PS4 hits November 15 for $399: What you need to know (hands-on)
The analog sticks deliver an appropriate amount of feedback; however, the texture on top of the sticks was distracting.
I didn't actually get to touch the PS4 console, so I can't say how light it is or how its buttons or Blu-ray drive work. The system definitely has a look like no other console I've seen. I mean sure, it's black and squarish like most consoles, but it also has this bisected design that looks quite space-age.
Design
About that design: the angled parallelogram design of the PS4 clearly conjures PlayStations of the past. It looks like a PS2 on steroids. It's an attractive look, but it's boxy; it doesn't seem nearly as big as the Xbox One, however.
About that design: the angled parallelogram design of the PS4 clearly conjures PlayStations of the past. It looks like a PS2 on steroids. It's an attractive look, but it's boxy; it doesn't seem nearly as big as the Xbox One, however.
Also, box design really means nothing. But, hey, at least we know what it'll look like next to our television, and it's fine-looking without being obtrusive.
Used games: Yes (mostly)
The Xbox One had generated controversy because of its onerous digital rights management policies, including requiring daily Internet connections and account verification -- even for single-player games. According to Microsoft's original plan, sales and loaning of used discs would've been limited by policies set by individual game publishers. Microsoft has since reversed those policies.
The Xbox One had generated controversy because of its onerous digital rights management policies, including requiring daily Internet connections and account verification -- even for single-player games. According to Microsoft's original plan, sales and loaning of used discs would've been limited by policies set by individual game publishers. Microsoft has since reversed those policies.
Sony's policy for the PlayStation 4 appears, at first glance, to be far more traditional, but now that Microsoft's Xbox One policies seem to have come more in line with Sony's, the PS4's original advantage on this front has been largely erased. The PS4 will support used games and won't verify game accounts online. However, Sony will also leave it to third-party publishers toset their own rules on used titles, so it may not be as black and white as originally touted.
Both the PS4 and Xbox One are said to be region-free, meaning games bought in or imported from any region should play on each respective console.
PlayStation Plus and PS4
The PS4 will support the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PS3, with no new subscription price increase: it's all folded together. (Right now, that's $50 per year.) Unlike the PS3, however, a Plus subscription will be required for online multiplayer games. Thankfully, though, you won't be required to have Plus to access PS4's media services (Netflix and the like). You do need Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold subscription to do nearly anything -- including Netflix -- on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
The PS4 will support the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PS3, with no new subscription price increase: it's all folded together. (Right now, that's $50 per year.) Unlike the PS3, however, a Plus subscription will be required for online multiplayer games. Thankfully, though, you won't be required to have Plus to access PS4's media services (Netflix and the like). You do need Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold subscription to do nearly anything -- including Netflix -- on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
The PS4 will have its own Instant Game collection service; DriveClub PS Plus Edition will be the first free game at launch, with one free game per month after that. Titles will include Don’t Starve and Outlast.
Sony’s been smart to offer up free games via Plus, and you have to wonder if Microsoft is taking notice: a similar offering of free monthly games was announced for Xbox 360 owners subscribing to Xbox Live Gold.
Sony announced at Gamescom that PS4 owners will receive a free 14-day PlayStation Plus trial with the purchase of their console, which includes access to games DriveClub and Resogun.
Video content and services
Leading off the PS4 discussions at E3 was a mention of Sony's video efforts, seemingly aiming for a similar type of video-content approach with the console as Microsoft is with the Xbox One. Sony touted its studio strength and the eventual launch of exclusive videos coming only to the PS4, but it’s unclear what those are.
Leading off the PS4 discussions at E3 was a mention of Sony's video efforts, seemingly aiming for a similar type of video-content approach with the console as Microsoft is with the Xbox One. Sony touted its studio strength and the eventual launch of exclusive videos coming only to the PS4, but it’s unclear what those are.
Video services like Video Unlimited, Redbox, and Flixster are some of the services launching on the PlayStation Network, but it looks like these services will be available on the PS3, too.
The big challenge with fronting content as a reason to buy a console is this: can game systems really become video networks? Microsoft and Sony seem to be betting on this direction, and it’s a dicey endeavor.
New games
Sony demonstrated games at E3 and Gamescom -- as you’d expect -- in a mix of new games and sequels, including exclusives The Order, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Infamous: Second Son. It was hard to glean what advantages the PS4 was offering these games that the PS3 couldn’t accomplish, but for the most part these games looked pretty.
Sony demonstrated games at E3 and Gamescom -- as you’d expect -- in a mix of new games and sequels, including exclusives The Order, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Infamous: Second Son. It was hard to glean what advantages the PS4 was offering these games that the PS3 couldn’t accomplish, but for the most part these games looked pretty.
Sony's also pledging massive third-party support, and a very easy process for independent developers to publish on the PS4.
The list of PS4 games available before the end of 2013 includes 33 titles, a good number of which are independent and available for download only, as opposed to disc-based. Sony's aggressive support for independent publishers could be a point of differentiation from Microsoft.
Sony also says that its augmented-reality experiment Playroom, which incorporates motion control and robots, will be bundled with every PS4.
In a move aimed to ease the pain of transition from one console to the next, people who buy Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed IV, Call of Duty: Ghosts, or Watch Dogs on the PlayStation 3 will be able to buy the PlayStation 4 digital version for a "significantly discounted price." Other games are likely to join this list soon.
Meanwhile Amazon and GameStop have announced similar promotions where gamers can trade up to the next-gen version of games for $10.
(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment)
Hardware
The PlayStation 4, as you'd expect for a seven-years-later follow-up, has impressively bumped specs:
The PlayStation 4, as you'd expect for a seven-years-later follow-up, has impressively bumped specs:
- An eight-core X86 AMD Jaguar CPU
- 1.84-teraflop AMD Radeon graphics engine (with "18 compute units")
- 8GB of GDDR5 memory
- 500GB hard drive
- Blu-ray drive
- Three USB 3.0 ports
- 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
- Ethernet, HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1, optical audio and analog AV out
The PS4 will use a 500GB hard drive for storage; the same as the Xbox One. The specs overall match that of a modern PC with integrated AMD processors and graphics, or so it seems. It's not a particularly stunning set of specs for a PC, but it's far ahead of any existing game console. It's just not as ahead-of-its-time on the hardware end as the original PlayStation 3 seemed to be.
Immediacy of response reducing lag time while accessing content is also one of the promised PS4 features (unlike the extremely laggy Wii U, perhaps). The PS4 will allow speedy background downloading, and Sony claims that games will even be playable as they're being downloaded.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Yes, the PS4 will have a Blu-ray drive that can also play DVDs. The PS4 will also have three USB 3.0 ports, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, Analog AV-out, and optical digital audio output.
What about PS3 games playing on the PS4? Sony has so far discussed PlayStation 3 gameplay on the PS4 under the same umbrella as playing PlayStation 1 and PS 2 games, via a digital library in a yet-to-be-determined PlayStation Cloud Service. Whether this would be accomplished via streaming, digital downloads, or emulation wasn't specified, but it sounds like Sony's answer to the Virtual Console.
The DualShock 4 controller.
DualShock 4 and the new PS Eye: Touch and move
The new DualShock 4 controller feels like a fusion of the PlayStation DualShock with some of the design philosophies of both the Vita and the Move. It has enhanced rumble, a touch pad, a "Share" button, a standard headphone/microphone jack that will accept standard headphones, and light-up bar that looks like a transplanted top of a Move wand. The two-finger touch pad with click, located right in the middle of the controller, has the same look as the pad on the back of the PS Vita handheld. The DualShock 4 also has a Micro-USB port, Bluetooth 2.1, and Sixaxis gyroscope/accelerometers.
The new DualShock 4 controller feels like a fusion of the PlayStation DualShock with some of the design philosophies of both the Vita and the Move. It has enhanced rumble, a touch pad, a "Share" button, a standard headphone/microphone jack that will accept standard headphones, and light-up bar that looks like a transplanted top of a Move wand. The two-finger touch pad with click, located right in the middle of the controller, has the same look as the pad on the back of the PS Vita handheld. The DualShock 4 also has a Micro-USB port, Bluetooth 2.1, and Sixaxis gyroscope/accelerometers.
The PlayStation 4 Eye has also been redesigned: instead of the single Webcam-like lens setup before, the new almost Kinect-like bar has stereo cameras, and works with the light bar for motion controls. However, unlike the One's integrated Kinect, it's an optional accessory: you'll need to pay $60 for the Eye.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Online: The new social sharing
Sony promises that you'll be able to scan the last few minutes of your gameplay with the push of a "Share" button on the DualShock 4, uploading screenshots or clips, and even spectate and chat during other people's games like PC gamers already do. One service that will work with the button on launch day is Twitch.TV, and a spectating app for the service will also be available on the PS4.
Sony promises that you'll be able to scan the last few minutes of your gameplay with the push of a "Share" button on the DualShock 4, uploading screenshots or clips, and even spectate and chat during other people's games like PC gamers already do. One service that will work with the button on launch day is Twitch.TV, and a spectating app for the service will also be available on the PS4.
The Xbox One will also get Twitch.TV gamecast support, but unlike on the PS4, you'll need to subscribe to the Xbox Live Gold program to access the One's sharing features. Sharing will be available on the PS4 without a paid Plus subscription.
Many screens shown at the PlayStation event show what looks like a serious revamp of Sony's social gaming network, using what look like real photos and names for players. Whether video game footage-sharing is a feature with mainstream appeal has yet to be determined.
Gaikai and cloud streaming
Gaikai cloud technology, acquired last year by Sony, was discussed back in February as a possible trial-based way of playing games before buying, working via streaming-game technology. Back then, David Perry, CEO of Gaikai, discussed the many ways that PlayStation Cloud services will potentially reinvent the back end of the PlayStation experience.
Gaikai cloud technology, acquired last year by Sony, was discussed back in February as a possible trial-based way of playing games before buying, working via streaming-game technology. Back then, David Perry, CEO of Gaikai, discussed the many ways that PlayStation Cloud services will potentially reinvent the back end of the PlayStation experience.
Gaikai technology will also be used to power the PS4's spectating experiences, and that aforementioned ability to continually one-button broadcast your game progress via Share. It's certainly the first time a home gaming console has entered this territory, although PC gamers have enjoyed similar types of functions and services (OnLive, for instance). The streaming/sharing technology will also work with Facebook and Ustream.
It doesn't seem to be coming this year, though. Sony announced at E3 that the PlayStation’s cloud gaming service will be available in 2014, offering PS3 games streamed via the cloud. The service will start in the US first. And, interestingly, Gaikai services won't be limited to the PS4; the PS3 and eventually the Vita will benefit from Gaikai as well.
PlayStation Vita and remote play
Can the Vita and PS4 be best friends? Sony promises that the $199 Vita will be very integrated with the PS4, and the two will be wonderful together using Remote Play game-streaming. It sounds somewhat like what the Nintendo Wii U enables on the GamePad, except in this case the experience will be translated onto a fully independent handheld device.
Can the Vita and PS4 be best friends? Sony promises that the $199 Vita will be very integrated with the PS4, and the two will be wonderful together using Remote Play game-streaming. It sounds somewhat like what the Nintendo Wii U enables on the GamePad, except in this case the experience will be translated onto a fully independent handheld device.
If this works as promised, it could help make the PS4 and Vita a hardware match worth getting -- improved transmission times between the Vita and PS4, as promised, result in an experience as seamless as what Nintendo achieves on the Wii U GamePad. Sony's aiming to have most PS4 games be Vita-playable via remote play. No further details were given; apparently, that will be discussed "later in the year," too.
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