The big Sony PlayStation 4 announcement has finally arrived as of Wednesday night and it was pretty much what everyone had been expecting. The PS4 was revealed as the future of Sony's video game systems, with various features and details given about the next generation console. Additionally, a PS4 release date was given, sort of.
According to IGN.com, the new PlayStation 4 release date was announced by Sony merely as "coming Holidays 2013." That's big news for the video game platform maker, as they have now positioned themselves ahead of Microsoft and the anticipated Xbox 720, which has yet to be announced. It's possible a more firm PS4 release date will be revealed in the coming weeks or months.
With the new system, there will be a variety of innovative new features added. Sony is crafting the overall experience to predict the user's interests and likes, which it will then use to present suggested downloads, news and other content. Gamers will be able to instantly play game demos, watch over friends' game sessions, and also will have the ability to take control of a friend's game if they get stuck in a certain spot and need help. The "free-to-play" and "episodic gaming" will also be new initiatives that game developers can explore on the system.
Full specs weren't released at the time of this report, but what is known is that the new PlayStation 4 will be the best video game system yet. IGN said of the next generation system's hardware that lead system architect Mark Cerny got on stage to give some particulars. According to IGN, Cerny said:
"...the PS4 features a supercharged PC architecture with a x86 architecture CPU, an enhanced PC GPU, and 8GB of GDDR5 system memory as well as a local hard drive. This all means that the PS4 can make nearly two teraflops of computations a second."
The console will include a stereo camera and built-in Move camera. Rumors had pretty much got the new controller right (see it here) over the past several days and weeks, as it will feature an integrated touchpad, a speaker underneath it, and a "Move Light Strip." The light strip will be detectable by the built-camera on the PS4 to figure out where players are located. The controller will also feature a share button allowing players access to their social networks. The controllers feature analog sticks in similar spots to the PS3 controller, but apparently they've improved the triggers making them "more angular, convex triggers."
One gripe many gamers already have is that the new system lacks "backwards compatibility" for PS3 or PS2 games. However, older titles will reportedly be available in "The Cloud" for instant access. It's unknown how many games will be offered, which titles will be there, or what sort of cost is going to be involved though.
Some of the PS4 games which have been announced already include "Watch Dogs," "Bungie's Destiny," and a new "Final Fantasy" title which will debut at E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) for 2013 will be held from June 11 to June 13, so expect much more Playstation 4 news before and during the event.
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