Sony confirms PS4 gesture and voice control, HDMI capture for games

Posted on 19/09/2013 by Richard Lawler

Looking for more PlayStation 4 news? Here's a bit now that Sony's Tokyo Game Show keynote address is over. A couple of features we'd hoped to hear more about have been confirmed, and the first is that the PS4 camera will support both voice and gesture control. It's no surprise that the system will take full advantage of the add-on's dual cameras and four mics for people who want to wave at their TVs, but it's nice to have that confirmed. Second, in a move that will mostly benefit game reviewers and YouTube video walkthrough experts (thanks for your help on these GTA V missions, all of you), the PlayStation 4 will allow unencrypted HDMI output for games. On the PS3 it didn't, treating games the same as Blu-ray movies, so anyone capturing video in HD needed to use component cables. That's on top of the console's "Share" button that sends clips of gameplay straight to Ustream, Facebook or PSN. Check out our liveblog for everything else discussed tonight including the PS4's mobile apps, indie gaming and Vita TV.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

Comments

Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida talks Remote Play ubiquity on PlayStation 4, not bundling the Eye with the console

Posted on 13/06/2013 by Ben Gilbert

With the PlayStation 4, unlike the PlayStation 3 before it, Remote Play functionality on Vita is handled on a system level. Though Sony's asking developers to take into account the Vita's different button setup and additional input mechanisms that the portable console has, the actual act of enabling Remote Play is handled by the PlayStation 4 itself. "On PlayStation4 , it just happens. You just make a PS4 game, it supports Remote Play," Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida told us in an interview at E3.

We'd asked whether Sony's "mandating" Remote Play functionality from developers, and Yoshida first explained how it worked on the PlayStation 3 to offer some context. "The single biggest issue, why there are not many PlayStation 3 games that support Remote Play, was that it was optional -- the system didn't do much. The game has to set aside some memory or CPU to be able to do that, and usually, memory is the most precious resource that [development] teams fight amongst each other for. So when it comes down to the priorities, these are features that are very easy to drop," he told us. The idea with PS4 is that, by offloading responsibility for Remote Play support to the console itself, developers are freed up to make the control tweaks necessary for a comfy experience playing a PS4 game remotely on Vita.

"Please make sure that when you play your games on Vita, the control is good. That's the minimum thing we're asking them to do," he added. All that said, not every single PlayStation 4 game will work with Remote Play -- "Maybe not Just Dance," Yoshida offered with a laugh when we asked. That's a pretty reasonable exception if you ask us, and it sounds like only games that require the PS4 Eye or Move (or some other such input method that's impossible to emulate on Vita) are on that excepted list.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony

Comments

Let’s take a closer look at the PlayStation 4, DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye (video)

Posted on 11/06/2013 by Ben Gilbert

After getting a deeper hands-on with the PlayStation 4 and its very thorough tech demo today, The Playroom, we wanted to show you all the bells and whistles of the new console, its new controller and the new PlayStation 4 Eye. So we shot a video with Sony Japan's Nicolas Doucet and walked through the game's various demos. If you're looking for a thorough walkthrough of the various new PlayStation hardware, look no further. It's just below the break.

Gallery: Sony PlayStation 4 hands-on

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD

Comments

Sony’s PlayStation 4 Eye is a $59 add-on, PS4 packs an upgradable 500GB HDD inside (updated)

Posted on 11/06/2013 by Richard Lawler

While the US press release for the PlayStation 4 mentioned details about games, used games and pricing, it did not confirm all of the specs for the console. In Japan however, a more detailed press release clears up a few things. Sony's console is packing a 500GB hard drive (same as the Xbox One), and it will not include the camera module, which is a $59 (£44 and €49) add-on for the $399 box. By comparison, the Xbox One includes -- and requires for its use -- the Kinect 2.0 camera. (Update: Sony's confirmed that the PS4's hard drive is upgradable.)

A Best Buy listing confirms the PlayStation 4 Eye's add-on status and pricing, and that an extra DualShock 4 controller will also go for $59. We've double checked with Sony and confirmed that the system comes with a controller and mono earpiece plus HDMI, USB and power cords -- but no camera.

The spec sheet also confirms the system's dimensions at 275 x 53 x 305mm (excluding the largest projection), its ports (HDMI and optical out, 2 USB 3.0 in and 1 AUX in for use with the camera) and that a single ear mono headset is packed in with the system. That controller weighs in at 210g, includes a 1000mAh battery and one other detail some may have missed -- a built-in mono speaker. There are details specs for the camera too, which is capable of a maximum 1280 x 800 (x2) pixel capture at 60fps, 640 x 400 at 120fps, or 320 x 192 at 240fps. It has an 85 degree FOV and a 2 meter cable to connect to the system. Want to do more digging into the specs and learn about the design of the PS4? Check out the PDF linked below.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

Comments

Source: Sony Japan (PDF), Twitter (@yosp)

PlayStation 4’s Blu-ray drive is 3x as fast as PS3’s, PSN friends list cap raised, and other tidbits from Sony’s GDC panel

Posted on 28/03/2013 by Ben Gilbert

The PlayStation 4's new DualShock 4 controller can be charged even while the PlayStation 4 is turned off. The PlayStation 4's new Eye motion camera has a tilt sensor so it can tell players when its facing the wrong direction or if it's fallen off your TV stand. The PlayStation 4's Blu-ray disc drive is three times as fast as the PlayStation 3's. In case it weren't clear, Sony's PlayStation 4 panel at this week's Game Developers Conference wasn't chock full of major revelations, but it did provide plenty of interesting little details about the PlayStation 4 and its various hardware companions.

For instance, the console's "True Name" social functionality isn't automatic -- you have to opt-in to who will see your real name versus your PlayStation Network ID. That is, unless you find a friend through Facebook or another social network where your real name is already your main ID; in that instance, the console defaults to displaying your actual name. That's not the only change coming to your friends list, either, as the standing 100 friends cap is being raised to an unknown amount.

Additionally, the Gaikai-powered Remote Play functionality between the Vita and PS4 is said to be "much better," according to Sony senior staff engineer Chris Norden. Not only can it display your PS4 games in the Vita's native resolution (960x544), but it can be activated at any given time rather than having to be preset. And unlike Remote Play on PS3, with PS4 the game being pushed to the Vita is mirrored on your television screen. None of this stuff is what we'd call red hot, but we're hungry for PS4 details and this is what Sony's delivering. Here's hoping the company's more forthcoming at E3.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

Comments

Sony’s PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 controller and Eye found at GDC 2013, we go eyes-on

Posted on 27/03/2013 by Ben Gilbert

Sony's next-gen console, the PlayStation 4, is getting an updated DualShock controller when it arrives at retail this holiday. It's also getting an updated PlayStation Eye camera, which brings the camera much more in line with Microsoft's Kinect than any previous versions. We found the PS4 peripherals trapped under a glass box on the Game Developers Conference show floor, and Sony sadly wouldn't let us free them. We of course snapped a mess of pictures regardless, which you can see just below in the gallery. We anticipate the first hands-on opportunity with the DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye at E3 2013 in June, so hang tight for a few months!

Gallery: PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye (GDC 2013)