Entertainment

'Darth' PS4 Announced

The Star Wars edition PS4 will be released in November
The Star Wars edition PS4 will be released in November The Star Wars edition PS4 will be released in November

SINCE an appalling director's trio of cripplingly disappointing 'prequels' to his much-loved trilogy of kids' films somehow failed to sully the franchise for its deeply undiscerning fanbase, Disney are ready to annualize the series for maximum profit – so get ready to chow down on some more of that Star Wars, folks.

Go on – get it down ye.

Just in time to ride the hype-bantha for the latest movie and game, Sony has announced a limited edition themed PS4 console to be released as part of two exclusive bundles on November 17.

And what better poster boy for a Disney/EA joint than the most infamous leader of an evil empire? The Star Wars Battlefront PS4 Bundle will include a custom 1TB limited-edition PS4 emblazoned with Darth Vader's sexy Sith mug, with the accompanying DualShock 4 controller also inspired by the wheezing miscreant.

While Anakin's helmet takes pride of place on the console lid, a repeating Star Wars logo is etched across the system while livery inspired by the Dark Lord's chest bits Force-chokes the controller.

Alas, it's the least menacing image of Vader ever created, evoking a sense of mild depression rather than true phantom menace – though the PS4's blue light blasting across his helmet does work rather well, suggestive of the lens flare which JJ Abrams has no doubt splooged over every frame of his upcoming Star Wars flick.

However, made from gloomy joypad offcuts, the control pad looks like it has fallen out of a Kinder egg, with shoulder buttons that evoke a police siren more than the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Rabid fans will no doubt lap it up like starving sarlacci, though the Force really isn't quite as strong as it was with 2011's Star Wars branded Xbox 360, which featured R2-D2's threads along with the bipedal bucket of bolts' iconic sonic chirrups, eliciting a Pavlovian response from man-children everywhere.

Best of all, the PS4 bundle includes a physical copy of EA's multiplayer epic, Star Wars Battlefront, as well as a digital voucher to nab updated PS4 versions of four iconic Star Wars efforts including the SNES classic Super Star Wars and PS2 titles Racer Revenge, Jedi Starfighter and Bounty Hunter – all playable for the first time on current gen hardware and tarted up with enhanced graphics and trophy support.

A second bundle focuses on the upcoming Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars, which includes the Vader-inspired PS4 as well as a physical copy of Disney Infinity 3.0 along with its base, the Rise Against The Empire Play Set Pack (including Luke, Leia and the PlayStation-exclusive Boba Fett figures), plus the four classic Star Wars games.

No pricing has been announced yet for these bad boys, though given the huge sales lead PS4 commands over the competition, there'll be no need for Sony to offer much of a discount.