I've returned to the familiar hearth of the PlayStation 3 to review Yakuza 5 which released this week. Reacquainting myself with the last-gen format always proves a wake-up call each and every time that I go back to it: the Trophy syncing system, the patching process, the slow downloads – I'm not sure how I ever put up with it. But I'm willing to brave the issues for Toshihiro Nagoshi's seedy sequel; I've waited long enough for it, and it's proving to be everything that I hoped it would.
However, there's one thing missing from my experience: the share button. I was in a convenience store last night when I noticed that Jet Set Radio track 'The Concept of Love' was playing through the store's PA system, and I wanted to flex my SEGA knowledge by sharing it on social media. And it's not the only time that I've lifted my thumb towards an unoccupied piece of plastic on my DualShock 3: a drunken passenger's dialogue, a brutal takedown, a shot of Fukuoka – I've wanted to share them all.
It got me thinking: the share button is the greatest innovation of this generation – at least so far. Now I know that innovation literally means new ideas, and there have been plenty of those introduced by the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U. But to me, a truly great innovation is one that sticks around: the shoulder buttons on the SNES pad, the Rumble Pak for the Nintendo 64, the DualShock controller's dual analogue sticks, the built-in hard drive for the Xbox – all game changers.
I look at this generation and it's packed with cool concepts that haven't really taken off. Sure, the Wii U gamepad seemed like a great idea in principle, but even games like Minecraft are opting to overlook it. Then you've got stuff like PlayGo – the ability to play games while they're downloading – which has barely been supported, the Kinect camera which has been quietly killed off, the DualShock 4's touchpad which is basically a glorified button – they're all failures to mixed degrees.
The share button, though – it'll exist as long as PlayStation does, I believe. We live in an age where we want to share everything: our meals, our Christmas gifts, our lazy afternoons. And when I describe the share button as an innovation, I'm not just referring to the physical input but also its functionality – the ease at which you can get a screenshot or video from your game and onto the Internet. Yes, other consoles can do the same thing, but it's the no-frills approach on the PS4 that's the real step forward.
And I don't think that I can live without it now. It seemed like such a simple bullet point back at PlayStation Meeting 2013 when Mark Cerny showed off the DualShock 4, but it's changed the way that I play. Sometimes I'll try to position the game camera just to get the best possible shot, while other times I'll replay entire chapters just to capture a 30 second video clip. It's impressive that such a seemingly small addition has had such a profound impact.
But then, I suppose that the greatest gaming innovations do have a history of seeming almost inconsequential at first. It's only when you don't have access to them that you realise how much they're missed.
Do you share Sammy's thoughts that the, er, share button is the greatest innovation of this generation thus far? Is there another feature that you feel has fared better than the unassuming input? Get social in the comments section below.
Comments 51
I normally avoid social media, ive never even signed up to facebook. However im always keen to hear other peoples gaming stories so the share button justfies the existence! I find myself on the home screen watching other peoples videos for half an hour before I even load a game.
Didn't even bother with the Share Button until Sony introduced communities on PS4. That's really the best 'innovation' Sony has introduced recently, imo, and communities need to stick around even after this gen when Sony moves away from traditional consoles.
I agree with you, Sammy, that the Share button is the greatest innovation of this generation in terms of utilization, but if we're talking potential - even missed or rarely used potential - I'd have to say the Wii U gamepad. It hardly ever got used well, but the few times it did, it really shined: ZombiU, NintendoLand, and even the relatively minimal use in Xenoblade Chronicles made the experience feel just a little more unique.
For actual utilization, though? You're spot on with the Share button. I only wish that the touch pad on the Dual Shock 4, the touch screen on the Wii U gamepad, and the touch pad on the back of the Vita had been properly utilized. The enhanced Kinect, too, but I never had a whole lot of hope for Kinect if we're being honest. This had the potential to a generation of amazing innovations, but it was a huge missed opportunity.
The share button is indeed, great. I love it.
Don't forget the Vita also allows you to take screen shots as well, which I've used a few times.
I don't rinse the share button but I do take the odd screenshot and video. I enjoy all the social integration on PS4, even if it's just seeing peoples recently unlocked trophies, checking what my friends are playing, watching the odd live stream or checking a community wall. Honestly I think the social functions are so well integrated and broad that I don't even realise I'm enjoying them half the time. To that end, fair play to Sony, I think they have basically pulled off what could have been a complete gimmick.
Make sure that your share settings are press once = screenshot. By far the easiest way to get things done.
And I tend to agree with the article - can't really think of anything else this generation that's so effortlessly implemented.
Hated Miiverse, hated Share button. I specially hate to press it by mistake and being interrupted out of my game.
But then again, I despise Facebook so that is a feature for the FB crowd I guess, of which I am proudly not a part of.
So far, my share button just collects dust, but perhaps i should give it a go after reading this. Great article thanks!
@sinalefa same for me. Never pressed it in the year and a half I've had the system.
And as for miiverse, ugh, tried it once or twice buts it's something I would never actively go to.
Maybe it's because I'm in my 30s, and just wanna play a game, on my couch, on my own, in the dark, ALONE.
LOL
I'm somewhat anti-social (better term would be introvert) and I'm a pastor!
I don't use it a ton, but I enjoy sharing special moments with friends
I love taking the perfect screen shot, I've started to play games looking for the next photo op! There should be a monthly competition to find the best screen shot!
@617Sqn There's bi-weekly Push Share: https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2015/12/push_share_what_ps4_screenshots_have_you_been_sharing_-_issue_5
I dunno about that personally, but PS4 controller is design wise one of my favorite controllers of all time, they finally figured that the old PS controller was too small and they made it from a much higher quality plastic as well. I absolutely love it.
I'm just as happy playing on my PS3 as on my PS4. I don't feel the need to share.
I've recorded more videos in Fallout 4 than any other game because of some of the random wtf! moments. Glorious.
I can't say for sure since I don't have a PS4, but I'll admit: The share button probably isn't something I'd make use of. I'm not antisocial, but social media never was something I was big on, as such I don't have facebook, twitter, or what other stuff keeps coming out. People's trivial things aren't something that interest me (or food pictures. What is it with the freaking food pictures?).
However, with the community features in junction with this site's feature on what the editors share, I think it's actually a pretty cool thing. I can see myself actually using it to show some of my online friends some neat stuff from time to time. It's probably something I won't use too much, but I'll admit it's cool. At the very least, it helps kill that stupid perception that we're all basement dwelling sociopaths.
I do use it but very rarely I have to say and it just so happen's that I used it about 20 minute's ago in fallout for the first time in age's but it is a great feature that many people get a great deal of joy from. Just because I don't use it much doesn't mean it isn't a brilliant feature and it's been done so well, I can see why people love and use it so much.
@get2sammyb I think you're on to something there, it's not something that I've noticed myself doing but I press it quite a lot, which I suppose is what good innovation is. These images, some are to share with my friends but I also keep others as a sort of holiday photo album of the game I played, so I can have a quick flick through and re live all of those great moments we have whilst gaming, however small.
Could i get a discounted version without a share button? I've used it less than the AR demo on the 3DS.
Which is to say never, other than to be incredibly irritated when i press it by mistake.
Its my least used button on the controller and I have only pressed it by accident.Its a good feature to have but one I have not used. I do not watch other people shared content through the PS4. If I want to watch streaming then I would go to twitch.Also its a little bit annoying that its not rasied more the same can be said for the options button. I want the track pad to be used a lot more by games makers. Its perfect for if you need to reload on FPS just swipe across it
The Wii U gamepad sounded like an innovation but would have been better having a more normal game controller and app support through tablets. Kinnect is probably fine for dancing around your living room or fun games with friends.Kinnects biggest problem really was that it was not bundled with every console the same for playstation camera. If everyone does not have it then why would developers use features that need a device that not everyone has. Sony really should be bundling the camera with every PS4 sold. I guess it will be free with the VR so will end up with 2.
@dryrain If it was raised more, you'd probably press it more by accident, no?
People think the Share Button is just for taking gameplay footage or a pic of your gameplay, when in fact it's an excellent tool for bugs/glitches reporting. I've used it a few times to take gameplay footage of bugs & reported on there websites, it's alright trying to write about bugs/glitches but having actual footage is ten times better.
I think Sony's VR Headset will be the biggest Innovation of all time, because if it takes off that will change how we play games for ever.
Am I missing something with the video recording, by the way? I know I can start recording by double pressing but is it not supposed to record the last 15 minutes? It's always seemed a bit hit or miss for me. Or maybe I'm not using it properly.
Hahahahahahahahahaha this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read.
When they revealed at e3, their single innovation for this gen as the almighty share button, I literally laughed out loud.
I have since owned a ps4 and tried out the share button. My outburst of laughter changed, and not for the better. It changed into a muted, lip curled, eyes down, solemnly slow head shake.
What an utter pile of diseased rhinoceros pizzle. If I pressed it and the time popped up as a brief overlay on my screen it would serve more function.
The invention of the share button is only beaten to the "worst innovation for a controller ever" by the appallingly pointless track pad to the centre of the dualshock 4 which itself is instantly beaten by sony's refusal to move the bloody "home" button away from smack between the sticks. Catching it accidentally and warping out to the dashboard while in the middle of an online sports game has gotten boring since PS3.
Sony copied the snes controller twenty years ago and literally darent let that go. Their design orocess must literally be somebody at a desk with a snes controller shell and an assortment of little boxes of components and some modelling clay. Said designer then sticks random bits onto a snes controller until he thinks he's onto something. Said designer then jumps down off his buffet and runs to the kitchen, grinning excitedly, shouting "daddy daddy! Look! I made it do a share!!!"
Father looks down smiling wide, hiding the shame burning behind his eyes and says "well done Jimmy, well done, you're such a clever boy" but thinking. "Well at least it's not as wank as that touch pad Mongo has put forward, why didn't we think of the Gamepad?"
@kyleforrester87 I changed it to five minutes in the settings and it's always worked well for me since then. I did have some problems with the 15 minute option, too.
@DESS-M-8 Well, we all have different opinions. It's just a shame you seem unable to argue anything in the article - this comment literally adds nothing to the conversation.
I don't know how it's possible to press the share button (or home button) by accident - perhaps you should get your hand eye coordination tested?
Never used the button once when I had my first PS4 and since I got another last week (new phone contract, free console) I've not touched it either.
Horses for courses though, if you're into all that sort of stuff I'm sure it is brilliant, but if not it's pointless. The greatest innovation is something near vital to everybody, not some. So no, as well as you argue it @get2sammyb, it's not the greatest innovation of this generation.
Suspend/Resume that's one of the most important features...
@get2sammyb it is a pointless and redundant feature. Bit like some people
@DESS-M-8 Firstly the Share button was revealed at the PlayStation Meeting not E3. Secondly the worst controller for a console was tha Atari Jaguar's half joystick half calculator abomination. And thirdly the Dualshock looks nowt like the SNES controller except for the plastic and buttons, like every other controller.
Back on point, people don't necessarily have to have social media accounts to makes use of the Share button (though it adds hugely to it) you can use it to create Youtube videos or to just keep a collection of your favourite bits from the games you play.
I'm not a particularly social gamer, but I use the Share button quite a bit for screenshots and videos I put on Flickr/YouTube and subsequently on my website.
I can understand that some people just aren't interested; what's harder to understand is some of the apparent actual hate I've seen towards it. If you've no use for it, just don't use it. I've got several gadgets/appliances which have features I don't need or use, but I'm not on forums and social media day after day whining about it. I guess it's just an indicator of how immature/entitled some "gamers" are.
@arsenio3d Yes yes yes - love that feature. I searched for clues to a photograph in life is strange earlier on this week. Never knew you could search from trophies as well! All whilst my game was on pause.
Share Button HUGE POSITIVE!!
Having the ability to screen grab is a god send - how many of you got my pictures of my terrible download speeds or when a multi player game doesn't connect? This has been commonplace for 20 years on pc, cant believe no ones ever done it on console.
@get2sammyb
I've accidentally pushed the share button before myself. Controllers have always had start, select and select or 'back' as it was referred to on the 360 controller, many times brought up menus. It took me a little bit to get used to having to hit the track pad, so I can see where some might make that mistake.
To me isn't even remotely interesting.
@get2sammyb
Excellent read Sammy! I remember the first time hearing bout this "nonsense", I really believed it was just a feature for those darn FBing, instagramming and tweeting millennial hipsters, but boy was I wrong.
At first I really didn't give it any thought, but after a month or so my brother asked me: "why don't you just stream the game I know you're secretly playing when we're on Skype, so I have something else to look at than that ugly mug of yours"... A Thursday evening tradition was born.
He works in Asia, but lives in SA, but he doesn't have a home away from home like I do, so he can't always play on the PS4. Now he watches me while I play, we talk business, talk nonsense, but most of all we discuss games (and how I suck at them according to him). There are more people, my wife and kids for instance, that watch me play when I'm away from home, they chat with me or call in. In a world where we're always connected the "share" button makes so much sense!
love it! I've become a game voyeur. whenever I eat, on comes the ps4 game broadcast and I'm laughing at or enjoy watching other gamers sessions. So many smart people out there.
I tend to agree - I've been spending a bloody obscene amount of time playing Xenoblade Chronicles X this past week & the number of times I've wanted to share a quick clip or screenshot is insane, I've really missed it. It'll become a standard feature across all future consoles, I'm sure.
Actually I've hit the share button by accident a few times. Outside of that, I've only used the button purposely a handful of times it's all sort of 'meh' to me (though it's great to share clips and whatnot from time to time) Like you said, @get2sammyb every platform has their own method, even the Wii U and 3DS (albeit very clunky). It just so happens that Sony's method is seamless, so I'd hardly call it an innovation more than super convenient. Though that's just me.
I have used it but not a lot, I keep forgetting to use it lol. I get too engrossed in the game I'm playing. I do wish that shareplay was implemented more. This qas one feature I was looking forward to the most. As my brother lives a fair distance away from me and often plays games that differ from my tastes, jumping in to his game to try it, or helping each other out if we ever get stuck seemed an amazing prospect. But, we very rarely use it. I loved the idea that I could play a game for free to see if I'd like it or not. As for the share button, I will continue to use it, if I remember lol
@adf86 firstly. It doesn't matter where it was revealed, the actual point is that such a pathetic "innovation" was actually showcased somewhere at all in the first place. Pointing out the actual place is just being pointless and pedantic. Although while we are on the subject, it would appear I was right all along anyway
http://www.gamesradar.com/share-button-generations-defining-feature/
States they showed the feature at E3 2013.
Secondly, I never said dualshock was the worst controller, I said it contains zero innovation and never has.
Thirdly, if you can look at a Sony pad and see it is blatantly a snes controller, you need your eyes checked.
Look at the first Playstation pad ever. It IS a snes pad with two extra shoulder buttons, like somebody taped two snes pads together. Every "innovation" since then has been copied from Nintendo and literally stuck onto the original PlayStation pad wherever they would fit. Hence the reason we have stupidly positioned control sticks. But are actually ok now to the non educated as your things have spent the last 10-20 years adjusting to reach them both.
@get2sammyb
Author of this feature is incorrect. Sony have innovated nothing, ever,
All controller innovations were correctly accredited to Nintendo apart from:
The dual control sticks?
Innovated by Nintendo. The n64 controller was designed to be held three different ways hence its 3 prongs, one of which was to have control of both directional inputs, using the dpad with the left thumb and analogue stick assigned to the right thumb. Equally so the yellow control buttons offered a similar array of held the other way, in other words, dual controls. All Sony did, yet again, was to take this idea and swap the digital for an analogue interface. The duality of the inputs, which was the innovation: was made by Nintendo. "But it was analogue!!!" The analogue stick was also Nintendo. Sony merely reorganised existing ideas and tech.
The internal hard drive by Xbox!!!!!
No.
I distinctly remember playing my Sega MegaCD that had an internal drive, and again on my Saturn.
Game consoles having internal memory out of the box, which was the innovation, was one of Sega's I'm afraid. "But it had Gbs of space as it was a hard drive!!!!" The format is irrelevant, the idea is what is innovative. If Microsoft manufactured a console in the 90's it wouldn't have had a hard drive, as it was cost relative. The idea to put memory into a console was 100% Sega. Fact.
The share button is no more an innovation than the fact a start button is on there. I can "share" on my PS3 and my Wii U, all the share button has done is map existing features to a button press......... Wow. That is not innovation, that is convenience. Like the PlayStation pad having four shoulders buttons over the snes two shoulder buttons. Not an innovation, an addition.
The analogue stick
Force feedback
Inbuilt speaker
Motion sensors
Second screen
Analogue triggers
These are innovations.
NONE are sony's
I'd think external hard drive support and folders are a good innovation...
And in terms of software how about a AAA game that comes out properly tested.
Like most I've also never used it and never look at others screenshots. Just not interested and doubt anybody could care about what I'm doing. It's like these morons who Instagram everything or take photos of their dinner.
Innovation is also an improvement on an existing idea
@DESS-M-8 The funniest thing is that I'm massive SEGA fan... You're free to disagree with the article if you like, that's the whole point. However, you're heading into rant territory over something which ultimately doesn't really matter.
Come on, are you guys. You already know what they say about feeding the troll.
Anyhoo, here are some shots from Infamous First Light and DriveClub.
Share button combined with photomode make for some stunning shots. Really hope it becomes standard in all games soon.
It's definitely genius. Not only does it allow people to have fun taking photos and sharing them, it's free advertisement for the vidya games!
I see some people are just arguing semantics at this point. I'm not really interested in what is technically an innovation depending on your perspective, companies copy and improve on each others designs all the time. If it ain't broke don't fix it comes to mind, you can call it stealing ideas if you like but most of us couldn't care less. The share button for me is a fantastic addition, something which I use very regularly, I love sharing screen shots, short clips, longer videos, and mixing clips together.
I find it a lot of fun, and I've never pressed it accidentally. So I think it can be easily ignored for those who have no interest. For those who do wish to use it, it's well implemented into the system and easy to use, with Sharefactory as an additional resource for those who really want to get stuck into some video editing and creating something really fun to share. I've used it a few times and it's excellent.
I wish I had a button to ironically share this!!!
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