PS4 Logo

Sony finally took the liberty of addressing the elephant in the room during this week's grand PlayStation 4 unveiling, and (as is usually the case) it was met with equal amounts of excitement and scrutiny. Now that we've had some time to digest the massive amount of information pertaining to Sony's newly announced platform, a few members of the Game Rant staff have decided to chime in on some of the things they are looking forward to with the PS4.

Be it a particular game, feature, or the pure processing power of the hardware, there's no shortage of reasons to be excited for the console. So without any further delay, let's jump right into some of the things we loved about the PlayStation 4.

Killzone PS4 Screenshots

By: Riley Little

It wasn't the gorgeous Killzone: Shadow Fall or the new sharing features that got me excited for the PS4 — it was the promise of something new. My passion for the current generation of console gaming has been running thin for a while now, with more and more titles failing to offer anything new or exciting. But new consoles (the PS4, specifically) will permit developers to expand their ideas even further and craft some truly original content.

If more games like Ubisoft's Watch_Dogs are en route for the console, then it's hard not to be excited for the future of gaming. Gamers have been stuck with the current lineup of consoles for far too long, and the new generation should provide a breath of fresh air for consumers around the globe.

Sony, it's time to bring on the PlayStation 4. We're beyond ready.

-

You can follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.

Media Molecule PS4 Screenshots

By: Kyle Matthews

Despite a somewhat lackluster appearance by Media Molecule last night, Alex Evans made an interesting nod towards a new title. Stating the intention to "marry [the PS Move controller] with the power of the PlayStation 4," Evans assured viewers that something new is coming, and that Media Molecule "are going to revolutionize 'making'."

In a short demonstration that may have been the most captivating part of the event for me, the MM team showed off three-dimensional sketching and modelling using the PS Move — a wonderful concept in theory, but the final result has yet to be seen. While many would love to have seen a glimpse at a more fleshed out title, the technology shown was intriguing, showing that Sony still has a sense of fun and creative playfulness left over — and is ready to move ahead toward new and uncharted (no pun intended) territory with the PS4.

'Battlefield Hardline' Beats 'Bloodborne' - PlayStation 4

By: Kevin Moonlight

I was less intrigued with the talk of all the hardware and specs of the PlayStation 4; largely in part because most of it goes way over my head. Instead, I was more fascinated about how Sony handled the showcase. It's clear that this whole thing was orchestrated to talk about the hardware, features, and especially the controller — that much is obvious — but the most prominent subject that the company kept pushing was the 'Share' button.

The ability to stream (and I've labelled as the "Assist Me" helpline) are nice features, I doubt I'll be using them, but it's nice to have. Leaving the reveal of the console, along with more game reveals, to occur at E3 is probably the best move, and should keep the hype train rolling all the way to the system's release this holiday season.

PS4 Lets Play

By: Travis Grosz

People share thousands of hours of gameplay footage daily on sites such as YouTube, much to the amusement of everyone. Some have even made it a full time job, uploading videos daily, often commenting during gameplay for the sake of comedy. Sony seems to understand how widespread and important this market is with the addition of the new "share" button on its DualShock 4 controller.

This addition will allow you to record gameplay footage and upload it to a social site immediately, and gamers will never be taken out of the game while they upload the vids either. This seems to be a smart move on Sony's part since a huge portion of people watch “Let’s Play”-like videos daily, and some consumers even decide to buy a game because of them. Of course, only time will tell what this means for actual game sales.

PS4 PSN

By: Kalen Nelson

During the Sony PS4 presentation, there was one particular feature I was actually most captivated and excited about. I am actually super stoked for the Sharing ability of the system.

One of my all-time favorite social experiences was Halo 3 and its Forge and Theater features. I loved the social aspect of taking the awesome, and in some cases funny, events that occur in my game and sharing them with my friends. That one feature kept me hooked on the game months longer than a normal title did, so bringing that theater-type feature to all of my game experiences on the PS4 is going to be amazing.

I get the feeling that Watch_Dogs will be a particularly fun game to share clips from.

PlayStation 4 DualShock 4

By: Brian Sipple

A "Share" button? Really? The new addition to Sony’s DualShock 4 seemed innocuous, even a bit trivial, when it was leaked in January.  We share everything in our lives today after all through the prism of social networking — is it really so revolutionary to replicate the dynamic on a gaming console?

Apparently, it might be. After learning about Sony’s intended uses for the button at this week's press conference — over-the-shoulder spectating, controlling another player's game session, instant real-time uploading to Ustream — I wasn't blown away, but it was striking to hear just how seamless the PlayStation 4's interface truly sounds. All of these concepts — not to mention other planned features like streaming games to the Vita and playing trials straight from the storefront — would be insufferably tedious at best on the architecture of today’s PSN and Xbox Live. Here, however, they're native and nimble.

Execution, of course, like the PS4 itself, remains to be seen. But a button I was once ready to write off as a gimmick now appears aligned for limitless innovation — and bodes well for an age of console connectivity that’s only just beginning.

-

You can follow Brian on Twitter @Brian_Sipple.

PS4 Logo

Thus concludes some of the things that a few members of the Game Rant crew are looking forward to with the release of the PlayStation 4. The Sharing functionality has proven to be a rather popular feature, but there are still a number of other functions and games that people are eager to get their hands on when the system hits retailers later this Fall.

What features are you most anticipating on the PS4? Which of the announced games are you most excited for?