PS4 shows off mobile integration in interface teaser video
"I'm dying out here, come play Killzone!" "Dude, I don't got that, man!" Two dudebros play PS4 and show off its features in this video.
"Hey Will, I'm dying out here, come play Killzone!" "Dude, I don't got that, man! I gotta go an get it." Thus spake two representative youths chosen to demonstrate the PlayStation 4's online tricks and mobile integration in a video that may set your teeth on edge, but shows off some undeniably cool stuff.
Will and Brian, two colossal dudebros, are playing PS4. Will is checking out the cutesy actioner Knack, the clear implication being he's only playing something so childish to impress his friend Sarah.
Meanwhile Brian is getting his impressively large behind handed to him on manshooter Killzone and yells over the mic to get some backup from his homeboy.
So far so last-gen, but then we see that Will can pause Knack, go to the console's store, buy Killzone and begin to download it, prioritising the multiplayer mode because that's the bit he wants to play first. Very handy.
Back in Knack, Will can flirt via IM with Sarah and watch her gameplay videos -- the PS4 controller has a dedicated share button. With Killzone ready to go (in mere seconds, which seems optimistic) he can jump in and shoot some men. Helpfully, Brian shares a video of his optimal manshooting techniques.
But Sarah isn't even using her PS4! She's IMing from an app on her phone, where she can also watch their uploaded game videos, buy Killzone and have it download straight away so she can join in the manshooting when she gets home.
Get past their cheesy all-American chat and it's an impressive demo. Sensibly, it's all focused on gaming, and how the PS4 makes it quicker and easier to get involved in the games your friends are excited about. That's in stark contrast to what we've seen of the Xbox One's interface, which showed how you can use your Xbox to do a bunch of stuff that isn't anything to do with gaming at all.
Sony's strategy of winning over gamers first and worrying about selling movies and music later seems to be working a treat, with GameSpot's online sentiment tracker showing PS4 winning, appropriately enough, by a margin of four to one. Its lower pricing and lack of online requirement -- while still offering great online features, as we see here -- are really resonating with the people most likely to buy a new console on day one.
It's a familiar story, as Luke found in his history of the PlayStation:
What do you think of the PlayStation's new online features? Is that the kind of thing that makes you pre-order, or do you want to see more of the games lineup? Just how annoying are those guys? Ping me a message in the comments below, or over on our resolutely bro-free Facebook page.