E3 2013: More Info Leaks About the PS4 and Its Interface

playstation-4-interface-e3While Microsoft tried to get as much info about the Xbox One out ahead of E3 this year, Sony went the opposite direction with the PlayStation 4. As a result, it looks like the whole week could have PS4 hype, especially when compared to what we’ve heard about the Xbone.

Some new info has come out about the upcoming next-gen console about the PS4’s new user interface and the how it handles the hard drive.

While it wasn’t disclosed at the launch event in February, the PlayStation 4 will have a 500 GB hard drive to store games which is the same size of hard drive that the Xbox One has. However, the PS4 hard drive can be swapped out for a larger hard drive if you so choose. That’s an upgrade over the PS3 and something that the Xbox One doesn’t allow.

The more intriguing info is our first look at the PlayStation 4’s user interface and the functionality of some of the promised social features. The media bar is gone and has been replaced with a mobile-inspired tile interface. How all the system features, setting and games will be laid out isn’t exactly clear but it almost can’t be slower to navigate through than what the PS3 has.

The main purpose of the video appears to be showing off the ability to multi-task and run other tasks in the background. For example, the guy featured in the video is able to switch from a game (Knack) to watching a video a friend shared showing how to beat a boss. While playing Knack, he engaged in a voice chat with another friend playing Killzone multiplayer. The guy swapped over to the PlayStation Store, bought the game and selected to download the multiplayer component first before going back to Knack and downloading the game in the background.

Meanwhile, his other friend was checking her PlayStation app and saw that the main guy was playing Knack and had just bought Killzone. From the app, she was able to buy Killzone, initiate a download of it to her console remotely and had a text chat with a friend. Basically, the PlayStation App is the second screen experience I can actually use for gaming rather than growing a third arm and hand to use Xbox One’s Smart Glass.

Here’s the video so you can get a visual idea of what’s coming with the PS4.

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About Steve Murray

Steve is the founder and editor of The Lowdown Blog and et geekera. On The Lowdown Blog, he often writes about motorsports, hockey, politics and pop culture. Over on et geekera, Steve writes about geek interests and lifestyle. Steve is on Twitter at @TheSteveMurray.

Posted on June 13, 2013, in Games and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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