Ashley Reynolds, Staff Writer
On Feb. 21, Sony announced the upcoming release of its new gaming console, the Playstation 4.
The PS4 will be the first of the next generation of gaming consoles, joined by the yet-unannounced Xbox 720. It’s set to release in late 2013, just before the holiday rush.
The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise. Rumors of the Xbox 720 have been circulating for months, and many expected the press release for the new Xbox to come first.
The specs for the new system are impressive: an eight core CPU, high-speed memory, Blu-ray and DVD support, and HDMI output. The new controller has a touchpad, and the system will be able to track where the controller is in the room using the PS4 Eye, a Kinect-inspired camera that goes with the system. The Playstation network is also being improved, and social media is a priority. Gamers will be able to connect to Facebook and other sites to share their achievements while playing.
Most exciting is the PS4’s ability to connect to the Vita. The Vita is Playstation’s mobile gaming system. With the PS4, gamers will be able to stream the PS4 games directly onto their Vita.
Gaming companies are already developing games for the new system. Notably, Assassin’s Creed 4, which comes out Oct. 30, will be released for both PS3 and PS4.
So come holiday 2013, will we be seeing the new system around campus? Well, the cost of a new system is always hefty. Sony didn’t release a statement about the cost, but estimates are about 600 dollars. Other gamers are wary of purchasing a system after it first comes out. When the Xbox 360 was first released in 2005, the system had problems with the infamous “red ring of death,” which caused it to crash without warning. These gamers wait a year or two after the initial release for the glitches to work themselves out and the price to drop.
All the same, people are getting excited for the new system’s release. Some students are already saving up money to purchase the PS4 immediately after it becomes available. Expect excited gamers to be talking about the new system, gossiping about how it’ll compare to the Xbox 720, and posting about it to their Facebook pages.
