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PlayStation 4 uses both real names and PSN handles, DualShock 4 charges in standby
Chris Norden, Senior Staff Engineer at Sony, just concluded a talk about development on PS4 here at GDC. While mostly aimed at the improvements to the development environment over its predecessor, Norden also offered some interesting factoids for those of us lacking the know-how to create games. For example, the upgraded Blu-ray drive spins discs at three times the speed of PS3. Norden's talk didn't offer much on the PS4 architecture that we didn't already know, but he elaborated on the DualShock 4 and PS4 Eye peripherals. The DualShock 4 features enhanced dual vibration over the DualShock 3, with lower latency and reduced dead zone – the area surrounding the center point on the analog sticks where the console doesn't pick up input. Unlike the PS3 buttons, the face buttons, L1, and R1 on the DS4 are digital. DualShock 4 controllers will also charge now when the system is in standby mode – not possible with the DualShock 3 on the PS3 – and he said every PS4 will include a headset in the box, another thing Sony avoided with the PS3. The new ID system was also demonstrated, where each PS4 player will have two identities. There's obviously the requisite online handle, but also true names for friends pulled from Facebook and through true name search on PSN. By default, true names will not be displayed. Finally, Norden said that per the PlayStation 4's ability to capture game footage and share online, the system itself will automatically record your last few minutes of gameplay at all times. If you did something interesting or impressive by accident, you can hit the Share button and retrieve that footage; each clip is broken down into chapters that are labeled right in the video editor suite.
PS Vita's form factor is 'super oval,' touch panels are extremely high-resolution
At a sponsored, Vita-focused panel at GDC Online, SCEA Senior Staff Developer Support Engineer Chris Norden described the "form factor" of the new handheld using the official Sony terminology. It's a "super oval." Norden didn't specify how the super oval differs from a regular oval -- maybe just in that it encases a PlayStation Vita. Later during the tech-heavy panel, Norden confirmed that the Vita retail kit doesn't offer video output to TVs, and that the front and rear touch panels are "higher resolution than the screen itself." Theoretically, you could get sub-pixel precision from the touch input, if you had really pointy fingers. You'd also have a totally ruined screen.
