After that, he didn’t mention PCs again, only saying that “benchmarks on just the video and audio performance are 8-10 times superior to the current gen,” saying that “the compute capabilities of these platforms and the data transfer speeds we can now bank on, essentially removes any notion of rationing of systems resources for our game engines.”

The Xbox One comes with an 8-core processor along with 8GB of RAM. We’re not told about specifics, but a good guess would that both the PS4 and the Xbox One are running AMD’s Jaguar chip. Compared to gaming PCs, most gamers have a quad-core processor in their gaming rigs, with a few 8-core chips floating around.

However, Microsoft nor Sony have revealed what graphics their respective consoles are running, but if they’ve seen the just-announced NVIDIA GTX 780 Titan graphics chip, I’m pretty sure they’d run away whimpering. Imagine two of those cards in SLI — the gaming prowess would be practically infinite.

However, it’s possible that Teneja doesn’t actually mean these new consoles are faster, but rather just have newer technology in them, meaning that the processor inside the Xbox One and PS4 are so new, that it isn’t available for PCs yet. Then again, from the way that Teneja worded his blog post, it seems to mean that PCs don’t stand a chance against the next-gen consoles, which is quite saddening to hear.

VIA: Polygon

A passage from the book is read out loud and it describes the characters in the upcoming game, giving us a little tease at who gamers are going to control while playing the game. However, we’re still not given a taste of any gameplay, which has gamers frustrated and wanting more, but it seems Activision will be milking this one out for a while.

The trailer was directed by Jon Favreau, who is best known for directing Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and his style certainly shows in this new Destiny trailer. Of course, though, we still don’t know many details about the game, other than that they’re calling it “shared-world shooter” that looks a lot like Halo, which isn’t too surprising, as the same developer is behind both games.

A look at the trailer reveals that some of the action takes place on the Moon, as well as what looks like Mars, but as you can clearly see a close-up planet in the sky, it looks to be a fictional planet that the developers made up for the game. Overall, Destiny definitely won’t be coming to an Earth near you. The game is set to release on both current- and next-generation consoles sometime in 2014, so don’t expect it to launch alongside the Xbox One or PS4 in time for the Holiday season — you’ll want to put it on your birthday wish list instead.

EA’s newly-rebranded Ghost Games studio will be in charge of development, with help from Criterion Games, who was behind Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed: World. Rivals will include the same experience that past Need for Speed titles have had, but EA says that the new game will go back to its roots, with the cops vs. racers modes, allowing gamers to play as cops too. You’ll be able to move up in the ranks, as well as unlock new cars and customization options.

Online multiplayer in the new game is getting a feature called AllDrive, which allows friends to drop in and out of your open world to race with or against you, as well as the ability to play as cops and chance down racers. Speedpoints will be rewarded to players for chasing down racers or eluding the police, which can be used for performance upgrades.

Rivals will also include Criterion’s social tracking system Autolog, which provides leaderboards and lets gamers challenge other friends. The system will be similar to what’s coming in GRID 2, which will be released later next week. All of these features will be available for both current- and next-generation consoles.

The Need for Speed series is approaching 20 years in the making, and while it has drastically changed over the years — going from a simple racing game to street-tuned all-out racing with multiple modes, it seems Need for Speed is finally going back to its roots of the early days of the series, which we’re pretty excited to see what EA has in store come November.

VIA: VG247

The developer confirmed the news via Twitter yesterday, saying that the game will be heading to Sony’s newest console, joining the PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. However, publisher Activision still says that DLC for the game will be exclusive with Xbox consoles, meaning that if you want all the CoD content you can get, going the Microsoft route seems like the best choice at this point.

As for the Wii U, Activision hasn’t confirmed or denied that Call of Duty: Ghosts will come to Nintendo’s newest console, but it’s not looking good overall. If the publisher wanted the new game on the Wii U, we certainly would’ve heard confirmation by now, but judging by the poor sales of the new console, we’re guessing Activision won’t waste their breath.

Call of Duty: Ghosts went up for pre-order earlier this month, and it became the highest-selling video game on Amazon in less than a day from becoming available for purchase before its launch. While some may think the Call of Duty series is getting stale, the turnout that the pre-order received shows that many gamers are still interested. The new installment is expected to be some sort of spin-off featuring Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley, who was known for wearing that iconic skull-laden balaclava. However, we’ll have to wait and see in November when the game officially releases to the masses.

VIA: Joystiq

We already know that Sony is sticking with its black look that they’ve implemented on all their consoles since the PS2, so now that we have that out of the way, the design is the only aspect that we’re wanting to see. One Redditor studied the teaser video and came up with a design of what the PS4 might look like. It looks pretty sleek overall, with the first thing you’ll notice probably being the giant cooling vent in the front.

The design also has a small fan toward the back on the side, and we’re assuming that there’s one on either side of the console. As for other features, we’re guessing the slim silver plate on the front is the disc tray that pops out, but we’re assuming that the PS4 will have a slot-load drive, seeing as this is 2013, but we’re not quite sure what Sony might do in this case.

Is this what the PlayStation 4 will look like? We obviously don’t know — this is merely just a piece of concept art that attempts to get as close as possible to the real design based on teaser images that we’ve seen. However, we certainly can’t say that this isn’t a design that could be close to what Sony has come up with.

As for the Xbox 720, the reveal event starts at 1 pm ET, and we’re not sure what Microsoft will show off exactly, but we do know we’ll get a look at some video games that will be releasing for the new console, including Call of Duty: Ghosts. Microsoft is planning Xbox 720 events three times this year: today, at E3, and at Gamescom in August, so the company may split up announcements between these three events.

VIA: Kotaku

SOURCE: Reddit

The teaser video, which you can watch below, gives us a very blurry view of the PS4 console box itself, although it doesn’t look like much through an unfocused lens. Throughout the video, we get treated with quick flashes of various close-up angles of the console, including its edges, corners, vents, and logos (which we’re guessing the image above is a new logo of some sort).

At the end of the teaser, we’re treated with a date of June 10 at 6 pm PT, which is during Sony’s press conference at E3, meaning that we’ll get treated with the full PS4 treatment at E3, including more details about the hardware, as well as a release date for the console. Microsoft is also expected to show off its next-gen console at E3 this year.

Speaking of Microsoft, the company is set to announce their next-generation Xbox console tomorrow, so we’re pretty sure that today’s teaser from Sony was strategically timed to attempt to take a bit of day-before excitement away from Microsoft. However, come tomorrow, all eyes will be on the Redmond-based company and their new gaming console.

The PS4 is planned to release in time for the holiday season, and we can only expect Microsoft to do the same with their console. However, it’ll be up in the air on who out-shines who when Santa comes to town. Needless to say, it’ll be nice to have the console wars heated up again after neither company has released a new console in quite some time.

This so-called Xbox 720 is ready to jump off the blocks with abilities inclusive of its predecessors. You’ll still be able to play games on it, of course, but you’ll also be able to use the Xbox 720 as your one-stop shop for home entertainment. The Xbox TV will be part of this equation.

Microsoft will need to keep the power of the Xbox 720 as a gaming console intact in order to continue to compete with Sony, of course. As the PlayStation 4 was revealed only in a very basic way, it’s expected that Microsoft will use the opportunity to come in with a bit more solid force.

Essentially: “hey Sony, that’s a nice wireless controller you’ve got there – we’ve got an actual machine to show the public.”

That said, it won’t be long before Sony shows their PlayStation 4 console hardware off to the public, either. Have a peek here at the first E3 teaser video released earlier today, straight from the source.

So it’s a black box with sharp edges – exciting! Will Microsoft come back at Sony with a white box with rounded edges? We shall see!

The abilities of the Xbox 720 will likely spread their way across your living room and enter your smartphone and tablet as well. As Microsoft already uses a system called Xbox Smartglass to allow owners of iPhones, iPads, Android and Windows Phone devices, and likely more platforms to control the Xbox remotely. With the Xbox 720, Microsoft will likely expand how this system works, allowing users to control their Xbox system in ways not yet available: game control, for instance.

As the Xbox becomes more a part of the living room entertainment system family, so too must it work at all times. It’s been suggested that the Xbox 720 will be placed between your cable or TV box and your television screen itself. As you watch the content you love each day, you’ll also have Xbox notifications on-screen for for your convenience.

Of course if you like to change inputs on your TV like you’ve always done, it’s up to you.

Microsoft will certainly expand the Xbox’s ability to work with the web, likely making a point to show the machine’s ability to game in the cloud right out of the box – if they do anything more with the cloud at all, that is.

Kinect will very likely be getting an upgrade, and its expected that the Xbox 720 will be sold initially as a Kinect-included system only when it first goes on sale. Tips of IllumiRoom being integrated into the system when it launches have been shut down by Microsoft earlier this year – the same is likely true with any other 3D augmented reality integration – at least at the start of this release.

The Xbox 720 – rumored to be called simply “Xbox” from this point forward – will be shown off on Tuesday, May 21st with few, if any, game titles attached to it. The reason for this is the imminent approach of the E3 gaming convention where Microsoft has promised waves of games being announced in a fantastic display.

The actual release of this system has also been rumored – of course – this time being suggested for a November release. If that were true, Microsoft would likely beat Sony to the punch or have a hammer-drop at nearly the same time as the PlayStation 4.

Much of the summary is dedicated to how much more straightforward it is to develop titles for the PS4. The console uses the same concurrency model as the PS3, for instance, with a main “orchestrator” thread and then the rest of the code running in jobs across all the cores; on the PS4, though, Guerrilla found that 80-percent of all code could now be run in jobs, versus 20-percent on the current-gen console.

To show how well the game ran, the developers had to cook up their own CPU and GPU profilers, since the official tools still aren’t quite ready. On-screen, there’s a physically-correct lighting model and volumetrics supported on every light, along with real-time reflections. Some of the most obvious improvements are in characters, with far greater detail allowed.

Killzone Shadow Fall PS4 tech demo:

“Our aim for [the] announcement event was to run on PS4 hardware” Guerrilla writes, meaning “1080p, solid 30FPS, [and] no cheats.” The latter is presumably a reference to the Killzone 2 for PS3 demo gaffe, where what was later revealed to be rendered game footage was initially portrayed as running on the console itself.

Killzone Shadow Fall PS4 gameplay demo:

“PS4 is really easy to program for!” lead tech Michal Valient concludes, and the “GPU is really fast” while “GDDR5 bandwith is awesome” assuming you handle the memory mapping properly. “We’ve only scratched the surface” he says.

Sony didn’t show off the final hardware at its PS4 launch event, only the peripherals and some game demos. It did, however, confirm the core specifications: 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, an x86 CPU, an enhanced PC GPU, and a hard-drive; there’s also WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth, USB 3.0, gigabit ethernet, and a Blu-ray drive.

Thanks Zak!

Of course the PlayStation 4 and gaming PCs will also have their shot at this title in 2014. This title is being made by the same company that created Halo and has partnered up with Activision, the company that brings you Call of Duty. With such big-name titles on the line, Destiny has a lot to live up to.

The images above and below are only small versions of the actual detail you’ll be able to see, Bungie delivering full-resolution pictures to the public to allow them a taste of full-screen possibilities. Though these images make the game look like a backdrop from a blockbuster film event, the final product will be an online exclusive first-person shooter.

This means that the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 will continue down the road suggested for them in the latter days of their predecessors – this is a very connected future we’re starting soon.

Images of what Bungie calls its Abandoned Earth segment of the game – or environment, however it’ll be presented – have been unveiled as well. In these images its revealed that the planet is not simply a barren wasteland in this distant realm of possibility – it’s a place where nature has taken back what it owned before humans came along. Much like what’s seen in such apocalyptic films as I Am Legend, cities have been overgrown.

Bungie has also revealed information about the plot of this game. One of the several races available for use by you and your compatriots are the Guardians.

“You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield some of the Traveler’s incredible power. You are taking this mantle just as a new day dawns. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks have finally returned to our long-lost worlds, only to find out we are not alone. ” – Bungie, on Destiny

There are also Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans, each of which appear like they came directly out of the next Halo title. That or backup robots for Daft Punk. These and the visions of the Moon, also known as a “Forbidden Zone” by the newest reveal of the contents of the game, will provide for some rather interesting waves of unveils when this multi-platform title comes to fruition.

Above see full-sized versions of each of the images in this post for up-close inspection. Also have a peek at SlashGear’s Xbox 720 tag portal as well as our PlayStation 4 tag portal for the race to the finish line. As far as game developers are concerned, these two consoles are bringing the same beast to the party!

SOURCE: Bungie

As the world awaits the PlayStation 4 and its hardware push – at the moment we’ve just got a handheld wireless controller – this video spot shows what could be. Excitement and eyeball-burning swooshes of controller symbols light up the faces of several gaming candidates. Thumping dance music bangs through the spot making it seem like the showing of this box is all that matters to a gamer in the near future.

So what’ll be different from this in the final real-deal set of video spots produced by Sony itself? Probably not a whole lot. It’s already clear that the PlayStation 4 – aka the PS4 – will be another box. It’s certainly not going to be an Okama Gamesphere, nor is it going to be coming in the shape of a P for Playstation. What you’re seeing here won’t be far from the truth.

The in-game footage comes from a game that’s been revealed in the past, but will be appearing on the PlayStation 4 in the future. The game is called inFAMOUS: Second Son, and looks a little something like this:

The real-deal Sony PlayStation 4 has had many of its specifications confirmed by Sony earlier this year immediately following the big PS4 press event that took place in February. The controller for the system – the main, basic controller, at least – has been revealed by Sony along with some of its abilities.

Now all that’s left to see is the actual console itself.

As we said in February: the box might not matter.

VIA: Kotaku

What this demonstration of the game presents is the world promised by early previews, one in which the gamer lives in a sea of information. As citizens of this connected Chicago walk by, the user has the option of hacking their electronic connection to everything. Name, occupation, cash, and all.

Watch as a woman named Chandra Prince walks by the hacker hero of this game and, with a tap of the display of his smartphone, he finds her age, occupation, income, hobbies – and has the option to steal from her bank account digitally. Every citizen of this city has a machine in their pocket or in their hand, and through that machine they’re open to attack.

It’s in this world that Watch Dogs is shown to be not just the silent killer’s playground of games like Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, but one where a villain can – at first – walk around in broad daylight. Of course once the user finds himself on the wrong end of the law, the police make cameras and sound detection tools an all-encompassing web for our hero.

As you’ll remember from SlashGear’s previous investigation into the world of Watch Dogs, this city has Batman-like sound detection capabilities. It’s not safe to speak without a muffler – not if you want to remain anonymous. Fire a gun and you’ll be triangulated – break a window and it’ll be heard by the cops.

Just as it is with any caped crusader-type situation, the player of this game will soon find themselves addicted to making full use of their ability to see and hear all. As “potential criminals” roam the streets with Crime Probability meters attached to them, following them like a Pre-Crime unit will be the gamer’s prerogative.

This video game will be able to be played in an open-world fashion if the user wishes, this the same sort of deal made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series on the original PlayStation. They’ll also be able to follow plotlines that lead them into heavy trouble with both digital crime syndicates and the police, both of which have access to the big brother cover that intertwines the city.

Watch Dogs will be coming to a gaming machine near you on November 19th. It’ll be released to your high-powered gaming PC, WiiU, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and more – those four bases being the first wave only. This game will eventually also have mobile components so the user can continue playing while on-the-go on smartphone and tablet machines, making the game as real as its story – watch yourself! And don’t forget your stealth skill!

Senior Producer Dominic Guay spoke at a preview of the game this week in San Francisco, letting it be known that the contents could be seen as a warning as much as a normal, every day third-person thriller. Here the player will be working as Pearce, a hacker living in a futuristic Chicago blanketed with a “Smart City” installation that can access essentially any information wirelessly.

What’s more, this new-age Chicago’s smart system doesn’t just work with and control public service systems, it helps police hunt down and capture bad guys. Using systems like the very real SpotShotter, as pointed out by Venture Beat (they also attending this San Francisco preview of the game), the in-game police can track gunshots by triangulating the sounds with city-wide sound recorders.

“The problem is, if you start spying on people in every aspect of their lives, it becomes addictive. hat if you see a woman being mugged in a back alley or a man being extorted? It becomes hard to do nothing.” – Dominic Guay

The game’s hero Pearce will be aiming at and avoiding not only the police, but corrupt 3rd party users and gangs, each of them also taking advantage of the connectedness of the city and its citizens.

Much in the same way Batman is able to hone in on sound signals throughout a city by tapping in to the cellphone signals of its citizens, here too anyone with access will be able to hear all. Batman’s ability to do this appears in the movie The Dark Knight as well as in the video game Batman: Arkham City. In Watch Dogs, this sound system is part of the larger ctOS (City Operating System).

Helping to advance the realism of the game to a point that’s essentially creepy, Kaspersy Lab has been confirmed to be working with the developers of this game in its last phases. Speaking at the game preview this week with Joystiq, Guay made their involvement clear:

“We’re working with Kaspersky Lab, a big security firm. They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.’” – Dominic Guay

It’s also become clear that this game will not be restricted to your gaming console – it’ll not just be a game you play on Xbox 360, PC, Xbox 720, PlayStation 4, and the rest. Instead you’ll have gameplay expansion available on smartphone systems and on tablets as well. This game will, like the hero of the game, be played on the move, as well.

Expect Watch Dogs to be solidified with detail galore by the time of its final release later this year. At the moment it would appear that Watch Dogs will be set for a November 22nd release date and will be appearing on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC at the start.

The so-called transition Kotick describes is one of an evolving gaming industry, where players aren’t perhaps so wedded to their dedicated, heavy-duty consoles as they were at the launch of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Factor in the remaining questions that surround even Sony’s officially announced PlayStation 4, and Kotick is readying for an uphill struggle.

“There are still many unknown factors,” he explained on the call, “such as pricing, launch dates and quantities, the level of first-party support and, importantly, consumer purchase intent in a world where consoles are no longer just competing with each other, but also with new platforms, such as smartphones and tablets.”

Those mobile platforms have risen in gaming prevalence over the intervening years, with more casual titles at the $0.99 price point in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play market gaining traction on iPhone and Android. Apple’s iPod touch has also become a compelling gaming system, with improvements in the company’s homegrown processors leading to more impressive, near-console-quality titles.

In short, it’s a very different market from what Microsoft and Sony are used to, and one in which Kotick seemingly suspects they may find the reception to the Wii U to be the rule, not the exception. “All of these factors further heighten our concerns heading into the back half of the year,” he concluded, “particularly during the very competitive fourth quarter.”

Activision has already warned that World of Warcraft online multiplayer subscribers are dropping, though the game publisher says it is confident its other projects will maintain sufficient momentum to keep profits up.

[via ExpertReviews]

Speaking with Eurogamer, Kato says that much of the chip development for the PS4 has already been in place, whereas the PS3 required all-new development processes for the console’s chip. The PS4 will still see a new chip (and development is still happening for that), but Kato says that many existing technologies will be implemented in the PS4, cutting down on R&D costs.

Sony turned its first profitable year since 2008, but its PlayStation division was down during the 12-month period. Sales were down 12.2%, with operating income down a staggering 94% to just $18 million for the year. However, Kato says that income is expected to “increase significantly” for the company, with the PS4′s launch coming later this year.

Operating income is another story, though, as Kato expects it to be stagnant year-over-year due to R&D and marketing costs for the new and upcoming console. However, the PS4 is expected to turn a profit in a shorter amount of time than the PS3, which took several years before the console was finally in the black for Sony.

[via Eurogamer]

The concept has already been experimented with on the PS Vita, which normally has the ability to take screenshots of gameplay. However, if developers wish, they can temporarily shut that off, meaning final puzzles, battles, or other details of gameplay can be kept more secret.

“For example, on Vita, developers can in certain scenes disable the feature that lets users take a screenshot, and (the Share function) will have a similar mechanism” Yoshido said. “The creator may not want to make video of the final boss sharable, for instance.”

It’s unclear to what extent game developers will be able to limit use of the Share functionality. Gamers are likely to accept the odd moment where the Share button does nothing, but that understanding might pale if the key is locked out for longer periods.

Sharing was, Yoshido explained, something of a serendipitous addition to the PS4. The team had been looking at different ways that gamers could share footage of their play online, and a dedicated button became the most popular solution. “I felt that sharing videos is a really important part of enjoying games” the exec says.

[via Ars Technica]

Such demand already might surprise some folks. After all, it took a long time for the PlayStation 3 to truly get off the ground and although it’ll likely end this generation with more worldwide sales than the Xbox 360, in the U.S., especially, it’s no match for Microsoft’s console.

To make matters worse, it appears that gamers aren’t all that excited about the next generation of consoles across the board. The Wii U, after all, has been watching its sales slow to crawl and even GameStop said publicly that it’s been disappointed by the Wii U. What in the world would make the PlayStation 4 different?

Well, I think there are a host of reasons. I’m a firm believer that Sony is still a household name in the U.S. and in Japan – its two key markets – and people buy products from the company solely because they trust the name. And despite the PlayStation 3’s initial troubles, the console turned out to be quite a success, allowing its predecessor to deliver solid results next time around.

It’s also unfair to compare the PlayStation 4 with the Wii U. Nintendo’s console is one that’s a barely updated alternative to the predecessor. As I’ve said here before, I believe the Wii U is a catch-up device. And historically, catch-up devices don’t really perform all that well on store shelves.

The PlayStation 4, however, is a high-end product with all kinds of graphical firepower; it’s the kind of device that true gamers really want. And chances are, Sony will once again have the full support of the developer community to ensure it doesn’t fall short from a library perspective.

Most importantly, though, I think the strong demand for the PlayStation 4 tells us that, despite conventional wisdom suggesting that mobile and casual gaming is the future, console gamers are still extremely engrossed in their favored way of playing games. And that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The fact is that console gaming has a long way to go to ultimately match the promise gamers have been hoping for all this time. And companies like Sony and Microsoft are willing to push the envelope and put themselves in a position where they can capitalize on customers that want a true next-generation device, and not something that’s simply labeled as one.

So yes, I understand the excitement surrounding the PlayStation 4, and I can say without any hesitation that I’m one of those folks that’s excited to see what’s coming next from Sony. The future is now. And Sony is one of the few companies in the gaming industry that’s willing to embrace it.

The news came from Gamestop’s President Tony Bartel. He stated, “Although we have been given no official numbers by Sony, we do believe that demand will far outpace the supply of this product during the launch window”. If his statement is true, the high-demand for Sony’s PlayStation 4 is a good sign for the video game industry. The industry has been on the decline for quite some time now, with recent numbers showing the industry dropping 25% in sales.

Also, in other good news, the PlayStation is looking to launch globally by the holiday season this year. There were rumors circulating around that stated that Europe would have to wait until 2014 to get their hands on the game console due to distribution issues, however Gamestop assures consumers that that’s not the case. Sony has yet to release images of the PlayStation 4, however, it has released information regarding the PlayStation 4′s specs and its peripherals, like its DualShock 4 controller.

The PlayStation 4 is an impressive console. The PlayStation 4 demonstrations showed off the stunning graphics that games on its system will be capable of. There were also a bunch of features announced that make the system much more than a game console centered around the living room. You will be able to use the remote play feature to stream games onto your PS Vita, tablet, or smartphone so that you can play your games anywhere in the house. Check out our PlayStation 4 guide on everything you need to know about the console.

[via CNET]

If you have a travel down our Diablo III tag portal, you find a series of stories that are just as often negative and full of disappointment as they are exciting and action-packed. This release was one of the most long-awaited in the history of gaming, with 8 years separating the second installment of the series (Diablo II in 2000) and the announcement of this title.

Though Diablo III was first announced in 2008, it was only actually released to the public on May 15th, 2012. That’s one massive amount of time for a game to be in development, especially with the 5-minutes-of-fame atmosphere we’re in now. Then there’s the bits and pieces that Blizzard has had to change right from the outset. Today’s big kicker is the announcement from former Diablo 3 Game Director Jay Wilson.

Speaking with Joystiq this week about Diablo III’s real money action house, he suggested that the feature has “really hurt the game.” According to Wilson, over 50 percent of the players that play regularly use the auction house, while most of the auction house’s use is with in-game virtual gold rather than with real cash.

Because of this gold use, not necessarily the real money, motivation to collect gold and broken items (otherwise useless, able to be sold in the game to virtual vendors for gold), have become far more popular goals for users. There’s simply not as much junk everywhere anymore – Diablo II continues to be a massive mess of item drops and coins.

“I think we would turn it off if we could, [but it's] not as easy as that.” – Wilson

Citing the near-impossible task of figuring out how much of the Diablo III user population wants the auction house to stick around or be kicked to the curb, Wilson was clear on one point: they are looking for a “solution.” A solution to what, exactly, we might never know.

Over the last year or so, we’ve been hearing rumors that Microsoft’s next console, currently codenamed Durango, could ban used games. Microsoft, of course, hasn’t said anything on the matter, deciding instead to keep its plans close to the vest until it finally has the chance to unveil the device to the world. But the steady drumbeat of claims that the console won’t support used games is concerning.

The video game industry can’t stand used games. Gamers run out to buy a new title and before long, turn around and sell it back to their local game retailer, like Gamestop, to get back some of their cash. In many cases, those gamers then put the credit towards another game.

For gamers and Gamestop, it’s a great model that works exceedingly well. But the game developers have a real issue with used titles.

See, after a game is sold back to a company like Gamestop, there’s no way for the developers to generate cash off the secondary sale. That means that all of their hard work can’t be profited on, and retailers can double-dip on the games they’re investing in.

I’ll be the first to admit that I think the system is flawed. I know of several developers that can’t stand the thought of used-game sales and I totally understand why they have those feelings. Revenue sharing on used-game sales really is unfair. And it’s something that the industry should not – and perhaps, cannot – overlook; it needs to be fixed.

That said, used games have a place in today’s console space. Used games are cheaper, which makes it easier for gamers to enjoy the entertainment they so desire. For many people around the world, spending $60 on a video game is impossible when bills need to be paid and kids need to be fed. But buying a title for, say, half the price, isn’t such a bad deal.

Used games, let’s not forget, have also done wonders for the online services Sony and Microsoft offer. The more used games that customers buy, the more people playing titles online. And thus, revenue across the industry goes up. It’s a win-win.

And yet, the steady drumbeat of claims that Microsoft might do away with used-game playing in the next Xbox grows louder by the day. If it’s true – and let’s be clear, we’re not sure if it is – that would mean Microsoft’s console would be the only next-generation hardware to not allow for used titles. What’s worse, it would be the first console in history to not support such a key part of the game-buying experience.

I can say unequivocally that if Microsoft does not support used games in its next console, I will not buy the hardware. And I have a feeling there are thousands, if not millions, of gamers who will stand alongside me.

Look, I’m all for giving developers the proper compensation for what they’ve created. And I, too, think the used-game market is hurting developers. But not allowing used games isn’t the answer; stopping retailers from taking advantage of gamers and developers is.

Senior Vice President of Content and Technology at NVIDIA Tony Tamasi told GameSpot that the company “came to the conclusion” that they “didn’t want to do the business at the price those guys were willing to pay,” referring to Sony and the amount of money they were willing to dish out to NVIDIA to allow the console maker to use their chips.

AMD ended up getting a deal with Sony to use its chips in the PlayStation 4, and it’s rumored that the next-generation Xbox will also be running AMD components, but it seems NVIDIA isn’t phased by all that. Tamasi says that the company is “building a whole bunch of stuff,” including Project SHIELD that we took a look at during CES back in January.

Overall, NVIDIA looks at the console business as an “opportunity cost.” Essentially, NVIDIA had to weigh the pros and cons of developing their own products versus implementing their technology into other products. In the end, the company decided not to pursue the PS4 and instead focus on their own products.

[via GameSpot]

NVIDIA’s product manager for PhysX, Mike Skolones, says that “great physics technology is essential for delivering a better gaming experience and multiplatform support is critical for developers,” and “with PhysX and APEX support for PlayStation 4, customers can look forward to better games.” Indeed, both PhysX and APEX should make games more realistic with life-like movements and scenery.

PhysX is designed specifically to be used with hardware acceleration in processors and graphics cards, and the technology allows for more complex and detailed worlds in video games, including more-realistic explosions, clothes that react more naturally to the wind and body movements, and of course, better life-like motions of characters.

Both PhysX and APEX are already integrated into a handful of games. NVIDIA boasts that PhysX alone is featured in more than 150 games, and is used by over 10,000 developers. Some games that are taking advantage of NVIDIA’s technologies include Borderlands 2, the Batman Arkham series, Mirror’s Edge, and Metro 2033.

The protagonist of this game is Captain Edward Kenway, an infamous pirate able to “clear the deck of a Spanish galleon like it were nothing”. The trailer shows Kenway in action as he’s able to assassinate almost an entire ship with ease, and able to commit murder in public without anyone (except his new mistress) batting an eye. To many loyal Assassin’s Creed fans, this game will be another welcome addition to the group, while to others, it just seems like Ubisoft is milking the Assassin’s Creed franchise for all it’s worth.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and the PC. It will also be available for the next-gen consoles whenever they come out, so those of you willing to wait, you can purchase the game for your future PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720. You are able to pre-order the game now, and if you do, you’ll get a limited edition poster created by cartoonist Todd McFarlane.

It looks like Ubisoft can go ahead and cancel that “World Premiere Trailer” website they had designed and prettied up all for Assassin’s Creed IV. Besides getting a sneak peak at the game, and finding out its official release date is October 29th, there isn’t much else we know yet about the game. It is rumored that Assassin’s Creed IV will be taking place in either Jamaica, Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, or England.

We also know that the PlayStation for will be able to stream games using technology Sony acquired in their purchase of Gaikai. Today Sony has offered up a couple screenshots highlighting social aspects of the new PlayStation 4. The screenshots are of various parts from the console’s user interface.

While some of these screenshots were seen during the launch event, there are a couple that show the mobile interface between the console and devices like your smartphone. One of the social interfaces, which you can see here, shows a screen that reminds me a lot of YouTube where it appears user can share video recordings during their play sessions.

The PlayStation 4 screenshots also show the interface where you can share individual screenshots, video clips, or broadcast live video. That last selection will be popular with gamers who like to attract an audience.

[via Engadget]

Of course. First, let me tackle that last and most ridiculous point. It’s not a PlayStation launch if they didn’t show the hardware, right? No, that’s completely wrong. What is the hardware? It’s a box with a gaming computer inside and a bunch of ports on the outside. It should look reasonably attractive sitting underneath my television, but if it doesn’t I’ll just hide it behind something else, like my Xbox. It should be slim enough to fit in my cabinet, but my receiver is pretty big, so I don’t mind a little heft. Since the Xbox 360, design has become more important, as gamers realized they could have a console that wouldn’t offend the sensibilities of non-gaming spouses; but if this is a priority for you, you’ve gotten your priorities screwed up.

You know what I really want from my PlayStation box? I want it to play really freaking awesome games for the next 6 years. Every time I turn it on, I will spend exactly 5 seconds looking at the box and 30 minutes to 8 hours looking at the content it blasts onto my TV screen. If the box protrudes hairy tentacles and screams obscenities at me every time I turn it on, I can live with that if the games are good. If the ports are covered with Man-O-War tentacles that sting me every time I plug in a controller, I’ll buy some ointment and keep playing. If reaching into the box is worse than pushing my arm into the foul and stinking moist womb of Beelzebub’s mother, who the heck cares if it plays games that make me forget the horrors of my life and the cruelty of my own impending mortality for more than 15 minutes!?

If you care so much about the box, you are the problem with the games industry: style over substance.

For disclosure sake, my day job is with Samsung Mobile, so I know a thing or two about launches. As a former tech journalist, I covered Apple events and Nokia events, so I’ve seen the best and worst a launch event can be. But launching a phone is very different. The problem is that the tech press has grown accustomed to fast-paced phone launches. Every 4 weeks the coolest phone you’ve ever seen hits the market. The tech press is spoiled. They want cool hardware design, which is much more important with a phone. They want a full explanation of the device in 30 minutes or less. They want to leave the press room and walk into a store to buy it (or at least walk into their Brooklyn apartment to review a sample unit).

That doesn’t just mean that our press is jaded. That means you don’t have to say as much with each phone launch. You don’t have to detail every feature. You can build on what the audience already knows. You can highlight the new and confirm the old.

A phone is a very personal device. You will touch and caress it for the next two years. You will tell it your secrets, share your relationship photos, and stick it in your pants. When you buy it, you expect to know much of what it can already do.

Sony is not selling you the hardware. You need the hardware to play the games, but for the first year or so, Sony will lose money on the hardware. A lot of money; maybe a couple hundred dollars per console. Where do they make their money? Games. The money comes from the games they make internally and the licenses they sell to EA, Ubisoft, Blizzard and others.

So, when Sony hosts a launch event, they aren’t selling you on the box hardware. The box is a necessary evil to get you to buy and play the game. If you only bought the box and watched Netflix and never played any games, Sony’s PlayStation division would be out of business in this generation.

Games are a hard sell, especially when they cost $60 a piece, brand new. They cost as much to make as a Hollywood blockbuster, and like a hot movie they make most of their money in the first week they are available. What’s worse, the movie producers make a ton of money months later when the movie goes to DVD, but game producers don’t see that kind of profit. Why should Sony ever support used games with the economics of the gaming market already tilted so heavily against them?

At a PlayStation launch event, Sony needs to prove that a 20-60 hour game on unproven hardware is worth 4 to 6 times the price of a movie ticket. How can you possibly fault them for showing 2 hours of game previews? Sure, the jaded press in the audience will get bored, but diehard fans will pore over those previews for 7 months until the console is in stores.

Go ahead, Sony, be proud of your launch event and ignore the critics. Every one of them is a fan. They all lusted over at least one of those games, and lamented the beloved titles you didn’t show, but probably will at another 2-hour event at E3. The same press will complain again there, because it’s their job to by cynical; but they’ll be first in line to buy one. In the end, it’s not about the event, or the box. It’s all about the games.

But seriously, Sony, enough with the updates. Just let me play the game and forget that the rest of it – the box, the controller, the world – exists, even if it’s only for 30 minutes.

In the United States, GameStop is encouraging PowerUp Rewards members to sign up for their “PlayStation 4 First to Know List”, which updates its members on anything PlayStation 4 related. GameStop wants to confirm with those who sign up that there is still no official release date for the PlayStation 4, and those on the list will not have first dibs once the console is released.

KontrolFreek, who operates through Microsoft’s retail stores in the U.S., is holding a sweepstakes that will allow 4 lucky winners to receive a PlayStation 4 for absolutely free. The rules are simple. All you have to do is like their Facebook page, and you’re in. You can get more entries in the contest by getting your friends to sign-up as well. It’s pretty similar to many Facebook sweepstakes. It’s a win-win for KontrolFreek and gamers, because while 4 lucky gamers will receive the PS4 for absolutely free, KontrolFreek gets more exposure for its wide variety of gaming accessories.

Sony says that their PlayStation 4 will be a game-changer in terms of gaming consoles. It hopes to turn its PlayStation Network into the ultimate Social Gaming Network. The games previewed at Sony’s press event show that the games on the PS4 will blur the lines between cinema graphics and actual gameplay. The PlayStation 4 is well-hyped, and we’re excited to see what new innovations it brings to cloud-gaming. The system will be available in time for the holidays. Will you be picking one up?

[via Forbes]

However, nothing new was unveiled during the show, and Fallon only had a look at the new DualShock 4 controller under what seemed like the tight supervision from the managing director of Guerrilla Games, Hermen Hulst, and a demo man who only let Fallon play the game for about a minute. Actor and comedian Anthony Anderson was also on scene to try out the game as well.

Chaos soon erupted, however, when both Fallon and Anderson didn’t quite have the chops necessary to blaze through all the bad guys, and the hands-on session quickly grew into a fun screaming match between the two comedians. It wasn’t quite as entertaining as, say, Conan O’Brien’s “Clueless Gamer” reviews, but it was still fun watching Fallon trying to make his way through the game.

Jimmy Fallon’s hands-on of the PlayStation 4 marks the first hands-on session of the new console. It doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but Sony says the console will be available for purchase just in time for the holiday season this year. Sony’s CEO even said that the console is still technically under development, which is why they haven’t shown the public the actual console just yet.

It’s ben confirmed several times over that games will be able to be purchased in physical form as well as digitally – both for some titles, in some cases. This means that there will, indeed, be opportunities for people to have a disk (Blu-Ray, as it were), play it, then pass it on to someone else with their own PlayStation 4 console. But a question remains surrounding licensing. While every major game console today (pre-PS4 and Xbox 720) is able to swap games and consoles without trouble, rumors and tips leading up to this generation’s inability to play games that weren’t licensed specifically to them continues to linger.

On the other hand, it would appear that each instance of an answer from Sony thus far has been traced back to Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s head of Worldwide Studios. Saying in one instance that “[used] PS4 games will work on [the] hardware” (via Engadget) and in another that “used games work on PS4″ (via Eurogamer), in both cases Yoshida was unable to clarify further.

What may be happening is that Sony is still in negotiations with game companies to decide whether they’re going to implement disk/console tying or not. Another possibility is that none of this used game selling/buying and using business is complicated at all, but simply that at this stage in the development of the PlayStation 4, Sony’s representation simply can’t legally comment on it.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the PlayStation 4 – and peek at our ever-growing PlayStation 4 tag portal as well!

In an interview with AllThingsD, Tretton explained that there were a couple of reasons why Sony didn’t show off the new console at yesterday’s event. First, Tretton explains that the console box itself really isn’t all that important anyway, since “it’s behind a cabinet or on a shelf somewhere and you spend all your time looking at the screen.” Tretton has a point, though. After all, the box itself doesn’t really matter all that much.

He also noted that the console is still under development “in terms of final specs and design,” so while they may have a PS4 console built and able to play games (as we saw yesterday during the event), it seems that Sony is still working on adding final touches to the console, and from the looks of it, the PS4 isn’t quite ready for mass production just yet.

Tretton’s answer differentiates just slightly to the answer that Sony’s Worldwide Studio president Shuhei Yoshida gave, in which he says that Sony simply didn’t want to unveil everything during that one event, and instead want to spread out announcements, which means we could hear more about the PlayStation 4 come E3 in June.

[via AllThingsD]

There are two rather polarized angles being tossed about this week as the Sony show (or no-show) of the PlayStation 4 was let loose. One side says it’s terrible that Sony made a 2+ hour presentation for the PlayStation 4 without actually showing the hardware, relying instead on the controller and a variety of promises from software developers to do all the talking. The other side says awesome! We know the PlayStation 4 is coming now, and we’ve got confirmation from some of the biggest-name developers that they’re on board, so we’re happy!

Here’s what we’ve actually got: a few details about the hardware, info about the PlayStation 4 Eye camera system and the Dualshock 4 controller included. We’ve got a collection of software titles and a few very brief demonstrations of what will be possible on the system. We’ve got Sony’s promise that Everything Everywhere will be their aim with the PlayStation 4 universe – cloud gaming and access for all devices included.

So what else do we need? We’ve got the hype – when your favorite hardware manufacturer creates a new version of the device you love and use every day, you’ll want that new system. We’ve got developer support – just as vital here as it is with a new operating system – perhaps even more so here since this isn’t a smartphone: the PlayStation 4 is made to play games first and foremost. We’ve got a Sony promise that this system will be their next hero system.

Do we really need to see the actual console? The piece of hardware that you’ll end up putting under your television, away from your eye and hidden anyway? This isn’t a smartphone, it’s not a tablet. It’s not a fashion accessory like those mobile devices end up quite often being. This is a video game console – and we don’t need to see it to want it!

Simply put, Yoshida says that they didn’t reveal everything because the company wanted “to keep something new for later. Otherwise you’d get bored.” Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t, but Yoshida has a point. E3 is coming up later in a few months, and that could be the time when Sony will unveil everything at that point.

As for the reasoning behind unveiling the new DualShock 4 controller, Yoshida says that the controller is “a very key idea behind the design of the PS4,” and since Sony took quite a bit of time showing off the new user interface of the PS4, it only made sense that they would show off the controller as well, especially considering it has a dedicated “Share” button on it, meant to instantly share content with friends and other gamers.

As for Sony’s plans at E3 2013 coming up in June, Yoshida told Eurogamer that announcing more PS4 details at the yearly gaming expo is “possible,” and Sony hopes to have most things “in final form” by the time E3 rolls around. However, he ultimately says that the company has “no plan or no date set for announcing these things.”

[via Kotaku]

Unfortunately, Sony failed to address the concerns during the event, leaving people to further wonder about the future of used games. To solve this, the folks over at Eurogamer sat down with Shuhei Yoshida after the event and asked the question that so many people have been wondering: will used games be blocked? The initial response was a rather coy question back. “Do you want us to do that?”

The answer, of course, was no. Said the Eurogamer interviewer, buying a used game implies the ability to pass it on and the retention of a cetain degree of value. When asked if he agreed with that, Yoshida responded in the affirmative. “That’s the general expectation by consumers,” he said. “They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that’s my expectation.”

When pressed about whether an individual who purchases a PlayStation 4 disc will be able to turn around and sell that disc to another gamer, the Sony Worldwide Studio’s President balked a bit, seeking clarification from a PR rep. He eventually offered this response, only partially side-stepping the question: “So, used games can play on PlayStation 4. How is that?” That’s enough to assuage concerns.

[via Eurogamer]

The PlayStation 4 is said to “center around” a custom GPU and (8) x86-64 cores on a custom chip. The GPU contains 18 compute units for a total generation of 1.84 Teraflops of power for simulation and graphics. There’s 8GB of GDDR5 memory offering 176 GB/second of bandwidth. Video compression and decompression is described as “always on” for seamless gaming.

The rundown of the specs looks as follows: x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU with 8 cores, as well as an AMD Radeon GPU. There’s a 6xCAV BD and an 8xCAV DVD drive, as well as one USB 3.0 port. There’s Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.1. Audio/video connectivity includes HDMI, analog A/V out, and optical digital output.

This is accompanied by the Dualshock 4 controller, which is an updated version of the Dualshock 3 that gamers have enjoyed for years. The Dualshock 4 features a new, sensitive six-axis sensor, plus the obvious and alluring touchpad on the front of the device. There’s a distinct tri-color LED bar on the top of the controller that illuminates with the gamer’s color, making it easier for players to locate and track their own controllers. 

Finally, there’s the PlayStation 4 Eye camera system, which contains two wide-angle cameras capable of depth perception and 85-degree views. With these features, the Eye can perceive a gamer from both sides, and when combined with its four microphones, can detect the player’s voice. Even better, however, is its ability to identify the Dualshock’s LED light to identify each player and his or her position. The PS4 Eye is compatible with the Move motion controller.

The PlayStation 4 has been confirmed. It will have 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, an x86 CPU, an enhanced PC GPU, a local storage hard drive, a feature a supercharged PC architecture. Sony says the new PS4 will represent a “significant shift from thinking of PlayStation as merely a box or a console.” The PS4 will be a “gamer-centric” system, made by game developers for game developers. The gamer is in charge.

The new Dual Shock 4 controller revealed at the event gives players more in-depth control when they’re playing their games. It features a touchpad on the front that allows players to do many things, like control the player’s camera during cinegraphic events. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack for connection to products that will improve social gameplay, and a “share” button that lets you live-broadcast your gameplay to your friends on the PSN network.

The “share” button also lets you share games with your friends, meaning if you’re having a tough time in your game, you can invite a friend to help you out. Along with the “share” button feature, there is also a feature called “Remote Play” that lets you share games with others, or lets you play games from your PlayStation Vita device. If there are distractions in your general area, you can pause your game and switch on over to your PS Vita. You’ll start right where you left off.

The sharing feature is all part of Sony’s 5 key principles for the PlayStation 4′s UI. The principles are: Simple, Immediate, Social, Integrated, and Personalized. Sony’s new user interface emphasizes simplicity and speed, with everything you need to do only being a “button click away”. The user interface also emphasizes social gameplay, with Sony’s goal for the PlayStation Network to be one of the most powerful social gaming networks around.

While the PlayStation 4 won’t natively have backwards compatibility with PlayStation 3 games, it will definitely have it through the Gaikai cloud-gaming service. Sony and Gaikai are working together to bring a revolution to cloud gaming. Sony says that Gaikai is an investment in its players, and that millions of players would love to have all of their PlayStation games, from the past, present, and future, be available to them at any time. All of the old PlayStation games, from PlayStation 1 to PlayStation 3, and even the PlayStation Portable games, will be available in Gaikai’s cloud storage in the future. Not only will you be able to play these games on the PS4, but you will also be able to play it on your PS Vita, smartphone, tablet, and even PC.

Besides all of the new features and hardware shown off at the event, Sony also invited a lot of its partners on stage to show some of the new games you can expect on the PlayStation 4. There was Killzone Shadowfall, which looks absolutely beautiful in terms of graphics, and is complimented with intense gameplay, both of which will fully utilize the PlayStation 4′s hardware. Knack, which is a graphic’s intense game, blurs the line between story-line and gameplay. DRIVE CLUB, a team-based racing game, is filled with extremely detailed sports cars and challenged-filled tracks for all of you car-fanatics. InFamous: Second Son, an action-packed game filled with lots of killing and special abilities, is sure to bring back fans of the franchise as well as bring in a whole new audience.

Capcom showed off its new Panta Rhei game engine, which includes very detailed faces and realistic scenery, all of which will be utilized in its upcoming game, Deep Down. Square Enix showed off its next-gen technology that blurs the line between cinematics and gameplay. Blizzard announced its partnership with Sony, and that it will be bringing Diablo 3 and more games to the PS4. Last, but not least, Activision and Bungie show off Destiny, it’s new multiplayer, shared-shooter that will be available for the PS4 in the future.

While the PlayStation 4 event was jam-packed with new and exciting information, it was still disappointing that we didn’t actually get a look at what the PlayStation 4 will look like. However, from all of the features that we learned about, and all of the games we previewed, the PS4 looks to be an amazing and promising console.

We only saw a tiny bit of gameplay here at the event, but the developers say that Destiny will be fully compatible with the PS4, meaning that Destiny will let you enjoy the game and its content from multiple devices. Destiny will not only be coming to the PS4, but also the PS3, and there’ll be “exclusive, playable” content for just the PlayStation versions.

Bungie is calling the new game the world’s first shared-world shooter because gamers will be able to access the game and the content through the cloud via the PS4, something that will be both intriguing, as well as interesting to see in action. Overall, though, the developers didn’t reveal much about the new game, but we’ve already heard plenty within the past couple of weeks anyway.

It’s said that Destiny will arrive on the PS4 and the next-generation Xbox sometime in 2014, and since it will also be arriving on the PS3, it may also show up for the Xbox 360 as well, but that has yet to be confirmed. Since Bungie’s Halo series was so successful, Destiny may certainly have the same fate.

It looks like Blizzard is going back to their roots, yes consoles were originally their roots. Blizzard has entered into a partnership with Sony and will be bringing many games to the PlayStation 4. One of the most popular games that I’m sure many of you are excited about is Diablo III. It will be available on both the PS3 which we already knew, and now the new PS4.

Using the PlayStation cloud service you’ll be able to enjoy classic games like Diablo III right on your PS4. Alternatively it will probably also support Remote Play for streaming to your PS Vita and more. The biggest news here isn’t Diablo III though, the big news is Blizzard has entered into a partnership with Sony.

While we don’t know exactly what this all entails at this point, you can expect to see and hear plenty in the upcoming weeks and months from Blizzard. The massive PC developers behind World of Warcraft and tons of other popular titles will now be developing games for the PlayStation 4. Hopefully at E3 and PAX East 2013 we’ll learn all the details. Who’s excited?

This announcement comes on the same day as Square Enix released info pertaining to their new title Murdered: Soul Suspect. That game will be released for the PlayStation 3 while the PlayStation 4 releases from the development company remain under wraps – for the most part.

Square Enix’ own Sinji Hashimoto, brand director for Final Fantasy, stood on stage speaking about – you guessed it – a new Final Fantasy title. While he didn’t give specifics on the title’s name nor its content, he did suggest that more information would be released at E3 2013. Tune in then!

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the PlayStation 4 and everything included in its release. This event has covered a collection of new games as well as some rather interesting information about the cloud gaming capabilities of the system – and showed of the controller, too!

This game isn’t just your average racing game. Each track will be prepped with a variety of fun and engaging challenges. You can choose whatever weather you want and whatever time of day you want to race in. Every level is promised to be a new, and fun experience. Evolution Studios also emphasized that you will have 24/7 untethered access to your club. Races will be asynchronized and played in real-time.

There’s the first-person perspective that makes you feel like you’re actually driving the car. It shows “you” opening the car door, getting behind the wheel, fastening your seat belt, and taking off in your expensive, possibly foreign-engineered sports car. All of the cars are designed to look exactly like the real-life counterpart its supposed to resemble. The folks at Evolution Studios visited car manufacturers frequently just to make sure they have every detail right. While the cars may be digital, they’ll look very real and very much like they do in reality.

DRIVE CLUB will be one of the PlayStation 4 games that will fully emphasize social game play. Sony wants to make the PlayStation Network one of the most powerful social gaming networks around. This game will be a dream-come-true for car fanatics, and a great game to play with your friends. Check out the other games, and PlayStation 4 features, introduced today at Sony’s press event in the timeline below.

For those unaware, Dave Perry from Gaikai is all about cloud gaming. From Remote Play, to Playstation Cloud and more we can expect tons of good things since Sony acquired them last year. While he was on stage detailing Remote Play, he quickly mentioned the backwards compatibility issue. Don’t worry though folks because you’ll still be able to enjoy those old classics, just through the cloud.

Sony’s next-generation PlayStation 4 cloud-gaming console will stream original PS1, PS2 and PS3 games all from the cloud. Using their upcoming and next-gen cloud gaming system you’ll be able to enjoy all those classic titles right from Sony. We don’t know all the details yet but the PlayStation Cloud Service will be the center of it all.

Interestingly enough we didn’t get any further details regarding compatibility and how this will all work. Will gamers automatically be able to stream games they own from the cloud? Or will we have to buy them again digitally from the cloud service and PlayStation Network. We’ll be looking for more details as they become available to stay tuned to our PlayStation 4 Portal.

Your PS4 experience is set to be a Shared Experience as outlined in the article we’ve just posted about Remote Play. Players across the world will be able to take over for you when you’re in the middle of a game – but that’s only one part of the puzzle. With Gaikai gaming technology, you’ll be seeing your favorite PlayStation 3 games being able to be played from your smartphone, your tablet, your PS Vita, and your PC.

If you’ve been following Gaikai, you know that they’ve been purchased by Sony (last year) and are now revealing that the work they’ve done is not just made for the PlayStation 4, but for the whole PlayStation universe. You can expect to work with games like Knack with its multi-player action and Hawken – already available in free Beta mode on PC – to be available through Gaikai’s software in the future for all devices. It’s time to stream!

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information surrounding the PlayStation 4 and the abilities and features it contains throughout the day and into the future. Make sure you’re aware of the details piece-by-piece as Sony stretches this event into tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that as well. This is the big one!

With cloud-gaming, and Gaikai, Sony will allow you to experience any game that you want. It allows players to try out games without having to purchase it first. This way you’re able to test out the game and see if you like it before you spend your hard-earned cash on it. Sony’s take on it is that they want players to “only pay for games that they fall in love with.”

Sony’s vision for Gaikai is very game-changing. It said that there are many titles available in the PlayStation 3 category, and even discussed the amount of titles available for the PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable devices. It’s vision is that one day, through Gaikai, all of these games will be available through the cloud, and be compatible with the PlayStation 4. This will “change the nature of longevity.” This not only confirms that the PlayStation 3 titles will be backwards compatible (not natively) with the PlayStation 4, but games from the older PlayStations as well.

The Gaikai Cloud Gaming service is still in-progress, and Sony says that its availability will be distributed in stages. Gaikai is revolutionary, with Sony believing it to be an investment in its players. It says that there are millions of players who would love to have all of their PlayStation games, from the past, present, and in the future to be available to them in at any given time.