PlayStation 4 Options

[DreamcastRIP]

If the link within this article is to be believed then Wii U might not enjoy the two year head start on Sony's next-gen console many had assumed it would as PlayStation 4 might well be released next year too!

... oh, and it appears Sony will be copying Kinect for it too.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5817874/report-the-plays...motion-controls

[TheGrandPubaa]

This has been such a weird generation...

[DreamcastRIP]

This has been such a weird generation...

Thanks for that, Confucius!

[ACE]

That's a good thing... PS3 will only get cheaper; I can buy 3 or 4 or them and have Linux installed as a series of parallel super computers. Yesterday a worker at "Game Stop" told me that next month, they're going to stop selling PS2 games completely. So now both the PS2 and the PS3 will go into retro status.

[DreamcastRIP]

"PS3" and "retro" in the same sentence. That sounds weird, lol!

[DreamcastRIP]

An interesting read for those wondering if launching PS4 in 2012 is a realistic proposition: "In Theory: PlayStation 4 in 2012"

The most interesting part of it for me was this,

"There have been murmurings that PlayStation 4 could simply be an evolution of the existing architecture. Developers are finally getting to grips with what makes PS3 special, they're embracing the power of the SPUs, so why not simply beef up Cell with, say, a dual core version of the main PPU processing core and dramatically increase the SPU count? Combine that with a significant RAM boost and an appropriately modern GPU and that would easily work as a fiercely powerful next-gen console."

[PSP509]

Wow,an updated PS3 clone.Who'd have thunk it possible?

[DreamcastRIP]

What odds PS4 will be backward compatible with PS3 - both for disc-based titles and games purchased via PS3's PlayStation Store?

[ACE]

It better be... If Sony thought the back lash over the networks were bad; non backwards compatibility would probably make the system even harder to sell then it was when the PS3 first came out charging an arm and leg for the system (remember that debacle?). No one is going to pay $500+ for a non backwards compatible PS4... Not during these financially tough times.

[kevinski]

I'm still wondering what the deal with this is. Honestly, unless Sony's actually teaming up with Microsoft, I don't see the company wanted to rush into a new hardware generation given the losses that it needed to take in the current generation to gain a foothold. Microsoft and Sony have no need to be concerned with Wii U making their consoles look bad, because it's doubtful that Wii U will be significantly more powerful than their offerings.

[DreamcastRIP]

It better be... If Sony thought the back lash over the networks were bad; non backwards compatibility would probably make the system even harder to sell then it was when the PS3 first came out charging an arm and leg for the system (remember that debacle?). No one is going to pay $500+ for a non backwards compatible PS4... Not during these financially tough times.

So do I replace my now dead PS3 with a PS3 Slim or wait for PS4 in the hope it's PS3 b/c? Aaargh!

[T2KFreeker]

Yeah, so Sony might jump the gun this time? Might be the moment I have been waiting for. Point is, in the past when a console company "Jumps the Gun". it usually spells Doom for said console. Not to mention that I agree with Pubaa that this Generation has been way weird. There seems to be no stability in it as nothing seems to have a foothold on anything and the ever evolving nature of gimmick to gimmick has just lost quite a few of us. I understand that a Roller Coaster ride can be very fun when done properly, but it can also be a nightmare when the brakes go out . . .

[DreamcastRIP]

PS4's price point should be interesting.

Taking the info' in those links at face value PS4's main R&D costs would appear to be on a new improved up Cell Processor, new GPU and possibly a new motion controller of sorts. For those processors Sony's costs will be much reduced relative to when they were developing PS3's tech' due to the way they've realigned their business these past few years. For the new motion sensor device the marketing costs won't be anything like they were for Kinect ($0.5bn!) as they won't be launching a new standalone product because it'll be included with the console. One would assume they'll be sticking with the Blu-ray disc format so there's a huge saving right there compared to PS3's R&D costs.

So PS3 launched at a ridiculous and poorly received $599/£425 price point. The likely price of PS4 at launch? I'd guess somewhere between $350-$450.

[T2KFreeker]

So PS3 launched at a ridiculous and poorly received $599/£425 price point. The likely price of PS4 at launch? I'd guess somewhere between $350-$450.

You might not bee too far off on that price. Still, to be honest, in the end the next gaming crash probably won't be due to what happened in the 80's, but the economy might just do it. I'm a great example. I'm not going to say I am poor, but when priorities have to come first, I can't afford these new consoles on launch and many Americans are also seeing this as well. One of the key reasons the Wii jumped off the shelves the way it did at launch and for so long was the price point. It wasn't the most technologically advanced system on the market, but it did well because people were interested in what it could do and it was affordable. Serious as this is, the next round of gaming console might actually be the one that has the cheapest games on it. Seems the systems this time will be on par powerwise, so we will see. Honestly though, I think Sony should hold off on the PS4 and try and continue to recoup money they lost on the PS3 and PSP for so long. The two systems are really selling well and have been for about a year. They need to milk the PS3 for everything it's worth or the PS4 launch could spell disaster for the company. They don't really need to worry about Nintendo right now because even at the core user base, they have two different types of fans. In plain speak, Sony will sell a boatload of PS4 at launch just from the usual suspects and as long as they have good games, they will attract new users. If they rush this, with the disaster that was originally the PS3, they might bite off too much, especially if the new handheld tanks*.

*Speaking on tanking handhelds, to be honest, this is not a comment on the 3DS being a superior machine. This is speaking on the current markets shying away from portable consoles for their gaming.

[tomwaits]

... Sony should hold off on the PS4 and try and continue to recoup money they lost on the PS3 and PSP for so long. The two systems are really selling well and have been for about a year. They need to milk the PS3 for everything it's worth or the PS4 launch could spell disaster for the company. They don't really need to worry about Nintendo right now because even at the core user base, they have two different types of fans.

I agree with this 100%. There's absolutely no reason to rush PS4 for a late 2012 release. The PS3 and PSP are into the profit portion of their lifecycles and Sony should be concentrating on revenue/software sales as long as possible. Keep lowering the hardware price as manufacturing costs drop so they can build a larger user base... esp for PSP since new releases are drying up and Vita won't 'really' launch until 2012. Small window to gain new customers and sell stale PSP software. Nintendo showed its hand first with the Wii U, and I'm sure both Sony & M$oft will wait for feedback from developers and steal some ideas for their next console designs... I think it'll be end of 2013 launches for both.