Hello everyone. Today I'm here after a 2 1/2 live-stream session with Sony in which there was a big announcement. The PlayStation 4. The good people at Sony talked about the new machine's capabilities, it's innovations, it's controller and they topped it off by letting some of the most famous game developers announce their plans and future titles for this new work of art. There was just one thing missing from this big gathering; the console itself.
While many are arguing "why would Sony make such a big hype for the PS4 and then not show it to the public?", the answer is simple. Good marketing! For the same exact reason that the company wouldn't confirm until a few minutes a go that it was indeed the PS4 they were going to announce on the 20th of February. To keep the people interested.
But, wouldn't showing the console keep people just as interested? Indeed it would, but this also allows the company to draw feedback from the people's reactions. Were they satisfied with the look of the controller? Does it need modifications? If that needs modifications then, does the console as a whole as well? There's no need to be hasty here and the people in Sony are aware of this. There's no need to throw away a 5 year effort just because they were anxious to show it off a little early to the public. The proper time will come. And the people will respond.
Some of it's capabilities are astounding. It has two processors, so you are now able to play a game the minute you purchase it from the PlayStation Network and while it's downloading on your PS4. It has cloud capabilities and so, let's say for instance you're playing a game and are stuck in a difficult level. One of your online friends can take control of your character and clear the path for you. On the downside there's no backsupport on games from previous consoles, but the idea was thrown out that there might be a day when all the games can be played through cloud streaming so that all CD/DVD-ROMs will become nothing but a memory.
The controller itself has some magnificent updates from it's predecessor, the PS3's DualShock 3. This DualShock 4 has an earphone jack, a touchpad and, most importantly, a "share" button. This "share" button allows you to instantly upload any part of your game to your social network while you continue playing. And another thing. When you're done playing all you have to do is press the "PS" button on the controller and that sets it on stand-by mode. When you're ready to go again, all you have to do is press the button. No loading times, no disc insertions, none of that. This console is all about easy access.
The PS Network is looking at a few changes as well. Players are going to have their own profiles now (something like Facebook) and depending on their choices on games from the Network, the console will begin to "recognize" them. Which means that it'll give recommendations by itself to the player and notify him if something new pops up that interests him. For example, let's say that a player likes Sonic The Hedgehog. So much so, that he's downloaded Sonic 2, 4 Episode 1, and Sonic Adventure. As soon as Sonic Racing is released or any similar Sonic title, the player will be informed the minute he enters the Network.
The PS4 games aren't only available to the PS4. Through a similar feature that is available to us already, the Remote Play, all PS4 games will be playable on the PS Vita. That way players are not limited to their gaming experience while playing at home.
These are only a few of the capabilities this new piece of equipment has. Someone else demonstrated how he used the PS Move controller to create an entire city! The rest will be revealed in the coming weeks since there's still a good ten months until it's release. And let's not forget E3 of course.
But, are these new capabilities really such an improvement? No longer will we have to have someone sitting next to us to be able to play with them but, isn't that the joy in it? The social interaction? During this presentation there was only one image on my mind. Children (or even adults) locked up in their rooms holding controllers, talking to their friends through their PS4's. More and more is it becoming a frightening reality that having fun is now a solitary procedure. And this new technological miracle is one more big step in that direction. Brought to you by Sony...
While many are arguing "why would Sony make such a big hype for the PS4 and then not show it to the public?", the answer is simple. Good marketing! For the same exact reason that the company wouldn't confirm until a few minutes a go that it was indeed the PS4 they were going to announce on the 20th of February. To keep the people interested.
But, wouldn't showing the console keep people just as interested? Indeed it would, but this also allows the company to draw feedback from the people's reactions. Were they satisfied with the look of the controller? Does it need modifications? If that needs modifications then, does the console as a whole as well? There's no need to be hasty here and the people in Sony are aware of this. There's no need to throw away a 5 year effort just because they were anxious to show it off a little early to the public. The proper time will come. And the people will respond.
Some of it's capabilities are astounding. It has two processors, so you are now able to play a game the minute you purchase it from the PlayStation Network and while it's downloading on your PS4. It has cloud capabilities and so, let's say for instance you're playing a game and are stuck in a difficult level. One of your online friends can take control of your character and clear the path for you. On the downside there's no backsupport on games from previous consoles, but the idea was thrown out that there might be a day when all the games can be played through cloud streaming so that all CD/DVD-ROMs will become nothing but a memory.
The controller itself has some magnificent updates from it's predecessor, the PS3's DualShock 3. This DualShock 4 has an earphone jack, a touchpad and, most importantly, a "share" button. This "share" button allows you to instantly upload any part of your game to your social network while you continue playing. And another thing. When you're done playing all you have to do is press the "PS" button on the controller and that sets it on stand-by mode. When you're ready to go again, all you have to do is press the button. No loading times, no disc insertions, none of that. This console is all about easy access.
The PS Network is looking at a few changes as well. Players are going to have their own profiles now (something like Facebook) and depending on their choices on games from the Network, the console will begin to "recognize" them. Which means that it'll give recommendations by itself to the player and notify him if something new pops up that interests him. For example, let's say that a player likes Sonic The Hedgehog. So much so, that he's downloaded Sonic 2, 4 Episode 1, and Sonic Adventure. As soon as Sonic Racing is released or any similar Sonic title, the player will be informed the minute he enters the Network.
The PS4 games aren't only available to the PS4. Through a similar feature that is available to us already, the Remote Play, all PS4 games will be playable on the PS Vita. That way players are not limited to their gaming experience while playing at home.
These are only a few of the capabilities this new piece of equipment has. Someone else demonstrated how he used the PS Move controller to create an entire city! The rest will be revealed in the coming weeks since there's still a good ten months until it's release. And let's not forget E3 of course.
But, are these new capabilities really such an improvement? No longer will we have to have someone sitting next to us to be able to play with them but, isn't that the joy in it? The social interaction? During this presentation there was only one image on my mind. Children (or even adults) locked up in their rooms holding controllers, talking to their friends through their PS4's. More and more is it becoming a frightening reality that having fun is now a solitary procedure. And this new technological miracle is one more big step in that direction. Brought to you by Sony...
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