PlayStation Camera: What are the benefits?

Do you know if the voice stuff is game dependent ? I mean, do devs have to do something to explicitely enable voice commands in-game ?

When running BF4, it didn't work. Only after I went to playroom, forcing BG4 to be shut-down, voice worked again. In KZ as you mention, it works.

It doesn't seem to be game dependent. I've used it while watching Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, the UI, and several games. It seems quite independent.
 
I don't know if anyone remembers the whole controversy about people using The Playroom PS4 pack in with the Playstation Camera to create their own 'TV' on Twitch, but this video here shows that Sony/DoubleFine have embraced that concept wholeheartedly:

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/k8p2cd/the-playroom-e3-2014--set-maker-trailer

Kind of cool? At least I'm sure this is likely to result in some hilarious stuff. Also, I could totally imagine our band broadcasting our practice sessions. Not that many would be watching, but it's still amusing.
 
I've come across some really clever and funny streams using PlayRoom. Of course there's a lot of dross too. This is good news.
 
I don't know if anyone remembers the whole controversy about people using The Playroom PS4 pack in with the Playstation Camera to create their own 'TV' on Twitch, but this video here shows that Sony/DoubleFine have embraced that concept wholeheartedly:

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/k8p2cd/the-playroom-e3-2014--set-maker-trailer

Kind of cool? At least I'm sure this is likely to result in some hilarious stuff. Also, I could totally imagine our band broadcasting our practice sessions. Not that many would be watching, but it's still amusing.

So you can make your own live "youtube shows" with graphics then, without a lot of hassle and equipment, cool enough.
 
So you can make your own live "youtube shows" with graphics then, without a lot of hassle and equipment, cool enough.

Yeah, I like the real-time voting aspect as well. I just realise that Microsoft did a lot of work in this department last gen. They should think about reusing some of that stuff for streaming interaction as well if they haven't already.
 
So, 6 months later... Apart from this whatever-you're-talking-about-now... Is there a point in buying the camera now? It's only 50 quid so I was thinking of giving it a try...
 
I got the camera and imho, no not really, unless you need to have a complete PS4 collection :)
 
Would I be completely out of line in suggesting that perhaps Sony might feel that the relative failure of the Camera is a cost they're very happy to take, as a huge Told You So against Kinect? Just a feeling...
 
So, 6 months later... Apart from this whatever-you're-talking-about-now... Is there a point in buying the camera now? It's only 50 quid so I was thinking of giving it a try...

Looks damn good sitting on top of my TV. :yep2:

Outside of Playroom, there's the facial recognition login (cool, but auto-login is perhaps more useful for single user consoles) and voice commands (which work with any mic input, including the headset jack on the controller). I think at this point, after moving from face login to auto, the only thing I really use it for is a certain set of voice commands that are faster than the controller. I rarely have a headset plugged in so having the camera always there for that is nice.

Would I be completely out of line in suggesting that perhaps Sony might feel that the relative failure of the Camera is a cost they're very happy to take, as a huge Told You So against Kinect? Just a feeling...

It's likely a high margin accessory, they seem to have trouble keeping them in stock, and its vital for their VR platform. I suspect they're very comfortable with where its at and aren't too concerned about games trying to use it in interesting ways at this point in order to justify its existence or as an "I told you so". That's just my guess.
 
I suspect they're very comfortable with where its at...
Which is basically waiting for some reason for its existence, which is Morpheus. They really could have not bothered with the camera at launch and come up with a better/more cost effective spec when they actually had a software platform that needed the camera. It's just a fluke that Twitch took off as it did, and otherwise there's nothing irreplaceable for the camera. And let's be honest, any webcam could have provided the Twitch experience, so Sony could have still staved off developing a camera until there was any point to it. Just provide PSEye support in PS4 until VR or Move2 or whatever.

Overall I'd say the camera was a mistake. Not as big a mistake as not developing for it and making it important, but a bigger mistake than forgetting the camera until they had a whole camera-based strategy to execute.
 
Overall I'd say the camera was a mistake. Not as big a mistake as not developing for it and making it important, but a bigger mistake than forgetting the camera until they had a whole camera-based strategy to execute.

Probably true. The camera is nothing when compared to the capability of Kinect (either of them). I like the idea of DriveClub using it to show a picture of your nearest competitor, but that's about it for the moment. Nothing much until VR.

It's a good job they didn't pack it into every box, because Sony would have been competing with a device they can't win against. I got the impression that they wanted to include it until the uproar against Microsoft.
 
It's a good job they didn't pack it into every box, because Sony would have been competing with a device they can't win against. I got the impression that they wanted to include it until the uproar against Microsoft.

I can honestly confirm that the decision not to include it was taken way before last year's E3. From an extremely reliable source I cannot name. It's not a huge deal as it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things so you'll just have to take my word for it.
 
I think Sony just gave up on the camera idea all on their own. Didn't go very far with it with PS2 beyond the initial enthusiasm, didn't get far on PS3 with camera based games nor Move. Looked at PS4 and their current plans, which weren't great, and decided after having developed the thing that it wouldn't go very far either. "Meh, we've finished it. Let's put it out there just in case." So they did. In the mean time, Sony's Magic Lab department was tinkering with VR and Move and seeing the synergy, and tried integrating Move-style tracking on the headset using lights, which they found worked really well. Maybe that was also a move for Sony to release their otherwise shelved camera? They knew they would need it within a year or two of PS4's release for their VR plan, so made it available ahead of time.
 
I disagree pretty strongly with you there. It would have been a real mistake not to have a camera at launch. Now the SDK for it is ready on time for once, and I like it for OS features, both recognition and voice commands, Playroom and Twitch. Much better to have that stuff out too early rather than too late. It also took some of the wind out of Xbox' media advantages, even if those didn't turn out very important.

Oh and I will keep disagreeing with you on Move too.
 
I like it for OS features, both recognition and voice commands, Playroom and Twitch.

I haven't used mine to log into the system because in use the auto-login feature and I don't use the voice commands because I find the pad to be easier (much like how I used the 360).

I've used Playroom once or twice for my kids, but they soon got bored. I found the DoubleFine Kinect games were much better on my 360, at least that device mapped my living room better. The PS4 camera doesn't recognise 3D space properly, once it's found the floor-pane the little robots regularly walk across the side of my furniture, or even people. I can't say I understand the need for two lenses either and they've appeared pointless so far.

I'll be more than happy to stand corrected if something comes out that makes use of it. So far I haven't needed it. In fact I don't even plug it in.

Edit: That sounds like a really damning summary, I guess I hadn't realised how unnecessary it was until I wrote this out. Let's put it this way, I don't hate it, I'd just like to see something makes use of it. Much like the touchpad.

Also, when I used mine for Twitch, it doesn't use facial recognition to decide whereabouts in the room I am - so I have to position myself in its line of sight (and the small box that occupies it). I doubt I'll ever really use it for video streaming. I'm far too self-conscious
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, the mini-games in The Playroom managed to keep my super-energetic 4 year-old nephew entertained for a couple of hours. That's an impressive feat..

Facial recognition for auto-login is cool too. I wonder if it'll detect me, now that I shaved..


But no, the camera isn't essential at all IMO.
Can it be used in multiplayer games for voice chat without a headset?
 
Can it be used in multiplayer games for voice chat without a headset?


Annoyingly yes, only it picks up all background noise. I have to setup a party to stop it coming through the speakers (or have it unplugged). It's rather irritating when someone has theirs on all the time.
 
I disagree pretty strongly with you there. It would have been a real mistake not to have a camera at launch.
What would the negative consequences have been with allowing use of existing webcams instead of a bespoke, expensive, stereoscopic camera? It has a couple of nice gimmicks like Playroom, but it's hardly like any of it's features were system movers, or even high-priority. Sony haven't provided any Move games for PS4, nor announced any*, and no-one else has integrated Move support in PS4 games, so it's not like Move users would miss out (and they could still use PSEye for now).

* It's this that tell same Move was a 'flop', whether it has a contingent of enthusiastic followers or not. Even if people like you found great value in it, it wasn't big enough for Sony to take notice and progress it in their next console. Ergo their release of the camera can't have been driven by Move, nor camera-based games. I can only conclude they wanted it for VR, which had been in development a while, and just chose to launch early. But had they waited two years, they could have established a better camera tech with more benefits. Current PS4 consumers could be using existing cameras for their current needs. I don't see how that's a loss. Nothing would be dropped from the PS4 experience while the actual intended use could have been better.
 
had they waited two years, they could have established a better camera tech with more benefits.

Yeah, now you've pointed it out it's kinda hard to look beyond this point.

If they'd waiting for the VR it could have been packaged in from the start to prevent too much fragmentation. Though costs might be a slight issue with this solution.
 
I'm not sure if supporting existing webcams is such a good idea. I don't know that you can make a universal camera driver for it, and whenever you do something with the tracking of the DualShock 4 LED or Move controller, you're going to have to explain why some camera's work and others don't, etc.

Also, they chose to include Move tech into the Dual Shock, including tracking who is holding which controller so that you get the right split screen view (though so far the LED matching the color of the highlighted game character has proven more useful for my son and his friends when they play for instance Lego games).

Finally, you are also factually wrong, in that the Move is actually supported (I can connect and control the PS4 with it) and Just Dance 2014 supports it for playing the game (though ironically, in that one it doesn't track the LED ball, but that's ... eh ... a minor detail ;) ).

I expect the next LBP will support he PS4's features pretty much fully.
 
Back
Top