PS4 Updates: Potential May Reveal to Show Great Design and Support for Used Games?
Whether it's a coincidence or an upfront competitiveness, PS4 seems to be gearing up for a May reveal of the actual console, though its event may come in earlier compared to the Durango reveal that's predicted on May 21.
PC Mag reports that a source that's familiar with Sony's marketing campaigns has plans for a big announcement.
This will mean that Sony will have to create its own event, if it's not pushing its big reveal at the E3 in June. If the May reveal does take place, then this can mean that the E3 may feature more specs and demonstrations for the PS4.
It can be a neck-and-neck competition on the reveal, not only with regard to the consoles' features and specs, but also with the impact that they may bring to the E3.
If anything, it does make sense for both Sony and Microsoft to reveal their next-gen consoles before the E3 event, so that they can focus on showcasing the prowess of the PS4 and Xbox 720 when it comes to games.
Five years at work, fantastic design for the PS4
The time it took for the next-gen console to actually have any concrete evidence of materialization took a matter of years--five years, in fact--which is why there are high expectations when the hardware gets to the gamers' hands.
The good news is that the people at Sony World Studios have used the time they had to make sure that they put in feedback and improvements based on the PS3's run.
"I'm not sure it's instructive for me to start trying to describe or talk about what I've seen or haven't seen in terms of the actual look of the box," said Michael Denny, Sony Worldwide Studios vice president, to Edge-Online. "But yeah, you know it's going to be another fantastic design and we can't wait to reveal it."
Aside from the design, it seems that PS4 is looking at a more immersive experience in gaming, a promise that was also reiterated during the February launch.
PS4 to support used games, says GameStop president
Still, among the speculations that still circulate is the backwards compatibility of the next-gen consoles, and the PS4 has not yet given any official word on this matter.
However, GameStop president Tony Bartel is optimistic about the future of used games, stating that GameStop is confident that there will be consumers who will still avail of the service.
"I think consumer will want to see and try this future technology [Gaikai] before committing to purchase based solely on the streaming feature," said Bartel to Forbes. "Even with digital options potentially available, our buy-sell-trade business will continue to offer a compelling value proposition for those entry-level consumers."
Regarding the potential shift from retail to digital when it comes to games, it seems that GameStop is still on top of things. Bartel said, "We expected, and are ready for, next-gen consoles to have a significant amount of digital content options and we'll continue to drive sales of this content through all of our channels whenever possible."
Still, there's no word yet that the PS4 won't support used games, and given how most PS players have been used to five years of playing and swapping games with friends, this trend may not be as easy to discontinue, giving a ray of hope for your used gaming enjoyment.