Sony announced the specs of the DualShock 4 and among the features was an LED light bar along the top of the controller. This will be a feature that will allow you to identify players via controller (like the red lights on the DualShock 3) and get feedback on things like character health. It will also integrate with the new PlayStation 4 Eye, acting much like the Move controller works currently. More pictures here.
Here’s what Sony has to say about the PS4 Eye:
PlayStation®4 Eye, a newly developed camera for PS4 incorporates two high-sensitive cameras that have wide-angle lenses with 85-degree diagonal angle views which can recognize the depth of space precisely. This enables PlayStation®4 Eye to cut out the image of player from background, or to grasp players’ position in front and behind, further broadening the ways to enjoy games. Incorporated four microphones are also capable of accurate sound detection and source origination. In addition, users will be able to login to their PS4 with face recognition and are capable of using their own body movements or voices to enjoy games more intuitively. Furthermore, PlayStation®4 Eye senses the color of DUALSHOCK®4’s light bar to judge the positions of multiple players, and set characters in the same positions or let a character talk to a particular player, enabling players to enjoy games in new way PlayStation®4 Eye also supports PlayStation®Move motion controller. It detects the motion of PS Move more precisely, and reflects players’ in-game motion more accurately than ever.
From initial impressions, it seems like the PlayStation 4 Eye is going to ‘borrow’ a lot of features from the Kinect and then implement Move-style functionality using the LED on the controller. Whether this will all be implemented well or end up being another useless peripheral will only be apparent in time.
Here are the numbered details of the PS4 Eye:
External Dimension – Approx. 186mm x 27mm x 27mm (width x height x depth)
(tentative)Weight – Approx. 183g (tentative)
Video Pixel – (Maximum) 1280 x 800 pixel x 2
Video Frame Rate – 1280×800 pixel @ 60fps
640×400 pixel @ 120fps
320×192 pixel @ 240fpsVideo Format – RAW, YUV (uncompressed)
Lens – Dual Lenses, F value/F2.0 fixed focus
Capture Range – 30cm～∞
Field-of-View – 85°
Microphone – 4 Channel Microphone Array
Connection Type – PS4 dedicated connector (AUX connector)
Cable Length – Approx. 2m (tentative)
What do you think of Sony’s Kinect/Move crossover? Is it even necessary? Do you think developers will support it? Let us know and keep it locked to PSLS for all your PS4 news!
