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Sony Shows Off PlayStation App, Demonstrates Vita TV During TGS Press Conference
Sony didn't offer any revelations about its upcoming hardware, but it did show off some of their assorted functions in action for the first time.
Sony's Shuhei Yoshida showed off the PlayStation app, which will allow players to take advantage of second screen applications in games, where applicable. Players will also be able to use the app to see what their friends are playing and accept game and friendship invites when they are away from their console. Yoshida used the app to draw a character on the screen, and then inserted that character into a game.
Yoshida also showed the PS Vita TV in action, demonstrating some of its practical applications. Yoshida began playing Knack on a PlayStation 4, and described a situation where his wife wanted to use the TV, requiring him to move to a different room. Yoshida paused the game, moved to different screen on the stage, navigated some menus, and began playing right where he left off in Knack on the new screen with the PS Vita TV.
The transition from direct-play to streaming-play appeared seamless, and Knack didn't seem to lose any graphical fidelity in the transition. Of course, we won't know how truly seamless moving from PS4 to PS Vita TV is until we get to test out the devices ourselves. Currently, there are no plans to bring the PS Vita TV to North America.
During the conference, SCE President Andrew House said (by way of translator) that Sony is projecting the sale of 5 million PlayStation 4s before the end of 2013. The PlayStation 4 launches in North America on November 15.
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