As Sony finally announced the upcoming Playstation 4, they teased gamers by revealing many different aspects that the ‘next-generation’ console will possess. However, they still left many fans wanting to know more.
Here I explore three major questions that Sony left unanswered:
What will the console look like?
Sony certainly teased gamers across the world with their launch of the Playstation 4 at a press conference in New York on Wednesday. It may look as if they went with the ‘give the fans something, but leave them wanting more’ technique by addressing some of the accessories and gadgets that the Playstation 4 will possess – such as the games, but leaving the question of ‘what will the console look like’, unanswered. Fans were left frustrated by the lack of a physical product reveal – and they were quick to vent their frustrations out on Twitter, with one gamer tweeting: “Stayed up for two hours for the Sony press conference and they don’t even show us the console design?!?! #wasteoftime”
The reason, it may appear, is that Sony does not even know what the Playstation will look like themselves, with Sony’s worldwide studio president Shuhei Yoshida stating: “The console hardware isn’t finished, but we thought this was a really good time to show our games.”
Jack Tretton – the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America – was quick to address the complaints of the fans as he assured gamers that the design is not the most important aspect of the console, and they will care more about “what comes out of the box, not what it looks like. I can promise you that it will be plastic, it won’t be triangle-shaped or round. You’ll see the box in due time.”, he stated.
So, should Sony have waited until the Playstation design was fully completed before setting out a press conference watched by millions around the world; or was this an intelligent ploy to leave games on the edge of their seats – imaging what was described as “the next generation console” might look like?
Although Sony failed to show what the PS4 console will look like, they did introduce what the controller will look like – prompting positive feedback across the globe.
Release Date
Sony have stated that the Playstation 4 will be released sometime in 2013 – for game consoles especially, it is unheard of to confirm a brand new console will be released in the same year that it was announced.
We have seen over the years with the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo Wii announcing the release of game consoles – they’ve showed segments of what the game will possess in one year; the following year they would show an upgrades version of the console; and then later that year they would show the world the final, completed version with a confirmed release date.
However, Sony have built up the excitement for the Playstation 4 before their rivals could do the same. Now, when Xbox do announce their newest version, it will be compared with the Playstation – and not the other way round.
Price
There have been many rumours regarding the price of the Playstation this past week, with many suggesting that it will be near the £120 mark; whilst others suggest it will be nearly £700. Though we still don’t know the exact price at which the PlayStation 4 will launch, SCEA CEO Jack Tretton assured fans that the price of software will not be rising [above the £450 mark which the Playstation 3 originally cost].
The pricing issue has sparked huge debates worldwide, with Playstation fanatic William Usher predicting that “if the console arrives at more than $400 this holiday season then I can see only core gamers picking up the Playstation 4. If the console launches for anything less than $400, then it opens up for a wide range of demographics.”
With Jack Tretton confirming that Playstation 4 game prices will not be increasing, and stating that games will vary from “99 cents up to those $60 games”, could this pave a way for Sony to go for a higher starting price for the Playstation 4?
Sunveer Sandhu
Image courtesy of:
Tech Radar – http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/ps4-controller-revealed-introducing-the-dualshock-4-1132650
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