Curious about the PlayStation 4? Confused about what you might have heard from friends or read online, or you’re just plain suspicious that it will, indeed, let you play PS4 games on your PS Vita via techie voodoo?

Well, you’re not alone, and Sony wants to set the record straight. The company has posted a huge amount of PS4-related information on the official PlayStation blog for you to go through with a fine-tooth comb, and it’s quite a chunk of text. It specifically deals with the upcoming North American launch of the PlayStation 4, but the information is still largely relevant to the South African audience so it’s definitely worth a closer look.

If you’re not in the mood to go through all 11,000-odd words, here are fifteen highlights:

1. It’s quieter than the PS3 thanks to a redesign of the internal cooling system.

2. Each system comes with a 5400rpm 500GB hard drive that can be replaced with any SATA drive bigger than 160GB.

3. There is no power brick to clutter up your living room. The PS4’s power brick is internal.

4. Game patches and system updates can be downloaded when the PS4 is in standby mode, and game patches now download in the background while you play.

5. A day-one system update (version 1.5) will be needed if you want to play Blu-rays and DVDs on the PS4, requiring a one-time internet connection.

6. Sony has dropped DLNA support, so the PS4 will not be able to serve as a media centre hub like the PS3 currently does.

7. A PlayStation Plus subscription is required for multiplayer, but using the Sony Store and downloading apps is free.

8. The PlayStation 4 does not natively play MP3 files; to play them, you’ll need to download a third-party app from Sony’s store.

9. Cross-platform play between PS3s and PS4s is “technically possible”. No announced games support this yet, however, but it may be something future titles will support.

10. Your CD collection is officially obsolete – the PlayStation 4 won’t play them.

11. Second-hand PS4 game sales and trading will work exactly as it does today for the PS3. Hooray!

12. PS4 games aren’t region-locked, so games bought in the US will work in your region. Some publishers may decide to lock their games, but that’s up to them, and not Sony. To be safe, double-check before you buy.

13. In the box you’ll get the console, a single Dualshock 4 controller, an HDMI cable and a headset for voice chatting online.

14. PlayStation 3 peripherals like steering wheels and fighting sticks won’t work on the PS4 unless games have been specifically written to support them. USB and Bluetooth headsets and keyboards, however, will work.

15. Gamers will be able to stream games from their PS4 directly to their PlayStation Vita handheld console using the console’s Remote Play feature, allowing them to use the TV for other things.

There is a massive amount of additional information contained in the blog post, so if the fifteen answers listed above don’t cover that one thing you’re most concerned about or interested in about the PlayStation 4, grab some coffee and head over to the actual blog post for more in-depth reading. 

The offiicial launch date for the console in South Africa is still the 13th of December, 2013, the recommended local price is still R6299.99, and you are strongly advised to place your preorder if you hope to get one on the launch day.

And there you have it – tons of PS4 info, straight from the horse’s mouth. Now for the waiting….