Sony have announced the PlayStation 4. But, this was not a full reveal of the console. some rumored late changes to the Specs, more specifically the inclusion of GDDR5 8GB RAM, are thought to be behind the decision not to reveal the Console itself.
Sony have announced the PlayStation 4 is coming out this holiday season. no specific countries/territories or prices were revealed. But, Sony have revealed some details about the console.
the console has been built around gamers and developers. they asked developers what they wanted from a console and Sony say the console, and tools to develop the games with, have been designed so the developers can push the boundaries. Gamers are now able to share their experiences. built into the system at a hardware level is the ability to share video of gameplay, and screenshots. the PS4 hardware means the console is always ready to upload your gameplay. This is also true in the controller where there is now a Share button which lets gamers share screenshots and videos to sites like Facebook.
As well as uploading video, you can stream the game your playing to your friends using services like Ustream. during this streaming sessions, your friends are able to comment on gameplay and if you get stuck in a level, your friends can also jump in and play by offering special weapons or health potions for example.
Sony have confirmed that the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita will work together via Remote Play. this can mean playing the game on the PS4 and then transferring it to the PSV, much like with the Wii U how you can play on TV or the screen on the GamePad. Sony's aim is to have most/all PS4 titles have this PSV Remote Play feature. Sony is also working with smartphones and tablets to bring "Second Screen" functionality to them.
Sony have revealed the PS4 has taken some PSV inspiration by having a suspend mode. it works much like the PS Vita where you can turn it off during a game and come back to it later. the PS4 does this in a low power sleep mode, no need to load a save or boot up the console. another inspiration borrowed is the ability to have other programs/apps running in the background of the game like a web browser.
When it comes to digital titles, once a download has started you can start playing that game and the download continues as you play. games will be downloaded and updated in the background. Sony has a aim that over time the PS4 will learn the games you like so there will be a point where the console has downloaded a game it thinks you'll like as well as games you want.
Sony's Gaikai integration was also announced. the aim is for gamers to find a game they like the look of and play it without downloading the game itself, you would be streaming the game over the internet. once you decide you like it you can then buy it and download it to your system. the aim is to not only have PS4 titles but also PS3 titles available for online streaming.
What Devs Are Saying About The PlayStation 4
Announced Console Specs:
Main Processor
Single-chip custom processor
CPU : x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”, 8 cores
GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon™ based
graphics engine
Memory
GDDR5 8GB
Hard Disk Drive
Built-in
Optical Drive
(read only)
BD 6xCAV
DVD 8xCAV
I/O
Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0) 、AUX
Communication
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)
AV output
HDMI
Analog-AV out
Digital Output (optical)
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Press Release
