PS4 tablet interactivity stomping all over the Wii U?

[J Tyran]

Does the PS4 being able to integrate with smartphones and tablets enable them to steal the thunder from the Wii Us only real unique feature? Face it the Wii Us controller is pretty poor compared to mid and high range tablets. Worse resolution, worse battery and generally just worse. From the touch screen to its size.

Most people that own tablets own something better, being able to link them to PSN with Gaikai really trumps the Wii U for me. Why buy a console that performs worse with a second rate tablet when you can get a console with more performance and better 3rd party support and use my own far superior tablet?

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I'm gonna say, nope. Simply because people who have Tablets aren't gonna focus on using a Tablet to connect with the PS4, especially since the PS4 Controller not only has a touch screen, but it also has Buttons! Something most Tablets don't have naturally.

 

[J Tyran]

Nope.

The Wii Gamepad comes as part of the £299 price tag.

The Vita is a £250 accessory to what will no doubt be an expensive console.

Also, the Wii Gamepad has almost zero latency. It's latency is less than many HDTVs.

The Vita streams images much slower. Meaning it'll never have the same responsiveness.

Lastly, the Vita still needs games. Of which it doesn't have many at all.

Not just the Vita it connects to tablets as well, no details yet but I would guess any tablet that can use the PSN app. A £100 cheap Chinese Android tablet is better than the Wii U controller, not to mention you don't really need to buy a tablet. More tablets sold last year than either the Xbox or PS3 sold in their life time, chances are a huge proportion of PS4 buyers will already own a tablet.

 

[J Tyran]

Nope.

The Wii Gamepad comes as part of the £299 price tag.

The Vita is a £250 accessory to what will no doubt be an expensive console.

Also, the Wii Gamepad has almost zero latency. It's latency is less than many HDTVs.

The Vita streams images much slower. Meaning it'll never have the same responsiveness.

Lastly, the Vita still needs games. Of which it doesn't have many at all.

Not just the Vita it connects to tablets as well, no details yet but I would guess any tablet that can use the PSN app. A £100 cheap Chinese Android tablet is better than the Wii U controller, not to mention you don't really need to buy a tablet. More tablets sold last year than either the Xbox or PS3 sold in their life time, chances are a huge proportion of PS4 buyers will already own a tablet.

What do tablets have to do with anything? I care about games. The Gamepad is used to play games. It does an admirable job at that.

The Vita could connect to every tablet known to man. It's still a $250 accessory with very few games of its own, and hideously overprices memory cards.

You're not making any coherent points, just making random comparisons to tablets that have nothing to do with gaming and using that as an excuse for a bit of Nintendo bashing.

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Get it? Its like Onlive but being able to use your own PS4 as the source, the tech works but it needs a very good network connection. So basically if you have LTE or can access a good hotspot or at home with a good signal you can stream your PS4 games. Here is the real key, Gaikai is far better than any other streaming service and Sony are backing it up with an incredibly high powered support structure.

I really don't know why you have fixated on the Vita considering I never even mentioned the Vita in my OP.

 

[Zhukov]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Okay, I'm confused.

Why would I want to stream my game from a PS4 to a tablet?

 

[J Tyran]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Okay, I'm confused.

Why would I want to stream my game from a PS4 to a tablet?

Because you own a game and are part way through it? Because your friend asks you to join a quick co-op game or help get them through a section? All kinds of reasons with the new features of the PS4.

The most obvious answer is why play a game on your tablet? Why play app store games when you can play your PS4 games from where you left off.

 

[Zhukov]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Okay, I'm confused.

Why would I want to stream my game from a PS4 to a tablet?

Because you own a game and are part way through it? Because your friend asks you to join a quick co-op game or help get them through a section? All kinds of reasons with the new features of the PS4.

The most obvious answer is why play a game on your tablet? Why play app store games when you can play your PS4 games from where you left off.

Still confused.

Why do I need or want to stream my game to a tablet to do any of those things?

I own a game and are part way through it? The fuck? Well then, when I resume it I shall sit back down at my console and continue playing where I left off. Not seeing any use for a tablet there.

My friend wants to play co-op? Then I'll sit down, join his game and play co-op. Not seeing any use for a tablet there.

My friend want me to help him past a hard part? Apparently the PS4 has some kind of remote play thing (which I don't predisct getting used much). Does it need a tablet? If so, that's stupid. If not, why do I need to stream my game to a tablet again? Or hey, here's a thought, my friend could just hand me his damn controller.

 

[J Tyran]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Okay, I'm confused.

Why would I want to stream my game from a PS4 to a tablet?

Because you own a game and are part way through it? Because your friend asks you to join a quick co-op game or help get them through a section? All kinds of reasons with the new features of the PS4.

The most obvious answer is why play a game on your tablet? Why play app store games when you can play your PS4 games from where you left off.

Still confused.

Why do I need or want to stream my game to a tablet to do any of those things?

I own a game and are part way through it? The fuck? Well then, when I resume it I shall sit back down at my console and continue playing where I left off. Not seeing any use for a tablet there.

My friend wants to play co-op? Then I'll sit down, join his game and play co-op. Not seeing any use for a tablet there.

My friend want me to help him past a hard part? Apparently the PS4 has some kind of remote play thing (which I don't predisct getting used much). Does it need a tablet? If so, that's stupid. If not, why do I need to stream my game to a tablet again? Or hey, here's a thought, my friend could just hand me his damn controller.

When you at home its obvious to use your console but what about elsewhere? Or at home and not at the console, on the bog, in bed. On the bus or wherever else. What about being at a friends and want to show them a game when they have a different platform?

Nobody needs to do anything its about wanting to do it and it fitting in with our increasingly digitally connected lives. When I go out I can transfer my streamed movie I was watching to my phone/tablet seamlessly, then when I get back in I can seamlessly switch it back to my TV. Being able to do that with my games will be awesome.

Even aside from playing games PS4 owners will be able to acsess the full PSN features this way, Sony said there will be two tiers of PSN contacts too. There will general anonymous multiplayer access we have now and trusted friends contacts, like a gaming version of facebook for trusted gaming and RL freinds. Having streamed PSN access will be great, you can chat or share videos or even jump into a game you all own. All of this depends on the quality of the connection at the time obviously.

This feature links into the PS4s standby mode, you can basically press a single button to pause your game and put the PS4 in hibernation. A single button press will practically turn it back on instantly with no boot or load times, this can be minutes, hours or maybe even days later (this Vita already does this and its great).

Games themselves might even have features that use both the PS4 and connected mobile devices the same way the Wii U tablet works.

I should also add a disclaimer, a disclaimer that shouldnt really need to be said as its already obvious but w/e. All of this depends on just how well the technology all works, considering the existing techs not to bad if not quite there it should be OK.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Does anyone actually want all this tablet interactivity, remote play crap? Seems like companies are pushing something no-one really wants or needs just because they think it is the new hip thing.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

This whole thing assumes that I actually have a smartphone or tablet or any of that junk. Which I don't, and being able to play PS4 games on them won't help convince me to buy them. I remain totally unconvinced that tablets (and smartphones, most of the time) aren't just some massively expensive toy that I have absolutely no use for.

Frankly, I'm a little tired of all this inter-device connectivity bullshit. I see no reason why I would rather stream a game to a tablet or smartphone as opposed to just playing the game on the PS4 proper, and I have yet to see any real use of Microsoft's smartglass shit. It just seems like these companies are assuming that I would rather be spending time on some other device than the one they're trying to sell me.

Also, comparing a WiiU to a tablet is more than a little unfair. By tablet standards, yes, the WiiU controller is shitty. However, by console controller standards, no tablet would begin to compare to the WiiU's controller. And considering the devices are trying to do very, very different things, I don't think comparing them is at all necessary.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

here is a simple breakdown of why the PS4's tablet features are probably not going to trump the Wii U:

1. The Wii U's Gamepad is included with EVERY Wii U.

2. Not everyone who will buy a PS4 will have a tablet.

3. Thus, games are probably not going to be made with the idea of using a tablet in the first place.

So, no, Nintendo has nothing to worry about in that regard. Furthermore, tablets are not very good gaming devices, especially for the kind of stuff on a console. Sony TRIED to claim the PS3 with a Vita could do all the things the Wii U does and that got them NOWHERE.

 

[ThriKreen]

And a counter point why using other devices will trump the WiiU, and why the Sony integration can be seen as a better idea:

a) You can play other games on the Vita and take it with you when going out, not just streaming PS4 -> Vita games.

b) An iPad or Android tablet is not tied to the WiiU, so can be viewed as a longer term investment if you got one, as it can be used for other things.

c) Much like WiiU games, PS4 games could be designed to take advantage of asymmetric game playing if a tablet is available, and allow other players to contribute to the game in other methods, not just direct playing. Output the map of the level to the tablet and let the other player drop waypoints to direct player 1? Or is a zombie director, and dropping zombies for the other players to play in split screen?

d) Friends pop over and have their tablets bound to your PS4 - instant controllers without you yourself having to splurge on extras which sit unused the rest of the time.

Don't just dismiss new technology and integration because you don't see an immediate need for it for YOU. If people never adopted any new tech, we'd still be playing boardgames.

We'll have to see how well devs AND gamers take to it in a year.

 

[J Tyran]

here is a simple breakdown of why the PS4's tablet features are probably not going to trump the Wii U:

1. The Wii U's Gamepad is included with EVERY Wii U.

2. Not everyone who will buy a PS4 will have a tablet.

3. Thus, games are probably not going to be made with the idea of using a tablet in the first place.

So, no, Nintendo has nothing to worry about in that regard. Furthermore, tablets are not very good gaming devices, especially for the kind of stuff on a console. Sony TRIED to claim the PS3 with a Vita could do all the things the Wii U does and that got them NOWHERE.

The Vita is an expensive peice of extra hardware not many people own, neither do any of the PS3s games actually offer any functionality besides using it as a control or to play PS3 games. Nothing does what the Wii U controller does.

As for tablets though.. I can only go by the sales estimates but there may be more tablets in the world than Xbox 360s, PS3s, PS Vitas and Wii & Wii Us all put together. So the chances are good that a huge proportion of potential PS4 owners will own a tablet. Add in larger screen smartphones and it increases the odds of owning something even more.

And a counter point why using other devices will trump the WiiU, and why the Sony integration can be seen as a better idea:

a) You can play other games on the Vita and take it with you when going out, not just streaming PS4 -> Vita games.

b) An iPad or Android tablet is not tied to the WiiU, so can be viewed as a longer term investment if you got one, as it can be used for other things.

c) Much like WiiU games, PS4 games could be designed to take advantage of asymmetric game playing if a tablet is available, and allow other players to contribute to the game in other methods, not just direct playing. Output the map of the level to the tablet and let the other player drop waypoints to direct player 1? Or is a zombie director, and dropping zombies for the other players to play in split screen?

d) Friends pop over and have their tablets bound to your PS4 - instant controllers without you yourself having to splurge on extras which sit unused the rest of the time.

Don't just dismiss new technology and integration because you don't see an immediate need for it for YOU. If people never adopted any new tech, we'd still be playing boardgames.

We'll have to see how well devs AND gamers take to it in a year.

Some good points there, loads of people own tablets using them as a kind of ad-hoc controller for either straight gameplay as well as for asymmetric play was a neat idea I had not thought of.

Using the Vita for streaming has a few problems though, its fine at home or with a good access point but for on the go it really needs an LTE version. Tablets are not the only device though either, considering the Vita has a 5" screen and its plenty big enough loads of smartphones have 4.8" and bigger screens. So phones will generally work as well as a tablet would.

 

[Dryk]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Why would I want to stream a console game to a device with terrible controls? Say what you will about the accessibility and technology of the Wii U Gamepad, it has buttons. I think that factor will be one lots of people underestimate, just like everybody underestimated the power of having a peripheral as standard last generation.

 

[itsmeyouidiot]

I don't want to use a tablet for gaming. Simple as that.

One reason for this is because I don't have a tablet. I don't want to waste money on one when I have a perfectly functional laptop computer that can do everything I would want to do on a tablet.

Second, tablets SUCK for gaming. I like touch screen controls, they can be implemented very well (just look at the Nintendo DS), but not having buttons majorly limits what can be done for gaming.

 

[J Tyran]

let me try again, the PS4 will connect to all kinds of mobile devices like tablets, smartphones and PS Vitas with Gaikai for live streaming of PS4 games.

Why would I want to stream a console game to a device with terrible controls? Say what you will about the accessibility and technology of the Wii U Gamepad, it has buttons. I think that factor will be one lots of people underestimate, just like everybody underestimated the power of having a peripheral as standard last generation.

A good tablet has plenty of controls, you can have buttons in any layout you want and the screens are sensitive enough to mimic analogue sticks. You can even have feedback on the buttons presses, it takes a little bit of getting used to but a good quality touch screen can do everything as well physical buttons apart from the slight resistance you get from analogue sticks. Then you have the advantage of laying them out in any configuration the developer/player wants with a far superior touch screen than the Wii Us crappy old fashioned resistive touch screen.