PS4: Party Chat, Friends List, UI and More Detailed

by Brien Bell | Jul 29, 2013 | 1 comment
Brien Bell

Netflix, Party Chat, & Free-to-Play will not require PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Access, the PlayStation UK YouTube channel, has been a wealth of information on PlayStation 4 features we may or may not have known about. Just a few weeks back, Nathan Ditum keyed us in on 20 facts about the PS4, including the ability to take your digital library on the go. Today, Hollie Bennett, Digital and Community Manager for PlayStation UK, brings the world ten more tidbits about Sony’s latest device, including just how many friends you’ll be able to add (HINT: way more than a hundred). Read on for all the details:

A lot of the information provided in the new video we already knew: the PS4’s 500GB, upgradable hard drive; the functionality of the camera and how it can be used for AR content like The Playroom; and the comparable size of the PS4 to the PS3. But Hollie did let loose on the fact that Party Chat, already confirmed for the PS4 and currently available on your PS Vita as well, will not need a PlayStation Plus subscription to access; also specifically mentioned were Netflix and free-to-play multiplayer games as services that would not require a PS+ membership.

As for that pesky friends limit currently set at 100? We already knew it was gone, but PlayStation Access confirms you can now have up to 2,000 people on your Friends List, and that your username and avatar will carry over from your current PSN account. Gone is the XrossMediaBar–and hopefully any use of the letter ‘X’ to spell the word Cross ever again–replaced by the PlayStation Dynamic Menu, which can be customized and personalized according to each user’s preference. Finally, two things that will be supported from the PS3 and one that won’t: yes, 3D content will be coming to the PS4, though no details on that yet, and your PlayStation Move controllers will be playable, but that classic Dualshock 3 feel won’t be. Sorry, DS3 loyalists, the Dualshock 4 is cooler and feels better anyway.

That’s it for this week’s deluge of PS4 information. Just a few more months until launch–and hopefully an announcement of a proper launch day, coming at Gamescom in Germany or the Tokyo Game Show–and there’s sure to be a lot more news to come. Keep it tuned to Sony Rumors as we report on all the latest on everything PlayStation.

Discuss:

What other services do you hope will be announced for PlayStation 4?

[Via PlayStation Access]