Sony PlayStation 4 Features, Design, Games & Release

In Techlab

Sony is certainly in competition with Microsoft to bring up its next generation gaming console to the market. When the PlayStation 3 was released five years ago, it was sold out in almost every store, and as of June 31, 2011 there were more than 51 million units sold.

The competition gets tougher and intense in the video game market, and Sony is preparing itself for the release of PlayStation 4. In fact, while the PlayStation 4 is currently getting its treatment, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6 are in the early stages of planning and conceptualization at Sony’s R&D labs.

The world eagerly waits for the next generation PlayStation 4 sported with hi-tech gaming features and latest technologies. Gamers are not just expecting the PS 4 to have a combination of motion and dual-shock controllers, but also 3D gaming experience. There’s no reason why one should not expect what the next version of PS 4 will contain, since technology has advanced widely and effectively.

PlayStation 4 Features and Specifications

The Sony PlayStation 4 is said to be made of eco-friendly materials. The gaming console is expected to be made up to 60% of recyclable materials. Apart from that, it will also have a “Eco Start” feature, which will allow gamers to save and resume games, without having to switch off the console.

Additionally, it is choreographed to switch off every 30 minutes of no activity. The interesting part is that during this time, the console will self-charge automatically from a rechargeable cell. This not only saves energy, but also maintains and extends the life of the console.

Although the device is blended with eco-friendly features, it certainly needs those specifications which are essentially required for any hardcore gamers. The PlayStation 4 is expected to sport a 1.5 TB hard disk drive, which allows users to store a large number of games. It will have USB 3.0 ports along with an HDMI connect port.

The Sony PlayStation 4 will have full 3D support with 4K2K compatibility, and supports 3D Blu-Ray. It is enabled to synchronize with Sony Ericson, and also synchronize with the Sony Bravia. The Sony Entertainment Network (SEN), formerly called Qriocity, will also be included in the console.

In terms of CPU, the current PS 3 uses a cell based processor with 1 PPE (Power Processing Element) at 3.2 GHz. We are expecting the PS4 to have 32nm 8 Core Cell processor with 16 SPEs, along with a 22nm Kepler. We are also expecting the console to have a boatload of RAM, with at least minimum of 2GB RAM.

Diablo III to be released in early 2012

In The Telegraph

Blizzard today announced that Diablo III won't be released until 'early 2012' in order to extend their beta test. The date, slightly later than fans had hoped for, was today announced in a press release.

"With every game we make, the temptation is always very strong to launch as soon as possible. However, we didn't put so many years of work into Diablo III to release a game that was almost ready," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "The beta test is going very well, and we look forward to making the most of the extra time we're taking to deliver an experience that lives up to our vision for the game and the expectations of our players. Next year is going to be an incredibly busy one for Blizzard, and we hope an incredibly fun one for Blizzard gamers."

The release date does mean the game will miss the Christmas shopping window but it does give developer Blizzard time for additional testing phases and to potentially open the game up to more testers.

Fifa 12 available to download

In The Telegraph

Fifa 12 will be downloadable from 5pm BST on 24th September for all EA Season Ticket holders 6 days before it's release to shops.

EA today announced that customers signed up to their Season Ticket initiative will be able to download Fifa 12 on Xbox Live and PSN as well as taking part in an exclusive EA Sports Football Club Challenge.

The challenge in question sees you thrust into the action, playing as Chelsea 3-1 down to Manchester United in their recent Premier League match. You job is to re-write history and claw back a win for the Londoners. Admittedly not a mouth watering prospect if you happen to be a United supporter. If you do succeed you will be generously rewarded with personal XP, giving you an early points bonus in the Support Your Club rankings. Fifa 12's first Football Club Challenge will only be available until the retail release of the game so get in there fast. Just one warning, Fifa 12 is a big download so it will take approximately 5 hours to download.

Having an EA Season Ticket will also get you free access to Creation Centre for Fifa 12, allowing you to create your own players, teams, leagues and for the first time, career mode. In addition to this, a Season Ticket gets you a 20% discount on all downloadable content for FIFA 12 as well as other EA SPORTS games.

EA Season Tickets cost 2100 Microsoft Points (around £17.13), here's how to get yours:

Step 1: Install the EA SPORTS App, then launch it by selecting “Play Game” from your Game Library.

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Step 2: The EA SPORTS App counts down to the Early Release availability in real-time, starting seven days before retail availability. Note that the exact day and time varies per region.

Step 3: When the countdown timer reaches zero, the menu will update with a “Download” option. You will need to confirm the download from the Xbox 360 Guide.

Step 4: If you have not already purchased an EA SPORTS Season Ticket you will be prompted to purchase before you can download an Early Release game.

Step 5: Once you have started the Early Release download, you can exit the EA SPORTS App without interrupting the download. Just don’t power off your Xbox 360 or disconnect from Xbox LIVE. Be aware that other actions (e.g. attempting to play a different game) might pause the download.

Step 6: Once the Early Release finishes downloading you can launch it from your Game Library.

Step 7: Once an Early Release has been made available for download, the EA SPORTS App menu updates to count down the time remaining before that Early Release becomes unavailable for download.

Playstation Vita Demoed at Tokyo Games Show

In The Telegraph

PlayStation Vita was demoed at Tokyo Games Show yesterday, with President of Sony's Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida showing off some of the handheld console's new features. Yoshida demonstrated how Vita can be used to play PlayStation 3 games remotely. As well, Sony's newest handheld device offers cross-platform play between PS3 and Vita gamers.

Playing Killzone 3, Yoshida showed why the Vita is being so hotly anticipated ahead of it's release. Overall it ran smoothly, with only two small glitches. The console which will be sold in Japan with a price tag of 24,980 yen (£206), has the ability to be used to play in a co-op mode with PS3 players. Along with another Sony representative, Yoshida played Little Big Planet 2, demonstrating the unique interaction the PS Vita brings to the market. In the keynote, the Sony team also exhibited the Vita's remote video capabilities, streamed live from the PS3. Allowing the user to watch video content wirelessly on the Vita without the need to buy cartridges, as was on the PSP.

Trying to distance themselves from the likes of Nintendo's much cheaper 3DS, Sony told how the Vita can be used to share data with the PS3 via the cloud. Along with the console, 26 new software titles are due to be released. However don't get too excited as the device, due to be released in Japan on December 17th, still has no date for the US and European release.

Football Manager 2012 will be released this October

In The Telegraph

The release date for Football Manager 2012 was confirmed on the game's official blog. Forthcoming posts will detail new content, improvements in the game, as well as demo screens and videos. Nearer the time of the launch, a demo will be made released through the blog, providing eager fans with access to a trial version of the game and the ability to continue straight on from their last saved point once they buy the full version.

Football Manager 2012 will include over 800 new features, imbuing the game with more realism by facilitating greater scope in transfer negotiations, including loyalty bonuses similar to those seen in the Cesc Fabregas deal), an adaptive new interface, improvements in their 3D match animations and a new tool which allows players to vary their conversational tone to add emotion to transactions.

This all means the game itself will require greater tactical skill and attention to detail, so luckily there is also a new stand-alone tutorial feature allowing inexperienced players to get to grips with it. All these new changes and more will be discussed in further detail in forthcoming entries on the Football Manager 2012 blog.

The game is available to pre-order here.