Folding@Home-like service
This was a great little feature to have on the PS3, allowing the processor from the console to be used for scientific research. Plenty of people used this feature and allowed the machine to lend a helping hand in some number crunching while the PS3 was sitting ideally. It’s a great idea, but the problem with it is the console is usually being used when it’s one. It’s still a great idea and gives the owner a little bit extra from the entertainment hardware than simply being able to play and stream games. After all, we know that the PlayStation 4 can now update in the background rather than requiring a lengthy process when you boot up the console. Why not have this work in the background while playing games, and the PS4 can intelligently allocate resources not being used for this purpose? It would certainly be a great marketing tool, and help take advantage of the raw power the console possesses.
Better Codec Support:
I don’t know about you, but I use my PS3 for a lot of other media too. While most of us have Netflix and can stream plenty of content to that it would be nice to see some better support for video and other media. Maybe not right away, but it would be something to work on for the future. With all the different file formats out there, it would be nice to not have to take the time to convert various media-types from data folks have collected over the years to get it functioning properly and in the right aspect ratio. While the PS3 has the best multimedia support out of the current consoles to date, it would be great to see them continue this trend.
Better Network Presence:
I like my devices to talk to one another and I don’t mean over the Cloud. It would be nice to see the ability to easily pull and push PS+ content to your PS4 from your PC or Mac computer. You could copy over video from the console to share with friends who maybe don’t have a PS4 or PS+ account, or to have a local backup on a storage disk. Sony has already taken huge steps in sharing through their community with the console, so why not make it an equally viable option for any computer that can connect to the web? Accessibility of your information no matter where the player is, is going to be key in the next generation.
One great step: How about allowing your computer to connect to your PlayStation 4 and uploading all footage recorded to your system for editing and other purposes by just hitting the Share button? It’d be a great way for video editors to have more freedom over the footage they gain – or even for journalists to record footage for walkthroughs, much like the ones we do, which you should really check out [end shameless plug].
