February 20th is finally here, and the day of reckoning has come. Sony is (almost certainly) set to unveil its new console to the public in an exclusive event starting at 6pm EST/3 PST. Will Sony make all of our dreams and wishes come true? Will we finally find out what’s going to happen with the Last Guardian? Will the PlayStation 4/Orbis/Whatever-it’s-called unite nations and bring world peace? Only time will tell.
We’re just as excited as you are, and we’ll be watching right along with you. Or maybe you can’t watch — maybe you’re at your job, at school, or a funeral, and streaming video isn’t exactly the best option. We’ve got you covered. Tune in here when Sony begins their presentation for a liveblog of the entire event. We’ll offer our own brand of reporting and color commentary, so you can stay up to the minute with all of your co-workers/schoolmates/fellow mourners. And if it turns out the conference is about nothing but Vita games, you can be disappointed right along with us.
The future is (hopefully) coming. Won’t you join us?
Ok, that’s it, everybody! Keep checking back at GT through the next few hours and days for more coverage!
I’m a bit disappointed they didn’t at least show the console, but it’s at least coming this year. And we’ll definitely know more by E3.
I feel like this presentation was similar to the Wii U’s sort of nebulous unveiling. Except we won’t have to wait a year for more details.
I didn’t know what to expect out of them but “better graphics”, which they delivered on. It’s the social platform integration that really has me interested.
The presentation met my expectations. the problem is that my expectations were very very low.
Very cagey, but not surprised about that- it was all feature centric. We’ll get hands-on at E3 for sure
I’m pretty ambivalent, honestly. None of the games really reached out to me. They’re pretty, but I was looking for something more.
I was impressed overall, went from pretty apathetic to actually excited about the PS4.
I was damn impressed. Whether they can deliver or not is another question, but they really made a solid case for the PS4.
So what did everyone think?
I’m sure we’ll get an unveiling at E3.
So…no look at the actual console? For shame.
They seem to be wrapping up. No news on price? No news on release date? NO NEWS ON LAST GUARDIAN?!??!?!?!?!
And with that, we end with another sizzle reel.
PS4 coming Holiday 2013.
Maybe they mean shared across systems.
Destiny launchng on both PS3 and PS4 with exclusive content
Now they’re bringing out a bunch of Bungie’s higher-ups.
Destiny first “shared-world shooter.” Apparently Bungie never played Planetside 2.
You’re my Density.
Footage looks kind of like a mix of Aliens, Halo, and Warhammer 40,000.
Persistent online world, create and customize characters
Persistent online world for Destiny.
“How can we take a genre we love so well and turn it on its head?”
“Ambitious ten-year-project, Destiny.”
Yup.
Bungie
“Multiple blockbuster titles from our best developers in the launch window.”
Activision logically follows Blizzard on the stage.
CEO of Activision up now.
Correction: demo at PAX East
“Formally unveiling the game at PAX East.”
More details at PAX East.
Full screen 4 player Co-Op.
Apparently Starcraft Ghost still needs more time.
Sony’s anticlimactic moment
PS4 and PS3.
Not a surprise, that game was supremely consolified in some ways.
Yup. It’s about damn time.
Called it!
Blizzard’s PS4 game is…Diablo 3.
Diablo III it is.
Tomba?
No, Mike. Only one game could be the “one more thing.” You know what it is.
Sony’s “one more thing” moment
David…that would be so incredible.
“Blizzard and Sony entered into a strategic partnership”
Diablo port? :P
Starcraft Ghost???? :D
BWAAAH??
Next up is Blizzards Chris Metzen.
This was my most wanted game out of E3. Can’t wait.
Yep. I really hope this is a launch title.
That was impressive
Apparently, both the criminals AND the cops are your enemies
Watch Dogs showing what it’s like to have complete control over the city. Deploying roadblocks, seeing location of bops on the minimap, and more.
Protagonist now on the run from the cops–just deployed roadblocks to crash a car.
Things just changed from exploration to a tense chase scene.
Walks to a car, takes cover behind it, pulls out a gun.
Protagonist pulls up information on a man standing guard. Hacked his bank account with the push of a button.
Watchdogs: Featuring the smoothest of smooth jazz.
Huge open city. Lots of reflective lighting and texturing. Puddles in the sidewalks shimmer.
That’s a lot of lens flare.
Watchdogs is going to be played live.
“once you tap into someone’s life, anything can happen”
Player can control the AI that connects everything in society.
“This platform will bring millions of new customers.”
“Let you collaborate to achieve many things.”
“Creating games that can be played anytime, anywhere, across many different devices.”
YES!
Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs, please
Oh boy, Watch Dogs is up next!
Now, we’re getting Ubisoft. Yves Guillemot up next.
They will announce a Final Fantasy title at E3 this year. But something is coming.
Shinji Hashimoto on, presumably to announce Final Fantasy.
Well, lets keep in mind that Square games have always looked good. We’ll see how well they play.
Development environment is flexible and easy to use.
The video was representative of the level of quality Square is aiming for.
I hate to be really skeptical, but I hope this is all in real time. I want to believe!
And she just healed herself with a soda bottle.
What they’re pulling off in realtime is quite an accomplishment.
Now we have huge mutant hyenas. Wow.
A demonic ritual was just broken up by guys with Kalashnikovs. Amazing.
Again, we’re seeing lots of particle effects here. Magic lightning, bullets, sparks, everything is flying.
As we’ve all known, Square is capable of creating astounding graphics.
Presentation is not a game, but a “real time demo” of PS4
Yoshihisa Hashimoto of Square Enix is up now.
Maybe Versus?
Developed concurrently with engine.
Last bit indicates you can share gear across the internet.
I like the little hints they keep throwing in about the social network integration.
Now, Blanka is sending a message for help…?
Lots of really nice particle effects going on right now.
Dragon spurts fire at a soldier behind a column, various others are attacking it with flaming arrows.
Dragon sighted. fantasy game confirmed.
A fantasy game by the looks of it.
Working title: Deep Down.
Capcom revealing a new IP running on Panta Rhei
“new engine allows them to take game design in new directions.”
New engine – Code Name Panta Rhei.
“Usher in a new era of entertainment with PS4.”
PS3 allowed cinematic evolution.
side note: 2.9 million viewers of the Sony feed currently
“PSP takes PS experience out of the living room.”
“PS2 allowed us to make stunning titles, like Devil May Cry.”
Viewtiful Joe 3: The Last Guardian.
“Technology of original Playstaiton allowed us to move past sprite based gameplay.”
Make Viewtiful Joe fight bigass awesome monsters and I’m in.
This presentation in both English and Japanese.
No, victor. We need a new Viewtiful Joe.
C’moooon Monster Hunter. Or Dragon’s Dogma. Either one.
Yoshinori Ono from Capcom, on next.
“Every major 3rd party partner in N.A., Eu, and Asia will support PS4.”
“Indie community is pushing boundaries.”
Move Marionettes
This is adorable.
But can I play my guitar with the Move?
Now they’re all playing music together. One on guitar, one on drums, one on keyboard.
As the controllers move, so does two figures on stage. One interacts with a guitar.
Now he’s showing a real-time creation of an object in the software.
“3D sculpting easy for beginners, complex for professionals.”
A video is showing off how they’re using the move controller to sculpt and form objects.
I didn’t expect the Move to get much attention. But yeah, this is actually an interesting way to use it. A bit niche, but still compelling.
Actually this looks ridiculously cool
Playstation Move is going to be a huge part of this.
Oh, no.
“How can PS4 sweep away the ‘techie’ mess”
Alex Evans wants to break the “Tyranny of the Polygon.”
“Let you record your dreams.”
I hope so, Jeff.
Taking creativity to the next level.
Alex Evans from Media Molecule on stage.
Are we going to hear from thatgamecompany?
Just a tech demo, but some impressive stuff.
“We can take you to places you’ve never been to before.”
Supreme realism there. Not perfect, but they’re selling the ability to convey subtle emotion well with that.
Showing an elderly human face with realistic features, running real time on PS4.
PS4 will have a crazy high polygon count. Showing a spectacular looking head.
Showing polygon count of various characters. 350 for Omikron, Heavy Rain 15k, Beyond, 20K.
Silent film, specifically @Jeff.
Mr. Cage is sandbagging black and white movies as “primitive.” To that I say “go see All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Showing the Great Train Robbery, a silent film highlighting how technology allows films to create enhance emotions.
“Technology allows us to get player emotionally involved.”
“Want people to live it and suspend disbelief.”
“Getting player emotionally involved is holy grail of creators.”
Here comes Singularity!
David Cage from Quantic Dream up now.
Killzone “playthrough” was uploaded to Killzone facebook.
Is that a mirror puzzle?! I LOVE MIRROR PUZZLES!!
Man, I can see the share function on PS4 being invaluable here.
Now we’re seeing some of the puzzles.
More of a cartoony environment on The Witness than the other games we’ve seen. Still very pretty.
Forests, deserts, ocean. It all looks cartoony, but with a very high resolution.
Trailer is showcasing some nice environments, but not much else.
Now showing the first official trailer.
25 hours of gameplay, all unique puzzles. Within the release window, exclusive to PS4
Despite little redundancy, the Witness will clock in at 25 hours.
Everything is where it is for a reason. No filler.
The Witness will be an open world, featuring a very compact, dense world.
This game has been on my radar for a while. So excited to play it.
A “game about epiphany.”
“Game where you explore a mysterious abandoned island and solve the puzzles.”
If so, called that one. Longshot too. Excellent.
Johnathan Blow’s The Witness to debut on PS4. Nice.
Next up on stage: Creator of Braid, Jonathan Blow
“PlayStation remains steadfast in its support of indie developers”
did i hear that right?
Self-publishing on Playstation Network?
Awesome. Here comes the indie gaming attention.
talking about taking risks with indie developers.
“playstation will be a leader in pushing creative boundaries.”
Infamous: Second Son exclusive to PS4
It looks like the next person in the InFamous series will have fire-based powers instead of electricity?
Explosion goes off, Soldiers freaking out from fireballs being thrown at them.
Footage shows confused security team being attacked by…something.
Seattle looks ruined. Sad.
Sucker Punch’s latest game announcement.
Infamous 3?
Also: Misfits.
Superhuman abilities now? What effect would that have on all of these security measure.
What if a handful of people developed supernatural abilities? We have that. It’s called X-men.
Down with the X-men!
I don’t know who this guy is, but he apparently really likes 1984.
New guy on stage. Talking about wanting to be safe, but what at what cost.
PS4- officially endorsed by the Occupy Movement
Now some gameplay. Fluid driving, insanely detailed, and you can accept challenges and check on your team on the fly.
showcasing how easy it is to join clubs mid-race.
What? I didn’t make that pun, it’s something you see all over Michigan roads.
Dammit, Jeff.
Opening the door, and actually strapping into the seat belt.
Click it or Ticket!
He’s looking in the engine of the car right now.
Modeling “microscopic flakes of paint” sounds intense.
Gonna be big for car freaks. Er, aficionados.
Wow, they’ve detailed this stuff out. Exact engine specs and real world details.
Sounds like you’re going to be able to walk around in the game, admire your car, etc. Neat immersion move.
Cars are shiny.
First person perspective game. Like Shift series, perhaps?
“Weekend long, thousand player races”
Form a club – asynchronously, and in real time. Rewards you for playing in groups.
This is coming from the studio behind the MotorStorm franchise
“Visited greatest car companies we could find.” They then show a scrolling list, featuring no american companies.
“collaborative gameplay with friends in teams.”
“not just about cars and locations”
They’ve been waiting for the tech to be available.
Game is DriveClub, not GT 6. Team based racer.
Racing games up next. GT 6?
Nice. Now he’s sharing the video clip.
Bumming a ride on a helicoptor. Cityscape looks really nice.
Now he’s grabbed onto a tether hanging from a hovercraft and is zooming around the city.
Slipping into intentional slo-mo on some kills like Killing Floor, I see.
The most impressive thing about this demo is the framerate.
You know how publishers will post CG videos of their games? This looks kinda like that.
This is stunning to watch. Amazing detail, smooth, and fun looking on top of it.
I really like how the helghast heavy machine guns are mimicking the sawblade sounds of an MG-42.
Everything is fluid and smooth. No frame dips, no janky textures or crappy flame effects. Pretty sure this is running at 60fps.
the Player’s weapon has some kind of charge-up sniper shot.
The amount of effects on screen is astounding.
See? What’d I say? Space-nazis.
Lots of effects. Paper and dirt flying through the air, debris and sparks raining down.
That was the coolest explosion since F.E.A.R.
Guy’s walking through checkpoints, a bomb goes off. Explosion ripples out in slow motion.
And just think of it this way: this is first gen stuff. Give it a few years.
Yeah, they’re definitely delivering on the graphical power here.
And yet it still wasn’t as fake as the Aliens: Colonial Marines demo.
Game looks gorgeous. We’re getting a POV of a soldier in a helicopter, lands at a huge brightly lit city.
It’s…so…pretty.
Although, the killzone 2 demo was supposed to be live as well, and that was fabricated.
i think it’s a live demo. Guy’s on stage playing it.
Killzone: Shadowfall teaser first off the blocks.
“Two factions divided by vast wall, similar to Cold War
I always loved how the Helghast are unabashedly space-nazis.
Here comes Killzone
First up, Hermann Holtz from Guerilla Games.
A look at some games now! Let’s do this.
“Bring new synergy of hardware, software, network.”
“Future of playstation is about great games”
I knew I should have bought some Sony stock this morning…
Yeah, but the vision is solid at least, and it’s easy to screw that up.
Michael Denny from Worldwide Studios is taking the stage.
@Victor. Easy there. They said amazing things about the Xbox 360, and when it launched it was totally broken.
Yeah, if they can deliver on this, then Sony’ll be off to a great start.
While they’re rehashing the talking points so far, I gotta say – I’m excited. These actually sound like promising, smart features across the board.
No start up time. Literally just walk into a room, pick up the controller, press start, and off we go.
Developers basically hitting all the talking points discussed so far. From their POV.
System is aware of the player, and will know what games the player is interested in.
“The system is aware of what’s going on in the player’s room at any point.”
The more elegant it is, the easier it is to get depth.
Simple = Elegance.
Developers seem excited. Sony came to them asking for what they wanted.
Tim Schafer is on the promo real. Everybody throw money at it!
Sizzle reel of developers developers developers
Cloud services will be revealed in phases, most likely not all available at launch.
Centralizing game ownership. Sounding a little like Steam for a PS4.
Gaikai “fully greenlight” by Sony.
“Everything Everywhere” is the potential of their cloud service
PS1/PS2/PS3/mobile games potentially available on PS4
They should include a free Vita with every PS4
More specifics coming later in the year.
Talking about the various services on PSN, like Movie/Music unlimited, Netflix, etc.
If Japan is any hint, a Vita price drop is coming.
dammit sony
$599
Longterm goal is to make all PS4 games available on Vita through remote play.
So what will the combined price of a PS4 and Vita be?
Key problem is still the price on the Vita. Price drop would be nice.
Video looks great. No streaming hitches that plagued PS3-PSP remote play.
Maybe now people will actually buy them.
There they go, doubling down on the Vita. Hopefully it pays off.
PSVita equals WiiU tablet
Built into architecture of PS4, through Vita.
Enhance gameplay via second screens, like remote play.
These collaborative social features sound nice, but I’m skeptical based on Sony’s track record
Multicasting is easy too, broadcast right to Ustream.
Sounds like what the promise was with the Wii U’s controller, except far more convenient and powerful.
Developers can insert command buttons where friends can help out at specific parts of a game.
Developers get new spectating tools.
People can post comments directly to your screenshots or videos. Ask friends to help you.
Harassing your friends for doing poorly in games will be easier than ever!
Bam. Video broadcasting directly integrated.
With one push of a button, you’ll be able to stream your gameplay live.
Spectating is getting a lot of attention on the PS4. Making it easier and faster.
Combining social platforms create “first social network with meaning”
DingDingDing!! The award for most accurate predictions of social media integration goes to Mike Dunn!
Partnered with Facebook and Ustream.
“Buy only what you love.”
“With Gaikai in the Playstation store, you’ll be able to try anything you want.”
Try it Now: streaming a game demo right from the store.
“free exploration possible for any ps4 game.”
“Fastest most powerful network for gaming”
Sega, naturally.
Genesis or SNES?
Sidenote: Aladdin was the first game I ever beat.
Time for some details on PlayStation Cloud?
Now we get to the streaming portion of the show.
Next speaker: Dave Perry–cofounder of Gaikai
Apparently not only is the Twitch feed choppy, the Sony feed is borked too. Game Trailers has been rather fluid, lately. Watch it here, if the feed above doesn’t work: http://www.gametrailers.com/netstorage/psmeeting/index.html
Pre-loading of content the console guesses you’ll like? Could work, could be a pain.
“Our final ambition with PS4 is personalization.”
Smartphones to browse video, challenge matches, etc.
“No, that’s not right! My turn!” yoink
Sounded like you can literally take over the controller remotely of a friend playing? Very interesting.
Apparently you can hijack control of friends games remotely.
Browse live games of your friends, join their games as you’re watching them play.
Major advance on the social media front with making sharing video/screenshots easier. Nice to know it’ll be easier to share such things.
big note: the decompression / compression is HARDWARE, not software.
First look of the PlayStation store. Seamless uploading of gameplay.
Always on video compression/decompression.
Told you- social is going to be huge
Okay, thankfully we can now download in the background.
Digital titles playable as they’re being downloaded. Nice!
Seconadry chip that manages processing, like downloads.
Suspend/resume a fantastic idea. Love it on portables, will love it on a home console.
Brilliant.
Looks like sony is aware how much people dislike waiting to play games.
Suspend/Resume with a push of a button.
“We wanted the platform to be consumer oriented, with a premium on ease of use.”
Tackling user experience now.
Right off the bat, new IP. Nice.
The Knack demo is…conflicting. What tone is this game going for?
It’s called “Knack,” not Mac.
I’m sure it’s all running in real-time though.
Sony proceeds to show off their graphical cabapilities with…a cell-shaded game?
Game footage is showing a small robot fighting goblins.
Cute, Pixar looking game, about a robot called Mac.
Physics demo below uses 1×10^6 objects
Running a “million object processing simulation” all running on the GPU, not CPU
~1.84 teraflops, actually
PS4 memory will be GDDR5
“2 Teraflops of processing” damn.
‘In ps4, an extraordinarily easy conversion path from the PC.”
I hated the motion functionality of the PS3 controller. I’m not convinced turning the DS4 into a move wand is a good idea
Well, gorgeous graphics, no question there.
Unreal 4 Demo running in real time on the PS4. Looks pretty.
The use of the colored light bar is interesting. It’s like the move but without the strange golf ball.
Touchpad, light bar to determine player. And stereo camera.
There it is. A share button on the controller.
Enhanced rumble, reduced controller latency.
It’s slightly more refined David
The new controller, which most of us have seen already
And the new dual shock 4 looks almost exactly like the photos we’ve seen.
New controller is Dualshock 4.
8 gigs memory is a major jump. That’s always been a console bottleneck.
Live demos coming up.
8GB of RAM, not the 4GB preiously reported
Supercharged PC Architecture, and 8 GB RAM
Enhanced PC GPU
X86 CPU
“We were able to create in Ps4, a platform by game creators, for game creators”
“If devs are happy, we could unleash the creativity and innovation of newer games.”
Goals for Ps4 No. 1: Nothing comes between platform and the joy of play.
So, ecosystem change here cashes out to greater multifunctionality. Not a big surprise given the Netflix and general net capabilities we’ve been seeing.
Cell processor, he’s talking about you.
“The need to radically customize technology can harm development”
“PS3 Connects to a broad range of services”
“PS3 the top platform for netflix?”
Consoles were a single-purpose device.
Lead architecht is talking about how the PlayStation could simplify development. Oh, the irony.
Next up on the stage: lead system Architect on PS4, Mark Cerny
And there we go: this is officially a PS4 reveal
Lots of talk about “next generation technology”, “the future”, etc. Out with it, Sony!
I’d rather that original games were a huge part of next gen, but you’re probably right.
Social media will be a huge part of next gen, mark my words
“While we once had changed the gaming landscape, now the user is changing us.”
Here we go, talking about what the consumer expects from gaming now.
“Continue to unlock Vita’s potential.” You better get on that…
And we’ve opened with the vita.
“consumer centric, developer inspired, commitment to phenomenal game experiences”
Uh-oh, “social interaction”? Please no Facebook share buttons…
“ease of access regardless of device is a priority.”
He’s explaining how we can make social interactions streamlined
Simplified? Don’t Wii out on me, Sony.
Andrew House is walking on stage
Hey, I saw Parappa!
This sizzle reel just got a lot more EPIC.
Winning the war against reality sounds vaguely ominous, like it’s going to suck you into the TV or something.
Playstation wants to win the war, apparently.
As remixed by MSTRKRFT.
Nice, Metric’s Monster Hospital.
Okay, so the start of the presentation is a Metric song. I’m okay with this.
Sizzle reel begins.
Here we go!
This music is what would have happened if Daft Punk had fixated on saxophones instead of electic guitars. Altman be praised we don’t live in that universe.
SHHHHH IT’S STARTING
Kotaku pulled those numbers out of their butts
I think if they can get under $450, Sony will be fine for the cheapest model.
I imagine they’d pay attention to price point this time, yeah. Last time that bit them for a while.
I’ve heard $429 for the base model, $499 for more hard drive
ahhh, generic funk music.
Well, at least the cheapest model. I’m sure they’ll have several SKUs
Cue horrible saxophone music
If they price it above $400 the PS4 is dead in the water
ONE OF US ONE OF US
Still 2 or 3 minutes to go, but I’m strangely hypnotized by the pre-rendered Playstation graphic that’s repeating.
I’m guessing they’re going to push some kind of deeper interoperability with the Vita, and some limited WiiWare style action for small developers. Just pulling the latter out of thin air, but hey, that’s my bet.
Sam Raimi walks on stage to present Evil Dead: Necronomicon for Wonderbook. Comes with new peripheral that actually swallows your soul.
My prediction: Sony Exec walks on stage, announces Last Guardian on sale next week. What follows is a glorious excess of rainbows, unicorns and butterflies.
One thing I DON’T want to see: any kind of anti-used game, one user per disc nonsense.
Maybe J.K. Rowling will make a Wonderbook of her new book, to get that edgy adult market.
Of course this event is about what everybody is dying to hear- expanded Wonder Book support
Anyway, what predictions do you guys have? What would you like to see from Sony today?
Ok Sony, show me something good
3 hours of Vita coverage! Read: 3 hours of dead air.
Breanna here, in before Sony doesn’t actually tell us anything new.
Roger that Red 5, this is Jeff Burke, reporting in.
Victor Grunn here, waiting to see what Sony’s going to reveal to the world.
Welcome to the Gaming Trend liveblog. I’m David Roberts, your host. And I have a few people with me, if they’d like to introduce themselves.
Alright everyone, we’ve got less than 15 minutes for the #Playstation2013 event to start. Who’s excited?
