PS4 (or "hey, it's a PS3... but with better graphics!)

[MBB]

I think this is the first console launch that has been severely underwhelming. Game videos look like stuff I'm already playing on my computer. I'm not seeing hardly any imagination in terms of how to make gaming better. No super impressive awesome cool tech demos that show off things that were previously impossible. Nothing fresh or exciting.

Just kinda, "eh."

[MBB]

Also, while it's not the best design in the whole world, I do like how they integrate the "4" motif into the console itself. On MS' front, having a console called "One" that is split in half drives me crazy. It might be trying to say, "no no, like multiple things all in one!", but on a visual and physiological level, it reads "two".

[Inane_Dork]

I very much like that there's 1 SKU, that the HDD is user-replaceable and that it'll launch at a reasonable price. Little things, maybe, but solid. I've also heard the controller is better than ever.

In terms of content, I'm not seeing a lot of love for the PS4 yet. There's no one clear system seller, at least. And besides 1st party games and indies, I'm not seeing a lot of exclusive titles. That's somewhat understandable at this time, but it does make the PS4 feel a little less special. What's there seems fine, so it's not dire.

[Entroper]

I think this is the first console launch that has been severely underwhelming. Game videos look like stuff I'm already playing on my computer. I'm not seeing hardly any imagination in terms of how to make gaming better. No super impressive awesome cool tech demos that show off things that were previously impossible. Nothing fresh or exciting.

Just kinda, "eh."

I wonder if their presentation was "LOOK WE HAVE WELL-ESTABLISHED GAMES WITH UPDATED GRAPHICS!" as a reaction to MS, who tried to do something new. I mean, I know PS4 has some new things, like streaming gameplay video, but I don't know much about how that works or much else, really.

I very much like that there's 1 SKU, that the HDD is user-replaceable and that it'll launch at a reasonable price. Little things, maybe, but solid. I've also heard the controller is better than ever.

The controller is huge for me. I'm the DualShock's worst critic, because I think it is wrong in every possible way, and I've been so fed up with the fact that they haven't made any improvements in any of those ways since the first analog-stick PS1 controller. They finally did, so I'm excited to use it.

[MBB]

The industry seems to be moving away from system sellers at launch. Gone are the days of the original Halo launching with the first Xbox, or Mario 64 launching with the N64. I wonder why that is?

[Inane_Dork]

Is the industry moving away from it, or has no one had a good one for a long time? I don't know if it's intentionally absent, absent despite effort or simply accidental.

It seems like such a clear marketing message for the consumer to latch on to, but maybe the platform holders have been persuaded against it because the rest of the launch titles suffer.

[MBB]

Is the industry moving away from it, or has no one had a good one for a long time? I don't know if it's intentionally absent, absent despite effort or simply accidental.

It seems like such a clear marketing message for the consumer to latch on to, but maybe the platform holders have been persuaded against it because the rest of the launch titles suffer.

It's a good question. You'd think most companies would be smart enough to say, "Hey, we're going to launch a new console in 2 years. We should make a really amazing and awesome first party launch title for it!" As it is you almost feel like they're looking around like, "Oh crap, we've got this thing coming out in like six months. What do we have in development? Oh, not ready until 2014? Well, okay."

[Entroper]

Are development cycles too long to get games ready for launch? By the time you get dev kits, you've got what, a year to ship?

[MBB]

Are development cycles too long to get games ready for launch? By the time you get dev kits, you've got what, a year to ship?

Yeah, but these are x86 based platforms. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

[Entroper]

Yeah, but these are x86 based platforms. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

I meant more that the production value of games has increased so much that it takes a lot of effort just to produce the content. Programming complexity has increased too, but not as much IMO.

[MBB]

Yeah, but these are x86 based platforms. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

I meant more that the production value of games has increased so much that it takes a lot of effort just to produce the content. Programming complexity has increased too, but not as much IMO.

Well sure, but if you know you're releasing a new console three years down the line, it's not unreasonable to start development on a new game using high end assets.

[Inane_Dork]

Here is a video that shows off what the PS4 UI will look like, how multitasking works, etc. Seems pretty nifty.

Ironically, all the niftiness shown requires an active Internet connection and strict DRM, but the video didn't really go into that.

[Entroper]

Here is a video that shows off what the PS4 UI will look like, how multitasking works, etc. Seems pretty nifty.

SO SOCIAL. That was for you, MBB.

True multitasking will be refreshing after the multi-task-remembering that we have now.

[MBB]

Here is a video that shows off what the PS4 UI will look like, how multitasking works, etc. Seems pretty nifty.

Ironically, all the niftiness shown requires an active Internet connection and strict DRM, but the video didn't really go into that.

Choice, I_D. It's all about giving people a choice.

[Remy]

Well, I know of 2 people that couldn't get them to work, and I have heard of 3 more. That is a lot. 1 of the guys got his, and it is just broken. None of the online fixes are working.

[MBB]

Pretty crappy. Pretty really crappy.

And what's with all of the media capabilities being gimped vs the PS3? Come on Sony.

[DngrsDrrn]

One friend and one coworker got PS4s. Neither have reported problems. Both reported weirdness with the way their pre-orders were handled though.

[Inane_Dork]

The reviews I've read about the PS4 are quite positive. Sony's got to be happy about that. A lot of them sound like a refinement on the 360, which is what most early adopters want.

Moreso than ever, launch games and capabilities are almost unrelated to what MS and Sony want to eventually do with their platforms. While hardcore gamers are excited about a refined 360 now, they will not be so forever. And casual gamers will not be satisfied with a refined 360 at all. So the growth and progression of both consoles will be fascinating.

[MBB]

I want to see old school Sega Genesis era commercials again. "WE'RE BETTER, FASTER, AND $100 LESS"