PlayStation 4 to Focus on New Gameplay, Not Hardware

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The PlayStation 4 will be the "nerve center" of your living room.

An unnamed SCE official recently told the Nikkei business daily that Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 will be more of a home entertainment hub than what's been offered in the past. As it stands now, the current PlayStation 3 is an excellent entertainment hub given that customers aren't forced to pay an added "network fee" (like Xbox Live) to access subscriptions such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. The drawback is that the PlayStation 3's non-gaming offering isn't quite as robust as the Xbox 360, but perhaps that will change with the new console.

According to the unnamed official, the main selling point of the PlayStation 4 will be new styles of play, not the updated hardware set which supposedly includes a rumored eight-core AMD64 CPU. If anything, Sony will promote the new hardware as a means of breaking away from the traditional console mindset by allowing mobile devices to connect and share media and other goods. It will be the "nerve center" of your house, the official claimed.

One recent rumor backing the "new styles of play" comment claims that the console's controller will have a "Share" button allowing gamers to record footage or take screenshots and share them on social networks. There have also been rumors about full-body motion sensing, and a patent granted to Sony calling for a DualShock controller with a detachable PlayStation Move wand.

The Nikkei business daily also said that the PlayStation 4 will include Gaikai's cloud technology. Unlike OnLive which serves up a streaming subscription, rentals and full-blown game purchases directly to members, Gaikai serves as the middleman between the seller and the buyer -- it's a platform only. There's a good chance PlayStation 4 owners will be able to purchase games from Sony that can be stored and streamed from the cloud.

That said, it's quite possible PC-based games provided by SOE could be offered on the console as well like EverQuest 2 or the just-launched Wizardry Online (aka speculation). The paper said that the console will be "fully networked" and "be furnished with the ability to exchange opinions amongst one's friends while playing games." A fully-networked console could mean it will be dual-band so that it can access the less-congested 5 GHz band on compatible networks, thus improving streaming performance.

 

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Kevin Parrish

Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then, he’s loved all things PC-related and cool gadgets ranging from the New Nintendo 3DS to Android tablets. He is currently a contributor at Digital Trends, writing about everything from computers to how-to content on Windows and Macs to reviews of the latest laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and more. 

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37 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Whats the point if your going to play the next gen of games why not have the top hardware available at the time of manufacture or are you trying to save a buck there Sony? My current PC already outshines those rumored specs, they can do better.
    Reply
  • dudewitbow
    soldier2013Whats the point if your going to play the next gen of games why not have the top hardware available at the time of manufacture or are you trying to save a buck there Sony? My current PC already outshines those rumored specs, they can do better.consoles generally have the game software optimized for performance, so its pushed to the limit. the PC is a stronger system when it comes to part choices and availability but in the end, consoles decide the entry market and well, most of the gamers would not be in their place if they hadn't had a console for themselves.
    Reply
  • rad666
    Isn't this the same kind of "home entertainment hub" drivel we were heard about the PS3 before it's launch (with added social networking)?
    Reply
  • gilgamex
    Thing is you have to expand beyond just specs, even ATI and Nvidia new this over time. Everything must expand, that's why Nvidia and ATI focused on adding functionality, multiple monitors, 3d, computing and expanding the GPU role in as many fronts as possible besides just raw horsepower. Yes the PS4 should have at least a 7870's worth of a GPU inside to be fair, it will most likely be not, which is a bummer but a large issue you have to realize is that consoles are evolving and must expand and I applaud that.

    They are trying new things, if the DS has showed us anything is that Innovation is a huge driving force for the imagination of developers and the enjoyment of gamers even if the PSP was the more graphically powerful hardware. You have to give whatever comes up a shot, give it a good look over, try to imagine the vision and don't just trash it because it doesn't YOUR preconceived ideas of what it should be. Try to see where things could go, what territory could we reach, especially with the popularity of streaming these days on Twitch.tv I'm excited about this possible "Share" button. Take a break from the specs a second and hopefully we may see something great! Here's Hoping!

    Reply
  • Gundam288
    gilgamexTry to see where things could go, what territory could we reach, especially with the popularity of streaming these days on Twitch.tv I'm excited about this possible "Share" button. Take a break from the specs a second and hopefully we may see something great! Here's Hoping!
    I would say Twitch.tv isn't a good example given their recent "Turbo" service.

    Other than that, I agree that the mold needs to be broken and things need to be expanded on with hardware at least.

    I will say that this "Share/like/thumbs up" stuff that is popping up on just about every site is starting to get on my nerves as it feels like every site is trying to be in the "in" crowd. If I wanted something like that I would use Facebook.
    Reply
  • Ragnar-Kon
    As a PC gamer who realizes that the majority of games are built for consoles and then later ported to PC, this is somewhat disappointing.

    But I'll also admit that this is a smart thing for Sony to do. Can't help but feel that I heard something very similar with PS3 though...
    Reply
  • DroKing
    More gimmicks? Lol thats all consoles can do uh? Stupid worthless gimmicks to lure in gullible people go figure.
    Reply
  • master_chen
    .....so...it looks like I'll still be staying with my GODLIKE PS 2 after all...
    ...
    ...another 8 years.....sigh....Sony, what the fuck are you doing....
    Reply
  • Pailin
    and slowly but surely the console morphs back into a PC

    ...all the while still wearing its "different" dress trying to convince people to buy cut back hardware at subsidised prices which will hold them back for Many Years all the while selling them overpriced games to help pay for the aging platform they got "cheap".



    Reply
  • elcentral
    its not like it will change 1% off the play station. the ps3 got lunched on the same idea. and little changed from the hole gaming experience. but i don`t see the point of getting an expensive equipment on the simple idea of not letting you use a mouse for gaming, cuss at the heart of today's consoles it is the only real difference.

    today's pc are simple to use, i dear to say simpler then consoles cuss if you get an error in a console you are so often fucked, But pc thx to google youll get a good idea of the problem and a solution. And seeing how pc got steam and programs like steam we are getting less problems and consoles in general more over time red ring of death for one but ps3 had some stuff i hated back in the day i owned one.

    The cost for a gaming pc today is also low, and in Sweden pc games are quite allot cheaper for the same game from console to pc you get of around 10-20 dollars worth.

    okey one more. i asked a kinda friend why he liked gaming on consoles over pc. and he told me that he could relax in the sofa only needing a controller. and if you don`t think you can do so with a pc you need to do some research cuss i take a pc powered home entertainment/gaming system 100% over a console.
    Reply