When Sony first announced the PlayStation 4 back in February, it was all about the games. What that meant was that come E3, they didn’t have much more to add to their already announced game. They didn’t have a new God Of War, they didn’t have a new Uncharted. They didn’t have any new exclusives. But they still won E3 2013 hands down. Why?
Sony PlayStation 4 will not have any DRM. That means no used/rental game restrictions, no online passes, no money walls. No regular internet check ins. Full ability to play offline, and no regionally blocked content.
I have never seen such a loud cheer from a gaming crowd, ever; and this was not even a game announcement. If you thought Microsoft Press Conference at E3 was good, they got their balls ripped and then handed to them in those 15 minutes by Sony. Catch the golden moments below.
The reception to Sony’s policies was so great that it increased their shares, gave them a huge lead in pre orders, and even made Microsoft change its stance on its draconian DRM policies. In all the hoop-hoolah, the fact that PlayStation Plus (equivalent to XBox Live Gold) services are now mandatory for online multi-player capabilities can be easily overlooked; but its there.
Also, we finally got to see the console. Sony finally ditched that spaceship design and went for a more standard boxy design. A little after E3 we also got our first look at PlayStation’s UI, which is a far cry from the current X-ribbon or whatever they call it. Check it out in the trailer below:
You can check out all the new trailers coming out for the PS4, right from their official blog.
It was clear from Sony’s efforts at E3, that they were trying to become the more loved console this generation. This showed in the ways that they were supporting indie developers to self-publish and also removing a lot of red-tape including a screening process to make bringing games to the PS 4 easy. They even showcased 8 indie games that they were proud to launch exclusively on the PlayStation 4. Find the trailer of Transistor (from the makers of Bastion) below:
Destiny (the new Bungie game), Diablo 3, Batman: Arkham Origins are all going to have exclusive content for the PS 4. KillZone: ShadowFall and inFamous: Second Son were there too. But it was The Order 1886, that really caught my attention. I was so impressed by the game, that I actually called it the PS4 Game of E3 2013. Then there is The Crew, a MMO featuring cars, yes I know MMO with cars. And oh! there is this awesome trailer for Witcher 3, coming soon to consoles and PC near you. (You are welcome)
Sony won this year’s E3, and have a huge lead over the XBox One in this generation’s console war. I am personally a “Sony guy”, but what makes a console winner in the long run are the games, and on that front we are just getting started. PlayStation 4 will be launching this holiday season at $399.
P.S. I still don’t have a name for gaming column
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