The Playstation 4 Will Not Support Arabic

It has been confirmed via Shuhei Yoshida's Twitter account that the Playstation 4 system in fact will not support Arabic language, leaving thousands of Arab gamers unhappy.

[black0o]

i saw it coming

[ZHZ90]

I am an Arab and I prefer to use(or support) English in settings for game, options etc.

[NewMonday]

you should say Arabian

I'm OK with English, but supporting Arabic would have opened the market for millions more.

[Abdou023]

But sometimes you need it if you going to use it's Facebook - Youtube ...etc

I mean it cost nothing to add a language.Why aren't they considering it ?

[mt]

dude I prefer english as well but whenever I use browser or youtube (arabic websites) I remember that ps doesn't support arabic and then I want to puke on whoever didn't include arabic support.

[Tony-A]

@Monday

"I'm OK with English, but supporting Arabic would have opened the market for millions more."

To be fair, it's not like they're missing a shot at a market they had with the PS3, considering they didn't support it there. I'm sure they'll toss it in with a future update if enough people complain.

[user5575708]

it only does homeland security

[Salooh]

I prefer english too 5oook but apps are useless without it and putting arabic would be much better for many people. Even if you don't want to use it option is still good though :P ..

[waljaber]

agree, beside i don't want my 10 years daughter and 3 years son missing my setting lol.

[abzdine]

Shuhei Yoshida ‏@yosp 19h
@nadr_alwjoood @Macintosh009 sorry, I meant not in the immediate future. We are aware of the request.

it could still come.
everyone has preferences, but it's cool to have as many languages to choose between. sometimes when i'm learning a language i turn my phone menu to that language for example.

[thekhurg]

Game over man, game over!

[UltimateMaster]

Now's You're chance Microsoft to make the Xbox Relevant again! Make it learn Arab!

[Golden_Mud]

I think Microsoft already was rumored that the Arab gamers will get a treatment so it could be a full arabic system

[SilentNegotiator]

@UltimateMaster

lol, at this rate, don't expect Xbox One to support Arabic until 2018, if ever.

[Eonjay]

How is Kinect going to learn Arabic when it can't learn English in Australia.

[AzureskyZ]

I mean in all fairness and if polls is an indicator, arab nations liked the xbox over the ps4. Although it would be much better to support all languages from the get go, the reality is that market dictates which service is priority and unfortunately--- europe, japan, and usa will always be priority number one and the rest comes later. sony isnt gonna delay its high priority area to accommodate a vocal few when those things can be addressed via patch. Some of those fans are furious over nothing, and clamoring about 300 million people in there area means nothing when there sales is peanuts compared to other area. Want to grab there attention? Be sure to buy 300 million system one per person and you will definitely grab sonys attention and be there priority over everyone else.

[PSjesus]

Arabs have there own exclusive game called oil,war&dictators

no j/k but i understand Arabic is the most spoken language in the world

[jivah]

Debatable. I would say its English.. Dont bother looking at statistics simply cause they just go by the population in English speaking countries vs lets say some African or Russian or S.American guy knows English but wont get counted in that stat simply by being in a non English speaking country.. No matter where you go though English will be known..

But strictly off of stats. Standard Chinese and English may be in a tie world wide. Then Spanish takes 3rd then Hindi in 4th. And then Arabic in 5th place.

[Shuyin]

It's actually portugese. Or chinese. Not sure.

[ErryK]

Arabic is the second most-spoken language.

[Imalwaysright]

Mandarin is the most talked language in the world.

[denawayne]

It's Mandarin. Who would of thought? There's only 50 Bazillion of them f'ers on this planet

[dj3boud]

i am an Arabic gamer and i am happy with how it is with current generation and past ones not supporting Arabic. why nitpicking on irrelevant issues, why would you want an Arabic Ps4 interface while all games do not feature Arabic as a language in-game (other than the new tomb raider)? even if the Ps4's web browser is concerned too, unlikely that people do not own a PC or a tablet that supports Arabic. Every once in a while i run into this topic in daily life. its not a big deal.

[JustPlay4]

There not a lot people that happy on twitter so he responded saying it may happen but not at launch

I don't think that big deal but I'm not them so that doesn't count

[SkippyPaccino]

Well that's how you triple your sales in USA. Lol! (you terrorist hating son of a guns)

[YNWA96]

Get Wolf Blitzer on this!

[fsfsxii]

lol. Hell yeah they won't. With all those idiots spamming the shit out of Sony and in the forums.

[Majin-vegeta]

Wow that sux.

[Thisisjuju]

Seems odd, doesn't the PS3 support Arabic?

[ziggurcat]

i don't believe it does...

[Thisisjuju]

Okay, thanks for the correction :)

[d0nT wOrrY]

No it doesn't.

[OrangePowerz]

Some games on PS3 support it like Fifa, but not the OS.

[black0o]

and the web browser as well

[yellowgerbil]

does it even release in the Middle East? I may be unelightened and only know about their culture from movies, but do they even have electricity?
again not trying to be offensive or racist with that comment, every depiction I've ever seen makes it look like iraq iran etc live in clay huts driving cars from 30 years ago...

[jdktech2010]

They have electricity. I mean I've seen lights on in reports back from the war and even after.

I can't imagine it's a very stable power grid with the immense heat they get out there. I think the middle east has bigger problems right now than whether the PS4 is releasing.

[HammadTheBeast]

http://signage16.files.word...

http://famouswonders.com/wp...

They're just running in the desert and chilling with camels there. /s

[IanVanCheese]

You know the entire middle east isn't a warzone right?

[wenaldy]

Keep sucking those Middle East oil.

[tracyllrkn]

HAha! Funny.

[theWB27]

It's one of the most advanced, richest countries around. Seriously, you're on the internet...search.

Here's a link to look up some countries over there.
http://www.aneki.com/middle...

[Hicken]

Except for the part where the Middle East isn't a country.

... and also the part where most of the people don't share in that wealth.

But yeah, ignorant comment is ignorant.

[Eamon]

Actually Qatar does technically share its wealth with the natives.

Did you know Qatari natives get an annual salary of around $80,000 just for being born in that country? No work or anything. Exactly.

They can do this because Qatar has a very small population. This doesn't apply to foreign workers though.

[d0nT wOrrY]

Wow dude! You sure do need to read and learn more about the world. Smh...

[Majin-vegeta]

See kids this is why you need to pay attention in school.

[yellowgerbil]

I grew up in America. Our history books always seemed to stop at the civil rights movement and Vietnam...
Even switching to private school and going through college I admit that the education system has done me a disservice on world culture and current events.

[JBaby343]

Believe me paying attention in American schools does not help. I went to a good public school, then college, then grad school and looking back I realize how many things were misrepresented and not even taught. The American education system is absolutely terrible. Being an American, this is very depressing to me but it's the truth. I met a 10th grader the other day (I have a medical practice and she came to my office) that didn't know the Earth went around the Sun. I honestly did not know it was possible not to know that in this day and age.

For the record, yes pretty much all industrialized areas of the Middle East have electricity.

[Str8Chaos74]

Hell, 50% of kids 18-24 in America can't even find New York on a map.

http://endoftheamericandrea...

so sad.

[dcj0524]

Saudia Arabia is one pf tge richest countries on the world as well as certain cities in Iraq and Iran. Seriously. A quick google search and you wouldn't look so retarted. Movies still have africans hunting with spears.

[Sci0n]

So with all the KSA gamers sony has on playstation they decided not to support the arabic language? ouch. I know that won't stop them from buying PS4 though. Saudi Arabia is a very rich country and its full of gamers.

[thebigman]

That is one of the most culturally insensative things I've ever read in my life, but I'm going to assume you're young/early teens for the sake of your dignity.

The modern "Middle East" is much like North/Central America in a lot of regards. While there are highly advanced cities and countries(Like Dubai, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc.) similar to our own(SF, NYC) there ones that are shown prominently in the news/media are the ones currently in the civil and secular wars. Comparing those communities in strife to our own would be like saying Guatemala or Tiajuana are accurate representations of cultural progress in the Americas.

These richer sects make up a much smaller percentage of the regions population, but it's insensative to believe that the majority of communities in the Arab countries exist in huts and get their water from wells.

The only reason why Sony isn't supporting the language is because of the variations among the separate countries and the fact that their market of people living in this region most likely speak one of the other supported dialects.

[yellowgerbil]

again not trying to be insensitive.
I know they are wealthy, but based on the depiction I've seen in the news and countless movies I assumed it was a extreme minority that had wealth.
I am an adult, I just don't care to follow world events or visit other countries so my knowledge is limited to what I gather in movies books and games. This is a gaming website I am sure we are all aware how impoverished the middle east is depicted in games, that can skew a persons image into believing it is all like that when that is consistant with every other depiction. I can't think of a single movie that showed the middle east as being advanced or even not being backwards.

[Abdou023]

@yellowgerbil

You were obviously trolling despite your tries to defend yourself blaming the American poor education system.

Anyway if you watched Mission Impossible 4 you would have known that Tom Cruise was climbing Burg Khalifa which is considered the Tallest building nowadays.

Oh Wow !
I'm commenting on your comment using the Internet !!
What sorcery is this ?!

[Biggest]

Maybe you should stop using movies to inform your ideas about the world?

That is a special brand of ignorance you've developed.

[SonyNGP]

It's getting an official launch in the Middle East, and it's cost cheaper than it does in the UK.

[mafiahajeri]

Man some shops will break the release date here and will get it before most of the world!! xD

[SonyNGP]

For double/triple the price, and the sad saps will still buy it.

[HammadTheBeast]

Those poor countries are ones that war has been through. Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, all were rich and actually some of the most beautiful countries, before the US and Israel had to apparently find "weapons of mass destruction" (which were never found).

[cheetah]

Yeah that's right, always blame America for their problems. No blame laid on the Taliban, Ba'ath party, the Assads, or PLO. The people in those countries hate each other more than they hate the west.

[Golden_Mud]

@cheetah ; explain one thing , why did USA pay the Islamic group
1.5 billion ? that shows that America is just an attacker (I'm not mentioning citizens cause they are what we are , and sometimes they are making riots in the streets like the Anonymous)

[cheetah]

@ihassounah America propped up Mubarak for years, installed the Shah, funded the mujahideen against the Russians, backs Isreal to the hilt etc so they are not innocent. But I am sick of the victim mentality and that is the point I was trying to make.

We are all evolved humans and it is about time people in that part of the world took the future into their own hands. And that is not the same as some religious revolution like what is occurring at the moment.

[CoLD FiRE]

@cheetah Look I don't want to turn this into a political debate but as a matter of fact Taliban is an American product that was created by the CIA. Go read some history and let us discuss gaming here.

[d0nT wOrrY]

"I can't think of a single movie that showed the middle east as being advanced or even not being backwards. " That's becuase they're 'Murican products.

[OrangePowerz]

Plenty of middle eastern countries are very rich and very advanced.

[black0o]

are U shitting me ?? how old are or what lvl of eduction u hve

just FYI the tallest building in the world is in the M.E and the G-counties are one of the richest in the world with the 2nd fastest network in world ''2 GB d /1 up''

and Egypt is oldest of all civilization

[CoLD FiRE]

"and Egypt is oldest of all civilization"

And one of the shittiest as well. I mean what kind of idiots vote for someone who is backed by the MB in the first place?

[black0o]

hey dude the new egyptaion are the stupidest and media sheep EVER .. no one arguing that

[sourav93]

'MURICA!

/s

[mafiahajeri]

Lmao! You were serious? I thought you were trolling? Wow, ignorances gotta be an understatement here! Lol! I guess you can thank the famous american public school system.

[PSjesus]

electricity is so minimum used to juice up electrical chairs

[LeonhartX]

-_-

[MadMen]

YAY!

[jaelegend]

prob true 30 years ago there more advance then wat the media shows

[dcj0524]

That sucks for my Arab bros. Hope they support it soon as on 2014 soon.

[mafiahajeri]

Thanks for your heartfelt feelings!

[DatRealBoy]

Shu seems like he always reply on twitter... yall lets ask him if ps4 support ingame vid chat I know it does for streams

[Octo1]

If it becomes that big of a deal it will likely get patched.

[TrollCraftTales]

Oh no, now how will I learn Arabic while playing amazing games, damn it Sony, why you do this?!?! كيف تجرؤ على سوني، وكنت قد الإهانة عائلتي! (sarcasm if you can't tell)

[Abdou023]

Google translate isn't accurate at all, consider that in the future.

[TrollCraftTales]

It was pretty accurate when I did it just now... It only added an "of" after families, I tried to say How dare Sony, and you've insulted family!, I guess you put it in wrong, anyway sorry to make a joke, didn't know you don't appreciate humor...

[Ripsta7th]

I remember last time i commented here something about arabic language and i got a few replies from angry arabs saying it was one of the most spoken(popular) languages in the world,i guess nott

[Sethmm]

Oh well...

[Haules]

Sony needs to sport Arab Language. They have tons of fans there...

[nooneknows]

This is kinda not right. Everyone should enjoy this awesome system. Kinda sucks considering Arabic is one of the most popular language in the planet.

[d0nT wOrrY]

Well many Arabs do speak English very well, I know that cuz I'm one of them. I never played any of those localized games in Arabic, it just doesn't feel right and unorganized. I prefer English language when it comes to OS and settings ... etc.

[PSjesus]

it's funny, Arabs are unique by disrespect there own language and say it's unorganized,you know Japaneses is more difficult than Arabic especially in programming yet they are proud to fully support it

[TheKingWilliamV]

Don't know why they don't support Arabic, its a beautiful language I loved my time in Dubai beautiful place.

[CoLD FiRE]

It's probably THE only beautiful place in the region, sadly.

[LeonhartX]

oh god... is the influence of the media that great?? Dubai is the not the ONLY beautiful place it is one of many!! unless you mean the gulf area then yes i do agree with you

[The Great Melon]

I think the omission is more likely due to the fact that the Arabic language is read right to left. I would assume that all languages that the PS4 currently supports are read left to right. They would have to develop separate code just for one exception. It will likely come it time, but not for release.

[kewlkat007]

That sucks..there are over 300 million people that speak arabic..

Hopefully they know another language thee consoles will release in.

Shame on you Sony + MS.

[SoulMikeY]

I like how Americans are always the ones to "sympathize" with other countries. It's honestly embarrassing. These hipsters get on the Internet and "feel bad" for other countries, then go talk shit about them in public.

Really yeah, sucks for them, but it doesn't affect us though. And if you're claiming Arab and speaking English, it doesn't matter to you either. I love America, but I f***ing HATE the pompous do-gooders here.

[KonsoruMasuta]

You hate people who care about others?

[SoulMikeY]

No, I hate people who pretend to care about others. It's like the people in a mansion with 5 iPads that "feel bad" for others, yet live how they live. Really they don't give a flying f*** about anyone but themselves. They just want people to like them.

AKA: most religious people.

[cheetah]

So true, It's the same here in Australia. We always seem to be apologising to everyone for being successful as a nation. Has anyone actually seen how bad piracy is in the Middle East? No wonder no one wants to support that region.

[Hicken]

Yeah, cuz you can REALLY tell on an internet forum who cares, and who hops off the internet to toss racial epithets.

You know how it affects me? Cuz there are cool Arabs who don't speak English- or much- and I wouldn't mind having them on my side in Killzone, or my team in Drive Club.

Language barriers suck.

What you seem to hate is yourself on some level, since you're apparently projecting your actions and flaws onto complete strangers.

Tell ya what: you find me one shred of evidence that anybody here is doing what you say, and I'll give you my rent money for the next month(current rent just got paid).

Holy crap. Just when I think my fellow countrymen can't make us look any more stupid, you go and surprise me....

[KevPC]

i bet eventually it will

[Bathyj]

At least it will likely launch there this year. I wouldnt be too upset.

[rmedtx]

I think most Arabs speak other languages specially English. I don't think that's gonna be an issue.

[kingPoS]

Honest question as I don't know otherwise.

Is it easier or more difficult to text Arabic and Japanese over English.

Form the what I've seen when I set the ps3 language to Japanese, the qwerty display becomes a whole lot more complicated. The search function in the Japanese psn store
is also different.

Try it and see for yourself what Japanese psn users have to use.

[Aztec_MC]

NO indefinitely or just not now?

Xbox doesn't even support Spanish, lolololol, so keep things in perspective.

[Avernus]

I was in Sharja for a couple months. ALLOT of people there and in Dubai spoke English. I know that's not the whole middle East, but I met people from all over the UAE and I was amazed by how many spoke English.

It's an inconvenience, but I think they'll be fine.

[black0o]

KSA,lebanon, egypt .. etc all speak very good English
then u got those speak French like Marco Algeria ..etc
we are fine

[MultiConsoleGamer]

This is no surprise. Sony has never understood that you never alienate not even a single potential paying customer.

[PSjesus]

well Atari doesn't support it and it's been a phenomenal success in recent years over there .

[Modestmex]

Xbox one it is for me now!!

[freezola75]

They've gotta add Arabic. It's weird that they won't. That's where all of the $$ is. But seriously tho they may have to add support for it down the line.

[Th3_Akkad1an]

is this our response to Syria?

[AKR]

Lol. Good one.
But Sony is Japanese, no?

[freezola75]

Lolol

[90Supra]

Kinda odd that it wouldn't be supported right out of the box...

Hopefully an update will add it at some point for those who need/want it

[Welcome2Die]

Saudi Arabia gets gasoline for 60 cents a gallon, maybe they can use all that money they save to learn English or something...

[hyperfire21]

you sir are a douche

[Mister_G]

Does the PS3 or Vita support it? If so, PS4 will too, eventually.

[sigfredod]

These is wrong information, it will not support it on launch, but it will support it.

[Shake_Zula]

That's a bit disappointing considering it is a major language and all. But, this is purely a software issue likely with the FreeBSD core of the OS or perhaps the database backend of the system. If I'm not mistaken, I think Arabic is one of those languages where you don't see multiple character sets. Like for instance in Japanese, you have Kanji and Romanji styles, so you can safely code in Romanji and it's Kanji equivalent would show up. In the cases where you have a language that uses only one character set that is not UTF-8, this becomes crazy difficult, and to use a translator program is sloppy at best. Even MS Windows doesn't it do it all the way; it does it where it can and doesn't where it cant.

[Gamer Muzz]

No matter how hard I try...I just can't make myself care about this one way or the other.

[LakerGamerEnthusiast]

I did a bit more of scavenging on the dudes twitter, and apparently Shu says not in the immediate future due to Technical issues.

Either he is saying that because there truly are issues in trying to integrate the language, or he's using it as a disguise for a bigger reason. (Homeland Security, possible Database intrusion)

Who knows, but that sucks in all honesty. Especially for Arabians who want the ps4.

[ErryK]

As a Qatari, personally, this does not affect me in the long run since English is the main language I use and not Arabic. Although for the rest, hopefully an update would be released later, if not closer to launch.

[Gamesgbkiller]

I just want Arabic keyboard .

Nothing more.

[360ICE]

Good. I've always advocated a strong stance on terrorism.

[Lboogieskells]

This is sad, was this releasing in arabic countries launch time?

[Harmonizer]

Surprised XBONE doesn't launch in Arab countries with Arab languages. Imagine the spying possibilities!