[News] Sony announces new PlayStation 4
Yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment announced their next console, the PlayStation 4, at an event in New York. It was streamed live and had more than 600,000 viewers. Sony did not show the actual device then. You can view this page to re-visit the whole event again. The console is expected to be released around November this year and should come to NZ sometime then as well. We will let you know more, once the details have been confirmed by Sony NZ.
Inside the PlayStation 4, features an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) with an 8-core x86 CPU and an enhanced GPU. It has 8GB of GDDR5 memory and a local hard drive. The use of APU technology and GDDR5 memory is typically reserved for “top-of-the-line, high-end graphics cards.”
The PlayStation 4 supports stopping and reloading play sessions. Also, the console has a secondary chip for uploading and downloading in the background, so your digital games can be played as they are being downloaded!
The system supports seamless uploads of gameplay, spectating other friends’ gameplay sessions in real-time, as well as an in-built chat. Players will have profile pages integrated into the “full PlayStation ecosystem.”
The new DualShock 4 controller has a touch-pad, a share button, and headphone jack, and a move-like light bar which acts as a “simpler, more friendly” way to connect and identify players. The controller can also be tracked by a camera via the light bar.
Gaming with GaiKai
PlayStation 4 will be integrated with GaiKai’s streaming games technology, as rumored before.
Gaikai chief executive Dave Perry says,
“What we’re creating is the fastest, most powerful network for gaming in the world,”
You will also be able to stream your game live online through Ustream, and if you allow it, friends can post comments directly to your stream.
“Spectating has become very popular in our industry because it lets players learn tips and tricks from the best players in the world,” Perry continues.
Backwards-Incompatible
Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 will not be backwards compatible with previous console games (PS3), but the company has announced a set of new games for the new platform. We will post some down below.
On a good note, you can use remote play on the PS Vita to play PS4 games. This is done using local Wi-Fi.
New Games
Below are some of the new games announced by Sony for the PlayStation 4.
- InFamous: Second Son
- Killzone: Shadow Fall
- DriveClub
- The Witness (3D puzzle)
- Knack (created by PS4’s system architech Mark Cerny)
- Destiny (Sci-Fi shooter)
- Diablo III
Some of these games may be familiar and some may not be so familiar, so it would pay to try them out when they come out. We’re also expecting that more new games will be developed in the meantime for the PS4.
Let us know in the comments down below what you think of Sony’s new console – the PlayStation 4!
