Sony’s Massive PS4 FAQ Has Lots of Details

Man, the no external HD thing is pretty rough. Honestly I primarily bought and use my PS3 because I can just load up a bunch of old TV shows onto an external and keep them on as background noise. I may end up switching to the Xbone or just skipping consoles entirely this gen since it sounds like PC is going to catch up much quicker than before.

Can it still rip audio CDs? I just ask this because I do rip music to my console to use it as entrance music for custom characters on WWE games.

Man, even I know I sound lame typing that last sentence, but still.

Lots of people in this thread who haven't used a CD or MP3 in years and just learned what DLNA is today gettin' real ragey.

Video games.

Yeah, that's a bummer. I use my ps3 a lot for streaming videos to my PS3 - especially Giantbomb stuff via PLEX. Really hope this isn't still an issue later on, but I'm going to hold onto my PS3 just for that.

EDIT: Not having YouTube sharing is quite a disappointment as well. For as long as these consoles have been in the making, you really would think the list of "things that will be available later" would be a lot short than it is.

Will PS4 be able to automatically download game patches?

Yes, all PS4 users will be able to automatically download and install game patches to their PS4. In addition, PlayStation Plus members will enjoy the ability to have those automatic downloads happen while the system is in standby mode.

It sounds like the feature is only exclusive to standby mode. Strange.

For 20 minutes this morning I had considered buying a PS4 instead of upgrading to a new PC. Then my buddy linked me this FAQ and a gamma ray of goodness came, slapping me back to reality. What the fuck was I thinking...

Whens the last time you bought an audio CD? not burned your songs to one but properly bought one from a fy... a tower rec.... amazon, yes amazon still is a thing right?

It seems really shitty of Sony to wait until 2 weeks before launch to announce this. There has been a lot of negative stuff coming out of Sony recently, like they are waiting until the last minute to tell us all the stuff we don't want to hear and hope it is ignored. I am really surprised the internet is letting them get away with it. If this was Microsoft people would be taking to the comments with torches and pitchforks.

More and more I get the sense that Sony is playing with smoke and mirrors, trying to get the PS4 out the door before something blows up on them and the internet hate machine turns their direction. Why don't we have an in depth look at the PS4 interface, why don't we have a good explanation of what exactly Sony has done to improve PSN speeds, why did they take so long to tell us that a day 1 patch would be required to get many basic features working, how are we going to transfer files if we upgrade a hard drive, why don't all games support play as you download, will PS4 still use the stupid PS3 style of game downloads which require twice the stated file size to install stuff? Maybe these questions have already been answered but I still feel that Sony is intentionally withholding important information because they know people would not like some of the answers. Say what you want about Microsoft's Xbox One decisions but at least they were straightforward about what they were doing and gave lots of time for consumer feedback.

This is probably important to people who use these features. I've never heard of DLNA until now... it's some sort of proprietary Sony thing? Except for the Playstation, I've never had an interest in anything Sony makes. I mean, seriously, their TV's are massively overpriced - the Playstation is the only thing Sony makes that's worth buying, everything else they make tends to be horrifyingly overpriced, which is why they're being slaughtered by Samsung and LG in the consumer goods market. Actually, I think their eReader is pretty good as well, but they're still a couple hundred bucks more than their competitors (I have a Sony eReader - it's good... but perhaps not 360 dollars good). And don't get me started on their abysmal phones.

I'm not saying Sony doesn't make good products, it's just that others make similar products for less.

Anyway, since I almost never buy any Sony products or anything from the Sony Store except for games, I've never used DLNA and most of the rest of the world hasn't either. Maybe Japanese folks are more familiar with DLNA and use it more frequently, but I'm pretty sure most of us in the West don't really use DLNA.... given that it's the first time I've heard of the bloody thing.

No YouTube upload on launch day? Eh.

No CD support? Who.... who uses CDs? DVDs is where it's at. MP3 players. USB sticks. I haven't used a CD in.... what.... 5 years? I think I used a CD ONCE 5 years ago...and that was to get old information off so I could put it on a DVD.

The external HD stuff actually IS somewhat concerning. I don't like having to delete and re-download digital titles from the Playstation Store. If they supported external hard-drives then I could download them, keep them on the drive and just put them back whenever I wanted to play. I suppose they're doing this to force us to buy their terribly overpriced "memory stick DUO" or whatever the hell they're calling their stupid proprietary memory crap.

I like my PS3. I even like my Vita. I'm absolutely getting a PS4. But sometimes Sony makes it hard for me to like them with their almost apple-like obsession with making you buy THEIR overpriced accessories and add-ons. I freaking hate Sony's memory sticks. Overpriced bullshit.

It's an expense that Sony deemed cuttable since it is 2013 and music is basically an all digital format at this point to 99% of their consumers. If there is a PS5 that has a disc drive I can almost assure you it will not play DVDs.

I have a feeling that if this was a list of things that the Xbox One couldn't do, people wouldn't be taking it as well as they are.

Yeah that's kind of weird.

Had to google "DLNA" never heard of it before. None of this news is going to affect me really, even if/when I get a PS4.

@angethedude: Ah, my bad. Haven't had the chance to listen to it yet.

I know people are making a big deal out of the redbook CD limitation, but not playing mp3s seems like the biggie to me.

I sure hope to see some of these limitations corrected in later firmwares.

No DLNA sucks, but I've rarely used it on my PS3. It loaded directories so slowly and the XMB is basically the worst for navigating large directories, since it'd take ages to scroll down to something in my pretty extensive music folder.

What I want to know is how they handle transferring save games. Their restrictions on this in the ps3 lost me hours upon hours worth of saves. Twice.

I know most people here aren't concerned about the lack of DLNA and CD/MP3 playback being supported in PS4 but I definitely am. I have a home server that my family normally streams photos and videos to the living room using the PS3 today. It's very convenient after a day out with the family to come home, quickly upload the photos to my home server and then watch a slideshow of pics or movies from that day on my TV.

Could I buy something else to do that? Yes sure, but that's yet another expense and box in my living room sucking power from the grid. F that. Hopefully they add that back but until then, I'll have to use one of my two PS3's for that.

As for CD playback or MP3, my daughter is 3 and we regularly go to the library and borrow CD's that are appropriate for her and listen to them on the PS3 which I had hoped to do on the PS4 now. Not so. Not a huge concern compared to the DLNA, considering our newest laptop doesn't even have a disc drive at all.

I just thought I'd detail where this is an inconvenience, still looking forward to my launch PS4.

As far as I know there aren't any current 2TB 2.5" drives that will fit the PS4. Right now the only 2TB drives are thicker than the standard 9.5mm and wont fit the PS3 or PS4.

Just pointing this out before anyone rushes out to buy one.

Man, I'm pretty surprised at the limitations of the live streaming and archiving functionalities

Can I archive my livestreams on Ustream or Twitch?

At this time, livestreams will not be archived for further viewing on Ustream. Users can archive their livestreams on Twitch by presetting via PC. Please follow PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation.com for news regarding PS4’s video services following launch.

Can users copy the recorded gameplay video from PS4 to other devices, such as PC?

PS4 users will not be able to directly copy recorded gameplay video files from PS4 to other devices, though they will be able to use the DUALSHOCK 4 controller’s Share button to upload videos to Facebook for distribution. This function will be supported by a future system update.

Also of note:

Are users able to record, distribute or stream any gameplay video?

No. Users may not be able to record certain areas within the game. Developers can select the area of restriction, and what will be restricted will depend on game titles. In these cases, recording will be temporarily suspended during the scene.

The developers get to choose what's recordable.....that's pretty shitty.

Yoshida already said he is talking to the dev teams about adding that back in...so...yeah. Also, dlna never picked up in a major way.

@mhd420: agreed. they are doing it right this time.

Pretty cool that you can call an 800 # and request a bluray authorization disk. That's actually going to be very nice for some people.

I guess I don't care about the audio CD or media server stuff. I just want a box that's really good at playing the video games. I tried using the 360 and ps3 to play videos off network drives. They both were just really bad at it.

and who actually uses audio CDs except to rip to FLAC or MP3? I buy CDs for the high quality audio format but I can't remember the time I actually played one.

I don't see what the fuss is about. Building an OS for a console in a couple of years is a big undertaking, and they've focused on the stuff that most people actually care about (playing games and online.) When the PS3 launched it was so focused on being a media box that the network and game features suffered for years.

It also wouldn't surprise me if a lot of these changes are to prevent attack vectors on their hardware - after all the PS3 was busted open first by exploiting their Other OS support, and then fully via non-standard USB devices designed to exploit a bug. By locking down third party accessories and not handling external media means they have a chance of securing it properly before the general public has a chance to attack it.

Well...this is all adding up to me just wanting to build a really nice PC and maybe get a Wii U for the crazy fun Nintendo stuff.

I think I'll survive.

"Is there a way to rename my Online ID on PS4?

No. But PS4 does give you the option of allowing your friends to see your real name in addition to your Online ID. You can also choose to import your Facebook photo to be used as your PSN profile picture if you wish."

God dammit. I was hoping this would change. Can I make a new account and have both on a PS4, you think?

Not everyone has a WDTV (I dont'), not everyone has a Roku (I dont'), not everyone has device X that does DLNA (I do it is called a PS3). I was going to buy the PS4 as an upgrade to the PS3, so I sort of expected certain base functionality like DLNA. I don't see why I would have to buy another device on top of the PS4 to get DLNA.

I use DLNA pretty much every day, and for the PS4 not to have it is a big deal for me, and does effect my purchasing decision making.

Lack of MP3 support ad DLNA kind of sucks but it's pretty cool that they are open to adding it, rather than insisting people use the Sony music store and all that crap. I like being able to stream my music from my iPhone to my 360 & PS3.

showed a bunch of smoke and mirrors just like they did with ps3 at launch but stupid people like me keep falling for the crap

I'm most bummed about no Youtube sharing, actually. I couldn't give less of a shit about ~MeDiA StReAMiNg~

Let me rephrase that. I am amazed so many people listen to music on their consoles.

No DNLA/Media servers is a major drawback in my book. I used my PS3 with the PS3 Media Servereveryday to play stuff from my PC. I'm not sure what I would get to replace it.

Yeah, looks like they may be locking things down and not allow 3rd party hardware, which is one of the things i really liked about the PS3.

Looks like they weren't lying about it being a game console first, they stripped a lot of the basic media features most every other device has.

If you think about it, the only way to listen to music / custom soundtracks would be to pay $ony money. I think that is why.

I am amazed about how many people are upset over no CD/mp3.

Can DLNA be added later or is it a hardware thing? Like a single chip or something?

Cancelled my pre-order earlier today. Not due to this FAQ but man there's a lot of disappointments on that list. Either way I'm just waiting for some fun games before I get one.

I'm not reading that shit just tell me if it makes pizzas or not.

I just use my consoles to play games.

Yawn.

I was expecting PS4 to have FLAC support and not not even have MP3 support.

What's the point if it has background music if it can't play your own music? No one wants to use your shitty service, we all have our own music collections already. Also it is funny how it cannot play CDs - seeing as how the PS One is one of the best CD players ever made. That and the PS3 was such a great media server and now the PS4 is quite an awful one - missing many features and having arcane restrictions on the ones it does have, makes it a very unappealing box. Either way, I cannot see myself getting either of these machines until meaningful exclusives are in supply, there are just better places I have to spend my money right now. This is a good signal for "don't use this for anything but games".

@das9000: It really is pretty small. I mean even if we compare the PS4 to a modern mid-range gaming PC, a 500gb hard drive would be almost unthinkable. I realize that when a company like Sony is shipping millions (or tens of millions) of hardware units that every cent counts, but come on.

500Gb hardrive? That seems awful small. Games are only going to get bigger and I'm assuming that the next iterations of PS4 will come with bigger and bigger hdd's. Or maybe we won't be using hdd's in the near future at all with ssd's becoming cheaper.

Well, that's sort of a goddamn bummer. I actually do a fair bit of media jockeying on my PS3, since hauling my PC out to the den every couple of weeks for family consumption isn't really tenable. It's looking more and more like I'll be avoiding these consoles for the foreseeable future.

@mb: I just meant as a standard in the box but more of an excuse to post that pic. I'm pretty sure only the Elite came with one as even the new 360 S still came with a standard AV cable rather than HDMI.

I watched the entirety of the P4 endurance run on my TV with PS3 Media Server. That's a real bummer. I wonder if the Vita TV will have it. My TV is older and I don't have enough ports to warrant a dedicated Roku or Boxee device. Do newer TVs have media streaming built in by chance?

The fact that Sony keeps referring to PS4 as "PS4" and not "the PS4" hurts my brain and makes reading the FAQ difficult. Who do they think they are? Apple?

I must some kind of crazy guy that only cares that his GAMING MACHINE is capable of playing games, the rest can be a nice extra but to be honest I never use my console to do anything else beside playing games, I have a PC if I ever need anything else, and as many people have already pointed out if the need comes to replace the hard drive I`ll get one of those 2 tera HHD and problem solved.

Yeah - media server is pretty much the bulk of my PS3 time. It's a little crazy to me that the basic media functionality/etc on the PS3 aren't going to be present on the PS4. I hope they get patched in eventually but it seems like something that would basically be the minimum bar for launch.