The Future of Gaming: PlayStation 4

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If you haven’t noticed, the Internet has literally shit its pants yesterday. I’d figure I’d join in on all of the commotion that has been caused by the unveiling of Sony’s PlayStation 4. You’re probably thinking that I am going to torch their entire two hour reveal simply because I am an Xbox die hard, but you would be wrong. I don’t discriminate Sony because they suck; I’ve stayed away from them because most of their fans suck. I suppose that is rather petty of me, but the gamer inside is able to watch a console reveal like this and still be happy despite what brand it is.

I had a fun little conversation last night about the PlayStation 4 and I suppose my opinions were coming off as a little bias. I wasn’t really too impressed with the Sony press conference and one of the dudes I was talking to almost shit a golden brick when I stated that. He literally started yelling at me and this caused me to block out the part of my brain that wants to accept reason. I decided to wipe the event out of my head, watch the entire press conference today, and provide an unbiased opinion on what I saw.

First off, I have to say that Sony came out very well prepared and the fact that the entire conference was dedicated to the PS4 and the games coming out on it was impressive. I was disappointed that they didn’t show the actual console itself because that is something that should be revealed if you’re going to unveil something like this. Showing us the new controller was not enough to get me excited for this new console. The specs, however, did get me a little excited. The next gen consoles are going to be powerhouses that should be able to bring us the best gaming we’ve ever had to date. Sony showed off some other pretty neat stuff too that really peaked my interest in the console itself.

Social media in gaming is becoming a much larger market than it was eight years ago and to see how Sony is working with that was pretty neat. I enjoy the idea of being able to suspend my game so I can snag a quick screen shot or video from the game I’m playing and upload it immediately. That feature is practically genius in a world that has been devoured by social media. It’s a quick and easy way to show off what you’re doing on your console. They have even included a “share” button on the controller that provides a quick and easy method of accomplishing this. I think it’s a great idea and something that I would use. My only concern is where these things are being uploaded to and how much freedom will I have with them? I don’t want to be greedy, but if they could make it so I don’t have to purchase an expensive capture card to make Youtube films, then that would be great. I’d like to know more about this feature and I’m sure they’ll slowly let it leak out as the console nears its release.

Another feature that really caught my attention was the way you and your friends can live stream whatever game you’re playing so other people can watch. Often times I’ll be in a party chat where we are all playing something different. Sooner or later someone will say, “man that was cool,” or, “that was awful,” and I want to see it. I’ve even taken photos with my phone so I could show my friends a weird glitch in Skyrim. How cool would it be to just allow your friends to peak their heads in on you while you’re playing so you could show them that stuff? Even better is the sharing idea, if my friends weren’t online at the time, I could snap shot or record whatever I wanted to. This method of sharing is something that I think could really help drive the social aspects of gaming into another dimension. On top of your friends being able to view what you’re playing while you’re playing it, you could even grant them access to take over for you if you wanted them to. Now that is a feature that is freaking awesome. I’m not sure if both people need to own the game or not, but the fact that this is a possibility makes me happy.

I also enjoy the idea that Sony has the technology to allow people to try any game they want to without having to download a demo. You simply browse the library of games and click which one you want to play in. No wait time, no download, and you get to play the actual game. This is a feature that is long overdue because nothing sells a game better, for me, than being able to give it an honest test drive. Sony also had a quite a few developers show off the new games they have coming to the console. I’ve never really been one to get into PlayStation games, but I was a tad disappointed to see that they have existing IP’s being made for the next gen console. I suppose it’s because I am a huge advocate for new things in the gaming world. I don’t think it is a bad idea to continue an IP, but I just don’t like them being used as a marketing tool to sell a console. I’m sure Microsoft will do the same thing when it’s their turn to show off their next gen product.

Finally, I like the idea of Sony’s cloud that will make it so you can seamlessly play any game from the PS4 and the Vita. It seems much like the Wii U controller where you can switch from the television to the game pad effortlessly. I have a Vita and it has provided great quality games (so far), so being able to play console standard games on this hand held is a pretty neat idea. Not only that, but Sony is pretty ambitious about making it so you can enjoy games from PS1, 2, and 3 this way. Expanding backwards compatibility all the way back to the beginning is amazing enough, getting to play all those games on your hand held is even better. Granted they didn’t state that you could do that now, but it is something that is hopeful in their future.

Now, as an avid Xbox fan, I can only hope that Microsoft can bring some big guns to their show. I would like to see some of these same features, particularly the sharing button as well as spectating. They have deep enough pockets to make it happen and with an improved Kinect (I’m not keeping my fingers crossed) the possibilities are endless. I do have to remain a tad skeptical though. I haven’t liked the trends gaming has become with its “sell games and ask questions later” mentality. I feel as if the industry has forgotten what was important, the gamer. Sony states that the PS4 was created with that mentality and with the mentality that the developers are important. Apparently all this new technology is suppose to make it easier for developers to make games and explore their imagination. I really hope that is true because I am dying for the next big thing. Right now it’s looking like Bungie is doing just that with Destiny, a game that will probably knock the socks right off of my feet. If you don’t know what it is, then I implore you to read the freaking Internet once in awhile.

All in all I was very impressed with what Sony had to say, which is further than where I was last night. I need to remind myself that fanboys are the way they are and I cannot let it have a negative effect on me. With that said, Microsoft has a tall order ahead of them and I really hope they deliver. In fact, I really hope Sony delivers on everything we learned yesterday. One thing I have learned over the years is that time after time Sony overhypes their console and under delivers. Microsoft has under hyped their consoles and over delivered. I hope this stays true, however, it would be great if Sony actually put out a console that I would consider buying. There is no reason I shouldn’t be a multiplatform gamer and I think this next generation just might make it happen.