PlayStation 2013 event: What we will see from the PS4 reveal

Sony's PlayStation 2013 event is an hour away, so here are five quick predictions on what we'll see.

It will be called PlayStation 4.
I went back and forth on this one. Everyone has known it as the PS4 since before the PS3 launched, there's little confusion that it's a new console (as there was with the Wii U), and it sounds… clean. However, Sony went with a standalone word with Vita, and there comes a point where the number doesn't make much sense. But whether they go with PS4 or a new name like Orbis, the PlayStation brand will be in there somewhere.

The controller will be the same as the leaked one.
Sony seem to be all about input methods. The Vita had sensors and buttons crammed onto every inch of the Vita. So it kind of makes sense that the controller would feature a touchpad, a Move sensor, a share button and probably a microphone, as well as tweaks to analogue sticks, d-pad and triggers. That said, it does look like an early prototype or dev kit.

Social will be huge.

That rumoured share button hints at a bigger vision for Sony. Social networking won’t be a simple afterthought with the PS4 – they’re baking the network right into the system hardware. That makes sense; they led Microsoft get ahead of them in the social sphere last time around and they won’t want to miss that boat twice. The ability to share the last 15 minutes of gameplay with a push of a button sounds great but will it be hidden behind a paywall? And how difficult will it be for Sony to avoid the same privacy pitfalls by which Facebook seems to be plagued?

The Vita will get sidelined.
Despite this being an event ostensibly for the main console, I want Sony to dedicate time to the Vita and respark interest in it. Nintendo did it with the Wii U; Sony could at least show the Vita was on life support. One brief mention of how it can be used for remote play, and we’ll be done. But if they say it can be used as a rear-view mirror for Gran Turismo, I’ll throw something.

The Last Guardian won't be mentioned.
The Team Ico project has been in development for seven years now and other than a proof-of-concept trailer and a now two-years-old release date, we've had nothing. So it's a pretty good candidate for a next-gen launch title and would make a huge splash if that were announced to be the case. I would love it if it were – Shadow of the Colossus was one of the best games on the PS2 - but I think that the whole thing's done now. Maybe I've just got cynical in my old age. Killzone 4 I could see, and maybe LittleBigPlanet 3, but not The Last Guardian.

My 250,000-word 2013 target

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's 2013 (suck it, Maya), so that means fewer annoying posts about interesting patterns in the date, a different-but-still-totally-deadlocked US Congress, a potentially superb lineup of games, a controversial MLB Hall of Fame class and of course, New Year's resolutions.

This year I'm not going to do many - if any - of the latter but I am going to set myself some targets. I'm doing this primarily so the social embarrassment of having to post my failings publicly will encourage me to succeed.

Naturally, I have ones like finishing my project and dissertation, graduating, finding a new flat and finding out how to stop my girlfriend's pet rabbit attacking everyone when they go near. But the one I'll be focusing on mostly here is this: Writing a quarter of a million words.

Now, that's not too much, especially when the next three months' university work will likely knock 10% off it with ease. So I'm not counting the boring-ass stuff like essays and research proposals, articles and features. These 250,000 words will be dramatic and exciting, they'll be about far-flung galaxies, war-torn fantasy lands and three New Englanders who steal a pickup truck.

I currently have three WIPs. I'll likely have a new one for NaNoWriMo 2013; by that point I should be finished (at least on a first or second draft level) the first three. 250k works out as ust under 700 words a day. I can do that. Right?

Google+ iOS app version 4.0 review

I always get excited when there's an app update to be downloaded. It's a little thing and mock me if you will, but it makes the day a little brighter.

With a major update, however, there's always the risk that the developers will change too much. Such was the risk with the new Google+ 4.0 update. This is an app which I use a lot; indeed it's spent time in my dock and screenshots looked worryingly garish. I was a little concerned—especially since the mobile site is still clunky to use. So here's a brief rundown of the basic features and changes.

Just what kind of game is Dead Space 3?

I still have nightmares about Dead Space 2. The music, the atmosphere, the loneliness, the Necromorphs, the lighting, the level structure, the pacing. Everything came together to make Visceral's masterpiece one of the most haunting games in years.

It was a tense, engaging affair, one that stayed with you for months after you had put down the controller. With the critical and commercial success it enjoyed, a sequel seemed inevitable. At this year's E3, Dead Space 3 was revealed at EA's press conference, and everything was going well. And then they showed off some gameplay.

My five most anticipated games of 2013

All told, 2012 was fairly disappointing for games. There were some great titles but other than Journey, I would struggle to argue for any of them as a classic. Even the launch of the Wii U, the first next-gen console, was underwhelming and plagued by consumer confusion.

And rather than look back at the year past it feels more pertinent to look forward to the year to come. 2013 is chock full of amazing games, there will be frantic discussion and rumour about the PS4 and Xbox 720 and big publishers like THQ will continue to flirt with bankruptcy.

So in that spirit of looking forward, here are the five titles which have got me most excited for the new year.