PlayStation 4 impressions: Sony takes the wraps off PlayStation 4

It’s official: after many months of speculation and rumors, Sony took the wraps off PlayStation 4, its next-generation video game console and home entertainment system.

Well, sort of.

As one of the audience members at the New York City event, no one actually saw the new machine – with the exception of the controller, pictured here – nor was there a price or launch date announced other than simply “Holidays 2013.”

Despite the lack of information, the 2-hour “PlayStation Meeting” did provide a decent peek into what Sony calls “the future of play.”

So, what can gamers expect?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: with each console generation we see more impressive graphics, and the PlayStation 4 (PS4) is no exception. In fact, a tech demo from French developer Quantic Dream featured an elderly man’s face, and perhaps for the first time in video games there seemed to be “life” behind his eyes, instead of the all-too-familiar vapid, vacant look.

Other games – such as Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs, Capcom’s Deep Down (working title), Bungie’s Destiny and Guerilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall – also showed what next-generation graphics are capable of, including near photorealistic characters and environments, Hollywood-grade special effects and ultra-fluid animation.

But this isn’t what makes the PS4 so promising.

Instead, Sony’s very ambitious plan is to build a connected, integrated and personalized experience that takes interactive entertainment to new heights. Let’s call it the three S’s: More below:

Share: Access to your social circles will be built into the PS4. In fact, there’s a Share button on the controller that, when pressed, can perform multiple functions. For example, imagine you just completed a cool part of a game and would love your buddies to see it – press the Share button and it generates a video of your exploits and posts in on your Facebook wall or other social media site. Gamers will also be able to share other media (such as screen grabs), broadcast live games to friends (via Ustream), allow someone to take control of your PS4 to help you bypass a level, for example, and be a spectator in a video game competition while chatting with others.

Speed: Along with games that run faster and smoother, everything about the PS4 will be sped up, says Sony -- from waking up the console by simply pressing a button on the controller (called “Suspend” mode) to playing games bought at a digital store before it finishes the download to your console (similar to how video “buffers” on YouTube). Sony said it has installed a chip in the PS4 that’s solely dedicated to uploads and downloads, so it won’t affect gaming performance. On a related note, Sony says is goal is for players to try games via the online store, share it with friends and then “only pay for what you really want.” Sony also acknowledges no one wants to wait to install a disc-based game to the console’s hard drive before you can play it, which often happens with PlayStation 3 titles.

Second screen: The PS4 was also designed to extend the gaming experience beyond the machine itself. Sony announced its goal was to make all PS4 games playable remotely on a PSVita handheld gaming machine, via Wi-Fi, similar to how some Wii U games can be played on the Wii U Gamepad if someone wants to watch TV. Thanks to an ambitious “cloud” strategy, there’s also the possibility to access all of PlayStation’s previous titles on multiple devices, wherever you might be. The “second screen” experience also leverages the popularity of smartphones and tablets as the PlayStation App for Android and iOS devices can be used – such as playing an adventure game on your television while your iPad shows a real-time map of where you are in the virtual world. Mobile devices can also be used to download a PS4 game while away from home, so that it’s cued up and ready to go when you walk in the door.

While the PlayStation Meeting was enough to whet anxious gamer’s appetites, it did leave us hungry for more information. Perhaps Sony is waiting to reveal the look of the new hardware at the E3 video game expo in June, plus we should also know price, exact date of availability and confirmed line-up of launch titles. But lest we forget Microsoft will unveil its next-generation Xbox console by then with much fanfare, nor will Nintendo rest on its laurels.

Yes, you can already feel the heat from the next round of console wars. And if yesterday’s teaser conference is any indication, Sony is in it to win it.

Source: http://shopping.yahoo.com/blogs/digital-crave/playstation-4-impressions-future-play-023036147.html

Kids! Accept Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior and Get a Free PlayStation 4!This brand new extended PlayStation 4 offer is for children and teenagers only! It may not be used in conjunction with any other Landover Baptist salvation offer.

Hey kids! If your Mom and Dad can't get you a PlayStation 4 for Christmas, you can still get one FOR FREE! Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ? Well, He's heard of you! And He wants you to have all the cool toys your parents are too cheap to buy! In fact, the Lord Jesus is very upset with your parents that they won't give you all the latest stuff that every kid in America deserves! And Jesus has got your back, because He is your homeboy! If you've never heard of Jesus, He is an invisible cloud-dwelling deity (infinite lives!) who loves you very much and wants nothing more than to give you a free PlayStation 4!
We here at Landover Baptist Church work full-time as servants of Jesus Christ, and He's told us about you and your predicament. He's also given us special instructions on how He wants us to deliver a new PlayStation 4 to your house. It's as easy as 1-2-3! Understand, Jesus cares WAYmore about you than your parents EVER will! They willnever love you as much as Jesus loves you! Always remember that. If you hate your parents because they can't get you a PlayStation 4 for Christmas, He completely understands! He is totally down with that! In fact, lucky for you, in order to follow Him, you are actually required to hate your parents!

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother...he cannot be my disciple." - The Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 14:26)Pretty cool, huh? So, if you hate your parents, you are already halfway to becoming a True Christian™! Congratulations!
Here is what you need to do to get your free Play Station 3:1. Tell Jesus that you hate your parents, and that you'd rather have Him for your Daddy. Ask Him to forgive your sins, and cover you with His blood (you'll see plenty of that splattered across your TV when you play your complimentary Grand Theft Auto 3 game!). 2. Find one of your Mom or Dad's credit cards (a blank check is even better!)3. Call our church office and we will provide you with simple instructions on how to use your parents' credit card to charge a love offering over the phone. Don't worry if you can't find a credit card. We can teach you how to use one of your daddy's checks to do an automatic draft withdrawal (which will get you free shipping and an extra game disk!) Please note: If your parents ask you where you got your new PlayStation 4, just tell them that your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, delivered it to you via the U.S. Postal Service in exchange for your soul. Still NOT SURE? Here's More:Landover Baptist's PlayStation 4 comes with a complimentary modified version of the popular PS2 disk, Tony Hawk's Underground. You can upload Jesus' face into the game and automatically unlock all of the cheat codes to "God Mode," so that Jesus can win every single level and perform incredible grab-tricks, spins, flips and stunts!
As a new Christian, you will want to share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many of your "peeps in the hood" as you can. The great thing about Tony Hawk's Underground is that you can actually get off of your skateboard and walk around in the game and talk to other skaters about the Plan of Salvation! And if they don't accept Jesus as their Personal Savior, you can kill them later. How cool is that!?
In addition, if you are interested in Christian computer games, Landover Baptist children use Bible-based-maps and characters in Unreal Tournament as part of their Christian Soldier training to help Jesus slaughter sinners in the final battle of Armageddon (which God willing, will happen during President Barrack H. Obama's second term).