Five years to the day, the PS4 was officially released worldwide and brought gamers everywhere into the next generation of Sony hardware. In that time, the system has grown exponentially with an install-basewell over 80 million consoles, and a bevy of some of the greatest games that have released in this generation (so far), and while the PS4 is now five years old, 2018 especially has shown that the system has already provided some remarkable experiences for gamers everywhere to enjoy.
To celebrate the occasion of the fifth anniversary since the PS4’s release, we went back through the system’s history to highlight some of the major milestones and events in the system’s life (so far), and what to expect from the PS4 as we (presumably) enter the system’s twilight years and begin to wonder about what’s to come from the next PlayStation console.
The Beginning of The PS4
As the PS3 neared its final years, naturally speculation as to the next major piece of hardware from Sony started building among many in the gaming industry. While the PS3 had a bit of a rough start during its console cycle – namely from its high launch price and the difficulties that its Cell processor presented to many third-party developers – Sony sought to correct that in the next generation by making its successor more developer-friendly. As detailed by lead architect Mark Cerny at the time, the aim for the PS4 was to utilize hardware components that were closer to a traditional PC with components from AMD.
In 2012, reports of development kits forSony’s next console successorhad begun getting into the hands of developers to give them a headstart on what to expect fromwhat would be known as the PS4, which was initially being referred to under the codename “Orbis.”
2013 - Notable Exclusives
The PS4 Makes Its Debut
Following the cycle of rumors and speculation, Sony had officially announced that it would reveal the key details about the PlayStation 4 at a special reveal in New York City in early 2013,with a teaser in February confirming the event.
On February 20th, 2013, Sonypulled back the curtain on the PS4to attending members of the press and media, and while the company didn’t showcase the actual design of the console itself, Sony did reveal many notable details about the PS4 and what to expect from its next home console, which would debut in late 2013.
Specifically, that included the first official look at the DualShock 4, which would drastically change design of the past generations of the controller after Sony worked with Bungie to incorporate feedback on a more ergonomic and responsive controller design. Notably, the DualShock 4 would also incorporate some unique features of its own, such as a touchpad, built-in speaker, gyroscopic motion, and tracking with the PlayStation Eye camera.
Alongside the controller reveal, Sony also revealed several of the titles that would be coming to the PS4 down the line, such asKnack,Driveclub,Killzone: Shadow Fall,The Witness, andinFamous: Second Son. Other key features of the PS4 were also highlighted by Sony during the presentation, such as its various social features and capabilities to capture in-game screenshots and video for users to share, along with the ability to stream gameplay.
After the PS4’s big reveal event back in February, E3 2013 was wherethe world got its first glimpse at the PS4, for real this time. The system’s design was officially shown at Sony’s E3 2013 press conference, along withthe confirmation of its pricing at $399.
Notably, the PS4 would not require a constant internet connection and and wouldn’t impose restrictions on playing used games or sharing games with friends, which were major blows to theXbox One’s $499 launch priceand when it came to their (initial) online focus for the system, which drew critical backlash when the system was revealed, and stung even more when Sony revealed these crucial details just hours after Microsoft’s conference.
Along with the first reveal of the system itself, Sony also gave attendees at the press conference a look at some of the first next-gen titles to be hitting the PS4, includinginFamous: Second Son,The Order: 1886, and the long-awaited next title from Bungie,Destiny.
Aside from hardware and games, Sony also detailed more on its “Gaikai” game streaming service (which would eventually become PlayStation Now), allowing users the ability to stream games to their consoles, and that it would debut in 2014.
Gamescom 2013
Following the system’s big debut in February and our first look at E3 2013, the following August at Gamescom 2013 would give those looking forward to Sony’s next system the information they had been waiting for: the release date. As confirmed by Sony during a press event at Gamescom 2013,the PS4 would launch on November 15th, 2013in North America, followed by a release in other territories on November 29th, 2013.
The PS4 Launches Worldwide
On November 15th, 2013, thePS4 was officially releasedin North America and Canada, and soon followed in other territories on November 29th, 2013 across South America, Europe, and Asia.
Demand for the PS4 was already off to a strong start in North America alone asthe PS4 sold over one million consoles in its first 24 hours, whileby the end of 2013 the system would reach sales of over 4.2 million. The system’s launch would also set several other records in other territories such as the UK, which would reach over 250,000 sales in its first two days on market.
2014 - Notable Exclusives
Project Morpheus Brings VR to PlayStation
At GDC 2014, the first inklings of Sony’s experimentation with virtual reality would be revealed to the public withthe introduction of “Project Morpheus,“a new hardware platform/peripheral that would be “the next innovation from PlayStation,” according to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shuhei Yoshida, that would end up shaping the future of not just the system, but for games on a wider level.
As the early prototype for what would become PlayStation VR, Project Morpheus would utilize a VR display headset, a tracking camera, and the PlayStation Move controllers to fully immerse users in virtual reality games and experiences, with GDC attendees getting the chance to try out the hardware first-hand on the show floor.
