In the wake of Microsoft's PR nightmare as a result of its initial policies and eventual flip-flopping for the Xbox One, Sony had its fun taking a few jabs at the Redmond giant's expense. However, if Amazon is to be believed, it looks like Sony thought the Cupertino boys had some good ideas, ones Sony is looking to imitate.
According to Amazon's product page for the PlayStation 4 camera, the peripheral will have Kinect style voice commands. The listing reads, "From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming." Sounds a bit familiar, huh? Microsoft's own description for Kinect is pretty damn similar: "Kinect uses advanced entertainment technology to respond to the sound of your voice." It also boasts facial recognition / tracking.
It's interesting that Amazon is saying as much about the PS4 camera, because in all the details Sony's given about its next-gen console, it hasn't said spit about facial recognition for the camera. Either Amazon knows something we don't, or perhaps the folks who do the write-ups are getting a bit confused with Microsoft's Kinect.
If it proves to be true, and works as well as Kinect, Sony could have quite the edge over the Microsoft. The PlayStation 4 is already marked to retail for $100 less than Microsoft's Xbox One, and a great deal of folks are still irritated enough by Microsoft's initial policies to jump ship to Sony. Furthermore, the Xbox One was already hit with a delay in several European countries, Microsoft citing localization issues related to speech recognition for the Kinect. So if impatient gamers really want a console that recognizes gamers' movements, they might not have another choice.
Under the hood, the PS4 boasts Supercharged PC architecture, X86 CPU, Enhanced PC GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, Local HDD. It will support the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PS3. However, a Plus subscription will be required for online multiplayer games, but not for additional media services like Netflix. Sony has also updated the Dual Shock controllers with a touch screen and improved shoulder triggers.
The system will have its own Instant Game collection service; the first game of which will be Drive Club PS Plus Edition. Future games include Don't Starve and Outlast. Video streaming and game sharing services are provided via Gaikai.
The PS4 is set to be released on November 15th in North America and on November 29th in Europe for $399/€399/£349. The Xbox One is expected around the same time, but an exact release date hasn't been given.
