PS4: 14 things we learned at Develop 2013

PS4: 14 things we learned at Develop 2013

By Maya Mayfield

What we found out, from the capabilities of the PlayStation 4's graphics processor to the functionality



Sony included  development from the beginning of Research & Development.
When Sony began development of Playstation 4 in 2008 the team began writing the software system development tools at the same time as designing the hardware.

PS4 was designed like the Atari and should be easy to play… 
"It should be fairly easy to create games in the early years of the console's cycle" said Cerny.

… but difficult to master
To ensure longevity for coders, the advanced GPU can be used for far more than just designing great graphics.

Making things simple for children
The way children learn about games have changed. In the past it was through hand-gelds like the DS, or the PSP, now it's  via smartphones. That influenced our decision when creating the Dualshock 4.


Making things simple for independant developers.
The PS3 was designed to help larger publishers, with the release of PS4 we understand that we have the opportunity to fundamentally change the landscape of gaming.

Designed to be a balanced system
Neil Brown in his talk of the PS4 promised a system with no bottlenecks.

This is the age of 'asynchronous compute'
"One of the big features of this generation is Compute, it allows you to use the GPU as a general purpose processor,"

DualShock has been redesigned for better feel and responsiveness
It's not only children with small hands who are benefiting from the new controller redesign. According to Brown, the new device has tighter analogue controllers. The triggers are now curved and offer smoother linear output – perfect for car racing games.

PS4 features a new 'connected UX'
The PS4 user experience, will connect every one together. We aim to transform how users engage with and experience content across our platforms."

Moving toward a real social network
Gamers will have real photos, real names, shown above their characters, which they can have the option of controlling who sees it.

The Share button and how it works
One of the most obvious feature to the DualShock 4 controller, is the Share button. A long press will take a screenshot of the current action, without interrupting gameplay, while a short press brings up the Share menu.

Smoother Remote Play 
The PS4 will implement Remote Play, which will  be much smoother than PS3's.

Seamless companion applications
Meanwhile, the PlayStation App for iOS and Android devices will allow you to browse your friends and the PlayStation  Store as well as controlling your PS4.

Instant access to downloads
You can play games, while your console downloads the rest.