After more than seven years, Sony Entertainment launched its new console, the Playstation 4, on Nov. 15, 2013. Selling more than one million console units within the first 24 hours, $700,000 of the income came from European, Japanese and Australian regions alone, revealing the popularity of the console outside of the United States.
Sony Entertainment has released four consoles in the past 19 years (not including the Playstation Portable or the Playstation Vita.) This is more than its leading competitor, Microsoft Corporation, which makes the Xbox gaming console. Microsoft released its first console in 2001, and its third generation console in 2013.
The 2013 release date for the next generation Playstation console nearly lines up perfectly with the release date of the Playstation 3, which launched in 2006—only five years before the launch of its previous console, Playstation 2. This seemingly random release schedule for the next generation console keeps up with coherent releases of the Xbox consoles. The Playstation 4 hit public shelves just six days before the launch of the Xbox One, and the Playstation 3 came out only a year after the worldwide market launch of the Xbox 360.
“Overall, the Playstation has impressive next-gen technology and incredible graphics,” junior Talon Trueblood said. “The software looks like it could use a little work, but the console as a whole is worth buying.”
According to Trueblood, the Playstation 4 is a gem in the eye of a modern gamer. He said Sony must be doing something right if they could sell more than one million units in the first 24 hours.
Standard launch units include the Playstation 4 console and one Dualshock controller. The console comes complete with 500GB of data, a Blu-Ray player, and USB inputs. High definition video is available through the HDMI, and Optical Digital Outputs. Technicians at Sony Entertainment have announced that there will be no component or composite cables for the Playstation 4. “Modern TVs will come with HDMI inputs,” CEO Michael Lynton said in a press interview at the Playstation 4 release event. “At some point, all consoles will have to advance to technology that we will see more and more of in the future.”
Sony’s Dualshock 4 controller comes with a touchpad built into the front of the controller, motion detection (via Sony’s patented three-axis gyroscope technology) and vibration feedback. Audio hardware for the controller includes a 3.5 mm audio port for both headsets and standard headphones, and a single mono speaker that relays game audio from the controller. Internal batteries allow for direct USB charging from the console. An LED light bar located at the top of the controller allows for player identification based on color.
Software capabilities for online Playstation Network (PSN) access and Playstation Move motion gaming are included. Playstation Move camera does not come included with standard launch units. Additionally, the Playstation 4 comes with 8GB of available RAM which allows for high levels of graphic processing and multitasking facilities that allow for applications to run and switched or managed in the background. Software for the console runs on Sony’s Orbis OS, which is a modified version of the predeceasing FreeBSD 9.0 operating software.
Some launch titles for the Playstation 4 are Assassins Creed 4, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty Ghosts, Blacklight Retribution, and Fifa 14. Launch titles that are said to be released in2014 are Divekick, Minecraft, Planetside 2, and Watchdogs. For more launch titles, visit IGN. Prices for standard Playstation 4 console units start at $399.99 in the U.S.
