My hands are numb. Probably the cold but equally likely to be the result of having to hold a pencil for the first time in years. You want to hear about technology: I’m making notes with a ruddy pencil whilst Sony are ranting on about connecting up Facebook accounts I don’t have with car manufacturers I don’t like and promising to download games they think I’ll be into based on the games I’ve already played. A pencil.
This is the PlayStation 4.
Everything’s connected to a million other things and everybody’s doing a damned liveblog about it at the same time despite dozens of official streams of the real thing and all I can see everytime the lights dim is a sea of Macbooks hosting Tweetdeck and some custom content management system and – argh – my hand.
I wrote a fair bit. 19 little pages of even smaller, scratchy words that need digesting now before they mean even less than they already do. I’m up on the first – no, second balcony because Sony’s big fancy wrap-around screen needs my full attention and I’m in almost complete darkness trying to put thoughts onto paper rather than dictating like an idiot hunched over my phone or disseminating what I think might be interesting to anybody silly enough to listen into something more modern.
“Knack looks a bit duff”, I wrote.
When that was going through my head I’d envisaged some clever diatribe about following it up with Killzone and how it looks oh so fabulous but you all saw the stream: Shadow Fall looked bloody amazing (see, Guerrilla can do colour) and sounded stunning in the conference hall – that was next gen as much as anything we’ve seen, and the cheeky ‘share’ at the end? A nice touch. Did you download the video from their Facebook? That’s the future. Oh my did Killzone look good.
Two things there – Killzone’s massive and they didn’t piss it up the wall by using a pre-rendered video and, just as importantly, this new ‘share’ feature is absolutely crucial to the PS4’s core. It’s got its own button. Its own UI subsystem. Its clever because it’s so simple and it works because Sony have built the entire console around new features like this rather than retrofitting them in in firmware updates. Sharing stuff is now, and Sony are wise to grab that by the balls.
Andrew House perhaps said it best: the stakes are high, and this is the moment of truth. Firing out the PS4 logo soon (after the wickedly smart misstep at the beginning) meant that there wasn’t any faffing around afterwards – we’ve had enough pretending and skulking in the corners. By the end of the two or so hours the Meeting lasted, PS4 was already a familiar term – every developer said it, and it’s already second nature. And based on what we all saw, the PS3, bless it, looks decidedly tired and dated.
Here’s the thing. There was applause when David Cage mentioned Beyond because the crowd assumed we’d get a PS4 specific version too. We won’t, which is cruel because 3rd party titles like Diablo III and Destiny will appear on both. And whilst The Last Of Us looks great and I’ll happily lap up Ascension, that bit in the caves on Capcom’s Drop Dead? A million miles away from what the current gen can do. And that’s the issue – by showing off the PS4, Sony have instantly dated the PS3.
Do Sony care? I’d probably say so. Don’t write the old dog off yet – there’s lots to come (announced or otherwise) and that install base is gold dust to a platform holder delicately trying to balance two distinct levels of technology.
That upper echelon of tech appears, by all accounts, to be a PC. PC CPU, PC GPU, top of the line PC RAM (all 8 GB of it) and that’s the end of Cell. Wisely so – nobody wants to struggle again with silly custom hardware – it’s now about ensuring that games can be ported quickly (that Panta Rhei engine won’t feed itself) and efficiently, and that multi-format titles look better on PS4. For Sony this early into a generation, that’s the only thing that matters.
So enter the tech demo. If it’s not Unreal 3 it’s Quantic Dream and some old guy doing an extreme close-up; Media Molecule’s odd sculpure sequence that was bookended by a live (or so we’re told) band; another meandering Bungie demonstration. Everyone’s got nice things to say about PS4 but not everyone’s got a game ready yet.
Except Evolution. Bless them, they’ve been holding onto that Drive Club brand for a decade waiting for a console from Sony with the visual grunt and the connectivity that the PS4 brings. Owning a car is something Forza 3 and 4 tried to simulate, but Drive Club’s first person viewpoint is a whole new level and the car squad thing ticks every box I had. Test Drive Unlimited tried this too, and the handling seems familar, but in Evo we trust.
Equally, Mark Cerny’s new role has resulted in a console that finally Sony will find plenty of respect from developers. Its PC bearings only tell half the story – and all those weeks of gossiping about spec levels are moot. Being able to play digital download titles as they download is groundbreaking; the social stuff is industry leading and Dave Perry’s streaming tech – although obviously in a very early state – is the future, no question.
This is Sony crossing off the checklists of developers, publishers and gamers all at the same time – vastly different wishlists seemingly satisfied in a single two hour slot. So yeah we’d like more new IP and less subheadings but Ubisoft now have games (hi, Watch Dogs) that run on PS4, Activision are behind the console, the first parties are still leading the way (although nobody knows what Media Molecule are up to) and everything’s looking peachy.
Well, except the console itself. Even a post-credits sit-in yielded nothing. We got the refined controller – looking lovely – and that boxy camera array – looking boxy – but nothing on what the unit itself would look like. It doesn’t matter, of course, not yet – the PS4’s “holiday 2013” date is tentative and there just to give Microsoft a target – but it also means that the leaks, rumours and mockups have a home for just a little longer.
But we’re here. PlayStation 4. And we’re happy.
blarty
This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of ‘Select’ and ‘Start’, it will soon see the end of the Rebellion.
TSBonyman
It all sounds and looks scarily impressive but they really, really should have shown off the console – even if it was just an empty shell it would have been better than just showing the ciontroller and camera. My work colleague greeted me with “does the ps4 even exist” this morning.
DirtyHabit
I disagree. Its frustrating but they need to keep some cards back. There were enough ‘facts’ there to whet the appetite, yet left room for speculation on the final design, which lets face it, in the grand scheme is only superficial, but will be enough to keep the rumor mill turning.
I also thought only showing one UI screen was smart for the same reasons.
anthro
Good points, actually. It gives Sony a couple of trump cards to hold back for the time being, to reveal to a willing market when the time’s right.
TSBonyman
Sure, i even agree with you – i’m just annoyed at seeing all the negative press about it this morning.
DirtyHabit
Did Square Enixs’ invite get lost in the post? All seemed a bit last minute.
“Shit. Who’s free to do a speech weds night? Quick, someone throw a video together”!
:)
kjkg
It did a bit. Was trolling to the highest order. My twitter feed had nothing but “FF Versus” all over it, to then hear, ” yeh we will tell you something in a few months”.
freezebug2
Hugely impressed by all of the PS4’s new features, especially the new share functions, utter brilliance! and leaning more towards the “would like” on release camp. It’d cost a fortune in my case though as I’d simply have to buy a Vita to play alongside the new PS4…..there really won’t be any excuses not to own one now.
The launch deal seal for me would have been having Gran Turismo 6 as a day one title, but that was always going to be unlikely and I don’t think it’ll have anything like the hold ups that was seen with GT5.
Would have been nice to see the actual console but the specs speak for themselves anyway if it’s fugly you could always hide it behind a speaker or something :P
anthro
I reckon Drive Club actually looks like a cooler all-round game than GT. I know it probably won’t offer the same level of realism, but it should still be really good fun.
freezebug2
Drive Club would definately be in the shopping list, alongside one or two others. It does sound like it includes some great features borrowed from historic racers such as building a simulated supercar from ground level up.
kjkg
Just thinking out loud. I wonder how much of a headache this has caused MS. Surely the full reveal of how much Gaikai is to be incorporated into the PS4 will give them reason to be scared! Especially if they haven’t got something similar in place.
Alex C
Pretty sure they will have.
kjkg
Maybe, sure you have a better idea than me. If they didn’t though, they would surely be scrambling about to do it now.
Kennykazey
Sony delivered, and it’s going to be interesting seeing how Microsoft responds.
I also feel like mentioning, as I can’t find it written in any articles. That the PS4 has a BD read-speed of 6x, PS3 is 2x. That’s going to work wonders for loading, installing and streaming.
jimmy-google
Amazingly this is the first Playstation not to use a new format. Lets hope that doesn’t lead to more piracy
jimmy-google
What I think we very clever of Sony was keeping enough back to keep E3 and Gamescon etc… interesting.
Hype for what the console looks like. What it will cost and an exact release date. And all things they can change based on what Microsoft show. There’s the playstation-cloud domains that didn’t get mentioned (just Gaikai), what about BigFest aswell?
There’s also the obvious sequels like Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog’s second team are working on something and they didn’t show it last night. Still no Last Guardian either. Drive Club also makes me wonder what will happen to GT6, they look to be competing in the same space.
There’s more than enough to keep the internet rumours around the PS4 going and enough to make sure Microsoft can’t steal all the headlines when they announce their next console.
Nintendo must be hoping the PS4 is very expensive.
Broonba
I was kinda on the fence about PS4, but from what I’ve seen & heard about it, I must say that I’m suitably impressed. Now I can’t wait till price & release date are revealed. As for what PS4 will look like, I couldn’t give a monkeys, even if it looked like an ancient betamax video recorder. It’s what’s inside that counts.
Microsoft are gonna have to pull out something really special to top PS4 imo.
tactical20
Obviously looked good, but didn’t blow me away. It’s great having all the technical spec and gadgetry, but unless games can actually utilise it and still be good, then it’s pointless (I’ve used my Move maybe twice?). I’m also not a fan of social networking and all the ‘share this, share that’ stuff doesn’t interest me at all. Why on earth would you want to sit and watch a live stream of someone playing a game, I have no idea. No backwards compatibility is downer for me too.
When you compare the huge jumps from PS1 to PS2 and PS2 to PS3, I just think this all looked a bit tame. Very much doubt I’ll get one at launch, especially as I think PS3 will be supported for a long time to come. It’s good so many developers are onboard, but then why wouldn’t they be? Hopefully E3 will be a bit more exciting on the games front too, as another Killzone, another Infamous, etc.. were all pretty obvious.
ignorbert
Thanks, nice article.. just got back from a no internet hotel! ( did not know it was possible)