Eager gamers kill time by playing PS4 demos.
The next generation of gaming arrived with a substantial fanfare Friday, Nov. 15.
When Playstation 4, Sony’s new gaming console, hit stores in North America, launch parties were held all across the country. Future Shop’s Vancouver event was the biggest one in Canada. The Vancouver store, at the corner of Robson and Granville, had over 400 consoles in stock for walk-in customer in addition to the numerous consoles that had been pre-ordered.
Though the party officially started at nine o’clock, the lineup stretched around the corner into a nearby alleyway by eight o’clock. As temperatures began to drop, heat lamps were installed on the streets. Popcorn, Timbits and cups of ice tea were handed out.
A DJ was also present, as were several demos of the newest PS4 games such as Killzone: Shadow Fall and Injustice: Gods Among Us. Most gamers in the lineup were eager to play Fifa 14, the new soccer game from EA Sports.
Among them was avid gamer Walter, who waited hours to to buy Sony’s new console.
“I’m a big gamer,” he said. “I’m a die-hard Playstation fan. The graphics have come a long way since the PS2.” He was just one of many people who had taken a day off work to be there and was one of the few people who’d brought a camping chair.
A common talking point among players was comparing the PS4 to the Xbox One, Microsoft’s upcoming gaming console. There were also growing concerns about people cutting line, especially as the line grew longer every few minutes. Extra security was brought in to prevent this from happening.
A large staff of Futureshop employees gave away prizes, and at 10 o’clock the general manager handed out slips of paper guaranteeing a console.
Sony revealed the successor to the Playstation 3 on Feb. 20. The PS4 boasts powerful graphics, 500 gigabytes of storage, full social network integration and a starting price of $399. The North American release of the PS4 comes one week before Microsoft’s new console the Xbox One hits shelves, through the Europe/Australia release will be one week after on Nov. 29.
