And shortly after the event, it added to the day’s announcements by unveiling its official PlayStation mobile application. The app, which will land on both iOS and Android, will expand PS4 gameplay by offering a ‘second screen’ experience…
Here’s Sony’s press release on the app :
[quote]“A new application from SCE called “PlayStation®App” will enable iPhone, iPad, and Android based smartphones and tablets to become second screens. Once installed on these devices, users can, for example, see maps on their second screens when playing an adventure game, purchase PS4 games while away from home and download it directly to the console at home, or remotely watch other gamers playing on their devices.”[/quote]
Sony boasted that the PS4 will feature integration with third-party services, phones, and tablets that will allow players on mobile devices to view gameplay videos and challenge friends in head-to-head play.
There will be no actual gaming available on the app, rather it’s meant to be a companion for the consolem kinda like the Smart Glass app. The PlayStation Vita, however, has gained a “Remote Play” feature that allows gamers to pull PS4 games from their TV and play them on the 5-inch device.
It is currently unknown if the app will be similar to Microsoft’s Smart Glass Xbox app that allows users to view the stats of other gamers. Sony has yet to announce a release date, but the console is scheduled to arrive during the 2013 holiday season.
The PlayStation 4 was the highlight of Sony’s media event, with a PC-style architecture, an eight-core x86 processor and 8GB of RAM, the new Dualshock 4 controller with touchpad and new social layers for a better gaming experience.
Sony has officially lifted the lid off the PlayStation 4 during its New York City event today, showing that it wasn’t just gathering journos, developers, and the watching world for the biggest practical joke ever.
The console, which Sony didn’t show once during the 2-hour gathering, should arrive by holiday time 2013. It marks the first major system introduction from the Japan-based company since the PlayStation 3 was launched in 2006.
News.com.au sums up the much hyped PlayStation 4 event perfectly, it was like hosting a gala wedding and not inviting the bride.
[quote]Not surprisingly, Microsoft’s Xbox Live programming director Larry Hryb was quick to mock the Sony event. “Announce a console without actually showing a console? That’s one approach,” he tweeted. [/quote]
However, we do know SOMETHING about the PS4.
With under-the bonnet power considerably in excess of that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it will usher in a new breed of games with startlingly lifelike graphics, set in virtual worlds that operate in a much more believable manner than the current crop. But it will not have that ground to itself: Microsoft is applying the finishing touches to a successor for its Xbox 360 which, it is believed, it will unveil at the E3 Show in Los Angeles in June. That, too, is likely to go on sale this Christmas, unleashing a titanic battle for living room supremacy between Sony and Microsoft.
The console owns an eight core, x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU.
It houses 8GB of GDDR5 unified high-speed memory, and a “highly advanced” PC GPU with “remarkable longterm potential.”
That processor, also made by AMD and referred to as a “next-generation Radeon based graphics engine” in a post-conference press release, boasts 18 compute units that together produce 1.84 teraflops of processing power.
We’ll also see Blu-ray and DVD support in the PS4, along with HDMI, Analog-AV, and optical digital output.
Sony has inserted a secondary chip completely dedicated to uploading and downloading titles, regardless of whether the system is on or off.
Using Gaikai’s technology, a company which they bought in 2012, to provide backwards compatibility gives the PlayStation 4 an economic edge, too: it means that costly backwards-compatibility chips can be dispensed with, making it cheaper to manufacture.
PlayStation Cloud will let gamers stream games from former PlayStation consoles, including the PS1, PS2 and PS3 to their shiny new Sony PS4 over their home broadband connection, using integrated Gaikai tech.
With Gaikai, the lion’s share of the game processing will take place server-side, rather than within the Sony PS4 console itself, but your PS3 disks will not be compatible with the PS4.
We’ve also been introduced to the all-new DualShock 4, a touchpad-packing controller especially designed for the new system.
The PS4 DualShock 4 controller features two sticks, four triggers, a directional pad, plus triangle, cross, circle, and square buttons, just like a classic PlayStation controller.
But it also has a touchpad across its face, and a PlayStation Move-like “light bar” across the top. The start and select buttons have been moved to the sides to make room for the touchpad, and the DualShock 4 also features a “share” button next to the triggers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The touchpad can be used for touch interactions and doubtless other processes that have yet to be revealed or imagined, while the color-changing light bar allows the controller to interact with the PS4’s evolution of the PlayStation Eye, presumably for motion and pointing controls.
The PlayStation controller hasn’t changed much over the years, from the original PS1 DualShock to the PS3’s Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
The PS4’s DualShock 4 controller is both a huge departure from that formula and more of the same.
No pricing details were revealed at the event, so all we’ve got to go on are various rumours from before the launch – but it might be that Sony has a price point of around $400 in mind for the US release. That translates to around Rs 22,000.
With the PlayStation 4’s incorporation of cloud gaming and power, Sony appears to have launched a convincing first salvo in the impending console showdown with Microsoft. Final pricing, a launch date and the console’s physical design, along with a firm line-up of launch games will surely emerge at the E3 Show in June, along with Microsoft’s rival console. This Christmas could be the most exciting one ever, as far as gamers are concerned.
Sony posted a couple of videos on YouTube for the PS4, check them out below :
Sony Computer Entertainment has been fined a record £250,000 by the data protection watchdog after the personal details of millions of gamers – including passwords and credit card numbers – were leaked online.
The Information Commissioner’s Office on Thursday said the security breach was “one of the most serious” it has handled under the Data Protection Act. The £250,000 fine is the maximum penalty awarded by the ICO against a private company.
The privacy blunder happened in April 2011, when computer hackers targeted the Sony PlayStation Network. It compromised the personal information of millions of customers, including names, addresses, e-mail addresses, dates of birth and account passwords. Customers’ payment card details were also at risk, the ICO said.
“An ICO investigation found that the attack could have been prevented if the software had been up to date, while technical developments also meant passwords were not secure,” it added.
Sony, however, has released a statement saying that it plans to appeal the fine.
“Sony Computer Entertainment Europe strongly disagrees with the ICO’s ruling and is planning an appeal,” it said. “SCEE notes, however, that the ICO recognises Sony was the victim of “a focused and determined criminal attack,” that “there is no evidence that encrypted payment card details were accessed,” and that “personal data is unlikely to have been used for fraudulent purposes” following the attack on the PlayStation Network.”
Sony executives, including President and CEO of Sony Corporation Kazuo Hirai, made a public apology for the PSN hack in May 2011
Sony has launched a newer thinner version of the Playstation 3 in both black and white versions, available in 250GB and 500GB models.
“Charcoal black” option has a September 25th launch date and a $269.99 price tag
“Classic white” model arrives on November 22
500GB, charcoal-only option will be available on October 30th
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House introduced the new model, calling it 50 percent smaller than the original (rather large) PS3, and 25 percent smaller than the previous slimmed-down version.
Since the launch of PS3 in November 2006, the number of BD-based titles has reached more than 3,300 titles and more than 4,100*7 downloadable PS3 games are available worldwide.
[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]
New Smaller And Lighter PlayStation®3 To Hit The Worldwide Market
TOKYO, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that a new PlayStation®3(PS3®) computer entertainment system (body color: charcoal black / classic white*1), featuring a new design and a downsized form factor, will become available worldwide this holiday season. The new PS3 will come in 3 models including extended built in Hard Disk Drive (HDD) capacity of 500GB model and 250GB model, and a newly added 12GB flash memory model initially for Europe only. Availability of models, prices and launch dates of the new PS3 system in each region are as follows.
Thanks to a complete redesign of the internal architecture, the volume and weight of the new PS3 has been reduced by more than half compared to the very first PS3 model with a 60GB HDD, and by 20% and 25% respectively compared to the current PS3. By adopting a sliding disk cover, the new PS3 continues with the characteristic sleek curved body design, which fits various places in the home and enables users to enjoy an array of entertainment content.
With the extra HDD capacity which has been extended from 320GB and 160GB, users can store and enjoy more and more entertainment content including games, music, photos, and video on the new PS3. In addition, the new PS3 with 12GB flash memory offers opportunities to experience the world of PlayStation® at an affordable price point. Users can also expand the storage capacity of the 12GB flash memory PS3 by connecting a dedicated HDD (250GB) to be released concurrently with the new model5. In addition, a variety of accessories will be introduced by SCE to meet various kinds of needs from users including a vertical stand that offers more flexibility in how the new PS3 can be displayed*6.
Since the launch of PS3 in November 2006, the number of BD-based titles has reached more than 3,300 titles and more than 4,100*7 downloadable PS3 games are available worldwide, thanks to support from a broad range of third party developers and publishers. In addition to this extensive software title line-up, exciting and attractive new titles are to be released from third party developers and publishers as well as SCE Worldwide Studios, including Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Entertainment.), Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (Activision Publishing, Inc.), Madden NFL 13 (Electronic Arts Inc.), PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale, LittleBigPlanet Karting, God of War: Ascension (Sony Computer Entertainment), and more.
SCE will further accelerate the expansion of the PS3 platform which is in the 7th year of its lifecycle, by continually releasing a vast library of exciting and attractive software titles and offering users a choice from a variety of hardware models.
*1 The new PS3 in classic white will become available in Japan from November. Other regions and countries will follow this *2 Only PS3 system bundled with software title will become available. *3 Prices will vary by country across Europe. *4 PS3 with flash memory 12GB will be sold in Europe and Hong Kong *5 When using dedicated HDD, flash memory cannot be used as inner storage *6 Users will need to use the separately sold “Vertical Stand” to set the new PS3 in vertical position. *7 Includes PS one® classics and free of charge content (downloadable demos).
