PlayStation 4 (English: PlayStation 4, or PS4 for short; Japanese: プレイステーション4?) is a video game platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 during a conference on February 20, 2013. It is the fourth video game system produced by Sony after the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 systems. The PlayStation 4 competes as an eighth-generation video game system with the video game system developed by Microsoft Xbox One and Wii U developed by Nintendo. The PlayStation 4 was launched in North America on November 15, 2013, November 29, 2013 in Europe and Australia, and December 14, 2013 in Saudi Arabia.
Unlike the PlayStation 3 with a Cell processor, the PlayStation 4 uses an AMD processor based on the X86-64 instruction set, whose goal is to facilitate the process of developing video games on the platform, unlike the Cell processor, which many developers faced problems in exploiting its capabilities due to the difficulty of developing using it. The new processor attracted a wider group of developers. These changes highlight Sony's efforts to improve upon lessons learned during the development, production, and release of the PlayStation 3. Other notable hardware pieces include 8GB of unified GDDR5 memory, a faster Crystal Drive, and dedicated chips for audio, video, and background processing. Sony has developed functions forks to the fourth generation, which will include the improved Sixaxis motion sensor. In addition to a place to sense the movement of the fingers on the front side of the control hand, which will add a more interactive element during the game. It includes an internal vocal mic in the DualShock. And a rear exit to connect the headphones, in order to deliver a new experience to the player by hearing special sounds from the control hand that are different from what is heard on the TV screen. The SELECT and START button was replaced by OPTIONS, and the SHARE button was added, which allows players to save clips or images of their games in the device and live broadcast their games that they play on Internet broadcasting services such as Ustream and Twitch.
The PlayStation 4 contains new services that were not available in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, such as the PlayStation application on Android and iOS. The app allows gamers to see what their friends are playing and view their profiles or recent activity. In addition, they will be able to chat with friends and receive notifications, alerts, and invitations to play a game. Also using Android and iOS as a keyboard to appear on the PlayStation 4 screen. The application also provides users with the ability to browse the PlayStation Store and learn about the latest games. And the PlayStation Now service, which enables you to play PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2 games using tablets, mobile phones, and TV screens from Bravia and Samsung. And the “Remote Play” service, which allows owners of the PlayStation Vita and Xperia devices to play PlayStation 4 games on their devices without the PlayStation 4.
Date
Mark Cerny, the main designer of the device, confirmed that he had started working on the device in 2008. That is, two years after the launch of the PlayStation 3 in the market, the launch date of the PlayStation 3 was delayed due to production issues. This is what made Sony delay the device and issue a year after Microsoft's Xbox 360. This delay caused Microsoft to sell 10 million units of the Xbox 360 until the PlayStation 3 was released. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO Jim Ryan said that by announcing the new device, Sony wanted to avoid repeating the same mistake it made when it was delayed in issuing Playstation 3.
The official announcement of the device was made during a conference held by Sony at the "Hammerstein Hall" in New York City on February 20, 2013, under the title The Future of the Playstation. During this conference, the PlayStation 4 was announced, and Sony talked about the features of the new device and reviewed the games scheduled to be released on this new device. It presented some presentations and video clips of some of the most important video games that will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 system, but it did not announce the shape of the device and some The important details. In June 2013, during the E3 conference, Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation 4 format and important features. And Sony announced during the E3 conference exclusive games for the PlayStation 4, and that there will be no restrictions on used games, as you can sell your games to others or lend them to your friends and dispose of them at your convenience and even you can copy the disc. Also, it is not possible to play on the network through the PlayStation 4 except by subscribing to the PlayStation Plus network service. Also, the PlayStation 4 does not require internet connection nor any kind of account authentication, not even needing to connect at least once in 24 hours as is the case with the Xbox One. And announced that the price of the device will be $ 399, which is a lower price than expected, especially after Microsoft announced that the price of its device will be $ 499.
launch
Sony announced that the price of the PlayStation 4 is 399 US dollars and 399 euros. It was released on November 15, 2013, in North America, and November 29, 2013, in Europe and Australia. And Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will not be launched in Japan until 2014 because the content currently available is not suitable for the Japanese market, and the date of its launch in Japan was announced on February 22, 2014. Sony also announced that it will launch the PlayStation 4 in China starting from 11 January 2014, after a 14-year ban imposed by China on gaming hardware companies. Sony planned to sell its device at $ 468 in China, which is higher than the $ 400 price of the device in North America. This was not a major obstacle for Sony, but the biggest challenge was the severe content censorship applied in China. And under censorship in China, any game that Sony wants to provide inside the country must obtain a license to do so, which will limit the number of games available on the platform. Sony promised to work hard to provide a large number of games, and has already applied for licensing 30 games.
Country release date
November 15, 2013 Canada, United States
November 29, 2013 Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
December 13, 2013 Bahrain, Bolivia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay
December 17, 2013 Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea
December 18, 2013 Taiwan
December 19, 2013 Singapore
December 20, 2013 Malaysia
6 January 2014 India
January 9, 2014 Indonesia
January 14, 2014 Thailand, Philippines
February 22, 2014 Japan
March 20, 2015 China
2014 Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine
The Middle East
During Sony's press conference at the GAMES13 conference event held in Dubai, Sony announced that the official PlayStation 4 launch date in the Middle East will be on December 13, 2013. Sony stated that the price of the device in the United Arab Emirates will be 1699 AED. Thus, the Middle East region is the third region in which the device is launched, after America and Europe, and before Japan. Sony also held a conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the Gamers Day exhibition. Prince Muhammad bin Khalid Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of Al-Faisaliah Group, Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Robert Visser, President of Sony Middle East, attended the conference. Jim Ryan confirmed their interest in Arabizing the PlayStation and that the players' demands reached them, but he did not set a specific date for that due to the technical difficulties that come with the Arabic language. He then mentioned that there will be cooperation between Modern Electronic Company and Sony Computer Entertainment to deliver content dedicated to the region. Prince Muhammad bin Khalid revealed that the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 have sold more than 3.5 million devices in Saudi Arabia, adding that there are more than one million Saudi accounts in the PlayStation Store. The launch date of the PlayStation 4 in Saudi Arabia was revealed on December 13, 2013, corresponding to 2/10/1435 AH, for 1799 riyals. The games that accompanied the release of the PlayStation 4 in the Middle East are the same games that were released in the global market, such as Drive Club, Calzone: Shadow Fall, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and FIFA 15
During the Games 14 event, which was held in Dubai, Sony announced in the Middle East that support for the Arabic language for the PlayStation 4 platform will come through update 2.0, and the Arabic language will cover the entire user interface system, including the on-screen keyboard. It also announced that both Drive Club and Little Big Planet 3 will include support for the Arabic language. It was updated on October 28, 2014 AD.