No, Sony did not announce a price, show the hardware, or announce a specific release date at PlayStation Meeting Live 2013. Sorry.
Instead, the company took to the stage to show technology. Demos from Capcom (their new Panta Rhei engine), live gameplay streams, social connectivity, and the ability to play a digital game the instant you press X on the Marketplace were featured.
Irony was not lost as Sucker Punch showed off Infamous: Second Son, a moody title revolving around the always connected world. The same goes for Watch Dogs, which yes, is a next-gen title. With all of the fear surrounding the possible consequences of being online, Sony’s PlayStation 4 (yes, that’s the name) reveal does come across as odd.
Streaming services from David Perry’s Gaikai were featured heavily, including the ability to hop into a friend’s single player game and take over when someone is stuck. The possibilities are endless in other scenarios.
The console will be very PC-like, with a dedicated hard drive, X86 2 teraflop CPU, 8GB of RAM, and overall very developer friendly architecture. Sony pushed hard on the ease of use from a development side.
Then, the controller, a Move-like experience with a new stereo camera that can track three dimensional movement. It offers a distinctive Share button and touch pad, and a light bar will identify players.
Buzz words included simple, immediate, social, integrated, personalized. Everything is announced to be immediately available at the press of a button, and infinitely sharable.
As for games, Knack looked like a simple puzzle/platformer, Killzone: ShadowFall was brighter than any title prior, DriveClub looked to take away some of the Gran Turismo thunder, Deep Down from Capcom was a fantasy adventure with a working title, and Diablo III is coming to consoles on the PS3 and PS4.
As for Vita, Sony touted the device as, well, a device, something that can keep the experience going even when you leave the TV… or the Wii U in other words. Cross-platform possibilities were also announced to extend to mobile phones and tablets in a variety of ways. Players can also pause their PS4 games, turn them into a low powered units, and walk away only to pick back up later. This was a boon for handhelds, and it seems imperative for consoles now.
PlayStation 4 is due up sometime during the holiday season, 2013.
