Sony has admitted that the although the PlayStation 4 will allow users to record gameplay footage from its HDMI output, the functionality will not be available when the console launches in November.
As part of a renewed focus on content sharing and social networking for both Sony and Microsoft's next-generation consoles, it was announced at the Tokyo Game Show that the PS4 would allow users to connect the HDMI video and audio output to an external video capture device in order to record gameplay for later sharing. This is in addition to the console's built-in features for sharing shorter video clips.
Sony's previous console, the PlayStation 3, enforces an anti-piracy feature on its HDMI output known as High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), preventing video or audio from being recorded by external devices. Designed to stop people making high-quality digital copies of Blu-ray films, the technology also prevents users from capturing Full HD video footage from their games, although the PS3's analogue video outputs have no content protection and allow for 1080i recording.
Sony's announcement that the HDCP restriction on the PS4's HDMI port would be lifted for game content, while still being enforced for video and Blu-ray playback to prevent piracy, was therefore a welcome surprise, but comes with a proviso: it won't be ready by the time the console launches.
Responding to a query on Twitter, Sony's president of worldwide studios Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the removal of the HDCP protection will come as a software update to the console after it has launched, with no firm time scale as to when that patch will arrive on gamers' consoles.
Microsoft's rival Xbox One, meanwhile, will support HDMI video capture devices for gameplay recording from day one, the company has confirmed.
Andoid Games
No comments:
Post a Comment