This past Wednesday, Sony’s PlayStation 4 made its first appearance at a conference in New York.
The newest system will include social networking capabilities, a touch screen on the controller, integration of cell phones, the PS Vista – a handheld gaming system created by Sony – and more team playing. It is considered a “supercharged PC”, and will be capable of downloading games instantly, according to an article by the CBC .
The console will allow you to create and network with your friends and family through online social networking. You can also link to your PlayStation account. This will allow for gamers to keep in touch, play games together, and even help each other with challenges they may face in a game.
Gamers will be able to continue playing games on their PS Vista, as well as their cell phones. This is believed to be done through connecting devices, and the linking of players’ accounts.
New Sony PlayStation controllers will have a touch screen, however, the actual purpose of this feature has not been mentioned.
Sony has stepped up its game through these technological advances and integration of digital and social media. A lot is riding on the success of the company’s next console after financial difficulty came with the failure of PlayStation 3.
The new PlayStation will be available towards the end of the year, but the price is still unknown. More information will be available at the E3 Convention later this year. The announcement comes before Microsoft and Nintendo’s release of their new systems. Microsoft will also be at the E3 Convention in June and is expected to announce their competing system.
Google has also released more information on its newest tech gadget. And no, it’s not an app or phone. Google has created something that looks similar to glasses. The “glasses”, named “Google Glass Explorer Edition”, can include lenses for your prescription; otherwise they are merely frames that look like glasses.
The public announcement was made at the Google I/O developer conference on Wednesday. Google Glass includes a screen in the corner of the frame allowing it’s users to record video, take photos, look up information online, use social media and send emails. It can even give you directions to your destination.
Google has created a Google+ group called “Project Glass” to promote the new innovation. On the page, Google provides the latest information and the most recent sightings of people wearing the glasses. Other forms of communication have been through Twitter, using the hash tag “projectglass.” They have also made an account on Twitter by the handle “GoogleGlassInfo”, where they answer questions and provide the links to the latest articles on their technology.
The Google Glass Explorer Edition is not for sale yet. The frames are set for shipment next year at a price of $1,500.
Check out the video below to see how it feels to look through the Google Glass.
A remixed video for the glasses posted in The Atlantic article was also released.
Apple is raising the bar with their newest patent application – a “smart watch”. According to an article on CNet, the drawings include a full touch screen that can be worn anywhere.
In the same article, the patent says the watch can “…accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.” It will use “Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with another smart phone device.” While this is still based on rumor, the patent leads people to believe that Apple is interested in creating such a device.
By the end of the year, the world will be introduced to new technology that will change our day-to-day routines, how we play games, and how we interact and share information.
