This time last year, we were all eagerly awaiting Sony's not-so-secretly-planned reveal of the PlayStation 4. Though the system was technically announced, it wasn't actually shown during the "reveal." Instead, we got our first look at the redesigned DualShock controller and a bunch of promises about the future of gaming.
Instant suspend and resume, streamed demos, playing games as their being downloaded, remote play, broadcasting your gameplay, a more social and connecting gaming experience, cloud-based gaming — all of this was promised to us exactly one year ago. And while not everything Sony has promised to us is quite ready, the past year has painted a clear picture of the future of gaming, at least on the PlayStation console.
PlayStation 4 is about video games. It may not yet have the catalog of games, but Sony remains committed to offering the ultimate gaming experience. Granted, not every "next-gen" game has taken advantage of the systems specs, but we're already seeing the difference in power between the PS4 and Xbox One. That's not a knock on the Xbox One as much as it is praising the PS4's gaming capabilities. And as we learned with the PS3, things will only improve as time goes on and developers truly unlock the system's full potential.
It's important to remember that the PS4 has only been available for the public since November. It's not even out in Japan yet (this weekend!). February 20th was about establishing a vision, a vision that Sony will continue to deliver as time goes on. We're already beginning to see some of these promises come to fruition. Late last year, Sony unveiled PlayStation Now, it's cloud-based streaming service that will allow consumers — not just PS4 owners — play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games without the need of an actual console.
I remember February 20, 2014 vividly. All of us GameZone staffers gathered together in the office, stuffed with pizza and filled with beer, celebrating the arrival of a new generation of gaming. The new generation is now upon us and the future is looking bright.
