[06.15.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 PlayStation Experience [E3 2015]

Sony

It has been quite the week leading up to E3 2015 with a steady stream of incredible reveals, leaving you wondering, “What exactly will there be to announce at E3?” From the “Fallout 4” reveal, the return of rhythm gaming, and YouTube taking on Twitch; the gaming industry is charging full speed into its biggest week of the year. Fortunately, the fun hasn’t stopped. Microsoft started off the console wars with a bang, and we’ve seen some great output from Bethesda, EA, and Ubisoft, but it’s time for Sony to come back swinging. Here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 PlayStation Experience, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

Like many of the other conferences, Sony launches with a montage video showcasing a wide variety of games from the console. Shawn Layden, President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, takes the stage with the obligatory welcome and thank you message. He instantly gets down to business, proclaiming that PlayStation will be “the best place to play.” He promises “a reality where games are the cultural zeitgeist.”

The very first game is a highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive, and the crowd goes crazy instantly knowing what’s coming. From Sony Japan Studio, directed by Fumito Ueda, “The Last Guardian” finally makes an appearance and years, and it looks as beautiful and epic as one would expect. The character, a young boy, directs his cat/bird/dragon-like animal to hop across to a broken bridge. He then works his way to the edge, and takes a leap of faith, being rescued by his pet. The boy then proceeds to work through a puzzle, which begins to tear about the platform he is on. Once again, he takes a leap of faith – only this time, the pet misses. Fortunately, the boy lands on his tail, and his pet takes off climbing a nearby building with him on his back. After safely making it to the top, they relax and the trailer comes to an end. “The Last Guardian” coming 2016.

Shuhei Yoshida is on the stage, ecstatic that he can finally reveal this title. He then introduces Fumito Ueda, who stands up in the audience to cheers and cat calls. Yoshida then introduces Hermen Hulst of Guerilla Games.

Hulst unveils a brand new IP with a trailer of in-engine footage. It looks to be another post-apocalyptic game, where the survivors have reverted to a more tribal-like state. The cities have been overrun by nature and are now considered to be monuments of the previous civilizations. A female protagonist talks about her tribe’s history, as she is shown hunting or battling some robotic animal-like creatures. A much larger enemy appears and a boss-battle ensues. The protagonist relies on a high-tech bow to fight, while her enemy uses lasers and explosives. She lands a killing blow by shooting an explosive arrow into the “heart” of the enemy, then stabbing it after it falls to the ground. “Horizon Zero Dawn” is the name of the new game, but no release window is mentioned.

Square Enix’s logo flashes and Agent 47 is mentioned. This could only mean one thing: a new “Hitman” game. The trailer appears to be full CGI and is rather sporadic. It frequently cuts between Agent 47 training by running through snowy woods and various scenes throughout town. Regardless, it gives of a pretty exciting vibe, even though it doesn’t really reveal much about the game.

Asad Qizilbash takes the stage to discuss the new “Hitman,” which will be “the most ambitious ‘Hitman’ ever created.” The player can travel to a multitude of environments and will take on a wide variety of tasks. It will also feature a PlayStation-exclusive Beta (via preorder) as well as six console-exclusive missions. He then immediately moves on to a console exclusive title, “Street Fighter V.”

The trailer is pretty standard fair for the “Street Fighter” series, and the first public beta will start July 23, exclusive to PlayStation 4 gamers. The final launch will be on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Qizilbash passes off to Sean Murray of Hello Games to show off “No Man’s Sky,” which was previewed at E3 last year. “This year,” Murray says, “I guess I just wanted to show off gameplay.” The demo proceeds with him in a spaceship battling in space. Battles will span the entire universe, literally across multiple solar systems. Each star he shows on a map actually represents a sun, each sun has a solar system with planets. He begins to zoom out to show off the size of the universe and it is impossibly massive. “Many of the planets in ‘No Man’s Sky’ have never been visited, and many of them never will be.” That’s how unbelievably large the game is.

Murray spawns into a new solar system, one that has likely not been visited yet, and continues to show off gameplay. He lands on a planet, tracking down a beacon to upload a discovery. He deems the world, “Planet E3” and proceeds to mention say that every planet in every solar system is fully destructible. A sentinel then shows up to protect the planet he was destroying. He dives under water, where there are fish swimming around, and continues his search for the beacon. No release date is announced, but he promises it will be soon.

Qizilbash transitions to a new game by Media Molecule. With a brief teaser, Alex Evans takes the stage to present his studio’s new game. Much like “Little Big Planet,” “Dreams” looks to build upon a game inspired by creativity. Evans shows off a demo where things are sketched or molded using the controller. The demo creates an entire person, sitting in a chair, and then adds a piano and an entire environment around him. He proceeds to move the guy around like a puppet, also using just the movement of the controller. Evans closes out by saying that more will be revealed at Paris Game Week and leaves us with a trailer demonstrating the capabilities of “Dream.” It’s basically an animation studio on the PlayStation 4. You really can make anything your mind comes up with.

Qizilbash returns to the stage again to introduce “Firewatch” on PlayStation 4. “Firewatch” is about a new park ranger who has to survive using only a radio to communicate with others. It’s way more interesting than it sounds, and this brief teaser doesn’t do it justice. It’s a story-driven experience, definitely worth looking more into.

Adam Boyes takes the stage to discuss the future of “Destiny.” He introduces a teaser for the next expansion, “The Taken King.” It reveals the plot, but no other details beyond a release date of Sept 15. Boyes then reveals there will be more exclusive content coming to PlayStation 4 with the launch of “The Taken King.”

Moving along quickly, Boyes introduces “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” The trailer focuses on Evie Frye and is narrated by her brother, Jacob. It shows off her skills and weapons of choice. Boyes also announces “The Dreadful Crimes,” an exclusive set of missions available on PlayStation 4.

He wastes no time jumping to “Final Fantasy,” revealing the next PlayStation exclusive in the series. “World of Final Fantasy” is very unique take, exclusive to PS4 and Vita coming 2016. It has a very… different take on the world of final fantasy and takes on a unique art style.

Keeping on the trend with Square Enix, Boyes teases another favorite franchise from the company that is finally making its return. “Final Fantasy Remake” will be a completely updated “Final Fantasy 7” launching exclusively on the PlayStation 4.

He then jumps to Devolver Studios to quickly cover 4 games coming exclusively. Ronin, Eitr, Mother Russia Bleeds, and Crossing Souls are all indie games featuring a retro style.

Boyes is all over the place, now talking about the success of Kickstarter projects of the past. He teases an announcement of a recent project which he “wanted to be revealed on their stage.” Available to be backed now, “Shenmue 3.” Boyes introduces Yu Suzuki, the creator of “Shenmue,” to countdown the launch of the Kickstarter page.

After Suzuki leaves the stage, Boyes recaps all of the announcements. He then prepares for another big reveal as a trailer rolls. A collection of industrial images is shown off, eventually leading to a grizzly image of The Joker being cremated. The Batman logo, engulfed in flames, flashes on the screen. “This is the death of the Batman.” A vintage-style Gotham is shown as the camera transitions to the first-person view of a police officer, “Officer Owens,” entering a diner. The officer is informed of a man who is smoking by another restaurant patron, but things start to go crazy as thanks to smoke that is actually fear venom. The diner is suddenly full of demons and the officer unloads his clip until finally being overwhelmed. “Batman Arkham Night” will have 3 exclusive Scarecrow on PlayStation 4.

Hilmar Veigar takes the stage to discuss Project Morpheus. A montage of various Morpheus games is shown off, reformatted to be shown off. Veigar discusses the future of Morpheus, promising it will be the premier location for VR. He introduces some new IPs and talks about the life cycle of the system. He also discusses the introduction of Spotify and its quick adoption. “PlayStation Vue,” the cable-like service, is launching tonight in san Francisco and Los Angeles. Later this year, it will offer an a la cart system nationwide, as the only service of its kind. PlayStation Plus members will also receive a discount on their subscription prices. He then announces a partnership with Activision to bring content first to PlayStation 4.

Mark Lamia of Treyarch takes the stage to make the official worldwide debut of “Call of Duty: Black Ops III.” A four player demo is shown off in Cairo. The game features more of the futuristic weapons and equipment that have become a signature of the series. The weapon load-out selection screen appears to actually be a loading screen. The mission is underway and things start out rough. A fellow soldier has been impaled and the main character tries to rescue him. The cockpit then begins to fall off to the ground, and it’s revealed that the pilot didn’t make it. An all-out battle ensues on the ground, showcasing the cooperative elements while they battle a large robotic enemy and multiple other soldiers. The demo switches rapidly between multiple different players’ viewpoints to showcase a variety of weapons, abilities, and enemies. Finally, the enemy is taken down and a brief campaign teaser plays, showcasing the Michael Bay-esk action.

David Vonderhaar, of Treyark, now introduces another trailer for the game, describing it as fast paced and “visceral” – a popular buzz word this year. The game starts to look very much like “Titanfall,” with lots of wall running taking place. It’s still infused with plenty of “Call of Duty,” though. This trailer is a non-stop montage of multiplayer highlights with added hype from an upbeat soundtrack.

An unnecessarily huge montage of PlayStation Vita games, some PlayStation exclusive and some not, is shown off to add hype.

Shawn Layden returns to introduce “Star Wars” with John Vignocchi from Disney Interactive. “Star Wars” is coming to “Disney Infinity 3.0” this fall. A limited edition PS3 starter pack will feature new “Star Wars” figures and content one month earlier than other platforms. Plenty of fan-favorites show up in a trailer for “Rise Against the Empire” and it’s revealed that Boba Fett can only be played on PlayStation 4 before the holidays.

Layden moves to “Star Wars Battlefront,” releasing on Nov 17. Patrick Bach of DICE takes over to reveal more information about “Star Wars Battlefront.” He references many popular characters, such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Admiral Ackbar is also there, barking orders. A brief gameplay trailer is shown off, echoing content revealed earlier in the day during EA’s conference.

Layden teases one more final announcement, meaning it’s problem time for “Uncharted.” After a brief thank you to those in attendance, an unintroduced trailer begins, with “Only On PlayStation.” It’s immediately apparent, from the first image, that it’s “Uncharted 4,” confirmed by the Naughty Dog Logo. Nathan Drake and Sully bust through a door into… an active, overcrowded city? A gameplay demo then looks like it should be beginning, but never actually happens.

The demo reboots, as Nathan and Sully reenter the city again. After pointing out Sam’s tower for a second time, the gameplay demo successfully begins and Nathan works his way through the crowd just behind Sully. Suddenly, gunfire erupts and the citizens scatter. Immediately, Nathan and Sully engage the enemies and work their way through the town. Nathan enters a brief hand-to-hand combat section, then takes cover from a vehicle and blind fires to kill a few enemies. He works his way around and continues to engage in a storm of bullets. He bust through a war and engages in more melee combat, punching an enemy through an environment. A brief parkour session happens and they drive away in a jeep.

The game is as action-packed as ever and looks beautiful, as is expected. Nathan and Sully tear up the town like it’s a game of “Crazy Taxi” as they try to avoid the enemy vehicles. After cutting through a market, they continue to weave through town and then decide to do some serious off-roading. Finally, they’ve shaken the enemy and Sully declares, “we can never, ever come back to this city.” They’re cut short by a construction site and have to drive around, going off-road again. Thinking they’ve escaped, their hopes are crushed as the enemy vehicle shows up again. Now they off-road onto the rooftops of the village and through some gardens, a pipe, and a small pond. Up the side of a mountain, through a marsh, across a creek. Nathan throws a hook onto a train and the trailer cuts as he’s about to smash into a wall. With that, the “PlayStation Experience” is over.

[05.31.13] PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One: Who had the better reveal

Microsoft, Sony

Now that both Sony and Microsoft have made their big reveals, it’s time to fanboy up and pick your sides! Sony beat Microsoft out of the gun by a couple months, but was the early reveal worth it? We’ll take a look strictly at the facts revealed in the conference, or perhaps what wasn’t revealed in the conference, and decide who did a better job making their announcement. Systems are bigger, stronger, and faster, accessories have been redesigned and improved, and games have been announced. But what does this information even mean and where should you put your money? Robert “RedgoateeRob” Nielsen and I will break down the conferences and give you the details you need to know, then deliver the final verdict on who was victorious.

Microsoft, Sony

The Game Consoles: Tony’s Take

Obviously both companies came out to announce their brand new systems. Each boast significantly more power, exceptional graphics, and state of the art technology to accompany it. The Xbox One looks amazing. Its shape has been streamlined and it has a bit of a retro throwback with its two-tone color scheme and very boxy, minimalistic design. The redesigned Kinect fits perfectly with the style of the new system, and the controller has been ever-so-slightly tweaked to match up as well.

As for the PlayStation 4, well… the controller looks… similar. It has also been streamlined, with the addition of a touchpad, it sports a more futuristic look, but that’s about all of the information we have. This raises the question, why would you have a conference about a console, and not actually bring your console? It was no surprise to anyone that it was coming, so Sony would have been much better off had they come prepared with something to show.

Winner: Xbox One

Microsoft, Sony

The Game Consoles: Rob’s Take

Sony caught some heat for not showing off their actual box during the conference; in fact, some gamers might have felt like showing off the controller alone was nothing more than a tease. But looking at it from Sony's perspective, you get a sense that they might be thinking in terms of the long game rather than an instant payoff. This isn't Sony's first rodeo; back during the PlayStation One era they faced off with Nintendo and Sega, who are by no means pushovers, and I can't help but think Sony wouldn't still be standing if they didn't have a firm grasp of how to build anticipation for their next product. Showing off the Dualshock 4 alone allowed gamers to get a sense of the physicality of the new console, while still allowing Sony to have an ace-in-the-hole for E3: the console itself. Plus, holding off on a reveal of the console allowed Sony to get a picture of what Microsoft had up their sleeve before they show off their own box. Overall, even if not having the console in the spotlight might have frustrated a few fans, I think it was a smart play in the long run.

But what of Microsoft? Despite their claims of looking forward to the future, the design of the Xbox One seems to indicate a focus toward the criticisms of the past. Just as the Xbox 360, with it's clean, concave surfaces, seemed designed to quiet gamers' criticism of the size of the original Xbox, the large rectangular footprint of the Xbox One seems intentionally designed to quell gamers' fears of the heating issues related to the design of the 360. Though it seems almost certain that Microsoft will install plenty of cooling under the Xbox One's huge hood, it doesn't change the fact that the boxy design of the system is most reminiscent of the Philips CDI- probably not what Microsoft wants gamers thinking of when they look at their new console.

Winner: Playstation 4

Microsoft, Sony

The Peripherals: Tony’s Take

Since the days of “Duck Hunt”, peripherals have been an integral part of any successful console. They’ve come a long way from the plastic guns and even the more recent pretend instruments. Now, consoles have the ability to see you, hear you, and actually track your body’s movements. Then, of course, there’s the controller – the most important asset, and the most important asset to get right. The majority of the time you’re gaming, you’re going to have the controller in your hand, so it needs to be comfortable.

Sony’s big reveal for its conference was the controller. That was actually all they had to show for the system. It looks very much like its PS3 counterpart, with a few minor upgrades. The touchpad will definitely give it a unique spin, and the idea of adding the PlayStation Move tracking light to it complements the six-axis design its predecessor had. They also briefly mentioned the PlayStation Move will be making a return, but didn’t go into any details as to how or if any improvements were to be made.

Microsoft’s controller has also been just slightly tweaked, and we’ll take their word on it that it really is more ergonomic. Their shining star, however, wasn’t the controller, but rather the upgraded Kinect. It’s become so much more accurate, and is directly integrated into the Xbox One’s design. Perhaps the most exciting part is the technology behind it and the vast improvements made there. Now, the Kinect instantly recognizes you, signs you in, and brings up your personalized home screen. Not only that, but it can all be done simply by saying “Xbox On” – the one thing that gamers had asked for out of the Kinect since its arrival. The usefulness of these voice commands goes leaps and bounds beyond anything motion, which anyone who has ever watched Netflix with friends knows to be true. There’s always that person who wants needs to take a bathroom break in the middle of the group movie, so being able to simply say “Xbox Pause” is a breath of fresh air, compared to digging around in the dark for a controller, waiting for it to power back on and connect before finally pressing the pause button.

Winner: Xbox One

Microsoft, Sony

The Peripherals: Rob’s Take

If there's one impression the conferences left, it's that user interaction with these consoles will be very different than their interaction with the 360 and PS3. From voice commands to motion tracking to facial recognition, Microsoft and Sony are discovering how to let gamers interface with their platform of choice in ways that would have seemed like science fiction even just a decade ago. It's difficult to imagine how these systems will be implemented across software titles, and it's even more difficult to assume with any certainty that their implementation will serve to enhance the software on the systems represented rather than get in the way of gameplay. Gamers have been getting burned by supposed innovations in control that proved intrusive and unwieldy for decades, even back to the days of the Power Glove and the Rolling Rocker. Though it's certain that the Kinect and the EyeToy will be better integrated into their respective consoles than those old control gimmicks were, they still could end up being showpieces that shovelware games are designed to promote rather than simple control methods that serve to enhance quality games. At this point, it's simply too soon to know.

Winner: Too early to call.

Netflix

Multimedia: Tony’s Take

When it first came onto the scene, the PlayStation 3 boasted the ability to be the heart of your home entertainment center. The Xbox 360, on the other hand, was primarily a game system. As the Xbox 360 developed over its lifespan, it changed into your all-in-one entertainment box, paving the way for the Xbox One. The PlayStation 3, however, focused primarily on games and everything related.

The PlayStation 4 will have all of the same multimedia capabilities as its predecessor, and adds in a very large social component which focuses on sharing content. The controller has a “share” button on it, allowing you to instantly stream gameplay or easily create clips. Beyond that, Sony didn’t really even touch on the movies or music throughout their conference.

On the contrary, Microsoft spent almost all of their time gloating about the new capabilities the Xbox One will have. It will now be a Blu-Ray Player, Roku Box, Cable Box, and Game Console all rolled into one. The ability to quickly switch between every source is nice… but is it really necessary? Quite honestly, the inclusion of “live TV” really left everyone scratching their heads. Fortunately, the multimedia component didn’t stop there. The updated ESPN app has had a major overhaul, fully integrating fantasy sports directly into the broadcasts. As your players score points, you’ll receive pop-up notifications which will allow you to instantly jump to the leaderboards and check out how your team is doing. Fantasy sports have exploded in popularity, and this will definitely be something couch-athletes will take advantage of.

There was also the exhilarating announcement of the Halo TV series. Gamers have been begging for a Halo movie for years, and their appetite was teased with a surprisingly good web series, “Forward Unto Dawn”, which showed the possibilities and potential success of an actual TV series. Microsoft has backed it full force, and put up enough of a budget to have legendary director Steven Spielberg directing. There’s hardly anything that could go wrong here.

Winner: Xbox One

Netflix

Multimedia: Rob’s Take

Fantasy football, cable tv, and ESPN; Microsoft seems to have an eye toward a very particular customer. The question becomes less one of utility and more one of appeal; if you dig fantasy football and the thought of controlling what shows you watch via your game console, Microsoft has you covered. Will the average gamer be interested in these services? Will the ability to watch ‘live TV’ when you already have a TV that plays TV live compel gamers to pick up the new Xbox? These things remain to be seen.

Of course, the announcement of a new, Xbox-exclusive, Halo TV series directed by film industry legend Steven Spielberg was the highlight of Microsoft's TV plans, and the new series will undoubtedly be welcomed by Halo fans with open arms. It might have been nice to have seen something of the upcoming series, though, even if it were just a scrolling shot of some storyboard sequences. During the presentation, both AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” were mentioned as benchmarks for the sort of quality the Halo TV show project is aiming to match; if it can live up to a fraction of the quality standards set by those programs, it will be a powerful force in Microsoft’s next-generation arsenal of reasons to pick up an Xbox One.

Sony, for its part, showed off a share button on the Dualshock 4 to allow gamers to upload footage of their gameplay to 'social networks'. The advertising benefits to Sony here are obvious, but it's unclear whether all gamers will be interested in sharing footage of themselves, and it's easy to see how the plan could backfire if a flood of mostly unremarkable amateur gameplay videos uploaded to social networks starts to annoy friends and family members browsing their newsfeeds for pictures of smiling grandchildren and cantankerous felines.

Winner: Steven Spielberg (and, by association, Xbox One).

Activision

Games: Tony’s Take

Despite not having an actual game console to show, Sony at least displayed the understanding of what a “game console” is. They spent roughly half their conference showcasing upcoming titles for their system. Most of the titles were expected, such as upcoming sequels “Killzone Shadowfall” and inFamous Second Son”; however, there were a couple of surprise titles as well. While “Driveclub” isn’t the most original of ideas, it looks like a solid title and you can tell the developers put a lot of heart into it. “The Witness”, the new title from the creators of “Braid”, looks interesting and extremely promising. The part everyone was waiting for, although they didn’t know it was the update, was the look at “Watchdogs”. This brand new IP thrilled gamers with its surprise announcement at E3 last year because it managed to blindside all of us, despite the fact that leaks are almost expected in this day and age.

Microsoft seemed to forget their roots with their conference, leaving many to question if the Xbox One was a game system that can do other things, or a multimedia box that can also play games. While a few developers did showcase their new engines, EA Sports brushed over 4 titles with very little detail. There was a new trailer for “Call of Duty: Ghosts” which also sports a new engine and is being redesigned from the ground up, but to no surprise, it was also leaked early in the year which made the reveal a lot less exciting, not to mention this whole “timed exclusive” thing is just getting annoying - it’s bad for the industry. The only glimmer of hope was Phil Spencer who promised 15 exclusive titles within the launch year, eight of which will be brand new franchises! Those numbers are astounding, and very promising, however there’s no idea what they may be, or if they’ll even be any good. We can only hope so.

Winner: Hands down, PlayStation 4

Activision

Games: Rob’s Take

Of course, since the early days of home game consoles, only one factor determines the winner of a particular console generation: which console has the best games? Sony showed off a flood of software in their press conference, from new iterations of first-party titles Infamous and Killzone, to Capcom's dungeon-crawler Deep Down, to a version of Bungie's new RPG shooter Destiny, and finally to the reveal of a seemingly-exclusive console version of Blizzard's Diablo 3. In a classy nod to their current customers, Sony also announced that both Destiny and Diablo 3 would be available for the Playstation 3 as well as the upcoming Playstation 4.

Xbox seemed, by comparison, to not have a great deal to offer. They showed off a new entry in the venerable Call of Duty franchise, and promised 15 more games would be revealed at their E3 conference, but one wonders what they expected gamers to discuss in the interim. Considering the confirmation that “Call of Duty: Ghosts” will not be exclusive to the Xbox One but will also be appearing on consoles by Sony and Nintendo as well as on PC, Microsoft's decision to showcase the title at their conference instead of a first-party exclusive game seems even more odd. Even a handful of titles for original IP’s announced in the abstract would have fueled fan speculation regarding their nature and could have built buzz for Microsoft to ride into their E3 press conference. As it stands, though, Xbox fans will just have to live with their curiosity regarding the nature of those 15 unannounced titles until E3 rolls around.

Winner: Playstation 4

Microsoft

Tony’s Wrap-Up Verdict:

It was a very close vote, and honestly, it’s not because both were so mind-blowing, but rather disappointing. Sony forgot to bring their console, and Microsoft forgot to bring their games. If you were to put them together, they would have had one solid conference. Unfortunately, this potential super-console doesn’t exist, and we’re left with two incomplete experiences. This was probably done to save content for E3 which is just around the corner, but nonetheless, it was still a little underwhelming. With a vote of 4-3-1, the Xbox One just barely edges out the competition and takes the crown. There’s still a lot to be learned about these consoles, and things could change. For the time being, the future is looking a little bleak for gamers. It might be the time to just hold on to what you’ve got and experience it to the fullest - that is, if you’re not ready for the always online, anti-used game, jack of all trades video game consoles we seem to be getting.

Also, be sure to check out RedgoateeRob's rant on everything that wasn't touched on during the conferences! It's up now!

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[02.20.13] Sony officially announces PlayStation 4

Sony

There was something interesting about today. It was supposed to be a day of excitement and surprises, but somehow, it wasn’t. Today, Sony had a press conference that was rumored to reveal the PlayStation 4, and sure enough it did, but it was lacking something very important: The PlayStation 4. What we instead got was a two-hour tease in which lots of information was revealed, and yet lots of information wasn’t.

The event started off with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo about the raw power of the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 4 will have 8GB of memory, a new CPU, new GPU, and a whole other slew of technical upgrades that, when referred to by their names, probably make no sense and mean absolutely nothing to the majority of us. All we really need to know is that it will, in fact, be far superior to the PlayStation 3 in every way, shape, and form.

Now it’s not to say that there wasn’t anything positive to come out of the press conference today, there was actually a lot of that; however there just wasn’t anything mind-blowing. Still, there are plenty of new features to be happy about that were announced.

The one thing we did actually get to see was the new controller, the “DualShock 4”. It’s a more refined version of the DualShock 3 with a larger D-Pad, enhanced rumble capabilities, and reduction of input lag. It’s ergonomically designed to fit more comfortably in your hand, and it has the addition of a touch pad for more precise input. It will also have a new peripheral that looks a lot like Microsoft’s Kinect, but functions more like the PlayStation Move. In case you were wondering, the PlayStation Move will also be making a return to the PlayStation 4, although there’s not much information on how yet.

The controller will also have a new “share” button, which is crucial to a new feature: the implementation of an always-active “theater mode” video recording function. If you’ve played “Call of Duty” or “Halo”, you’re probably familiar with the popular “theater modes” which allow you to take clips of gameplay and share them with everyone. The PlayStation 4 will have this capability integrated directly into the console itself, allowing you to instantly create video clips or take screenshots at the press of a button.

The hardware itself isn’t the only thing getting an upgrade; it turns out the PlayStation Network is looking forward to a major overhaul too. Sony is making full use of its recent acquisition, cloud gaming service Gaikai, to create a PlayStation Network that is all about instant access and personalization. They’re looking to create a new social network that is specific to gaming. You’ll still have your usernames and gamer pictures, but if you want to keep closer contact with real-world friends, you have the option to make more accurate profiles, with a real picture of you and your real name, available to certain people. It’s likely this will be through integration with current existing social networks.

With this always-connected world, you’ll have the option to live-stream your gameplay in conjunction with the new theater mode, and have it available online courtesy of a partnership with UStream. You’ll also have the option to let friends leave live comments that will pop up on screen as you play. If you find yourself stuck, you can actually forfeit control and have a friend remotely connect and play for you to help you through a tough jam.

As far as the ‘instant’ part goes, it starts from the console and works its way up. There will be a new power-saving sleep mode which will allow you to instantly hop back into gameplay at any time. Just press the power button, and the console goes to sleep, remembering exactly where you’re at in your game. When you come back, hit power again and you’re right back in the action where you left off. No more waiting for the console or game to boot up. Gone, also, are the days of waiting for game demos to download. If you’re shopping the store and you find a game you want to try out, simply press a button, and you’re instantly streaming the demo straight to your console. If you decide you like the game, you can purchase it, and start playing it immediately while the rest of the game downloads in the background à la Steam.

Speaking of games, about half the conference was dedicated to the announcement of upcoming titles. Much like the system, it was severely lacking in the “surprise” department. A few sequels that were announced include “Killzone Shadowfall” and “inFamous Second Son”, two PlayStation exclusives that weren’t really expected to disappear anytime soon. Activision also briefly took the stage to announce that Bungie will be bringing its upcoming new IP, “Destiny”, to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4; however, that was something Bungie had already touched upon a few days ago during their own official announcement. They did say that PlayStation exclusive playable content was planned, though.

The first original announcement was that of “Driveclub”, the product of Evolution Studios, which is 10 years in the making. It focuses on team-based racing through in-game auto clubs. You can join up with your friends and take on other auto clubs in challenges and races, all happening in real-time. The highlight of the game, however, is the car models. All of them are painstakingly recreated in excruciating detail inside and out. Think Forza’s AutoVista times infinity, and applied to every vehicle in the game.

Next was “The Witness”, a new title from the creators of “Braid”. It’s an open-world puzzle game that takes place in an extremely compact universe, in which you are always 20 seconds from a different area with a completely unique theme. The intension was to cut out any useless and repetitive gameplay while still creating a large amount of game time that is made up entirely of unique experiences. It will be exclusive to PlayStation Network.

Capcom unveiled their brand new engine they’re designing around the PlayStation 4’s capabilities, which is codenamed “Panta Rhei”. Alongside the development of that, they’re creating an original IP under the working title “Deep Down” which takes place in medieval times and focuses on dragons, knighthood, and the like.

Square Enix also took the stage to debut their “cinematic demo”. That’s right, not a game… just a pretty video of what they want their games to look like. Then, as a brief afterthought, they mentioned they’ll be announcing another Final Fantasy game at E3, right before walking off stage. Perhaps they’re as tired of the series as we are.

Ubisoft looked to steal the show with an update on their original IP, “Watchdogs”. After shocking and pleasantly surprising viewers of E3 last year with their completely out-of-the-blue announcement, Ubisoft looked to build upon the excitement with another gameplay demo. This is clearly a more refined version of the build we saw at back at E3, and the game just keeps looking better and better. Despite being short, it gave a closer look at the level of control you’ll have over the so-called futuristic “Smart City” in the game. It also gave a little more insight into the character you’ll be playing as who appears to be somewhat of a vigilante.

Now if anything from the press conference could be considered “surprising”, it would be the appearance of Blizzard Entertainment onstage. They announced a strategic partnership which will start with them bringing over “Diablo III” to both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. They will make their formal debut at PAX East in a couple of months.

All of this will be coming “Holiday 2013”. We still don’t know what it looks like, but it’s coming. All-in-all, Sony really dropped the ball on useful information this time around. There’s no formal announcement of price point, nor did they discuss any of people’s biggest concerns such as whether or not they’ll be able to play second-hand games (don’t worry, this was since confirmed as not true by a Sony Exec) or if they’re going to be required to have an ever-present online connection. Hopefully they’ll have a little more information come E3, but if one thing is for sure, they already missed their chance on the element of surprise.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you