Rumors have been proven true; Sony announced the development of the PlayStation 4 at a conference meeting in NYC last Wednesday. Attendees and more than 7.5 million online viewers were provided with a “glimpse of the future of play”. Much has changed in the world since the release of the PS3 in 2005. Sony is attempting to create a console with features that will evolve with today’s advancements in society.
Social media has completely changed the way the world communicates since 2005 and the PS4 has adapted to these changes. Players can still have an alias and avatar for multiplayer games but this console is transitioning to interact with “real-world friends” using real names and profile pictures .The new controllers “share” button instantly shares images and videos on Facebook or Ustream. The PS4 has unlocked many other possibilities such as: reserving a front row seat to spectate the gameplay of a celebrity, virtually handing the controller to a friend when you are stuck and need help, or even scheduling a live broadcast of your gameplay to be streamed with the console’s multi-casting capabilities.
A few upgrades that gamers will also receive are enhanced PC GPU graphics, an X86 CPU, and 8 G memory.
Players will experience less lag time with the new “Suspension/Resume” mode. Lead PS4 architect, Mark Cerny says, “Just hit the power button and the system enters a low power state…The minutes it takes today to boot a console and load a saved game will be a thing of the past. Just hit the power button and promptly be playing the game again at the exact spot you left off”. With PS4′ssecondary custom chip, gamers can download or update games in the background while continuing gameplay or even with the device off. If a game is only 1% downloaded, users can jump right into the game without having to wait for the rest of the game to finish downloading.
“Remote Play” turns one’s smartphone or tablet into a second game screen, for helpful resources like maps. This feature is similar to Xbox’s Smartglass. Fighting over the television won’t be a problem with the PS Vita acting as a companion device to the PS4. Stop the game on your console, and continue right where you left off on the PS vita.
Sony is striving to create a console that gets to know the gamer by understanding his/her preferences. The system will learn likes/dislikes and customize a gaming experience tailored for each user, predicting which games will be downloaded or providing news and updates based upon the user’s interests.
With the PS4, you can test any game to see if it’s worth pulling your wallet out for. “See something in the store that catches your eye? No problem. Try it for free, share it if you like it, pay only for the games you fall in love with,” says CEO of Gaikai, David Perry,
One common disappointment among viewers was Sony’s lack of displaying the console’s physical appearance. They did, however, display the console’s new controller, the Dualshock 4. The new controller features a touch pad, a 3.5-mm surround sound supporting headphone jack, the “share” button, a movement detecting light bar with LED lights, and analog sticks with ridges to support thumbs.
A few of the games that will be coming out with the PS4 were also shown. Some titles include: Destiny, Battlefield 4, Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerrilla Games), Diablo III, and Deep Down (Capcom).
The PS4 has come a long way since its original console. The announcement of its development has created quite some excitement among the gaming community, but gamers are also anticipating Microsoft’s announcement of the Xbox 720 this year. Which gaming console do you think will conquer?
The PS4 is scheduled to be released “Holiday Season 2013″
Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 at Conference Meeting in NYC
