The PlayStation 4 will go on sale later this year and it'll be cheaper than the Xbox One - $399 in the US, £349 in the UK and €399 - compared to $499 and £429.
These pricing details were revealed along - at long last - with the look of the PS4 console itself, at Sony's E3 2013 press conference.
Sony says the PS4 was designed with an overarching theme of a "frictionless and seamless" gaming experience.
We've known that the PS4 will track both the controller in a gamer's hand, as well as their face, since the console's launch in Feb. But during his GDC talk Norden revealed some interesting ways that this technology will be implemented in games.
We learned a whole lot more when Sony gave its E3 presentation, so read on for all you need to know about the new PlayStation...For example, the old multiplayer standby of split screen, divvying up television real estate when two or more players go at it, will be aided by this tracking tech. If a gamer gets up and moves right or left, his section of the screen will automatically be swapped.
PS4's new look
The PS4 itself was shown off for the first time at E3 and it's black, just like the Xbox One. However, it has an angular design and appears to be constructed of a similar plastic to the original PS3 Slim machine.
It looks as though it's slimmer than the Xbox One but we're not totally blown away by the design. What do you think?
PS4 release date
The official PS4 release date is still only 'later this year'. Sony didn't reveal any more details on the release date at E3 so we're still in the dark. However, with Microsoft launching the Xbox One worldwide in November, it seems likely that Sony will be going live around this time also.
Previously, Sony took out a newspaper ad in the UK, clearly advertisingthe PS4 release date as '2013'. That tallies with an interview in May with our buddies at CVG, a source inside Sony said that the company is pulling out all the stops to launch worldwide in 2013 and ensure that the PS4 is not trumped by the new Xbox.
Sony also advertised at the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium, London, with 'PS4 - coming 2013' signs.
PS4 price
Sony announced the PS4 price at E3 - it'll cost $399 in the US, £349 in the UK and €399 in Europe when it goes on sale later this year. That's a whole $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.
That price, it must be said, does not include the PS Eye camera, whereas the Xbox One will ship with the second version of Kinect.
PS4 used games/online check-in
Many gamers will be pleased that unlike the Xbox One, the PS4 will offer unrestricted access to pre-owned games. So when you buy a titles, you are free to then trade it in at retail, sell it to another person, lend it to a friend or keep it.
There is also no online check-in requirement, and you'll be able to play games regardless of whether you're connected to the internet or not. The Xbox One requires an online check-in once every 24 hours and will lock you out of your games if this doesn't happen.
PS4 specs
AMD's technology is coursing through this new system's veins. Sony revealed the system runs on a single-chip custom processor and utilises eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores, with a next-gen AMD Radeon based graphics engine powering the way.
So it's very much a PC-based system then, which is great news for developers who will find it much easier to code games for the next gen consoles and for PCs. However, that CPU is hardly next-gen - it may have been modified for this system but the AMD Jaguar platform is by no means the fastest of its kind - indeed it's slower than Intel's fastest by orders of magnitude.
However, with fewer redundancies than a PC has, the PS4 will certainly be able to make use of every single Watt of power it draws. And the games we've seen so far certainly look impressive.
The "highly enhanced PC GPU" is another AMD part - something along the lines of a Radeon 7850 card - and packs 18 GCN units. That may sound a like a lot of techy mumbo jumbo but what it essentially means is that the GPU packs 18 processing clusters, each packing up to 64 cores. That provides a lot of parallel processing power, and will thus handle the majority of the PS4's grunt work. It hits 1.84 TFLOPS of processing mojo. This is a far more powerful component than the Jaguar CPU and is may well have the edge on the integrated GPU inside the Xbox One.
The PS4 will also use GPU compute features to take advantage of the GPU's raw power - it'll be used for general computation tasks as well as making games shiny.
Memory
The PS4 will ship packing 8GB of GDDR5 memory. That's some super-fast stuff right there and should enable lightning fast performance.
Indeed, Sony has revealed that you will be able to power down the PS4 mid-game and then switch it on again in seconds and pick up right where you left off. That's the sort of loading power that this memory enables.
Other specs
We're also looking at Blu-ray disk support plus good ol' DVD, plus HDMI output support as well as Analog-AV out and an optical digital output.
PlayStation 4 Eye
What's really grabbing though is the development of the PlayStation 4 Eye, a newly developed camera system that utilizes two high-sensitivity camera equipped with wide-angle lenses and 85-degree diagonal angle views.
Sony said the cameras (amounting to 1280 x 800 pixels) can cut out the image of a player from the background or differentiate between players in the background and foreground, enhancing game play handily. There's also mention of logging in using facial recognition and using voice and body movements to play games "more intuitively."
If you want to know how these specs stack up against what we know so far about the Xbox One (clue: PS4 is more powerful) - check out our comparison of PS4 and Xbox One specs.
PlayStation 4 Specifications
- CPU: low power x86-64 AMD "Jaguar", 8 cores
- GPU: 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon™ Graphics Core Next engine
- Memory: GDDR5 8GB
- Hard Disk Drive: Built –in
- Optical Drive (Read only): BD 6xCAV, DVD 8xCAV
- I/O: Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0), AUX
- Communication: Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)
- AV output: HDMI, Analog-AV out, Digital Output (optical)
DualShock 4 specifications:
- External Dimensions: Approx. 162mm x 52mm x 98mm
- Weight: Approx. 210g (tentative)
- Buttons: PS button, SHARE button, OPTIONS button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), R1/L1/R2/L2/R3/L3, Right stick, Left stick, Touch Pad Button, Touch Pad 2 Point Touch Pad, Click Mechanism, Capacitive Type
- Other Features: Light Bar, Vibration, Built-in Mono Speaker
- Ports: USB (Micro B), Extention Port, Stereo Headset Jack
- Wireless communication: Bluetooth® Ver2.1+EDR
PS4 camera specifications
- External Dimension: Approx. 186mm x 27mm x 27mm
- Weight: Approx. 183g
- Video Pixel: (Maximum) 1280 x 800 pixel x 2
- Video Frame Rate: 1280x800 pixel @ 60fps, 640x400 pixel @ 120fps, 320x192 pixel @ 240fps
- Video Format: RAW, YUV (uncompressed)
- Lens: Dual Lenses, F value/F2.0 fixed focus
- Field-of-View: 85 degrees
- Microphone: 4 Channel Microphone Array
- Connection Type: PS4 dedicated connector (AUX connector)
- Cable Length: Approx. 2m (tentative)
DualShock 4
If you have an eye for details you may have noticed that the PS4'sDualShock 4 controller has no Start or Select buttons. Norden confirmed this, saying that it will have a so-called Option button instead, as well as the much bandied about Share button on the rear.
The analogue sticks have been tightened up to be more precise, and the controller also features a brand new three-axis gyroscopic motion sensor with three-axis accelerometer which should be great for getting you immersed in the games. The camera continuously tracks all four controllers with precise accuracy. Rotational tracking is provided by the internal components and.
The controller has a two-point Vita-like touchpad on the front with a 1920x900 resolution, and a tactile clicking sound letting you know you've pressed it. The light bar on the front will glow different colours depending on whether you're player 1, 2, 3 or 4 and will be tracked by the new PS Eye camera. It also has an Xbox-style headset jack and a mono speaker inside it.
Video-watchers take note
This new PS4 controller won't accidentally fast forward when you set it down. Norden said this was one of the biggest complaints his team heard about the PS3's DualShock. The PS4's controller has triggers designed not to depress when set down. What's more, Norden even said he'd been dropping controllers without skipping a single frame.
That touchpad on the DualShock 4 will be capable of two simultaneous inputs. The light on the controller will glow blue, red, green or pink light, depending on whether you're player one, two, three or four.
The Share button
The PS4's ardware encoder always records the last several minutes of game play without using any additional resources from the game, by pressing the Share button you can then upload or save your gameplay and show your friends or keep it just for your own amusement.
PS4 Streaming
PS4 streaming lets you stream out live gameplay to your friends. This is all built into the hardware and does not need to be supported by developers. Users can react to the video by typing comments in real time. You can do this to friends, or public.
PS4 user interface
The XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface of PlayStations past has beencompletely ditched in the PS4, with Sony instead choosing to design a new OS that looks a lot more like that of the Xbox 360 than the PS3.
Will the PS4 be 4K capable?
In a chat with Kotaku, Sony has revealed that the PlayStation 4 will be able to playback 4K/Ultra HD video. However, it will not upscale to 4K or play games at 4K resolution.
Sony has also confirmed that it will definitely launch a 4K movie service on the PS4 and is looking at ways it can get around the 100GB downloads required.
Backwards compatibility
The PS4 will definitely not offer native support for PS3 games. However, there will at some point be a service on the Sony Entertainment Network that offers server-side emulation and streaming of games from PS One classics right through to PS3 Platinum Editions.
PlayStation Move
Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Move will play a big part in the PS4 ecosystem. However, it has not yet been revealed whether the PS4 will launch alongside a new PS Eye camera and new Move controllers or whether the peripherals are staying the same with all the enhancements made console-side.
By tracking the light bar on the DualShock 4 pad and associating it with faces in the image, the game can identify which player face is connected to which game avatar. By using facial recognition the game can associate a face with a PSN profile.
- High sensitivity, dual color cameras. Two cameras here.
- 1280x 800 12 bits/pixel, 60hz
- Higher frame rates at lower resolutions
- Wide angles – diagonal field of view is 85 degrees
- 3 axis acceeletromter, tilt sensor
- Wide baseline 4 microphone array
- Dedicated port, exclusive SCE connector
- Game-loop sync can be changed, depending on framerate of game
PS4 Blu-ray drive
Not only will the PS4's 64-bit x86 architecture and 8GB of GDDR5 memory blow its predecessor out of the water, its Blu-ray drive will be three times faster.
"If you're coming from the PS3 you're probably quite used to the headache of having to split memory arhchitecture, you can't quite use all of it, the speeds are really wacky on some of it - we don't have that with PS4," said Norden.
He added that this would offer developers "crazy high bandwidth".
Synergy with PlayStation Vita
Sony has revealed that the PS4 will launch with the ability to stream games directly to your PS Vita. In exactly the same way as the Wii U allows you to switch off your TV and continue playing on the tablet controller, the PS4 will wirelessly send your games to the Vita.
There will be similar synergy between "all Sony devices" which means Xperia handsets and tablets, Bravia TVs and BD players.
Sony hinted that there will be more announcements in this area, too. We think the obvious next reveal in this area is the ability to play PS4 games on your Vita from any location using a wireless connection.
PS4 Instant On
The PS4 will be one nippy device if Sony is to be believed. It will have an instant on/off feature allowing your to shut down during a game and then boot up from scratch in seconds and resume where you left off. The days of waiting 60 seconds as your console loads up are about to end.
What's more, Chris Norden has stressed that Sony has three tenets of PS4 design: simple, social and immediate. Gamers will be able to start playing titles before they've even finished downloading.
And with one button sharing, Norden says the goal is to make it so simple users will "do it without thinking about it."
PS4 launch titles
A number of games have been revealed for the PS4. They Are: Deep Down(Capcom), Destiny (Bungie), Diablo III (Blizzard), Driveclub (Evolution Studios), Final Fantasy (Square Enix), Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch), Killzone: Shadow Fall (Guerilla Games), Knack (Sony), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt RED), Watch Dogs (Ubisoft).
US talkshow host Jimmy Fallon was the first to get near Killzone 4...
[ techradar.com ]
XB1 vs PS4
ReplyDelete---------------
Using the information that is available as of June 15th, 2013,this is a comparison between the 2 consoles, and I mean that in the literal sense.
Launch Price:
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PS4 = $400 USD
XB1 = $500 USD, the Kinnect Peripheral is included at this price (and possibly the IR blasters needed for the Cable Box function)
APU: (Accelerated Processing Unit - CPU with embedded GPU)
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PS4 = AMD 8 Core "Jaguar" Sony Custom APU
XB1 = AMD 8 Core "Jaguar" MS Custom APU
Analysis: Both are custom chips from AMD, but the Microsoft Chip has a high speed 32MB cache(ESRAM) and associated logic to compensate for using slower memory.Cache usage complicates the chip design and adds expense, but will improves overall performance.Benchmarks will be needed to see if the PS4's faster memory and CPU combination versus XB1's slower memory and high speed on die cache combination prevail.
(For example, data fetch that misses cache have significant performance penalties.)
XB1 Dev notes also indicates the MAX reserved system resources allocated for running games is 6 cores out of the 8.
Unified Memory:
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PS4 = 8GB GDDR5, 5500Mhz (176GB/s Memory Bandwidth)
XB1 = 8GB DDR3, 2133Mhz (68.3GB/s Memory Bandwidth)
Analysis: Memory is "shared" between the CPU and GPU on both systems. Over Simplification: GDDR (also synonymous with vRAM or Video RAM) is expensive, is high bandwidth, has a higher latency, but can read AND write within the same cycle. DDR has lower latency, but can only read OR write within the same cycle. DDR is good at moving small amounts of data. GDDR = Extremely Fast, Streams based data moves. DDR = Slower, but good at Random read /write. In this application, gaming consoles tend to be video centric so the use of GDDR will greatly benefit the PS4 GPU. (Higher performance GPUs use GDDR.)
Also important to note, the OS foot print between PS4 and XB1 is significant. PS4 will occupy roughly 1GB for the OS versus XB1, which will occupy roughly 3GB.
PS4 = 7GB available for game / GPU memory.
XB1 = 5GB available for game / GPU memory.
GPU:
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PS4 = Approximation: AMD Radeon HD 7870, 1152 GPU Cores, 1.84 TF
XB1 = Approximation: AMD Radeon HD 7790, 768 GPU Cores, 1.23 TF
Analysis: PS4's graphic processing unit combined with the GDDR5 onboard memory will be approximately 50 - 60% more powerful for running games than XB1. (XB1 Dev note also indicates that MAX reserved system resources allocated for running games is 90% of the GPU's capacity.) Anecdotal evidence has shown that using GDDR5 vs DDR3 on equivalent GPUs can increase a game's frame rate performance by over 80% depending on the game type.
ReplyDeleteHDD:
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PS4 = 500GB, upgradeable, swappable
XB1 = 500GB, non-removable, not user replaceable
Analysis: In terms of storage, the PS4 has the advantage in multiple ways. 1.) Investment is future proof in the sense that it can be replaced and upgraded. The probability, but not confirmed is the ability to replace the traditional mechanical HDD with an SSD for speed and reliability or just replace the existing storage with a larger HDD without having to resort to an external USB drive - which for many becomes an aesthetics issue. 2.) Since MS has moved to a Digital Content Only licensing scheme, which means ALL games must be loaded into the HDD, free space will be rapidly reduced as your library grows. Consider the following: the average current generation video games occupy roughly 3-5 GB of space (without DLC) and as much as 18GB for games like Final Fantasy XIII, HD Movies range from 6 - 15GB for 2 hours at 1080p (with no clear indication of file size for the up and coming 4K HD video file size) and lastly the DVR function will also place a strain on free space. I know many are thinking of how the "Cloud" will off-lay some of these concerns, but based on the current information, Sony's implementation of the "Gaikai + Cloud" will have less of an impact on local storage demands.
Optical Drive:
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PS4 = Blu-ray / DVD optical Drive, Games Region Free, Direct Game Support
XB1 = Blu-ray / DVD optical Drive, Games Region Locked
Analysis:PS4 has several distinct advantage. 1.) You can play the game directly from the Blu-ray disc. (XB1 Blu-ray media are only used to install games on the HDD.) 2.) Region Free means you can get other games from other Countries and play them on the system. For example, on the PS3 there is a large selection of games made in Japan that do not make it to the American Shores. You can still purchase Japanese games from specialty providers and they will play on and American system without issue.
Network Connectivity / Ports:
ReplyDelete---------------
PS4 = Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 (EDR), USB 3.0
XB1 = Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), WiFi Direct, USB 3.0
Analysis: The major difference between the two platforms is Bluetooth vs WiFi direct. XB1 uses WiFi Direct, a new connectivity standard that boasts ease of use, higher security and speed. Since Wifi Direct is used for communicating to the hand held controller, there is a question of battery drain. It is a new standard, so finding peripherals using WiFi Direct is nonexistent. PS4 with Bluetooth will still be able to capitalize on the vast amount of bluetooth peripherals currently on the market. (Keyboards, Mice, Headphones, etc.) For example, the Microsoft Elite Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard will work fine on the PS4, but will not work on the XB1. Until WiFi Direct is adopted by the market, XB1 will have to use a wired keyboard.
Audio / Video Ports:
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PS4 = HDMI 1.4 Out, Digital Optical Out, AUX
XB1 = HDMI 1.4 In & Out, Digital Optical Out
Analysis: Both platforms claim 4k video support, but how that will be implemented is yet to be seen. The XB1 had an HDMI In for overlay support to be used in conjunction with a cable/satellite box system. XB1 adds Xbox OneGuide - TV Guide - to manage cable box programming. - The following is my personal opinion based on my own extensive home theater/entertainment knowledge. If you only have a TV, cable box (or satellite box) and the XBox One, then this may be a pleasant experience - if the cable/satellite guide system is inferior to the Xbox OneGuide. If your home entertainment system is a bit more complex, e.g. / Dedicated Surround Sound System, Additional Sources like other gaming systems (most people I know have at least 2, if not 3) and other inputs (VCR, security camera feed, etc.), then this proposition may not work out so well. In a home theater setup, the Audio Receiver is often used as the video switching system. Going from the cable box, then to the XB1, then to the Audio Receiver (then possibly to an outboard video processor) and finally to the TV / Projector introduces complexity, noise and audio lag. We could expand on this extensively and talk about various configuration options, but it's enough to say I have doubts on this feature.
Commentary:
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- Licensing Changes (subject to change)
For generation 8 consoles, Microsoft has adopted a new games licensing model, which is a digital content only model - which will end the use of physical media as a medium for where games reside. This means the Blu-ray "game" disc being sold at retail for XB1 will only contain the game installer. It is merely a shortcut from having to download the full game from XBL. Once installed onto the HDD, there is a requirement to activate the game and associate it with an XBL online account. The installation disc is now useless for resale, unless you wish to go through the process of "unlicensing" the game from your system.
Because of the new licensing model, DRM will have to be in place. Technically speaking, "Used" games do not exist in this model. There is significant controversy on the new licensing model and associated DRM. One of the requirements to enforce the new DRM policies is to have the XB1 "check in" every 24 hours with a licensing server. The requirements are even more stringent if you play a purchased game on a console not registered to your XBL account. [If you want to "lend" a game to play on your friend's XB1 (who you must have friended for at least 30 days), the "check in" requirement is every hour.] If the 24 hour "check in" is missed, the gaming functionality is disabled until it can re-establish a connection to the licensing server. There are other limitations, but you can read more online.
ReplyDeleteBecause of how far the XB1 is into its production cycle and knowing how much supporting infrastructure had to be deployed to support the new licensing model, I have serious doubts that this can be changed or reversed in the future.
Opinion wise, I would whole heartedly support this new model if there is a significant cost advantage (since MS and the publishers would get more revenue from cutting out piracy and eradicating the "used" games market) and if they would provide some type of secure license caching mechanism that would allow for extended offline play. - Taking the XB1 to the cabin with you for the "rainy" days would be useless.
Also, keep in mind that outside of in-house studios, both XB1 and PS4 will allow devs / studios to determine their own DRM scheme.
- Adoption of APU
Both platforms have adopted an x86 (CISC) based processor versus their previous generation which is RISC based. (PowerPC 970 for the Xbox 360 and Cell Processor for PS3). This means that native backward compatibility does not exist between the next gen platform and the previous gen platform. Having said that, Sony intends to pull a "rabbit out of a hat" and provide the PS4 access to the top games from the PS3 library through Gaikai. Details are forthcoming; but if true, the PS4 will have access to a larger library in 2014 than XB1.
- XB1 controller vs PS4 controller
- Kinnect vs Eye
- Microsoft Mirror vs Sony Vita
- OS
There are vast differences between the OS's in the 2 system. MS focused on general functionality and multimedia (3GB Footprint), whereas PS4 seems to focus on a simpler OS (1GB Footprint) to keep more resources available for game development. MS uses 3 operating systems to manage their endeavor for the XB1: A Hypervisor (which boots the system; manages the hardware through a hardware abstraction layer that VMs talk to and manages the Virtual Machines), an XBox OS (for playing the games) and Windows OS for all the other multimedia applications. Hypervisors are very minimal, but having the XBox OS and Windows operating systems on one box gives additional attack vectors for hackers and virii. I think the memory space consumption and the penalties involved for VM's are self evident.
ReplyDelete- Cloud
Not enough details at present from either platform to discuss. The "Cloud" will be the way forward for all devices, whether it is for remote computational power (distributed processing), remote storage, streaming, remote application services or accessing large persistent worlds that would not be available locally.
- PSN+ vs XBL (Playstation Network Plus vs Xbox Liv)
Both are evolving, both add value to their respective platforms and whether you agree or disagree, both will be mandatory for multiplayer online play. (caveat - PS4 does not require PSN+ to access Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon, Crunchyroll, Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited and MORE… whereas XB1 requires XBL to access any commercial online media service.)
- Other considerations
Multi-platform development systems tend to be written for the lowest common denominator. In the case of XB1 vs PS4, the XB1 seem to be the lowest common denominator between the two consoles. In other words, the PS4 will most likely have overhead which will not be tapped by multi-platform games. Games that are written exclusively for the PS4 will most likely offer greater capabilities, but because of its exclusivity, comparisons cannot be drawn between the XB1 and PS4.
- Looking forward
- If the PS4 is outed as the superior hardware platform and if it turns out that the XB1 is merely running virtual machines via a hypervisor, then I would say that it is a matter of time before someone is able to run the XB1 hypervisor and associated OS's on the PS4. Why would they do this? Because they can. (MS would lead in such a cause because there is no profit to be made on the hardware side.)
- MS will eventually open up the XB1 to Windows Applications via the "Cloud" (and the same will probably occur for the PS4.)
- Sony has many divisions and will probably offer a "tie in" to the PS4 that could bring about some very interesting propositions.
- The bottom line
On paper, the PS4 hardware seems to be superior in every way, shape and form, but until benchmarks are run and production boxes are put through their paces, the stats are just that - stats.
Real World Performance tends to vary greatly depending on the circumstance.
The bottom line is to vote with your dollars. The differences between these platforms might be marginal or could be significant, but the greatest hardware means nothing without software to run them. In other words, each and every one of us are different. We don't buy these consoles because of the hardware specifications. We buy them for the software and services that drive them. Both systems have great software coming to them. But… Because Sony may have the superior hardware platform, its staying power within the gen 8 cycle may be greater than the XB1.
- The BUZZZZZ
ReplyDeleteThere are too many people trolling the forums about which platform will reign supreme. First, let me remind everyone that neither product has shipped. We are still 4 - 5 months away from actually getting one of these bad boys in our hands. Second, the hardware is worthless without software and software will not ship in earnest for either platform until 2014.
I also know that many people object to the new MS licensing and DRM policies. Like I said before, if you object, vote with your dollars.
Remember, this isn't about right or wrong - it's about business and who gets to take your money.
credit : viol8tor