I have 1 each reserved.
I am still debating on which I would prefer to keep.
The PS4 clearly is said to have more power (for now) but I like the everything Microsoft and XBOX Live...
I have 1 each reserved.
I am still debating on which I would prefer to keep.
The PS4 clearly is said to have more power (for now) but I like the everything Microsoft and XBOX Live...
Yeah I saw they were both going for $200 - $300 more than price.
Wish we knew what the production was like and how limited they will be, it at all...
[h=1]Sony PlayStation 4 terrific, but not yet essential[/h][h=2]Sony begins new gaming era with terrific, but not yet essential, PlayStation 4[/h] <CITE id=yui_3_9_1_1_1384383559614_677 class="byline vcard top-line">By Lou Kesten, Associated Press <ABBR>3 hours ago</ABBR></CITE>
Video-game fans who reserved Sony's PlayStation 4 several months ago won't have any regrets when it goes on sale in North America on Friday: The PS4 is a terrific game machine that will feel familiar to PlayStation 3 owners while delivering the flashier eye candy you'd expect from gaming's next generation.
Microsoft diehards will grouse about the PlayStation hype until Nov. 22, when the new Xbox One comes out. There's no reason for envy: Most of the best PlayStation 4 games will be available on Microsoft's new console as well.
Indeed, many gamers have already made up their minds months ago. If you're somewhere in between — say, a frequent game player who doesn't feel an ironclad allegiance to either system — the PlayStation 4 is a good buy.
Its launch lineup includes 22 games to attract fans of just about any genre, from military shooters to sports simulations to family-friendly adventures. It also offers such a wealth of easily accessible media apps, including Hulu and Netflix, that may draw even the non-gamers in your household.
It's not yet absolutely essential, but if you're ready to upgrade from a PlayStation 3 or rival console, it's worth the $400 price tag. That's $100 cheaper than the Xbox One, but $100 more than Nintendo's year-old Wii U. The PS3 will still be available for $200, but that's now 7-year-old technology.
The PlayStation 4 is a slender, unobtrusive box that plugs into your TV via HDMI cable. Once you've turned on the power, it takes just a few minutes to connect to the Internet and create or update a free account on Sony's PlayStation Network.
The PS4's on-screen user interface has been streamlined, with a horizontal bar of large icons for games and apps. Above that is a line of smaller icons that let you connect with other PlayStation owners, change system settings or access the PlayStation Store, where you can download new games and buy or rent movies.
You navigate through all this with Sony's new DualShock 4 controller. The old ones won't work. Like previous controllers, DualShock 4 offers vibration and motion sensing.
It now has a clickable touchpad as well. What it does will vary from game to game. In "Killzone: Shadow Fall," for example, it's used to send orders to a combat drone. The top of the controller also has a light bar that changes color to indicate player status. In "Killzone," red means your character is close to death.
The DualShock 4's Options button is pretty much the same as the old Start button, pausing the action so you can access in-game menus. The old Select button has been replaced by Share, which allows you to post screenshots and videos on social networks, or even broadcast your game play on the Ustream and Twitch video platforms.
A barebones headset that comes with the system lets you navigate menus by voice command. The DualShock 4 also has a built-in speaker that plays some in-game audio.
The console itself is built around computer processing and graphics processing units custom-built by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Sony says the PlayStation 4 has 10 times the processing power of the PS3. That should translate into higher screen resolution (up to 1080p) and faster frame rates (up to 60 frames per second), meaning more detailed environments, more realistic lighting, smoother animation and huge online multiplayer matches.
Developers say the new hardware is much easier to design for than the idiosyncratic "Cell" architecture used in the PlayStation 3. On the plus side, that means developers should be able to exploit the PS4's power more quickly. The drawback is that you can't play any of your PS3 games on the new machine. It won't be a deal breaker for many gamers, who won't be getting PS4 to play 4-year-old games anyway.
"Killzone," from Sony's Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games studio, shows off the new technology most impressively. Purely from a game-play perspective, it's a fairly generic first-person shooter, with humans battling the dictatorial alien Helghast for control of a divided planet. But wow, is it beautiful, from its vast, breathtaking landscapes to the finely tooled details of individual firearms.
The visual boost becomes more apparent when you compare some PlayStation 4 launch titles with their counterparts on the PS3:
— In Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," you can see the wind billowing the sails of your pirate ship.
— In 2K Sports' "NBA 2K14," you can read LeBron James' tattoos and see individual beads of sweat of his forehead.
— And the new technology allows Electronic Arts' "Battlefield 4" to bump online combat engagements from 24 players to as many as 64.
Granted, there's more to great games than slick graphics, and it remains to be seen what designers will come up with once they learn how to harness all that power under the PlayStation 4's hood. But Sony's off to a good start, planting its flag firmly as the battle for dominance in the living room renews.
Sony PlayStation 4: Early Praise, Problems
BY Gary Krakow | 11/15/13 - 10:16 AM EST
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Sony (SNE_) officially released its next-generation PlayStation 4 gaming console and almost immediately complaints of frozen or non-functioning devices were being reported on the Internet.
Long lines of fans had lined up to see, touch, try and possibly purchase the fourth-generation gaming platform as it officially went on sale at midnight. Special "launch parties" were held in hotel ballrooms and retail establishments across the country with the main event taking place at New York's Standard Hotel.
Sony reportedly made a total of only 444 PlayStation 4s available for last night's launch.
Sony shares were losing more than 1% to $18.44 in early Friday trading.
The new console features a large amount of firepower including an 8-core, 64-bit Advanced Micro Devices (AMD_) processor and Radeon graphics chip, 8 GB of very fast memory, a new user interface and a redesigned "Dual Shock 4" controller. PlayStation 4 carries an initial retail price of $400.
The PS4's largest competition will be Microsoft's (MSFT_) Xbox One when goes on sale next week (Nov. 22). Xbox One will retail for $100 more than the PS4 but includes the Kinnect motion-sensing-voice-sensing-plus-camera add-on as part of the package. Sony offers a camera for the PS 4 but charges an extra $60 for it.
Games designed for older PlayStation models are not compatible with the new PS4. At least 20 games were made available at launch and Sony promises a quick rollout of other top software offerings in the very near future. In a limited time offer, PS3 game owners can "upgrade" PS4 versions -- if they exist -- for $10 each game.
At the same time the PS4 was launched, early reports of frozen or otherwise non-functioning units began flooding bulletin boards and Internet social media sites. In one instance, IGN.com reported problems with its new console as well as fielding complaints from other readers.
One early owner complained his PS4 was "dead on arrival" right out of the box. The IGN unit stopped working within a day. Messages to Sony were addressed almost immediately:
"A handful of people have reported issues with their PlayStation 4 systems. This is within our expectations for a new product introduction, and the vast majority of PS4 feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and are on track for a great launch.
There have been several problems reported, which leads us to believe there isn't a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of systems. The number of affected systems represents less than .4% of shipped units to date, which is within our expectations for a new product introduction."
Early reviews of the PlayStation 4 system have been positive praising the system's graphics power and especially Sony's new multi-touch controller unit.
Unlike the constant onslaught of newer smartphone, tablet and computer models game consoles are launched very infrequently. Sony's last design, the popular PlayStation 3, was launched way back in 2006.
BY Gary Krakow | 11/15/13 - 10:16 AM EST
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - Sony (SNE_) officially released its next-generation PlayStation 4 gaming console and almost immediately complaints of frozen or non-functioning devices were being reported on the Internet.
Long lines of fans had lined up to see, touch, try and possibly purchase the fourth-generation gaming platform as it officially went on sale at midnight. Special "launch parties" were held in hotel ballrooms and retail establishments across the country with the main event taking place at New York's Standard Hotel.
Sony reportedly made a total of only 444 PlayStation 4s available for last night's launch.
Sony shares were losing more than 1% to $18.44 in early Friday trading.
The new console features a large amount of firepower including an 8-core, 64-bit Advanced Micro Devices (AMD_) processor and Radeon graphics chip, 8 GB of very fast memory, a new user interface and a redesigned "Dual Shock 4" controller. PlayStation 4 carries an initial retail price of $400.
The PS4's largest competition will be Microsoft's (MSFT_) Xbox One when goes on sale next week (Nov. 22). Xbox One will retail for $100 more than the PS4 but includes the Kinnect motion-sensing-voice-sensing-plus-camera add-on as part of the package. Sony offers a camera for the PS 4 but charges an extra $60 for it.
Games designed for older PlayStation models are not compatible with the new PS4. At least 20 games were made available at launch and Sony promises a quick rollout of other top software offerings in the very near future. In a limited time offer, PS3 game owners can "upgrade" PS4 versions -- if they exist -- for $10 each game.
At the same time the PS4 was launched, early reports of frozen or otherwise non-functioning units began flooding bulletin boards and Internet social media sites. In one instance, IGN.com reported problems with its new console as well as fielding complaints from other readers.
One early owner complained his PS4 was "dead on arrival" right out of the box. The IGN unit stopped working within a day. Messages to Sony were addressed almost immediately:
"A handful of people have reported issues with their PlayStation 4 systems. This is within our expectations for a new product introduction, and the vast majority of PS4 feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and are on track for a great launch.
There have been several problems reported, which leads us to believe there isn't a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of systems. The number of affected systems represents less than .4% of shipped units to date, which is within our expectations for a new product introduction."
Early reviews of the PlayStation 4 system have been positive praising the system's graphics power and especially Sony's new multi-touch controller unit.
Unlike the constant onslaught of newer smartphone, tablet and computer models game consoles are launched very infrequently. Sony's last design, the popular PlayStation 3, was launched way back in 2006.
Insider: Xbox One has no hope, will lose this generation of console war to PS4
Most would agree that the console war for this generation of video game systems is far from over… but it may have been over before it even really started. According to comments made by well-known industry insider Ashan Rasheed, who goes by the name “Thuway” on Twitter and video game forum NeoGAF, Sony’s PlayStation 4 is the clear winner in this generation of video game consoles. He also says that will continue to be the case for this entire console generation according to his sources, suggesting that Microsoft did not build its Xbox One with the future in mind.
“Xbox One will be behind all generation, and not buy [sic] some small trivial margin. It will be enough to show up distinctly in exclusives,” Rasheed wrote on Twitter, quoting one of his unnamed industry sources. He continued in a separate tweet, “The PS4 has more left in the tank that will start showing up going forward. It was designed with more forward thinking hardware choices.”
The tweets were picked up on Monday by DualShockers.
Rasheed also noted an instance where Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward asked Microsoft to allow the company’s title Call of Duty: Ghosts access an off-limits portion of the Xbox One’s graphics processor that would have increased performance by 8%. Microsoft reportedly refused. The anecdote is seemingly intended as an example to illustrate Microsoft’s unwillingness to help developers address some of the hardware limitations of the Xbox One console.
Early numbers show that the PlayStation 4 was indeed the clear winner in the early days of the current console war. Microsoft managed to ship 3 million Xbox One units in 2013 while Sony’s PlayStation 4 shipments totaled 4.2 million consoles last year. If Rasheed’s sources are accurate and gamers start to see huge gaps in the quality of exclusive games available for each console, the sales gap we saw in 2013 may indeed grow even wider moving forward.
http://games.yahoo.com/news/insider-xbox-one-no-hope-lose-generation-console-155124991.html
Most would agree that the console war for this generation of video game systems is far from over… but it may have been over before it even really started. According to comments made by well-known industry insider Ashan Rasheed, who goes by the name “Thuway” on Twitter and video game forum NeoGAF, Sony’s PlayStation 4 is the clear winner in this generation of video game consoles. He also says that will continue to be the case for this entire console generation according to his sources, suggesting that Microsoft did not build its Xbox One with the future in mind.
“Xbox One will be behind all generation, and not buy [sic] some small trivial margin. It will be enough to show up distinctly in exclusives,” Rasheed wrote on Twitter, quoting one of his unnamed industry sources. He continued in a separate tweet, “The PS4 has more left in the tank that will start showing up going forward. It was designed with more forward thinking hardware choices.”
The tweets were picked up on Monday by DualShockers.
Rasheed also noted an instance where Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward asked Microsoft to allow the company’s title Call of Duty: Ghosts access an off-limits portion of the Xbox One’s graphics processor that would have increased performance by 8%. Microsoft reportedly refused. The anecdote is seemingly intended as an example to illustrate Microsoft’s unwillingness to help developers address some of the hardware limitations of the Xbox One console.
Early numbers show that the PlayStation 4 was indeed the clear winner in the early days of the current console war. Microsoft managed to ship 3 million Xbox One units in 2013 while Sony’s PlayStation 4 shipments totaled 4.2 million consoles last year. If Rasheed’s sources are accurate and gamers start to see huge gaps in the quality of exclusive games available for each console, the sales gap we saw in 2013 may indeed grow even wider moving forward.
http://games.yahoo.com/news/insider-xbox-one-no-hope-lose-generation-console-155124991.html
I am a PS guy ( NCAA Football 14 ) so I enjoyed the article. But one thing stands out to me after reading it. A well placed kick back from Sony (or Microsoft) could persuade "insiders" that seem credible to write articles like this. Again, I like to hear that PS was right right choice when I made it so long ago... but the truth is... i don't believe anyone or anything when it comes to opinionated articles that could just as easily be marketing from a manufacturer.
What I have never understood is how come these machines were never made to be expanded?
Why do they have to come out with an entire new machine just to upgrade the hardware?
Just offer expansion packs or make the xbox1 that comes out a year from now an improvement over the first shipment of xbox1's.
And the article above is nonsense.
Based on the specs of the machine's the PS4 is slightly superior but the article above makes it sound like the gap is much bigger then reality.
Why do they have to come out with an entire new machine just to upgrade the hardware?
Just offer expansion packs or make the xbox1 that comes out a year from now an improvement over the first shipment of xbox1's.
And the article above is nonsense.
Based on the specs of the machine's the PS4 is slightly superior but the article above makes it sound like the gap is much bigger then reality.
