After taking a look at the history and trend that the previous Sony consoles have followed it is now time to consider a number of other factors that will influence the PS4 as well.
If one looks at the history of how Sony’s consoles have evolved over time one can clearly see them moving in the direction of providing more than just a gaming console but also a complete home entertainment solution.
Let us just clarify one thing at this point in time, the PlayStation 4 is likely to remain a gaming console primarily, yet one can expect the ‘entertainment’ functionality to receive a bit more attention than in previous iterations of the console.
First things first, one can continue to expect the PlayStation 4 to cater to the needs of every gamer. Unlike the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, which catered to the casual gamer and hardcore gaming demographic respectively, PlayStation always found a balance and managed to provide something for everyone. One can expect that trend to continue into the future as well.
As many who follow our coverage of the world of gaming know, there has been a change in Sony’s presidency as Kazuo Hirai was appointed the President of the company. This is significant because Mr. Hirai was the man in-charge of Sony Computer Entertainment, the division of the company responsible for PlayStation.
In fact, it was Mr. Hirai that introduced nearly every console that has come out of Sony and developed the PlayStation brand as well. With him in the top post at the company and with the experience that he has one can expect the PlayStation to become a major part of Sony’s long term plan.
One can almost picture the PlayStation 4 being marketed as a gaming console as well as a complete home entertainment system. It could be used as a HUB for all things Sony and every device could be synced with it.
For example, if one takes pictures from a Sony camera or records a movie, they can instantly sync it to the PS4 and display or share it. Music can be streamed from the console on to every Sony device as well as other content.
The groundwork for this seems to have already been laid as Sony Vaio laptops and Sony Ericsson phones have a PlayStation compatibility feature in place already. One can expect more of that with the next generation of products as well.
Also the fact that the PlayStation Network has been rebranded the Sony Entertainment Network also points towards a more unified service. Couple in the fact that the SEN also offers an expanding range of entertainment options and one can see that although gaming is the primary product, others are getting an increasing amount of attention as well.
Another thing one can expect from the PlayStation 4, which is related to gaming, is more attention given to motion control and 3D. The PlayStation Move was a great piece of technology yet it felt like an experiment more than anything. Sony will be aiming to hit the nail on the motion control head next time around.
All one can do for the time being is speculate, yet do not be surprised if the PlayStation 4 is more than just a gaming console when it is eventually unveiled by Sony.
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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