The PlayStation 4 is many things: a video game console, a massive cash-cow, a convenient broadcasting device, and, most importantly of all, a Resogun machine. However, it seems that Sony is also hoping that its super system will serve as a convenient jumping off point for its broader business strategies.
Speaking at a recent press event, Big Boss Kaz Hirai stressed the importance of the PS4 in the company's networking plans. "The biggest driver for our network business will be the PlayStation 4," he said. "The network is becoming increasingly important for our other businesses, too. Our TVs have video-on-demand and Music Unlimited. PlayStation Now will be launched on Bravia TVs next."
Indeed, the platform holder has been pushing the Music and Movie Unlimited services on its consoles for quite some time, and with the recent announcement of game streaming service PlayStation Now, the Japanese giant has essentially completed the media trifecta. All it has to do now is locate the Holy Grail, and then begin finalising its plans for world domination.
Have you been making use of the PS4's network capabilities? Do you think that the huge success of the system will allow Sony to expand in this area? Give us some armchair analysis in the comments section below.
[source reuters.com]
Comments 20
What a croc. A year ago Sony assured us that the ps4 was for the gamers. It seems their agenda was the same as microsofts afterall - a network machine. What a joke, when the ps3 STILL has more functions than the ps4! I am TODAY more disapointed with Sony than ever. Watch Dogs has proven yet again that the long wait for a true next-gen game experience is still way off. I have had my ps4 since day one, but am beginning to regret my purchase. It feels like Ive been duped into buying what I thought was the next generation of gaming, when the last 6 months and today especially (watch dogs just looks like a downgraded "Arcade Conversion" of the demo displayed 2 years ago!) it seems all I have bought is a PS3Turbo. It gives the exact same experience, just a little smoother. Reminds me of upgrading my spectrum48k to the Spectrum128.
Everybody knew the 'for the gamers' stuff was a crock of sh*t. It's a catchy tagline to sell consoles, every company does it. I'm severely disappointed with Sony's pathetic first party output given how many studios it has and the 'it's the first year' line is not a good excuse but the PS4 being used to push services shouldn't be a shock at all and will be a non-issue when the games finally do arrive. Consoles are about more than just gaming these days, just the way it is, and it's been trending that way for a while now. Can't say I love it, but I'm not against it either as long as both PS4 and Xbox One eventually prove to be worth it, which they probably will.
I think its EXACTLY the problem! As you say Gamer83, their game studio outputs are incredibly lacking. Only Driveclub is left for this year! Nobody bought the ps4 for networking Sony.. get on with the games!!!
@rykkchii
2015 will hopefully be better, there's no excuses now. The Order and Uncharted 4 better come out in 2015 and the 'remastering' needs to stop. A 2013 PS3 game being the best exclusive for the PS4 the second of this year should not be the case, and if something similar happens again next year then I'm going to pretty much start giving up on this thing. Doubt that'll be the case but I have been disappointed by Sony quite here in the early going. Like most people though, many of my favorite franchises are third party games and fortunately third parties seem to be using the PS4's capabilities and delivering the better experiences on that console so far, now I'm just looking forward to games actually designed around the new machines like Batman and The Witcher 3. Don't mind cross-gen stuff but they usually aren't games that show why it was worth it to move on from the previous gen.
I agree. I don't read anywhere that gamers are dissatisfied with being re-sold the same games but just a bit shinier. Is it just me?? But you're right, this need to stop. They are not enough to justify the leap to ps4.
@rykkchii
It depends. I've already played The Last of Us and played the hell out of GTA V so TLoU Remastered and the inevitable PS4 GTA V 'Game of the Year Edition' do nothing for me. If somebody has a PS4 and hasn't played The Last of Us though, I can't tell them not to buy the remaster because it's an awesome game and those people will more than likely be very satisfied with it unless they hate strong gameplay, good level design and an excellent story. The only thing that bothers me is that this is the biggest PS4 'exclusive' for the first year. It's not unusual to see re-releases. One of PS3's biggest 2007 games was Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but it also had a new Ratchet & Clank, Heavenly Sword and Uncharted. The Wii got a re-worked RE 4 but also had Super Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy. I don't think with the amount of studios Sony has that it's asking too much for something else besides inFamous: Second Son (great game) and a should've been launch day racer that even after a year delay doesn't run 60 frames per second. It is what it is. 2015 will hopefully be much better. I'm guessing The Order will be out and hopefully Druckmann and co. will have been able to finish up the work that was started on Uncharted 4, there will be the annual MLB The Show which could really standout on PS4 now that the developers have had experience with the console. Other than that, we'll see. Sony has enough studios that there should be at least two others we likely don't know about and hopefully they can sign Insomniac up for a true follow up to Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time exclusive for PS4. If Insomniac is brought back in, I wouldn't expect a new game until 2016, I'd just like to see that developer team with Sony again after it's done with Sunset Overdrive.
I think a more honest tagline would have been PS4 for everyone not just gamers because that's what it is gamers need to realize and understand that consoles these days are more then just game machines there also multimedia machines and that's a good thing in my opinion i never had a probem with MS pushing multimedia stuff the only probem i had with it and i think this is a probem every gamer had was that MS put multimedia first and games second games should always be the main focus never the second I hope Sony doesn't make the same mistake
@AeroZeppelin
I am a little surprised people still have a problem with the extra features. I won't lie, I'd love if these things were strictly dedicated game machines with the ability to play online but it's been changing going all the way back to the PS2 days. Most of my friends bought a PS2 at launch simply because it doubled as a DVD player, it didn't matter to them that that holiday season the Dreamcast had the games, they were content to get Madden 2001 and watch DVDs until the big releases hit. It's the way things are. I actually like the services these machines offer. I'm a big NHL fan but it doesn't get great tv coverage, but with Gamecenter that all changes.
Never get the criticism about "omg it's a game machine not for watching TV!!".
Sorry, nope, I'm very happy that both Xbox One and PS4 (although I don't have any of those) and PS3 have more functions than just playing games. Just because it has some multimedia stuff doesn't rule out that it plays games. Honestly I even liked Microsoft's ideology for an all-in-one box, except the live TV stuff is a bit silly in my opinion, because switching between games and live TV is a matter of pressing a button and I would rather do that than have to leave the Xbox One on all the time (it consumes quite a lot of electricity too) just so TV can pass-trough it.
@AeroZeppelin Exactly.
@rykkchii It's mostly a matter of marketing approachment. Is it really a bad thing that a console has more functions than just playing games? Most people want more functions than gaming, you can see people were (rightfully) mad when they found out the next-gen consoles didn't support DLNA and MP3 playback. I don't get what's wrong with optional, extra features that don't take away from the main focus of games.
And I can't speak about the PS4 experience myself, as I don't have one (it doesn't seem distinctive enough so far compared to previous-gen and the first-party games on PS3 and multiplats kept coming on PS3 so no reason to rush to get a PS4), but yes I agree the first-party line-up seems weak and nothing special so far. It takes some time to heat up I guess, hope you guys will see what you want at E3.
Was looking forward to the order. Destiny wi be my next purchase to tide me over until the first party developers come to the party.
@Gamer83 @rykkchii Thats so cute, that people think cross gen experiences will define their next gen platform(s), thats not going to be happening 6+ months later. Its also cute that both of you make the assumptions about platform holders "not getting on with the games", while there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise.
Project Beast was leaked, Singstar PS4 was announced, TLOU: Remastered is a thing, Driveclub is happening and there are tons of third party games. No platforms right now have a first party megaton leading to Christmas, you know why? E3! Gamescom! You know the events where they announce these things? At least acknowledge that in your future rants.
RIP PlayStation Vita. Sony should model themselves on Weyland or OCP instead.
@Punished_Boss uncharted 4, the order 1886, the last guardian?, demon souls 2?, planet side, the witness, deep down, everybody's gone to the rapture, etc etc unannounced etc etc
@Gamer83 @rykkchii I know how you guys feel. Nintendo had to do the same for 2013, the difference was of course that Nintendo is not the industry darling nor was the Wii U being supported to the extent in the first year (or at launch) that Sony's PS4 was/is now. Nintendo had massive droughts because of the abandonment they suffered throughout 2013, so when they had to delay their games it really hurt them. Nintendo was defecated on for nearly a year by the many companies that cut support with games they said were going to be on the Wii U (like Bioshock Infinite and Battlefield).
My only advice is to cut Sony some slack, they don't want to delay games but they are doing what they have to do to ensure the quality of their games. Delays happen to the best of them, but just remember: underneath all of the console wars are just three companies trying to provide their fans with the best, highest quality, and most unique experiences they can through their games. Also, Sony is spending a pretty penny to ensure third party releases (something Microsoft does as well, but Nintendo basically refuses to do for multiplatform games), so they at least deserve some recognition for that.
@eaglebob345
I gave Sony $400, that's a fair vote of confidence. And I've said countless times, which people ignore, I know first years are slow. Again, don't think it's asking too much for more than a PS3 port and a racer that was originally scheduled for last year. Maybe they do announce something else for later this year and if so, great, I'm just not counting on it.
Both Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited are far too annoying for me to use right now. Video Unlimited doesn't work on half of my devices because of an activation limit, and Music Unlimited just hardly works period.
I never feel like investing in money to buy a digital video when I can't rely on it working on the devices I want. Since the prices are usually similar to Blurays, it always just makes more sense for me to buy those.
Music Unlimited SERIOUSLY needs an overhaul. It constantly crashes, it stops playing songs randomly, it's as slow as a dog and the interface is weird and confusing at times. I'd have no problems paying for a monthly music service like that if it worked...
As a rule of thumb, I've decided not to get too hyped up about anything new. Watch_Dogs and Thief have proven to be lackluster, and the PS4 and XBO both have been riddled with hardware and software issues. I don't have high expectations for anything "next-gen" anymore since the experiences I have on my Wii U and PS4 are virtually the same as they were last-gen, just faster. All I can hope for now are great games and an innovative cross-platform service that'll connect Nintendo Network, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live users together on a single game. I know it's a long shot, but it won't feel like gaming has reached the true next generation until they implement something revolutionary. I'm not counting virtual reality since that concept barely seemed like a step up from motion gaming, and to try and implement this so soon after the arrival of next-gen consoles seems little more to me than a blatant cash grab. Unless they figure out a way to make it work in tandem with last-gen motion controllers...
music unlimited is way to expensive when you pit it up against netflix which does TV shows and movies. The monthly price is to high to justify a subscription for a music service that doesn't even have any of the Songs I listen to but mainstream crap.
Are people really complaining about Sony focusing on multimedia, while also focusing on games? Gamers these days will whine about anything.
Kaz is raising one finger = the one game we all want to hear about.
Pointing at the 'O' in SONY= 0 E3s till we hear about it.
=Half-Life 3 announcement for PS4 at E3 this year!!!
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