The PlayStation 4 (officially abbreviated as PS4) is a home video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 during a press conference on 20 February 2013, it was launched on 15 November 2013 in North America, and 29 November 2013 in Europe and Australia. It competes with Nintendo's Wii U and Microsoft's Xbox One, as one of the eighth generation of video game consoles.Moving away from the more complex Cell architecture of its predecessor, the PlayStation 4 features an AMD x86-64 Accelerated Processing Unit, in hopes of attracting a broader range of developers and support for the system. The PlayStation 4's GPU can perform 1.843 teraflops. Sony calls the PlayStation 4 "the world's most powerful console" and, speaking to Edge magazine, numerous game developers described the performance difference between the PS4 and Xbox One as "'significant' and 'obvious'".The makers of PlayStation 4 have placed considerable emphasis on social gameplay. The new controller incorporates a "share" button, enabling users to capture screenshots and video. Players can broadcast their progress or spectate gameplay streamed live from friends, and a feature named Share Play makes it possible to invite a friend to join a play session, even if they do not own a copy of the game.The console enables interactivity with other services and devices, by way of the PlayStation Network, through the following methods: PlayStation App, designed to enhance gameplay by using iOS and Android mobile devices; PlayStation Now, a cloud-based gaming service that offers streaming video game content; and wireless Remote Play, a feature that enables users to activate the PlayStation 4 from a distance away, in order to continue playing on a secondary screen, such as PlayStation Vita, a Sony tablet or smartphone.During the 2014 fiscal year, heightened demand for PS4 helped Sony top global console sales.