PS4 is "gaming console at heart", PC architecture requested by devs

News by Dave Cook Contributor

Published on March 11, 2013

PS4 is still a games console at its core, despite a slew of social and multimedia features. That's the claim of Sony’s Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny. He also explained why the system's PC-based architecture is the result of Sony's first-party developer requirements.

Speaking with OPM, the exec said of PS4's PC-like architecture, "I think the main reason behind it is that’s what the development community wanted. That’s what the development community want in terms of ease of development and making the best games they possibly can.”

But the console's PC innards won't make it any less of a gaming console, Denny advised, "This is still a console made for gaming, with gaming at its heart. I think that we learn from all the platforms we launch & systems we’ve developed.

"Part of PlayStation 4 is learning from previous platforms and making things better. Then part of it is the new experience as well, adding extra features, and you put those together for a much better package and much better experience for the gamer”.

Tech-babble aside, games remain king for Denny and his team, "At the end of the day it’s about the output. It’s about having the best games and the best experiences. To do that you’ve got to have the best creators on board, the best development teams.

"That’s the whole philosophy behind it and we’ve architected a system that we believe will get us the best content. Making decisions like having the 8GB high speed system memory on board is just a massive win for developers in terms of the sort of games they can create, and the ease of game development”.

"I think that ultimately great content always wins the day", he concluded.

The PS4's prowess has certainly made a lot of developers happy. Just check out this shortlist of outspoken developers happy to slap Sony on the back: