Sony Never Considered Making The PS4 Always-Online

This could be something of a preemptive jab at the competition. But rumors have been flying for months that Microsoft 's next console will require an internet connection to function, and the internet hasn't exactly been pleased.  In an interview with Game Informer,  Sony Worldwide Studios President and face of the PS4 Shuhei Yoshida, made it clear that Sony "didn't consider" such a move. It's simple practicality at the end of the day, he says.  A lot of countries don't have great internet connections, and Sony would prefer to be able to sell them PS4s.

Snippets like this are sure to score Sony points with the core gamer audience, which has made its displeasure with the idea of an always-connected console well known. While a leaked internal email at Microsoft appeared to poke some holes in the draconian image of the always-connected console on Tuesday, saying that gamers will still be able to do things like listen to music, watch TV and play single-player games without an internet connection, months of rumors mean Microsoft has some ground to make up regarding its image with core gamers.

It's an important distinction, especially as we're only starting to decipher what, if any, key differences will exist between Microsoft's next console and the PS4. Erik Kain points out that just because it looks like Sony will be more focused on games and Microsoft on entertainment, it doesn't mean that the two consoles will be all that different when the rubber hits the road. This current generation of consoles has, all in all, functioned more or less the same.

Internet connectivity and entertainment could, however, mean that consumers will be choosing between two consoles with noticeably divergent capablities. We'll have a better idea of what those actually are on May 21, when Microsoft is set to unveil its console.

Game Informer via Gamespot

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