The launch of the much-sought PlayStation 4 (PS4) is scheduled for “Holiday 2013” as announced by Sony at New York’s Manhattan Center in February. Sony did not specify the territories for the launch, so it will probably be global.
PlayStation 4 is basically a PC-based system so developers can easily code games for the consoles and PCs. Powered by eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores, and an AMD Radeon graphics engine, the PS4 runs on a single-chip custom processor. The unit’s highly enhanced GPU features 18 processing clusters, each equipped with up to 64 cores, capable of providing 1.84 TFLOPS of processing mojo. It features a super-fast memory comprising 8GB of GDDR5. Together with the Blu-ray drive, which offers thrice the speed, the PS4 definitely overthrows its predecessor.
Among the impressive features, the DualShock 4 controller features a touchpad that allows two simultaneous inputs. The controller has a light bar, which glows in different colors to identify you as player one, two, etc. Dual color cameras, equipped with the PlayStation 4 eye system, provide wide viewing angles up to 85 degrees. The facial recognition feature relates a face with the PlayStation Network profile. The three-axis gyroscopic motion sensor and accelerometer are perfect to get you wrapped up in the game.
Video sharing features allow you to share videos and screenshots from games to Facebook, PSN and other social networking services. You can stream games directly to PS Vita and even play on your Vita remotely via wireless connection. Companion apps for iOS and Android will provide a second game controller.
With a totally new user interface, instant on/off feature, social gaming, Vita integration, built-in 3D camera, and other interesting features, PS4 has lots to offer for its fans. Prices have yet to be confirmed, but analysts suggest an approximate price tag of $450/£399.