As the world is still reeling from Sony announcing the PS4 during yesterday’s PlayStation Meeting 2013, there are still a number of questions left to be answered regarding the launch of the system, and what will they have left for E3. With that, the Daily Reaction crew of Seb and Dan discuss Sony’s future plans for the year’s biggest event, and why timing could determine the winner of the next console war.
Dan: During the PlayStation Meeting yesterday, there were a number of key things left out on Sony’s part that had everyone wondering why wasn’t everything covered? The answer is simple, we still have a long way until the PS4 launches, and Sony cannot use up all of their cards on their first move. Microsoft has still yet to announce the successor to the Xbox 360, and Sony knows that while they have made the first move, they will still have to maintain relevance as the year winds along. This leaves Sony with the challenge of trying to compete with MS during the most publicized gaming industry event in the world, E3, this June 11th to 13th.
While the PS4 actually being announced is obviously one of the biggest portions building hype for a new system, the details surrounding the launch are really what people are hoping to find out – namely the release date, price, and even what it looks like. All of these factors were purposefully left out of Sony’s conference, and logic suggests that they are going to wait until E3 to unveil them. This would allow Sony to not only gauge interest in the new hardware concepts, but also determine if some factors need to be cut out. Much like when the PS3 was first unveiled, which was shown off with two HDMI ports, and 6 USB ports, that were later taken out when the console was seen again. And then there’s the infamous boomerang controller, which had such a negative response that Sony decided to go back to the original controller design. This gap in time not only generates a lot of buzz, but also gives them the ability to see how people respond to the changes before they are set in stone.
As the year goes on, Sony will not simply step back into the shadows with their new toy, the numerous industry events that are leading up to the big show (E3) are going to be filled with outlooks on how the industry will move forward. As motion seems to be a big portion of what the PS4 is going to be focused on, the tech surrounding the DualShock 4’s integrated light strip, in conjunction with the PS4 Eye, will require a number of sales pitches to get developers on board. This leaves Sony to probably push motion controls during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), as it is the best location to show off the technical prowess of their new kit, as well as get developers curious of its potential. At the same time, much like with what we saw with Square-Enix, and Epic, engines are going to have to be constructed to run these games, so Sony will have more than enough to keep the buzz going until we see their next big push during E3.
Seb: Yeah, GDC is certainly going to be filled with trailers and details regarding game engines for the PS4 to get developers pumped. And, just like how the Move was announced at GDC, the new controller and camera will be there to try and convince developers that this is something worth investing in.
As we then lead into E3, Sony has a habit of announcing a few games right before the show (sometimes too many, not leaving enough for E3) to help build excitement. And then at E3 itself, we’ll obviously see a ton of new games. Don’t expect to see anything concrete from Naughty Dog this soon – their Uncharted 3 team hasn’t had enough time just yet, and they don’t want to overshadow The Last of Us, which is out right after E3. At most, we’ll get a brief teaser of Drake, but not much more.
Sony Santa Monica will have released God of War Ascension by then, and their second team will finally be able to come out into the light. They’ve been hiring for a new IP since 2011, which needs devs with shooter and vehicular combat experience, and will feature magic. Back in 2012, we said that Stig Asmussen was working on it, and now The Stig has turned up in a PS4 developer vid… We have yet to see a killer new IP for the PS4, and I think this could be it.
2nd party dev Zindagi Games is working on a next gen game for 2013, and will almost certainly make use of the PS4 Eye and the PS Move. I’m guessing a new Sports Champions, but with a twist.
Sony London have something big up their sleeves, but we don’t know what. I just hope it’s not more Eyepet. Supermassive Games are doing a PS4 game, but it might be a little early for that. Polyphony Digital? I’d love to believe it, but with Drive Club coming out in the launch window, I think that shows that their bigger hyper-realistic racer franchise is a little ways off. The Last Guardian? No.
Then, of course, there’ll be a better look at Killzone, Knack, inFamous and Drive Club, as well as probably a new Uncharted game from Sony Bend for Vita, except this time it’ll have online multiplayer. I think Sony will finally drop the Vita price at E3, because they really need to kick-start some momentum for the poor thing. Another thing to look forward to will be the Killzone Vita-Killzone PS4 integration.
For hardware, there’ll be the console at last, of course, the PS4 Eye (with a better name) and the very final DualShock 4. Hopefully we’ll also get more concrete news on Gaikai, as a lot of it was up in the air. Finally, there’ll be the PS4 release date for the US and Japan, with Europe’s ‘saved’ for gamescom.
Microsoft will be showing off the new Xbox, probably for the first time. That will get them a lot of attention, so Sony needs to bring the big guns to the show and, luckily, I think they will.
What do you think Sony will show off at E3 2013? Will Sony have to announce a price before the event? Will Microsoft overshadow the PS4 if they unveil a console at E3? What questions do you want answered at E3? Let us know in the comments below, or follow us on Twitter at Seb and Dan as we continue to fill up our servers with Kaz pics.
