The next generation of Video games, one nil to Sony

Japanese technology giants Sony have unveiled the 4th instalment of the hugely admired Playstation series.

The video games device, that was officially revealed at this year’s E3 Fair in Los Angeles, California, have been ardently anticipated.

Although many of the console’s features and upgrades were announced in February, Sony had kept prospective consumers guessing on some important information, including the general design of the Playstation 4.

Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that the PS4 represents, in many ways, a very new Playstation.

Maybe the reports that has many people discussing is the declaration the Playstation 4 will seriously undercut its close rival, Microsoft’s Xbox One, on price. Mr. House announced that the PS4 could be offered at US $399 (£349) upon release, whilst, at the same fair, Microsoft had earlier revealed how the Xbox One would be US $499 (£429).

Another important declaration came when it was revealed that Sony wouldn’t be introducing any restrictions on second hand games. In fact, the PS4 is not going to even require gamers to frequently authenticate their consoles via the Internet to be able to continue play.

Conversely, Microsoft has added more limitations regarding who a player can purchase second-hand titles from. The corporation has even gone so far as to need Xbox One players to connect to the web once every day in order to use their console.

In response to Sony, there is around a hundred and forty PS4 video games presently in development, with 100 or so expected to go for sale within the Playstation 4′s 1st year of issue. Industry insiders have speculated that Sony are attempting to reach out to independent designers, mainly those who feel muted by Microsoft.

Drawing an enormous cheer from the audience, Jack Tretton, boss of SEA said, “PS4 won’t impose any new restrictions on your use of Playstation 4 game discs,”



BBC correspondent Dave Lee reported that, “If console battles were decided through the frequency and volume of whoops and cheers from highly strung games fanatics, then Sony has won it hands down”.

The present Sony machine, the Playstation 3, outsold Microsoft’s Xbox 360 by a decent margin, but was in turn outsold by Nintendo’s Wii. It’s thought that Sony are attempting to rectify this with the release of the Playstation 4.

Sony’s announcement is seen by some as a calculated hit against Microsoft, with IGN.com’s UK Editor-in-Chief Alex Simmons recounting it as a incredibly public slap across Microsoft’s face.

Sony declined to provide a release date for the new machine, but tenaciously hinted the Playstation 4 should turn up around Christmas time.