PS4 RELEASE DATE AND STOCK
The PS4 release date has now been announced, with the UK and much of Europe receiving the console on the 29th of November, two weeks after the US launch date of November the 15th. It's a little later than we'd hope for, though it's still well before Christmas, so those with pre-orders will have their new consoles well bedded in before the holidays.
The release date is a friday, so you might want to consider booking the day off work so you can enjoy a long leisurely weekend with your new investment.
PS4 DRM AND USED GAMES
Video games are often presented as being cutting-edge entertainment, but at E3 Sony struck a massive blow against its main rival by simply standing still. DRM, digital licensing and mandatory internet connections have become big topics in this fledgling console war. Microsoft’s plan was to join the likes of Apple, Amazon and Steam - with content that lives in the cloud and is attached to your user account rather than physical media - with all the restrictions and advantages that entails.
PS4 STORAGE AND BLU-RAY
The specification of the PS4 includes a 500GB traditional hard disk. We'd have loved to have a super-fast SSD drive in our PS4, but that was unrealistic at launch. Thankfully, Sony continue to provide the option to swap drives as you wish, with compatibility for standard 2.5in models, so we should be able to add our own SSD in the future.
Blu-ray is a must for PS4, the PS3 came a little too early for Sony to comfortably include the hardware, but it still pushed ahead with it at great cost. These days, Blu-ray is one of the defining parts of the PlayStation brand and essential for delivering huge amounts of data for top-end games.
Blu-ray wasn't mentioned at all at the event, we're guessing that was just to keep things centred on games; it is in the specification though and the good news is that read speeds have risen from a measly 2x to a more respectable 6x. This will hugely speed up game installation times.
PS4 CLOUD GAMING AND SHARING
With its purchase of Gaikai last year, Sony was always likely to be pushing cloud gaming on the PS4. Still we're impressed how much the company has achieved on PS4 in just seven months, since its acquisition in July 2012. It goes well beyond just being able to play demos without downloading them too, with the PS4 able to connect with other devices, and your friends, in ingenious ways.
SHARED PLAY
For starters, the PS4 has built-in video compression hardware, which constantly records your gaming as you play. Using the new Share button on the PS4 controller, you can instantly grab a section of gameplay using simple edit controls and post it to say your PSN profile or Facebook. For more details see our Xbox One and PS4 gameplay recording features detailed.
Live streaming is also possible through the popular Ustream sevice – so you'll be able to stream constant footage to you fans – presuming you're some kind of pro gamer.
It goes one step further though, allowing others to join in your gaming session, from which they can talk you through difficult parts or even (with your permission) take over the controls to help you out directly when you get stuck. We're not sure how popular this will be, but games developers might be able to spin it into something far more intriguing – possibly even central to a clever indie game – where you have to help out other players by taking temporary control of their characters.
PS4 CONTROLLER - DUALSHOCK 4
After seeing many leaked pictures of the new controller, it was hardly a surprise when we saw it onstage. The final controller, though, is a far more refined version than the prototype that's knocking about with development kits. It's nicely sculpted, has what appears to be a grippy underside, and every facet is redesigned, while still keeping the iconic layout largely intact.
PS4
The new PS4 DualShock 4 being officially unveiled
It has a small touchpad above the analogue sticks and a coloured light on the front. In this respect it includes functionality we've seen on both the Vita (which has a rear touchpad) and in Sony's motion-based Move controllers. A speaker is also built-in, allowing for local audio effects and a headphone socket too - probably for headset use, but we're also hoping for Bluetooth audio for easier headphone use while playing - very handy for split-screen gaming.
The button layout has been rejigged, with a new 'Share' button added for quick access to social media. Check out our Cloud Gaming section for more details. For further details see PS4 controller revealed as the DualShock 4
There's also a new Eye device with two 1,280x800 resolution cameras – 4x the previous camera's resolution. This gives increased accuracy to pick up the existing Move controllers or the new DualShock 4. You can read more about this at PS Eye revealed for PS4.
The eye will be an optional extra for the PS4, with an RRP of £44, so don’t expect it to be as fully integrated into games as with the Xbox One’s bundled Kinect device. There are rumours the camera was going to be bundled with the console but it was dropped in order to undercut the Xbox One on price - see Sony removed PS4 Camera from bundle to undercut Xbox One.
PS4 SPECS
Here's the official listing of the PS4 specification as it stands
Main Processor:
Single-chip custom processor
CPU: x86-64 AMD 'Jaguar' 8 cores
GPU: 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon™ based graphics engine
Memory:
GDDR5 8GB
Hard Disk Drive:
Built-in 500GB
Size and weight:
305x53x275mm and 2.8kg
Optical Drive (read only):
BD 6xCAV
DVD 8xCAV
I/O and communication:
Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0)
AUX
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)
AV output:
HDMI
Digital Output (optical)
(Info from
HERE)
