PS4 games are now available for pre-ordering via the web version of the PlayStation Store, ahead of the console’s launch this Friday. There are 19 games already up for purchase, with everything from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag to free-to-play title Warframe. If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can also add Resogun and Contrast to your download list for free (even if you’re not getting a console at launch).
The PS4 releases in Europe this Friday, November 29th 2013, and Sony has a number of launch events planned across the PAL region. The console launches in 20 countries on Friday, with a further 10 getting the console on December 13th. Sony has 16 launch events planned, with retailers also expected to hold their own events in each. For those in the UK like us, the PlayStation Lounge will be open from 7.00pm on November 28th, and will have hundreds of PS4s available for purchase.
The Xbox One launched in 13 territories on Friday, November 22nd 2013, selling one million units in the first 24 hours, matching the first-day figures for the PS4. However, in comparison, the PS4 sold one million units in just two countries: USA and Canada, compares to Xbox One’s 13. The European launch on November 29th 2013 will further boost the PS4’s numbers.
The PlayStation Store is now available on the PS4 in the UK, revealing the prices and file sizes for the PS4 launch titles. Prices for games range from £11.99 for PSN titles to a massive £62.99 for AAA titles, including FIFA 14 and Battlefield 4, while file sizes range from just 393 MB to 38.2 GB.
Spearhead Games has announced that their upcoming PS4 co-op puzzler Tiny Brains will be releasing in North America and Europe in December. Tiny Brains is a quirky, social, cooperative, action puzzler, which follows four tiny lab animals – a rabbit, a mouse, a hamster, and a bat – each of whom has been so extensively experimented on as to develop cool psychic abilities.
Speaking to MCV, Sony has revealed that an ultimate bundle including both the PS4 and PS Vita will be available to buy before Christmas. The new bundle promotes the PS4’s Remote Play functionality with the PS Vita, and will also include a memory card to help you get started. Unfortunately, pricing for the bundle hasn’t been revealed, but you can expect it to cost around £450.
A screenshot taken from a UK PS4 has confirmed a number of video services for the PS4 launch on November 29th 2013. So far, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, Channel 5’s Demand 5 and IGN have been confirmed for launch, with other popular services like LOVEFiLM and Netflix still missing from the line-up.
GameStop has revealed that it has sold out of the company’s current stock allocation of the PS4, with 2.3 million customers waiting for the console from the company globally. The 2.3 million remaining customers are in a waiting list to be informed when the console is back in stock, suggesting demand for the console for months to come.
Website AnandTech has run two speed tests on the internet browsers on the Xbox One and PS4, revealing that the PS4’s browser is 2-5x faster than the Xbox One, at least in terms of JavaScript performance. Two tests were run on each browser, the first using the Sunspider benchmark suite which measures JavaScript performance, and the second using Kracken, a JavaScript performance benchmark created by Mozilla.
