The Verge - Sony PlayStation 4: everything you need to know

Hands-on with Sony's PlayStation 4 and DualShock controller

2013-06-11T03:14:50Z

Several months after it was first revealed, we now know what Sony's PlayStation 4 looks like, and surprise: it's a black box. While we still haven't gotten to see the PlayStation 4 in action, we've gotten a quick look at both it and the DualShock 4, Sony's new controller. Where the new PlayStation is hard and blocky, the controller has gotten softer, with rounded sides and a matte black finish.

Practically, the basic controls aren't terribly different to the DualShock 3; you'll get similar springy triggers and a relatively similar feel, though the rounded (and somewhat more Xbox-like) shape will change the experience a little. The buttons are also slightly shallower across the board, and the dimpled analog sticks are much easier to...

Kaz Hirai says the PS4 is 'first and foremost' a game console, more features to be revealed

2013-05-30T20:35:01Z

Sony and Microsoft launched their next-gen consoles in very different ways: the Xbox One was pitched as a complete living room device, while the PS4 event was a nonstop series of game demos. That's important, Kaz Hirai told reporters at the D11 conference today. "The most important thing we need to do is agree and understand that the PS4 is a great video game console that appeals to video gamers," he said. "If we miss that part, I don't think we get the initial establishment of the console. That formula has worked for us with all our consoles, including the PS3."

PS4 games must support PS Vita Remote Play streaming, says exec

2013-05-30T01:52:05Z

Every standard PlayStation 4 game will be playable on Sony's PS Vita handheld using the Remote Play streaming functionality, a Sony executive has said. While the feature was announced during the company's PlayStation 4 event in February, Sony would only say at the time that the "long-term goal" was to get "almost every PS4 title" to work.

Eurogamer reported earlier, however, that Remote Play would be a mandatory feature for all PS4 games except those that require the PlayStation 4 Eye stereo camera, citing a developer source. The news was later confirmed on Twitter by Sony's president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida.

Although such a feature is unlikely to spark many sales alone, it will be welcome news to current owners of the...

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4: the next console war pits living room against cloud

2013-05-21T21:17:57Z

We think of video game consoles as being principally about, well, the games. But when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 went head-to-head in 2006, it wasn't games that truly determined the victor. What eventually drove the Xbox 360 to first place was the underlying vision — a place where your friends could connect, chat, and compete — as well as additions that no one saw coming, including Microsoft's Kinect and Netflix.

Based on what we now know about the next Xbox and PlayStation, we can expect a fairly similar scenario this time around. As far as games are concerned, the hardware sounds quite similar out of the box. Both consoles promise to track your motions, power on instantly, and seamlessly update themselves in the background,...

Sony teases PlayStation 4 hardware ahead of Xbox event, says you'll 'see it first at E3'

2013-05-20T15:10:39Z

Sony has teased the hardware design for its upcoming PlayStation 4 for the first time, after a February reveal that kept the device completely under wraps and left fans guessing about how Sony's next-generation console would look. In a new video, shown below, the company teases the PS4's hardware with a blurry black rectangle and flashes of design details.

The timing of the tease is no surprise, with Microsoft set to reveal its own next-generation Xbox tomorrow at its campus in Redmond, Washington.

Based on the video's title, we should expect to see the PlayStation 4 unveiled on June 10th at the company's E3 presentation. The PS4 is expected to be available during the holiday season of 2013, but the company still hasn't revealed any...

Unlike the PS3, Sony isn't expecting to lose money on the PlayStation 4

2013-05-09T18:15:09Z

Back when it launched, Sony's PlayStation 3 was something of a technological marvel for a home console — and it had the price to match. Despite a starting price of $499, Sony still lost money on the console, but it doesn't plan to have the same issue this time around with the PlayStation 4. As reported by Eurogamer, Sony addressed the issue on its earnings call this morning after announcing that it made its first net profit in five years. "Unlike PS3, we are not planning a major loss to be incurred with the launch of PS4," said Sony CFO Masaru Kato on the company's earnings call.

As we already know, the custom hardware in the PS3 was to blame: "At the time we developed PS3, we made a lot of in-house investments to develop the chip,...

'Call of Duty: Ghosts' set for November release, will be available on next-generation consoles

2013-05-01T18:17:32Z

Activision is continuing its tradition of releasing a new title in its marquee first-person shooter franchise every year: the company has just officially announced Call of Duty: Ghosts will be available on November 5th. The game is being trumpeted as a new Call of Duty for the next generation of game consoles — the new Xbox and the PlayStation 4 — and it will be fully unveiled at Microsoft's May 21st next Xbox event. (The game will also be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.) Considering the focus on the next generation of consoles, it isn't a stretch to connect the title's November 5th release date to the new Xbox's launch day. There's no confirmation of that, and during the last console transition games that launched on...

PlayStation 4 lead architect reveals secrets behind Sony's next console

2013-04-25T06:47:25Z

When Sony unveiled the PlayStation 4 two months ago, many were impressed to see Mark Cerny fronting the presentation as lead system architect; the industry veteran first made his name by designing the classic Marble Madness at the age of 18, and has since been described as "the closest we have come to a modern-day da Vinci." Cerny hasn't spoken much about the PS4 since, but now a lengthy, in-depth interview with Gamasutra does a lot to explain the thinking behind the system's design.