Thrik

You'll be able to stream PS1–3 games in 2014 onwards. Sony acquired Gaikai some time ago for this, which is basically OnLive but technologically better. It is essentially the holy grail of backwards compatibility assuming they can get the content library nice and big, as the same service could continue to be available on the PS5, PS6, ad infinitum.

Not to mention the games that either never come out on PC or do so significantly later. Actually that's probably it more than anything: being able to play gorgeous-looking exclusives. I still play cutting-edge PC games like Battlefield, although my PC upgrades are about as frequent as new console generations so my performance ends up shitty more often than not. Also I prefer playing most games on a TV and don't get on with sofa-based keyboards and mice, so I tend to just use my PC for situations where I just can't tolerate not having the utmost accuracy (ie: multiplayer shooters).

Graphics. Sweet, sweet graphics.

Someone who isn't me should definitely try it.

Yep, I'm dripping. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UMyoCr2MnpM Despite my earlier concerns Kiefer's voice is growing on me. It was harder to tell in the earlier short trailer but in this one he speaks more and he's clearly adopted a gruffer voice and an adjusted accent to sound a bit more like classic Snake.

I meant after downloading, as unlike with a disc install you can just leave it doing that in the background. Although I am hoping a much better architecture will be going live to support the masses of shares videos and such that'll be going on.

While we're on the subject of hard drives, an important thing to remember about the PS4 (and the PS3 for that matter) is that you can replace the hard drive with any laptop grade drive you like. Not only does that mean you can put a faster drive than the stock one in there like me, but you can even stick a mother fuckin' SSD in there if you have the cash. Obviously that won't make installations any faster unless you download the games. But with such obscene amounts of memory being used for next-gen games I imagine speeding up the process of getting stuff from the hard drive into the RAM will have an appreciable effect on loading up levels, etc at the very least. Maybe an SSD would make Deus Ex: Human Revolution's loading times less horrifying.

Looks like I missed a video that went up a few months ago showing the PS4's UI and non-gaming features a bit more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SvHft2UJrGY There's some pretty smart shit: Ability to play games while they download Always-on video recording like that NVIDIA thing announced recently Twitch-like streaming of your game in a chat room, with ability to take over the player's controller to help them Full integration with tablets, phones, computers, etc Pre-downloading of games and DLC the console thinks you might want, so when you purchase there's no waiting I really like the idea of how integrated this is with other platforms. Being able to easily share stuff on forums and stuff is a great thing, rather than it all being locked up in the console's ecosystem. I've used the PS3's screenshot feature a bunch of times but it feels so pointless when it's all stuck on my PS3. Being able to share not videos, statuses and screenshots while I'm playing, etc is something I can see myself doing, especially if it can hook into Facebook and Twatter. It could end up being a really popular new gaming-focused 'blog' platform if they get the web-based stuff right.

Yeah, GameSpot got confirmation of this. While it's a small downer in a sea of awesomeness from Sony, it kind of makes sense because it seems impossible for Sony to truly support online infrastructure such as the dedicated servers things like Destiny will inevitably need otherwise. It also sounds like they've invested a lot in the infrastructure of their online stuff in general.

Time to die.

Boy, this IKEA shit is hard-going. The desk was a bastard to build. Computer room is now up and running, although one half of the room will remain unphotographed for that's where all the boxes and junk are until I buy some kind of cupboard to put them in. I've temporarily enlisted one of my balcony chairs as a computer chair, but now I've been sitting in it I'm actually really liking the feel, great back support! Tempted to grab a third one for permanent use in here. Now the next big task: building a whole new PC to replace this one which is still limping on from 2007. Jeez.

Exactly, that's what I thought we were doing in this thread. Then Pony, you came along and started going on about how companies have the right to do whatever they want even though I don't think anyone was really disputing that point in the first place. It's almost like you were angry that we were criticising Microsoft's actions because they have the right to do whatever they want. Flaunting your economics degree like we're all dullards who have no right discussing such a topic was the straw that instantly destroyed my desire to talk to you any more. But I've slept since then. I was merely clarifying that, actually, in Europe they don't — I'm pretty sure companies have some (though apparently less) restrictions on how they operate in the Americas too. Beyond that I have no real interest in debating the deeper economics involved, because that's not going to change the reality of things. Whether such policies are good for the economy is not something I care about, because I guess unlike an economics student I prize people not being screwed over by corporations above a flawless economy. To be clear though, I'm not a believer in companies having free reign to impose whatever terms they wish, the same way I don't believe in unrestricted contracts. In many situations people are at the mercy of companies' terms, and 'don't buy anything from them' isn't a practical approach to take in many cases unless you want to live like a hippie. When corporations work together to make things as cushy for themselves as possible — which is seemingly happening in the games industry as we speak — you either abstain from that entire sector or make do with it. Same for internet companies, etc. You know what'd happen if companies were truly allowed to put into place whatever rules they want? Every contract, EULA, or whatever in the world would have the most obnoxiously anti-consumer terms and the masses would end up just accepting it. Case in point: the anti-consumer bullshit Microsoft is attempting right now. Despite the incredible backlash, guess how many people will end up going with it anyway? You guessed it: most. It's a seller's market: people really want to play games. As far as I'm concerned, reasonable restrictions on agreements and contracts are a good thing and I'm delighted that Europe gets to benefit from them. Things such as a guaranteed seven-day return window on purchases, the ability to resell things you've bought (not leased or rented, obviously), the right to a refund on things that were mis-sold, a minimum warranty period, etc — there are things that should be required of companies. Any other shit they make up, fair enough. But a basic set of rules that protect consumers' interests is something I absolutely endorse. Even with these things in place, companies try and be total assholes in Europe. I don't know about living in, say, the US but I can't imagine that it's better over these because of an absence of these requirements. Maybe companies end up more profitable and you never know that might even have an effect on the economy, but the real cost is paid by consumers. Literally in this case, because their ability to resell their games to offset purchase costs will be significantly impaired.

I don't know if it's some kind of schtick but you're coming off as incredibly arrogant to me. I'm really not keen on arguments where the other party is constantly resorting to profanity and borderline insulting comments so I'm just going to step out here. We clearly have vastly different views on how laws should work in terms of business/consumer relationships.

Perhaps in the Americas, but in Europe the right to resell is a very real thing and not just a concept. Here's some relevant reading: European Court confirms the right to resell used software licences So assertions like this by Frenetic Pony: ...are absolutely false. I do in fact have a literal right to do whatever the fuck I want with their product after I've bought it. In fact it seems I didn't understand my own right fully myself, and falsely assumed it doesn't cover digital purchases when actually it does. Microsoft are going to end up in some pretty messy territory if they don't think through carefully how they implement all this on this side of the ocean.

I was going to say... the right to resell is pretty universal at this point outside of games and digital purchases. I don't think people would be happy if something were somehow put in place that controls reselling their cars, houses, etc.

I remember when I thought I was glitching in Half-Life 2 by pushing a table over to an inaccessible stairway to get to the second floor of a house on the coast, only to go into a room upstairs and be greeted with one of those fucks. I shit myself more at that moment than I ever have in any other game.

Am I the only one that is thoroughly expecting a SimCity-esque fuck up of epic proportions to happen with this 24-hour connection thing? What happens if Microsoft experience downtime (it can and has happened)? Or if someone's internet connection stops working for a little while when the check is done? Or what if someone's moving home or internet provider and they have no internet for a week or so? These are all things I've experienced when using my 360, UK internet connectivity ain't all that. This just seems so anti-consumer that it pisses me off regardless of what justifications Microsoft use. The only reason that services like Steam are accepted is because they deliver overwhelming value in addition to any negatives they might bring. What Microsoft's doing is purely shit and offers no benefits to consumers whatsoever.

I don't know if this is related to the above but I've noticed that I seem to experience the following in Chrome (not any kind of fancy developer version, just the latest regular version) somewhat regularly: No data received Unable to load the web page because the server sent no data. Here are some suggestions:Reload this web page later. Error 324 (net::ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE): The server closed the connection without sending any data.

This had better be the only review worth reading because now I will never know otherwise.

Wow that video is pretty horrifying. It reminds me of something I encountered in Dishonored. There's a mission where you have to sneak into a big manor that's hosting a party, and the place is teeming with guests and guards. Your goal is to assassinate the host of the party. After I talked to a certain guest called 'Miss White' for some reason she started following me, but only after I've been out of her immediate proximity for quite some time. So in other words I'd be doing things like sneaking around the empty upper regions of the building or luring my victim into the basement to kill them, only to turn around and find this following me but always stopping just around the corner: I shit myself twice, and after that I was constantly on edge because I knew she was likely going to stalk me but I never knew where I'd bump into her.

http://www.gta4.net/map/ Is this awesome? Yes, yes it is. If the same were done for GTA5 in a remotely timely fashion it'd be awesome for bringing up on a tablet or something while playing. In fact Rockstar should be employing these guys to do that right now.

When something can actually follow me up ladders or through vents.

Oh, go on then. Behold:

Right, got my bloody living room sorted out. Still a bit bare as I'm yet to get art for my walls and such. Once I get some blackout curtains this will be be my ultimate gaming sanctuary (so far). ^ Organised by film/TV, games, and books — all alphabetical. Oh yeaaaaah. I've still got a computer room to sort out but that can fuck off for now.