PlayStation 4 was announced in New York and is due by the end of the year. No specific date (or price) or information for individual regions was mentioned. And, despite naming the thing and showing off its controller, we didn’t get to see the console’s box. That’s presumably been left as a present we can’t peek at until E3.
Sony has confirmed the ability to hook up smartphones and tablets as a secondary screen – showing maps and other information during gameplay, and allowing users to exchange messages and make purchases from the PlayStation Store. The abilities will be made available via PlayStation App, a download for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
PS4 will come with a new PlayStation 4 Eye camera in the box – similar to how Kinect 2.0 is expected to ship with the next Xbox. PS4 Eye will let users to log in via face recognition and allow the use of gamer’s body movements or voices in games. It works using dual camera lenses to capture a better view of the gameplay space, and four microphones to accurately source who’s speaking. A mono headset will also be included.
PS4 hardware
All this was leading into the news we all knew was coming: PlayStation 4. It’s real.
Mike Cerny, lead system architect on PlayStation, then took the stage, confirming that development started five years ago.
Cerny said that Sony is very proud of the Cell architecture the PS3 used, but with the PS4 it wanted to ensure nothing came between the gamer and the game. It spoke to developers and used their feedback to construct a new system which would enable development, not complicate it, using familiar components.
The new console will be PC-like to develop for, with 8GB of RAM and almost two teraflops of power. An Unreal Engine 4 demo was shown.
He then showed off the Dual Shock 4, also produced in conjunction with developer feedback. The controller has improved triggers, sticks and rumble; reduced latency; and a headphone jack. As rumoured, it includes a touch pad and motion sensor, and partners with a camera.
Cerby said the new console has a lower power state which can be initiated or cancelled with a single button press. It can be triggered in-game, with play state preserved in RAM.
