PlayStation 4 Essentials: All You Need to Know

As we countdown to the release of Sony's new machine, we round up everything known so far.

Following on from last week's analysis of Xbox One (both hardware and games), we take a look at the other next-gen console that's set to launch next month, Sony's PlayStation 4. Like last week, we'll tuck into the hardware side of things first, and a couple of says later we'll take a look at the games that are coming to the system at launch, and in the year ahead.

The PlayStation 4 was announced to great fanfare in New York back in February (read Our Notes from New York). Information was slowly released in the months that followed, until Microsoft showed their hand, at which point the floodgates well and truly opened. It's difficult to argue against the fact that Sony comfortably won these early exchanges, thanks largely to Microsoft's attempts to try and deviate away from the traditions of old with new DRM and ownership models. Sony promised a continuation of what had come before, and after MS's confusing and vague approach to their new policies, it quickly became clear that on their trajectories at the time, there'd only be one winner in the console war.

It also goes without saying that the PS4's considerably lower price point also helped boost their publicity efforts, even if the Xbox One comes complete with a Kinect, and Sony's standard edition does not come with the camera. A Day One edition Xbox also comes with either FIFA 14 or Forza 5 - further narrowing the value gap - but as Sony execs have been happy to point out, even with a game it's still cheaper to buy a PlayStation this time around.

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Having said all that, the gap between the consoles seems to be narrowing now, thanks in part to the strength of the Xbox One's launch line-up (which you can read about here). But that's not to say that Sony has been resting on their laurels in that department.

Hardware Specs

Like the Xbox One, the internal architecture of the PlayStation 4 is akin to decent upper-midrange PC. The CPU features a x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" Single-chip custom processor with 8 cores clocked at 1.6 Ghz. One key difference between the two consoles is that Sony has opted for 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, which is much more potent than the DDR3 shipping in Microsoft's console. The GPU is also rated as the slightly faster of the two, and like Microsoft, Sony has opted for AMD tech. In the short-term you're not likely to notice much difference between the two consoles, but further down the line the PS4's more robust hardware may stand it good stead.

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PlayStation 4 will also ship with a 500 GB Hard disk (which will be upgradable) and a Blu-ray disc drive. There'll be WiFi and Ethernet connectivity, Bluetooth will once again make a return, and expect to see two USB 3.0 ports. There's to be no analogue audio/video input, so gamers better be equipped with HDMI ports on their televisions.

Launch Details

The PlayStation 4 has two different launch dates, so depending where you are in the world, you might be luckier than some. North American gamers will get their mitts on the console on November 15, a week before Xbox One's worldwide launch, whereas European gamers will have to wait until a week after Microsoft releases their offering, with the PS4 hitting stores this side of the Atlantic on November 29. Interestingly, Sony's home country of Japan won't be getting PlayStation 4 until February 22 next year.

The base price of the console is £349, a good £80 cheaper than Xbox One, but if you want a game with that then prices start to look more comparable (to the Day One Edition at least) . There's also no PlayStation Camera bundled with the console, which we thought there might be. Perhaps Sony pulled it at the last minute in order to undercut the Xbox One when the prices were announced at this year's E3, but that's just pure speculation on our part. Currently there is a Killzone: Shadow Fall bundle (sold-out in most places), and for obvious reasons the planned Watch Dogs bundle couldn't happen at launch.

Interface and Online Service

There's a definite air of social interaction over the new PS4 user interface. It's a breath of fresh air and looks very sleek, while it certainly appears swift and responsive.

Sony started the current generation at a disadvantage in the online space when compared to Microsoft. Xbox Live was a far more evolved service and it has taken Sony years to catch up and offer a similar, if not exactly equal, service. Of interest is that there is now party chat which allows up 8 players to chat across various games and applications on PS4 and PS Vita.

Sony's aggressive stance on conquering the online space is perhaps most evident in their decision to pick up David Perry led online streaming company Gaikai. Gaikai features are at the core of the PS4 experience, even if most of its benefits won't be available at launch. The Gaikai technology is running the sharing and streaming features of the consoles and also powers remote play (i.e. streaming PS4 games on PS Vita locally). In the future Gaikai will allow for streaming of PS3 titles (as well as any older PS titles) on PS4 (backwards compatibility of sorts), and demos you will be able to play instantly on PS4.

Sony have been pushing the share features extensively, and it will be very interesting to see how well this works and what kind of impact it could have on the market if places like TwitchTV and Youtube are flooded with PS4 content.

One important thing of note is that online multiplayer won't be included freely on PS4 as it was on PS3. Sure some free-to-play titles will offer multiplayer at no extra charge, but if you want to partake in Killzone: Shadow Fall multiplayer or Driveclub (when it launches) you're going to have to pay for the premium subscription PS Plus. PS Plus runs across PS3, PS Vita and PS4 and for as long as you remain a member you'll be able to enjoy the extensive catalogue of Instant Game Collection titles on offer. For instance, you'll get Resogun and Contrast at no extra charge at launch. A PS Plus subscription costs £39.99 annually.

Controller

The DualShock 4 is a marked improvement over the DualShock 3. That's certainly our opinion, and that of the wider community. There's a new trackpad on the front face of the controller, and our experiences with it so far have been entirely positive. It doesn't take long to acclimatise to it, and its inclusion also offers Sony the chance to push games that might normally feel more at home on tablet devices.

Atop the pad there's a light-bar that, in conjunction with the PlayStation Camera (previously known as PlayStation 4 Eye), will detect who's holding which pad and adjust the split-screen accordingly, and it also allows the Camera to track the position of the controller. There's a speaker on the controller, bringing another layer of sound to your gaming experience. Lastly there's the Share button, which allows players to capture screens and gameplay and share it with their friends online.

For more on the DualShock4 read Hands-On Impressions.

Peripherals

There's the aforementioned PlayStation Camera, but of course that's not going to be included with the console, so it's difficult to predict how much developers will support it when it's not as ingrained in the experience as comparable tech on competing consoles. Time will tell on this one.

Perhaps the most interesting peripheral is actually going to be another console. Much has been made of the symbiotic link between the PS Vita and the PS4 (in Latin Orbis means circle/rotation, Vita means life), and Cross Over titles, streaming, and many other features are being suggested. How many of them will be available out of the box is another matter entirely, but we're hopeful that the link between the handheld and the console will be akin to that of the Wii U and the GamePad.

PlayStation Move is also going to be compatible with PS4, and in fact some of the Move tech is embedded in DualShock 4 (when used with the PlayStation Camera). So far there isn't a ton of support for PlayStation Move on PS4, but Media Molecule were experimenting with something (as seen at the PlayStation 4 Reveal in New York).

Competition

The main competition faced by the PS4 is obvious, much like this generation, Sony will be slugging it out with Microsoft. But it'd also be prudent not to forget the Wii U, which despite a slow start to life, is starting to amass a formidable line-up of games, and a price point that has both of the new next-gen consoles well and truly beat. Wii U might not have the same horsepower under the hood, but there's plenty of exclusive titles for Nintendo to call on, and they've always been more focussed on playability over hardware.

Of course there's always Steam Machines and the wider PC scene in general. With Sony opting to port over several free-to-play titles that have so far only appeared on PC, they're going into direct competition with Valve's Steam Box, and when it comes to that sort of hardware, the living room computers will likely already outpace the PS4 by the time they release early next year.

So once again much of the power struggle will come down to line-ups, exclusives, and the ability of the marketing men behind the scenes to sell us their vision. In this last respects, Sony has done a great job up until now, and can consider themselves marginally ahead at this stage of the console war.

Interview with SCEE's Jim Ryan (E3 2013)

Outlook

Sony certainly appears to be in the driving seat as this generation kicks off. Partly because of Microsoft stumbling out of the blocks, partly thanks to some great foresight and clever positioning. Microsoft have enjoyed an advantaged in the UK this generation, but perhaps that is about to change. Ahead of November's launches the two competitors appear neck and neck. Perhaps some of Sony's promises haven't been fully scrutinised yet, but it's easy to see why they've been getting such a positive response.

Looking Back & Further Reading

We take a look at all the games coming to the platform in PlayStation 4 Essentials: The Games.

New screens for Infamous: Second Son.

Sony to "monitor and record" PSN activity.

GAME's next-gen bundles outed.

Ghosts sells more on unreleased PS4 than on Wii U and PC.

PS4 unboxing video.

PlayStation 4: This is for the players.

Four new trailers showcasing PS4.

Assassin's Creed IV Bundle for PS4.

Battlefield 4 gameplay on PS4.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes details.