Sony Issues Detailed PS4 FAQ Ahead of Launch 312
Sockatume writes "Sony has released a detailed FAQ for the PS4 system, which launches in coming weeks. Of particular note: although Bluetooth headsets will not be compatible, generic 3.5mm and USB audio devices will work; the console will require activation via the internet or a special disk before it will play Blu-ray or DVDs; media servers, MP3s, and audio CDs are not supported. The console's "suspend/resume" and remote assistance features are listed as unavailable for the North American launch, implying that they will be patched in before the console launches in Europe later in November."
No media server support upsets me (Score:5, Interesting)
So I was excited to buy a PS4 until they announced no media server support. Same with XBone. I guess I'm just one of those guys who will stay with his PS3 for the forseeable future...
I know why they made that choice, but it doesn't service the customers who put their media library on a server instead of on disc.
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I had a PS4 pre-order for a while. I cancelled it because likely all the games I enjoy will be out on PS3 for a good while anyway. And while AC4 does look very pretty on PS4, it's "good enough" for me on PS3 right now. I'll probably get a PS4 once it comes down to around 250GBP.
While I rarely do it, I did actually play an audio CD on my PS3 last week too. Alongside my desktop PC, it's the only device in my house that can play them now.
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My flatmate got one along with a "book" on teaching yourself Norwegian. It's kind of like Rosetta Stone, but cheaper and with more dead trees.
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Something old people like me still use as our primary way of buying music.
I still trawl through the CDs in the store to buy most of mine. I've discovered more music by looking for specific record labels or just looking through one of several sections to see if there's anything shiny in there. I've discovered a lot of great music that way.
Every now and then when I'm on a trip I'm lucky enough to find one of the really huge music stores which has just tons of stuff
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If you just rip them why not buy the songs on amazon as mp3s and back them up yourself? If you wanted to be really hipster you could even back them up to CDs.
Re:No media server support upsets me (Score:4, Informative)
because for decent stereo systems, mp3 is not good enough.
I prefer to buy a cd (used), rip it to flac and play that.
when I rip, I know its done right and if there are errors, I send the cd back or re-rip until it comes out right.
allofmp3 used to sell flac. times were good back then. now, to get flac, you mostly have to rip yourself (or have someone do it, but again, you don't have control over the quality and there's a lot that can go wrong when someone careless does the rip/encode/tag).
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Lots of websites still sell flac from what I can tell.
Most CDs are so poorly mastered (loudness wars) that I have trouble imagining it matters if they are ripped to MP3 or not.
I don't have the hearing for decent sound systems anyway, too many loud concerts and gun fire in my youth.
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Because I still like having something physical, to be perfectly honest.
Buying MP3s to me feels like I've not bought anything, and the way I buy and find music is usually from sifting through the CD racks in music stores. I don't set out thinking "gee, what I need is what I just heard on the radio" (because I don't listen to the radio), it's more of a "hey, what's this stuff" kind of process. Much more tactile and random
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I rip my usually to FLAC, a lossless compression for listening to my good audio system in the living room...and also to mp3 for lessor listening environments like the car or ipod in the gym.
No DRM and freedom to listen in any format I want.
Not to mention, it won't disappear if a company or company's service goes out of function.
CD defined (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No media server support upsets me (Score:4, Funny)
It's the hobbyist way to buy MP3/AAC tracks. They come with their own lossless backup.
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Since you are a time traveler you really should get some news to take back to your decade.
These days you can buy MP3s without any DRM. No renting at all, just a normal file you can backup or burn or do whatever you like with. Amazon is a big source for those.
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I am looking into buying online, the better stuff I've been finding at the 96khz level, but that's still not as prevalent as the CDs your can find in stores.
OUYA fizzled (Score:2)
No one should be buying this proprietary garbage to begin with.
OUYA, a set-top gaming machine positioned as a less-proprietary alternative to the major consoles, sort of fizzled. We'll have to wait to see how Steam Machine, another set-top gaming machine positioned as a less-proprietary alternative to the major consoles, does.
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Has it been out long enough to say it fizzled?
It really could never hope to compete in the PS4/Xbone arena anyway. Its hardware is simply not up to the task.
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No one should be buying this proprietary garbage to begin with. These companies despise openness and users' freedoms.
This is such bollocks. It's a fucking games console: it's an optional luxury in life. It plays games and that's why you buy it. If you're not interested in the games then don't buy it. Yes, it's locked it down, and there are obvious reasons for that. I fail to see how it being locked down takes away your freedom. You're still free to buy a general purpose computer and use that instead. You're still free to shove Linux on your PS3 (despite the lack of OtherOS), it's just more of a pain in the arse now: http [linux.com]
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Its an assault on freedom when the entire purpose media playback was removed was to funnel you to their services. Its insulting, demeaning and petty as hell. There is NO REASON other then greed for this decision. Its a huge 'fuck you'.
You're right that it's likely an unsubtle way of forcing their music service. I can see how it would be fucking annoying if you expected to rely on your PS4 as a music centre. Nonetheless, I have a hard time seeing this as an assault on "freedom." Consoles, iDevices, and their brethren are not multi-purpose computers. They're obviously media-distribution portals designed for the benefit of their manufacturers. You (should) know that when you buy them and you take the risks that come with it. Most manufactu
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Lots of other low power devices make fine media servers.
I don't know why they made that choice, so please enlighten me.
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Is the standard that poorly defined?
If that is the case why not select a better one instead of ending all support?
Re:No media server support upsets me (Score:5, Informative)
However, it should be noted that, with the PS3, Sony didn't let that stop them: They put out a DLNA client and, because their hardware was about the single most common DLNA client that anybody actually used (I think WMP, at least some versions, is nominally a DLNA client; but sharing from computer to computer, when both machines are Windows boxes and you could just use SMB, isn't much of a use case compared to streaming to your TV), people sucked it up and tailored their DLNA server support to the PS3. That's why "http://www.ps3mediaserver.org/" is called what it is. It's a DLNA server, it isn't locked to PS3s only or anything; but wherever something was fucked up or unclear (with DLNA, this is normal) the PS3's behavior was taken into account.
Either Sony's figures suggested that only
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Yeah, this is pretty bad. Don't get me wrong, I still intend to get a PS4 soon after launch (probably not launch day this time - the fuss and queues trying to get a 360 and Wii at launch are not something I want to repeat) but this is an irritation. Particularly given that the PS3's media streaming functionality was so much better than the 360's.
Of course, the lack of backward compatibility on both the PS4 and the Xbox One means that anybody intending to buy either console will need to hang onto its predece
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This is why I have so many consoles still connected. They only get removed when the HTPC can emulate them. I would already have a wii U if it played gamecube games.
I love a new console coming out, it means the old gen games will get very cheap.
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If you got a fast enough HTPC you could get a Wii U. But Dolphin is almost as slow with GC games as it is with Wii games. I keep going back and trying Dolphin and realizing that it's too early.
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I had the same experience.
My current HTPC is a Core 2 Quad. So either dolphin needs to get better or I need to keep waiting.
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Which means for some of us, buying a spare last-gen console and ignoring the new ones is a viable option.
I don't play the latest and greatest games because, well, video games lapped me about 15+ years ago. I also don't play games on-line, so most of the new 'features' don't
Halo 2 ended (Score:2)
buying a spare last-gen console and ignoring the new ones
Until you can't play the game anymore because the last gen console's multiplayer servers have been shut down for good. Even Halo 2 ended [slashdot.org].
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Yet another win for PC gaming.
The GP stated he does not play online anyway though. I don't either. Not all of us want to hear racist and homophobic slurs being yelled by children while being accused of hacking simply because we have the attention span to learn how to properly play the game.
But does harassment discourage the majority? (Score:3)
Not all of us want to hear racist and homophobic slurs being yelled by children
Major video game consoles are made for the profitable majority, not the less profitable edge case. I understand your concern about racial and sexual harassment in online pickup groups of strangers, but another comment [slashdot.org] claims that most gamers happen not to share this problem.
Re:Halo 2 ended (Score:5, Insightful)
Which, if you'd read my entire post where I said I don't play games on-line, you wouldn't be suggesting.
For some of us, video games are played alone/with friends in our basement or living room, with no networking involved -- the way it was meant to be done. ;-)
For me (and I realize I'm a relatively smaller minority of gamers), on-line gaming carries absolutely zero appeal. And all of the 'social' aspects (like badges and winning coins and spending real money to get better stuff) is equally meaningless to me.
To me, when I'm in the mood and have time, I'll fire up the video game, play a while, and then turn it off. Driving games, Tiger Woods, Skyrim, the wife's dancing games for the Kinect ... none of these are the kinds of things I want to play against someone on the internet.
My video game console doesn't get connected to the network, and is completely air-gapped. And I can't say I've ever felt I was missing out on anything. In fact, the brief period I had it on-line was enough to convince me that I definitely don't want it.
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Mine would be if not for Netflix and Amazon prime.
Video game updates are another reason you might want to connect it. Some games really needed the updates, Bugthesda looking at you here.
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My internet is metered, and I pay for my bandwidth. So my preference is still to buy the Blu Ray that comes with a Digital Copy (not that evil Ultraviolet) and use that. That way I only download a much smaller amount of files and can watch the disc whenever I want.
When Microsoft started putting ads in my home screen and v
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What the heck is Digital Copy? Why not just rip the blu ray? I tend to only watch things once so I don't buy a lot of media.
I don't think I could cope with metered internet service. I don't have cable or an antenna nor am I willing to watch advertising in my media.
So far the PS3 seems free of advertising as far as I can tell.
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Licensed digital copy of movies, downloadable from iTunes-- which I was already using anyway (yeah, whatever). At that point, I can watch it on my iPod or my Apple TV -- sadly, I can't watch on my Android tablet, but can still dust off my first gen iPad to watch movies on planes. But you can usually buy the combo pack which has Blu Ray, DVD, and the Digital copy for only slightly more than just the Blu Ray.
When I discovered I could play movies from my iPod onto the TV in the
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MakeMKV makes it trivial to do a 1:1 rip of your Bluray into an MKV container that has the primary video and audio stream. If you need any conversion after that for tablets etc... Handbrake does the job very well.
http://makemkv.com/ [makemkv.com] http://ha [handbrake.fr]
Fewer games support split screen (Score:2)
For some of us, video games are played alone/with friends in our basement or living room
And others can't coordinate their schedules to play with friends, so they prefer pickup games with strangers.
with no networking involved
Fewer and fewer games for Microsoft and Sony consoles support split screen multiplayer for two reasons. First, time is money, and supporting both split screen and online splits the effort between optimizing for split screen and optimizing for online. Second, publishers want to sell multiple copies to a household [cracked.com].
The original Xbox was PC-like (Score:2)
If the PC-like architecture of the new systems is going to be the way of the future, then hopefully this is the last time we have to suffer [lack of back-compat].
The original Xbox was PC-like, with a 733 MHz Celeron and a GeForce 3. Microsoft designed its successor to be less PC-like, using a PowerPC CPU instead of x86, as a cost-cutting measure. Another thing that worries me is reliance on vendors' GPU bugs, something that console games have done for decades and that Mantle is likely to bring to the PC gaming world.
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That is more about internet access issues.
These games are huge, downloading them for many would either take days or put them over their quota.
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This means rural dwellers and mobile-only Internet users are locked into discs for yet another generation.
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Either way that would have been the case.
Who would want to rent the game just for installation?
The disks are typically cheaper than digital sales in the sony store anyway.
Heck, I rather have the disks so that one day I can rip them and emulate the system. Can't do that with the software from the sony store.
Internet have-nots (Score:2)
Who would want to rent the game just for installation?
The same Internet have-not demographic who paid extra for a copy of OS X on USB media. For a lot of these people, Internet access costs $10 per GB.
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Well, Blu-ray has several protections for that embedded in the disc itself, including identifying marks (what type - factory, BD-R, BD-RE, etc, including ID codes for factory pressed discs identifying the factory and timestamps).
And the last time digital only was suggested, everyone was up in arms, despite several advantages to the ph
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No you couldn't, since the digital license servers would not be selling licenses forever. For the digital license servers to end would be the equivalent of "going out of print".
And once the servers die, even disks you bought would no longer be able to run.
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Couldn't possibly buy one of these. My 3 and 5 year old get their TV from our carefully curated media server full of kids' TV. There's a month's worth of episodes of a number of their favorite shows (not just the 90-second clips the kids apps on the iPad want to show).
The PS3 is about the best frontend you can get for MythTV - navigates easier, more reliable, plays smoother, integrates into the home theater easier and builds the TV recordings into the rest of their entertainment.
Sony is doing all it can to
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Can't possibly connect two devices to the same TV? I realize that ease of use is an issue for a 3 year old. I am using Plex via Roku as a MythTV frontend. I use a modified mythlink.pl to create a directory of symlinks with season and episode number in the filename and Plex does a great job grabbing the metadata. It does require running a Plex server - and you may or may not have the spare cycles on the MythTV backend.
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If the PS4 support is anything like the Xbox 360 support, then you're not missing much. I got tired of all the limitations of my Xbox when it came to playing media files, and so I bought a WD TV Live. It's blows away my Xbox. I can attach a USB hard drive to the WD box which then appears as an SMB mount on my Mac. I then rip a Blu-ray to an 20GB MKV file, and it plays perfectly. No transcoding needed.
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If it's a good console then it will still be a good console in 6 months from now when there are some actual worthwhile games to play on it and the firmware has gone through a few feature enhancements. It took several major updates of the PS3 firmware fo
No media servers? (Score:3, Insightful)
What ever?
Seems like a backward step to me. If Sony thinks that 1000s and 1000s of its devices are being used solely as media servers, they are right.
If they think that omitting that feature will mean more games sales, they are mistaken.
Re:No media servers? (Score:5, Insightful)
True, if people were buying consoles as media boxes then you are right, they won't sell more games this way, but they might sell less consoles are loss making prices so they would still be better off financially as a result.
Conflict of interest (Score:5, Insightful)
the console will require activation via the internet or a special disk before it will play Blu-ray or DVDs; media servers, MP3s, and audio CDs are not supported
This is why Sony needs to spin off its media division, as Dan Loeb has proposed.
As long as Sony is both a consumer electronics company and a major movie/recording studio, the consumer electronics division will always be compromised by the need to serve the overall corporate goals rather than the customer's needs.
You just know that the "no media server" and "have to activate on the Internet for DVD/Blu-ray" restrictions were added at the insistence of the suits on the studio side. These restrictions do nothing for customers, and a pure consumer electronics company would have no reason to hurt the functionality of their product by inflicting them.
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Nah, the activation would be there regardless. It's so that they only need to pay the per-unit DVD and BluRay licensing fees based on how many units are activated, rather than how many units are manufactured.
They probably figure that a whole bunch of people won't bother activating it since they already have a BluRay player and at least four different DVD-playing devices attached to their teevee already. Saves some money, and the average consumer doesn't really care about a little one-time annoyance (as long
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Actually, I think its not activation, its a day-one patch that is required to enable the functionality.
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Well, the DVD/Blu-ray activation could theoretically save them couple bucks per console if they don't have to pay licensing for those technologies on consoles that never get activated.
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Who, exactly, does Sony have to pay? Didn't they create the BluRay spec and pretty much own it?
At which point I should expect some imaginary money to be moved around. Selling you a device which half works sounds like the usual crap I expect from Sony -- which is why I haven't owned anything made by Sony in quite some time.
Th
MPEG-LA, for one (Score:5, Informative)
Who, exactly, does Sony have to pay?
Sony would have to pay other BDA members, DVD FLLC, DVD CCA, (Mac)Rovi(sion), AACSLA, MPEG-LA, and anyone else who manages licensing patents or DRM trade secrets associated with BD or DVD video.
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They still have to pay through MPEG-LA and BDA. There's the whole issue of being able to play Dolby or DTS audio or using MPEG codecs that does require royalties outside of Sony.
No media servers? (Score:2)
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A steambox might be an idea.
Not sure if they have TV support, heck just adding netflix and amazon would be enough for me.
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Install Plex server (free) on your server and pick up a Roku 2 for $60 and install the Plex client (also free). Works great for videos, music, and pictures. Also, since the Roku isn't a Blu-ray player, it doesn't prevent you from playing Blu-rays that you have ripped to store on your server. This won't meet your game needs, but it's a tiny, lower power device so it doesn't take up a bunch of space or give off a bunch of heat.
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The media center capabilities of the PS3 never worked for me. It can see my media servers but can't see any of the videos. "Sure," you say, "videos are all kinda weird codecs." And you're right, I don't expect Sony to make something that'll play MKV files. click on Music, and go into a directory with thousands of MP3 files, and it can't see THOSE, either. It wants a very, very specific format for those MP3 files which Google has NOT helped me figure out!
I have a dedicated media center PC. It's small, quiet,
Why activation for Blu-rays/DVD's? (Score:2)
the console will require activation via the internet or a special disk before it will play Blu-ray or DVDs
Try as I might, I can't figure that one out. It's not like Sony doesn't sell off-the-shelf blu-ray players every day that don't require this (including the PS3). So why require it for the PS4??
Maybe they didn't have the software finished on time and it requires a downloaded patch?
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It's probably a licensing thing. Sony doesn't want to pay the per-player fee on every device they sell, just every device that is activated.
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Doesn't Sony own that licensing?
Please see replies to gstoddart's comment [slashdot.org].
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Yeah, but they don't have any problem licensing it for the PS3 and their stand-alone players. It couldn't be enough to effect the price THAT much.
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Blu-ray players pay $10 in licensing fees, by making you activate it they can defer that cost and only pay it for those who are actually going to use it.
Disappointed (Score:2)
Two things about this that worry me. Well, 2 and a half.
The whole no MP3/audio CDs/DLNA thing, yeah... that COULD potentially be fixed and Sony have addressed peoples' concerns about it. That's my half thing.
What worries me more is that no current bluetooth headsets nor PS3 controllers will work on the thing. I can see absolutely no reason for that other than Money Grab. Yeah, the PS4 controller has more features, but those things are overpriced half-way to hell and many of us have multiple PS3 controllers.
You may want to rethink that cunning plan... (Score:2)
"What screen resolutions will PS4 support?" "The PS4 system supports 480p"
"In PAL Markets, the Vertical Stands for the PS4 system will retail for â19.99 / £16.99." [Damnit Slashdot, Unicode! Any year now!]
Seriously mixed messages here. First, I feel just fine with digital-only, though I expect that will piss off at least a few people. But why does it suppo
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It says "in PAL markets" because that's the version of the FAQ issued on the European PAL region PlayStation blog.
Image Constraint Token; PAL market defined (Score:4, Informative)
But why does it support 480p?
It's probably an AACS requirement to support at least one EDTV resolution, given the Image Constraint Token.
But that last line really cinches it... "In PAL markets". WTF? Seriously Sony, what the hell does PAL-vs-NTSC have to do with it, when you only have digital outputs?
"PAL market" refers to markets that use 50 Hz alternating current and historically used PAL video: Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. These tend to have fewer people per country than North America. This increases cost of licensing works for adaptation when distributors own exclusive rights in different countries. It increases the cost of localization as UI and games must be dubbed in more languages. It increases censorship as some PAL market countries have less comprehensive protection of speech than the United States, allowing no-swastikas policies and refusal to accept neighboring countries' classification for violent, sexual, or otherwise objectionable materials. Finally, Europe tends toward stronger warranty requirements for consumer products than North America.
For that matter, does PAL-vs-NTSC even exist at all anymore?
Yes. It would be cost prohibitive for the PAL market to switch to 60 Hz AC and a single media distribution territory, and it would be politically unpopular to adopt English language, free speech, and U.S.-style minimal warranty.
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Maybe it's changed since you visited, but I see different.
"What screen resolutions will PS4 support?" "The PS4 system supports 480p"
It actually says "The PS4 system supports 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p video standards via HDMI output."
For that matter, does PAL-vs-NTSC even exist at all anymore?
Yes - it does. The resolutions might be the same, but PAL video is at 25fps vs. our 29.97 (or double for interlaced). Their SD video is 576p.
No DLNA support? Didn't you start DLNA Sony? (Score:2)
PS4 launch: time to buy a PS3 (Score:3)
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What's to stop you keeping your PS3 around as a media player? I wonder if the PS3 remotes will work for PS4s too.
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I wonder if the PS3 remotes will work for PS4s too.
They don't, as seen in the FAQ.
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I have one of those USB remotes you plug a dongle into the PS3 for. It was way cheaper than their bluetooth remote and I could program my Harmony to emulate it.
I have a feeling THAT won't work anymore, either... I am starting to dislike the whole PS4 idea just based on the FAQ...
HDMI port limit (Score:2)
What's to stop you keeping your PS3 around as a media player?
Not wanting to reach behind the TV to switch the HDMI cable whenever switching from games to noninteractive media or vice versa.
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They do make automated HDMI switches, you know. You can get one for about ten bucks.
The HDMI inputs have priority levels; plug your console into a 'high' priority one and when you switch it on the TV will change from the media box to the console automagically.
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You do realize they sell HDMI switches right?
They are very cheap.
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That used to be the idea, but Sony have stopped doing backwards compatibility. So far as I can see, the idea of the PS4 just seems to be updated graphics, controller, and social media integration.
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Backwards compatibility was pretty much just a ps1-ps2 thing. Only the early PS3s played previous gen games.
None of the cartridge systems offered this either and even the Wii dropped Gamecube support in later models.
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Wait, so only have one at a time?
My current setup is HTPC for really old stuff, N64, PS2, Gamecube, and PS3. The N64 is just because I have not yet bought N64ish bluetooth controllers for the HTPC.
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I've never been able to get the PS3 to play my remote media (or even the same media off a USB stick). It won't even recognise my MP3 files.
Getting it to work with my Harmony remote was a pain in the butt, too. This was before Harmony released the bluetooth bridge which I refuse to use on general principle.
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It looks like they're going to patch in much of this functionality later.
Tax Dodge! Ligitimate reason. (Score:3)
Give me Linux back or fuck off!
- Not sent from an iPhone
Ironically the main reason for Linux on the PS3 (and the PS2) was the fact that Sony paid less tax on it in Europe. It is something I agreed with. Ironically this generation would make a killer desktop machine, or even homework computer for student. If you do care and are not say advocating an alternative console out of some strange fanaticism, contact your local MP or equivalent. Although at last count I see about 8 Linux consoles....I own two.
If you want Linux instead of Sony (Score:4, Informative)
Give me Linux back or f off!
Now that alternatives have appeared, it's that much easier to tell Sony Computer Entertainment to f off. OUYA runs Android, which uses the Linux kernel. The forthcoming Steam Machine from Valve runs SteamOS, a distribution of GNU/Linux.
Re:If you want Linux instead of Sony (Score:4, Insightful)
And regardless of religious background, it is still impolite to use such language.
Impolite? They're mere strings of letters, just like any other words. The only difference is that some people are irrational enough to be offended by these words and expect others to stop using them simply because they don't like to hear them.
Brazil charges prohibitive import duty (Score:4, Informative)
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Yes, traditionally Sony, Apple etc. have actually opened factories to make the devices in Brazil because it's better for their bottom line than expecting customers to spend the import levy.
Re:Brazil charges prohibitive import duty (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, traditionally Sony, Apple etc. have actually opened factories to make the devices in Brazil because it's better for their bottom line than expecting customers to spend the import levy.
And this is the primary reason that those tariffs exist. Brazil wants to build up its industrial base, rather than just serve as a cheap source of raw materials. High tariffs are a good way to do this, and that strategy is not at all new or unique. Prior to the 20th century, tariffs provided a majority of the U.S. government's revenue. It was a deliberate choice of industrial policy – Henry Clay's "American System" – to protect the growth of domestic industry by making imported products more expensive in comparison. The South, which primarily exported raw materials, disliked this policy, but they lost, and by the 1880s, the U.S. was the world's dominant industrial power. In Germany, Otto von Bismarck did much the same thing with his "marriage of iron and rye". The result is that a country which was weak and divided until 1871 became powerful enough to take on the rest of Europe and almost win.
Economists don't like to hear it, but history proves that protectionism works.
Re:Brazil charges prohibitive import duty (Score:4, Interesting)
Hmm..sounds like we need to start a bit of this back up *slowly*...and start making it more profitable to make our own stuff in the USA again.
LIke the recent example of the drug made in Germany, that they might not sell us anymore due to their views on capital punishment...the US is now at the mercy of depending on other countries' manufacturing for us instead of the other way around as it was back in the day.
That is not only unsettling, but could soon prove a problem for national security.
The US is large enough and has enough resources for the most part to be MUCH more fully independent than it is, and we need to look at idea such as tariffs, to bring more of this back home to us and allow us to be more fully in charge of our own needs and destiny.
Prisoner's dilemma (Score:3)
Our politicians/govt should be more concerned about our individual success rather than the collective world. That's their job, to put our interests over and above any other countries' interests.
Such selfishness is a prisoner's dilemma [wikipedia.org] that ultimately results in worse outcomes across the board.
Re:Brazil charges prohibitive import duty (Score:5, Insightful)
Depends on how you define "works". If you mean funds the state pretty well and protects some industries at the expense of everyone else, then yes they work great.
not at the expense of "everyone else". That is an over simplification.
For instance, If the price of imported electronics goes up (via an import tariff), this creates an opportunity for local electronics producers to benefit. The local cost of electronics increases, and the profit margins of local electronics producers increase. But the only people who have any increased expense are those who buy electronics.
If you don't buy electronics then your costs are unaffected. And if you buy electronics your costs are affected only in proportion to that specific item.
However the local manufacturing of electronics creates jobs, and creates demand in many sectors, not only electronics (for instance a factory requires construction and machines which are not necessarily made exclusively of microchips). the people with those jobs are now going to spend their money throughout the entire local economy, which in turn benefits everybody locally. In turn this creates more incentive for local investment and even greater local prosperity.
Protectionism has a proven history of working. And every wealthy powerful nation started off as very protectionist. There is not 1 single example of a country becoming wealthy and powerful by starting as a completely open free trade zone.
Re: (Score:3)
In Brazil's case, being Apple's and Sony's manufacturing centre for the entirety of South America in the future doesn't seem like a bad deal for the country.
Re: (Score:3)
The Xbox One is almost half the price of the PS4 in Brazil. So, Brazil's ridiculous Tariff is not the only thing making the PS4 expensive.
Re: (Score:2)
I flew to Brazil earlier this year... there were a LOT of electronics in the overhead compartments...
OUYA + PS4 (Score:2)
The more open Steambox is looking better and better. Of course it is vapourware so it could just as easily become just as crippled.
OUYA isn't vapor, and at least U.S. residents can buy an OUYA + PS4 for the price of an Xbox One.