We’ve all seen the PlayStation 4’s hardware by now, but even with the few glimpses we’ve had, the software is still somewhat shrouded in mystery… until now.
The above video shows off a lot of the core features of the OS and wider connected gaming, which Sony has envisioned for the next generation. As the chap, Will, picks up the controller and goes online, he spots that his friend, Sarah, has the platinum for Knack. So he hops into the game, but soon gets stuck at a boss battle.
Luckily for him, he can quickly hop over to Sarah’s user profile and can view a quick video to see how she tackled this boss. Turns out he needed to do a particular special move, and he can hop straight back into the game and do this for himself.
As he keeps playing his buddy Brian gives him a call with the bundled mono headsets, with cries for support in Killzone: Shadow Fall. Whilst I want Brian to win, I lose all faith in Will’s competence as he utters “Dude! I don’t got that, man. I gotta go get it!” in a sparkling shower of poor language skills. Not to mention how long he takes to actually do go get that game.
Here, they show off the rather natty PSN store system, letting him buy the game and chose whether or not he wants to grab multi-player or single-player mode first. He picks multi-player, and with a double tap of the PS button on his controller hops right back into Knack to carry on smashing things. The theory holds that at this point he would be able to play the single-player as it’s downloading, but logically I’d assume that multi-player is off the table, to avoid horrendous lag when online.
Sarah spots he’s on Knack, and a little impromptu chat, replete with awkward looking motion controller based text input, starts up. Luckily for Brian, this coincides exactly with not just his repeated plea for help, but also KZ:SF successfully installing, and letting Will jump right into the same game as he is in.
Did I say “luckily”? Because it turns out that Will is just as hopeless at Killzone as he is at Knack, and Brian has to show him how to shoot his gun with a quick share button press. I fear that Will was not the person to call in his moment of need.
This is all rounded off by Sarah who continues to chat with Will and Brian, as she spots this uploaded video… Except that she’s doing this from her phone, and she’s sat in a diner somewhere. Eager to join the action, and help Brian shepherd Will around the battlefield, she actually buys and initiates a remote download of the game from right there on her phone. She’s even able to set up a KZ:SF clan!
It’s quite a neat and snappy little video, which shows off quite a lot of what the PS4 is going to bring over what the PS3’s XMB can do. Instantly hopping from one thing to another, sharing and viewing videos on the fly, chatting with friends who are on their phones, and remotely purchasing, downloading and interacting with games whilst out and about.
If you want to be, you can be always connected.
element666
Cool little show of how it will all work.
Shakugan
PS4 = Instan buy for me! PS4 user interface looked clean and silky smooth… i like it.
Dar-Kaus
Guess we’ll have to all get used to be know by our real names in the future, what an awful thought!
double-o-dave
I think thats only if you’ve got that same person added on Facebook.
AdmiringWorm
Could be, or registered trough that name.
teflon
I’m fairly certain that it has been said before that you can still go via your current alias on PSN, unless there’s some hook via Facebook in action with a particular friend.
Your name won’t be visible to strangers unless you want it to be.
yiddo
What Teflon said, also you can select individually who you want to see your name.
hazelam
unless you’re totally unimaginative at coming up with a username, like me, in which case everybody can see it. ^_^
SilverCider
Looks shiny :) this could make a nice first ‘real’ pay slip purchase when I start life in the real world following graduation.
MadJunkBoy
damn that controller looks comfy as hell! and awesome that the PS4 will be able to download game, play game, chat, upload vids, see vids… all at the same time! i can’t even access the store now without lag! :P
please put me in a folder called: Day One Buy! =D
nouveller
It looks like a needed departure from the ageing XMB but I do love the XMB’s simplicity still after 7 or so years.
Germanos
But the quickness of it is a disaster. Everything loads in hours, not to mention using it while playing. Reading messages as soon as the notification appears is a pain, if your are playing something.
Mickey2010
That was some of the Cheesiest McCheese in all of Cheeseville! Still like the new layout and how simple it all looks! Like Sarah too does she come as part of the Bundle? :P
trollmonster
Thank go for Wills shit gaming skills, they make this demo a lot better! All jokes aside I think this looks great, pretty intuitive and some great features. I’m certainly looking forward to unboxing my pre ordered PS4! I just hope it turns up a day early like most things for Shopto ;0)
blast71
“What you playing now?”
“With myself, watching a great ATM vid!”
“Sounds awesome! Think I’ll join you!” … Goes to Youporn, clicks ‘download’, reaches for tissues ;p
bunimomike
Dear lord… hahaha!
blast71
“It only does everything!!”
Except clean up the mess afterwards ;)
skibadee
can not wait for my PS4 to arrive!! really like the look of the interface.