Sony launches Playstation 4, essentially a 'supercharged PC'

The Japanese electronics giant Sony talked about its upcoming PlayStation 4 console for the first time on Wednesday and showed what it can do, without actually revealing the device itself.

Presenters played games that were projected on screens, but the PlayStations themselves were hidden backstage.

Sony did reveal that the insides of the PS4 will essentially be a "supercharged PC," much like an Xbox. That's a big departure from the old and idiosyncratic PlayStation design and should make it easier for developers to create games.

The adoption of PC chips also means that the new console won't be able to play games created for any of the three previous PlayStations, even though the PS4 will have a Blu-ray disc drive, just like the PS3.

Instead, Sony said gamers will have to stream older games to the PS4 through the Internet.

But software developers are seeing potential in the console's advanced capabilities.

"The graphical capacities are extremely good this time. We think that that will be seeing more in backgrounds but also more very much in the characters' expressions. So it will give us a chance to have worlds that are more believable and also the possibility for us to be more immersed in it," said Yves Guillemot, CEO of French global video game publisher and developer Ubisoft, which sells the game "Watch Dogs".

The PS4 will be jostling for attention this holiday season with Microsoft's successor to the Xbox.

Details on that device are expected in June.

The PS4 is arriving amid declines in video game hardware, software and accessory sales. Research firm NPD Group said game sales fell 22 percent to 13.3 (b) billion US dollars in 2012.

With the launch of the PS4, Sony is looking to attract people who may have shifted their attention to games on Facebook, tablet computers and mobile phones.