‘Overwatch’ beta coming the weekend of April 15 and 16, PS4 gameplays of beta explored

“Overwatch” fans should book their weekends. Blizzard has just announced that it will be expanding its second invite-only Beta Test Weekend from April 15 to 16, from 9:00 a.m. of the first day up to 9:00pm PDT on the last day. That gives more players 36 hours to play the game, with a bigger number of players from a wider array of locations, including Americas, Europe and Asia.

To participate in the new stress test, Blizzard has stated via its official website that it will be flagging the accounts that will be allowed for the Beta Test Weekend. From then, those who are eligible to participate should immediately download and install the beta client.

During the weekend stress test, players can already access the 21 heroes as well as limited map selections. The latter includes the Hanamura, Route 66 and Nepal. However, Blizzard is also sealing away some features, particularly the Weekly Brawl! and Competitive Play.

Since it is a stress test that requires feedback from participants, Blizzard has already set up a few channels through which fans can give their feedback. There are three specific areas that Blizzard is expecting feedback. The Stress Test Feedback is for general feedback on the features, heroes and other systems for the actual game. There’s also one dedicated for bug support, so they can be targeted before the launch. Finally, Stress Tech Support will collate all feedback on any technical issues encountered while playing.

“One of our goals is to push our hardware to the limit, so don’t be surprised if you experience performance issues or run into unexpected downtime—that’s all part of the process,” said Blizzard via the Battle.net website.

All of the details and instructions, including installation and pay instructions as well as links to where players can give feedback are all in the link above.

Technically, this is the final Beta Test Weekend scheduled for the PC. For those who are playing on the PS4 or Xbox One, there is still a chance to try out “Overwatch,” thanks to the Open Beta running from May 5 to 9. On that schedule, all three platforms will be able to access the beta run.

In the meantime, while the PC version is getting all the hype thanks to the upcoming beta weekend, the PS4 is not necessarily left behind. Following a quick run-through of “Overwatch” on the PS4, The Sixth Axis reported that the experience was a pretty good one despite differences in hardware.

There are a few notable graphical peaks that cannot be matched by the console hardware on the PC, but as a whole, the difference is not as great. The source stated that this may be due to how the game’s art style and overall feel can overpower the details of graphics.

“Overwatch” will launch on May 24. However, apart from the open beta listed above, there is an early access offer on May 3 to 4. Early access is granted to those who have already pre-purchased the game. There is still time to do so, as this promo is available until April 29. As a bonus, the two-day head start will be available to the person who preordered the game, as well as a friend.

"Overwatch" beta run gameplay (Credit: YouTube/Touhou & LP Gamer)