PS4 TECH DEMOS

 Three of gaming’s best and brightest show off what the PS4 can do with fancy visual tech


 QUANTIC DREAM

“We are now only limited by our imagination.” That’s the reality of PS4’s power, a point visibly proven by the Heavy  Rain creator David Cage as he showed off an almost creepily realistic next-gen facial tech. The old man (in the demo, not Cage) looked alive, eyelids blinking believably over a face taut with individually-moving muscles underneath. “You can see soul, just looking into his eyes. You can imagine who he is, without him saying a word.” PS4 is set to usher in a new era of character development thanks to tech powering every last fl icker of emotion in characters’ faces, like LA Noire with extra realism.

MEDIA MOLECULE

PS4’s power allows for creativity, not just shiny graphics. That was the clear message from LittleBigPlanet creator Media Molecule, who dubbed PS4 ‘the creative console’ before unveiling a litany of tools as proof of their claims. Alex Evans demoed a Move-powered 3D sculpting tool, allowing players to craft insanely intricate models with Sony’s glowing motion stick. These were then controlled in real-time to make live theatre/musical mash-ups. It’s solid proof of how PS4’s power, combined with the vast array of tools like Move, PS Eye and DualShock 4, can fuel wild creativity to create something beyond mere graphical ability – eye candy for the soul.

PANTA RHEI (CAPCOM)

A dragon unleashes a firey whirlwind, ripping through a desolate cave while an armour-plated warrior shifts uneasily behind a rock. It’s a scene we’ve seen in games before, but never like this. Powered by Capcom’s new Panta Rhei engine, Deep Down shows a level of exorbitant depth, from the individual spines on the insanely-textured beast, to the gorgeously lit faces full of expression. Even lighting is a huge leap forward, bouncing around columns in a believable way, casting alternate shades of light and dark around the room. It’s an engine natural, organic and impressive in both macro and micro details, an exciting portent of PS4’s future.

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.

PS4 CONTROLLER: ANALYSIS


 The DualShock 4 is the single greatest overhaul the PlayStation control pad has ever had. We’ll talk you through it – and there’s a lot to discuss...



 ■  THE NEW ANALOGUE STICKS 

The analogue sticks have been tweaked, with slight concave wells for resting thumbs on – the opposite of the current model’s outwardly curved shape. It’s a small change, but one which should make for easier, more comfortable control.


 ■  HEADPHONE JACK 

 The pad takes inspiration from the Xbox 360 and  puts a listen hole on the bottom – the difference is this is a headphone jack,  meaning game audio could be put through headphones just by popping them into the controller by 3.5mm jack (as well as headsets for chat, we assume). 

 ■  THE OPTIONS BUTTON 

Start and Select are dead, replaced with an ‘options’ button which we expect will serve the purpose of both inputs. Does anyone need separate Start and Select buttons any more? No.

 ■  THE BLUE LIGHT & THE CAMERA 

 The glowing blue area on the back  of the controller allows the pad to be  picked up by the PS4’s new dual-lens camera, enabling it to act like a Move controller while it’s used as a standard pad – potentially the perfect blend of buttons and motion. 010  |   

 ■  THE SPEAKER 

A built-in controller speaker reminds of Wii and could make games more engrossing, with characters talking to you via the pad – or it could push game chat to the pad, separating cross-game conversation from the TV’s audio stream. 


 ■  THE NEW TRIGGERS 

 Complaints about the PS3 triggers have been addressed. All the shoulder buttons have been refi ned, with the L2 and R2 triggers looking especially upgraded to be more like the 360 pad.


 ■  THE TOUCHPAD

 The touchable square on the front of the DualShock 4 is integral to the new pad’s innovation. Allowing for Vita-style touch gestures in-game, the pad will make possible fi nger-solvable puzzles and swipe gestures and generally blend button inputs with handheld innovation.

 ■  RUBBERISED GRIPS & LARGER SIZE 

The lower half and back of the controller looks to be coated in a rubberised material which will make the pad more comfortable to hold and easier to grip, especially for long periods and interacting with the camera or touchpad.

 ■  THE NEW D-PAD 

The D-pad has finally had a refresh, slightly more recessed in the centre and promising greater responsiveness, while maintaining its traditional positioning.

 ■  THE SHARE BUTTON 

The much-vaunted share button will tie every controller straight into the PS4’s core social focus. Allowing video to be instantly captured and uploaded, sharing game experiences will become second nature, literally at the touch of a button.