PS4: what you need to know

Last Updated: June 11, 2013

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Sony came, they saw, and they totally dominated the Xbox One at E3.

It’s very safe to say that, at this stage of the next-generation console war, the PS4 has the upper hand over the X1. No DRM, no connectivity requirements, and no forced bundling of a camera. Plus the games rocked!

In fact, the only thing people are complaining about is that Playstation Plus will be required for online multiplayer gaming. I don’t think it’s a big deal – you can’t (usually) get everything, right? Oh, and did I mention that the Playstation is $100 cheaper than the Xbox One!?

We could go on, but below is a neat summary of everything you need to know about the PS4 at this stage. Be sure to have a read and then let us know what you think of the Playstation 4. We are very excited!

Price: US: $399 | UK: £349 | Europe: €399 | Australia: $549 | Games: US$59.99

Release date: “Holidays” 2013 (November or December 2013).

Preorder: Amazon | Walmart | Target

Design: check out this post.

Package contents: the PS4 launch package will include the console with a 500GB hard drive, an HDMI cable (the PS4 is HDMI only) and a headset. The PS4 camera is sold separately and will cost $59, as will an additional Dual Shock 4 controller.

Games: all the following games are coming to the PS4 *Launch titles have an asterisk.

Indie: indie developers have the ability to self-publish their titles to the PS Store.

Trading games/DRM: there are absolutely no restrictions on trading or selling disc games. The system will work as it currently does with the PS3 (ie normally!). Official instructional video – lol.

Internet connectivity: you can play single player games offline as much as you like, with no requirement to check-in online.

Region-locking: the PS4 is region free. See this tweet from Shuhei Yoshida (President Worldwide Studios – Sony Computer Entertainment):

 

 

Playstation Plus: your Playstation Plus subscription will carry over from the PS3. All members will get a free PS4 game every month and anyone with a PS Plus membership on launch day will get DriveClub free.

Cloud/Backwards compatibility: you will be able to stream PS3 games from the cloud in 2014 (using Gaikai). This will initially be limited to gamers in the US and will be expanded following that.

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