Tags
controller, DUALSHOCK 4, gamer, Games, Geek, geek notes, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PS3, ps4, Sony, Sony PlayStation, summary, video games
Let me begin by saying welcome to the first edition of ‘Geek Notes’! I have been thinking about doing something like this for some time and I have put it off for the same reason that I am writing this several hours later than I intended. I do not have time. More accurately I do not have enough time to do this the way that I envisioned it. Rather than whine and complain and avoid “sub-par” work I figured I should give it the old college try. The worst thing that could happen is that I tear a hole in the fabric of time and space.
The PlayStation 4:
I was there on the night of the announcement; by there I mean I was at home trying to stream it live. I was able to get some of it and I even did some Tweet action. I ended up listening to it a second time since I still missed the majority of it. Know that I have had some time to digest all that I have looked at and heard I would like to translate it into what it all is and how it applies to the “dad on a budget”.
The Meat:
- Major social media additions
- Improved launch bundles
- DUALSHOCK 4 controller
- PlayStation 4 Eye camera
- Headset
- Ungodly powerful CPU and GPU
- Built for developers
- Super personalization
- Multi-device compatible
I am not a super gamer anymore so I cannot join the flame fest of people who think this may not meet the high demand and lack of holodeck. I can speak as a person who has small children and a small paycheck. This thing looks great! I think that I am super excited partly because they have answered the demands of the developers and are adding in great bonus features for the consumer. I know that they are supposed to target the consumer but the truth is that they are making a medium to be used by game makers and the more quality developers they have in their pool the more they systems they will sell. Building this around the needs of developers will allow us to get great games we really want to play and that will drive us to want this system.
As an ex-super gamer this means something very different. I will get my grubby hands on this someday but what I really care about is my chance to catch up on eight years of PS3 gaming. It may surprise some of you to know that I never bought one. I have an Xbox 360, but that was a cheap deal I got. The truth is that PlayStation has not unveiled the actual machine, a set release date or a price tag. They projected Holiday 2013 but no actual date. This tells me that it will be ready for the end of the year when people typically worry less about cost and that the price will be high. That means I will not have the cash to get one plus games. On the other hand they will have a ton of PS3 machines to unload and their price will drop like a ton of bricks.
I would like to see what else will be revealed over time. PlayStation is bound to leak little tidbits until the big show at E3. There are things I would like to see PlayStation do that has been missed every other time on platform launches;
- Two controllers in launch bundle (I know that they will add a headset and PlayStation 4 Eye camera)
- Utilize those social buffs to do a launch day event with the system features
- Offer a free download of a PS3 game with purchase
- Stay free for a premium network
- Rename it at E3 to something more creative
I think adding some of these items and keeping the price realistic will help convince people who are budget minded and on the fence about purchasing a PS4 system to jump in and get one.
Well, that is it for now, I hope you enjoyed my frugal dad take on this awesome system. To sum it up I would say it’s neat, I want one, cannot afford it, will get a PS3 system and games on the super cheap. Next week I will take on the Kenect and why my wife wants to be a tiger.
Thank you for reading,
Animockery
Animockery Studios 
They made sure to have lots of games ready at launch which will surely smooth the PS4’s way into gamer’s households, unlike what they did with the PS3. I believe they were going to price it around $400, which is pretty good for a powerful next gen console.
One controller is enough since there don’t seem to be co-op games at launch. I don’t think it will be renamed since Playstation is a brand, and changing it could create confusion. I agree though, that there should be a free download per purchase, and that online services should be free.
I would be pretty impressed if they did $400 at launch. With the fact that they approached the hardware differently than the PS3 it sounds about right. You made a good point about the second controller. I am willing to go for a launch purchase if it is a reasonable cost like $400 and still only get one controller. It has been that way since I was playing NES so it won’t kill me.
As far so-op goes I am willing to bet that PS4 will launch with a fair amount of co-op games. Keep in mind they only introduced key developers. If the PS4 is as easy to build for as everyone says then we will see a strong indy turnout. If big developers won’t make many co-op launch titles we may see the small developers take up the task either for launch or shortly after.
I think I may have caused confusion when I said “change the name”. I would not change the name PlayStation, Rather I would drop the ‘4’ in exchange for something else.