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Sony shows off PlayStation 4 controller, Eye at GDC

At the ongoing Games Developers Conference (GDC) 2013 this week, Sony has taken the time to show off their new PlayStation 4 controller as well as the Eye technology.

The new face buttons and the L1/R1 buttons are now digital and not analog, which Sony says will reduce latency (and most likely cost). The analog sticks will have a smaller so-called "dead zone," a complaint for many years by active users.



Sony's new light bar glows a different color for different players and will also blink while charging, even if the PS4 is in standby mode.

The touchpad on the controller has a large 1920x900 resolution, can be "clicked" if you push on it, and supports 2 point contact.

Moving to the Playstation Eye, the camera has 2 cameras inside and four mics for better tracking.

Additionally, the company released some slightly updated specs on the console:

CPU: Single-chip custom processor, x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" 8-core

GPU: 18 "compute units" capable of cranking out 1.84 TFLOPS, next generation AMD Radeon based graphics engine.

Memory: 8GB GDDR5 RAM and 176GB/sec of bandwidth

Connectivity: 802.11n WiFi, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 2.1, Auxillary ports, Analog AV, and digital optical outputs and HDMI.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 Mar 2013 11:00

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• 15 comments

• Joe_1981

  God, Sony... FIX THE JOYSTICKS!!! These controllers have been uncomfortable to use for almost a decade! Microsoft got their controllers right with the original XBox (Despite it's original large size). Playing an FPS is so uncomfortable and cumbersome on Playstation controllers!

  28.3.2013 11:30 #1

• Morreale

  Originally posted by Joe_1981: God, Sony... FIX THE JOYSTICKS!!! These controllers have been uncomfortable to use for almost a decade! Microsoft got their controllers right with the original XBox (Despite it's original large size). Playing an FPS is so uncomfortable and cumbersome on Playstation controllers! Nah I've always preferred it over the Xbox controller.
  
  Can't please everyone.

  28.3.2013 12:07 #2

• Oner

  Originally posted by Morreale: Originally posted by Joe_1981: God, Sony... FIX THE JOYSTICKS!!! These controllers have been uncomfortable to use for almost a decade! Microsoft got their controllers right with the original XBox (Despite it's original large size). Playing an FPS is so uncomfortable and cumbersome on Playstation controllers! Nah I've always preferred it over the Xbox controller.
  
  Can't please everyone.
  Agreed. Your hands are symmetrical (millions of years of evolution couldn't have gotten it THAT wrong) so the optimal controller should be the same.
  
  
  I was also reading about quite an innovative feature via the controller that I really hope is true/implemented ~
  
  Quote:"Your ID is not just associated with the console, it's associated with your controller! Basically your controller becomes the key to access all of your content anywhere, any time, through any Gaikai enabled device....imagine a Gaikai enabled TV, a laptop, a pad or even a decent phone. In effect, your controller becomes a portable PS4"
  

  
  
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  28.3.2013 12:18 #3

• A5J4DX

  hope its good
  

  28.3.2013 14:07 #4

• Bozobub

  Originally posted by Oner: {snip}I was also reading about quite an innovative feature via the controller that I really hope is true/implemented ~
  
  Quote:"Your ID is not just associated with the console, it's associated with your controller! Basically your controller becomes the key to access all of your content anywhere, any time, through any Gaikai enabled device....imagine a Gaikai enabled TV, a laptop, a pad or even a decent phone. In effect, your controller becomes a portable PS4"
  An interesting feature, but, damn; what kind of disaster will it be, if you lose your controller somehow..?!
  
  I have to agree on the controllers; while the XBox 360 controller is quite acceptable, the PS1/2/3 controller has always been my favorite of the consoles. It's quite obvious M$ copied the Sony version; all they did, after all, was swap the left stick and D-pad, and a few slight adjustments to the shape.
  
  Don't even get me started on how terrible the 1st Xbox and N64 controllers were. Ugh.

  28.3.2013 21:51 #5

• KillerBug

  Like the controller...I doubt I will ever buy a sony console again...but I might get the controller if some good CFW gets developed for it.
  

  
  

  28.3.2013 22:50 #6

• molsen

  I like the Sony controller so much more for FPS, yet I like using Kinect a lot better on the xbox for scrolling through the system.

  29.3.2013 12:51 #7

• Bozobub

  There IS some support for console controllers on PC, of course. I actually use a wired XBox 360 controller with "XBCD for 360" (doesn't work with wireless, unfortunately), an alternative driver that lets you redefine all the axes and buttons, as well as treat the analog triggers as digital buttons (very useful for older games that can't see the additional split axis). If something like XBCD for 360 (with all of its relevant functions) existed for the PS1/2/3 controller, however, I'd be all over it; so far I haven't found one.

  29.3.2013 12:57 #8

• voyager

  The design is nice but is just the same old controller

  29.3.2013 16:22 #9

• hikaricor

  Originally posted by voyager: The design is nice but is just the same old controller Correction, it's the same old controller without the R3 buttons on the analog sticks.

  29.3.2013 17:48 #10

• SProdigy

  Originally posted by Bozobub: Originally posted by Oner: {snip}I was also reading about quite an innovative feature via the controller that I really hope is true/implemented ~
  
  Quote:"Your ID is not just associated with the console, it's associated with your controller! Basically your controller becomes the key to access all of your content anywhere, any time, through any Gaikai enabled device....imagine a Gaikai enabled TV, a laptop, a pad or even a decent phone. In effect, your controller becomes a portable PS4"
  An interesting feature, but, damn; what kind of disaster will it be, if you lose your controller somehow..?!
  
  I have to agree on the controllers; while the XBox 360 controller is quite acceptable, the PS1/2/3 controller has always been my favorite of the consoles. It's quite obvious M$ copied the Sony version; all they did, after all, was swap the left stick and D-pad, and a few slight adjustments to the shape.
  
  Don't even get me started on how terrible the 1st Xbox and N64 controllers were. Ugh. Don't forget the parent to all of these was technically the SNES controller. :-)

  30.3.2013 16:46 #11

• Oner

  Originally posted by Bozobub: Originally posted by Oner: {snip}I was also reading about quite an innovative feature via the controller that I really hope is true/implemented ~
  
  Quote:"Your ID is not just associated with the console, it's associated with your controller! Basically your controller becomes the key to access all of your content anywhere, any time, through any Gaikai enabled device....imagine a Gaikai enabled TV, a laptop, a pad or even a decent phone. In effect, your controller becomes a portable PS4"
  An interesting feature, but, damn; what kind of disaster will it be, if you lose your controller somehow..?!
  I doubt it would be a big deal to fix, probably just grab another controller and simply sync it with your PS4. I am sure you have to "log in" some way in order for you to play the games in your Gaikai library on an unrecognized device, so losing your controller would still have a protection. But again, this is just rumors at this point...
  

  
  
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  31.3.2013 10:21 #12

• Qliphah

  Don't see the point in the touchscreen on the controller. What a waste of hardware investment.
  
  To think they could have made an app that would sync any tablet or smartphone to the PS4. With that you'd get a display, mic/speakers, multitouch.... etc at not extra cost to Sony.
  

  1.4.2013 17:14 #13

• leemoo

  How overpriced are these controllers going to be now?!

  2.4.2013 11:18 #14

• oneguy

  Why "Auxiliary ports"? are we gonna be able to feed audio into the ps4 and have the sound come out of our tv's???

  5.4.2013 00:28 #15