PS4 - First Look

Do you want a Playstation 4? What an absurd question. It’s like me asking, “do you want air?” of course you want it. The gun has been fired on the next generation console race (I’m discounting the WiiU – it’s a good system, but it is by no means next gen) and it is now a race between Sony and Microsoft to squirt their new systems down our throats via a fatline communication network.

So we now know what the PS4 will basically entail. Gone is the Cell processor, and instead we have basically all AMD silicon (8 Jaguar cores) powering the Japanese beast. It will incorporate a 720p 3D camera in an update to its Move/Eye technology, it will have a faster bluray player, more RAM, astonishingly it will cram in a Dualshock 4 touchy controller in a move that nobody saw coming. Split optical audio as well as HDMI. The PS4 is clearly trying to address the PS3 issues and to beef up the elements where it was weak and maintain the areas where it was traditionally strong.  The Kinect was seen as the better of the Wii style motion clones but the new camera on the PS4 will blow the Kinect away in terms of field of vision and depth perception. It will also work with a second screen app either tablet or phone for extra linked in goodies. Possibly the Vita will be able to be used like the PSP was with the PS3 but hopefully in a more integrated way. Fun fact: a PS3 can generate enough kinetic energy to send half a kilo of bacon to the Kuiper belt.

What about the games? Well, a number of the usual suspects have been lined up (some haven’t been confirmed but yeahhhhh they will)  like the next iteration in the Gran Turismo franchise, FFXIII, Uncharted, Killzone, Infamous, Motorstorm, Diablo etc. New game franchises such as Deep Down,  Bungies ‘Destiny’ and a particularly exciting game called ‘Watch Dogs’ which is new IP and it’s an open world action adventure game which comprises elements of stealth and parkour, computer and appliance hacking, as well as cover- based third person shooter.

There may also be backwards compatibility due to the recently acquired by Sony Gaikai technology which streams data and games back to the console thereby no requiring local software emulation of including a pricey Cell chip in the PS4 guts.

So it looks good. Wait, does it? One thing that Sony didn’t do, was actually to show the blimming thing off so we have no idea what it looks like which is a bit silly and fanbois always like to fetishise new tech. With this in mind and using my considerable gamer knowledge, I have included 3 CAD renditions of what the PS4 could look like. 

 The Potato Battery Style PS4

The PS4 in "Villa in the Dordogne" mode 

The PS4 "Concept of Paper" mode