PS4 News: Sony UK Boss Talks Games, Price, Release Date, Steam Machines

The PlayStation 4 will launch in many different markets all over the world on Nov. 15, and Sony UK executive Fergal Gara revealed to Eurogamer that Sony is committed to delivering the best gaming experience possible, especially if users buy a digital copy of a game.

As digital demand increases, Sony will work hard to ensure the PlayStation 4 can handle digital distribution better than the PlayStation 3, Gara said. 

"We've done a lot of work on pre-delivering files. It's not perfect. It's not seamless. The file version of the game versus the disc version of the game maybe needs to go through additional QA and additional testing. Some of the problems that have occurred have occurred on older machines, which of course when you go into the next-generation you at least get to reset and start again and everything's the same age and new..." Gara told Eurogamer. "It's a major area of focus. It's a major area of investment. The network will perform better on multiple levels, because it becomes not just a sales or gaming delivery but increasingly it becomes a social network."

Gara also commented on the price of the PlayStation 4 and the general feeling that Sony's next-gen consoles may have trouble competing with mobile games in the future. Gara believes that the PlayStation 4 easily justifies its price tag, even in this mobile focused world.

"We've got an industry that's been a bit jaded, a bit boring and not perceived as fresh and exciting as it might have been. There's a hunger for a fresh, new experience. And while the gap between PS4 and PS3 is very similar to the gap between PS2 and PS3, people's techno-appetite has accelerated in that time window. And also, their propensity to spend £350 on a piece of new tech is perhaps not as big a decision as it was once upon a time...The way we've positioned the device, and its relative price position at £75 below PS3's launch price back seven years ago, makes it appear like a no-brainer, as in, it's really worth that. People are seeing the value in it."

The Sony executive also discussed the latest competitor to the PlayStation 4, the upcoming Steam Machines. Gara feels that, due to Valve and Steam's past success, Sony cannot afford to ignore the company's upcoming home console:

"In this market you've always got to expect some broadside disruptive technologies to come along, and it seems like a potentially good example of that...I don't think anything about it is significantly rattling our confidence at this point in time and what we're doing as PlayStation. We have to keep an eye on Valve and many other competitors..We can't afford to ignore it. Steam is arguably the pre-eminent digital download service for gaming. So we'll watch it."