Roblox, a gaming platform that is extremely well-liked among young people, has revealed that it intends to distribute its games for the PlayStation systems.
The company claims that Roblox has more than 60 million active users on a daily basis, however the platform has been subject to criticism due to fears that its material is not adequately moderated.
Other highlights include a fresh approach to character creation, the launch of a new communication tool known as Roblox Connect, and the completion of development work on Meta’s virtual reality (VR) platform Quest.
In October of 2023, it will be made available for both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5.
Previously, you could only play it on computers, mobile devices, and the Xbox One console from Microsoft. Now, you may play it on any of those devices.
Roblox is making a significant change by implementing this new feature as it strengthens its position as one of the most popular gaming platforms in the globe.
It is unknown exactly how popular the game is, although in 2020 Roblox reported to Bloomberg that two-thirds of all children in the United States who are between the ages of nine and 12 play the game.
And a survey conducted by Statista in the same year on 400,000 children in the United Kingdom found that Roblox was significantly more popular than its closest competitor, Minecraft. While 67% of children said they played Roblox, only 23% of children said they played Minecraft, which is the video game that has sold the most copies throughout the history of gaming.
Its success can be attributed to the fact that it places a strong emphasis on creation; more specifically, as opposed to being a standard game, it enables users to create their own games within the platform. In point of fact, Roblox considers its users to be developers.
These developers, who are mostly children, have the ability to create games and even have the possibility of earning Robux, which is the name of the in-game currency, from other players of their creations.
It is frequently lauded for facilitating young people’s entry into game design and fostering their creative potential; nevertheless, the same flexibility and popularity that have led to its appeal have also led to it coming under investigation.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and Childline reported to the BBC in 2022 that the number of children phoning their helpline with worries about Roblox had climbed by a factor of five since the outbreak.
A fresh start on the PlayStation platform
Roblox’s annual Developers Conference was the venue for the announcement of the launch.
Roblox also mentioned that an open beta version that was made available on Meta Quest earlier this year garnered positive feedback from users.
The beta edition, which was an unfinished version of the game made available to players with either a Quest 2 or Quest Pro headset, had more than one million downloads in its first five days, and the company stated it will get a full launch on Quest later this month. The beta version was available to players with either a Quest 2 or Quest Pro headset.
However, despite the number of times it was requested, a PlayStation version was not made available until today.
Roblox stated that players on both the previous generation PlayStation consoles and the current generation PlayStation consoles will be able to “access the full catalogue of Roblox experiences.” The specific launch specifics were scant, but Roblox did say that players would be able to “access the full catalogue of Roblox experiences.”
Roblox also unveiled Connect, which is a system that will enable users to communicate with other players in the game using their real names, as well as their body language and facial emotions.
Roblox allows users to transfer their facial emotions from the real world to their in-game characters by having them point a camera at their own face.
It wasn’t until August that a version of this motion-capture technology was made available to the public, but Roblox Connect is the first time the business has attempted to couple the technology with phoning pals at the same time.
Roblox stated that users who were at least 13 years old were eligible to use the motion-capture technology in a blog post that provided an explanation of the technique.
Before a player’s camera can be utilized, they will first need to grant Roblox permission to use it. The firm has stated in a privacy warning that it does not record or store any information that is obtained from a player’s camera and has clarified that “video from your camera never leaves your device.”
It is still unknown which nations will be the first to receive access to Roblox Connect; the company has stated that additional information regarding this matter will be provided at a later date.
