Sony Developers Weigh In On PlayStation 4

We had the opportunity to ask the heads of some of Sony's most high-profile in-house development studios, including Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, what they thought of the PlayStation 4. Their answers speak to their enthusiasm for a system that should give developers a lot of power and flexibility.

Evan Wells, Co-President, Naughty Dog (Uncharted Series, The Last of Us)

What's your initial reaction to what Sony announced about its new console? What is most exciting to you as a game developer?

Of course, it's likely that you'll consider me a little biased but I was very excited by what Sony had to announce with PS4. As a developer, the best thing about it is the simple but powerful architecture of the hardware. Being built like a high-end PC means that development is going to be much less complicated and very familiar to a much wider range of game maker, meaning we're going to see a greater number of and even more diverse games on the platform. 

In general, what kinds of things will the new console allow you to do as a game designer that you couldn't do on the last generation of systems?

The emphasis on social interaction and connectedness to other devices really is very interesting and may have technically been possible on past generations of hardware, but developers have not really embraced it the way that PS4 is going to encourage and easily allow them to do. Gamers are the most enthusiastic fans there are out there, and they want to engage with each other and their favorite games even when they aren't in their living room. Being able to reach out to friends, challengers, or even just continue to further your personal progress in a game through a mobile device is going to keep players connected and challenge us as game designers to feed their voracious appetites.

How excited are you about the new interface technology? Do you see some interesting possibilities for it?

Yeah, the touchpad is very cool, and amazingly intuitive. We've played a number of demos that have come up with very imaginative uses for it. The stereo camera also works extremely well and can track a lot of interesting things about the players in the room. It's exciting to think of the game experiences that open up when you have a greater number of interface options beyond a couple of analog sticks.

What do you think about some of the new online and/or cloud services Sony announced?

I'm really fascinated by the idea of being able to stream live gameplay to other players and especially be able to upload clips of the history of what you've been playing at the push of a button. I know I've personally wished I could show someone else something amazing (or ridiculous) that just happened in a game I was playing, but the moment had passed. Now I'll be able pull up the last several minutes of what I was playing, pick the moment I was looking for and send it off.

Nate Fox, Game Director, Sucker Punch Productions (Infamous: Second Son, Sly Cooper Series)

What's your initial reaction to what Sony announced about its new console? What is most exciting to you as a game developer?

I think the obvious thing is to get psyched about is the GPU [and] 8GB of fast memory, etc. But in truth, I really love the changes to the controller. It's the way players interact with our work, so it's really exciting to see the progress on the sticks, triggers, and the touchpad.  All of it lets us make games that are more immersive and lets the players be more expressive in the game world.

In general, what kinds of things will the new console allow you to do as a game designer that you couldn't do on the last generation of systems?

We chose to set our game in Seattle this time, in part because we thought we could do rainy, reflective streets and atmospherics in a way that we never could do well on the previous generation hardware. Things we had to create work-arounds for, we can do for real this time.

How excited are you about the new interface technology? Do you see some interesting possibilities for it?

I'm really excited - it was my answer to your first question! The touchpad and the light bar are both going to open up new avenues for game makers to explore. Even simple actions like choosing from a list of items can be dramatically better with touch UI - so I think we'll see improvements in basic functionality as well as all new interactions using these features.

What do you think about some of the new online and/or cloud services Sony announced?

We're excited about the convergence of the PSN with all the leading social networks. I'm active on Twitter and Facebook, and I want my PSN universe to be a part of that. We are also really intrigued by the ability of streaming content from the console to other devices - that opens up some incredible collaborative possibilities for game makers to explore. Fun times!

Steven ter Heide, Game Director, Guerrilla Games (Killzone: Shadow Fall, Killzone Series)

 What's your initial reaction to what Sony announced about its new console? What is most exciting to you as a game developer?

[It's] very exciting, especially since we've been part of PS4 development for a long while now. We've never felt closer to the fire.

It truly is a game console designed for gamers and game developers. Being able to contribute to the design of both the platform and its services has been great. Its specifications seem to be perfectly balanced. Its features are intended to make it easier for developers to make games, and for gamers to enjoy and share their experiences. PS4 seems to be the culmination of everything we've learned about games and making games in the last decade, and Sony is putting all of that knowledge and experience in a box.

Oh, and being able to create a launch title for this console with Killzone: Shadow Fall has been a proposition too tempting to pass up. Creating a launch title is definitely keeping the team busy, but overall, it's an extremely exciting and rewarding opportunity for the studio.

In general, what kinds of things will the new console allow you to do as a game designer that you couldn't do on the last generation of systems?

Even though core game experiences can be created on all sorts of platforms, being able to bring to life fantasy worlds that feel alive and respond to you is fantastic and adds a dimension to the gameplay. Creating this isn't new in and of itself, but the amount of things we're able to do and the fidelity we're able to do this at is. We can push the boundaries just a little bit further, creating more immersion and a richer experience overall.

For the first time we have been able to create a vibrant world where you will encounter and interact with civilian life, offer more player mechanics to deal with different situations and do all of this at a higher fidelity than we've been able to do before, while keeping pretty much everything we had in terms of combat experience. Thanks to this, Killzone: Shadow Fall will offer new gameplay opportunities in a compelling setting.

On top of that, because the platform is easier to develop for, we can bring more talent onto the platform to create new and exciting ideas and content.

How excited are you about the new interface technology? Do you see some interesting possibilities for it? 

We are very excited about the new controller, it is a great controller for FPS's with much improved thumbsticks, less lag, outward curved triggers, and the fact that it simply feels fantastic makes it a more natural extension of you. And of course, we'll be putting the additional functionality to good use as well, but more on that later.

What do you think about some of the new online and/or cloud services Sony announced?

 I think a lot of the excitement comes from the services-- from fixing things like background updates, suspend and resume, or making it easy to sample games, to more exciting features such as sharing. What I really like about these features is that they are implemented on a system level, and it simply works for all games. It's not a single developer coming up with a cool feature, it's something that can be expanded upon from a system level. Being able to share content is fairly fundamental. Again, it may sound simple. But it's what I did when I was 14, talking to the other kids in school and describing this awesome moment that happened to me in this game. I can now share these moments in a very visual way.

In general, what I am most happy about is how forward looking the console is, by not simply creating a more powerful machine, but by carefully looking at how people are consuming their content, and sharing it with their friends.

Matt Southern, Game Director, Evolution Studios (Drive Club, MotorStorm Series)

What's your initial reaction to what Sony announced about its new console? What is most exciting to you as a game developer?

We're in a slightly better - cooler - position because we've been involved in shaping the console from day one. So, the things we were most vocal about - the social focus, the new controller, and the power needed to deliver the audio-visuals we wanted - have got us all really excited.

In general, what kinds of things will the new console allow you to do as a game designer that you couldn't do on the last generation of systems?

The world has changed enormously since PS3 launched - when MotorStorm came out nobody was permanently connected like they are now, and the sheer variety of games and ways we access them has been revolutionized. As Mark Cerny said, PS3 did a damn good job of embracing these changes mid-lifecycle, but PS4 is built to live in this world and adapt to even more change. As a developer we now make cool, fluid, evolving services properly for the first time. Our studio name has never been more appropriate.

How excited are you about the new interface technology? Do you see some interesting possibilities for it?

I love how the DualShock 4 is simultaneously a radical new interface device and a continuation of a design classic. We're already researching how the controller can offer new ways to interact, and I'm sure we'll see some unprecedented gameplay memories being created by both AAA and esoteric indie titles as they get to grips with what the controller, camera, and front-end can bring to life.

What do you think about some of the new online and/or cloud services Sony announced?

Dave Perry basically said we can look forward to tapping into the entire PlayStation catalogue. That alone is amazing, but I'm really excited to see how players can help each other in real-time over the cloud. Downloading trials and games at home whilst I'm in the office will also allow for big AAA games to have the levels of accessibility that smaller downloads do, and this is really important.