Sony was keen to let the world know that the North American debut of the PlayStation 4 ended with record breaking results. With just north of one million units sold in the North American region in the first 24-hours alone, it was evident that Sony's next-gen console had captured the imagination of users. In the time that has followed, the PS4 has become available in a total of thirty-two different countries, with Sony officially announcing that more than 2.1 million consoles shipped during the month of November.
Sony's PlayStation 4 may have launched a week sooner than the Xbox One in the United States, but here in the UK, the opposite was true, with the Sony blockbuster arriving a week behind the Redmond company's effort. While early pre-order figures seemed to swing in Microsoft's favor - particularly after it sorted out those issues with regional locking, the playability of used games, and so on - the PS4 has, in its first 48 hours on sale, emerged as the fastest-selling console of all time in the UK. Considering that Sony has some ground to make up after losing out in the previous-gen console war, this is hugely indicative that the tables - and Sony's fortunes - could finally be turning.
We already heard earlier from Sony's UK chief that the PlayStation 4 will probably not enjoy the kind of longevity of its 7-year-old predecessor, with Fergal Gara noting that the changing ways in which consumers are accessing games and gaming services will dramatically shorten cycles . This is contrary to Microsoft, which believes the Xbox One will last out a decade, but EA Studios executive VP Patrick Söderlund has waded into the argument by suggesting that he expects both the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to remain flagship for five to six years.
Although the PlayStation 4 might have released a week earlier than its Microsoft-made rival in the United States, the opposite is true in the UK, where tonight, avid gamers will begin queuing for Sony's latest and greatest console. But while Microsoft has indicated that the Xbox One is built to last and should see out the next ten or so years, Sony's UK boss has suggested that the PS4 mightn't even manage the lifespan of its predecessor, the PS3, which released some seven years ago.
You may not have ever heard of Seattle based Teague. You may not be familiar with how they do business or even the list of famous clients that they've worked with, but trust us when we say you are more than familiar with the work that they produce. The Teague design consultancy is responsible for the design of the original Xbox console that launched over a decade ago and has acted as the platform for the development of the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One. As we approach the official release of Microsoft's latest gaming system, Teague has used their console design experience to give their professional opinions on the aesthetics of the One's biggest rival - the Sony PlayStation 4.
Sony's PlayStation 4 finally released last Friday, and since, early adopters have been getting to grips with the market's first next-gen console. The Xbox One is incoming, and whilst some remain on the fence regarding which to go out and purchase, one of the key advantages the PS4 has - save being more powerful and already available - is the fact that costs $100 less than its forthcoming adversary. A teardown of the PlayStation 4 suggests, however, that Sony is making very little - if any - money on the new console, with research firm IHS estimating that it costs $381 to build.
Sony's latest iteration of the DualShock controller may look extremely similar to its predecessor, but it could have all been entirely different if today's report is true. The controller that will accompany Sony's PlayStation 4 looks and feels like a natural progression to previous DualShock hardware, but things could have been radically different if the early DualShock 4 design prototypes had made it through to the final launch.
It may have only been on sale for a couple of days and in just one territory, but it's fair to say that bar some worrying reports of potentially high failure rates the PS4 launch has been a success. Largely positive reviews amongst both the press and buyers has seen the PS4 off to a good start in its battle for supremacy with the Xbox One.
People have crazy hobbies, ideas, and even ways of becoming famous. A lot of clever YouTubers are a testament to this fact, and while some may choose to blend stuff to catch your attention, RatedRR prefers blowing stuff up, shooting it with high power guns and completely dismantling gadgets in the process. Their latest video shows what they did to a PlayStation 4 console that they managed to get their hands on, and boy, it ain’t pretty!
Now that Sony's PlayStation 4 console is officially available to purchase, we can sit back and watch the floods of reviews come in from those lucky enough to get their hands on one. Today's average video game fanatic will more than likely be interested in the computational power of the console and how it renders game visuals on screen rather than the internal intricacies of the hardware. However, whenever any new consumer product is released that grabs public attention, we can always rely on the iFixit team to void their own warranty and show us areas of the hardware that the average user will never see, or potentially even care about.
