PlayStation 4 Finally Revealed

In front of millions of people the world over, Sony last night announced their next foray into the world of gaming. The PlayStation 4 boasts an impressive array of social and convenience features that’s bound to impress any gamer planning to purchase, but the games shown also managed to display a significant upgrade in the visuals department as well.  

The biggest emphasis was placed on the PlayStation Network and on the PlayStation 4’s cloud capabilities. Online features on Sony’s next-gen effort have been given a front seat. The user card has been updated to include more information, but there’s also a wider array of social networks. With things like Facebook only a click away, there hasn’t ever been an easier way of sharing your gaming with friends.

With access to the cloud through Gaikai, players will be able to play their digital games instantly, but new hardware handling file management means you can play the latest games as they’re downloading as well. There’s also a chip to handle on-the-fly video compression which, paired with the Dualshock 4’s new share button, means you can create and share video at any time. The share button also allows you to broadcast whatever you’re doing at any time, making even a single player title potentially social.

The share button isn’t the only new addition to the Dualshock 4. A touchpad, not unlike the one on the back of the Vita, sits where the PlayStation button is on the Dualshock 3. A new headphone jack means you can plug in a microphone and talk with other players – not a new development in the gaming sphere but a welcome one on PlayStation.

Over the course of the conference, Sony introduced a number of publishers working on games for the PS4. Capcom, Activision, Square Enix and Ubisoft will all have titles within the console’s release window. A new partnership with Blizzard even means that Diablo 3 will be making an appearance on Sony consoles.

This is only the very tip of what was announced last night, and there’s going to be an awful lot more announced between now and the PS4’s release at the end of this year.