PS4 Wins Many Hearts; And Wins E3

So let’s talk about the PS4. A lot of us have been worried since February about what Sony was going to do with the system. It was evident from their press conference that A) they learned a lesson from the PS3 episode and B) they paid close attention to Microsoft’s Redmond Campus catastrophe, focusing on TV, Sports, a Water Cooler and a Real Seal Team Dog. I’ve said that enough times- let’s focus on the Playstation 4.

I was entirely impressed by the press conference. There looks to be a couple of good exclusives like Order 1886 that I am interested in. However- there aren’t enough exclusives for me to jump at this right now, especially if the multiplats are coming out on the PC. My PC rig is much faster than the current console generation.

With the Playstation 4, Sony has placed their bets with gamers. It was revealed and look like a rhombus, reminiscent of the fat PS2 model. There were unconfirmed rumors that Sony would allow publishers to lock out used games, though it was also confirmed that Sony does not have an option like that in the PS4 to “lock out” used games. That source comes from videogamer.com. 

So that’s cool- I can rent, loan share and buy PS4 games, as illustrated in Sony’s sarcastic 22 second commercial of the CEO handing the SCEA CEO a game, showing how games are shared on the PS4. It has garnered viral attention among gamers and is linked in the video description. I thought it was classy. Well played.

PS4 does not come with a camera. There is a camera peripheral, but it’s only for the PS Move stuff that I’m not really interested in anyways. You won’t have to go online to register your games or download them- the GAME IS ON THE DISC and you can play games OFF THE DISC or install them to the upgradeable HDD. You will need to pay $4-5 bucks a month if you want to play multiplayer though. With free games and goodies offered, if the server quality improves with this payment, I’m ok and on board with it. It makes me feel valued, and that’s important.

You can hook the thing up to the internet and be done with it if you want. Get different streaming apps for fee, pay for that app, and watch the content streamed through your console. No other fees or nickel and diming here- PS+ is not required to operate multimedia, as confirmed by Sony.

Unlike its competitor, the Xbox One, the PS4 is centered on gaming, but offers you social media options if you want them. They are there, they aren’t complicated, but they aren’t featureless. The primary focus is on getting in, playing the game, and making that experience great if you want DLC or multiplayer through PS+.

The PS4 will not be backwards compatible with the PS3. However, Gaikai will launch in 2013. Gaikai is a streaming service which will allow you to stream PS3 games through to your PS4. I’ll pass on Gaikai and go right for my PS3, thanks. Cloud gaming will be available in the future. Where Sony shines is their strong support for indie gamers. The industry is already buzzing about the PS4 and how easy and friendly it is to develop for the system. The PS4 will have dedicated DDR5, which is graphical memory used for the sole purpose of generating pixels and doing graphics card stuff. Nice touch, Sony.

The system, of course will be blu-ray capable. In this 8^th generation, Sony has moved on and will not offer traditional composite cords, so now red/white/yellow chords or SCARTs. We are now in the HDMI age. At the conference Sony dropped a huge bomb on the convention center: the PS4 will retail for a respectable $399, $100 cheaper than their competitor Microsoft.

For a console I am impressed with what Sony has to offer. This generation proves that gaming consoles are becoming more like PCs, both in capabilities and architecture. Will I be buying a PS4? Yes, they sold me on it. But I won’t be getting one for about a year or two. I’m just not ready to jump in right now, but I will definitely jump in early in its lifespan. It offers what I want and need as a gamer, and makes me feel good doing it. They’ve done a good job catering to gamers, and it will ultimately be the sheeple buying the console this holiday season who will determine its success or not. Here's the thing about the average, dumb sheeple consumer though- when it comes to gadgets and tech; and it doesn't help that the internet makes purchases easier- sheeple are getting more intelligent when it comes to their purchases. I think Microsoft will have a lot of apologizing to do when One's become bricks.

I have a feeling Sony is going to sell pallet loads and won’t be able to keep up- at the price they are offering it at. It’s only $40-$50 more than its competitor Wii U- but blows it out of the water in terms of the hardcore gaming experience.

My final verdict? I highly recommend a Playstation 4. Look into it.