Sony's E3 Press Conference: 10 Key Details And Games That Stood Out

By Reggie Fells /

8. The New, Smoother PlayStation Network

Whereas Microsoft provided an overwhelming amount of details regarding their upgraded XBOX Live functionality for the XBOX One, Sony had been relatively tight-lipped regarding details of the PSN - until today. The new PlayStation network is far more streamlined and informative than the current iteration. Whereas the current PSN only shows you a limited friend list (what IS it with this 100-person limit?) the version that Sony displayed today was more expansive, displaying updates from friend's activities, such as added friends, their download history, and trophy progress. It made for a much more descriptive experience, allowing the social gamer to easily keep up-to-date with other gamers (which is going to be a hit for the competitive types). Even further, the new PSN allows for seamless Network streaming (the XBOX One has a similar feature in a partnership with social media organization Twitch). At E3, this was demonstrated when a gamer (named Will) encountered difficulty with a boss creature in Knack, only to find a video posted by a friend of his named Sarah that detailed exactly how to beat the boss. A moment after he switched away form the video to continue playing (WOW.), he defeated the boss easily.

The PSN 2.0 offers several improvements and increased functionality, live streaming among them.

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Further into the demo, the same player received a call from a friend who needed help in Killzone: Shadow Fall. Undaunted, Will opened a menu, accessed the PlayStation Store, and began downloading the game, all while still playing Knack and sending a message to Sarah. As he kept playing, the download finished, and he was able to seamlessly switch over to Killzone: Shadow Fall, immediately entering his friend's game and providing support - just as his friend recorded a short video showing him how to correct his aim, which he immediately posted to his profile.

Even from a person like myself who's skeptical about features shown at gaming conferences until the games are actually released, the abilities of the new PlayStation 4 that I saw today were extremely impressive. If the new PlayStation Network functions as smoothly as it was demonstrated today, I am extremely optimistic for the PlayStation 4's release.