14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Sony says that the upcoming PlayStation 4 home console will allow gamers to use their real-world identities for their official PlayStation Network accounts if they want to.
The company says that real-world names and data is completely optional and is designed to allow casual gamers to connect with friends quickly and easily, according to VG247.
Masayasu Ito, the leader of the engineering division at Sony Computer Entertainment, says that all those who like their handles or nicknames can keep them, but Sony believes that the entire community can benefit if actual names are used widely.
Facebook has shown that using real-world information can make it easy to create complex social groups, but it’s unclear how many gamers are ready to abandon their online personas.
The PlayStation 4 will also use the Eye camera to enhance a player’s presence, allowing him to quickly create images that he can use for his profile.
Traditionally, gamers have been reluctant to share too much personal information, but both Sony and Microsoft have emphasized the social nature of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.
A new Share button is now part of the DualShock 4 controller and is designed to use just one push to share content like screenshots and videos with friends.
The Sony executive has also talked about the wide support that indie developers will get from Sony as long as they deliver their games on the PlayStation 4.
He states, “SCEI will always try to heed the opinions of indie developers. As a platform holder, SCEI is grateful that we have the interest of indie developers.”
The PlayStation 4 will be launched on November 15 in North America and two weeks later in Europe.
Japanese gamers will have to wait until February 2014 to get the device and other Asian markets will get it in December 2013.