All Playstation4 info gathered together
Sony has formally announced their newest console which very originally goes by the name of Playstation4.
The device no longer has a Cell processor at its heart like the Playstation3, but instead an 8-Core AMD x86 CPU (called “Jaguar”) with alongside it an AMD Radeon graphics unit that apparently can handle 1.84 Terraflops. Sony in the meantime confirmed that the PS4 can play 4K resolution, but only for video and not games.
There will be 8 gigabyte GDDR5 memory as well as a built-in harddisk of which the size wasn’t announced yet. Of course an optical Blu-ray driv is present, as well as a USB 3.0 connection. Also HDMI port, analog AV-out and optical digital output will be present. Network of course cannot be left out so the PS4 will support Ethernet (up to 1Gbit), wireless and bluetooth.
The new controller also gets a very original name, Dualshock4, is connected wireless with the PS4, and contains a sixaxis sensor as well as a touch pad. There’s also a light bar present with colored LEDs that pass on information to players like when your health gets dangerously low. The controller also has a built-in speaker and a stereo headset jack. Standard a mono headset will be delivered with the PS4.
Also new on the controller is the “Share” button with which gamers can automatically put all sorts of things on the internet to brag against their friends. The DualShock4 can be charged through a special docking station while the console is on standby, or through USB.
The Playstation Eye also has undergone some improvements. There are now two highly sensitive cameras with widescreen lenzes which should identify players better from the background. Also sound supposedly gets detected better and this thanks to four built-in microphones. Nice detail: the PS Eye detects the LED color on the DualShock4 controller to correctly find the positions of multiple players and as such can for instance place them correctly on the screen. The Eye also supports the Move controller and should do this better than previously. Support for the Playstation Eye was rather scarse on PS3 and Sony hopes with the improved version in the PS4 to get this to a higher level.
Fans of smartphones, tablets and such also get their wishes with the support for “second screens”? With this you can for instance connect to your PS4 with your Vita and play your PS4 games from somewhere else.
Qua functionality Sony is proud to announce that the PS4 will have a standby mode that eliminates long startup times. A push of a button awakens the device and you can immediately continue playing where you left off. Another nice innovation is that Sony hopes to have firmware updates done completely in the background so that you as owner are no longer bothered with them.
Also good news: the rumours that suggested Sony would block use of second hand games are clearly wrong. Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said it as follows:
“Used games can play on PS4”
“That’s the general expectation by consumers. They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that’s my expectation”
Not everything is great and fantastic, though. People with a huge collection of PS3 games better hold on to their console or throw their collection in the bin. Due to the completely new architecture the PS4 will NOT be compatible with Sony’s current console. The company is thinking of porting certain titles to PS4 but this will depend on the possibilities regarding emulation. Sony is also thinking of streaming certain games through services like Gaikai, but even your current collection of PSN games won’t be playable on the Playstation4.
Qua games Sony already released a bunch of trailers (which you can chekc out here. Just about all major publishers and developers have confirmed their support to the PS4. Even Blizzard has announced they’ll be supporting Sony’s newest and this starts with a port of Diablo 3.
Something security geeks will possibly like a lot less: through Gaikai streaming a friend will be able to log into your PS4 and for instance help with getting through a level. Probably this functionality will also be used for other purposes, but seeing the entire issue with PSN getting hacked we can wonder about the security aspect of this feature.
Sony stated they’ll launch the PS4 “Holiday 2013″ which means end of this year. Whether that will also apply for Europe wasn’t confirmed nor denied.
Final note: biggest absentee at the PS4 announcement event was… the PS4! The console wasn’t shown, and not even pictures were released of how the device looks.
All Playstation4 reveal trailers together
Killing them Softly
So PS4 is just a new name for a PC that you can’t upgrade, that sounds just like a mac. I wonder if you can plug in a mouse and keyboard. Hey you also think we will be able to run win 7 or 8 on it.