To the insane applause of the crowd attending the Sony press conference, Jack Tretton announced that the PS4 will support all used game for the next-gen console and also will not require any kind of internet connection to play game discs.
This is a direct kick in the taint to Microsoft, who has been in damage control since announcing their restrictions for the Xbox One. One would think with how strong Sony brought it tonight and how the gaming community is reacting to Sony’s news, Microsoft might need to decide a shift in strategy before too much ground is lost.
Sony officially unveiled their Playstation 4 console to the world tonight and it certainly has a new…slant on home consoles.
Yeah, I went there.
Not only was the look of the console a bit of a surprise, but so was the announced price: $399. Yep, a full $100 cheaper than the Xbox One. We will have much more thoughts on how Sony mopped the floor with their competition later on.
Damn you, Microsoft. Damn you, all of you. I went into the Microsoft press conference hard pressed that I was going to wait to get an Xbox One and you had to go and throw Killer Instinct in my face.
RIGHT IN MY FACE!
I have very few weak spots as a gamer in my hard heart, but Killer Instinct is definitely one of them. The 30 second video has KI stalwarts Jago, Glacius and Sabrewulf putting out the combos on each other with ferocity. I got goosebumps when I heard the ever familiar ULLTRAAA COMMMMBOOOO. And as we all know, goosebumps are akin to tears for a nerd.
Killer Instinct releases this fall only on Xbox One.
Capcom is revisiting the zombie genre once again, only this time (unlike Resident Evil), it looks like people are actually excited about more Dead Rising. The trailer shows the new open-world on the Xbox One exclusive as new hero, Nick, makes his way through the zombie hordes.
The game is true to Dead Rising with the ability to use almost anything as a weapon as well use your duct tape skills and create such mash-ups as a sledgehammer attached to an electric saw.
Yeah, that moment when Nick threw that bastard at a zombie and clean cut him in half? Sold.
Dead Rising will release this fall only on Xbox One.
You didn’t think Microsoft was going to have all of these next-gen games and leave out their most popular franchise did you?
The first trailer for Halo 5 shows a mysterious figure cloaked and making their way through a desert until an earthquake stops them in their tracks. A Forerunner ship makes its way out of the sand as Master Chief stands there, fearless, looking rather Master Chief-y.
Microsoft announced today at their E3 press conference that the Xbox One will release this November and will be priced at $499. The screen during the announcement was touting the “Day One Bundle” for reserve. No details were given on what this bundle will include.
Now we know one half of the next-gen equation. Will Sony have an earlier release date or, even better, a cheaper price point? We will find out tonight.
Zombie Studios free-to-play FPS, Blacklight Retribution, is making the jump from PC to PS4 this fall. A new trailer was released which you can see below. This is another good get for Sony’s new system when you add it to the already good free-to-play lineup of DC Universe Online and Planetside 2.
E3 hasn’t even officially started yet and already we have an E3 trailer. Ubisoft’s newest look at [amazon_link id=”B00BGHUS58″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Watch Dogs[/amazon_link] has main man Aiden Pearce taking on a human trafficking ring with only his cell phone, baton, guns and a boat load of kick ass.
Just imagine that in this part of the game you are Liam Neeson in Taken and play his phone clip over and over again.
Watch Dogs releases this November for 360, PS3, Wii U, PC, Xbox One and PS4.
Sony will be the last press conference on Monday before the actual E3 show begins on Tuesday so they better use the opportunity to absolutely hit me (and you) over the heads with how insanely awesome the PS4 is going to be. Now I have already gone on record and said that Sony has already won me over with their February press conference when they solely put the focus on games. I expect E3 to continue this, especially since Microsoft is getting a bit of blow back from their gimmick heavy Xbox One reveal (which they did say beforehand would happen, but the internet cares not).
Like with Nintendo, we will offer up a few points that we think Sony should hit on to make sure gamers know the PS4 is a powerhouse that warrants their hard earned money this fall.
PS4 Price AND Release Date
This is in no way a guarantee to happen, but it will go a long way to helping out my wallet if I know the when and how much of the Playstation 4. Selfish? Yes, and I don’t mind. Sony could hold one or the other off for a later date, but they know all eyes will be on them on Monday so why not go ahead and throw us gamers a bone?
I still hold to my thoughts that the PS4 will beat the Xbox One to the shelves, if only by a week or so. October 25th still has a nice ring to it. It is a few weeks after a big PS3 exclusive (Beyond: Two Souls) and a week before the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts.
When it comes to the price of the system this is where the guesses are all over the place. Some analysts have recently ventured a guess and said that the PS4 could retail in the $350-$400 range. This is a pipe dream. Now don’t get me wrong, I hope to God that I can get a PS4 for under $400 come this fall, but I just do not see this happening especially with all the hardware under the hood of it. I am already mentally prepared for a $499 price point with a slight possibility of a second sku for $549. We are a different culture than 2005 when Sony floored us with “599 U.S. dollars” for the PS3. We pay $200 for new phones on a regular basis, a large section of the population have tablets that range anywhere from $250-$800, Apple overcharges for a brand name and our country proudly ponies up the cash. I don’t think Sony has to be worried of any backlash when they announce a $500+ console anymore.
Photo courtesy arcadesushi.com
Use Your Franchise Power
The real power behind Sony is in its bevy of quality studios and their franchises. Sony Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Polyphony, Sucker Punch, Guerrilla and Media Molecule are huge developers that handle Sony’s biggest properties and there is not a bad one in the bunch. Microsoft only wishes they had studio strength like that which is probably why they have announced a new initiative to get more studios under their umbrella. We already know that Killzone: Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son will be launch titles for the PS4 and should be playable at the show. That is a good start. For Sony to really take a hold of the gaming community they need to show off the PS4’s potential with their other big names. Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, God of War and others will all eventually make their way onto Sony’s next-gen machine and even just an announcement of one of these will certainly help matters. Please be Uncharted 4.
Let Microsoft Take The Hit On Used Games Fiasco
Ever since the Xbox One reveal, Microsoft has quickly gone from elation to damage control over the mixed signals about the online connectivity of its new console and the possibility of charging a full game fee for using games on other consoles. Now Sony has already gone on record and said that the PS4 will not be requiring an internet connection of any kind to play games, but the jury is still, mysteriously, out on a one-time use code for games that will link new games to owners consoles. I think this is inevitable and Sony and Microsoft are going to get a lot of flak, but it is most likely publisher driven. So since Microsoft is already the “bad guy” in this scenario let that keep being the story for as long as possible. Let the idea a new game code marinate in people’s brains for a few months before announcing that the PS4 will require them also. It may not be a popular decision, but at least most of the heat will have died down.
Photo courtesy turntherightcorner.com
Wherefore Art Thou Vita?
Even with slow sales, the Vita keeps chugging along and has, in the year and a half since its release, built up quite the quality library. The addition of PS Plus to the handheld has added a lot of extra value giving buyers anywhere from 6-11 free games with a year of Plus. Guerrilla Games Killzone: Mercenary is looking like the true current-gen handheld FPS we have been waiting on. Beyond that it gets a little thin, but fear not, Remote Play is coming along to save the day. News is that Sony is requiring all games that will release on the PS4 that are not Move oriented to have Remote Play between the console and the Vita. Now I know that Remote Play on the PSP was sketchy as hell, but the Vita is a powerhouse for a handheld system and should have no problem running a scaled down version of games with its beautiful OLED screen. The Vita will never be a competitor to the 3DS, but Sony can still ensure that it carves out its own unique niche.
Stay The Course
It has been so far, so good for Sony and the PS4 and there is no reason why they should not leave E3 feeling as if they are in the driver’s seat for the next-gen consoles. They took a calculated risk in February when they went all in with gamers. Microsoft will keep up with their “all in one” presentation for the Xbox One so all Sony needs to do is keep hedging their bets on the gaming community wanting a system that is built from the ground up to play games. This next generation will be like no other with Sony and Microsoft splitting paths on their company strategy when it comes to consoles. To me, Sony is easily winning the word of mouth battle with gamers and come E3 all they need to do is stay focused on the games.
Long time game analyst Michael Pachter believes that console prices will be dropping at next week’s E3. He says that with new consoles on their way this year Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft will be lowering their current generation systems by at least $30-$50.
Nintendo making the Wii $99 is just a sensible idea and as I said in my Nintendo E3 preview, they need to give the Wii U a drastic price cut.
Microsoft and Sony lowering their systems may not be as big a deal because they are bundling so much stuff with their systems that a price reduction would just ensure that a lot of bundling would stop. Instead of a $299 PS3 with a couple of games or a year of PS Plus, you may just get a $249 system and that’s all.
