At a glamorous and high profile event in New York City last night, Sony revealed the first details about it’s much anticipated console, which it turns out will be called the PS4.
The device itself was not shown, but the company highlighted many of the platform’s next generation features including:
- 8 GB of unified memory, an X86 CPU, an enhanced PC GPU, and synchronized PC architecture.
- Live recording and compression, allowing gameplay footage to be shared
- A sleep feature allowing games to be switched off, then resumed from where the player left
- Integration with social networks
- Streaming games (and eventually access to all PS/PS2/PS3 games) via the GaiKai tec Sony acquired in 2012
- An updated dual-shock controller with touch pad and motion control capability. Â Players will also be able to control games with a PSP Vita, smartphone or tablet
The PS4 is not backwardly compatible, so PS3 games will not run on the device. Â However, the company’s new streaming games service, based on the GaiKai technology it acquired last year will eventually provide access to games from previous PlayStations and allow players to enjoy classic games.
A widely held fear was that Sony would implement a technology, which would now allow pre-owned games to be played. Â However, subsequent information indicates this is unlikely.
Sony introduced a host of developers who have already signed up to create games for the new PS4 including several noted indie developers such as Jonathan Blow, who are spear-heading a new focus on indie games as part of Sony’s push to make the console more accessible to developers.
This morning a list of 149 companies “almost every major third-party” according to Sony, was released, listing all of the studios signed up to work with the PS4. Â Apart from Rockstar Games (and no mention was made of Rockstar North specifically), there are no Scottish developers listed.
So, has Scotland moved beyond the console sector? Â Are the costs too high? Â Has the industry fragmented to the point where very few (if any) developers can games for the next generation of consoles? Â Or is it simply to early for developers to consider building content for a console which has yet to prove itself in the market?
We asked many of the developers in and around the industry for their insight and opinion. Â At the time of writing, no comment had been received.
The launch itself has provoked a storm of debate on the Internet, with enthusiastic coverage from many publications and players, equalled by a skepticism and doubt by other publications, analysts and commentators. Â Regardless of your opinion, Sony’s stock rose following the announcement.
Next story: Scottish Games Network in shock ‘tabloid style’ headline linkbait scandal.
What I don’t think people have paid enough attention to is Sony’s mention of “supporting self publishing” in the new console. Say what you want about the Vita, but the Playstation Mobile titles coming out from indies are kicking ass.
Is it possible for Scotland to move ‘beyond the console sector’? I thought this was something Scotland was yet to aspire to?
While console games are generally gargantuan in effort they also grant the greatest artistic expression, creativity and satisfaction. No one can argue ‘casual’ browser games can offer the same level of storytelling or artistry as the Assassin’s Creed series or Journey.
Really? You can only create worthwhile art with better tech? Does that mean anything pre-HD was worthless? Or that pre PS3 was just amateur? You can create more complex and in-depth experiences on current gen consoles, but discounting anything on simpler devices is disingenuous. One of the richest and most enjoyable games I’ve ever played was text only. I refute the idea that developers can only make art on cutting edge devices. Bah! Humbug!
No, not at all! One of the greatest games I have ever played is System Shock II and I credit that with creating many of the things its Bio successors get the praise for!
My issue was more with the idea that consoles are something to be ‘moved beyond’, as though Scotland has reached some higher level of enlightenment that some ‘mainstream, high-cost’ format can offer.
I think that console gaming can create things that other platforms cannot and vice versa. To ‘move beyond’ seemed to me to say that there are superior levels of artistic expression in gaming, meaning console gaming is inferior to whatever these are, but I just think they are different and it wrongly devalues truly brilliant console games. Right now I’m playing Arkham City again and I’ve never felt a sense of loss in a game like the ending stages of this Bat-epic.
I think my opening lines took a slightly provocative approach inspired by the above headline!
…I spend a lot of my time writing about the merits of hard genre films like horror and defending Hollywood blockbusters for publications and apps…perhaps its given me a reflexive defense mechanism for mainstream, big budget art!