So the PlayStation 4 is finally a thing. And after a long, two hour event going into both the hardware and software it’s clear that the PS4 announcement was one that’ll make Microsoft and Nintendo stand up and listen. And everyone else in the games industry, for that matter. So here are my thoughts on what was announced. The good and the bad.
The Good
Power
8GB of RAM. As a lot of developers have mentioned in the immediate aftermath, that’s number is like a key to a large chest of goodies. And if that’s what developers are saying I can only imagine what the results will be. I mean, the PS3 knew a thing or two about power with its cell processor. The issue was that it made it very hard to develop for and very few developers actually unleashed the full power of the PS3 and what it could accomplish. But we’re likely not to have that issue again this time around. Which brings me to the next point …
Developer Friendly
The architecture of the PlayStation 4 is much more developer friendly. This means it’ll be easier to design games and we’ll be seeing more consistent higher quality games. This generation we were used to seeing the odd glimmer of gold from the PS3, which usually came in the form of Uncharted, but this time around games of that technical quality should become standard. And if they do then that can only mean good things.
Game Lineup
The main issue with the PlayStation 3 launch lineup were the games. But if the games detailed today are going to be launch titles, even some of them, then I predict a good launch for the PS4. It wouldn’t be a PlayStation announcement without my beloved Killzone and the fourth iteration, Shadowfall, debuted at the conference in full force with a live demo. It’s the same series, nothing wildly different. But from a technical standpoint? Woah. The graphics blew me away and the cutscenes had me absorbed. Definitely one to watch.
But that wasn’t all from first party title developers. Sucker Punch are treating us to a new InFamous, which is always a welcome release so let’s hope that’s as good, if not better, than the first two. Media Molecule are releasing a game. Do I need to say anything more than that? It’s incorporating the PlayStation Move in a way I don’t think we’ve seen before and it looks very innovative.
Apart from that, Diablo III is making its console debut and Bungie’s new game is coming to PlayStation. So the games that’ll be paying the PS4 a visit look very promising and I’m genuinely excited for them.
The Bad
No price
I most definitely didn’t expect this and I doubt Sony have even finalised numbers but it would’ve been nice to know how much the PS4 will likely set me back. Alas, it didn’t even get a mention. I suppose it’s kind of worrying considering how much the PS3 launched at, and while we all look on excitedly at all the cool features, we need to remember that every one of these ups the price. So let’s hope we get a price soon.
No actual PS4 unveiling
We heard all about the software and specifications within the PlayStation 4 but we didn’t see the actual PS4. We caught a glimpse at the simply delightful new DualShock 4 but as for seeing the box itself? Nope. I’ve heard a couple of people throwing around the ludicrous conspiracy theory that the PS4 will be download only because they never mentioned discs and actually showing the PlayStation 4 with its disc slot would have put that to rest. Okay, that’s just an excuse to see the console but I’ll stick with it.
So, they’re the good and the bad. I genuinely think the good dominates the bad and that Sony made a stellar announcement tonight. There was nothing that could be described as a disappointment or a let down. What was expected to be there was there along with some nice surprises and Sony stuck a nice balance of giving us a nice amount of information but managing to keep us wanting more in anticipation for E3.
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