PS4 Discussion

[AGSys]

I heard people are getting banned on XBL for excessive swearing and inappropriate language. And also for swearing on Skype calls with friends and stuff. Yeah apparently the Kinect listens to your convos and reports them to Microsoft and they check up what you say or something to that effect. So I guess free speech is a goner on there. I've noticed, there aren't nearly as many irritating pre teens on PSN funnily enough, seeing as it used to be free. Do you guys think Sony will start doing something to this extent in the future?

[vincoof]

Microsoft could have done that before. Kinect just made it easier. In the end it all depends on what you find acceptable in a conversation. Moderation has always taken place in our world. You can not swear on the street, nor you can swear on the forums over the Internet. Why would it be allowed to swear using VoIP ?

As for Sony, it will be a bit more complicated since the PS systems don’t have a microphone by default (read as: unlike XBO which provides Kinect to everyone) but if they have the chance to do something similar they will do it. AFAIK today you can already get your PSN account banned for inappropriate text messages. Using audio is simply the next step in this regard.

[AGSys]

EDIT: http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forum/sho...543#post230543

I don't want to go too off topic. Also, I heard about this a few months ago; that the game-trading DRM was making a sneaky return. Anyone know about this? I can't seem to find out anything else.

[Colonel]

Does anybody have any news regarding MP3 / DVD / USB functionality? My phone contract is up in a couple of months, and this issue will be the main factor in whether I use my new contract to get a PS4 or a badass phone.

[blackwiggle]

Colonel you might as well consider the PS4 as a upgraded PS2.
That's ATM..... it has little to no relevance to what sort of internet speed / usage you have ATM.
The PS4 has NO MP3/ video playing ability as does the PS3.
It's strictly a "Gaming Console"

If and when Sony's game streaming starts [as bought from Geneki ] that might change.
This is the most likely way of backward compatibility for the PS4.

BUT.
Judging from trials done in Japan regarding streaming ..... well basically, it was a None Event.
The Japanese kids just ignored it in droves.

Which in effect does NOT bade well for the PS4 in the long run, as all multimedia usage [like the PS3 has] have basically been dropped on the PS4.

Sony has bet the house on streaming ALL content, be it games / music / video, eventually being the future.[Dreaming]

Computer says NO! COUGH!

I'm in no hurry to buy one.
I could of today, but ....meh ... why bother, there are NO PS4 games I want to play, and reports from those I know that have PS4's say they are pretty much sitting idle, as the first release games are either glitch ridden or a "Rushed Product", ultimately a less than brilliant gaming experience.

There is a rather more insidious way Sony is trying to manipulate gamers.
The fact that Sony will only "Officially" support HD's of 750GB MAX.
If you have installed a HD larger than that and suddenly have you console brick on you, Sony support will ask, "What size HD have you installed?",.... 1TB [insert larger HD], sorry Sony System Support does not support HD's over 750GB.

[You can ONLY find this as a "Recommended MAX HD size" at Sony's PS sites worldwide], NOWHERE does it state that Sony will not support larger HD's.
Something people only find out when their console dies.

Secondly, since the games are of a larger size for the PS4 than the PS3, and all PS4 games NEED to be loaded ONTO the HD before you play them, then obviously the PS4's HD is going to get filled very quickly.
Now the PS4 has two USB 3 ports.
It would be quite easy for Sony to allow a external USB3 HD to be registered [Like a PSP or VITA device ] to be only usable via the PS4 it was registered to, and allow extra storage.
But NO, Sony has vetoed that.

What are the options?
Delete your game to create free HD space?
Can't see that being popular

So the only obvious conclusion to that state of affairs is, that SONY intend to create a "Cloud Storage" ... obviously at a paid rate.

Yeah, Good luck with that Sony.

[Colonel]

All good points there BW. Aside from how I feel Sony have behaved regarding MP3 / DVD / home media servers, there are practicle implications to consider. I don't want to have to keep swapping HDMI leads, ethernet cables etc. every time I want to listen to some of my music or watch a DVD.

If these issues were resolved before April, I would probably get a PS4 and just use the PS3 for playing HD. But at the moment it feels like I'd be buying a product that is inferior in so many ways. Plus the only game I'm really bothered about is Driveclub, so I'm buying a £350 console for one game.

I got my PS3 with a phone contract just under four years ago, and it has been worth its weight in gold. Just for the 1500 odd hours of HD it's been more than worth it. But we also use it every day without fail to watch movies and listen to music, with the TV it's the centre of our living room.

Two years ago I used my contract to get a Vita. That's not been anywhere near as useful, in fact I've barely touched it to be honest. I played 2048 for a while, I've got two or three other games on it, but I find myself wondering why I didn't just get a really good phone instead.

Now that my next contract is coming up, I really don't want to mess it up. I don't like Sony's "pay us to do what you did for free before" attitude to movies and music, and baring in mind the considerable backlash from customers when they announced it, what's the bloody hold up? MP3 / DVD / USB functionality should have been in the first firmware update, but several months later nothing, and no official news of when it will happen.

They seem to be deliberately dragging their heels to make people sign up to their streaming services.

[JustinCase]

I plan to get the PS4 but rather in a few months. Right now there's just one game I want to play, that is Killzone. I just don't see the point to get a new console just to play one game. Besides what really pisses me off is that the PS4 is not backwards compatible and that it doesn't support audio CDs. I know, CDs are a thing of the past but in my living room I wanna have just one device to handle all my multimedia needs and now I should keep the PS3 and get a PS4... Don't see the point to keep my old console just to play CDs and old games. Shame on you Sony . The PS4 is great but definitely could be even better.

[blackwiggle]

I use my PS3 much the same as you do Colonel.
All my HDMI stuff is plugged into my surround amp, with one HDMI going to the TV and the other to the Projector.
Before I had this surround amp, I used to use a small HDMI switch unit that are easily bought at any electronics store.

Sony have always said that the PS4 was a addition to the PS3, I don't think you will be seeing MP3/DVD/ USB functionality ever coming to the PS4.
The only PS4 system updates you will see would be to fix things like being able to see when your friends were last signed into the PSN, and drivers for the new Virtual Reality headset Sony is bringing out, and the addition of Sony NOW, which is what Sony is calling it's streaming service.

I built and used a HTPC many years ago, it was a Pentium 4 and rather noisy in summer with the fans running full blast, so I ended removing it from the lounge room and using it for other duties.
Now days, with Intels new Haswell 4th gen i series chips, they need much less power and so less heat = less fan noise [they have been optimized to need less power for Laptop use]
Intel's integrated graphics, means you don't need a graphic card to play video, [A mid range i5 cpu can easily playback 4k video at 60hz]
So it's now very easy to have a quiet and powerful HTPC sitting in your lounge room that could have unlimited storage, play back any sort of media file you throw at it, and operate it via a Android or Apple app on your phone.
In fact pretty much any mid range i5 based laptop could do the job [just run from the mains all the time], then add a external USB3 HD and your choice of media playback software [PowerDVD for BluRay playback] and your done.

Just the very things the PS4 can't do, and deliberately designed that way, tell you what direction Sony is heading.

Streaming of all Music/Video content at a inferior quality level to what is otherwise available [Discs], through a convoluted and bug ridden and slow purchase and acquisition system, at the vastly inflated prices of the PStore and not giving you the ability to add storage to keep your purchases at hand, leaving you only one option, that of charging you to store your purchases in the cloud.
People just want to be able to just press a button and watch / Play something, not having to log on, sign in to a streaming service, wait for the stream to commence and watch at a lower resolution than you get from terrestrial free to air TV.
That's assuming that your internet connection is up to it, and you have a big enough download limit to use the service in the first place.

There is innovation and adaptation.
Sony used to be all about innovation, it's lost that, and the original PS was probably it last truly great product.
Becoming so huge, Sony have become a Juggernaut, and the result is that once it is steered in one direction, it can't quickly adapt.
Buying Gaikai streaming might of seemed like a good idea for Sony at the time, as a way to get into a possible new way of delivering media/ gaming content.
The problem is that I can't really see people wanting it, let alone paying for it, when today's tech savvy kids, who Sony are aiming this stuff at, can freely download the same content plus more from a Bit Torrent site, hours after it is first show elsewhere in the world.
The only people that are probably worried are the Pay TV providers, if only for the PS4's install base.

Here is a interesting bit of info from a Music Industry perspective.
Basically, the only places where streaming has taken off is where the download market didn't get started.
http://musicindustryblog.wordpress.c...-of-streaming/