O Playstation 4 and its controller, the Dualshock 4, were the big news presented by Sony this Wednesday (20). However, other novelties were presented and were half erased, due to the public's excitement for a new console. Among the novelties is the integration of Playstation 4 with mobile devices. In addition to the already expected integration with the PS Vita portable console, Sony showed at the event (in video) that other devices such as smartphones and tablets will also be integrated into the Playstation 4 offering what Sony calls “Second Screen".
App for Android and iOS
The (RE)confirmation of this “feature” came through a Press Release, check out an excerpt in full:
PS4 integrates Second Screens or Second Screens, including PlayStation Vita (PS Vita), smartphones and tablets, to engage gamers in their favorite content wherever they are. A key feature enabled by second screens is “Remote Play” and the PS4 fully unlocks its potential by making the PS Vita the ultimate companion device. With PS Vita, gamers will be able to seamlessly grab PS4 titles from their living room TVs and play them on the five-inch screen with PS Vita's dual analog sticks using Wi-Fi*1 networks. SCEI's long-term vision is to allow most PS4 titles to be playable on PS Vita.
A new app from Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) called the “PlayStation app” will allow iPhone, iPad, Android-based smartphones and tablets* to become second screens. Once installed on these devices, users can, for example, view maps on their second screen while playing an adventure game, buy PS4 games while away from home and download them directly to the console at home, or remotely watch other gamers playing on their devices.
As just an initial announcement such news is already great. But throughout the Press Conference, it was possible to notice that Sony “hit this key a lot”. After all, there were great moments in the presentation of the Playstation 4 dedicated to mobility. The second novelty, after the “Playstation app” for Android and iOS, was the Playstation Cloud service.
Playstation Cloud Service
In July 2012, Sony purchased online game streaming service Gaikai in a quick market move. The purchase of the game streaming expert will soon begin to bear fruit with the Playstation Cloud Service. A service that will be provided by Sony in which players will be able to play games from any Sony platform via streaming, whether Playstation One, 2, 3 and 4.
During the presentation of the service, made by the founder of Gaikai, David Perry, in addition to his own speech, several images on the screen would suggest that yes, games will run by streaming on smartphones and tablets. But nothing would prepare us for what happened next.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzAyvqWwGCs
Why put a frame and icons in the Drive Club presentation video? 4.1 Android Jelly Bean if not to demonstrate that the game will run on Sony tablets and smartphones via Streaming? And it wasn't just this moment, in several other moments of the Press Conference, developers and Sony representatives mentioned how the Playstation 4 is focused on "mobile" and "social" and on having access to content "from anywhere" and much more.
Conclusion
Even though no new smartphones and tablets were announced, as this was not really the focus of the presentation, we see that the smartphones, tablets and the PS Vita are important parts of Sony's strategy, seeking a much greater integration than that offered by Microsoft with SmartGlass and reaching the point of looking at “Remote Play” for smartphones and tablets. After the conference, one thing is for sure, the Playstation 4 will be a great friend for your Android or iPhone.
[originally published February 21, 2013]
