Posted Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 06:30 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Sony has shared details about the system's architecture, ease of development, online and social focus, DUALSHOCK 4 and PS 4 Eye, and a full slate of games.
Sony's two hour presentation, dubbed 'PlayStation Meeting 2013' marked the first official unveiling of their new console, the PlayStation 4. Along with the flood of information that confirmed many rumors but dashed others was the absence of a few key details. Neither a date nor a price was mentioned, and Sony denied any visual of the actual console hardware beyond the controller and camera.
Although Sony's showcasing of both the new social focus of the console, (players can use the share button to instantaneously record and share in-game footage) and the myriad of titles in store for the platform is understandable, however, one detail, the system's optical drive was hardly mentioned. Despite all the tech designed to allow players to play games and other content from the moment it begins downloading, the system will have a 6x speed Blu-ray drive. Full specs from Sony are available here.
Much of what the PS4 is touting at the moment seems like a logical step forward for Sony. The system has a PC-like architecture to ease development and a dedicated CPU for background applications. The system also has a low-power state that allows the player to hop back instantly (like on a PSP or Vita). The controller is still a DualShock, but the ergonomics have changed, a Vita-like touchpad has been added to the front, and headset/mike jack are at the bottom, a monaural speaker is in the center, and as PS Move-like light sits at the front. Supplementing both PS Move functionality and the system's ability to let players share through Ustream is a dual camera PS Eye.
The system will also support Remote Play through a PS Vita, with Sony stating that issues that have plagued PS3 Remote Play (both through the PSP and PS Vita) have been addressed. Sony hopes to have the majority of PS3 titles support Remote Play. Sony also briefly mentioned a desire and ability to integrate other touch screen devices, such as smart phones and tablets, into the system.
The thorny issue of backwards compatibility was briefly addressed. Sony hopes to roll out in phases, backwards compatibility on the PS4 for the PS3, PS2, PS1, and PS Mobile titles. This is to be accomplished through Gakai streaming, just as Gakai will be central the new PSN's ability to allow instant access to software in the store.
Games mentioned in the briefing include 'Knack,' 'Killzone: Shadow Fall,' 'Driveclub,' Jonathon Blow's 'The Witness,' 'Infamous: Second Son, an untitled 'Final Fantasy' title, 'Watch Dogs,' 'Diablo III,' and 'Destiny.' There were also technical demos from Quantic Dream, Square Enix, and Media Molecule.
Source:PlayStation.Blog
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