• Posted February 5th, 2013 at 11:51 EDT by Steven Williamson

(continued from previous page) ...a variety of community options. Both new features seem entirely feasible to give gamers a wider range of input options that can take advantage of new control schemes similar to what we enjoy on Vita, which would encourage developers to create more games that take advantage of motion-sensing and touchscreen.

           

We wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if this new controller is showcased at the NYC event, though we wouldn't expect to get hands-on with it until E3 in June.

Cloud gaming

Sony is preparing to usher gamers into a new console era with cloud gaming and Gaikai, the cloud-streaming company that it purchased for $380 million in 2012. This is a huge area for Sony over the next couple of years so it may not want to go into real depth on cloud gaming at this reveal event for fear of over-shadowing the hardware, but you can bet it will be talked about in some capacity. Though we suspect this isn’t going to happen overnight, the introduction of cloud gaming on PS4 could mark the end of physical software as products get streamed from a remote server.

In the first instance, it seems likely that gamers will be able to access demoes via the cloud, meaning that they won’t need to download content onto the PS4 because it will all be streamed. This could extend to providing the back catalogue of older PlayStation games via the cloud, though the possibilities for cloud gaming on PS4 are endless, including the option to stream full games at launch. The world isn’t quite ready for cloud gaming on this scale yet though. We’ve already seen with the likes of OnLive in the U.K struggling because it relies on the user having a very strong broadband connection to get the most out of it. Give it a couple of years though and this could be an incredible service.

Does Vita have a part to play?

PlayStation Vita is still in its infancy and Sony certainly won’t want to overshadow it totally with PS4 as it hopes to swell its disappointing install base. In fact, expect Vita to become more desirable with the launch of the PS4. There’s a very strong rumour that Vita could end up being bundled with PlayStation 4 at a very tempting price. If that is the case - and Vita perhaps even acts as a second screen for PS4 - then Sony's handheld will fly off the shelves.

          

With a bigger install base too, more developers will sit up and take notice and develop better games. People will definitely like Vita if they try it; the problem is a lot of people haven’t due to the price. Bundling it with PS4 at a knock-down price is the perfect solution to get it into more hands worldwide and the whole Vita community will benefit from more available titles and better games from third-party developers.

The SHARE button, rumoured to be a feature on the new PS4 controller, will also help connect Vita and PS4 more easily, while the cloud-streaming service could really benefit handheld owners – perhaps we’ll be able to stream demoes on Vita without having to wait for long downloads? It seems feasible that Vita will be mentioned in some capacity at the NYC event.

While it seems likely that these will be the main subjects covered at the New York press event on February 20, at this point we can only speculate. PSU will be at the event to provide coverage of all the news as it drops so be sure to join us as we take this exciting step into the new console generation together. And do let us know what you're expecting from the NYC PS4 press event...