info yet for the DualSense Edge, but my gut feeling is we will see this drop sometime in September, which is perfect as that will be just in time for the game-stuffed winter season.

Finally in PS5 news, PSVR 2 just got an official launch update

And, finally, in PS5 news this week, we've just got word on when the PSVR 2 gaming headset is going to launch.

The confirmation comes direct from Sony, who has said on its official social media the PSVR 2 launch date is "early 2023".

I've made no secret of my excitement about the best PSVR 2 games announced so far, but I'd rather Sony waited to get the hardware right – and in sufficient quantities that we're not playing whack-a-scalper like we were in the first year of the PS5.

The original PlayStation VR was launched at £349 / $399 / AU$549.95 and we were expecting something similar for PSVR 2. Fingers crossed, because there's lots here to be excited about (the new headset is orders of magnitude more advanced than the original) and it'd be a shame if the price went up significantly.

Sony has, though, said that it intends to launch the PSVR 2 with 1.5 million units available, which sounds encouraging from a can I get one point of view.