Millions of PlayStation fans around the world just watched our annual E3 press conference — marking the beginning to what will be an incredible week at E3 — and saw the amazing gaming and entertainment experiences coming to PlayStation in the near future. Above all else, what we showed tonight is our relentless focus on gamers and PlayStation’s long-standing legacy to building a gaming universe without boundaries.

One of the highlights of our event tonight was the official unveil of the PlayStation 4 system and price of $399. The PS4 design is sleek and functional, and contains a powerful system architecture that will enable the industry’s best developers to create amazing titles. Our Worldwide Studios team has more than 30 PS4 exclusive titles in development, 20 of which will launch during the first year of PS4. The PS4 games feature 12 completely new IPs, including a game we unveiled tonight… The Order: 1886 from Ready at Dawn. We also provided updates to other exciting PS4 titles #DRIVECLUB, inFAMOUS: Second Son, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Knack.

PS4 has incredible strength among the development community, and some of the best teams in the world displayed their ground-breaking games. Bungie Studios showed, for the first-time ever, live gameplay of the highly anticipated Destiny; Ubisoft featured Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and Watch_Dogs; Square Enix showed Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy XV; and Warner Bros. showed the world premiere for Mad Max. We also reinforced our support for independent and smaller developers with nine new titles that will debut exclusively on PlayStation 4.

It’s clear that you’ll have no shortage of games to play when PS4 launches. Globally there are more than 140 games in development for PS4 across our own Worldwide Studios and our development partners, including over 100 that will be available within the first year.

We also announced that PlayStation Plus memberships will carry over to PlayStation 4, so members will have access to all of the benefits across PS3, PS Vita and PS4 for one price. These benefits include online multiplayer access, exclusive discounts, cloud game saves, and Instant Game Collection, which gives members a selection of games to discover and enjoy with their friends. To celebrate the launch of PlayStation Plus on PS4, we will offer #DRIVECLUB PS Plus Edition in the Instant Game Collection.

Sony Pictures Entertainment joined us onstage to announce that it is working on new original programming and unique access to entertainment content on PSN and PS4. Sony Pictures Entertainment is one of the most powerful entertainment brands in the world and we look forward to bringing our fans curated content that they’ll love.

In just over a year since its launch, we’ve built a library of more than 125 PS Vita dedicated games and the platform will only get stronger in the coming year. More than 85 games will launch by the end of the year, including The Walking Dead, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, CounterSpy, Destiny of Spirits, Doki Doki, Killzone: Mercenary and Tearaway.

The PlayStation 3 is heading into its 7th holiday season and our commitment is stronger than ever. The PS3 game lineup today is huge, starting this Friday with Game of the Year candidate The Last of Us, which is now the highest rated game for all platforms for 2012 and 2013. We have more than 300 other titles that will launch before the end of the year, such as Beyond: Two Souls, Rain, Puppeteer, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Gran Turismo 6. In addition, we announced a PS3 bundle for Grand Theft Auto V and a new GTAV branded Pulse Elite headset that comes with an exclusive GTA soundscape.

It’s truly a remarkable time at PlayStation. We’re on the verge of launching the most powerful gaming system ever built with the PS4 and the entire PlayStation ecosystem is expanding with the continued growth and strength of PS Vita, PS3 and PlayStation Network. I want to thank PlayStation Nation for your passion and continued support. You’re the reason we continue to innovate, explore new entertainment possibilities and push the boundaries of play. I look forward to sharing more exciting details in the near future.

Jack Tretton

Let us know what you think in the comments, and keep watching our live feed of the press conference. We’re just warming up!

Today we’re pleased to debut a Watch_Dogs developer diary as part of PlayStation’s “Conversations With Creators,” an ongoing series that focuses on PS4 game development with some of the most accomplished game studios in the world.

In this video, you get to meet two of the driving forces in the Watch_Dogs dev team: Dominic, our senior producer and Jonathan, the creative director. Together, they discuss the vision of Watch_Dogs and ultimately, some of the development details for the PlayStation platforms.

By working in close collaboration with PlayStation, the team is working to harness the full power of the PS4. This gives them the opportunity to create a truly no-compromises experience with high-resolution environment textures and advanced special effects. The game experience, much like the city you’ll get to play in, will be rich, deep, and detailed.

As Jonathan and Dominic explain in the video, connectivity is at the heart of the Watch_Dogs experience. We already know Aiden is connected to his own environment, but we also want to give the players new and different ways to connect with each other, and working with PlayStation makes this possible.

In the end, we want to let you experience what it truly feels like to be in a hyper-connected world, whether it be in single player, multiplayer, at home, or even on the go.

Remember, you can always visit the Watch_Dogs Facebook page and Twitter account for great content and conversation. You can also pre-order your copy on the official website.

One week ago, PlayStation 4 was announced in New York City in a presentation watched by more than 15 million people. We met the new DualShock 4 controller, soaked up some impressive hardware specs and services, and saw a barrage of upcoming PS4 games — from inFAMOUS: Second Son to Bungie’s new title Destiny.

During the presentation, Lead System Architect Mark Cerny remarked that PS4 was made “by game creators, for game creators.” To test that theory, we met with two of PlayStation’s top game creators, SCE Worldｗide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida and SCE Worldwide Studios Senior Vice President Scott Rohde, to see which of PS4’s new features has them most inspired.

Today is an exciting day for gamers everywhere. As you may have seen live with millions of others across the world, just moments ago we introduced PlayStation 4 (PS4), our next-generation console that will deliver breakthrough gaming experiences for our fans starting this holiday season.

PlayStation 4 is centered on all of you – the gamers. It redefines rich and immersive gameplay with powerful graphics and speed, intelligent personalization, deeply integrated social capabilities, and innovative second-screen features. When we designed PlayStation 4, we focused on building an architecture that will allow the greatest game developers in the industry to push boundaries and dig deep within their imaginations to create the most immersive and unique games for you to enjoy.

The future of PlayStation is all about great games and entertainment, and at PlayStation Meeting 2013, we brought some of the brightest and most creative minds from the development community on stage to unveil the games that will define PS4. A partial initial lineup for PlayStation 4 includes first-party games from Guerilla Games (Killzone: Shadow Fall), Sucker Punch (inFamous Second Son), Evolution Studios (Driveclub), and Japan Studio (Knack), as well as titles from our partners such as Activision/Bungie (Destiny), Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo III), Capcom (Deep Down), and Ubisoft (Watch_Dogs). PlayStation also reinforced its commitment to self-publishing and the independent development community by having Jonathan Blow onstage who gave a sneak peek of his upcoming title The Witness. Finally, the incredible minds at Media Molecule and Quantic Dream gave glimpses of their conceptualization process and the future of gameplay with some remarkable footage. We only scratched the surface at the event, and will have many more exciting titles to come.

With so much amazing content in development for PlayStation 4, we want to give our fans every opportunity to check out virtually any PS4 game when it becomes available. In the future, when a gamer sees a title of interest in PlayStation Store, they can immediately start playing a portion of the actual game.

Our next generation console will change the way you interact with friends while you play. PlayStation 4 lets you instantly share images and videos of your favorite gameplay moments on Facebook with a single press on the DUALSHOCK 4 controller’s “share” button. You can also broadcast while you play in real-time through Ustream, allowing friends to comment or jump into your game in new ways. Be sure to check out the post from Shu Yoshida, WWS President, for his thoughts on DUALSHOCK 4 and the “share” features.

With PlayStation 4 we also want you to access your games quicker than ever before. PS4’s “suspend mode” eliminates the load time on your saved game and allows you to immediately return to where you left off by pressing the power button. PlayStation 4’s background downloading and updating capability also allows you to immediately play digital titles as they download, or update the system when the hardware is powered off.

Leveraging PlayStation Network with Gaikai technology, PS4 will make it easier for you to play your favorite games and access content wherever you are. We see PS Vita as the ultimate companion device for PS4 and it’s our long-term vision to make most PS4 games playable on PS Vita, so you can bring your favorite games from the big-screen TV to your PS Vita over Wi-Fi. We’re also introducing a “PlayStation App” for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices that acts as a second screen, allowing for unique gameplay possibilities such as viewing maps during an adventure game or remotely watching friends play during an epic battle—right from a smartphone or tablet.

With so much to look forward to in 2013, I want to take a moment to thank you for following PlayStation through our incredible journey and allowing us to bring the most advanced hardware, software and networked gaming experiences into millions of homes around the world. We’re excited about this next chapter, and will continue to provide you with more details about PlayStation 4 and the broader PlayStation ecosystem, as we get closer to launch this holiday season.

I’d like to give you a tour of DUALSHOCK 4 and the features that will provide game developers the freedom to create brand new experiences that previously were limited to their imaginations.

Design

DUALSHOCK 4 adopts the familiar form factor of the DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller with some key enhancements:

• Motion control is enabled by a new highly sensitive six-axis sensor
• Dual analog sticks fine-tuned for better precision plus improved surface materials and shape for more delicate manipulation
• L2/R2 buttons on the top of the controller employ a curved design for easier, smoother interaction
• A new “Options” button combines the functions of the DUALSHOCK 3’s “Select” and “Start” buttons for operating in-game menus

New Ways to Play, Share and Connect

In addition to these features that build on the controls that you already know, DUALSHOCK 4 offers new features that enable new ways to play, a key part of the PS4 experience. One of the biggest innovations we’ve designed centers on the deep social interactions that will surround all games on PS4.

The “Share” button allows you to easily broadcast your gameplay in real-time through streaming sites such as Ustream, where fellow gamers can comment and even join your game in new ways. For example, if you’re stuck in a difficult level, your friends can offer health potions or special weapons that you can use during gameplay. You can also instantly upload images or video to Facebook by pressing the “Share” button. As both a developer and a gamer, I’m personally excited about the opportunity to get help from friends when facing a challenge, and I can’t wait to see what my friends are playing in real time along with videos of their favorite in-game moments.

On the front side of DUALSHOCK 4 is a light bar with LED that illuminate in various colors to match the color of the character in a game as a simple way to identify players. The colors can also provide useful information to players, such as when their character has taken damage during a game. DUALSHOCK 4 was developed alongside a second peripheral, a dual camera which can sense the depth of the environment in front of it and also track the 3D location of the controller via its light bar. The new camera incorporates four microphones capable of accurate sound detection and source origination, and it will support the PlayStation Move motion controller with more precision than ever before.

DUALSHOCK 4 also has a touchpad at the front of the controller as a new input method, offering more ways to interact with games. Additionally there’s a built-in speaker and headset jack to deliver high-fidelity sound effects from the games. A headset will be bundled with PS4, enabling gamers to chat with friends during online gaming and to hear sound effects from the controller.

There’s a lot built into DUALSHOCK 4, and the features were all thoughtfully designed with input from the development community (both our internal studios and third parties) and PlayStation gamers. Our goal was to give game creators an open canvas to express their ideas, and DUALSHOCK 4 combined with DUALSHOCK 4 will help us achieve the future of gaming that we at PlayStation see ahead of us.

What do you think? What’s your favorite new feature for DUALSHOCK 4?

Today we are happy we can finally show you what we have been working on.

It has been an amazing journey for us so far, being offered the opportunity to be a launch title for the new PlayStation, and the subsequent mild panic to figure out how to best handle all of that.

But being able to now share it with you is both a scary and proud moment. We are hoping you will like what we have created, and are happy to present you with the first glimpse of Killzone Shadow Fall.

The piece of live gameplay we presented at the PlayStation Meeting 2013 shows you a new world, a new situation and a new hero.

The game is set in a near future, thirty years after the events of Killzone 3. The world is a very different place; two rival factions known as the Helghast and the Vektans live side by side in a futuristic city, divided by a vast wall.

Tensions are high, and the cold war they are embroiled in is about to go hot. In the midst of this all stands a Shadow Marshal, you. The most special of the special forces, tasked with maintaining the delicate balance.

From responding to bold attacks, to quiet infiltrations or all out combat, you will be required to adapt and think on your feet as you have to face a variety of escalating events that could destroy your home world.

We are looking forward to sharing some more of the exciting events and features that we have been working on. Keep your eyes out for more news soon.

Delsin Rowe is the star of Second Son, and you probably know someone like him: A 24 year-old who is absolutely convinced he’s destined for greatness; though so far that greatness has managed to elude him. He grew up just outside Seattle, where his great – if accidental – calling comes crashing into his life. After rescuing occupants from a fiery bus wreck, he discovers that he suddenly has the ability to direct, manipulate and even transform into… Smoke. Could he have absorbed this power from one of the passengers he pulled from the wreckage?

Setting the scene: It’s been seven years since the Cole McGrath episodes and the world has clearly changed. Anyone showing signs of being a so-called “bio-terrorist” is immediately handed over to the Department of Unified Protection (DUP) — a government agency created to ensure there is never a repeat of the catastrophic events of Empire City and New Marais. So Delsin, who has never been particularly respectful of authority, finds himself caught in the DUP dragnet – And decides he’s not going to go quietly.

Along the way, Delsin is going to ask questions that are not just relevant to the world of Second Son – but to the world we all live in today. A world where we are often instructed to surrender our freedoms to help improve our security. Ben Franklin once wrote “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Is he right?

As you play Second Son, you’ll explore lots of Seattle’s familiar landmarks. As with all games in this series, the path the gameplay and story take will depend on the decisions you make along the way. Of course, we are creating all these characters and locations at a remarkable level of detail – made possible by PS4. In fact, this trailer was produced in-house using our game engine – can you tell we’re having fun with the new GPU, tools, and our new VFX system?

We’ll be back in the coming weeks with more details, but until then you’ll find us at @suckerpunchprod, #SecondSon, and www.facebook.com/infamous.

When I joined Evo nine years ago, the first concept I worked on was for a racing game that was all about racing with friends. It combined the best cars (and they would have to be real ones), on the most breathtaking roads in the world, with gameplay that was totally focused on team-based racing.

I loved the job from day one.

The game was all about utter car passion. It was about connecting people who are as in love with car culture as we are, and creating a universe for these impassioned racers to all play together. We created web design concepts that showed how you could connect with people and access your club when you were away from the living room, and we created prototypes of the most immersive, detailed vehicle interiors and exteriors possible.

Except…they weren’t possible. Our concept was simple, but needed a socially connected network and audiovisual technology that wasn’t available.

When we knew PlayStation 4 was coming, we realised that the time was right to make the Driveclub dream a reality. It was time to combine nearly 15 years of racing game pedigree and a rapidly evolving, connected gaming landscape – this seed of an idea was ready to be realized and the buzz at Evo was unstoppable.

So what did we do?

We expanded our vehicle handling and design team so that together, we have over 50 years’ experience working on the most prestigious racing titles out there, including – WRC, Formula 1, Gran Turismo, MotorStorm, WipEout, Project Gotham Racing, GRID 2 and many more.

We used our PlayStation Vita launch game as a bridge between MotorStorm and Driveclub, testing our theories about connecting social networks with asynchronous challenge-based racing on multiple devices at the same time. It worked really well.

We collaborated with the best car companies in the world, working with them to create the most detailed and authentic car interiors and exteriors possible. The result is staggeringly immersive and visceral. This isn’t cockpit view; this is first-person-racing.

And now, almost a decade later, we’re finally making the game we’ve always wanted to make. It’s time to share our passion, to show you the first glimpse of Driveclub and we can’t wait to show you more.