Pre-owned games will work on PS4

Although the PlayStation 4 will have no backwards compatibility with PlayStation 3 games on disc, one other former fear has been dispelled by a Sony boss: the PS4 will be able to play pre-owned games.

It has long been rumoured that neither the new console from Sony Computer Entertainment nor the Xbox 720 will allow you to play used games, thereby killing the pre-owned market stone dead. But now we know that at least one of the next-generation machines will.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that gamers will be able to load up second-hand games. "Used games can play on PS4," he said.

The PlayStation 4 was launched in New York City last night, with Pocket-lint in attendance. Many that will make up the initial line-up of games were revealed and demonstrated, and some of the specifications detailed. Also unveiled was the new DualShock 4 controller that adds a small touchscreen to the mix.

The console itself did not make an appearance, so we don't know what it will look like. Nor do we know rough pricing. Both are expected to be announced at E3 in June.

We do know that the console is coming in time for "Holiday 2013", so Christmas then. Whether that's for all regions or just Japan and the US, we're yet to discover.