After an Amazon listing for PlayStation 4's camera went a bit overboard with details, Sony confirmed the details contained on the retailer's listing, namely that Sony's camera will indeed offer voice recognition.
A Sony spokesperson confirmed the feature to Eurogamer, telling the outlet, "We can confirm that PS Camera does allow voice recognition. We will share more details on this shortly."
According to Amazon's product page for the PlayStation 4 camera, the peripheral will have Kinect style voice commands. The listing reads, "From navigational voice commands to facial recognition, the PlayStation Camera adds incredible innovation to your gaming." Sounds a bit familiar, huh? Microsoft's own description for Kinect is pretty damn similar: "Kinect uses advanced entertainment technology to respond to the sound of your voice." It also boasts facial recognition / tracking.
The feature was detailed at the GameStop Expo in Las Vegas over the weekend, where the SCEA's Shawn Coleman, Group Manager of Retail Training and Advocacy, took center stage to describe several of the new console's features. He discussed how the PS4 camera would work in conjunction with the Dual Shock 4 controller, saying, "when you add the PlayStation camera into the mix, the pair work together to expand upon system features and enhance your PlayStation 4 experience. The new stereoscopic lenses can track your body movements in games, or even recognize your face for easier system navigation."
YouTuber lex1020 managed to record Coleman's presentation and associated footage. It's a bit shaky, but you can watch the entire thing at the bottom.
Now, obviously there's only so many ways you can apply technology's forward thrust to gaming, and using a tracking camera with facial recognition to make gaming more interactive is fairly obvious. But given Microsoft did it better the first time around with Kinect, it does seem as though Sony is following a bit too closely in the Redmond giant's footsteps, particularly after all the jabs Sony's taken at Microsoft's expense.
If Sony manages to make its camera work half as well as Microsoft's, Sony could give Microsoft a serious run for its money. The PlayStation 4 is already marked to retail for $100 less than Microsoft's Xbox One, and a great deal of folks are still irritated enough by Microsoft's initial policies to jump ship to Sony. Furthermore, the Xbox One was already hit with a delay in several European countries, Microsoft citing localization issues related to speech recognition for the Kinect. So if impatient gamers really want a console that recognizes gamers' movements, they might not have another choice.
Under the hood, the PS4 boasts Supercharged PC architecture, X86 CPU, Enhanced PC GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, Local HDD. It will support the same PlayStation Plus service as the Vita and PS3. However, a Plus subscription will be required for online multiplayer games, but not for additional media services like Netflix. Sony has also updated the Dual Shock controllers with a touch screen and improved shoulder triggers.
The PS4 is set to be released on November 15th in North America and on November 29th in Europe for $399/€399/£349. The Xbox One is expected around the same time, but an exact release date hasn't been given.
