Sony Exec Clarifies PS4 Features Via Twitter: PlayStation 4’s Blue Line Is A Color-Changing Light

Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida has taken to social media to answer questions about the PlayStation 4 (PS4), which launches on Nov. 15 in the U.S., and on Nov. 19 in Europe. Yoshida, the president of worldwide studios at Sony Computer Entertainment and head of first party game development.

Yoshida revealed that the blue line seen in PS4 press photos is actually a color-changing lighthttps://twitter.com/yosp/status/397170365039771648. The colored light will illuminate the console different colors at certain times, although Sony did not explain which colors will correspond to which activities.

Yoshida confirmedhttps://twitter.com/yosp/status/397835123116503040 that PlayStation 3 owners will retain friends from the PlayStation Network (PSN) in the transition to PS4. He also said that standard headphones, like those that ship with the iPhone, will fit into the PS3 controller’s headset, but only for listening to games and media – not for communications.

Yoshida fielded several questions regarding PlayStation Plus, the new premium membership required for online multiplayer access on the PS4, referring several Twitter users to the PlayStation Plus web pagehttp://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-plus/. The cost of the PlayStation Plus is $49.99 for 12 months, and $17.99 for 3 months in the U.S.

Sony’s decision to require premium PlayStation Plus membership for online play represents a shift in policy for the company, which formerly offered downloadable games and other content through the subscription service, and allowed gamers to play online multiplayer for free on the PlayStation Network (PSN).

One gamer was worried about his internet speeds, and whether it would affect the PS4’s Remote Play feature. Remote Play allows that PlayStation 4 to connect to the portable PlayStation Vita gaming system, allowing players to start certain titles on the PS4 and then continue playing them on the handheld. Yoshida Tweetedhttps://twitter.com/yosp/status/397845134349324288 that the system uses a home’s WiFi signal, but not its internet connection, and therefore a home’s slow internet speeds would not hinder Remote Play.

One Twitter user criticized Sony’s exclusive launch titles, to which Yoshida responded he was “proud of Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack and Resogun”. Yoshida also shared a video interview that Sony released with Mark Cerny, system architect for the PS4 and creator of “Knack”, which is embedded below.