Sony has huge ambitions for the PlayStation Network and the next generation PlayStation 4. Although Sony talked at length about the PlayStation 4’s philosophy, the company managed to leave out details such as specs and price. It didn’t even showcase the PS4 system’s main body, opting only to reveal the controller.

Sony talked about its eight-core AMD Jaguar CPU, PC-style graphics processor, and eight gigabytes of RAM during the new console’s unveiling. But PlayStation 4 is characterized by a large opening to social and mobility and to a large extent cloud streaming.

PS 4 Future Lies In the Cloud

The key feature of the PlayStation 4 wasn’t even specifically about new hardware and new spec, or even consoles. Sony has picked up the revolution of cloud gaming, which is slowing gaining momentum.

Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida tells The Guardian in an interview that The PlayStation 4 could employ a multiple-tier subscription service in a style similar to a cable television company.

“We could have gold, silver or platinum levels of membership, something like that,” Yoshida says. “We can do subscription services when we have more content – especially now that we have the Gaikai technology available. With one subscription you have access to thousands of games – that’s our dream.”

Sony went on to emphasize the PS4’s online, streaming, and social media capabilities. Streaming, in particular, is shaping up to be a main feature of the gaming device. Gamers will be able to play digital titles even as they’re downloading, since the system will instantly download the initial starting portion of the game title while the rest streaming comes as you play.

The PS4 is also capable of suspending games in mid-way, switching to other functions and later again resuming the game at the exact point when it was left.

Another feature is for fans of retro games – the PS4 will be able to stream legacy PlayStation titles from a remote server, which requires no downloading and no legacy hardware. That’s a big deal for users who have an extensive library of PS3 games but don’t want to go for PS4.

“We’re shifting our platform more and more to the digital side,” Yoshida says. “PS4 will be similar to PS Vita in that every game will be available as a digital download, and some will also be available as a disc.”

Online social interactions have changed the gaming experience since the last console generation. With the PS4, Twitter and Facebook are reported to be deeply integrated.

Gaikai Acquisition will be a Game Changer

Sony’s acquisition of streaming-game provider Gaikai in 2012 set the stage for streaming-game content. Gaikai cloud will allow free exploration and free demos of games, contents, videos and others in the PlayStation Store to instantly experience any contents in the marketplace. Try it, if you like it, buy it.

Gaikai cloud will also allow for streaming options of games with the Share button on the new controller as well. The new PlayStation Network can provide your friends to view your gameplay, interact with you in real time, even ask friends for help, allowing them to take over your game in real-time.

The streaming option would reduce the need for large amounts of local storage, as well as the need to manufacture, transport, and store physical game discs.

Sony is very conscious of the fact that games available on smartphones and tablets are very close to what’s available on the PS Vita. And Sony is already touting the PS Vita as the mobile alternative. Sony is also betting on connectivity both between players and between devices. But why stop there? As Yoshida hinted in the interview, the connected devices could go beyond PS Vita to smart TVs, PSN and other Sony products.

“We wanted to provide these features from the system side so that people only have to download the application once, allowing them to connect their iOS and Android handsets to PS4. It’s an additional option for developers to create their own dedicated applications on these devices, but I expect more developers will choose to use our app as it’s so easy,” says Yoshida.

Focusing on cloud gaming, streaming technology and expanding social capabilities can make the PlayStation 4 an all-in-one platform to be reckoned with, but it all these features require flawless execution when the device will be out in the market. Sony will also face stiff competition from Microsoft’s next Xbox console and Nintendo’s Wii U.