Perhaps one of the biggest functional improvements that the PlayStation 4 will have over its current generation predecessor, is that the upcoming console will eventually allow for firmware updates to be downloaded and installed in the background. This will allow users to play games on the system without the need to preform a lengthy firmware update first.
Eurogamer asked Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, if the PlayStation 4 would handle firmware updates differently than the PS3. Yoshida responded that he “hopes” that is the case, adding:
“…the work is still going on… It’s about the implementation phase. It’s all about how it gets implemented. So we have to wait for the final product, but our goal is always like that. So there will always be firmware updates, but what we want to achieve is [to put them in the background]”
“…So it’s already been done. Like the PS Plus service actually does it, where it’s downloaded but it doesn’t install. So it’s kind of half-baked. We wanted to make it so people don’t have to wait for anything. If you have one hour of your time, you want to spend one hour playing games, and that’s our goal.”
In addition to the good news about future firmware updates, Yoshida also confirmed to Joystiq that the PlayStation 4 will output in 4K (as was rumored last year) but it will not use the Ultra HD resolution for video games. According to Yoshida, 4K resolution — which is approximately 4,000 pixels or basically double the 1080p HDTV standard of 1,920 x 1,080 — will only be used for video that was recorded in that format.
Finally, during a roundtable discussion with IGN Yoshida noted that even though the PlayStation 4 will support the PS3’s PlayStation Move controllers, it will not support the console’s DualShock 3 controller.
Considering how different the PlayStation 4‘s DualShock 4 is from the PS3 pad this is not all that surprising, however, I’m a little disappointed by the news. Not that I’m a huge fan of the DS3, but I’ve long been in favor of the idea that controllers should carry over for at least a couple of console generations. Re-buying a whole new set of controllers each generation has grown increasingly tiresome the older I have become, regardless of whatever “improvements” they offer.