The PlayStation 4; The Future Of Gaming?

“Hardly original, but effective enough to encourage me to dance gangnam style….naked!”

It’s the moment PlayStation fans had been nervously anticipating, and I’m not too proud or indeed ashamed to admit that the PS4’s impending announcement did generate the tiniest of excreted bodily fluid (essentially, I had a little tinkle) which was both embarrassing but strangely soothing. But disguised in this moment of seniority, was a palpable sense of anxiety. Its been well documented that Sony have been under increased pressure to finally acknowledge the existence of this system. Sony, to their own admittance have been as fiscally profitable as an Icelandic bank, with decreased revenue due to the persistent economic climate, the cost to mass produce the PS3 and sparse profits over the past 4 years, as well as virtual infiltrators hacking into PSN eliciting considerable embarrassment for Sony, huge fiscal labour to restore substantial security to the servers, as well as appeasing the agitations of sympathetic gamers forced to omit from viral exploits. Not the mention the inevitable legal ramifications associated  with the incident. It hasn’t been easy for Sony, so an announcement of this magnitude is a cathartic opportunity to restructure core fundamentals, to amend potential failures and adapt. The unveiling –and I use the term loosely– was 7 days ago and I made the deliberate intention not to consult on its appearance, so that my judgement wasn’t impaired by biased appreciation or clouded by the condescending resentment brandished by the expectant criticism. I would like to delegate the situation with clear, concise fortitude and impartial competency on the PS4. Utilising my intuitive deductions, comprising diligent affirmation (guess-work) and geometric algorism’s so complex, that I’m not entirely confident that the previous sentence makes any logical sense?

“The Duelshock 4, totally different from its predecessor. Honest!”

The PS4, is thankfully not the rumoured Orbis, of course this is subject to alter depending on commercial and various unsubstantiated elements, and a decision conceivably influenced by my openly vilifying abhorrence to the suggested name, and my general disconcerting demeanour. The more inquisitive of gamers will probably of already gathered the most pertinent of information and formulated their own opinion, so my spontaneous rather flippant surmise may seem condescending and inaccurate. But its fair to summarise that Sony has submitted some intriguing developments. The controller, though initially appearing almost unaltered from the dualshock 3 apparatus, does include some eminent differentials from its predecessor. The controller, tentatively, but imaginatively refered to as the “dualshock 4”, features a touch screen interface similar in design to the Wii U’s tablet thingy, if not as profound or domineering as Nintendo’s current construction. It also features a button that operates a share functionality, allowing gamers to share their gaming experiences with friends, relatives, or oppositions in real-time via twitter, Facebook and other domains. The PS4 can also be switched off at any point during a game, and resume play from where you left off with minimum interference, almost instantaneously. Unsurprisingly though, is its compatibility with the Vita as well as standard smartphones, which allows you to interact with games while in transient. The accessibility of mobility is an ambitious claim, one that I’m not thoroughly convinced will be so conveniently operational.

There was of course the typical appendage of technical drudgery, with Sony representatives promptly striding across the stage with modulated intensity and assured embellishing of their own egos with numerical statistics, abbreviated jargon and infused with the aromatic tendency to convey deeper significance and bloated importance to very ambiguous terms. I lack the desired numerical disposition to comprehend the implications of their CPU’s, GPU’s  or KFC’s. I’m generally heavily sedated by lethargy and an incompetent disability process so much technical information. From my sparse understanding though, I was able to gauge with some certainty, that the Ps4 is Sony’s equivalent to a PC. Of course a console can’t competently emulate the same credible advances or raw power that a premium PC can, but the PS4 isn’t in direct competition and nor does it need to be. But with all the advanced “CPU’s” and “jaguars” implemented into to this new device (though how it will fit such an aggressive carnivore into PS4 is very difficult to calculate), what does this actually mean for gaming? *shrugs shoulders* Naturally you would infer from such articulate language, that improved frame rates, far more decorative presentation of graphics and fewer graphical blemishes are the standard augmentations, but when no physical interactions have been made with the device, its tricky dealing with hypothetical’s.

“The PS4 has everything you need, including discarded ice cream on your storage HDD”

The verdict? Well Sony are certainly demonstrating all the provocative enticements to lure us in, and announcing the existence of the PS4 before Microsoft’s equivalent competitor, is a bold almost aggressive intent from Sony. They can ill afford another late release and allow Xbox to capitalise on a vacant market, and announcing sooner could be beneficial, though not decisive. With such a strong emphasis on the social interactions, sharing videos via the device, there’s an apparent shift from Sony’s usual domination of, as Clarkson would say; “Power!”. But Sony could needlessly be alienating existing fans that lack on-line facilities. Graphical integrity too isn’t necessarily as relevant as it once was, which considering the escalating costs, no ordinary individual could afford such the graphical superiority from one generation to the next that we have become accustomed to, signifying a greater reliance on content, price and accessibility. Greater protection for such advances have to be considered too, to competently defend against further and expected cyber terrorists. There was of course an abundant lack of any physical presence, which has irked some fans, but does that really concern anyone? I couldn’t care less if it resembled the back-end of a rhinoceros with irritable bowels. Why reveal all of your cards before the opposition has had time to raise or call? Besides, there are more progressive concerns than the hardware’s cosmetic receptacle.

“Awful checked shirts not included, I hope.”

Will it be affordable to casual consumers, not to mention avid gamers is a more immediate query? Well if Sony’s claims and sophistry are validated, its difficult to see how anyone can afford it without incurring huge financial austerity, and with no fixed price and vague end of the year release date, there is still an air of uncertainty regarding its potential for future ascendancy. So will it capitalise on its early reveal and utilise its adventitious position? Potentially, but probably not to a huge degree. If other gamers, regardless of the theological standpoint are anything like myself, there is no middle ground. Your either PlayStation or Xbox. Its irrelevant if your desired console has superior hardware that can determine countless, numerical conduction’s to the nearest decimal point, distribute confectionery after you lose a match, or explain definitively what the hell was going on in the Matrix movies, there will always be opposition to claim seniority and argue your inferiority, stupidity and irrelevance. The one thing that can be deduced from the condensed information dispersed above, is that though games and content are intricate part of consoles, neither Sony or Microsoft can afford to lose profit, so expect a greater emphasis on other aspects, such as downloadable movies. Welcome to a more general purpose generation? I’m just digressing now, but I am certain that Sony have learnt there lessons with the PS3 (I hope?!) and I am impressed by what I’ve seen. I for one can’t wait!

What did you think of the PS4’s reveal? Were you impressed? Or are you merely awaiting the announcement of the new Xbox  Let me know your thoughts.