Sign up for a new account or log in here:
also @ TechSpot: OCZ Vertex 450 Review
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-
No Kinect, no sale
-
NTAPRO said:
I thought people cared more about gameplay than graphics... At least that what it seems like when people complain about games like COD
I must be living under a rock lol
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.
It may be old, but it's not as if it isn't true. You don't see console games setting piracy records in illegal downloads >_>
-
1 person liked this |LNCPapa said:
I care about both. I can play old and crappy looking games for nostalgic reason, but if it's modern then it better try to blow me away both graphically and gameplay wise.
-
danhodge said:
People don't notice it, but better graphics can improve the immersion for the player. But if the game sucks, then - well, that's an example of painting a turd to look like a cake.
It wont taste any better, but more people will buy it.
The main thing is scale. You may be able to get better graphics on screen at one time, but what is better is the chance to have more graphics on screen at once. More players, bigger worlds, massive wars, and more...
-
NTAPRO said:
But people talk about consoles games like they are just so bad lol. I'm all for graphics, but even for the graphic heavy games like BF3 and split/second, I don't think I'd enjoy it any less on console just because it doesn't have super ultra high settings that a pc takes advantage of. I just don't think the average family sees a decent gaming rig as a worthwhile investment when there are consoles out there that at least 2 of them and enjoy games at one time.
-
Skidmarksdeluxe said:
I thought people cared more about gameplay than graphics... At least that what it seems like when people complain about games like CODI must be living under a rock lol
It may be old, but it's not as if it isn't true. You don't see console games setting piracy records in illegal downloads >_>
Absolutely, but that isn't to say console games don't get pirated, they do, but on a smaller scale. There are thousands of unsavory characters willing to 'chip' consoles and how many consoles do get 'chipped'?
It's a great pity that legitimate owners and players are treated like criminals while the pirates walk away wearing smiles like cheshire cats.
-
NTAPRO said:
Yeah, it can get pretty bad. Black Ops 2 was pirated pretty heavily and Treyarch and sony are very serious on the matter and aren't hesitating to ban people. I know there was quite a few soft modded consoles, especially when geohot was active before being taken down by sony
-
1 person liked this |Skidmarksdeluxe said:But people talk about consoles games like they are just so bad lol. I'm all for graphics, but even for the graphic heavy games like BF3 and split/second, I don't think I'd enjoy it any less on console just because it doesn't have super ultra high settings that a pc takes advantage of. I just don't think the average family sees a decent gaming rig as a worthwhile investment when there are consoles out there that at least 2 of them and enjoy games at one time.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with consoles or console gaming. I'm just sick & tired of having the pc take a back seat when it comes to games.
-
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.
I'm not sure if you're trolling or just ignorant.
I'm leaning towards trolling based on your "Guest" status. I'll humor you anyway.
Current consoles are lemons compared to their older counterparts.
[link]
[link]
No subjective allegories here eh?
I've personally never heard of a Super Nintendo failing on its own.
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.I don't recall mentioning anything about purchasing new games.
"Guess I'll just need a PC powerful enough to emulate it!" is what I posted. Relating to playing my purchased games in the future.
Since it looks like you missed my point,
My issue is with the crappy hardware, not the lack of backward compatibility.
-
The rumor is 429 and 529
The only rumor I heard on price was the British price which put it at 300 pound sterling (about $426). I haven't anything regarding a US price.
-
JC713 said:
Another rumor I hear today was 599
-
Controlled sucked on ps1 and now they are still using the same piece of poop. Who cares about the hardware when the peripherals haven't changed in 10+ years. I would actually buy a play station if they innovated there controler design.
-
St1ckM4n said:
..And this is the moment we all realise that we've been softly and beautifully trolled by Sony.
There wasn't even a hint that this was gameplay. Not a single 5 second piece where someone on stage used the new controller to play a tech demo. By the way, even if this did happen, there is no reason why it couldn't have been a PC behind the scenes.
tl;dr everything is a lie until proven otherwise.
-
dennis777 said:
"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.
you cant coz you have little common sense. If I have tons of PS3 games why would I buy another console if it cant play my games for that console? Im comparing it to "buying a xbox3 even you already have a PS3". And im talking about the PS4 that cant play PS3 games by the same company who made it. dont bash if you dont want to be bash.
-
ghasmanjr said:
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.False. Far Cry 3: [link]
The 680 beats the 7970 at all three resolutions on Ultra quality.
-
Meh, 499 won't be a deal breaker. Hell, people are spending that (and more) for iPads and Android Tablets so they can play Angry Birds and browse the web. This is going to be a very interesting system to follow, the reports I've read on the 720 are it will not be up to the tasks of this machine graphically.
-
1 person liked this |
My current gaming PC puts this invisible PS4 to shame ( 2 GTX 680s 4gb,512 GB SSD,,i7 @ 4.8 ghz, 2560 x 1600 display), Everyone here is clamoring over specs and games my PC had and could play 2 years ago. I saw lots of lag in the games which were mostly cut scenes running on last years pc hardware btw, and the bandwidth for the presentation was really laggy hardly watchable at times. Consoles lol.
-
My current gaming PC puts this invisible PS4 to shame ( 2 GTX 680s 4gb,512 GB SSD,,i7 @ 4.8 ghz, 2560 x 1600 display), Everyone here is clamoring over specs and games my PC had and could play 2 years ago. I saw lots of lag in the games which were mostly cut scenes running on last years pc hardware btw, and the bandwidth for the presentation was really laggy hardly watchable at times. Consoles lol.
Your one GTX 680 card is probably more than what the PS4 will retail for. In fact, your entire system could probably nab me three PS4s.
-
Sarcasm said:
@ShawnKnight
"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."
Seriously, you need to edit this part out. The presentation showed the PS3 is doing 30,000 polygons in the game Beyond Two Souls for the main character.
The PS4 can probably do something million per character, we don't know yet.
-
1 person liked this |Sarcasm said:My current gaming PC puts this invisible PS4 to shame ( 2 GTX 680s 4gb,512 GB SSD,,i7 @ 4.8 ghz, 2560 x 1600 display), Everyone here is clamoring over specs and games my PC had and could play 2 years ago. I saw lots of lag in the games which were mostly cut scenes running on last years pc hardware btw, and the bandwidth for the presentation was really laggy hardly watchable at times. Consoles lol.
I don't get how people can be so smart to have such good systems, yet be filled with ridiculous amounts of ignorance and douchebaggery.
Humans, what a waste.
-
So much for all the PS3 games I bought... what a waste of money
Is your ps3 going to vanish when they release ps4?....if you sell it that's your choice.
-
avoidz said:
Pricing in Australia lists it as AU$899 without games, which are AU$119 each.
-
..And this is the moment we all realise that we've been softly and beautifully trolled by Sony.
There wasn't even a hint that this was gameplay. Not a single 5 second piece where someone on stage used the new controller to play a tech demo. By the way, even if this did happen, there is no reason why it couldn't have been a PC behind the scenes.
tl;dr everything is a lie until proven otherwise.
Did you even watch the Killzone Stream? The guy was on stage actually playing it with a Controller -_- same with Knack as well, in fact he came on stage with a PS Vita playing the game.
-
False. Far Cry 3: [link]
The 680 beats the 7970 at all three resolutions on Ultra quality.
Actually its not false, how about looking through a few reviews rather than just one? Here ya go bra, [link]
So what we learn here is that at lower resolutions the 680 holds or wins over the 7970, at higher the game uses more memory because of larger resolution textures, thus, 3 gigs GDDR5 is better than 2 gigs. Look here for more proof > [link]
-
1 person liked this |
"I saw lots of lag in the games which were mostly cut scenes running on last years pc hardware btw, and the bandwidth for the presentation was really laggy hardly watchable at times. Consoles lol."
I didn't even see this part of the comment. All of the games that were being displayed on the PS4 were real time. As someone mentioned above Killzone Shadowfall and Knack were actually being played. None of the demos, tech or game, were using CG graphics.
Incidentally why are you bashing the PS4 for the bandwidth of the presentation? You do realize the reason the bandwidth was probably sucking for you is because whatever site you were on was experiencing a high amount of traffic, right? That's why I had more than one site that was displaying the event up on my PC: When one site started to experience lag issues I'd just go over to the other site and watch the presentation there.
The PS4 is bad because of bandwidth issues with the presentation. I can't believe you posted that after bragging about what a monster of a rig you have.
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
Featured on Cases
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.