What is the PlayStation 4 and how much will it cost? PS4 Specs, Info, And Hardware

After the longest console generation in the history of gaming, the inevitable finally happened: The PS3 is retiring and the PS4 is coming to take its place. But what is the PlayStation 4, exactly? What type of hardware is it using, what makes it special? How does the PS4 utilize the internet? How much will the console cost when it is put on the market?

There are a lot of questions about the PS4 and what it can do. Well, the good news is that now, at long last, there are finally answers! Read on to find out about the tech specs and hardware of the PS4, the new Dualshock 4, the PlayStation 4 share button, and all the other information available for the PS4!

Here is a list of the best PS4 games we know about.

The most important part of any console is what's going on inside. Developers can only make use of the tools they're given and if a console's innards aren't up to snuff then the games will suffer. The PlayStation 4 hardware specs show that Sony has learned a lot from their previous outing with the PS3. Throughout the unveiling of the PS4, each speaker repeated over and over again how developer-friendly the PS4 will be. Here's the scoop on the PlayStation 4's hardware.

• 8 GB of GDDR5 Unified Ram - This is perhaps the most surprising hardware announcement made by Sony. DDR5 RAM is incredibly powerful stuff, capable of outputting massive amounts of information with little to know bottleneck. To put it in persective, most computers use a slower DDR3 or DDR4 RAM. Typically, DDR5 RAM is reserved for video cards. 8GB is quite a bit, as well.
• X86-64 Eight Core based AMD CPU - There haven't been any specific specs given on the PS4's processor just yet, but the reveal did show that it will be very close to a standard PC CPU. This warrants a sigh of relief for developers who no longer have to contend with Sony's tricky to use Cell processor that was the backbone of the PS3.
• AMD Radeon Graphics Card - Like the CPU, the PS4's graphics card will be based off of a standard PC architecture. Could the PS4 be trying to emulate a powerful PC so that games are natively developed on their console?
• Touch Controls - The new controller will feature two point touch controls in addition to standard analog sticks, d-pads, buttons, and triggers.
• The PlayStation Eye - A Kinect-like motion sensitive sensor bar. It will likely interact with the player's controllers as well as their body movements. The unique LEDs on the back of the DualShock 4 will likely interact with it in some capacity.

One of the cooler hardware features available on the PlayStation 4 is the ability to suspend and resume games at a moment's notice. Instead of quitting out of your game, turning the system off, returning later, turning the system on, booting your game up, and loading your last save, players can now just hit the power button to suspend the game and hit it a second time to turn the system back on and pick up where they left.

This type of stop-and-go gaming has been possible on mobile systems since the Nintendo DS, but this is the first time it will be available on a major console.

Seven years ago when the PS3 and 360 were being released, high speed internet was just recently becoming mainstream. Nowadays, it is practically mandatory. The PS4 will integrate the internet with gaming in a way that no console has ever done before. Here are just a few ways that the PlayStation 4 will be revolutionizing the way we play games online.

• The Share Button - The rumors turned out to be true. At any time during your game, you can simply hit the Share button on your DualShock 4 and upload video of your gameplay to the web. The PlayStation 4 will store the last ten minutes of your game which you can rewind and select at any time and upload to YouTube or other services.
• Fully Integrated Streaming - During the PS3's generation, streaming live from your console could be a major hassle. The PS4 makes it possible to stream everything you do to an audience of thousands with the touch of a button. Whether you're a big personality or just like to share what you're doing with your friends, this is the first time a console producer has really put streaming first.
• Streaming Full Games - PS4 owners won't need to wait for their games to finish downloading before they start playing. The PlayStation 4 will be able to stream full games, allowing players to start playing retail games with just a short buffering time while the rest of the title downloads in the background. No more lengthy wait times while a download bar slowly progresses!

The DualShock 4, the PlayStation 4's new controller, will be a vastly overhauled version of the PS3 controller. It is one of the largest redesigns of their now-standard controller scheme in the history of the DualShock brand. The PS4 controller features LEDs, a headphone jack, the share button, new Analog Sticks, and other unique features

Read this in depth examination of the PS4 controller for more info.

The PS Vita has been struggling to find a market. It looks like Sony may have fixed that in one simple move. Players can stream PS4 games directly to their Vitas wireless as long as they are in range of a running PS4. That means the Vita can play PlayStation 4 games while the TV is off or playing something else entirely.

It also means that the Vita could be used similarly to a Wii U tablet. This is a major blow for Nintendo. What is the entire purpose of Nintendo's console has become a small bullet point in the list of things the PlayStation 4 is capable of doing.

Now is a good time to check out Vitas. There are some really great games available for cheap.

The PlayStation 4 will cost 399.99 cents for the most basic model after being released. Special editions bundled with more controllers and launch titles like Knack may run as much as $550.

When will the PS4 be released?

Sony has announced that the PlayStation will be released in time for the holiday season in 2013. It is safe to say that it will be released somewhere between November and December. We will let you know when a specific release date has been confirmed.

If you've got any questions or comments, leave a note below! As PS4 info continues to become available you'll be the first to know.