E3 - 2013

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 2:31 am

More info. Summary: 500GB HDD, No Eye.

While the US press release for the PlayStation 4 mentioned details about games, used games and pricing, it did not confirm all of the specs for the console. In Japan however, a more detailed press release clears up a few things. Sony's console is packing a 500GB hard drive (same as the Xbox One), and it will not include the camera module, which is a $59 (£44 and €49) add-on for the $399 box. By comparison, the Xbox One includes -- and requires for its use -- the Kinect 2.0 camera. A Best Buy listing confirms the PlayStation 4 Eye's add-on status and pricing, and that an extra DualShock 4 controller will also go for $59. The spec sheet also confirms the system's dimensions at 275 x 53 x 305mm (excluding the largest projection), its ports (HDMI and optical out, 2 USB 3.0 in and 1 AUX in for use with the camera) and that a single ear mono headset is packed in with the system. That controller weighs in at 210g, includes a 1000mAh battery and one other detail some may have missed -- a built-in mono speaker.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 2:53 am

Aslanna wrote:
More details on actual specs like HDD size though are one of the things I'm waiting for.

edit:

Keep eye out for how Play Plus works. In the Xbox One presentation they said you just need one Live account for the entire family, even if primary account isn't logged in.

Now that you're paying for multiplayer with PS4, it may matter more. I know Xbox Live's network is solid, not so sure about Sony's.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 11, 2013, 2:58 am

Winnow wrote: Rumor is

Translation: I pulled this out of my well lubricated asshole

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 11, 2013, 3:24 am

The built in speaker is actually pretty cool. I missed that. I appreciate how that feature is used on both the Wii and the WiiU so I can see the PS4 utilizing it well.

The main thing that bothers me about the xbone is that Kinect 2.0 is required and yet they have failed, so far, to give me a single compelling reason I would want the thing at all. Not a single game used it in the conference. Is it just for talking to my TV? Because my Kinect 1.0 did that and it's sitting in the closet. Don't tell me how great Kinect 2.0 is, show me. And honestly, if it really was that great I would likely buy it as an add-on like I did the first one.

If they drop Kinect 2.0 (as well as the price by at least $50) and drop the DRM bullshit, MS can be back in the game. The problem is that the same hubris that haunted Sony during the first 2-3 years of the PS3 has landed right in the lap of MS. I fear they will refuse to admit any sort of mistake or misstep in their strategy and will instead march blindly into the next generation with problems that could kill any momentum the system should have at launch.

As far as games, Destiny looked better than I thought it would but I think Titanfall won the best of show for me personally. Destiny looks extremely promising though and comes in a close second. I thought all the developers showed some great stuff.

I was also a bit surprised how much stuff I want is still on the horizon for current gen that I am looking forward to. Besides most of the next gen games being cross generational, we have:

World of Tanks - 360
Dragon's Crown - PS3
Last of Us - PS3
Beyond: Two Souls - PS3
Puppeteer - PS3
Tales of Xillia - PS3
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 - PS3
FF X & X2 HD - PS3

A slew of 3rd party, multi platform games:

GTA V
Saints Row 4
Castlevania LoS 2
Diablo 3
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Lost Planet 3 (Demo at PAX was beyond lame. Sent to die. Will be 10$ by christmas.)
Deadpool
Rayman Legends
Batman: Arkham Origins

And those are off the top of my head! Summer of arcade is around the corner too which is always good for a game or three. And we still have Nintendo's lineup to be detailed tomorrow as well.

Anything that is cross gen, I will wait and buy when I get a next gen console. I have both pre-ordered but I can cancel a week out if I change my mind.

I was also surprised at how much racing stuff as announced for next gen. If you're into virtual driving, this E3 seemed like a blow out.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 11, 2013, 3:46 am

Oh yeah, all the indie titles shown by Sony and the one by MS (Blelow, which looked great btw) looked as though they could have easily been made on this generation's hardware.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 11, 2013, 4:16 am

most indie games could run on PS2 it it upsampled to 720p

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » June 11, 2013, 8:53 am

Given that most games will be available for current gen, the need for the new hardware isn't particularly high.
Also given that my TV isn't even 1080p (6 yo, 720p Sharp panel) and that I don't intend up upgrade it until the current ones dies, the new hawtness seems like a bit of a waste.

I'm seriously considering cancelling the day 1 pre-order and holding off for a year or so and playing the current games on my current gen systems and PC..

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 10:05 am

Xbox Live Subscribers Finally Get Some Free Games

Fable III is free starting today, with Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed II to follow. Then there will be two per month until the Xbox One launches.

PS+ subscribers say: "You're Welcome Xbox fans."

Although those are some ancient games. Microsoft needs to do better than that. And the wording is a bit weird. What happens once XBO launches? Will they still give free games?

Fairweather Pure wrote:Oh yeah, all the indie titles shown by Sony and the one by MS (Blelow, which looked great btw) looked as though they could have easily been made on this generation's hardware.

Most of those will probably end up on XBO, and Steam, as well. They will just be making their "console debut" on PS4.

Fairweather Pure wrote:Killer Instinct looked great to me. I have lots of memories of the original but I kind ofnsuck at fighters now. I just don't get into them as much as when I was younger. I was glad to see it though and cannot help but feel hyped.

Not sure I'd get too hyped about it!

Killer Instinct is a day-one digital-only release on Xbox One, and features -- get this -- one character. Jago is free to play on launch day. Everyone else -- unspecified returning characters as well as original fighters -- will cost money. Price is to-be-determined (of course).

I miss the days of games actually being complete when they are released.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 11:09 am

kyoukan wrote:
Winnow wrote: Rumor is
Translation: I pulled this out of my well lubricated asshole

That would be clearly stating that it's unconfirmed information, unlike the crap you spouted earlier in the thread that was completely wrong. Try it sometime or keep your trap shut if you don't know.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 12:21 pm

Sony has said all the right things. Coming from someone that obviously prefers the Xbox 360 platform over PS3, Microsoft needs to make some changes or they'll be hurting.

Biggest issues I see for the general public:

1. Price. Kinect isn't worth an extra 100.00 for the average buyer when the rest of the system is equal or even slightly weaker than the PS4.

2. Kinect required. Even I don't like the idea of the kinect constantly monitoring the room it's in.

3. Always on/24 hours check-in. It's a PR nightmare. In reality, it's not a big deal, but for perception, it's a big selling point when some Best Buy blue shirt is comparing the two systems to a customer.

Solutions:

-Microsoft could offer something like a 349.99/2 year Online commitment option for buying the Xbox One. That would appeal to a lot of people. They sell current Xbox 360's cheaply this way and the average public doesn't take the time to figure out total costs.

-Drop the 24 hour check in crap for offline games.

-Drop the Kinect requirement and sell the box for 399

---------------------------

As it stands, Microsoft will lose. After seeing the games available for both systems, I like Xbox One's lineup better. I like their online service better. Their controller crushes Sony's which is a huge part of the gaming experience.

From a business point of view, these things don't matter. The price difference is too great for the average Joe when the basic system performance is equal. Microsoft can still turn it around but we'll have to hear about some changes between now and launch.

Best for gaming and everything else: Xbox One
Best marketing and positioned to sell: PS4

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » June 11, 2013, 12:26 pm

I can't even believe that anyone would sit and rate the consoles on their shape. Seriously dude. Now I would take the 360 over PS3 without even a question, but if they pull this DRM shit and the used game market goes away then the hell with MS. There are too many games out there that look good and end up sucking so bad that I want to sell them the same week. If they want to give me a refund within 20 days or something, then maybe I would consider it. As it is, they are going to get absolutely ass raped by Sony purely on that standpoint alone.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 11, 2013, 1:38 pm

Used games or ownership rights don't matter to winnow because he pirates everything.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » June 11, 2013, 1:48 pm

Well there is that....

But seriously, buying your own copy of something and selling it if you feel like it is not exactly new. What makes the game designers feel like their creations are any better than a book or any other material good that was designed by a team and copies made to sell to the public? Is Stephen King going to not allow his books to be sold to another individual? Is Ford going to install devices in a car to keep them from ever being traded in or resold to another individual?

It is serious bullshit to claim that the individual copy of each game that an individual purchases is not theirs to do with as they please. Sony is a pretty shitty company, but MS has been overtaken with complete idiots who seem hell bent on destroying themselves from the inside.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 2:24 pm

Price doesn't matter to kyoukan because she's not paying for anything. The only figure important is probably # of kids popped out to assure a decent alimony when the time comes.

This is probably the last generation anyone has to stress over physical media. Next round there won't be physical media at all and no one will complain or think of about it at all.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » June 11, 2013, 2:43 pm

http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/11/441947 ... -drm-terms

PlayStation 4 third-party publishers can dictate their own DRM terms, Tretton says

The PlayStation 4 won't have any DRM restrictions for Sony's first-party games, but third-party publishers will dictate their own DRM policies when releasing games on the platform, Sony America CEO Jack Tretton just said on GameTrailers.

LOL. That's a pretty quick about face there Sony.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 2:58 pm

How is that an "about face" it seems more like clarification to me. However I was wondering how publishers felt about it. Hopefully any publisher that tries to implement draconian policies on used games will receive a large backlash and boycott. Unfortunately most gamers lack a spine so I don't see that happening.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 11, 2013, 3:01 pm

Well, Nintedo knocked it out of the park. I want every game they showed. What a weird turn of events this E3 has turned out to be for me as a gamer.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 3:05 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:Well, Nintedo knocked it out of the park. I want every game they showed. What a weird turn of events this E3 has turned out to be for me as a gamer.

Seriously? They were the same games they've been releasing year after year. The only thing that seemed halfway interesting to me was that Wonderful 101 game.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 3:06 pm

Yeah, Sony got the job done though by making the big hoop-dee-doo at E3. It's basically the same policy as Microsoft minus the 24 hour online check (that we know of so far)

The big third party companies will have the same policy for both Microsoft and Sony regarding used games.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 4:26 pm

Winnow wrote:Yeah, Sony got the job done though by making the big hoop-dee-doo at E3. It's basically the same policy as Microsoft minus the 24 hour online check (that we know of so far)

As Polygon points out, this is all really no different from what users experience on the current generation of consoles, and similar to how publishers of PC games have handled things — the device itself does nothing to stop you from reselling, but the publisher could choose to make the software more difficult (or less appealing) to resell.

Meanwhile, the Xbox One allows publishers to determine whether or not the game can be resold, and to whom. The system also puts severe limits on to whom a game can be given (must be someone who has been on your friends list for at least 30 days), and the number of times it can be passed on (once).

Totally the same! Other than that it's not.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » June 11, 2013, 4:28 pm

I'm content with my PS3 and any Madden game from before last year's version. There won't be a next-box in our house.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 11, 2013, 4:45 pm

Winnow wrote:
kyoukan wrote: Bungie's exclusive FPS looks more interesting than Titanfall IMO.
Destiny isn't a PS4 exclusive. It will be on Xbox One as well as Xbox 360 and PS3.

I think there is a much more interesting story here. Sony seems to have latched onto Destiny much like MS latched onto CoD early during last gen. While Destiny is not a console exclusive, Sony certianly seems to be treating it as such. Some sort of backstage handshaking went on to ensure the gameplay reveal happened on Sony's stage because you know that MS wanted that.

As far as Nintendo goes, I just liked everything they showed. I want to play those games. 3D Mario looked amazing, Bayonetta 2 looks crazy, X is right up my ally, Windwaker HD is great since I never played the original, and Wonderful 101 looks like the most "fun" title of all E3. I have kids now too, so when I see a new DKC and Smash Bros I know my whole family is going to play the hell out of those. It's Nintendo being Nintendo!

Still not enough games though.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 11, 2013, 5:04 pm

Kilmoll the Sexy wrote:Well there is that....

But seriously, buying your own copy of something and selling it if you feel like it is not exactly new. What makes the game designers feel like their creations are any better than a book or any other material good that was designed by a team and copies made to sell to the public? Is Stephen King going to not allow his books to be sold to another individual? Is Ford going to install devices in a car to keep them from ever being traded in or resold to another individual?

It is serious bullshit to claim that the individual copy of each game that an individual purchases is not theirs to do with as they please. Sony is a pretty shitty company, but MS has been overtaken with complete idiots who seem hell bent on destroying themselves from the inside.

If car companies thought they could get away with marginalizing used cars sales off their lots you can bet that you would start seeing devices installed in new cars tomorrow that prevented unauthorized re-sales.

Book publishers are already focussing on digital distribution with e-readers. Their end game is to do away with physical books entirely over the next couple of decades and all new book purchases will be tied to a specific user. They are already doing it by pushing e-readers in book stores and allowing libraries to loan out exponentially more copies of a book to e-reader users, making it financially impossible for a library to justify buying many copies of the actual physical book. Eventually it will just come to the point that you will need an e-reader if you want to buy new books and you will be buying them straight from the publishers or big vendors like Amazon. If you want to loan your book you paid for to a friend? Fuck you buy them a copy. If you want to sell it? Fuck you, you can't. Kindles have a lend feature that customers really love but that will be in the shit can once the market reaches a point that an e-reader is ubiquitous.

I don't buy used games except in rare cases where I can't find a new copy conveniently enough. I would rather pay the extra money and have the makers make some. I sympathize with these companies who spend millions on developing and publishing a game only to have fucking Gamestop reap all the profits. However I repudiate digital distribution as long as there are alternate means to obtain something, because I do not want my ownership rights challenged by greedy corporations.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 11, 2013, 5:35 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:
Winnow wrote:
kyoukan wrote: Bungie's exclusive FPS looks more interesting than Titanfall IMO.
Destiny isn't a PS4 exclusive. It will be on Xbox One as well as Xbox 360 and PS3.
I think there is a much more interesting story here. Sony seems to have latched onto Destiny much like MS latched onto CoD early during last gen. While Destiny is not a console exclusive, Sony certianly seems to be treating it as such. Some sort of backstage handshaking went on to ensure the gameplay reveal happened on Sony's stage because you know that MS wanted that.

Seems similar to Metal Gear Solid 5 being featured at the beginning of Microsoft's presentation but I don't recall seeing it at all in Sony's presentation which was surprising.

Both Microsoft and Sony have the little exclusive "dlc, skins, betas, etc" going on. Both companies are guilty of attaching the word "exclusive" to some minor item, with the primary game being available on both platforms.

Kingdom of Hearts 3 is coming to Xbox One which I was glad to hear.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 11, 2013, 5:49 pm

http://www.gamefront.com/sony-third-par ... line-only/

This morning, there were some apparent cracks in the strong positions Sony staked out at their press conference last night.

During an interview with GameTrailers, Jack Tretton said that, “The DRM decision is going to have to be answered by the third parties, it’s not something we’re going to control, or dictate, or mandate, or implement.” The internet immediately exploded, with many on Twitter accusing Sony of walking back their statements from the presser last night.

Rather than speculate, we went directly to Sony to find out what’s going on. Turns out, it’s a very similar system to what’s in place on the PS3 now. According to Dan Race, Senior Director, Corporate Communications for Sony, Tretton’s statements were referring specifically to playing used games online. He told me,

"The Online Pass program for PlayStation first-party games will not continue on PlayStation 4. Similar to PS3, we will not dictate the online used game strategy (the ability to play used games online) of its publishing partners. As announced last night, PS4 will not have any gating restrictions for used disc-based games. When a gamer buys a PS4 disc they have right to use that copy of the game, so they can trade-in the game at retail, sell it to another person, lend it to a friend, or keep it forever."

This is good news for gamers, indeed. In a nutshell, you can buy a used single-player game for the PS4 and play it all you want. If you want to go online with it, you may have to deal with some sort of publisher-determined DRM, be it an Online Pass or whatever.

I think we can put our pitchforks down for now.

So yeah. No different than the current Online Passes. Will be interesting to see how EA handles it since they said they were doing away with online passes.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 11, 2013, 7:52 pm

The online pass thing did not go over well for publishers. They were inconvenient for people who bought the title and an extremely negative experience for people who bought the game second hand and ended up whining to the publisher when they couldn't play it online. Gamestop bore no responsibility or label their used games that required an online pass as such, but for some reason they got away with it. Gamespot gets away with a lot for some reason. I hate walking into those stores and seeing a bunch of cheap looking shabby games on their shelves.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » June 12, 2013, 5:24 pm

You know, I actually purchased the Project 10$ for Arkham City (Catwoman story) because I borrowed the game off a friend and wanted the extra bit of story. Didn't think it was a bad idea at all.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 12, 2013, 5:49 pm

Animalor wrote:You know, I actually purchased the Project 10$ for Arkham City (Catwoman story) because I borrowed the game off a friend and wanted the extra bit of story. Didn't think it was a bad idea at all.

I bought the WiiU version of Arkham City on sale for $15 because it has all the dlc included and available from the get go. It was cheaper than buying the dlc seperately for my 360 version. (Plus I get off screen play and some cool interactivity with the game tablet!)

I may end up doing the same with Deus Ex.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 12, 2013, 8:09 pm

I pre-ordered a PS4 online for launch day pick-up at a local Best Buy. Charged me full price so hopefully that means I'll get it at launch. Didn't order the camera for now.

Still deciding on pre order for Xbox One. I may wait a bit. I wouldn't mind a message being sent to Microsoft if it turns out PS4 pre-orders are significantly higher than Xbox One to nudge them a bit to lighten up some policies. I'd like them to drop the kinect requirement. Even though I'd get one with kinect, I don't want it to be mandatory.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 12, 2013, 9:26 pm

Winnow wrote:I pre-ordered a PS4 online for launch day pick-up at a local Best Buy. Charged me full price so hopefully that means I'll get it at launch. Didn't order the camera for now.

Still deciding on pre order for Xbox One. I may wait a bit. I wouldn't mind a message being sent to Microsoft if it turns out PS4 pre-orders are significantly higher than Xbox One to nudge them a bit to lighten up some policies. I'd like them to drop the kinect requirement. Even though I'd get one with kinect, I don't want it to be mandatory.

I knew you'd come around. Boycott Microsoft!

On Amazon the PS4 is in the #1 spot! I wonder how it's doing over on Blockbuster UK.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 12, 2013, 10:08 pm

Winnow wrote:I pre-ordered a PS4 online for launch day pick-up at a local Best Buy. Charged me full price so hopefully that means I'll get it at launch. Didn't order the camera for now.

Still deciding on pre order for Xbox One. I may wait a bit. I wouldn't mind a message being sent to Microsoft if it turns out PS4 pre-orders are significantly higher than Xbox One to nudge them a bit to lighten up some policies. I'd like them to drop the kinect requirement. Even though I'd get one with kinect, I don't want it to be mandatory.

If Winnow can be humbled, perhaps MS can also admit it's mistakes and get back in the game.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 12, 2013, 10:20 pm

Aslanna wrote:
On Amazon the PS4 is in the #1 spot! I wonder how it's doing over on Blockbuster UK.

It's "through the roof"

PS4 pre-orders are 'through the roof', says Blockbuster
Retailer sees "huge spike in pre-orders" following price announcement

Sony triggered a "huge spike in pre-order sales" for PlayStation 4 with Monday's announcement of its £349.99 price, according to Blockbuster.

Pre-orders of Sony's next-generation console are "through the roof", the company told VG247, after reporting record-breaking pre-order numbers for Xbox One last month.

Not sure if that's better or worse than Xbox One SMASHING RECORDS though!

Considering the price points, I figured if one console would sell out, it would be Sony first at 399. $200 less than the PS3's initial price which sold out quickly and 100 less than Xbox One. I can't stand waiting in lines or searching for stock. Now it's up to Best Buy not to fuck me over. Best Buy's order page said "day of release"...the catch is all release target dates are 12/31/2013 for all of these pre-order stores including Amazon. At some point they need to figure out what their supply will be at on the actual launch date and start pushing back release dates or they'll have a lot of pissed off people that pre-ordered, especially when they reserve stock for the stores on launch day.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 12:12 pm

Amazon runs out of 'Launch Edition' PlayStation 4

If you're hoping to preorder the PlayStation 4, turning to Amazon might not be your best bet.

The company's initial supply of "Launch Edition" PlayStation 4 units has been exhausted. Amazon has now resorted to selling the "Standard Edition," which won't be available until December 31. When clicking on the "Launch Edition" option on Amazon's page, the company indicates that it's unsure "when or if this item will be back in stock."

Luckily, those looking for a PlayStation 4 on launch day should be able to find one elsewhere on the Web. Best Buy is still offering preorders on Sony's console and GameStop is selling bundles that come with a single game for $459.98. The PlayStation 4 on its own costs $400.

One other important note: Amazon is still offering preorders on the Xbox One that will arrive on launch day. A sign of things to come?

hmmm, mine says 12/31/2013 ship date but it said that from day one when they were offered so I don't think Best Buy had a "launch edition". It did say "available on launch day" on their online site. I chose: Store Pickup: Pre-order - Pick it up on release day"

Who knows. If it's not made clear, I'll cancel the order and take my chances.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2013, 12:34 pm

Winnow wrote:
Amazon runs out of 'Launch Edition' PlayStation 4

If you're hoping to preorder the PlayStation 4, turning to Amazon might not be your best bet.

The company's initial supply of "Launch Edition" PlayStation 4 units has been exhausted. Amazon has now resorted to selling the "Standard Edition," which won't be available until December 31. When clicking on the "Launch Edition" option on Amazon's page, the company indicates that it's unsure "when or if this item will be back in stock."

Luckily, those looking for a PlayStation 4 on launch day should be able to find one elsewhere on the Web. Best Buy is still offering preorders on Sony's console and GameStop is selling bundles that come with a single game for $459.98. The PlayStation 4 on its own costs $400.

One other important note: Amazon is still offering preorders on the Xbox One that will arrive on launch day. A sign of things to come?
hmmm, mine says 12/31/2013 ship date but it said that from day one when they were offered so I don't think Best Buy had a "launch edition". It did say "available on launch day" on their online site. I chose: Store Pickup: Pre-order - Pick it up on release day"

Who knows. If it's not made clear, I'll cancel the order and take my chances.

I think the reason everyone is giving 31-Dec is because Sony hasn't actually set a launch date yet from what I've gathered.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 1:55 pm

I just ordered the Xbox One Day One Edition from Best buy as well.

I hope Microsoft appreciates the gravity of my one day protest!

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » June 13, 2013, 2:02 pm

Have fun with your $560 Titanfall surveillance machine. At least you'll get that one before Christmas.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 2:04 pm

Leonaerd wrote:Have fun with your $560 Titanfall surveillance machine. At least you'll get that one before Christmas.

538.99 including tax! (PS4 was 431.19)

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » June 13, 2013, 2:28 pm

I ordered my Xbox One from Microsoft's online store. I was really impressed at their speed getting a Surface RT to my office back on Oct/Nov.

Co-worked of mine made a very salient point today.

Microsoft could've side-stepped the entire conversation and PR nightmare by just making the machine require the disk if it hasn't been online in 24 hours..

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2013, 2:30 pm

Winnow wrote:
Leonaerd wrote:Have fun with your $560 Titanfall surveillance machine. At least you'll get that one before Christmas.
538.99 including tax! (PS4 was 431.19)

He was including $60 for Titanfall.

There was no tax on Amazon for my state. Although that's changing for 2014. Plus they had $50 off if I signed up for their credit card. So theoretically I could have got a PS4 for $350. I already have an Amazon card (somewhere) so not sure I'd qualify for another.

And I'm sure the PS4 will be released before Christmas. The 31-Dec is just a placeholder date, more than likely, until Sony lets them know the actual date. I'm sure they are going to try to either match or beat the XBO release date.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » June 13, 2013, 3:10 pm

When I pre-ordered my PS4 from Amazon it said "this product will be released November 30"

It's kind of weird to set a data after 'murrican thanksgiving but I guess this isn't really something that there will be stacks of on sale at wal-mart on black friday. That will be the new Xbox's domain.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 3:25 pm

Best Buy's Day One Edition Xbox Release date is 11/30/2013 for now at least. I'm more interested in the 12/31/2013 date for the PS4 as I'd happily cancel that order if I won't be getting it at launch. I'd guess they'll both be released around mid November. Maybe Xbox will try to launch earlier since they've been on the short end of the PR battle so far and could use the impulse buyers that only can afford one console.

If nothing changes, it has to be the PS4 that will be harder to get due to price if nothing else.

I also think Microsoft will almost surely offer some sort of subsidized 1-2 year Xbox One to get the initial price down to match or be below the PS4 for people who just grab the cheapest price tag they see. (not including the Wii U which some unfortunate kids will get stuck with this Xmas)

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » June 13, 2013, 3:31 pm

If nothing changes, it has to be the PS4 that will be harder to get due to price if nothing else.

Yes, I'm sure price is the only reason that the PS4 is going to crush Xbone this generation.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2013, 3:46 pm

kyoukan wrote:When I pre-ordered my PS4 from Amazon it said "this product will be released November 30"

Weird, mine says 31-Dec. I still think they are guessing no matter what day they throw out at this time. There's no way Sony will let the XBO come out first if they can prevent it.

We know what it looks like and we know the price, but we still don't know when the PlayStation 4 will actually release. Heck, we don't even know the month; only that it'll be sometime during the "Holiday 2013" period. While I take that as sometime in November -- you don't want to miss Black Friday after all -- there is a reason Sony has been quiet when it comes to a more specific date.

"We actually don't know the launch date," a source who is currently developing a launch title for the PS4 told me. "That's because the [PS4] launch date is not set in stone yet.

"I'm assuming it's before Black Friday," he said. "I'd be surprised if it's not by then, but that's just me. That's when we're shooting for."

As for why Sony has yet to commit to a date, the developer guessed that "they are probably just trying to see and make sure they launch with enough hardware, and get all the logistics taken care of."

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 4:09 pm

Leonaerd wrote:
If nothing changes, it has to be the PS4 that will be harder to get due to price if nothing else.
Yes, I'm sure price is the only reason that the PS4 is going to crush Xbone this generation.

That and some great PR work so far. It's definitely not the controller or quality of games. As a bonus, you now get to pay for that shitty online gaming experience. Now that you pay for both, Live offers the better online service. It was all fun and games when people could say, "it's ok that it sucks ass, it's freeeeee!" It should be fun watching the meltdown next time Sony's network craps out.

I bought a PS4 so I can play offline games when my internet connection goes out for more than 24 hours like it did back in....oh wait...NEVER.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » June 13, 2013, 4:22 pm

That and some great PR work so far.

Not being Microsoft = Great PR

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 13, 2013, 4:25 pm

Honestly, actual launch day titles for both are sketchy right now. I'm strongly leaning towards waiting on both systems right now.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » June 13, 2013, 4:38 pm

Samesicakes. My gaming calendar will be occupied anyway.

(battle starts at 4:40)

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2013, 4:39 pm

Winnow wrote:That and some great PR work so far. It's definitely not the controller or quality of games. As a bonus, you now get to pay for that shitty online gaming experience. Now that you pay for both, Live offers the better online service. It was all fun and games when people could say, "it's ok that it sucks ass, it's freeeeee!" It should be fun watching the meltdown next time Sony's network craps out.

I bought a PS4 so I can play offline games when my internet connection goes out for more than 24 hours like it did back in....oh wait...NEVER.

Oh hey. Back to blind rage I see!

Other than that admittedly catastrophic PSN outage I've encountered no issues with the PSN service. So what about it is "shitty"? The major complaint I heard was that it had no cross-game/party chat system. And from what I can tell that's been remedied with the PS4. What exactly is "better" about the Live online service? Other than it costing more (retail) and not giving you nearly as many discounts or free games that you get with PS+. While shoving ads down your throat. If that's your idea of "better' then it's no wonder you like Windows 8.

As far as the controller or quality of games goes... How do you even know about either? Oh nos the sticks are in the wrong spot, doooomed!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2013, 7:10 pm

Our first question had to do with the 300,000-server cloud architecture that Microsoft says the Xbox One will use to help support "latency-insensitive computation" in its games. What does that mean exactly, and can laggy cloud data really help in a video game where most things have to be able to respond locally and immediately?

"Things that I would call latency-sensitive would be reactions to animations in a shooter, reactions to hits and shots in a racing game, reactions to collisions," Booty told Ars. "Those things you need to have happen immediately and on frame and in sync with your controller. There are some things in a video game world, though, that don't necessarily need to be updated every frame or don't change that much in reaction to what's going on."

"One example of that might be lighting," he continued. "Let’s say you’re looking at a forest scene and you need to calculate the light coming through the trees, or you’re going through a battlefield and have very dense volumetric fog that’s hugging the terrain. Those things often involve some complicated up-front calculations when you enter that world, but they don’t necessarily have to be updated every frame. Those are perfect candidates for the console to offload that to the cloud—the cloud can do the heavy lifting, because you’ve got the ability to throw multiple devices at the problem in the cloud."

Booty added that things like physics modeling, fluid dynamics, and cloth motion were all prime examples of effects that require a lot of up-front computation that could be handled in the cloud without adding any lag to the actual gameplay. And the server resources Microsoft is putting toward these calculations will be much greater than a local Xbox One could handle on its own. "A rule of thumb we like to use is that [for] every Xbox One available in your living room we’ll have three of those devices in the cloud available," he said.

While cloud computation data doesn't have to be updated and synced with every frame of game data, developers are still going to have to manage the timing and flow of this cloud computing to avoid noticeable changes in graphic quality, Booty said. “Without getting too into the weeds, think about a lighting technique like ambient occlusion that gives you all the cracks and crevices and shadows that happen not just from direct light. There are a number of calculations that have to be done up front, and as the camera moves the effect will change. So when you walk into a room, it might be that for the first second or two the fidelity of the lighting is done by the console, but then, as the cloud catches up with that, the data comes back down to the console and you have incredibly realistic lighting."

Does that mean that Xbox One games will feature graphics that suddenly get much more realistic as complex data finally finishes downloading from the cloud? "Game developers have always had to wrestle with levels of detail... managing where and when you show details is part of the art of games," Booty said. "One of the exciting challenges going forward is a whole new set of techniques to manage what is going to be offloaded to the cloud and what’s going to come back.”

And what about those times when a gamer doesn't have an active Internet connection to make use of the cloud's computational power? Microsoft has confirmed that single-player games don't have to be online to work, but all this talk of cloud computing seems to suggest that these games might not look or perform as well if they don't have access to a high-speed connection.

For the 99.9 percent of us (100 on this forum!) that have internet, those 300,000 servers can be put to good use.

During Microsoft's reveal of the Xbox One game console last week, the company revealed that some game developers could off-load some game elements from the console itself to have them run in a cloud server. Now there's word that at least one game will try to take advantage of this cloud-assisted game feature.

What's interesting is that for the Xbox One console, "Titanfall" will offload its physics and AI to a cloud server, along with dedicated multiplayer servers.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2013, 8:05 pm

Microsoft has touted the Xbox One's cloud-computing capabilities, promising that the system's hardware resources can be freed up by accessing remote servers that handle AI and physics calculations. Those remote computations, Microsoft says, will allow the Xbox One, unlike the Xbox 360, to become more powerful over time.

Sony Computer Entertainment's Shuhei Yoshida says that the PlayStation 4 can tap into similar technology, offloading processes that are typically handled locally to the cloud.

Yoshida said that "of course" PS4 developers will be able to take advantage of cloud-based computing for their titles.

"Linking, matchmaking... there are already many computations being done on the cloud side," Yoshida said, adding that there are limitations to what processes can be offloaded to a remote computer, due to latency and bandwidth.

Asked whether cloud-based computing technology would face issues of adoption, since Sony does not require an online connection for PS4, Yoshida said, "No."

"We don't believe every title needs that," he said. "But if your title needs [an] online connection to provide some online features: Go for it."

When Sony unveiled the PlayStation 4, it focused on using cloud-based technology for the delivery of streaming games, instant-play demos and the ability to let a friend on the internet take over gameplay on your PlayStation 4. Microsoft's implementation of cloud-based computing emphasized tapping into "variable number of transistors in the cloud."

Next!