Sony PlayStation 4: Will it herald a new age of gaming?

Sony’s PlayStation 4 console has finally released in North America and will be arriving in Europe on November 29. As the latest follow-up to Sony’s successful PlayStation line, the PS4 is expected to herald a new age of gaming, more specifically a new generation. Sony had revealed the hardware in February this year and shocked the world by announcing that it would be available by the holiday season. Though issues have plagued the PS3 in the past with regards to pricing, launch titles and general support, the PS4 has successfully managed to sidestep almost all of them.

Sony even found a way to successfully survive the issues of digital rights management and used game sales which had been damaging Microsoft’s Xbox One console in the past few months.

But what does the PlayStation 4 offer and how does it differ from the previous generation’s consoles?

Hardware

In terms of power, Sony has touted the PlayStation 4 as the most powerful home console yet. It features an eight core CPU, composed of two x86-based quad core processors developed by AMD. The processors are based on AMD’s upcoming Jaguar CPU line, which offers an increase in clock frequency and a 15 per cent improvement in instructions per clock.

The graphics processing unit or GPU is based on AMD’s Radeon technology and is capable of a peak performance of 1.84 TFLOPS.

The console also has 8 GB GDDR5 RAM, which has a maximum bandwidth of 176 GB/s. It can be accessed by both the CPU and GPU through the PS4’s unified architecture, thus cutting down on manufacturing cost from keeping two separate RAM modules. A Blu-Ray player and HDMI are also included with the console, along with the new DualShock 4 controller which comes with a touch-pad, the new Share button, an LED light bar and an overall improved design.

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Graphics

But what does all this mean when it comes to real-time performance?

Essentially, the PlayStation 4 will be easier to design and develop for. While most developers had nightmares of working on the PlayStation 3 due to its Cell architecture, the PS4’s x86 architecture makes it similar to a PC. Some developers who have brought PC games over the PS4 have reported creating builds within three months.

Chief system architect Mark Cerny said that he saved a year of development time on his game Knack thanks to the PS4’s architecture.

The new technology also means performance that previous consoles would have struggled to achieve. The PlayStation 4 will be able to accurately model weather, foliage, physics, particles and more in ways unseen till now. Games will now be able to run at a native 1080p resolution (the previous generation being capped at 720p) and at 60 frames per second with a significant rise in detail. Though some initial releases at 30 frames per second, it won’t be long before 1080p and 60 FPS is the norm.

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Features

The PlayStation 4 is primarily a gaming console. However, you can still access apps like Netflix and Sony’s media services. The console’s new Share button allows players to record footage and screenshots of the games they’re playing and share it with their friends. This opens up a whole new avenue for content. With the previous generation, you needed a PC with a capture card to record footage off a console. Now, all it takes is the push of a button. For those who want higher quality footage though, don’t fret -- the PS4 supports capture cards.

Sony has also developed a camera for the PS4 which recognises movement and responds to gestures. It also recognises voice commands and you can successfully navigate services using your voice without any problems. The technology is slated to support eye-tracking in the future. This will allow your cursor in the game to move in conjunction with your eye’s movement.

Imagine looking at a distant object and your character’s gun immediately starts aiming at it to get an idea of this technology’s potential.

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PlayStation network and interface

Sony has revamped the interface of the PS4 significantly to allow for easier navigation. You’ll be able to use your real name on the PlayStation Network, Sony’s dedicated online service for the console. Those who created IDs on the PS3 don’t need to worry -- the same ID will work on the PlayStation Network. Other changes include being able to see the progress of your friends’ activities, recent accolades (called “Trophies”) that they’ve picked up and a “What’s New” to inform you of recent happenings on PSN. You can even jump in and spectate on a friend’s game in progress if you so desire.

Sony has revealed that it will be releasing free versions of its exclusives for PlayStation Plus subscribers. These will be limited in their own way but will players to experience the game first and then decide if it’s worth a retail purchase. Evolution Studios’ DriveClub will be the first game under this scheme. As such, PlayStation Plus subscribers usually access demos before other consoles and get great discounts besides getting free games. The one negative aspect of PlayStation Plus on the PS4 is that it will be required if you want to experience multiplayer. Thankfully, this doesn’t include free to play titles.

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The present and future

The PlayStation 4 has launched with a good selection of titles, namely Killzone: Shadow Fall, Resogun, Knack and many next-generation versions of third party games such as Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4.

Future titles include inFamous: Second Son, DriveClub, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Order: 1886 and the next Uncharted.

Sony has big plans for the console, with its Gaikai cloud gaming service set to introduce backwards compatibility (allowing you to play PS3 games on the console). Currently, you can play PS4 games on a PlayStation Vita handheld through the magic of Remote Play, and even use the new PlayStation App for your smartphone to control your console and access features.

The console retails in the United States for $399 and will release in Europe for £349. It’s expected to release for India in 2014. Though the next-generation console is still relatively young, it represents a big step forward for gaming worldwide.

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