Seven years after releasing it's predecessor, Sony has announced the next generation of its its gaming console franchise, the PlayStation 4, during a live event from New York on Wednesday (February 20).
Lead system architect, Mark Cerny, said development on the console began about five years ago with the goal to create a system that was both "by game creators for game creators" and that "[freed] developers from technological barriers."
He says the PS4 would feature framework "like a PC, but supercharged," incorporating the X86 CPU, 8GB of memory, and a local hard drive as well as the same APU technology and GDDR5 memory typically seen in high-end graphics cards.
The console itself was not revealed at the invite-only conference, nor was pricing or an exact release date, but they said it will be ready by the 2013 holiday season. Sony did, however, showcase its new controller, designed with an integrated touchpad and new button dedicated to sharing game information; it also displayed an upgraded motion-control camera product.
Sony, as expected, said it integrated a new technology called streaming or cloud gaming, which will allow customers to remotely play games being run on servers over the Web.
They've also developed a new social-networking service that allows customers to upload gameplay footage to the Internet, as well as watch others as they play. The service will connect to existing social networks, Sony said, as well as to mobile devices that will tap into many of the features offered on the PlayStation 4.
Below is gameplay for an upcoming PS4 title called Killzone Show Fall, offering a first taste of what's expected. Stay tuned for further info...
