With Gamescom kicking off this week in Cologne, Germany, a lot of companies are going all out with presentations and news announcements to prepare for the next-generation of gaming. Sony was no exception, as its press conference had plenty of PlayStation 4-oriented information to get people excited.
Sony started talking about PlayStation 3 and Gran Turismo 6. A new video presentation showed the amount of detail that Polyphony Digital has in mind for the game, with realistic physics and souped-up cars. The game has a release date of December 6th. It also briefly touched upon the Gran Turismo film, which is currently in pre-production.
LittleBigPlanet Hub was announced, a new service that will launch later this year. No word yet on which platform, but the PlayStation 3 seems likely. It will feature a number of community features, and will be free-to-play.
After talking briefly about Grand Theft Auto V – including the forthcoming console bundle and the special Pulse headset – the Vita took center stage, with new game Megapacks announced – for Europe at the moment, though U.S. releases are likely to follow. There will also be a price drop of $199 taking effect for the system, starting tomorrow. This includes all models. Memory cards will also go down in price.
The subject then turned to Vita games in general. Along with the forthcoming Killzone: Mercenary and Tearaway, as well as the re-confirmed port of Borderlands 2, a new animated adventure game called Murasaki Baby was introduced, with gloomy environments and touch-screen interaction. Big Fest was also unveiled, a free-to-play game where you put together your own music festival. A community video for the Vita then ran, with several developers talking about the ease of making games for the system.
Focus shifted to PlayStation 4, with Mark Cerny taking the stage to talk about its development. From there, indie gaming was discussed, with such titles as Rogue Legacy, N++, Fez and Shidosha confirmed for both the Vita and PlayStation 4. A new game called Volume was shown, due for release on the PS4 in 2014. The first-person shooter Guns of Icarus Online is also due for the console, but doesn’t have a release date. Finally, Vlambeer’s Wasteland Kings and Hotline Miami II are on the way to both systems next year.
Teams from around the world have contributions for the PS4 as well. Thechineseroom’s Rapture looks impressive, even from its brief trailer, as does Tequila Works’ adventure game, Rime. Swedish developer Arrowhead Shooters introduced Helldivers, a new action game that will be cross-play compatible, not only for PS Vita and PlayStation 4, but PS3 as well. Housemarque, the creators of the Super Stardust games, will return to PS4 with more arcade-style shooting with Resogun, with side-scrolling elements and huge explosions. A revamped version of the classic Shadow of the Beast is also on the way.
AAA titles then took the focus for the show, starting with the debut of a new Infamous: Second Son trailer, and continuing with new multiplayer footage from Killzone: Shadow Fall.
Different services will appear on PlayStation 4, including Twitch.tv, with others planned as well. Music Unlimited will make use of the console, with a faster and easier interface, spanning across 22 million tracks.
PlayStation Plus is set to have a huge presence on the PS4. Along with the previously promised free version of DriveClub coming to the service and Housemarque’s Resogun, a free 14 day trial will be available to all PS4 owners.
A demonstration for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag then took place, focusing on the newly implemented Remote Play features on the PS Vita. The demo looks quite good, and utilizes the Vita’s touch-screen set-up. A small trailer for the exclusive PS3/PS4 level in the game, which features the returning Aveline, was also shown. A Watch Dog showcase followed, with a debut trailer. It will also have exclusive content on the Sony consoles, including four new missions.
Sony then announced that Mojang’s Minecraft is a PS4 launch title, as well as a free-to-play aerial combat game called War Thunder.
Andrew House closed the press conference. He confirmed that gamers who purchase titles on PS3 – including Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts – will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 4 versions at a discounted price.
Finally, House reconfirmed the $399 price for the system, and announced that the console has already reached one million pre-orders worldwide. He then confirmed its release date – November 15th for the U.S. market. Time to get those pre-orders in.
The conference then drew to a close. A lot of great information here, and we now know when Sony’s next-generation push will officially begin.
