Mark Cerny, the PlayStation 4's lead system architect, has told Gamasutra that the console will have the strongest launch games of any PlayStation console to date.
Cerny said that because of the PS4's PC-like design it was easier for developers to create or port games to the platform meaning there will be a formidable array of launch titles for the console.
"The launch line-up for PlayStation 4 – though I unfortunately can't give the title count – is going to be stronger than any prior PlayStation hardware, and that's a result of that familiarity," he commented.
In addition, Cerny revealed details on the Play-Go technology being developed by Sony which will allow PS4 owners to play games as they're being downloaded.
"So, what we do as the game accesses the Blu-ray disc, is we take any data that was accessed and we put it on the hard drive," he revealed. "And if there is idle time, we go ahead and copy the remaining data to the hard drive. And what that means is after an hour or two, the game is on the hard drive, and you have access, you have dramatically quicker loading… And you have the ability to do some truly high-speed streaming."
Cerny says he began work on the PS4 in 2007 adding "The biggest thing is we didn't want the hardware to be a puzzle that programmers would be needing to solve in order to make quality titles."
While the PS3 was a powerful console the CELL processor was alien to developers, limiting their ability to get to grips with the system, at least initially. "There was huge performance there, but in order to unlock that performance, you really needed to study it and learn unique ways of using the hardware."
Sony's philosophy towards the PS4 emerged directly as a result of the difficulties faced by developers working on the PS3. "The hope with PlayStation 4 was to have a powerful architecture, but also an architecture that would be a very familiar architecture in many ways."
There's plenty more about the PS4's technical specifications in Gamasutra's interview. The PS4 is due to be launched 'Holiday 2013' possibly worldwide. Sony Worldwide Studio's vice-president Michael Denny has hinted at a lower price point for the PS4 than the PS3 had when it launched though it's still unclear when the company will reveal the cost of the console or the system's actual design.
