PlayStation 4 Announced, Packs 8-Core AMD 'Jaguar' CPU

Posted 02/20/2013 at 9:58pm | by Pulkit Chandna

136

Comments

Print

Sony touts social and cloud features

Today’s PlayStation Meeting 2013 event at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom was, as expected, all about the future of Sony’s home console franchise. While the company did make the long-overdue Playstation 4 official, it somehow managed to wrap up the two-hour event — during which it outlined the console’s specs, detailed key features and showcased a raft of games — without giving attendees a glimpse of the actual console. To be honest, though, what it can do matters more than the way it looks. So what exactly can it do?

If you have been following all the recent rumors surrounding the console, chances are you already know most of the things worth knowing about the PlayStation 3’s successor. In any case, here is a quick rundown of some of the most noteworthy things to have come out of the event:

• The PlayStation 4, unlike its Cell processor-toting predecessor, packs a “single-chip custom processor” with eight x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU cores and 1.84 TFLOPS next-gen AMD Radeon-based GPU. Other specs include: 8GB GDDR5 memory, HDD, Blu-ray drive, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, HDMI, analog AV-out, optical S/PDIF audio output
• A re-imagined “DualShock 4” controller with a six-axis sensor, “Share” button, Vita-like touchpad, vibration, light bar with three color LEDs, micro USB, mono speaker, stereo headset and 1000mah battery.
• The PlayStation 4 has been designed keeping in mind the modern gamer’s constant need for social interaction. It even has dedicated video compression and decompression hardware to make sharing those special gameplay moments with the rest of the world as easy as pressing a button — the Share button. Further, PS4 owners will be able to broadcast their gameplay in real-time, not only letting those watching weigh in with their thoughts but also get involved “in completely new ways.”
• The PS4 will be able to use the PS Vita, smartphones and tablets as second screens. This will be made possible through a new application called “PlayStation App” where Android and iOS devices are concerned. As for the two people who own a Vita, you will actually be able to play PS4 titles on the handheld’s 5-inch display over Wi-Fi networks.
• With Sony combining the PlayStation network with Gaikai’s cloud gaming technology, gamers will be able to instantly stream the games they are interested in without having to make a payment, allowing them to only pay for the games that  they actually like.

The PS4 will be available for purchase during the holiday season for an as-yet unknown price.