Sony officially unveiled the PS4 during the Sony E3 2013 conference last night and the new console has a whole collection of great features for the next generation of gaming. Here’s an easy breakdown of everything gamers can expect from the PS4, including no DRM and region free gaming.
PlayStation 4 Overview:
- Price and release date: You’ll be able to get your hands on the PS4 later this year for just £349.
- PlayStation Plus: Will carry across to PS4, with a single membership bringing benefits to PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 and of course, PS4.
- PS Plus on PS4: Will allow users to seamlessly start playing games and join their online friends while spectating gameplay or enjoying cross game voice chat, as well as exclusive discounts, cloud game saves and Instant Game Collection.
- Instant Game Collection: will launch on PS4 with #DRIVECLUB PS Plus Edition available at no extra charge.
- Digital Games: You’ll be able to play digital titles as they download from PlayStation Store, and update PS4 even when it is switched off.
- Suspend Mode: Immediately pick up any saved game where you left off – the “suspend mode” of PS4 gets rid of loading times and lets you carry on by simply pressing the power button.
- Demos: Gaikai technology will let you instantly try out sections of any game that catches your eye on PlayStation Store.
- New PS4 Menu: Check out what your friends are up to and see the games, TV shows, movies and music recommended especially for you on the newly designed PS4 menu screen.
- UStream: Broadcast as you play via Ustream. If you get stuck, your mates can join in to help you or offer comments in real time.
- Seamless Use: You can use a variety of applications, such as a web browser, while you play a game.
- Remote Play: Your favourite PS4 games will be playable on PlayStation Vita via Wi-Fi with Remote Play.
- PlayStation App: Lets you turn your smartphone into a second screen – for example, to let you view a map or see how a friend is tackling the same part of a game.
DualShock 4 Controller Overview
- A new, built-in sensor will enable highly sensitive motion control.
- You’ll be able to interact with games in new ways thanks to a touch pad on the front of the controller.
- Additional sound effects will come from an inbuilt speaker; a headset jack lets you hear these in detail as well as chat with friends.
- The controller’s familiar dual analog sticks have been enhanced to provide better precision.
- New, curved L2 and R2 buttons will give you greater control.
- Upload images and video to Facebook with a tap of the new SHARE button.
- An LED Light Bar on the top of the controller will match the colour of in-game characters so players can keep track of each other. You’ll also be able to spot when a character has been injured, for instance.
- A new camera has been developed alongside the controller, and tracks the location of DUALSHOCK 4 via its LED Light Bar.
PS4 Gaming Overview:
- SCE Worldwide Studios has more than 30 PS4 exclusive titles in development, 20 of which will launch during the first year of PS4.
- The line-up of games on PS4 includes 12 completely new titles, including The Order: 1886 from Ready at Dawn.
- Sony have also provided updates to other exciting PS4 titles #DRIVECLUB, inFAMOUS Second Son, Killzone: Shadow Fall and KNACK.
- Sony have reinforced their support for independent and smaller developers with nine new titles that will debut exclusively on PlayStation 4.
- Overall, there are more than 140 games in development for PS4, including over 100 that will be available within the first year.
- Confirmed titles so far include #DRIVECLUB, Killzone: Shadow Fall, inFAMOUS Second Son, Mad Max, The Order: 1886, Transistor, Outlast, Skylanders SWAP Force, Secret Ponchos, Daylight, Watch_Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, deep down, THIEF, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Destiny, The Witness, and KNACK.
DRM & Region Free
To elaborate a little further on the fantastic bit of trolling Sony dished out to Microsoft in the video above, not only will PS4 games be DRM free, they’ll also be region free as well. However, SCEA boss Jack Tretton has stated that “the DRM decision for third-party games will be up to publishers.”
Being DRM free means that PlayStation 4 will support used games. “We believe in the model that people embrace today with PlayStation 3 and will continue to demand,” smiled Jack Tretton. Trade them, loan them to friends or just keep them in your games collection forever – there are no restrictions. And you don’t need to stay connected to the internet to keep the game working.
Upgradeable Harddrive
Another fantastic piece of news for gamers always worrying about their storage space is that the PS4 HDD will be completely user upgradeable. Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida confirmed via Twitter earlier today that “PS4′s HDD is upgradable like PS3,” meaning you can switch out that 500GB standard HDD in the PS4 for something with a little more room.
Online Multiplayer
Now if we have to nitpick one little thing about the PS4, it’s that gamers will need to have a valid PlayStation Plus account in order to play online. A PlayStation Plus membership is priced at £11.99 for 3 months or £39.99 for a year and is valid for all your Sony gaming systems – PS4, PS3, and the PS Vita.
Sony has been praised by those on both sides of the console wars for their fantastic premium service and they plan to continue that with the launch of the PS4. The only difference here is that online multiplayer will only be available to those paying for premium – something Xbox has been doing for quite a while.
Go under the hood of the PlayStation 4 and check out the technical specifications for the PS4 console, the DualShock 4 controller and the brand new PlayStation Camera in our PS4: Tech Specs article.
What do you think of the new features on the PS4? Will you be picking one up at launch? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Twitter and Facebook.
E3 2013: PS4 Features – Upgradeable HDD, DRM Free & Region Free StickTwiddlers