PlayStation "Meeting 2013"

Pretty much as I thought it would turn out, but with more integrated social bells and whistles.

Like I predicted, they aren't touching the two issues that will define if I will get a next-gen console or not: Used game lockout (hinted at with gaikai somewhat) and the always-on internet requirement.

They will either announce those at E3, or wait until the last minute. The shorter the window to debate the issue, the easier it will be to trick people into buying it.

One thing that didn't occur to me until during the presentation: There was mention that ps3 games are being made in tandem with ps4 games. Not unheard of (a few ps2 titles had ps1 ports during ps2's transition), but this could be a trump card for consumers. If there's enough backlash against the ps4 and 720, people might retreat to their previous generation consoles and force developers to make games for both for an extended period of time. If D3 can fit on a ps3, I think gamers can live with previous gen consoles for another few years until ms and sony get the hint.

Also, you can thank this conference for ruining blazers-with-jeans forever. Everyone who wears that combo is automatically a douche.

EDIT: One more thing: gaikai would be really cool if it would let me get a free digital copy if I could prove I own an existing ps1/2/3 game. Doubt it'll actually happen but it would cut down on my hatred a little.

So did Jonathan Blow really get up and say "other games are crap" or something?

They might want MS to take the heat for it, too.

They didn't talk about used game lockout, but they were very vocal about digital game distribution, talking about how fast everything would download, how they'd pre-download things, how you could start playing before it'd finish downloading, and how you're done with shuffling discs. And not word one about Blu-ray this or that. I would be absolutely and utterly shocked if it had anything other than a Steam-style "disc is the wrapper, not the game" model, and that means no used games, just automatically.

My big problem with this was: Okay, the PS4 looks a lot better than the PS3. But is there anything they showed up there (other than the creepy-stupid spectator thing) that you can't do on a 360? And will the PS4 even support all the stuff that Xbox Live has had for the last decade or so, never mind whatever Microsoft will add for the new Xbox?

(Well, and plus the part where tablet gaming has killed console gaming for me, but that's just an idiosyncrasy on my part, and you can hardly blame a console launch for launching a console.)

I assume it will support 4K resolution since Sony will probably push for 4K HDTVs too?

Yeah, I'm particularly disappointed that they are killing off XBLIG. Parts of it are flawed, discoverability is a *huge* issue, but still it was a very good step in the right direction of what I would like to see in a console.

I would definitely not assume this. I can't imagine we'll start seeing heavy consumer adoption of 4K TVs until at least the middle of this coming console cycle. Also after how badly the 3D TV push went I would imagine the console people are shying away from any new TV hardware push.

If the next XBox trots out a) a blu-ray drive, b) backwards compatibility, and c) no account tied DRM I'm likely to go with them. They blunder any of that and I'll probably just go PC-only until the inevitable must-have console-only game sucks me in (Red Dead I'm looking at you!).

true, that was pretty disappointing from MS last time, I wonder if this time will be any better.

Hardly. Nobody has TVs like that and there's no market for them. 3D will probably still be a thing, just not something that's talked about as an important feature. Because, let's face it, nobody fucking cares.

Sony has their own version of XNA, a C# game engine that runs on the ...Vita I believe, or is it just the PSP? Anyway https://psm.playstation.net/portal/en/index.html#register has some info. If they don't pull an Microsoft and abandon it, it could be cool to see on the PS4.

Huh. Apparently HDMI 1.4 supports 4k.

Wasn't 4K the big thing at this past CES?

How long will 1080p last in the next 5 to 7 years, the expected lifecycle of a console now?

It really doesn't matter. People play 720p games now, and don't gripe about it. 1080p games will look better, and if 4K games aren't practical, nobody will care -- they'll just watch scaled 1080p games on their 4K TV, like they watch scaled 720p games on their 1080p TVs.

I predict you will get only one of the things you want.

Well, that and the fact that many games even in the current generation are running at more like 540p with effects instead of 720p, if I remember correctly.

There is lots of room yet for games to hit 1080p in the console realm, let alone 4K. Plus, there's no feasible delivery mechanism for 4K content. I could see Sony demoing something at E3, but the PS3 had two HDMI ports at one point, too.

4K doesn't even provide massive visual benefit unless you've got a setup with space for a huge TV, like 80".

So..

Watch Dogs is basically Person of Interest: The game?

Yeah, I expect 4K to become relevant some time around never.

Specs on the system posted on The Verge:

• Single-chip custom processor, with eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores and 1.84 TFLOPS next-gen AMD Radeon based graphics engine
• 8GB GDDR5 memory
• Built-in hard drive
• 6x Blu-Ray and 8x DVD drive
• USB 3.0 and auxiliary ports
• Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1
• HDMI, analog AV-out, and optical S/PDIF audio output
• DualShock 4 controller, with two-point capacitive touchpad, three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer, vibration, light bar with three color LEDs, mono speaker, micro USB port, stereo headset port, extension port, 1000mAh battery
• PlayStation 4 Eye camera, with two 1280 x 800 cameras, f/2.0 fixed focus lenses, 85-degree field of view, 30cm minimum focusing distance, four-channel microphone array

Right around when 48 FPS becomes the standard for movies. Or possibly afterwards.

Is the controller battery SERIOUSLY still a non-replaceable thing?

BJB passed on this link from other places.

fwiw

Haha, yup. Door A, blu-ray. I'll likely just skip this gen (until the console-only exclusive that I can't miss hits) -- sucks because I've enjoyed playing EA and Ubi games on my consoles specifically to avoid the crap they bring with them on the PC (DRM, Origin, etc.). Then again, if the rumors of Origin and Ubi front-ends coming to consoles next gen is true that advantage is gone regardless.

I didn't watch the show, but after reading some basic recaps I think I'm game. I like the front touchscreen, though its implementation may change things, I'll definitely be satisfied with the hardware improvements, the social crap doesn't seem too console-breaking, and most importantly I'm already very invested in Sony's exclusive software, and unless basically everyone pulls out and switches to Microsoft, or Microsoft does something crazy awesome, I can't see myself choosing the 720 or whatever the hell they'll call it over the PS4.

EDIT: Though I doubt I'll be buying right away. Wait a half year to a year, see how things shake out while I play Persona 5 or whatever. If Mirror's Edge 2 is announced I'd rob a goddamn bank to get something that can play it, so that might speed things up.

My funny takeaway from the controller specs is that it has a speaker like Wii Remotes.

That was an image taken from this Sony PDF. There are also two more.

While it is inexcusable for Sony to still have non-removable batteries, at least things will improve slightly from the PS3: the system can charge the controller while in standby mode.

You notice when they were talking about the hardware itself they didn't say anything about a disk drive? They didn't say blu-ray, or super blu-ray or anything. They said it would have a hard drive. Maybe it will be only digital distribution, and they'll sell codes at retail instead of disks.

EDIT: Oops. Verge says blu-ray. That'll teach me to post without reading the entire thread. Nothing to see here. Move along.

It does have a drive, but there's every reason to believe that it's Steam-style distribution, where owning the game is contingent on entering the serial number against your account, and the disc is just a convenient way of a) being able to buy it in a store, and b) not have to completely kill your internet with 20GB downloads.

That's not what "skip this gen" means.

I'm honestly excited about the digitally distributed future and would be fine with no physical media, but ONLY if they embrace Steam/Origin style pricing. Or at least come close. I will buy a handful titles a year at full price on launch day, but the rest are in the $10 to $20 range --or below, if I can manage.Unfortunately this is a thing that only time will tell.

Also, it's weird that there are only 3 LED colors on the controllers. I guess they don't anticipate more than 3 players on any game? Or is there some kind of technology that would let them mix the three primary colors to make oodles of other colors? That would be nifty.

Haha, I know. With luck, however, that can't miss game won't come and I will truly skip it. Looking back at the current generation I can only think of Red Dead that, for me, was a can't miss and never came PC-side.

Agreed. I'm not against digital distribution at all -- just having to deal with restrictive DRM and a ton of different front-ends. In the PC realm I stick with GoG and Steam and have had good luck with that.

Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell finally asked the question that was seemingly on a lot of people's minds.


The PS4 will not block you from buying and playing used games.

So the console isn't a complete wash. Still really displeased with the amount of social cruft, but I can see myself picking the thing up if it acquires some interesting exclusives. (Assuming that I can turn most of the social bullshit off, anyway.)

I really do wish Sony stayed with the XMB, though. It's simple, clean, and efficient; the PS4's UI looks rather less so.

From the article:

This doesn't preclude the use of a one-time code that can be purchased if the code that ships with the game is used. As an answer, it's pretty vague.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that even Sony could realize the PR suicide that this announcement would be if they were to follow it up with "but the buyer also has to buy their own license".

Online pass bullshit, on the other hand? Sure, probably. That's not news. But it doesn't seem that they'll go beyond that.

Also: Gaikai for BC is a joke. Not really avoidable given the PS3's horrifying architecture (it was this or nothing) but still a joke. Glad I keep my old consoles!

I agree that it's vague. Publishers will still have online passes, that isn't going away. But it eliminates the crazy things like the patent that's also mentioned in the article.