Sony posts great Launch Lineup and then drops the bomb with the worst FAQ answers (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

DC Universe Online confirmed as Day 1 (SOE's Planetside 2 won't launch till 2014 tho it seems)http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/10/31/sony-confirms-16-titles-for-playstation-4-launch.aspx?utm_content=buffer578d3&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=BufferTarget's Buy 2 get 1 free is tempting. I might use that to get Knack, Injustice and something else (Maybe Assassin's Creed?) which I don't plan on owning long term, and sell all 3 off before their retail prices drop....As od right now my plans are to buy Ghosts and Killzone as Digital Day 1 editions as I plan on keeping and playing them long term...

 

[Ruz-El]

I still can't find any confirmation if the PS4 can play divx/mp4 video files off a jump drive. Looks like I'm cancelling my pre-order. Maybe in a year or two they put out a new model that plays CDs and the rest of the files the PS3 does.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The PS4 does not support external storage devices at all (HDD or thumb drives). It also has no media player at all, so no audio or video files can be played back on it. Only DVD, Bluray, and apps (Netflix, Music Unlimited, etc.).

That said, was anyone ever going to get rid of their PS3 when the PS4 came out or expect to use the PS4 as a media hub? I think removing some of these features is a bad idea in general, but it won't really hamper me enough to care. So for me its not a big enough deal while the launch lineup certainly is.

I could still see them reversing course down the road. The firmware in these things is super malleable. The loss of CD audio is due to licensing issues. Basically, they cut the feature out so they could save cost on each console without paying the CD consortium or whatever it is. I'm pretty sure the Bluray laser can read a CD. (BTW I'm an optical engineer and have good knowledge on how this probably works.)

 

[Towergrove]

The PS4 does not support external storage devices at all (HDD or thumb drives). It also has no media player at all, so no audio or video files can be played back on it. Only DVD, Bluray, and apps (Netflix, Music Unlimited, etc.).

That said, was anyone ever going to get rid of their PS3 when the PS4 came out or expect to use the PS4 as a media hub? I think removing some of these features is a bad idea in general, but it won't really hamper me enough to care. So for me its not a big enough deal while the launch lineup certainly is.

I could still see them reversing course down the road. The firmware in these things is super malleable. The loss of CD audio is due to licensing issues. Basically, they cut the feature out so they could save cost on each console without paying the CD consortium or whatever it is. I'm pretty sure the Bluray laser can read a CD. (BTW I'm an optical engineer and have good knowledge on how this probably works.)

This effects my purchase of the ps4. Order Cancelled.

 

[Edwin-S]

I have to admit that I'm having second thoughts about my preorder. I wouldn't have preordered it at all if I had known that it was not going to support features that are available in the PS3. Not supporting something as CD audio playback is plain stupid. The tech is so old that the cost of including it is minimal. Lack of MP3 support is lame as well. The lack of these basic supports makes me wonder what else is missing. The decisions these companies are making are beyond stupid.

 

[schan1269]

Maybe Sony is banking on everybody buying an AVR.

Every AVR ever made will allow HDMI video and toslink/digital coax/analog audio at the same time.

Denon just allowed network audio with HDMI video on the X series(I know the 4000 does it, would assume that the 3000 does as well. Have no idea on the 1000/2000).

 

[Jeff Cooper]

If the PS3 bluray remote doesn't work, then what will control the blurays? I haven't seen any kind of announcement of a PS4 remote. Hopefully we will not need to use the dualshock as a remote.

 

[Sam Posten]

This concerns me too Jeff. I won't cancel my preorder but I understand folks who are distraught over the lack of media prowess on this box. Not even a simple BT remote support is ridiculous...

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I've used my DS3 to control Blurays on my PS3 and I find it to be pretty easy. I mean, anyone who really cares about having a remote or not probably has a PS3 or a Bluray player already. And besides, the PS4 doesn't replace the PS3 so you'd be likely to keep both.

I think they will eventually reverse course on the MP3 decision. That said, I still don't think it's a huge deal. I haven't used my PS3 as a media server (music, video, anything) in a long time and I don't really see that changing with the PS4. Nowadays, there are a ton of other options to get media into my surround system or on my TV.

And besides, it's a gaming console. We got all those extraneous features on the PS3 for a launch price that was $100-200 more than the PS4 is coming out at. I find that to be a great tradeoff.

The big question now is whether the XB1 supports those features or not. I'm going to guess no since MS hasn't come out and said, "We do that."

EDIT: Nevermind, MS did announce that the XB1 supports CDs and DLNA. Of course.

EDIT2: However, no MP3 support at launch. You can stream content from Windows devices but no MP3s or external storage media supported on the console.

 

[Ruz-El]

If I had the room, I probably still wouldn't consider the PS4 as it is right now. Seeing as Sony themselves have given me more than a few hundreds of hours of game play with my PS+, I'm in no rush to use it as a gaming system. Since it can't be used as a media device, I no longer require it. I don't have a ton of space for multiple machines. I might just buy an Oppos player or used PS3 for the living room and skip the next gen gaming systems completely.

They spent 10 years or so to make the Playstation device into an all in one media hub, than stripped it of all it's power to turn it into a console. They still make all the money in the world on the PS4, but none of my money will contribute until it's once again an all in one media hub. And that includes being able to play the couple of hundred CDs I own that I have no desire to rip into an even lossy-er format to listen to as MP3s on my home theater.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Quick question though: how often do you actually put a CD in your PS3 currently? Aside from my general lack of interest in music and the fact that I haven't bought a CD for myself in years, I've never put a CD in my PS3. I have some MP3s on it and some videos on my PS3, but I also have a laptop with HDMI output if I really feel the need to get something on my TV.

 

[Edwin-S]

Quick question though: how often do you actually put a CD in your PS3 currently? Aside from my general lack of interest in music and the fact that I haven't bought a CD for myself in years, I've never put a CD in my PS3. I have some MP3s on it and some videos on my PS3, but I also have a laptop with HDMI output if I really feel the need to get something on my TV.

I've used mine as a CD player quite a bit, but that's not the point. It's pathetic when a machine touted as "next gen" has less capabilities than the gen that preceded it.I don't like MS's bullshit, but they added capabilities to their next gen machine so the term fits. Sony strips their machine of capabilities that the PS3 was capable of and has the gall to call it next gen? The term next gen suggests a step forward, not 10 steps back.

 

[Ruz-El]

Quick question though: how often do you actually put a CD in your PS3 currently? Aside from my general lack of interest in music and the fact that I haven't bought a CD for myself in years, I've never put a CD in my PS3. I have some MP3s on it and some videos on my PS3, but I also have a laptop with HDMI output if I really feel the need to get something on my TV.

3 CDs so far this weekend. Which isn't unusual. I tend to listen to either vinyl or CDs. I'm in the camp that's not as concerned about MP3s since they sound like crap compared to streaming FLAC files through the server. I have a complete collection of Frank Zappa on CD, I doubt I'm going to get that on music unlimited.

Here's a side question: How many videos of your gameplay footage have you shared on youtube/facebook?

For me it's none. Ever since I had to sit through a VHS tape of a friend playing stupid Loderunner on his Apple II*, I rarely watch in game footage outside of game reviews or cheats/walkthroughs when I'm stuck on a level.

*There is a special ring in hell reserved for people who force you to watch VHS footage of their Loderunner game.

 

[Ruz-El]

I've used mine as a CD player quite a bit, but that's not the point. It's pathetic when a machine touted as "next gen" has less capabilities than the gen that preceded it.I don't like MS's bullshit, but they added capabilities to their next gen machine so the term fits. Sony strips their machine of capabilities that the PS3 was capable of and has the gall to call it next gen? The term next gen suggests a step forward, not 10 steps back.

Think of the PS4 as "Retro-Next Gen". It's so far ahead of the times it's gone full circle so it's like buying a completely locked down system like a SNES or GENESIS. They did keep their word though, they kept the gaming part dead center. What should of been a total package is simply a gaming system. It worked well for Nintendo, the WiiU is a huge seller right?

 

[Bryan^H]

I still can't find any confirmation if the PS4 can play divx/mp4 video files off a jump drive. Looks like I'm cancelling my pre-order. Maybe in a year or two they put out a new model that plays CDs and the rest of the files the PS3 does.

No CD's is absurd. Since I got rid of my Stereo unit a while ago, the PS3 has been my main home theater machine hooked into my receiver and 5.1 speaker system. No way in hell I'd buy a system that doesn't play my library of music cd's.
When the next Elder Scrolls game is released(not MMO) in a couple years or so then I'll dive in, and do it up right. Until then....what Next Gen systems?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The Wii and Wii U don't play DVDs or CDs. I don't think its really hurt Nintendo's business. Heck, the latest revision of the Wii doesn't even play GameCube games.

If you use your PS3 for CDs and media streaming right now, why wouldn't you keep using it in the future? The PS4 does not play PS1/2/3 games so anyone who buys a gaming console for the purpose of gaming will still want to keep their PS3 around. If space is at a premium in your home theater then I can understand that, but if space is at a premium then most likely you have another device that can do the job.

The argument that was made back in June/July around E3 was that the big difference between the two next gen consoles was the game lineups and what mattered more to gamers. I don't understand why that argument is hijacked by "it doesn't play CDs." The fact that they're trying to force people to buy a subscription to Music Unlimited is shady and I understand being unhappy about that, but not playing MP3s off external memory is not really a game changer for me.If you were to buy a PS4 at launch, what games would you have gotten? It's a gaming console made for the purpose of playing games, so what games were making it interesting to you? Or were you looking at it for its non-gaming functions?

 

[Adam Gregorich]

WraaaaaaaaaaaaaCan I use my PS3 Blu-ray remote control on PS4?No, PS4 does not support the Blu-ray remote control for the PS3.

If they did away with that stupid Bluetooth only remote and now support IR that's a good thing!

 

[Carlo_M]

If they did away with that stupid Bluetooth only remote and now support IR that's a good thing!

You know, as someone who is very frustrated at the fact that I seemingly have to point my Oppo 93 remote right at the damned box, I'm okay with the BT functionality of the PS3 remote. I love that I don't need to point it at the box to activate the remote. The Oppo remote situation actually encouraged me to download the Oppo app for my iPhone so I can control it via network to get similar to BT responsiveness.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

For me as a universal remote owner it was always too hard to integrate. Funny to see both sides of the issue

 

[mattCR]

Just so we can cover this: MS doesn't do full DLNA on the XBOX1, it is a "playto" device from Windows 8/7. This is also true with MP3 or all formats. It also isn't fully DLNA compliant as the server must provide it in a WMV based stream. So it's not like it hunts through the list and will suddenly open MKV.

The perk of the XB1 is that others are confirming that there will be Media Center Extender in it, which is good news for people like me.

Neither console will play videos, MP3s or games off of an external hard drive. The only system that will do that is the WiiU.

The PS4 still has a user removable HDD so can be user replaced. That's not hte case on the XB1, end user can't replace. There may - at a later point, be an add-on option.

As someone who bumped my PS3 to a 1TB a year ago at $65 in a 2.5" drive, I'm thinking fo doing about the same on the PS4 right out of the box, throwing in a 1TB SHSD.