Sony's official PlayStation Meeting has come to an end, and with it came the official announcement of the PlayStation 4. Gamers don't have long to wait. With Sony teasing a Holiday 2013 release, we'll be playing the new system in less than a year's time. While many big-name gaming websites are sure to cover the event in more detail and eloquence, I'll use this post to cover what excites me about the system. What qualifies me? Nothing much, other than the fact that I've been a gamer my entire life and have a talent for writing things legibly.
While Sony was very forthcoming with many details, the glaring piece of info they left out was the price. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for official word, but U.K. paper The Times rumors that the system will actually debut cheaper than the PlayStation 3 did, at around $465. Another omission sure to raise plenty of curiosity, Sony never actually unveiled the physical system, giving us no idea what our PS4 systems will look like. But enough about what they didn't announce, lets get on to the good stuff. We'll start with a quick breakdown of some basic specifications they've already announced.
THE SPECS
Like the PS3, the new PlayStation will feature an on-board hard drive for storing games, saves and other content. Aside from that and the whopping 8GB of unified memory, the specs remain pretty vague. While the PS4 will have an onboard hard drive, the system will also be the first to truly integrate cloud computing.
THE INTERNET
The PS4's cloud service, powered by Gaikai, makes shopping the PlayStation Network a breeze. As it is today, if you find a game you want to try or buy, you have to wait for the demo or full game to download while you sit there and twiddle your thumbs. With cloud integration, the PS4 and PSN will be able to instantly stream any game available on PSN directly to your system. Additionally, the service hopes to eventually make every PSOne, PS2 and PS3 title available for streaming, giving you an almost unlimited collection of possible games. The cloud takes innovation beyond games on the PS4 and makes this a truly social system. The system enables your friends (assuming you give them permission first) to actually watch you play your game in real-time, seeing how you play what you play. If you get stuck on a particular part, your friend can instantly give you advice or even take over your game and control it with their controller to beat that impossible boss battle.
Another awesome feature announced was the ability to transfer your game from your PS4 and TV directly to your Vita. We'll have to wait and see how the vast power differences between the PS4 and Vita manifest, and whether they'll interfere with or strip-back the gameplay. This feature, already available on the Wii U, might not be very exciting for players who don't own, nor plan on purchasing a Vita.
That's not where the Internet power of this new system ends, though. The PS4 will also be directly integrated with Facebook, UStream and a new "social gaming network" exclusive to the PS4. Aside from the typical gamer tags we're used to, we'll soon have access to actual profiles for the people behind the controller. As the screenshot shows, the network will show a real picture and name associated with the gamer (I assume that's optional), which may help bleed out the immature negativity seen in many online games (I'm looking at you, racist, homophobic pre-teen COD players!). Additionally, these profiles take advantage of a feature present on the PS4's new controller, the DualShock 4.
THE CONTROLLER
As should be expected, Sony has decided to stick relatively close to tradition with their new controller, which largely resembles every other PlayStation controller we've ever seen. The most notable change is the touch pad sitting right in the middle of the controller. Similar to the touch pad on the back of the PlayStation Vita, the DualShock 4's pad looks kind of small at first, so it will be interesting to see how Sony and other developers implement it in gameplay.
The controller also features motion controls similar to those found in current PS3 controllers, but that's not all. The controller's new "light bar" technology allows your controller to identify you, while also allowing for more precise and advanced motion controls through a bar placed by your TV, similar to the Wii's light bar. The controller includes its own speaker and headphone jack for hooking the DualShock 4 into a headset.
Lastly, I mentioned a feature integrated with the Internet and the new gaming profiles. The new "share" button (between the D-pad and the touch pad) allows you to quickly and effortlessly capture and share in-game content. When you press the button, your game is automatically paused and you see a menu similar to the one pictured above. On this menu, you can browse through your playthrough and select the exact screenshot or clip you want. With a few button presses, you'll have your video ready and uploaded, and you'll be back in the game as soon as you're finished.
THE GRAPHICS AND GAMES
The graphics on the PlayStation 4 look absolutely stunning, obviously. People have said this since the PS2, but "games finally have the ability to look realistic." Words won't do this section justice, so watch these videos. Since the best way to show off the graphics is to show off the upcoming games, these two sections have become one. This first demo is NOT a game, but simply a demonstration of the PS4's power. All videos following this first one are games, though.
Quantic Dreams PS4 Tech Demo, courtesy of GameSpot
Drive Club, new racing game from Evolution Studios
Killzone: Shadow Fall by Guerrilla Games- looks absolutely stunning!
Deep Down, new Capcom PS4 project.
And finally, my favorite, Sucker Punch's Infamous: Second Son
FINAL THOUGHTS
Excuse the excitement, but AAAAH! I want a PS4!!! While details still remain scarce, this first taste has certainly enticed me. From the beefed up online features, the advanced specifications, the new controller and almost photo-realistic games, Sony's PlayStation 4 is almost guaranteed to be one of the best consoles we've ever seen. While Microsoft has yet to unveil the next Xbox, it's going to have to do a lot to get me as excited as the PS4 has. As for the Wii U, what was that, again?
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