Sony has confirmed plans for the next generation of its games console, unveiling the PlayStation 4 at a meeting in New York last night.

The new console will go on sale later this year, giving Sony the opportunity to get a head start on rival Microsoft, which has yet to announce any plans for a new console.

Enhanced social features, remote play through the PlayStation Vita and an improved controller are being touted as powerful selling points for the PlayStation 4.

The powerful new console represents a “bold step forward” for the firm, Sony Computer Entertainment’s chef executive Andrew House said.

“The stakes are high for what we’re going to show you,” he said.

The device is being built on a “supercharged” PC architecture, with an X86 CPU, 8GB of unified memory and local storage on a hard drive.

The new console will be Sony’s first since 2006, when the PlayStation 3 went on sale, and comes with a new Dual Shock controller, supports remote play, and improves on the graphic performance of the current crop of consoles on the market.

However, despite discussing the planned new features, Sony did not show the console itself at the event. There was also no indication of how much the PlayStation will cost.

The new dual shock controller will have a “share” button, making it easier for players to capture and share gameplay footage online.

One of the key features of the new console is the ability to process things in the background using a secondary chip, so users can start playing a game as it is downloading. The console will also have the ability to suspend gaming sessions and restart them quickly, eliminating long loading times.

The PlayStation 4 will go on sale later this year, although an exact date wasn’t given for its European launch.

The company also showed off a number of new games that will make it on to the platform, including Blizzard’s Diablo III, a new instalment of Killzone, and next generation tem racing game Driveclub.