Sign up for a new account or log in here:
also @ TechSpot: Xbox One: Entertainment Hub First, Gaming Console Second -- But Could It Disrupt TV?
Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 at a media event on Wednesday evening nearly seven years after launching the company’s current console back in 2006. Some 1,200 members of the press were on hand to witness the unveiling of a new era of gaming that features a very heavy emphasis on social.
Sony described the next generation console as a supercharged PC, powered by an eight-core x86 processor that can pump out nearly 2 teraflops of computational performance. The PS4 will contain an enhanced PC-style GPU and 8GB of GDDR5 high-speed memory – lending credit to some of the rumors we have been hearing leading up to today’s announcement. Detailed hardware specifics were noticeably absent from the press conference but we were told that a secondary processor will be used to allow gamers to download titles in the background and play them as they are being downloaded.
On a performance level, we are told that the system is capable of rendering 30,000 polygons in real time. For comparison, Heavy Rain on the PlayStation 3 utilized just 15,000 polygons.
Those hoping to get a glimpse of the new hardware left empty-handed as Sony failed to show what the actual console will look like. They did, however, show off the new DualShock 4 controller featuring a touchpad, headphone jack and even a dedicate share button. The gamepad also contains a light bar that’s used to identify players and allows a 3D camera to track its movement and depth.
Sony has completely revamped the PlayStation 4’s user interface which now features a notification bar across the top of the screen. The system will use real-name profiles that will more than likely be pulled from social networks like Facebook while other aspects like the trophy system appear relatively unchanged. Overall the GUI has a heavy social network feel and there’s even an app that essentially mirrors the look for your mobile device(s).
PlayStation 3 games won’t be backwards compatible with the new console natively although the company did say they are exploring advanced technologies that could bring PS3 games to the PS4 in the future. This could possibly happen through Gaikai, the cloud gaming service that Sony acquired last summer.
Officials confirmed that the PlayStation 4 will use Gaikai's technology to stream games over the web. Details were sketchy but it sounds like the service will be used to allow gamers to try a game demo through the PlayStation Store before purchasing.
The press conference gave everyone around the world a first-look at some of the upcoming games for the PS4 including Killzone: Shadow Fall, Deep Down, Watch Dogs, Knack, Driveclub, and Infamous: Second Son. Blizzard’s Chris Metzer was on hand to announce a strategic partnership with Sony that will deliver Diablo III to the PS3 and the PS4 while Bungie showcased their just-announced title Destiny. The post-Halo game will also arrive on the PS3 and PS4 with exclusive content for PlayStation gamers.
In addition to the updated user interface, the PlayStation 4 will include a number of social-focused features. Players will be able to stream games over the PlayStation Network and watch other players in action thanks to always-on video compression. Friends will be able to interact with you as you play by posting stuff to your screen or even take over control for you if you allow it. Sony is teaming up with Facebook and Ustream for even greater social interaction and sharing.
Gamers with a PS Vita will be able to use a new remote play feature that lets you stream games from the PS4 directly to the handheld. Sony said their ultimate goal is to make every PS4 title playable on the Vita. It sounds an awful lot like what Nvidia is doing with Project Shield where PC gamers can stream a game to the portable device.
At the end of the day, we still don’t know how much Sony plans to charge for the PS4 nor do we have an exact release date. We are simply told to expect the system to show up during the 2013 holiday season. This move no doubt gives Sony some leverage to respond to whatever Microsoft may announce during E3 and price their console accordingly.
User Comments: 105
Got something to say? Post a comment-
fimbles said:
Happy to see the new consoles finally arriving, Wont be buying one, but console ports will be much more bearable now.
-
spydercanopus said:
And the 8gb of ram was for the PS4's system memory, not the GPUIt's Unified Memory meaning it's both system and video card memory.
-
danhodge said:
Okay guys, I think this is a bit of a misprint.
Didn't they say it would have 8GB of RAM, and it would have GDDR5 on its graphics card (without giving it a number)?
8GB of GDDR5 sounds ridiculous for the power of the graphics card they will be using.
-
1 person liked this |Okay guys, I think this is a bit of a misprint.
Didn't they say it would have 8GB of RAM, and it would have GDDR5 on its graphics card (without giving it a number)?
8GB of GDDR5 sounds ridiculous for the power of the graphics card they will be using.
Nope, if a dev wanted to, they could use the whole 8GB for the Graphics card, its unified memory is what they said.
-
1 person liked this |@ dennis777
Wait so what's your PS3 sitting there for?
@ dennis777Wait so what's your PS3 sitting there for?
I buy new ps4 - ps4 cant play ps3 titles - will have 2 console in living room - its like buying an xbox360 even you have a ps3
hope you understand
"its like buying an xbox360 even you have a ps3"
How can anyone possibly understand? This makes no sense. It's not even a real sentence.
-
3 way SLI try 18GB GDDR5!!!!!!!!
Yeah but you have to cough up $3000 for that 18gb
-
1 person liked this |Skidmarksdeluxe said:
8GB "GDDR5"? The GeForce Titan only has 6GB. This thing could blow all gaming PCs out of the water.Yeah and pigs can fly. The 8 gigs is system RAM, not video RAM.
-
JC713 said:
It'll come in between $350 - $400. No way will Sony price this at $499.The rumor is 429 and 529
-
1 person liked this |JC713 said:
I guess the Dual Shock 4 is the PS4 lol. I really wasted my time watching this stream for like 2 hours... and not even seeing the console.
-
1 person liked this |
Ps4 is just ps3 over again, only with beefed up graphics.
This is becoming more of an american social network entertainment pc box, might as well go for the Xbox.
Playstation isn't what it is just to be...where are the japanese inhouse game developers?
Every original A-title that made the ps1 and ps2 big, is not there anymore and every japanese game project is being outsourced to eastern europe and american game companies, no disrespect to them, but it's just not the same experience.
-
I'm happy with the first three PlayStations. There are so many great games who needs a new system?
-
JC713 said:I'm happy with the first three PlayStations. There are so many great games who needs a new system?
eh just better graphics... I gotta say Killzone got me interested, looks awesome, but there will be plenty of those types of games ahead for PC.
-
danhodge said:I'm happy with the first three PlayStations. There are so many great games who needs a new system?
The current consoles bottleneck what can be done in terms of graphics, and scale. Some people are fine being locked in at graphics which are lower than the 'low' setting on the PC versions, and being locked in at 30fps. But they tend to be the people who haven't experienced the better graphics on a PC.
Look at it this way: the only thing that let us go from Pacman sized games (not that I dislike Pacman of course) to Battlefield, and Crysis, and Grand Theft Auto, etc, is more powerful consoles. Grand Theft Auto is a great example, because they wanted to add more to GTA4, like jets - but couldn't, because the console couldn't handle more.
Imagine being able to go into every single house in the game, or imagine what the next stage of destruction could be for Battlefield.
There is a reason Battlefield limits the amount of people on a console, compared to the 64 per game on PC. People need to realize that we really do need new generation consoles.
-
fimbles said:3 way SLI try 18GB GDDR5!!!!!!!!
Yeah but you have to cough up $3000 for that 18gb
Sli does not work that way, Only the memory for one gpu will be used, 6GB
-
aMerkuri said:
3 way SLI try 18GB GDDR5!!!!!!!!and best part comes after getting three cards of Titan you will still end up in 6GB of VRAM.
-
1 person liked this |Skidmarksdeluxe said:The current consoles bottleneck what can be done in terms of graphics, and scale. Some people are fine being locked in at graphics which are lower than the 'low' setting on the PC versions, and being locked in at 30fps. But they tend to be the people who haven't experienced the better graphics on a PC.
Look at it this way: the only thing that let us go from Pacman sized games (not that I dislike Pacman of course) to Battlefield, and Crysis, and Grand Theft Auto, etc, is more powerful consoles. Grand Theft Auto is a great example, because they wanted to add more to GTA4, like jets - but couldn't, because the console couldn't handle more.
Imagine being able to go into every single house in the game, or imagine what the next stage of destruction could be for Battlefield.
There is a reason Battlefield limits the amount of people on a console, compared to the 64 per game on PC. People need to realize that we really do need new generation consoles.
No we don't. Consoles are fine for kids but real men use the proper tool. A PC.
-
1 person liked this |danhodge said:No we don't. Consoles are fine for kids but real men use the proper tool. A PC.
I agree, I only PC game. But don't you think PC games are being held back, because of games being produced primarily for consoles, and not utilizing the more powerful PC's?
-
Skidmarksdeluxe said:I agree, I only PC game. But don't you think PC games are being held back, because of games being produced primarily for consoles, and not utilizing the more powerful PC's?
Of course they are but you have to realize buying a console costs far less than a gaming PC hence their popularity. Publishers are only interested in making money so they publish more games for consoles and put PC games on the back burner. When they're asked about this they always cite: 1. PC game piracy is too rampant. 2. There are far to many PC configurations to be able to cater for all of them.
While I tend to agree somewhat with their 2nd statement, the 1st one has gotten old very quickly.
-
@ dennis777
Wait so what's your PS3 sitting there for?
As for my personal experience, I have 2 as doorstops, 1 still working.
What happens when it fails (which it will), and I can't buy PS3's new anymore?
Games become coasters?
Guess I'll just need a PC powerful enough to emulate it!
IMO both M$ and Sony made machines prone to failure this last time. I can only hope the next gen are a little more resilient. In contrast, my phat PS2 still works after 13 years. So does my Gamecube for that matter, but Nintendo has always made tough machines.
-
1 person liked this |bernie3674 said:
8GB "GDDR5"? The GeForce Titan only has 6GB. This thing could blow all gaming PCs out of the water.lol, the RAM size does not affect the speed of graphic card.
-
danhodge said:Of course they are but you have to realize buying a console costs far less than a gaming PC hence their popularity. Publishers are only interested in making money so they publish more games for consoles and put PC games on the back burner. When they're asked about this they always cite: 1. PC game piracy is too rampant. 2. There are far to many PC configurations to be able to cater for all of them.
While I tend to agree somewhat with their 2nd statement, the 1st one has gotten old very quickly.
I wasn't arguing with that fact at all, I totally agree, and only an ignorant douche (to keep language clean) would want them to develop for the minority.
My comment was just trying to say that whether you play console games or PC games, it will affect you either way - which you seemed to not understand.
-
In reference to the 30k polygon count, they did not say that was the potential for the ps4; that was just the potential for 1 character in 1 GAME that is coming out THIS year, so the potential count is much higher.
(Not that polygon counts are the most important aspect of gaming anyway.)
-
In contrast, my phat PS2 still works after 13 years. So does my Gamecube for that matter, but Nintendo has always made tough machines.
Okay and I still have my original xbox 360 from 8 years ago and it is working beautifully; in contrast I went through 3 ps2 in that consoles lifetime... you can throw out subjective allegories all you want but hardware failure happens... TO EVERY CONSOLE.
And honestly quit whining about having to buy new games, Sony never said that the ps4 was going to be backwards compatible, so the blame for investing in the current generation is yours alone. You obviously can still play them now and you have been able to, so it's not as if you bought them and never got to use them.
-
Ahh so many good things about this. Basically, Sony, Take my money. Really.
I love that all next gen systems use AMD(most likely). This is so much good news for the whole computer industry.
People will whine about console ports and what not, but the games are being designed around a PC basically, so while the ports may be just ports, I think we will see a whole bunch of devs porting to the PC with upgraded graphics, because the system is based on x86!
I love that the system uses 8 cores, I bet we will see so many more games coded for all 8 cores which could mean we will see AMD doing better vs Intel processors. Which will also mean games should play better for all gamers.
Last gen I was Xbox, this gen Sony. I think I'm going to enjoy my stay.
-
8GB "GDDR5"? The GeForce Titan only has 6GB. This thing could blow all gaming PCs out of the water.
The 7970 has 3gb of GDDR5. My 680 has 2gb of ram and it's the same speed as the 7970. The 680 with 4gb is barely faster than the 680 with 2gb. The amount of ram is not what counts for a GPU.
That depends on the resolution. Lower resolution and you're correct. Higher and you need more memory. You notice this with the benchmarks with 680 @2gigs onboard vs 7970 @3gigs, the 7970 does better at higher the resolution vs the 680.
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
-
GeForce GTX 780 Review: The Titan Descendant
-
OCZ Vertex 450 Review: Vector-like Performance For Less
-
Xbox One: Entertainment hub first, gaming console second - but can it disrupt TV?
-
Microsoft officially announces Xbox One: here's what we know so far
-
Apple claims Samsung violates Siri patents with Google Now
Featured on PC Games
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.