While a lot of focus will be placed on the differing price points and specs between the Xbox One and PS4, what will ultimately move units are games. It's true at launch, and it will continue to be true throughout the life of each next-gen console.
Shortly after their Gamescom 2013 press conference, Microsoft revealed the 23 titles (first and third party) that will be available for the Xbox One at launch. Not to be outdone, Sony has also announced their launch line-up, which admittedly includes a decent amount of crossover with the Xbox One.
Without counting the third party releases like Assassin's Creed 4, Watch_Dogs, and Call of Duty: Ghosts, one could argue that the PS4's biggest launch title is Killzone: Shadow Fall. The first trailer for Killzone was released during the PS4 reveal event, and it instantly took our breath away.
There are also several smaller digital-only titles hitting the PS4 at launch, including N++, Resogun, and Hohokum. Sony has, over the past few months, made great strides to secure a strong indie line-up and many of those titles will be on display at launch. And speaking of launch we now know that will be November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.
And so, without further ado, here's the full launch lineup for the PS4:
- Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (Blu-ray/digital)
- Basement Crawl (digital)
- Battlefield 4 (Blu-ray/digital)
- Blacklight (digital)
- Call of Duty: Ghosts (Blu-ray/digital)
- Contrast (digital)
- DC Universe Online (digital)
- Doki-Doki Universe (digital)
- DriveClub (Blu-ray/digital)
- FIFA 14 (Blu-ray/digital)
- Flower (digital)
- Hohokum (digital)
- Just Dance 2014 (Blu-ray/digital)
- Killzone: Shadow Fall (Blu-ray/digital)
- Knack (Blu-ray/digital)
- Lego Marvel Superheroes (Blu-ray/digital)
- Madden NFL 25 (Blu-ray/digital)
- Minecraft (digital)
- N++ (digital)
- NBA Live (Blu-ray/digital)
- NBA 2K14 (Blu-ray/digital)
- Need for Speed: Rivals (Blu-ray/digital)
- Pinball Arcade (digital)
- Planetside 2 (digital)
- Pool Nation Extreme (digital)
- ResoGun (digital)
- Skylanders: Swap Force (Blu-ray/digital)
- Super Motherload (digital)
- The Playroom (preinstalled)
- Tiny Brains (digital)
- Warframe (digital)
- War Thunder (digital)
- Watch_Dogs (Blu-ray/digital)
Gamers will notice that many of the PS4's launch titles will actually be out on the PS3 first, which might make the decision to wait for the next-gen difficult. Luckily, Sony has announced a PS3 to PS4 upgrade program that will allow gamers who purchase the digital version of a PS3 game to also purchase the PS4 version at a sizeable discount. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly how much of a discount it will be.
It's also important to mention the PS4 freebies that will be available for the console at launch. The Playroom, an Augmented Reality experience that shows off the capabilities of the DualShock 4 in conjunction with the new PlayStation Eye Camera will come pre-loaded on every console. However, the PlayStation Camera must be purchased separately for $59.99.
Every PS4 owner who is a PlayStation Plus subscriber (a.k.a. anyone who wants to play online) will also net themselves a copy of DriveClub, Sony's immersive, next-gen driving experience. DriveClub has been a mainstay of Sony's next-gen presentations, and they are clearly betting big on the game by including it as a free PS Plus title.
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In other PS4 news, Sony revealed two new DualShock 4 color options in addition to the standard black. The "Magma Red" and "Wave Blue" controllers will retail for $59 each — same as the black DualShock 4 — and will be available later this year. For a controller that has several new features (touchpad, share button, improved joysticks and shoulder buttons), a $5 increase over the DualShock 3's current retail price certainly isn't bad.
Which PS4 titles will you be picking up at launch? Will you be buying either the Magma Red or Wave Blue options for your second controller?
Sony's PlayStation 4 will be available November 15, 2013 in North America and November 29, 2013 in Europe.