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PlayStation 4 user experience highlights (so far)

Sony's NYC review event for PlayStation 4 today provided some fresh details and highlights about the user experience the console will provide when it launches this Friday. As chronicled by Engadget, the top of the new hotness list is actual party chat for the PlayStation Network. By that, we mean the PlayStation 4 supports chat rooms of eight, allowing groups to jump from game to game together – even folks on Vita can join the soiree.

Other tidbits include a double-tap of the PS Home button will quickly switch between two active apps. The PlayStation Store (at this time) is organized in a clean rail. Trophies now have a worldwide "rarity" metric attached to them, so you can tell how many people have unlocked the achiev... accomplishment. Another huge addition for PS4 is the ability to charge controllers when the system is in standby. No more keeping the console on!

Finally, a nice feature is the "play as a guest" mode, which allows a user to access their content on a foreign box. It will also remove all your personal data (like credit card info) at logout. If you have two PS4s in the house, both can be signed in under a single PSN ID at once – but no more. We'll have more details on the PlayStation 4 user interface when it's finalized and available for testing later this week.