PlayStation 4
© 2013 Sony Computer Entertainment America
See also PlayStation 4 Pro (released Fall 2016). Here's a primer on the Sony PlayStation 4, or PS4. COST? $400 for the starter set, which will include one modernized Dualshock 4 controller which is required. There are plenty of add-ons, like Sony's $60 PlayStation Camera, which can work with the new controller to offer some Kinect-like capabilities. By comparison, you'll pay $350 for the Wii U, and $500 for Microsoft's Xbox One, which will include the motion sensing camera. CAN THE PS4 RUN OLD GAMES? No to old games, yes to movies. PS4 isn’t backwards compatible with PS3 games, which are headed to the cloud, according to Al De Leon, Director, PlayStation Platforms at Sony Computer Entertainment America. Said Mr. De Leon, "we are launching a cloud-based streaming service in 2014 that will offer PS3 titles on PS4, as well as PS3 and PlayStation Vita." Called PlayStation Plus, the subscription-based service will cost $5/month, and could be compared to the Xbox Live Gold service. PS4's disk drive can play DVDs, say, for use with movies. CAN I USE MY OLD CONTROLLERS? Sorry. Older Dualshock 3 or earlier controllers won't work. The PS Move controller will work, however. WHAT FEATURES WILL THE NEW CONTROLLERS HAVE? They combine rumble abilities with built-in speakers, as well as a headphone/microphone jack to make it easy to trade commands with a squadron of friends in a multiplayer game. There's also a "share" button to make connecting faster and a glowing, colored light bar on the front, designed to be seen by the new PlayStation Camera. See the controller features in action at http://youtu.be/qSTJc9UqNk8. Additional controllers cost $60 each. WHAT'S UNDER THE HOOD? More power, especially for graphics. The PS4 is powered by an x86-64 AMD “Jaguar” that Mr. De Leon says has 16 times the RAM as the PS3. Storage includes an 8GB of RAM and a 500GB hard disk for storing movies and games. There are two USB ports, Ethernet and Bluetooth. ARE THERE GAMES FOR KIDS? I'm a children's tech reviewer so I'm on the lookout for family friendly experiences. If that's your intention, the Wii U is still the best out-of-the-box option than either the Xbox One or the PS4, which seem specifically engineered for beautiful but mature-themed experiences. CAN IT WORK WITH MY TABLET? Here's a surprise... You'll be able to download a Sony app for your tablet of choice (iOS or Android) and turn it into your auxiliary screen, for play from any location. You're not limited to being in the same room as your console.
$400, PlayStation 4
Teaches: a game console