PlayStation Meeting 2013 (PS4 unveiling - conference replay in first post) - Page 45

Sony specializes in iterating on other companies' ideas. If that rumor is true (and, hey, why not?), they're maintaining feature parity with MS's Smartglass initiative.

Also, Sony has to figure out some way of slowing the mobile boom, or at least of feeding off of it in some way. But they don't necessarily need to copy the mobile industry paradigm exactly. Steam is another workable model that also fosters creativity, profitability, and sustainability. The current hit-driven console business is unsustainable and is in dire need of a more open marketplace, streamlined approval process for updates/patches, and greater price flexibility.

It's not about "chasing the casual market" anymore. It's about staying relevant and profitable.
Edited by confidenceman - 2/18/13 at 6:39pm

Apple specializes in iterating on other companies' ideas.

Ha. Yeah. It wasn't meant as a dig on Sony. It's simply how they run their console business. They don't generally introduce much new feature-wise. They see someone do something successfully, and they incorporate it. Based on the current rumors, the next console will be able to do pretty much everything that the Wii U and Durango can do, only (perhaps) faster.

Regarding the use of portable devices, I think there is a misreading of what Sony was saying. We all know sometimes the Japanese have a hard time translating stuff into English. I think you will be able to use the motion sensors, touch screen and perhaps even the camera from your mobile device as a controller or gameplay element. most people have mobile devices, at a party it would be easy for many people to join in a game. All it would take is an app, right? Sony's phones and tablets are Android based, so there's no reason why there would not be an app. most people don't have a half dozen controllers for their consoles, this would remove the barrier to group play. That's what I think they were talking about.
Edited by imagic - 2/18/13 at 6:52pm

I would guess that the PS4 has some basic ability to play 4K or upscale 1080p content to 4K, as Sony tends to use these consoles to promote other product lines, i.e. 4K projectors and TVs.
This would be similar to the PS3 pushing for Bluray adoption.

Xbox will launch with a new forza, and that is better than gran turismo. And I doubt you'll see rockstar do anything exclusive, so those games will be a wash.

You sound awfully certain for someone who's completely wrong.

Haven't even made it to the 20th yet and the console wars are already returning. Winter is coming...

I wouldn't exactly say it's "baseless". According to Metacritic, Forza 4 is at 91 vs. GT5 at 84.

Either way I couldn't care less about racing sims. But bring on the next Red Dead Redemption!

Probably won't see that until 2014 or more likely 2015.

Forza would probably be the better all-around game, but a new Gran Turismo would probably be much more ambitious. Both would be cool launch games to check out.

That's funny. Aside from graphics, Gran Turismo has hardly changed at all since its first outing on the PS1. Oh, they added online and a horrible damage system. Revolutionary! Yeah right. GT5 is a top contender for biggest disappointment on PS3.

Why the hate? GT games and Forza games are both great in their own respect. GT is made to be a racing simulator and graphics and engine wise- it's always been and still is at the top. Forza does not come close to the accuracy of their dimensions, handling, and sound found in GT games. Is Forza more fun? Probably. But to showcase graphics, GT is the winner.

I highly doubt GT will be a launch title anyway.. From recollection, past games in the franchise have had many delays and I don't see Sony gambling on them to deliver their product on time. Will see.

And I am not hating on Forza. Honestly, I could probably log more hours on Forza then I could on GT- it just has more to it gameplay-wise imo. But to call GT a disappointment? hardly.

I feel like Forza is designed for those nights when you come home from the bar with your friends and no one really cares much about the details. You just want to make cars go fast, realism be damned. That's fine, and it has its place. But there's simply no substitute (on consoles) for the physics and feel and precision of GT5.

My cop-out answer: both are fun. But they each satisfy a totally different driving itch.

My real answer: Forza's the empty, meaningless fling on the side. But it's GT I always go home to.

And with that, the wars have begun.

This is a little bit of my wants, predictions and advise to Sony.


The cheapest unit has to be $400 although it wont surprise me if Sony wont want to say the price or the hardware specs right now.

2160p video playback abilities.

Backwards capability, although in a separate unit so that Sony can keep the base unit as cheap as possible.

It needs as much compatibility with the PS Vita as possible such as remote play and show it off on big key games.

Try to release every unit at around the same time if possible rather than to have Europe get it months later.

Used game sales, although will give you positive reactions from publishers, can give the PS4 some bad publicity during the launch from the general public.

You have a pretty good idea what third party publishers that Microsoft will use on their unveiling so try to invite some which can take away some thunder from Microsoft's unveiling. Some key examples would be Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto but having something like Bungie's Destiny should also be considered if possible. Yes, Watch Dogs is another example and lest not forget Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes. As for first party games, showing off Killzone,Uncharted, GT6 and Infamous are just some examples. It's also true that Sony or any of these publishers wont want to reveal everything now since theirs still going to be an E3 and most likely TGS in which they'll want to save some news.

Keep the removable hard drive design.

Having eighter a Firefox or Chrome browser in both the PS4 and PS Vita. Why not?

Releasing the PS4 in September would be good if it can happen.

Video output for the PS Vita. It has an accessory port in which their could be an adapter or an HDMI type plug that can go to an HDTV. That would be for the best unless it would need to be hooked up to a PS4 to view your PS Vita games on your TV which is the next best thing.

Since Sony have already announced that they will lower the price of all Vita units in Japan, the same should happen elsewhere. It should not be just units, the memory cards should also be lowered.

Announcing extra PS Vita games will also help and that's very important even if you can't say release dates. It would be crazy not to announce anything new and it has to be big games. PS2 games emulation would also be good if possible.

OK, hope I didn't bore some of you too much.
Edited by Paulo Teixeira - 2/18/13 at 9:50pm

Motorstorm ________ !

It was actually the $400 Motorstorm bundle that I got back then. I'm very much into media capabilities so having a Blu-Ray drive and being able to play HDV and AVCHD camcorder footage was considered huge for me. Playing Motorstorm at the Sony store also helped.
Edited by Paulo Teixeira - 2/18/13 at 9:42pm

Using smartphones as game controllers is an interesting idea, but Smartglass connects to the XBox via the internet connection instead of Bluetooth, and the same is true when using the Vita as a cross controller with the PS3. That means latency, which would restrict the types of gameplay possible.

Can you cite a source, regarding the team assignments?

I felt UC3's biggest weakness was that the storyline was too similar to UC2. But Amy Hennig worked on UC3, and I thought she was their "A-team" writer. On the coding side of things, the game seemed very good; the set pieces like the gunfight in the shipyard full of bobbing platforms, or the hold of the ship flooding and the ship capsizing, were quite impressive. I hadn't seen those in a game before, and I imagine they were pretty tough to pull off.

I agree, though, that they should probably let the series go before they run it into the ground.

There's nothing stopping them from using an ad-hoc wifi connection like the Wii U. Latency will only be an issue if its poorly designed. If even Nintendo can do it, Sony can do it better.

Winter is coming ....

Console wars? I am excited for the PS4 and will get both systems at launch, I was just poking fun at the idea that Sony will have MS scared because of GT6. While most hardcore fans of the series love it, it is pretty widely accepted that Forza has been the better racing SIM this generation. Either way, I just hope they give some good information today. I would love a price, but I am guessing that they will hold off on that until E3.

That is NOT "widely accepted". You can argue that you think it is a better game, fine. But it is not "widely accepted" that it is a better SIM. By "SIM" I assume you mean "simulator". GT has more precision, more vehicles, more accurate handling between vehicles, and yes- when you crash, the vehicle handles different. Forza's physics are nowhere near that of GT, and if you crash you can just rewind? I've been in a couple automotive accidents over the years... there is no "rewind" button in any of my vehicles. GT is the better simulator. Hands down. You can argue any other aspect of the game, fine. But Forza is nowhere near the simulator that GT is. Take it from the folks at Car and Driver-

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/gran-turismo-5-vs-forza-motorsport-3-featurehttp://www.caranddriver.com/features/gran-turismo-5-vs-forza-motorsport-3-feature

I haven't played Forza. I enjoy the Gran Turismo games, but they can seriously use a refresh to the usability aspects of their menu. Accomplishing anything, like switching cars, or making upgrades is like pulling teeth. So many back clicks, and it updates so slow. The racing gameplay and graphics are great though. I assume I would also enjoy Forza, but I'd be happy with the one I got. I'll probably pre-order both consoles to be safe and will decide which one to get closer to launch when the line-up for each one is clearer. Sony has a slight advantage for me if they include BC, and because of their exclusives, so Xbox would have to pull off some radical improvement to negate those two aspects that are in Sony's favor for me.

Yes, I admit that GT has work to do in other aspects of the game. As I said above, I can spend more time on Forza then GT for this reason. But as a Simulator, GT is the winner. The game was designed to be the best simulator and that's what it does best. Better menus? no. More fun to play? depends on the player, probably not. Better sim? YES

I didn't think it was much of a secret. The leads for UC2 switched over to The Last of Us, and UC3 was taken on by the next folks in line. This information is readily available. That sort of reshuffling through promotion happens a lot in the industry, and it isn't always a bad thing (God of War has done well with it). In UC3's case, it worked out well sales-wise and critically, but IMO it led to a much less enjoyable and much less tightly made game. The problem with UC3 wasn't with the writing or motion capture (Amy Hennig's bag); it was with level design, combat mechanics, and overall structure.

I don't doubt they could go on making even more UC games and selling them just fine. But with UC3, the series lost its magic for me.
Edited by confidenceman - 2/19/13 at 8:44am

UC3 was my favorite.

I agree with conman. The magic wasn't there in UC3. I felt UC3 came too soon after UC2.

I can't define what was wrong with it, for me, but there was something that didn't do what UC2 did.

UC1 was good, UC2 was fantastic. UC3 felt like a step back. I just don't know why, because it technically did everything UC2 did.

Because UC3 technically did everything that UC2 did. There was a jump with UC1-2, you'd expect such a jump from 2-3 but it wasn't there, emotionally.

Same thing happened with GOW series. I played, but didn't care for GOW3 as much as the first two.