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Everything We Know About The PlayStation 4
We gather all the confirmed details on Sony’s newly announced console into one place.
Sony had lots of information to share about the new console, and we had lots of stories that covered all the topics. Click into the stories below to learn more about the next generation console.
PlayStation 4 Announced With Release Window
"Sony's press conference is happening right now, and the first big piece of news is that it will in fact be called the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 4 is coming this holiday season."
"Early rumors suggested the new DualShock would feature a "share" button that gives players quick access to their social networks. Sony not only confirmed the share button, but revealed that it taps into much deeper social features than we initially thought."
Support For Free-To-Play And Episodic Gaming
"Perhaps with native support and a larger hard drive, the PlayStation 4 will see free-to-play grow exponentially in the same way it has on PC. Sony has yet to address the possibility of encouraging the wealth of alternative price points that has helped indie games of all stripes flourish on PC digital download services, but that's another possible upside to Sony's move beyond the $60 boxed products that currently dominate the console landscape."
Introducing The Stereo Camera and Built-In Move Camera
"The PlayStation 4's stereo camera peripheral works with the PlayStation controller, which features a sensor on the back which can be sensed by the camera array."
"Lead system architect Mark Cerny says the PS4 features a supercharged PC architecture with a x86 architecture CPU, an enhanced PC GPU, and 8GB of GDDR5 system memory as well as a local hard drive."
"Sony's goal is to use its prediction software to study your gaming habits and seed your console with downloads it thinks you might like for a truly instant play experience. In addition, the company should be able to use its predictive data to serve players personalized news and content."
Instant Game Starts And Remote Play
"Gaikai CEO David Perry revealed how the enhanced PlayStation Network will change the way you play games. The benefits include instantly playing demos of games without downloading anything, spectating any friends’ game, and remotely taking over control for them."
No Backwards Compatibility, But Old Games Available In The Cloud
"While Perry said PS3 games are 'not natively supported,' that doesn't mean the extensive history of PlayStation games won't be available to users. He did not mention specifics, but Perry claims the system's cloud service will allow users access to a wide array of past PlayStation titles at a later date."
Interview With Sony President Shuhei Yoshida
Shuhei Yoshida discusses the new controller, the ambitious self publishing service for developers, and the expansion of cross-play functionality.
PlayStation 4 Has A Blu-Ray Drive
Sony has confirmed that the console will accept discs.
PS3 Data Won't Transfer To PS4
Neither PSN nor PS3 game saves will be able to make the jump to the new console.
PlayStation 4 Addresses Used Games
"'We are just now announcing the basic vision and strategy of PS4 and will have more information to share regarding used games later this year,' says a Sony spokesperson. 'But PlayStation has a long history of keeping its gamers happy and we won't make decisions that damage our relationship with them.'"
PlayStation 4 Outputs 4K Video
Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the upcoming PlayStation 4 console plays 4K resolution pre-recorded video - with four times the pixels of a 1080p display - but does not support the higher resolution for games.
Bundled With Headset, And More Controller Details
Perhaps today's most important revelation is the confirmation that the PS4 will come with a headset, which can plug into a dedicated headset jack on the bottom of the controller. Not shipping a headset with the PS3 was a major mistake for Sony, and has resulted in quieter chat lobbies than the Xbox 360 offers players.
Dual Shock 3 Controllers Won't Work With PS4
"According to Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, the next-gen PlayStation won't support the PS3's Dual Shock controller. However, the original Move motion controller will be a part of Sony's next-gen plan."
"During the press conference, Sony stressed that including 8GB of GDDR5 memory was the number-one request from developers; 8GB provides over 15 times the amount of memory the PS3 has."
"Yoshida confirmed that the PlayStation 4 is usable offline. 'Oh yes, yes, you can go offline totally. Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social! So if you don't want to connect to anyone else, you can do that.'"
What do you think of Sony's big announcement? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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