PlayStation 4 FAQ – System Details

The past several months, Sony has built a reputation for providing updates on its PlayStation platform, providing us with details about the system itself as well as some of the games and features we can expect.  With the launch just around the corner (November 15th), Sony took the time to answer many of the questions people had regarding the Play Station 4 consol, the new DUALSHOCK 4 controllers, games and other features in an extensive FAQ blog post on the PlayStation Blog.

I took the time to read through the blog in detail and will be highlighting the details in a series of posts leading up to release date.

 

 

PS4 – The System Details

 

 

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At the time of release, the PS4 will retail for $399.99 USD.  The PlayStation Camera and DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controllers will retail for $59.99 USD each.  This prices the consol at $100 less than the Xbox One.

When you open your PS4 box at the time of launch, you will receive a PS4 system with a 500GB hard drive, a DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controler, a micro-USB cable for charging the controller, a Mono-headset for voice chat, a power cable (1.5m) and an HDMI Cable (2m).  This makes the PS4 the first gaming system to actually come with the HDMI cable, making that one less item you have to purchase when you get this gaming system.

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PlayStation 4 – Back View

 

The PS4 features  HDMI OUT, DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL AUDIO), Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports and an auxilary connector reserved for the PlayStation Camera.  It also features integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi for wireless internet connectivitiy, and Bluetooth 2.1 for DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller connectivity.  The power supply for the PS4 is internal which means no awkward power bricks to hide.

One of the key features of the PS4 for some people is the fact that the internal hard drive is replaceable.  There are certain specifications that must be met in regards to physical size, memory size, and other standards but this means that opening your consol doesn’t necessarily void your warranty, unlike with the XBOX One.  Unfortunately, at this time, the PS4 will not support an external hard drive, but as updates and customer feedback is considered, this may change in the future.

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PlayStation 4 – Front View

 

The physical PS4 games come on Blu-ray discs and Sony boosted the speed at which the disc reader reads the discs and also supports a range of Blu-ray disc sizes.  However, straight out of the box without the launch day update applied, your PS4 will NOT play Blu-ray or DVD movies.  This requires the launch day update 1.50 and one-time activation through the internet to be able to play Blu-ray or DVD movies.  If you can’t or don’t want to connect your PS4 to the internet for some reason, you can update via USB drive and call SCEA Consumer Services in order to request a Blu-ray activation disc that you would receive via the mail.

Measuring 275 mm wide, 53 mm high and 305 mm in length (excluding the largest projection) and weighing in at approximately 6.1 pounds, the PS4  features both a glossy and matte finish that is stylish and nice enough you wouldn’t mind featuring it as part of your home entertainment system.

Screen resolutions supported include 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p video standards via the HDMI output.

The PS4 is capable of 10 times the processing power of the PS3 system and features an optimized design which utilizes 8GB of high-speed GDDR5 RAM, an eight core X86 CPU and a powerful graphics processor.

 

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PlayStation 4 – Side View

 

At the time of launch, PS4 does not support MP3’s, home media servers or audio CD’s.  Customer feedback at this announcement was enough to make Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, pass the feedback along to the PS4 Development group and the Dev group is now exploring the possibilities of bringing some of this support back in future updates.

Images provided courtesy of Playstation.Blog

For more PlayStation 4 FAQ visit the links below:

PlayStation 4 FAQ – Launch Day Game Releases

PlayStation 4 FAQ – System Details

PlayStation 4 FAQ – Used Games

PlayStation 4 FAQ – 3 Freebies and Apps Available at Launch

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