The Future is Almost Here... | Stuart Gleasure
Stuart Gleasure weighs up his thoughts ahead of the unveiling of the Playstation 4.
Sony held a live event last Wednesday where they were expected to announced the future of the Playstation brand, i.e. the PS4. If the rumours were true then everyone, I imagine, is dancing around in a joyful bliss right now. I’m going to take a look into my crystal ball and try and guess what they eventually announced. I might be 100% correct or nowhere near. All I know is that the PS3 launched in November 2006; people are ready and eager to hear what Sony have up their sleeves. For many, this will also offer first exposure to what we can expect from “next generation” consoles (sorry, Wii U) and set the benchmark for Microsoft and the Nextbox. So why not speculate?First up, the name: what’s Sony going to decide on for the new console? The device has been working under the codename Orbis for several months now. I don’t think they will stick with it. Orbis comes off feeling very cold and clinical, not at all indicative of the lifestyle branding Sony has been pushing lately. Some suggest they will go the Apple route, drop the number scheme and name it ‘PlayStation’. I’m a fan of this approach but don’t see it happening given the fact PS3 games will, more than likely, be released alongside PS4 games initially. My guess is, the obvious, PlayStation 4 although I’d prefer if they went with something more abstract.Next up, what’s the hardware itself going to look like. The original PS3 was an absolute beast. Ideally, the PS4 will be small, sleek and quiet, and I’d like rounder edges. We won’t see any Spiderman logo this time around, I think the PS4 logo will be closer to the recently released slim’s logo. Oh and would it be too much to ask for different system colours on release for a change?The games market isn’t the same as it was in 2006. It seems that more and more gamers are handing over their controllers in favour of a keyboard and mouse, choosing to build a gaming rig instead of buying traditional consoles. It’s hard to blame them. Steam has fundamentally changed the marketplace for good. Last year was a phenomenal year for PC ports. In fact, more often than not the PC version was the definite version for AAA titles. If Sony wants to compete they need to make sure their console is on par with PC’s going forward into the next five years. This means these machines need to be pretty beefy.To that point I can some large numbers, specs wise, at launch. The PS3 saw a dramatic increase in internal memory over its lifespan; going from a lowly 20GB to 500GB. I can see premium model with a 1TB HDD with a basic model including maybe half that. Current gen games can run about 30GB or bigger; they aren’t going to get any smaller. With Sony moving to a digital future, it seems like a no brainer to include a large HDD from the get go.Photos of the new controller leaked days before the event. It’s unclear whether these images are of the final product or if they will continue to make alterations before launch day. I guess the event will reveal that. The images suggest a subtle redesign while keeping the core design of the controller. It seems very similar to the traditional Dualshock with the button layout remaining untouched.There appears to be some new additions, although whether they are just are gimmicks, like the Sixaxis was, remains to be seen. There is a small touchpad (or touchscreen) in the centre of the controller. I can’t see any gameplay use for it but it would be a neat way to navigate the new XMB. A light strip, in the vein of the Move controller, seems to lie across the top. With the success of motion control this generation, it would have been foolish of Sony not to factor that functionality in the new controller right off the bat.The final addition seems to be a smaller speaker underneath the touchpad. I assume this will be used to ‘enrich’ the gaming experience in the way rumble did back in the day.All in all, I’m perfectly happy with the design of the controller. I’m extremely comfortable and familiar with the design and feel of their products. Having been a consumer of Sony’s consoles since the late 90s I think, if anything, I’d be more upset if they did do something drastic to the design.The possibility of steaming games has come up recently. Last year Sony purchased the game streaming service company Gaikai for $380M. It’s easy to see them utilise Gaikai to stream demos or PS3 games (full backward compatibility!), I’m hoping this is more than rumours. As for physical media, Sony has heavily invested in the Blu-ray format and it seems to have paid off for them with it becoming the de-facto standard for physical goods. It’s hard to see them ditch it. Blu-ray discs still contain more than enough disc space for even the most complex and detailed games.It’s important to remember that home consoles have become synonymous with the term “entertainment hub”. More and more people are using their gaming devices to watch movies, listen to music or browse the internet than actually play games themselves. The PS4 needs to be a one stop shop for all your entertainment needs or it just won’t work. Excluding Blu-Ray would only hinder the PS4 achieve this.Now, the games; the best part of any new console generation. What could Sony be hiding up their sleeves? This is their best kept secret at this stage. New console generations usually mean new IPs. Developers are more likely to take chances when customers are on the lookout for some new blood. This is the most exciting aspect of the event for me personally. We’ve seen the 3rd and sometimes 4th instalment of many franchises this generation I’m biting at the bit to see some innovation. As for what will be announced, I’m not sure. Kojima has a new Metal Gear coming: hopefully we’ll see footage of that. Both Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studios seem like they could be hiding something but they are already working on current titles so it’s hard to be certain. A new LittleBigPlanet is almost a certainty, as well as a new title from Sucker Punch as they have been suspiciously quiet of late.Now for the all-important question, will they announce a price? Honestly, I don’t think we’re going to see one this early in the process. It’d give too much of their strategy away to competitors. Sony will have learnt from the PS3 that $600 is a hurdle too high for all but hardcore fans. I can see them put the console in a more family friendly region. I’d be inclined to say the console will range somewhere between $400 and $500.That’s it. Those are my thoughts prior to the event. As you read this, the event is over, so you’ll know how accurate I am. Psychic or insane with my predictions? I guess I’ll leave you decide...