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    PlayStation 4

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    PlayStation 4 is Sony's fourth home video game console, released on November 15, 2013 in North America, and November 29, 2013 in Europe. On November 10 2016, Sony released the Playstation 4 Pro, an updated version of the console targeting 4K gaming.

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    leebmx

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    So...maybe this has got mentioned and I have missed it. However I have watched a good deal of Sony Press stuff for the PS4 (console launch, E3, Gamescom, trailers etc) and nowhere have I seen them talk about what that screen/pad is on the front of the controller and what we are going to be able to use it for. Anyone know?

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    The_Laughing_Man

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    #2  Edited By The_Laughing_Man

    @leebmx said:

    So...maybe this has got mentioned and I have missed it. However I have watched a good deal of Sony Press stuff for the PS4 (console launch, E3, Gamescom, trailers etc) and nowhere have I seen them talk about what that screen/pad is on the front of the controller and what we are going to be able to use it for. Anyone know?

    Im gonna guess devs will have control over it. I bet they will have it so you can input gestures and what not.

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    Mister_V

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    It's a touchpad, you can use it to navigate the menus (i think) and for text input, as shown at the start of the press conference on tuesday. As for games, i think you can use it in Killzone to swap modes on the owl thing that follows you around.

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    Mister_V

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    #5  Edited By Mister_V

    @vuud: It's just a touchpad.

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    Nadafinga

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    Colonel_Pockets

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    At the beginning of the gamescom press conference, they were using it to make typing messages easier..... Although I am not sure how it could affect gameplay though...

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    Lord_Xp

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    Its a press able button along with a touch pad. Developers have control on what its uses will be for while in game.

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    bigjeffrey

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    Will be as useful as vita touchpad

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    leebmx

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    Cheers guys - although I am still a little confused. Can you do swipes on it? or is it just a push button type thing? Can it take multiple inputs? Is it like a mini lap-top mouse pad or more simple?

    Is is sensitive enough to be able to move a character in a 3d environment? Or will I just be going up and down in menus?

    Like I say, maybe I missed a presentation, but for something which seems to be a big new feature on their controller I haven't seen much on how it is going to be used. This is opposed to the (slightly simpler to explain) share button which has been all over.

    Still can't tell if it is just a novelty or actually has some potential in games. I'm guessing that as the Xbone controller doesn't have this it won't be used for anything significant in crossplatform titles, but who knows. Sony has been very good with their messaging so far, I find it strange that this has passed me by.

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    lego_my_eggo

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    #11  Edited By lego_my_eggo

    @leebmx: The specs say its is capacitive two point touch pad, so more or less a smart phone touchscreen but without the screen, and the pad itself can be pushed down to act as a button. And from the few times we have seen it in action looks relatively accurate, but we wont know for sure till we actually have it in our hands. How it will be used is up to the developers, maybe in a game with magic you could assign gestures to spells and have them all at the ready rather then having only a few preset spells at the ready. And only time will tell if its a flop or adds anything meaningful to the gameplay.

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    zaccheus

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    @leebmx: It's a two touchpad the much like a laptop touchpad. You can click it as a button (like a Macbook) and you can swipe and whatnot. In Killzone: SF you can select your different abilities by swiping in the four cardinal directions for example. So if you take four swipes and a click that's four more inputs on the controller for devs if they need them.

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    SaFt

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    #13  Edited By SaFt

    I recall watching a video of someone playing Killzone shadow fall and the helper person said you could swipe left, right, up, down to use the helper robots different abilities or something. So i guess it also could be used as another set of buttons like the d-pad.

    EDIT: Nevermind, i just saw someone else already said this.

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