It’s been a week since Sony held their two-hour press conference regarding the upcoming PlayStation 4. Though a lot of information was given at the unveiling, even more had been left vague, and Sony’s stock dropped several points following the event. Here are a few examples of what Sony didn’t mention at their presentation.
1) Price point and SKUs
The PlayStation 4 was presented as being a powerful piece of hardware. While it may not be up to par with the highest quality gaming PCs, last week’s gameplay footage looks to be a definite step up from the current generation. With all of its supposed processing power, many are wondering how much the actual system will cost. Sony would be smart to price this new system a bit cheaper than the PS3 was at launch, and them stepping away from their special Cell processor makes that all the more possible. It’s also safe to assume that there will be more than one model available at launch, with differing hard drive sizes, preloaded features, or accessories.
2) HDD size
It comes to no surprise that the PS4 will have an onboard hard drive. The original PS3 launched with a modest amount of storage space, but newer models come with over 300GB. With Sony focusing more on digital downloads, it’s safe to assume that the PS4 will have quite a bit of storage space. However, fans may have to wait until June to find out just how much storage that will be.
3) Region Locking
While this may not be the hottest issue regarding a new console, Sony hasn’t said anything regarding the PS4’s ability to play content from other regions. As of now, there is no way of knowing whether the PS4 will follow the PS3’s example of letting developers choose whether or not to lock their games, or if the policy will change with this new generation.
4) Account information
With the news that the PS4 will not offer traditional backwards compatibility with older consoles, fans have wondered what this means for their PSN accounts. It seems unlikely that Sony would choose not to carry over users’ personal data and trophy information, but no official statement has been made. PSN friends will most likely be carried over to the new console, though things such as purchased wallpapers and avatars will probably remain exclusively on the PS3.
5) The console itself
A particularly strange absence at last week’s presentation was the actual console. Even though Sony spent a good two hours discussing their new hardware, games, and next generation goals, not a single glimpse of the PS4 was shown. While the lack of the physical console may not seem very important, fans have been very vocal about its absence.
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