This is what a real-life PlayStation Platinum Trophy looks like
PlayStation players around the world have spent collective lifetimes in the pursuit of Platinum Trophies, those ultimate expressions of skill and completionism. Despite their evocative name, the trophies themselves aren't actually the kind of thing that you can set upon your mantelpiece; they are exclusively non-corporeal objects, virtual badges of honor for your virtual accomplishments. Well, until now, anyway.
PlayStation Australia is making Platinum Trophies happen. As a reward for its PlayStation Plus Platinum Hunters competition, the company has created four replica Platinum Trophies to be given out to winners (yes, you do have to be a resident of Australia to take part in the competition).
Alright, so they're still not 100-percent real Platinum Trophies because there is no way those things are made out of solid platinum. The official terms and conditions for the competition give an estimated value for the Replica Platinum Trophy at $1,300 AUD, which is just over $1,000 USD. Currency exchange site XE.com lists the current price of platinum at about $928 for one troy ounce (about 31 grams). But even if you can't melt it down into bullion to pay off all your student loans, it still looks pretty cool.
If you do happen to be an Australian resident, you can participate by earning a Platinum trophy in FIFA 18 and then sharing your trophy screenshot via Facebook or Twitter with the #PlusPlatinumHunters and the official PlayStation Australia account tagged. The competition will also open up to players of Gran Turismo Sport and Call of Duty: WW2 once those games come out in the weeks ahead, check the site for full details.
And if you don't live in Australia, at least you can keep hunting virtual Platinum Trophies. Give our list of the best free-to-play PS4 games a look if you want a cheap start on some more.
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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.