PS4: Five new things we've learned
Sony's PlayStation 4 can’t play audio CDs or MP3s, will allow you to use two machines simultaneously, and other facts
Samuel Gibbs
The Guardian, Thursday 31 October 2013 12.38 GMT
PlayStation 4 will not play audio CDs or MP3s.
Sony recently posted an extensive frequently asked questions (FAQ) list for the PS4 ahead of its November debut, explaining several facts about the PS4 we didn’t already know.
Here are five of the most important facts we’ve learned from the FAQ.
You will be able to log into two machines simultaneously
Now that games, game saves and a whole host of player information is stored on a Playstation Network account, Sony has made it possible to log into two PS4 systems at the same time. This will allow you to take your purchased games and saves to a friend’s house without causing issues with your home console.
The PS4 has an internal power supply
Unlike Microsoft's Xbox One, with its large, bulky external power brick, the PS4 houses its power transformer and all the electrical workings within the console’s enclosure, just like the PS3 before it. That may not sound like a lot, but for those who are confined on space, or have TV stands with limited room behind, it should make fitting the next-generation console into your existing setup a lot easier.
The PS4 can’t play CDs or MP3s or media streamed from a PC
A strange omission given that the PS3 can play both CDs and a variety of digital music files, as well as Super Audio CDs, the PS4 will no longer support audio playback media other than Sony’s own Music Unlimited subscription service. Sadly the excellent audio visualiser has also been removed.
It’s not only audio playback that has been crippled on the PS4 versus the PS3, media playback via DLNA over your home network from a PC has also been removed. That means you will no longer be able to stream movies and music from a computer.
The PS Vita’s Remote Play isn’t quite as robust as Sony’s marketing makes out
One of the most interesting differentiators for the PS4 over Microsoft’s Xbox One rival console is the interlink with the Sony PS Vita handheld console. You will be able to play PS4 games on your PS Vita streamed over a wireless network with its “Remote Play” feature.
In the FAQ, however, Sony makes it very clear that “a robust and stable Wi-Fi connection and broadband Internet connection” is required to play PS4 games on a PS Vita. It “strongly recommends” that you only use the feature when the Vita and PS4 are both on your home network or at least the same local network.
Sony’s marketing for the Remote Play functionality has certainly given the impression that it would work just fine from pretty much everywhere. Now it seems that the data bandwidth required for Remote Play to work as advertised will be pretty high.
You’ll be able to command the PS4 via voice, just like the Xbox One
One of the most marketed features of the Xbox One is the ability to fully control the console via voice using the Kinect sensor system. The PS4 will also allow the user to “control key PS4 functions using commands such as starting up a game or taking a screenshot” via voice using either the PlayStation Camera or the included headset.
Sony has mentioned it before in passing, but certainly hasn’t marketed it as a primary feature like Microsoft has for the Xbox One.
There are many more titbits buried within Sony’s extensive FAQ for the PS4, which are worth reading through if you are considering purchasing one of the £350 machines next month.
