At this point in time, gamers seem less likely than ever before to shell out lots of bucks for anything related to the video game industry.
Maybe it's just this palpable sensation I get that everywhere I turn, I see people who are very much unwilling to spend too much...on anything. Not that that's a bad thing (I am a very practical and even frugal person) but when it comes to leisure activities, people in this country often spend a whole lot. In fact, more than they should.
But over the past few years, that trend seems to be reversing. I have gone so far as to call gamers a bunch of whiny spoiled brats and for the most part, I'm sticking to that unfortunate assessment. They don't want to pay for extra content (which, to some extent, I can understand), they don't think $60 is a fair price for a new game (and they're right, given inflation and the technology involved, it should by all rights be around $100), and the biggest issue surrounding new consoles is indeed price.
In recent generations, price was always a factor, of course. But I distinctly recall the shift from the PS1 to the PS2, and the primary topic of conversation centered squarely on the new machine's capabilities. The price was discussed as well, but to a far lesser extent. I knew of quite a few big gamers who really didn't care what the price was going to be. In my estimation, that's sort of what hardcore fans are...but this time around, I'm not sure any such freewheeling philosophies exist. Price is not only a concern, it appears to be by far the top priority and in fact, the determining factor. Completely illogical but true, I think.
The bottom line is that this generation has undoubtedly seen far more whining than any other generation in gaming's history. I will certainly concede that some of that whining was warranted, and I too have issues with how the industry is being run. But the spoiled brat syndrome is still running rampant and an expensive new piece of technology might go over like a lead balloon. Toss in games that are almost guaranteed to be more expensive than they are now, and you've got a full-fledged revolt on your hands. I'm not entirely sure why, as inflation is inflation, technology gets better, things get more expensive, etc. It isn't tough to comprehend.
But really, I'm sensing a very large community that isn't willing to pay much of anything for anything. Sometimes I think we're a tweak away from a bunch of people going, "Yeah, we should just be getting this stuff for free. Or maybe it can be government subsidized." They're definitely not eagerly waiting to dump a lot of cash on any new product, even if it is part of their favorite hobby. ...and that could be a serious problem in the near future.
Sony is yet to confirm the existence of the PS4 games console, but it exists out there somewhere - you can be absolutely sure of that.
There have been rumours doing the rounds suggesting that Sony is calling the PS4 'Orbis'. This comes from a source speaking to Kotaku "who is not authorised to talk publicly about next-gen hardware but has shared correct information" with them before.
Assuming the Orbis name is accurate, it's still unclear whether the name is a codename like Durango or whether the console will literally be called the Sony PlayStation Orbis instead of the Sony PS4.
The name does make some kind of sense if you combine it with the word 'Vitae' (or Vita). Orbis Vitae translates from Latin as 'circle of life' and hints at some serious synergy between the PS4 and the PS Vita.
It could be a red herring, of course, but with the Vita already communicating fairly competently with the PS3, it seems highly likely that this will be the case. So what can we expect from the PlayStation 4?
No announcement yet
As the Sony press conference began at E3 2012, people were eagerly waiting to see if the rumors might be true. Will there be an official PlayStation 4 announcement?
But not only was there no PS4 announcement, but there was'nt even a mention, not even a hint. Nothing.
After E3 though, the chief executive of SCE told MCV that Sony would not be revealing its next console until it is satisfied that the PS4 will show a "significant leap" in technology.
"The right time to talk about new advances in hardware is when you can demonstrate a significant leap on the current experience, and something that is going to be attractive. Beyond that we have nothing to say at this point," he said.
PS4 likely to pack AMD CPU and graphics power
The same source who revealed the PlayStation Orbis name to Kotaku also mentioned that the PS4 is currently penciled in as packing an AMD x64 CPU and 28nm AMD Southern Islands graphics power.
The source doesn't go into any detail about what revision of AMD CPU hardware it's going to be using, but it could be the forthcoming Piledriver revision of the weak Bulldozer architecture from the AMD FX-8150 CPU.
Next-gen gaming
Nintendo Wii U release date, news and rumours
Piledriver is also going to be used in the upcoming Trinity APU, which incorporate both CPU and GPU components on die, but the first iterations of that particular chip possibly wont come with the 28nm GPU part. Subsequent APUs are scheduled to include Southern Island components, so that is still a possibility.
Meanwhile, IGN reports that the PS4 will be powered specifically by the AMD Radeon HD 7670 chip and the A8-3850 APU.
If that's true, it really is a big surprise. Those chips aren't even the best that AMD currently has to offer - so by the time the PS4 goes on sale it would be woefully lacking in power compared to the latest AMD tech, let alone the most advanced chips from Nvidia and Intel.
By 2014, Intel will be shipping 14nm - or possibly even 11nm - CPUs and with that amount of transistors on a die, we're talking serious performance and efficiency gains.
Next-gen gaming
Xbox 720 release date, news and rumours
So it's for this reason that we suspect - or hope - that early PS4 development kits may currently be using these AMD chips, but the final PS4 will most likely pack something a little more special. If that's not the case, it's time for hardcore gamers to start worrying.
According to the source of these rumours, Sony is attempting to get 4K gaming out the door with the PS4, along with full HD 1080p 3D gaming for the first time. We don't think it would even be possible to achieve this kind of output with the Southern Islands GPUs unless some kind of multi-GPU set-up is being used.
The Playstation 4 would also need to have some serious graphics memory inside it to cope with outputting to such high-resolution screens as 4K.
So we fully expect the launch specifications to be far more impressive.
There were actually some previous rumours that PS4 could use Nvidia's ARM-based Project Denver but this now seems quite unlikely.
It's far more probable that AMD is offering Sony and Microsoft (which is rumoured to also be using this AMD hardware in its XBox 720) heavily subsidised access to its CPU and GPU tech. AMD is currently being beaten by both Intel and Nvidia in the CPU and GPU markets, and so we reckon AMD needs these consoles almost as much as Sony and Microsoft do.
Backwards compatibility
When the original original PS3 unit shipped, it contained a chip that gave it the ability to play PS2 games. Subsequent iterations of hardware omitted this chip and so the backwards compatibility was condemned to death.
Current rumours suggests that the PS4 will completely ignore the possibility of backwards compatibility and focus firmly on the next generation. So if you want to continue playing your PS3 games, keep hold of your PS3s, kids.
Second hand games on the way out?
More rumours suggest that Sony is going in the same direction as Microsoft in that it wants to kill off the second hand games market. Current industry wisdom suggests that future PS4 games might be tied to your Sony Entertainment Network account and will thus then have no resale value. That's a similar approach as used by PC developers using Steam so we reckon this is a likely development. Doesn't mean we're happy about it, though.
What are the PS4 features we'd most like to see?
PS4info dreams of a next-gen PlayStation with a 32nm Cell processor an up to 16 SPEs, double the number in the PlayStation 3. While over on gamrConnect, there's talk of a greater partnership with Google. Sony's new fondness for Android on the Xperia Play is an interesting strategy.
Blu-ray on the PlayStation 4 is a dead cert. While digital distribution is undoubtedly the way forward, not every PlayStation owner has access to a fast broadband connection.
As Kaz Hirai told Develop, "we do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn't as robust as one would hope. There's always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium."
As for the PlayStation 4 controller, Dr. Richard Marks (Sony Computer Entertainment's US R&D manager of special projects) says that "anything that lets us get the player's intent into the system more" is technology they'll be looking at. No brain wave gaming just yet.
You can check out our wishlist PS4 video, to see what we are seeking in the next-gen console below:
PS4 release date
Latest rumours suggest that the PS4 will launch in time for Christmas 2013, though Sony are remaining quiet on the issue.
VG247 is quoting an anonymous source (always a bad start to a rumour) as saying that Sony believes it is in a position to get the PS4 out of the door before the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 720.
We remember, of course, how Microsoft managed to launch the 360 a full year before the PS3 went on sale and that enabled it to gain a huge headstart, despite all sorts of technical faults and expensive repair bills.
So it's a no-brainer that Sony will be looking to make sure that doesn't happen this time. How it can be so sure of beating Microsoft to the punch is another matter though, and as usual we'd take these anonymous comments with a glass of salty water.
Meanwhile, if you side with the likes of ITProPortal, you might believe that "the whole concept of a single lounge-bound gaming device may become obsolete". The future of gaming may well lie in a more portable device/controller that you can play on the move or plug into your TV. Epic's Mark Rein has some interesting thoughts on this here.
Senior execs for a big US retailer told their shareholders that they don't expect the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 til 2014. That seems like a good guess to us, even though Sony has always said the PS3 will have a 10-year life cycle (which began in 2006).
Bethesda's Todd Howard, game director for the blockbuster Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, also says that gamers should not expect follow-ups to the PS3 and Xbox 360 until 2014, at the very earliest.
Speaking to PSM3 magazine, the Bethesda exec said that gamers were happy with the current generation of console tech and that he didn't expect to see an Xbox 720 or a PS4 before 2014.
Long live PlayStation 3!
By James Rivington
More information on the site: http://www.techradar.com
It looks like we'll have to wait until Sony feels they've made an
"significant leap" from the current generation consoles before we see a
PlayStation 4. Until then, Sony has no plans to reveal a new console or
even talk much about new hardware.
"The right time to talk about new advances in hardware is when you can
demonstrate a significant leap on the current experience, and something
that is going to be attractive," SCE chief executive Andrew House told
MCV.
"Beyond that we have nothing to say at this point," he added.
As much as I'd like to see a new console, I can't really argue with his
point of view. Why show off a next-gen console unless it makes
tremendous improvements on the current gen? It's possible, though I
think unlikely, that this next generation of consoles could be the last,
so Sony probably wants to make quite the lasting impression. Imagine
the disappointment if Sony shows off the PS4 and the graphic
improvements are hardly noticeable.
Some analysts and industry experts have already said that
next-generation graphics will not be as major of an upgrade as many
gamers are hoping. If we are judging from the Wii U which looks on par,
if only slightly better, than the Xbox 360 and PS3, then I think those
analysts could be right. Then again, Nintendo has never been one to
boast graphics, they choose innovation and gameplay experience, which
the Wii U definitely looks to revolutionize with the new GamePad tablet.
If Sony doesn't plan on introducing some all-new, game-changing
experience to the industry, then they might as well wait until the
advances in hardware show a distinguishable improvement.
PlayStation Group CEO explains why the firm's next console skipped E3 this year
Sony is not prepared to demonstrate its
PlayStation 4 console until the system can demonstrate 'a significant
leap' in technology, the group chief executive of SCE has explained.
In a rare interview with industry publication MCV,
Andrew House appeared to challenge the emerging view that the next
batch of game consoles will not provide a considerable leap in
technology.
Asked why Sony did not showcase the next PlayStation at E3 this year,
he said: "The right time to talk about new advances in hardware is when
you can demonstrate a significant leap on the current experience, and
something that is going to be attractive."
"Beyond that we have nothing to say at this point," he added.
Analysts and executives at rival companies have already claimed that
next-generation graphics will not leap as far forward as the current
generation did from the previous.
Recently, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata questioned whether consumers will ""be able to realise the difference" between current and next generation technologies
It is widely believed that Sony will reveal PlayStation 4 at E3 next year, if not sooner.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 will be on par with each other on a graphics level. ZoomIGN reports
that the PlayStation 4, aka Orbis, may feature custom chips based on
AMD's A8-3850 APU and Radeon HD 7670 discrete GPU. According to the
APU's off-the-shelf specs, it packs a quad-core 2.9 GHz processor an an
integrated HD 6550D graphics core. The APU will work in tandem with the
dedicated HD 7670 GPU which is clocked up to 1 GHz, supports DirectX 11,
and is accompanied by 1 GB of dedicated VRAM.
On a discrete graphics level, sources say that the PlayStation 4 will
be "toe-to-toe" with Microsoft's Xbox 720, as the latter console will
reportedly use AMD's HD 6670 card. The HD 7670 is actually a re-branding
of last year's HD 6670 featuring the same specs across the board. It's
an entry-level GPU by today's standards, costing around $74.99 USD, but
capable of cranking out just over 30 FPS in Metro 2033 and Crysis 2 with
the settings at high and the resolution cranked up to 1920 x 1080.
The PlayStation 3 will reportedly have the edge over Microsoft's new
console thanks to the APU's built-in graphics core. But performance will
likely be better on both systems because of their lightweight operating
system and games that are optimized for one specific hardware set. Like
Apple's iOS, game studios tend to gravitate to consoles because it's
cheaper to develop thanks to a limited number of hardware sets, and
because they simply generate better revenue.
Previous reports indicated that the PlayStation 4 will feature two
GPUs, but they would work separately instead of in CrossFire mode. Yet
this latest rumor makes more sense, as the discrete HD 7670 GPU and the
HD 6550D graphics core in the APU can still work together in rendering
detailed visuals on the fly. The HD 6550D will likely run games at
baseline specs and lower resolutions without the need for the discrete
HD 7670 GPU. But when heavy rendering is needed, both will be in use.
We can always count on the people at PlayStation for planting crazy
ideas about the future of gaming in our heads. These are the people who
advertised the PlayStation 2 with a commercial for the PlayStation 9,
who told us that their PS2 games would look like Pixar movies and who,
at one time, were trying to convince us that the then-upcoming PS3 would
be more powerful if it was on the same home network as a refrigerator
that had its own PS3-style computer chip. Or was it a toaster? It
doesn't matter. It didn't happen.
With Sony's continued refusal to say anything about the PS4 (psst. Codename Orbis!),
the world of PlayStation has become all too much in the present. This
is not what we demand from Sony. We demand sci-fi from Sony. Last night,
we got that.
It's time to think about the future of PlayStation in crazy ways again, now that they spent about a third of a billion dollars on an outfit called Gaikai.
Gaikai is a cloud gaming service,
which is not as boring as it sounds. It's a technology, similar to
OnLive, that zaps video game graphics and sound into your home from
servers faraway while you zap inputs from your game controller back up
to those same servers. This tech is what enables Gaikai to let you play Alan Wake on a web browser or Mass Effect 3
on Facebook. All of the processing that a console would do is happening
far, far away, well outside your living room or home. When Gaikai
works, you're essentially able to play video games with an extremely long controller cord that might be stretching halfway across your state or country.
Here's the Xbox 360, PS3 game Bulletstorm running in the Google Chrome web browser, for example.
Sony is now in the process of buying Gaikai. Specifically, Sony
Computer Entertainment (aka PlayStation) is buying them. That's got
people dreaming that the idea of the game console as some sort of
physical box that you bring into your home could be going extinct. Who
would need to buy a PlayStation 4, the thinking goes, if you could use
Gaikai to stream PS4—level-no, let's just say actual PlayStation
4—graphics and sound into your living room through your computer while
you send commands from a DualShock controller back upstream?
Gaikai and Sony could make your need to buy a new game console
irrelevant, right? Why, you could just stream in PS4 games through your…
PS3! And do the same for PS5, PS6 and PS7. End of hardware cycles. End
of console generations.
Well, no.
That's the kind of sci-fi future you might foresee if you were the
kind of person who really expected the PlayStation 3 to ship with the
ability to output to two HDTVs at once (they cut that before shipping).
Gaikai won't make console hardware obsolete, because Gaikai doesn't
run everywhere. It requires a stable and fast Internet connection. The company's FAQ
asks for "5+ megabits [downstream], but many demos will still work
around 3 megabits". That's fine, except it doesn't work in my house in
Brooklyn, not if I'm using my Internet connection for other things.
Playstation 4 Release Date Headquarters (Continually Updated)
While the PlayStation 3 is just now hitting its stride, and has its
best days still ahead of it, Sony is not one to rest on its laurels, and
with the intense competition in the video game world at present, plans
for the PlayStation 4's future release are already being put into
motion. In fact not only is the PlayStation 4 getting this treatment,
but even the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6 are in the early stages of
planning and conceptualization at Sony's R&D labs.
Although we've yet to see what the PS3 can fully do when really put
through its paces (in fact Sony states that games currently on the
market are not even close to pushing the system to its full potential),
the thought of an even more powerful console looming on the horizon has
gamers worried about the holes it will leave burning in their pockets,
but giddy at the possibilities of what this new behemoth of a console
will be able to pull off. Just imagine the advanced hardware on this
thing, it will be insane! The Question Everyone Wants the Answer To...
As a result, the question on everyone's mind is, when will the
PlayStation 4 see the light of day?!?!? While Sony has not released any
official information concerning the system's future launch, the
generally accepted release date is pegged as late 2012,
which would follow the trend of Sony's previous console generations.
The PlayStation 1 was first released in late 1994 in Japan and 1995
throughout the rest of the world. The PlayStation 2 hit stores in 2000,
giving the PS1 a retail shelf life of 6 years from its Japanese launch.
Likewise, the PlayStation 3 came out in 2006, 6 years after the release
of the PS2. Following this trend that Sony has established would give us
a late 2012 release for the PS4.
Other rumors have also circulated of late which backs up these
claims. At a Game Developer's Conference in Germany, the CEO of Crytek
announced that his company's development of their next-generation
graphics engine, the CryEngine3, will release in 2012, around the same
time a PlayStation 4 could launch. Although he stated he had no concrete
information that the PS4 would be released around this time, and that
even if he did, he would not be at liberty to share that information, he
expected this to be the release window of the new system. The Business of Sales (Or How to Get a PS4 Sooner by Not Buying a PS3)
It's possible that how the PlayStation 3 fares in the current console
war may also determine the release date of the PS4, for a couple of
reasons. If the system continues to flounder in 3rd place in the console
wars, failing to generate the revenue which was initially expected of
it, Sony may be far more eager to cut their losses and rush the PS4 to
market sooner rather than later, possibly as early as 2012.
If the PS3 does indeed fail to make ground on the Wii and Xbox 360,
it may also convince Sony to try and jump the gun on the next generation
console wars and get their system out the door first. Both the
PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2, which dominated their generations of
the console wars, came to market at the same time or earlier than their
competition. The PlayStation 1 was launched just after the Sega Saturn,
and well before the Nintendo 64, while the PlayStation 2 was released
before both the Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.
This enabled Sony to get a head start on the competition and gave
developers time to build their skills at developing games for the
console, to the point that even as more powerful consoles came after,
games released on the older system were just as good technically,
providing no real incentive for players to move to the new consoles.
This same effect has worked against the PlayStation 3 to some extent,
as though considered to be far more powerful than the Xbox 360, the one
year head start the 360 received has allowed developers to more quickly
maximize the system's potential, resulting in games that rivaled games
on the PS3 when it released. Only as the system's life spans come to an
end will we likely see the PlayStation 3 come out with games that
clearly trump what the 360 can do graphically.
How Sony plans to play their hand is cause for much speculation. What
we do know is that the PlayStation 4 is coming sooner than we may
think, and it will take gaming to a whole new level.
Let us know what you think. Will we see the PlayStation 4 within
the next year, or is the release further off? Feel free to comment
below. You can also join our PS4 forums to voice your opinion on everything PlayStation 4.
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