First lets point out The Good:
 |
| It's actually more confusing if you don't just nod your head knowingly and actually try to figure out what it means. |
The biggest thing I took from the press conference is the PS4 will be sporting a ton of power. The system is being powered by the 8 core, x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", and a very powerful AMD GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). To those not technically inclined just realize that's really something else for a console. Games on the system will look fantastic, and while we didn't see a ton of gameplay, mostly just screens really, the games will look mind-blowingly good. Sony did say that the GPU will be used for general computation functions as well (GPGPU usage), but for those that think this will somehow be a hindrance, just trust me that this is a good thing.
 |
| Faster than this guy trying to run away from... something also very fast. Sorry folks, it's late, and I'm tired. |
Fast
The system promises to be very quick. No more minute-plus boot ups or extended loading times (for now that is); thanks to the fact it will be packing 8 GB's of GDDR5 RAM the PS4 should load/boot very fast. Shutting down and booting back to your last save point in a matter of seconds will be very nice, not to mention in-game load/boot times will hopefully be shortened as well. For those that are complaining that 8 GB isn't much, remember this isn't your PC, it's a dedicated console, 8 GB's is a ton. The PS3 by comparison had 512 MB RAM.
Mobile
There will be systems in place to take your gaming on the go, whether it be through your Vita, or through apps and other means that may come later on (via iOS, Android, etc., products). This could add a whole new level to gaming to Sony's platform. While similar to the Wii U's ability to turn off your system and keep playing on the controller, the potential ability to keep going on multiple platforms/devices is very intriguing.
 |
| If Skullmonkeys is not released for play on the PS4 I will seriously cry myself to sleep. |
New Features and Old Games
The physical interface (IE controllers and peripherals) will be getting upgraded with some fancy new tricks, and a new PS Eye will be coming on to the scene at some point as well. While backwards compatibility has definitely been nixed, Sony exec's have promised that at some point the entire Playstation, Playstation 2, and Playstation 3 libraries will be available. While I'm sure there are titles that won't be licensed for this service, the majority of games will be coming to the PS4, which is pretty rad.
To me those are all really great features and specs. I'm very excited to see how these will all work/function, and how designers and developers will take advantage of these functions and features. However, I did say I have some concerns, and overall I was very disappointed in the conference.
Which brings us to The Bad:
 |
| I knew it! It wasn't a PS4 under there at all ! It was old man Smithers the whole time... Yeah, I have no idea where I was going with this one either. Sorry folks. |
PS4 Not Actually Featured
We didn't see the system. That's a big thing to me. While I'm sure we'll see more about the system at the PAX East and E3 later this year, not actually showing at least a mockup of the system is a very curious move. Considering this was the official announcement release event for the system I thought we'd at least see what it might look like. Even if they change the design drastically it'd be nice to have an idea of the size and design of the console. Throw us a bone here Sony, show us some designs with those sweet specs you've put out.
The Controllers
I understand they're changing the controller, by adding a touchpad, a camera, and other features into the controller, but really this feels like too little change. I think these features will be nice, but I was really hoping we'd move away from the DualShock controllers. I'm not saying the design is bad, but I've never loved the Playstation's controller. I've always felt it was a bit ergonomically awkward, and I've never felt it had the precision of the competitors controllers. I'm not saying they should make a 360-alike controller, or Wiimote, but an ergonomic friendly change in design would be welcome.
 |
| Even Sony has admitted this isn't going well. Seriously. |
Also why continue to try and force the Move controller? Sony announced the Move was going to have a big role in the PS4's future. I just want to know why? The Move isn't a big hit. Sure it's fun, but if they're releasing a new PS Eye that will make the Move obsolete, why bother trying to carry it any further? It honestly felt like a Wiimote with a ball on the end from day one, and while that's not necessarily an entirely bad thing, the Kinect has proven you don't need a physical interface to make a good controller. I think if Sony is going to try and capture the market for physically interactive games then ditching the Move is one of the best things they can do. Sure they'll be accused of copying Microsoft's Kinect, but who cares? If you have the technology to do so, and I'm sure Sony does, then why force players to use a remote at all? It just doesn't make sense.
 |
| Don't get me wrong, I love this just as much as the next guy, but I do enjoy original content once in a while. |
I'm seriously concerned about the quality of titles that will be coming to the PS4. It seems that Sony is focusing heavily on graphics, and not on gaming quality. I wish I was the only one who thought this, but it seemed that Sony didn't have much to say about who was making games, and upcoming hits they have that aren't sequels. I know we'll be seeing titles from Capcom, Square Enix, Ubisoft and even Blizzard and Bungie, but I'd like to know there are going to be some exclusives that really knock my socks off. Sure they have Diablo III coming, but it's also being released on the PS3, not to mention many gamers have already played it to death. I mean it's been out for almost a year, which kind of detracts from its awesomeness as a press conference announcement piece. There is a new Killzone coming, and while a new Killzone will be very welcome, I wish it didn't just look like it was going to be a prettier version of a game I've already played. Don't go Call of Duty on your titles Sony, give us something new to sink our teeth into.
 |
| This was an awesome naming opportunity missed. |
The Name
This may not seem like a legitimate gripe, but how long are they just going to keep putting a number after the word Playstation? I thought the codename, Orbis, was awesome. And considering the connectivity with the PS Vita, this could have been a killer console name ("Orbis Vitae" means "circle of life" in Latin). The name of a product is really important to consumers, whether most think it or not, and calling it the PS4 seems very anti-climatic to me. I get that Sony is continuing tradition, but sometimes traditions fade for good reason, and this certainly seems like one worth letting go.
Old Games and Unknown Everything
For an official announcement not much was actually announced. Like I said above we didn't even see the system, and while we know of a few titles, we don't have an actual release date or price. "Holiday 2013" is pretty vague, and while I'm sure they'll get pinned down on an exact date either before or at E3, June to Christmas (maybe) seems likes a short window for gamers to figure out just how much they really want the system, and how much they're going to need to set aside to buy one. Many gamers are in a hard spot, the economy is tough, and spending money can be tough to come by. While many are speculating the price will come in at/around $400, nobody actually knows. I would say that if Sony sets another $600 price point at release, ala the PS3, that it could seriously hurt Sony's holiday sales.
 |
| An example of something unknown that I'm also curious as to... Or just something I use to irritate others by insinuating it's coming out soon. |
Also, according to some sources, it's possible that Sony will use an RFID tracking system to prevent second hand sales. Sony, like Microsoft, is pushing to get rid of the second hand market, where they feel they lose money on sales of games that they see no profit in. Mike and I discussed the ramifications of this in our second podcast (temporarily down, but I'll link you to it as soon as possible), and how much damage that could do to gamers and gaming in general. I get that they want to make more money, but this doesn't seem like the way to do it. I hope this is just a rumor, but it's seeming more and more likely that this is a rumor based in some sort of fact.
What about maintaining the games that are streamed online? Again, while gamers will be able to stream older games from Sony's service providers, what will people without steady internet connections do? There are many places in the US that don't currently have broadband connections, or steady internet at all. Are they simply out of luck in regards to older games? How much internet connectivity will be needed? I bring this up only because Diablo III, to me at least, set a bad precedent of having to be online at all times as a DRM measure. Will this be the case with the PS4? What about other titles? How is Sony going to handle DRM in general, and how will it affect gamers? These are all important questions, and it will be months before they are answered.
In the end I'm glad we got something, but at the same time I'm disappointed we received so little info during the official announcement. I'll look forward to PAX East, E3, and other conventions for more info, and hope Sony gets us more info soon. Until then I'll hold any judgement's I have on what the final product may be like. I still have high hopes for the PS4, I just pray the don't get dashed on the rocks.
Tomorrow Mike Clark will be posting his thoughts as well.
Until next time, Keep on Gaming.
No comments:
Post a Comment