Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Own the PS4 Camera

We live in a completely new age as far as video games are concerned.  Things just aren’t quite as simple as they once were and technology, entertainment, art, communication and commerce are melding together in new and exciting ways. Understandably, this has also altered the way console manufacturers approach general design.The last generation (7th) was when the use of connected camera technology really came into its own via the PS3 and Xbox 360; however, with the 8th the likes of the PS4 and XB1 have taken things to an entirely new level altogether.  If you’re looking for specific reasons why you should own the PlayStation 4 camera, consider the following…

It’s required to play some titles

Offerings like “The Playroom” demonstrate not only the direction that a lot of developers want to go, but also what can be accomplished with the PS Eye.  One can easily imagine that there will soon be a slew of games that will likely require you to have already purchased a camera.  First off, the technology implemented with the PS4 is vastly superior to that used in the PS3, meaning that all of the squabbles and inconsistencies you had to deal with when using the former model are virtually absent.  Naturally, this opens the door for many of the industry’s creative talents to make good use of this new control / integration technology in increasingly complex ways.  At the very least you can expect one or two blockbuster titles to emerge which use the Eye to great effect, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on those, would you?

You can actually do some clever things with it

This isn’t just another useless add-on that only serves as a novelty; the PS camera can actually do some rather clever things outside of gaming.  For instance, there are loads of voice commands which you can use to effectively control nearly every aspect of navigation, which is very handy to say the least.  This isn’t accomplished via a complex series of orders either; everything remains very intuitive and rather basic. A lack of PS4 camera games might have put many off buying the accessory, however, this is all set to change in the coming months due to the release of PS VR.

There is also the ability to engage the PS4’s facial recognition system, which can serve as a sort of built-in security system.  Naturally, many might not want to use this feature at first, but very quickly they’ll discover how convenient it actually is to use and might also enjoy the added bit of personalization that it adds to the mix as well.

Currently there’s no video chat ability available (inexplicably), but given the fact that there was a system (which worked quite well) available via the PS3 we can assume its successor will also receive such a thing.  That’s not to say that you still can’t pull it off, because you can, but anyone would be able to tune in and see you.  If you’re a very social type of individual the Eye will likely become much more important as the PS4 ages and various social media outlets find new ways to connect to PS users.

Broadcasting

Nevertheless, the camera remains invaluable when it comes to broadcasting via Twitch or Ustream.  Whether you’re just doing audio commentary or want to have a little mini video screen of yourself laid over the gameplay, the PS Eye performs quite well.   Some might be saying to themselves – why do I want to broadcast?  Well, if you’ve never tried it before you really don’t know what you’re missing.  It’s actually quite a lot of fun to create a channel and stream your actual gameplay, interact with fans, make friends and just bask in the gaming culture.   Moreover, since this sort of thing wasn’t easily accomplished in the past (requiring the use of additional hardware, capture cards and the like) the very notion of having one streamlined box that can do it all is incredibly appealing.  Additionally, if you’re quite good at it, savvy, and/or entertaining, you might even find yourself making some money via gaming, which is a very big plus.

It’s a solid piece of equipment and it’s in demand

You could point any number of reasons as to why the PS Eye has become so popular, but the fact remains that people want it.   In fact, there have actually been shortfalls in shipping because Sony didn’t anticipate that people would need quite so many units.  All in all, it’s a very usable piece of equipment that actually works as advertised and is capable of delivering the sort of performance expected.  Given that the PS4 is basically a gaming PC it’s not that hard to understand why people might want to have a camera for it.  Sony has big plans for it and a lot of gamers want to make sure they’re prepared – or at least that’s one explanation.

Quite a lot of individuals seem extremely interested in simply testing out the Sony Playroom, according to various reports on the net.  Even though it’s just a bit of a gimmick, The Playroom is still loads of fun and hints at what’s to come.  For example, can you imagine how the Eye might eventually be integrated with the emerging VR tech (aka Project Morpheus)?