PS4 Officially Announced

Elemmire

Elemmire

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Elemmire
It sounds like it has some neat features, but I really hate that there's no backwards compatibility. No, cloud gaming PS1,2 and 3 games is NOT backwards compatibility. I can understand it might increase the cost of the console, but I'd be willing to pay a bit more for a console to get that functionality than not have it at all.

I doubt I'll be picking it up :\ at least not for a long while.
 
Given the rest of the features they discussed last night, if lack of native backwards compatibility is the one thing that will make you not buy the system, you have weird priorities.

I see a lot of people harp on the compatibility issue, to be honest, and yet the vast majority of them wouldn't exercise it if it were present anyway.

And assuming Sony puts forth the effort to strengthen PSN to the level necessary to support the sort of massive cloud gaming they're talking about, then the only reason to be particularly upset about cloud gaming PS1-3 games is because you have shitty internet. Also assuming that Sony makes some sort of allowance for people who already own a particular game, of course.

But (and this is assuming that Sony wasn't talking out of its ass and actually follows through with most of the plans they were discussing last night), I weigh that against PC architecture that will allow developers to program for the PS4 without having to learn something completely different (which has been the case for the PS2 and PS3), the ability to stream games from the PS4 to the Vita and take it with you (I don't own a Vita of course, but I also don't particularly give a shit about mobile gaming as it exists currently. Being able to just play a PS4 game on a handheld, however? That I can see), being able to try functionally any game that comes out without having to buy it (take that, lame-ass piracy excuse #3), and all the other features discussed?

I still have my PS1-3, if I really want to play those games I can dig out the console necessary and have at it. And that assumes that Sony drops the ball on the streaming.

On the whole, I'd say it was a solid reveal. Yes, the only really specific hardware datum was the RAM specs, but if you expected a full rundown on the console's capabilities then you're moderately retarded; if Sony gave detailed system specs now, it gives Microsoft a chance to update their plans for the 720 before their own reveal. If you were expecting a price, then you're going full retard, for much the same reason.
 
I play old games often, I like being able to play my old games rather easily. Backwards compatibility is pretty big to me. Honestly, enough to keep me from picking up a system for at least a year or even more especially depending on the actual gaming library.

And no, I don't like having to dig up and hook up more systems to my TV to play old games :\ I mean, yes these are different beasts, but we don't expect old DVDs to require an older DVD player to play em.
 
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No, but you'd have to hook up a Laserdisc player or a VHS player to play those formats. Which is just as good an example as the one you used; what you're asking for is essentially the same as asking companies to make their Blu-Ray players come complete with what are basically obsolete formats. Hell, the original Playstation predates the DVD.

So get used to digging. Or just buy a TV with enough hookups to run them all simultaneously. Which, oddly enough, I have.

I can see maybe one generation of backwards compatibility as being a... reasonable request. But when you're Sony, and you like making every damn system you have some incredibly convoluted mass of difficult-to-tap potential, that's pretty difficult.
 
They pulled it off for the PS3 originally, I imagine they could for PS4 easily. Sure it'd be a more costly system as it would require some more hardware bits, but I'd be willing to pay that extra cost for such a feature.
 
*snuggles his backwards compatible hulking PS3* I wuv joo, yus I do~
 
Elemmire said:
They pulled it off for the PS3 originally, I imagine they could for PS4 easily. Sure it'd be a more costly system as it would require some more hardware bits, but I'd be willing to pay that extra cost for such a feature.
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And the PS3 started out at $600, and nearly lost them the console war for this generation.

The feature was dropped for a reason.
 
Raesvelg said:
And the PS3 started out at $600, and nearly lost them the console war for this generation.

The feature was dropped for a reason.
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And cost savings wasn't it.

Sony did PS2 emulation through software for the European model PS3's which is free as far as production cost is concerned, because the cost of development was already incurred. Since the PS4 is going to have a bluray drive, it's likely only out of sheer laziness that they're not going to include backwards compatibility.

From the announcement, I'm going to be lacking interest in the PS4 for a while, until the cost will come down(no way it's not going to be crazy expensive like the PS3 was) or there's a bunch of great games. I'm sure it's an impressive piece of hardware, but nothing that's making me cream my jeans. I had the same thought with the PS3/360 after the Wii announcement; sure it's pretty but what else is it going to do to draw me into the game? I'm sure I'll get one eventually, but I'm not impressed with only power.
 
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I heard the 720 is gonna have a blu ray drive too. That's prolly gotta make Sony happy :P
 
Meh, backwards compatibility via software emulation is ass anyways, they can have that, I'd rather just keep my PS3, knowing my games will work, than to let Gamestop rip it off me and overprice it to someone else. Console gaming is not PC gaming, you have to move on. Stream gaming can S -a- D, I hope they fail just as hard as the others in this avenue. There is really only one thing that would potentially keep me away from the PS4 on the whole. That being, if it turns out to not play used games, I'm going to have a hard time supporting anything Sony at that point. If it has the stupid 1 PSN account rule like the Vita (a soft region lock) or is completely region locked, I'll just stay away from it until Tokiwamusen or Media Land start leaving them in the floor of their shops with a sticker akin to "???円" on them.

Anyway, I'm overall unimpressed and far from excited. It feels like the PS3 just now made it to the party as it is, so it's really too early for them to be trying to shove another shitty console down my throat. It's about time the console hardware makers learned a thing or two about interchangeable parts; wonderful things really.
 
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Sony has already said that the PS4 will be able to play used games. It's possible that they could change their minds between now and Christmas, of course, but it seems unlikely.

As for cloud gaming... if they put in the necessary effort to the PSN infrastructure to make it happen, I say more power to them. It's almost inevitable that streaming like that will be a major component of gaming in the future, and there's no reason to wait if they can make it work now.
 
My problem with it, is that it will take over as the dominant media form if it catches on like DD. Instead of "owning" my games, no matter how much I truly do or do not as it is now, I'll I have no chance of ownership if it takes over. For me, there is a lot of security in having a physical copy of something. If I can make a personal backup of a DD purchase I'm OK with that, but with streaming there is no game, at all on my end, I have zero control. I just don't like the idea of that being popular.

As for the used media bit, they've been "flippy floppy" on it. The western branches have spoke out against it, Japan has just kind of, after not denying the patent for the tech. to do it, sat back and watched everyone else talk about it, so who knows.
 
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I don't care about the cloud gaming idea cause if the idea is you can stream play the game, well, even people with good internet have issues with latency with it and other things. And with my crappy internet? Ya.. gg. I don't want that.

And I've seen a ton who want backwards compatibility for the PS4 :P
 
Strid said:
My problem with it, is that it will take over as the dominant media form if it catches on like DD. Instead of "owning" my games, no matter how much I truly do or do not as it is now, I'll I have no chance of ownership if it takes over. For me, there is a lot of security in having a physical copy of something. If I can make a personal backup of a DD purchase I'm OK with that, but with streaming there is no game, at all on my end, I have zero control. I just don't like the idea of that being popular.
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I understand that position, to be honest, since I do occasionally wonder what would happen if Steam abruptly disappeared.

I think it's unlikely to become an issue, however.
Strid said:
As for the used media bit, they've been "flippy floppy" on it. The western branches have spoke out against it, Japan has just kind of, after not denying the patent for the tech. to do it, sat back and watched everyone else talk about it, so who knows.
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This is pretty definitive, from the boss of Sony Worldwide Studios.

As for the specs, that's... actually mostly what they said during the event, minus the (largely irrelevant) name of who was making the chips. The specific details are still pretty sparse.
 
I have owned every version of Playstation and currently only use my PS3 for Netflix and blue rays. The peak of Playstation gaming was linking PS1s together for Command and Conquer. Everything after that experience pails in comparison.
 
Raesvelg said:
This is pretty definitive, from the boss of Sony Worldwide Studios.
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That is definitive, I hadn't seen that so thanks for the link.

As for the specs, that's... actually mostly what they said during the event, minus the (largely irrelevant) name of who was making the chips. The specific details are still pretty sparse.
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I'd say the stats given are fairly significant. I mean, at the very least you can Google, say, "x86-64 AMD 'Jaguar'" and come up with such as this: PS4 CPU Details
 
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Sony just kicked the shit out of Microsoft -- As per the livestream I was watchin...sony-at-e3-2013-watch-the-ps4-event-live-blog

"10:41: Jack Tretton, in an effort to win E3 and the video game industry, says that the PS4 won’t impose any strict DRM. When you buy a game, it is yours to do with what you wish. The audience is literally chanting out of happiness. PS4 games also don’t need to be connected online to play, and the audience loses their minds. No periodic online check-ins, and the PS4 won’t stop working if you haven’t authenticated in 24 hours — a direct shot a Microsoft. Your PS Plus membership works across all Sony systems, you only need one account."

And then... $399 and their exclusive contract with Bungie, which isn't big for me, but that's a giant kick in the pants at MS.
 
Pretty much. Given that they're not starting a year late, and coming in at a substantially lower cost than the competition... Yeah. This last generation finished up in pretty much a dead heat between Sony and Microsoft (assuming we credit MS for all the burnt-out 360s that got replaced as part of their sales), and given what we've seen so far at E3, I don't think Microsoft is gonna make much of a showing this time around.
 
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