PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a <a href="/facts/Home_video_game_console/zP1RTC84">home video game console</a> developed by <a href="/facts/Sony_Interactive_Entertainment/tnH01NqQ">Sony Interactive Entertainment</a>. Announced as the successor to the <a href="/facts/PlayStation_3/obhuo97V">PlayStation 3</a> in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in Europe, South America, and Australia, and on February 22, 2014, in Japan. A <a href="/facts/Eighth_generation_of_video_game_consoles/ATJVb6Sf">console of the eighth generation</a>, it competes with <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Gaming/zp3BGyF9">Microsoft</a>'s <a href="/facts/Xbox_One/Nom1XYbe">Xbox One</a> and <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a>'s <a href="/facts/Wii_U/Hv4EI4la">Wii U</a> and <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Switch/UPy7Bcyu">Switch</a>.
Moving away from the more complex <a href="/facts/Cell_(microprocessor)/p2MIQjMc">Cell microarchitecture</a> of its predecessor, the console features an <a href="/facts/AMD_APU/hdApEUQw">APU</a> from <a href="/facts/AMD/CB1G7QTb">AMD</a> built upon the <a href="/facts/X86-64/cyWvUFlP">x86-64</a> architecture, which can theoretically peak at 1.84 <a href="/facts/Teraflops/6zYlH68F">teraflops</a>; AMD stated that it was the "most powerful" APU it had developed to date. The PlayStation 4 places an increased emphasis on social interaction and integration with other devices and services, including the ability to play games off-console on <a href="/facts/PlayStation_Vita/KEvRtFjD">PlayStation Vita</a> and other supported devices ("<a href="/facts/Remote_Play/8rLPfq19">Remote Play</a>"), the ability to <a href="/facts/Screencast/8nbQl5tr">stream</a> gameplay online or to friends, with them controlling gameplay remotely ("Share Play"). The console's <a href="/facts/DualShock/ktU5MaFs">controller</a> was also redesigned and improved over the PlayStation 3, with updated buttons and analog sticks, and an integrated <a href="/facts/Touchpad/5BptytYa">touchpad</a> among other changes. The console also supports <a href="/facts/HDR10/VP97NWpz">HDR10</a> <a href="/facts/High-dynamic-range_video/jzRH1mFe">high-dynamic-range video</a> and playback of <a href="/facts/4K_resolution/Ehhhg0rD">4K resolution</a> multimedia.
The PlayStation 4 was released to critical acclaim, with critics praising Sony for acknowledging its consumers' needs, embracing <a href="/facts/Independent_game_development/yacpsYTA">independent game development</a>, and for not imposing the restrictive <a href="/facts/Digital_rights_management/4AF8JmDt">digital rights management</a> schemes like those originally announced by Microsoft for the Xbox One. Critics and third-party studios, before its launch, also praised the capabilities of the PlayStation 4 in comparison to its competitors. Heightened demand also helped Sony top global console sales. In September 2016, the console was refreshed with a new, smaller revision, popularly referred to as the "Slim" model, as well as a high-end version called the PlayStation 4 Pro, which features an upgraded GPU and a higher CPU <a href="/facts/Clock_rate/w055Woaj">clock rate</a> to support enhanced performance and 4K resolution in supported games. By October 2019, PS4 had become the second <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles/kuTLMx42">best-selling PlayStation console</a> of all time, behind the <a href="/facts/PlayStation_2/gbFBT7AX">PlayStation 2</a>. Its successor, the <a href="/facts/PlayStation_5/vJ2ahUoK">PlayStation 5</a>, was released in November 2020; the PS4 continues to be produced as of 2025.

PlayStation 4 open-in-new

PlayStation 4