With Emphasis On 'Social Gaming,' Sony Unveils Next-Gen PlayStation 4 In NYC
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Sony on Wednesday evening unveiled the next-generation PlayStation 4, a development set to give the struggling electronics company a head start over Microsoft and an Xbox 360 successor.
As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, pulling back the cloak of secrecy surrounding the PS4, Sony computer Entertainment president and group chief executive officer Andrew House unveiled the new system from the stage of a packed Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St.
Sony Unveils Next-Generation PlayStation 4
"Today, we will give you a glimpse into the future of play," House said.
The new controller features a touch pad, share button and light bar. And Dave Perry said more than ever, it emphasizes social gaming.
The system is set up "so that your friends can actually look over your shoulder virtually, and interact with you while you're playing," he said.
The PS4 will hit the stores in November with a $500 price tag, and Sony is banking on it to reverse an industry-wide decline in console game sales.
The PlayStation 4 will be Sony Corp.'s first major game console since the PlayStation 3 went on sale in 2006. The unveiling gives Sony the spotlight on video games, at least until Microsoft Corp. unveils the next Xbox in June, as expected, at the E3 video game expo in Los Angeles.
Although the Xbox 360 came out a year before PlayStation 3, Microsoft's game machine has been more popular, largely because of its robust online service, Xbox Live, which allows people to play games with others online.
Besides Microsoft, Sony has been struggling to keep up with powerful rivals such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. The company is promising nifty mobile devices, sophisticated digital cameras and other gadgetry as part of its comeback effort.
Underscoring the importance of a new PlayStation and the U.S. market, Sony held its announcement event in New York rather than in Japan, as it had in the past.
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