After an unusually long console cycle, we’re now just a day away from the reveal of the PlayStation 4. Sony hasn’t been especially coy about what the purpose of tomorrow’s event is, though it has been reluctant to provide any information that could clue us in on its plans for its next home console. Besides the sorts of things Sony can’t hide, like domain registrations and its acquisition of Gaikai, there has been no shortage of leaks and reports to give us some sense of what to expect tomorrow, as well as some ideas for what Sony needs to accomplish. Put simply, there needs to be a recurring theme throughout tomorrow’s event as it makes its various announcements, and it involves answering one simple question: “Why?”
The controller is one aspect of the PS4 that has been making headlines recently after a photo showing an early prototype began making its way around the web. An internal speaker, a newly designed d-pad, and concave analog sticks are among the differences it features, but two other additions are the potential difference-makers: a touchpad and built-in PlayStation Move support. As you’d expect, some have written these off as mere gimmicks, and while they might end up being correct in that assessment, I’m interested in seeing what developers can do with them. Nobody wants either Move or the touchpad used in games just for the sake of doing so. Yet subtle implementations that accent traditional controls, or games built around these features (think Flower with Sixaxis), can be worthwhile and justify the existence of these so-called gimmicks.
