Sony announces PS4, latest in line of PlayStation consoles

After a longer-than-usual development cycle, Sony today announced the latest iteration of its PlayStation line of consoles.  The PS4 is set for release this holiday season.

The PS4 runs an x86 processor, PC Mag reports, with an enhanced PC GPU. It will have 8GB of high-speed unified memory, as well as system memory backed by local storage.

The system will sport a new, more ergonomic controller, and social-media sharing abilities.  But in the age of tablets, is a new console a must-buy?

Mark Rogowsky at Forbes writes that today’s announcement was missing a key ingredient to spur console sales, which have slipped in recent years.

“What’s the one feature that’s going to get people to run out and buy PS4; that’s going to reignite interest in console gaming? It simply wasn’t there,” Rogowsky writes.

What the console will look like and cost has yet to be revealed.

- Matt Price