Editorial note: The author of this article was flown to New York with tickets and accommodations paid for by Sony.
Sony Computer Entertainment held a major press event in New York City to announce their latest console, the PlayStation 4.
Some details were left out, including what the console itself would look like and how much the hardware would cost. However, many fans were relieved to see that used games would not be banned, as some feared.
The PS4 will not allow gamers to play last generation PS3 games via retail discs, but may allow older games through online streaming services.
Adam Perry, owner of The Last Game Store, an independent video game retailer in Clayton Park, says overall he was impressed by Sony's latest piece of hardware.
"Backwards compatibility (the ability to play games from older systems) is only important in the first two years," Perry said while looking through a new Nintendo Entertainment System, which was just been traded in.
"It's only an important feature when there's not a whole lot of games out and you need to bridge that gap," he said. "If Microsoft's new Xbox is backwards compatible at first, it'll give them a huge boost over the PS4."
The PS3 was originally backwards compatible with PS2 games, but as newer versions of the PS3 were released, that feature was eventually left out.
"People buy the new machines, to play the new games," he said.
"The PS2 is still really popular because the PS3 isn't backwards compatible anymore, so people are still coming in looking for used PS2 machines and games," he said.
The Last Game Store focuses on retro games and hardware as well as video game paraphernalia such as models and accessories.
Perry said that Sony appeared to have a less cocky attitude when they unveiled the PS4 on Feb. 20.
When the PS3 originally launched, it was met with heavy criticism for having a price point of around $600.
"With the PS4, you can tell that attitude has changed," he said. "They were like ‘Hey, here's the really cool things we're doing' instead of ‘Here's the things you want because we said so.'"
Perry said that although he's happy the PS4 will allow used games, he still expects gamers will be required to pay an additional fee for using used games or a more persistent internet connection than what has been required in the past.
Several games were shown at the press event including brand new franchises like ‘Knack' and ‘Watch Dogs,' as well as established franchises like Diablo III, a former PC exclusive game, which will soon be playable on the PS4 and PS3.
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AT THE CONFERENCE
Mark Cerny, lead system architect on the PlayStation, 4 spoke about the new system at the PlayStation press conference.
"Every major console, all the way from the Atari 2600, which was a console that I started on 30 something years ago, all the way up to the PlayStation 2 had pretty much been a single purpose device," he said. "Insert the cartridge, the CD, the DVD, power it on and play your game."
Cerny said the Cell processor technology on the PS3 might have been a barrier to development on the console, which is why they went for a more streamlined approach for the PS4.
"The architecture that we chose is like a PC in many ways, but supercharged to bring out its full potential as a gaming platform," he said.
Although the physical console itself wasn't unveiled, Sony did reveal the system's controller, which features a ‘share' button, allowing players to post videos and interact with others while they play.
