PlayStation 4 press release
It can't have escaped your notice that
PlayStation announced the PlayStation 4 console today.
Here's the official word from Sony about what to expect on the console.
Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today introduced PlayStation®4 (PS4™), its
next generation computer entertainment system that redefines rich and immersive
gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, deeply
integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features. Combined
with PlayStation®Network with cloud technology, PS4 offers an expansive gaming
ecosystem that is centered on gamers, enabling them to play when, where and how
they want. PS4 will be available this holiday season.
Gamer
Focused, Developer Inspired
PS4 was designed from the ground up to ensure that the
very best games and the most immersive experiences reach PlayStation gamers.
PS4 accomplishes this by enabling the greatest game developers in the
world to unlock their creativity and push the boundaries of play through a
system that is tuned specifically to their needs.
PS4 also fluidly connects players to the larger world
of experiences offered by PlayStation, across the console and mobile spaces,
and PlayStation® Network (PSN).
The PS4 system architecture is distinguished by its high performance and ease
of development. PS4 is centered around a powerful custom chip that
contains eight x86-64 cores and a state of the art graphics processor.
The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has been enhanced in a number of ways,
principally to allow for easier use of the GPU for general purpose computing
(GPGPU) such as physics simulation. The GPU contains a unified array of
18 compute units, which collectively generate 1.84 Teraflops of processing
power that can freely be applied to graphics, simulation tasks, or some mixture
of the two.
PS4 is equipped with 8 GB of unified system memory, easing game creation and
increasing the richness of content achievable on the platform. GDDR5 is
used for this memory, giving the system 176 GB/second of bandwidth and
providing a further boost to graphics performance.
The end result for gamers is new games with rich, high-fidelity graphics and
deeply immersive experiences that shatter expectations.
Shared
Game Experiences
Social
interaction is central to PS4 experiences, so new features were built into the
actual foundation of the system’s hardware architecture. PS4 provides
dedicated, “always on” video compression and decompression systems that enables
seamless uploading of gameplay. For the first time ever, gamers can share their
epic triumphs with the press of a button. Gamers simply hit the “SHARE
button” on the controller, scan through the last few minutes of gameplay, tag
it and return to the game—the video uploads as the gamer plays. Gamers
can share their images and videos to their friends on social networking
services such as Facebook.
PS4 also enhances social spectating by enabling gamers to broadcast their
gameplay in real-time to friends using live internet streaming services such as
Ustream. During live broadcasts, friends can make comments on the
streamed gameplay and, if a gamer gets stuck on a challenging level, friends
can also join the game in completely new ways. For example, friends can
offer health potions or special weapons when a player needs them most during
actual gameplay.
Furthermore, users can connect their Facebook account with Sony Entertainment
Network account. Through PS4, users are able to deepen their connections
through co-op play or “cross-game chat”.
PS4
Second Screens
PS4 integrates
second screens, including PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), smartphones and tablets,
to wrap gamers in their favorite content wherever they are. A key feature
enabled by second screens is “Remote Play” and PS4 fully unlocks its potential
by making PS Vita the ultimate companion device. With PS Vita, gamers
will be able to seamlessly pull PS4 titles from their living room TVs and play
them on PS Vita’s beautiful 5-inch display and intuitive dual analog sticks
over Wi-Fi networks*1. It is SCEI’s long-term vision is to
make most PS4 titles playable on PS Vita*2.
A new application from SCE called “PlayStation®App” will enable iPhone, iPad,
and AndroidTM based smartphones and tablets*3 to become
second screens. Once installed on these devices, users can, for example,
see maps on their second screens when playing an adventure game, purchase PS4
games while away from home and download it directly to the console at home, or
remotely watch other gamers playing on their devices.
Immediate
Gameplay
PS4 radically
reduces the lag time between players and their content. PS4 features
“suspend mode” which keeps the system in a low power state while preserving the
game session. The time it takes today to boot a console and load a saved
game will be a thing of the past. With PS4, gamers just hit the power
button again and are promptly back playing the game at the exact point where
they left off. Additionally, users can boot a variety of applications
including a web browser when playing a game on PS4.
PS4 also enables games to be downloaded or updated in the background, or even
in stand-by mode. The system takes it one step further by making digital
titles playable as they are being downloaded. When a player purchases a
game, PS4 downloads just a fraction of the data so gamers can start playing immediately, and the
rest is downloaded in the background during actual gameplay.
Personalized,
Curated Content
On the newly designed
PS4 menu screen, players can look over game-related information shared by
friends, view friends’ gameplay with ease, or obtain information of recommended
content, including games, TV shows and movies. The long-term goal of PS4
is to reduce download times of digital titles to zero: if the system knows
enough about a player to predict the next game they will purchase, then that
game can be loaded and ready to go before they even click the “buy”
button. PS4 will further enrich users’ entertainment experiences, by
meeting their potential needs.
Gaming
in the Cloud
Launched in
November 2006, PlayStation Network, a network service for PlayStation users,
now operates in 67 countries and regions*4 around the world with the
total number of downloaded content of more than 2.8 billion*5.
In addition to a variety of games available in PlayStation®Store, PS4 users
will be able to enjoy a variety of services offered by PSN, such as Sony
Corporation’s Music Unlimited, a cloud-based music subscription service and
Video Unlimited, a premium video service, as well as various content
distribution services.
By combining
PlayStation Network with Gaikai Inc’s cloud technology, it is SCE’s goal to
make free exploration possible for various games. In the future, when a gamer
sees a title of interest in PlayStation Store, they can immediately start
playing a portion of the actual game — not a stripped down version of the game.
With Gaikai and PlayStation Store, gamers will be able to experience
appealing games and only pay for the games they actually love.
PlayStation Network and the cloud will offer additional value to
PlayStation gamers. SCE is exploring unique opportunities enabled by
cloud technology with the long-term vision of making PlayStation libraries including
an incredible catalog of more than 3000 PS3 titles*6 that is
unmatched in the industry, mostly ubiquitous on PS4.
SCE will announce new details of PS4 and its robust lineup of games from 3rd
party developers and publishers, the independent gaming community and SCE
Worldwide Studios, as well as further enhancements to the entire PlayStation
ecosystem between now and the holiday 2013 launch.
And a second release:
Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today introduced PlayStation®4 (PS4™), its
next-generation gaming platform for the home, alongside the videogame
industry’s brightest and most creative minds at PlayStation®Meeting 2013.
With unprecedented power, deep social capabilities, and instant
accessibility, PS4 allows game creators to unleash their imaginations and
deliver new play experiences to gamers that were never before possible.
The live audience at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, along with
millions of fans streaming the event around the world, were also provided with
a sneak peek of some of the games that will ultimately define the PS4
experience.
Andrew
House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. officially
announced PS4 and presented the broader vision for PlayStation® evolving from a
console in the living room into the best place to play wherever gamers are:
“Our vision for the future is consumer-centric, developer-inspired, and
characterized by an unwavering commitment to phenomenal play experiences,”
House remarked. “Today we are revealing the genesis of an expanding
‘idea’ about the future of play – an idea with enough potential to satisfy the
insatiable appetites of our creative community of developers and gamers.”
Acclaimed game designer and industry veteran Mark Cerny then took the stage to
discuss PS4 in more detail, including the powerful system components that will
give developers the canvas to fully express their creative ideas and deliver
more immersive gaming that transcends today’s expectations. Cerny, the
lead system architect for PS4, also talked about the five key principles
guiding the design of the consumer experience that will surround all games:
simple, immediate, social, integrated, and personalized.
“We wanted to ensure that nothing would come between the platform and the joy
of play,” Cerny said. “We also wanted to be sure that the system
architecture could fluidly connect the player to a larger world of experiences,
and provide easy access to everything PlayStation® has to offer – across the
console and mobile spaces, and PlayStation®Network. And we were able to
create, in PS4, a platform by game creators for game creators.”
David Perry, noted developer and CEO of Gaikai Inc., which joined SCE group
last year, announced the ambitions for PlayStation®Network and how PS4 will
leverage Gaikai’s cloud technology to deliver a sea change in how consumers
discover, access, share and enjoy games. Whether that’s connecting PSN
more deeply into social networks or broadcasting the game a user is playing in
real time or getting help from friends in new ways, the gaming experience on
PS4 is rooted in social interaction. Perry also discussed the company’s
goal to make free exploration possible for various games, a concept he described
as, “Try it for free, share it if you like it, only pay for games you fall in
love with.”
PS4 integrates second screens, including PS Vita, smartphones and tablets, to
wrap gamers in their favorite content wherever they are. SCE’s long-term
goal is to make almost every PS4 title playable on PS Vita by using Remote Play
over Wi-Fi networks. “PS Vita is the ultimate companion device for PS4,
enabling gamers to pull their games from their beautiful HDTVs to PS Vita’s
beautiful 5-inch screen,” Perry noted.
The spotlight moved toward some of the most creative individuals in the
development and publishing community, highlighting how PS4 brings a new synergy
between hardware and software to enable new emotional states of play never
before possible. “The future of PlayStation is about great games –
inspiring, new experiences from the imaginations of the world’s best creators,”
said Michael Denny, SVP, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.
Denny introduced developers behind some of the first-party titles being created
exclusively for the new platform, including Guerrilla Games’ Hermen Hulst,
Sucker Punch Productions’ Nate Fox, and Evolution Studios’ Matt Southern.
“‘Next Generation’ no longer just means ‘more powerful hardware,’” Southern
said. “We’re a next generation of gamer, we want to play great looking games
but in new ways that fit our permanently-connected lives. To us, that
means driving in a team. It’s such a thrill for a studio to be asked to
help define new PlayStation technology, so that we can bring our vision for
team based racing to life.”
Celebrated independent developer Jonathan Blow then unveiled the first official
trailer for The Witness, which will be exclusive to PS4 for console and
underscores PlayStation’s support of developers interested in pushing the
boundaries of play.
PlayStation®Meeting 2013 also featured two of the gaming industry’s most
talented creators providing a glimpse into the future of what’s possible on
PS4. David Cage from Quantic Dream explored narrative-driven gaming and
how PS4’s powerful hardware lets developers forget about technology and focus
on creating experiences that trigger emotions. “We can concentrate on
what amazing stories we want to tell and what incredible worlds we want to
create,” Cage said. “We can take you to places you have never seen before
and make you feel emotions that you have never felt in real life, without
having to wonder if we will have the horsepower to do so. We are now only
limited by our imagination.”
Alex Evans from Media Molecule then re-imagined the concept of user-generated
content and creativity. Armed with a PlayStation®Move motion controller,
he demonstrated the freedom of expression that PS4 offers to creators, whether
they’re professional developers or gamers of all levels. Evans remarked:
“PS4, in our eyes, should be 'the creative console'. It’s the place you go to
be inspired; It's the place to experience other's dreams, or make your own:
it's the place you go, to make. With PS4, with the creative console, we
want to change making in every way: from music to gaming to story-telling.”
Building on PlayStation’s long-standing history of collaborating with
third-party partners, PS4 will have software support from virtually every major
developer and publisher across North America, Europe and Japan. At
PlayStation Meeting 2013, titles in development and technology demos were
presented by partners including Activision Publishing, Inc., Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc., Bungie, Inc., CAPCOM, Epic Games, Inc., Havok, SQUARE ENIX
Co., Ltd., Ubisoft Entertainment, showcasing how the development community has
already embraced PS3’s ability to make their imaginations become reality.
Ubisoft Entertainment Co-Founder and CEO Yves Guillemot announced that Watch_Dogs,
introduced at E3 2012 to critical acclaim, will launch with PS4. “Today,
with PS4, Sony Computer Entertainment is introducing an amazing new platform,”
Guillemot said. “It will let developers like ours deliver games that surpass
anything previously possible on a home console. PS4 will also help us
deliver on what we believe to be the future of gaming.”
Chris Metzen, Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., unveiled that the award-winning Diablo
franchise would make its console debut with PlayStation. Diablo III will
be adapted for PS4 with an interface custom-designed to work naturally on
controllers.
Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc., announced full support from
its developers for PS4. Hirshberg then introduced Bungie, Inc., which is
working on “the next great video game franchise – Destiny.”
Harold Ryan, President of Bungie, Inc., announced that Destiny will have
exclusive content for PlayStation gamers. Ryan said: “Like PS4, Destiny
is an online, connected experience. Like PS4, Destiny lets you access
the content you love from multiple devices. And like PS4, Destiny is
designed to entertain you for years to come.”
The lineup of PS4 games shown at PlayStation Meeting 2013 include:
Driveclub
(WWS Evolution Studios)
inFAMOUS
Second Son (WWS Sucker Punch Productions)
Killzone: Shadow
Fall (WWS Guerrilla Games)
Knack
(WWS Japan Studio)
Deep
Down (working title) (CAPCOM)
Destiny
(Activision Publishing, Inc./ Bungie, Inc.)
Diablo
III (Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.)
The
Witness (Jonathan Blow)
Watch_Dogs
(Ubisoft Entertainment)
Additional titles that will be available for PS4 will continue to be announced,
demonstrating the full support of SCE Worldwide Studios, third-party developers
and publishers, and the independent development community.
“The arrival of PS4 is a critical initiative that presents an enormous
opportunity to dramatically evolve the game play experience into something far
grander than ever imagined,” House said, as he concluded the event. “From
enhanced social capabilities to intensified power to realizing bigger, better,
and more immersive game play, to the evolution of our ecosystem to
meet the requirements for a simpler, more adaptive interface, we believe
PS4 proves we have more to offer than ever before.
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