THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PS4

THINGS YOU NEED  TO KNOW ABOUT PS4


From cloud services to the new controller, tech specs and social  integration, the PS4 is packing tons of shiny new features. Here’s a breakdown  of everything about the new console.


THE NEW CONTROLLER 

DualShock 4 packs features – a front-mounted touch pad, rear-mounted lights to interact with a new dual-lens camera, a share button for video capture, refined triggers, rubberised grips and a headphone jack.

 RELEASE DATE

 PS4 will launch in time for Christmas 2013. But the console hasn’t been confirmed for Europe  this year – Shuhei Yoshida says it’s ‘too early to tell’. Fingers crossed. 

PRICE RUMOURS

 PS4 is rumoured to cost between £300-400 in the UK. Rumours pegged the console at   the lower end, but pre-orders have listed a £399 pricepoint. No price is confirmed, but this range feels right. 


CROSS GAME CHAT 

 At last! Gamers will be able to talk to one another across titles, like the Xbox 360 has done for, um, ages. 


SECOND HAND GAMES  

 Contrary to rumours, PS4 will not block used games, says Sony head honcho Shunhei  Yoshida. Phew. 


CAMERA  

PS4 will utilise a new dual-lens camera that can track the DualShock 4 or  a Move controller. Little is known about the device yet, but it’s likely to be packed with the console.

 ALWAYS ON  

Although PS4 will be built from  the ground-up to be as internet- focused as possible, the console won’t need to be always online to play games, as confi rmed by Shuhei Yoshida.

 PLAY EVERYWHERE 

PS4 will not be limited to the living room. From a smartphone, Vita, tablet  or PC, players will be able to log in, start challenges and check into their favourite game worlds on the go. 

PLAY EVERYTHING  

Sony said in its conference: “Try it for free, share it if you like it, buy it if you love it”. It’s not known how  this will work, but we expect an expanded PS Plus using Gaikai streaming as well as direct downloads for PS4 titles, focusing on getting games into players’ hands. 

SOCIAL  

 PS4 is all about social integration. Not just Facebooking game progress, but uploading videos  to the PlayStation store, live-streaming your game and even letting another player remote access your game to help you past a tough boss fi ght. 

VIDEO CAPTURE  

 Video capture is going to be as commonplace as screenshot sharing is today. Using a button  on the DualShock 4, players can upload footage of their game at any time, without slowing down the game thanks to the system’s massive RAM.

LAUNCH TITLES 

Ubisoft’s open-world hack-thecity title Watch Dogs is confirmed for PS4’s launch, while exclusive  FPS Killzone: Shadow Fall is going to drop with the console, too, though the rest are set to be confi rmed.

 REALISTIC FACES  

Quantic Dreams showed off startling new facial technology, allowing for subtle emotions on  characters’ faces, like an advanced LA Noire. 

CREATIVITY FOCUSED 

PS4 is the ‘creative console’, says  LittleBigPlanet creators Media Molecule. The new console’s  capabilities will let developers unleash unbridled creativity – as demonstrated by MM devs moulding 3D models with Move controllers on-stage. 

HARDWARE SPECS 

 8GB of GDDR5 RAM (16 times as much as PS3, and a faster read speed per GB), x86 AMD CPU  architecture, PC-style structure and an enhanced PC GPU. It’s powerful. 

INSTANT PLAY 

PS4 does away with waiting times. ‘Start playing a game while the other 20GB downloads’,  say Sony devs. No more ‘disc-shuffling’, updates or slow loading. Like the smartphone philosophy, PS4 is going to be instant.

 NO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY

It doesn’t have it. PS4 won’t play PS3 games, at least not via disc.
However Sony has announced PS1, PS2 and PS3 games will be
streamable via cloud service Gaikai, rolling out in stages.

 GAMES

 18 NEW IPS Killzone: Shadow Fall, DriveClub, InFamous: Second Son, Knack,  Diablo III, The Witness, Watch Dogs, Destiny, Deep Down. It’s got games. Also, Final Fantasy will be revealed at E3 in some form.

 NEW IPS

DriveClub is a social-focused racer from Motorstorm devs  Evolution Studios that’s been ten years in the planning. Knack, a family-friendly fantasy action title, also shows PS4 will bring in new IPs as well as returning franchises. 

REDESIGNED PS STORE  

The new PlayStation store won’t just be a shop, but an interactive social hub for  uploading videos, chatting to friends and sharing recommended purchases, with the console itself learning your preferences. It’s about friends and targeted experiences.

 NO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY 

It doesn’t have it. PS4 won’t play PS3 games, at least not via disc. However Sony has announced PS1, PS2 and PS3 games will be streamable via cloud service Gaikai, rolling out in stages. 

THIRD PARTY FOCUS 

PS4 will be supported by  hundreds of third parties  launching new titles from the get-go, as proven by a laundry list of devs and studios shown off at the PS4 reveal.

 CLOUD  

Gaikai will be essential to PS4, with the capability to play games on remote servers integrated  directly into the console’s infrastructure. Backwards compatibility as well as PS4 streaming to Vita, and potentially other non-games devices, will be a reality. 

VITA STREAMING  

 Sony’s ailing handheld will be able to stream every single PS4 game via cloud service Gaikai,  proving Sony is focused on integrating its two latest consoles. 

EASY DEVELOPMENT 

PS4 has been created ‘by  developers, for developers’, with the console’s guts designed  around the needs of creators. It should mean less painful development cycles and devs able to harness its power earlier on in the console’s life.

 BACKGROUND FIRMWARE UPDATES  

System OS and game patches will download in the background, and not interrupt  play, bringing to an end the crushing disappointment of booting a game to sit through a lengthy download. PS4 is built for speed and convenience.