Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Ask Us Anything About The PlayStation 4
News editor Mike Futter and I are in New York for the PlayStation 4 launch event, where we received our review hardware. Do you have any questions about the hardware? Fire away. We can't promise that we'll be able to answer everything, but we'll certainly try our best.
We can give you impressions of the games that we've seen, tell you about the camera's functionality (such as facial recognition), talk about the controller – just about everything but give you review scores. For instance, we can say that the system takes 31 seconds to boot up.
Fire away. We'll keep an eye on the comments and will try to update the story as quickly as we can.
We've had lots of questions about features (including playing online, full featured camera support, and more) that will be activated with the 1.5 firmware patch. It is not live yet, and might not be until as late as Wednesday morning. We'll answer what we can. ^MF
Have you had a chance to see the new PlayStation Store? Is it fast and efficient like how it was on the PS3 before the new one? - Kybaraian
We saw the PlayStation Store this morning and it looks very similar to the current PS3 store. The good news is that it's VERY fast. ^MF
Is the touchpad used in any interesting ways regarding the UI? - Braydo
Nope. The touchpad doesn't have any UI functions yet. ^MF
Have you seen anything with the terms of service? Read somewhere that for the EU you have to get permission from Sony before you can re-sell your games, and I believe it also stated about the PS4 having DRM. - mikesorrell
The TOS item #7 picture that has been circulating that references seeking permission to resell your games is not reflected in the current US terms of use. ^MF
As far as allowing the console to download games while you are away from it, is that available at launch? Can you set specific times where you want updates and games to download or does it download as it's available?- Braydo
When you initiate a download from PC or the companion app, it will turn on the PS4 and start downloading, but only if your PS4 is configured for that. You cannot choose a specific download time as you can on the PS3. ^MF
If either of you actually were fans of the Dualshock 3, would you say then as a fan of that controller that either of you prefer or disapprove of the new controller? Because I always favored it over the 360 controller, with only keyboard and mouse being better IMO. I'm worried it's too much like the 360 now. - Paradigmthefallen
Neither Mike nor I are huge DualShock 3 fans, but we're both completely impressed by the DualShock 4. The triggers feel great, the analog-stick placement has been tweaked just a bit (no more touching thumbs!), and it fits better in hand overall. It feels like its own thing; I wouldn't worry about it feeling too close to the 360 controller if that's your concern. ^JC
How fast are the install times? This has been eating away at me for the past few weeks when I discovered the large installs sizes next gen has. Any insight would be appreciative! Thanks! - Ketsuyame
It takes about 10 seconds or so to get into the game (depends on the game, of course), and then everything else installs in the background. ^MF
Does it take forever to go back to the dashboard to check what trophies you have for a game or respond to a message? - SmileyofChaos
Going back and forth to the PlayStation Dynamic Menu and a game is extremely fast. I would go so far as to say "instantaneous." ^MF
They already said it does not play MP3. What other formats DOES it play? Wav? avi? wmv? ogg? aac? flac? mkv? etc.... Also they said no external drives. What about USB drives? - Travis Cooley
We won't be able to test these yet, but I can tell you from testing a USB drive just now that it doesn't show up anywhere that we can see. Unless that gets patched in later, USB drives for saves are out. We found the location for moving saves to the cloud AND to USB drives. It was a bit hidden, but it appears that you CAN use USB drives to store save files. ^MF
Any impressions on the voice commands with the system at the moment? - sexyfish
That will be added in patch 1.5, which should be live no later than Wednesday morning. ^MF
Are you allowed to change your username at all.- SunniDee22
Not if you want to keep your friends and trophies. ^MF
Is there any indication of PSHome on the system at this point? I would find it odd if SCEA/SCUK were to drop the program considering several companies were founded for it. There was indication in Feb. after the reveal; Home recieved an update that moved it to the cloud servers on the following day. - docH1987
It hasn't been mentioned once since we arrived. ^MF
Any word on if Sony is considering external HDD support in the immediate future via a system update?- D. Brandon Thomas
No confirmation yet, but following response from the community, I think Sony has said they are considering it. ^MF
Can you play your downloaded game library (PS1, PS2, PS3 games) or does that come at a later time? - Sam7pointo
No. Until the Gaikai streaming service is up and running, the PS4 is not backward compatible. ^MF
Will you be able to play free to play games even if you don't have playstation plus? - lllJoJohnlll
Yes! Free-to-play games are in front of the PS+ paywall. ^MF
Does the PS4 have the same functionality as the Xbox 360 in terms of being able to play your own music during games? - Sipdeenfipdy
Right now, no. Sony may be implementing MP3 support post-launch. If so, we might see that feature added, also. ^MF
How precise is the keyboard manipulation with the Dualshock 4 cursor manipulation? - Sipdeenfipdy
It's about the same as a Wii Remote. It doesn't snap to letters, but it is a little sticky. ^MF
At launch Will the system be able to surf the web like the ps3 or did Sony drop that feature? Also does every game you buy, retail or download, have to be installed to the console to play it?- mrcole13
Yes. The PS4 has a web browser. Also, every game must be installed to the console. ^MF
Any word on the use of current Headsets that use Bluetooth for chat? I really wanna use my Ear forceTangos! - Ernie
Legacy bluetooth headsets will not work on PlayStation 4. ^MF
Will you be able to install a larger hard drive - thejross
Yes. No thicker than 9.5mm and must be larger than 160GB. ^MF
Can you save recorded gameplay to the Hard-Drive? Like, if I click the SHARE button and want to save some gameplay to my Hard-Drive, can I? - Injustice
Yes. ^MF
What's the first thing you see when you boot up the system, and where in the UI does it put you? - deaddug33
The first thing you see is a safety message. The PS4 drops you into the "What's New" section, which includes your activities and those of your friends. ^MF
Update 1.5 is now live, and we're taking more of your questions!
How is the PS4 Camera is it like the XboxOne Connect. What is the purpose to even get the PS4 Camera do you have to have Move controllers too? What games will be using the Camera? - ThunderCrushR
The PS4 camera is a bit like Kinect in that it can be used to sign a user in and it responds to voice commands. You do not need to use a Move controller with it. Just Dance 2014 uses it (without Move Controllers), War Thunder will support head tracking, and PlayRoom requires it. It works well, and it's long-term value is predicated on developer implementation. ^MF
Is connecting your console to the internet like the 360 where it just shows your network and all you have to do is click on it? Or is it the complicated method of connecting that was on ps3?- shadowblade104
It's a very simple process to connect to the internet. It's streamlined from the PS3 experience. ^MF
Have you heard the Dualshock 4's speaker used? If so, does it sound decent? Or is it low quality and tinny sounding? - John
It sounds better than a Wii Remote speaker, but don't expect full, rich audio. ^MF
Can you make custom avatar pics using the PS4 camera or uploading your own pics through a usb? - Moznomic
No. You can only import your Facebook profile picture. ^MF
Since dynamic themes and custom wallpapers are not supported, is there any room for customization on the Playstation Dynamic Menu? - D. Brandon Thomas
Not that we've seen yet, but we'll take a closer look. ^MF
Is it mandatory to upgrade to Playstation Plus to transfer my username over to the PS4? - Holy Knight
I don't believe so. ^MF
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
