The Next Generation is Coming – Sony announces the PlayStation 4

‘COMING HOLIDAY 2013‘ – Mark this slightly ambiguous date in your diary, folks. Because the PlayStation 4 is officially coming.

Following months of rumoured ‘leaks’ from various corners of the globe, with everything from the RRP of the console to the controller being discussed whilst the word ‘terraflops’ became far too familiar with my vocabulary, we now have concrete information regarding Sony’s offering to the next generation of games consoles. Not only have they delivered, they have most certainly impressed. The future looks bright for both Sony and gaming if this is what the next generation is shaping up to look like.

The big news surrounding the announcement of the PlayStation 4 includes:

The software features a supercharged PC architecture with an X86 processor and 8GB of GDDR5 unified system memory. Additionally a secondary custom chip will manage the upload and download of shared content, whilst also introducing the innovation of digital content that you can play as you download.

A partnership between the Vita and the PS4 – You will be able to use a Vita with a PS4 for ‘remote play’, a feature which very much resembles the relationship between the Wii U and the Wii U gamepad.

Titles confirmed so far include Knack, DriveClub, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Destiny, The Witness, inFamous: Second Son, Deep Down, Watch Dogs & Diablo 3. On top of all this, there was even time for a new Final Fantasy title to be announced with a debut coming up at E3 as well as increased utilisation of the PlayStation Move controller with upcoming creative content from Media Molecule.

A strong focus on gaming and social media which can lead to anything from the sharing of real time video game footage at the simple click of a button, to asking a friend to remotely access your PS4 because you’re stuck on a difficult level and need help. Partnerships with Facebook and UStream have so far been confirmed.

The Dualshock 4 controller (as pictured below) featuring headphone jack, share button and touchpad.

It does look promising for the PS4. Although no prices have been quoted as of yet, the announcement is sure to have sparked an interest in even the most hardcore Xbox 360 gamers. Hopefully this will be enough to quench your thirst for PlayStation 4 knowledge for now, but rest assured there will be more details pouring out in the near future.

Toodle pip!