It's been said before and I'll say it again: The impending launch of
Nintendo's newest console has stirred up the rumor mill, as fans
speculate about what Microsoft and Sony are going to do in response.
Does the Wii U mean we'll see a new PlayStation soon? There are a lot of
people out there who believe so. So let's take a look at what these
people are saying and see if we can glean some concrete info on the PS4.
First of all, the project apparently has a hypothetical title; the
name "Orbis" has been floating around the Internet lately. Of course,
this would just be an early production title, like how the Wii U was
once called Project Café, or how the PlayStation Vita was once called
NGP (Next Generation Portable). In fact, I'm willing to bet money that
the next Sony console will be called the PlayStation 4. There's no
reason for them to change the name now, confusing potential customers
and creating a headache for the marketing department. No, if Sony knows
what's good for them, they'll stick with "PS4."
Apparently, a source told VG24/7 that Sony was aiming to push out
their next console before Microsoft does theirs. However, I'm not sure I
believe this. I mean, both Microsoft and Sony would do well to keep
their eyes on the Wii U before making any concrete plans for their
next-gen consoles. If Nintendo's tablet controller ends up being a hit
(the way the Wiimote was in its glory days) both competitors will want
to consider how they can implement tech that can compete (the way the
Kinect and Move tried to steal the Wii's thunder, only too little too
late.) A caveat, though, is that I don't think Sony should change its
controller. I mean, they've kept it for three generations now. Those of
us who fell in love with the DualShock back in the 1990s will cry foul
if Sony changes it on us now.
And speaking of controllers, we're being told to expect an upgraded
motion control setup. This would probably come in the form of a Move 2.0
or something to that effect. However, if Sony wants to be serious about
motion gaming, they need to pack motion controls in the box with the
console. The Wii U will be supporting the Wiimote, and the Xbox 720 is
said to be including Kinect (or Kinect-like) functionality on day one.
If Sony markets their "Move 2.0" as an optional accessory, they simply
won't be able to keep up with the competition. Of course, perhaps motion
gaming is falling out of the public eye anyway. We're certainly not as
impressed by it as we were when the Wii first launched. Could avoiding
motion controls in the next generation actually prove to be a smart
financial decision in the long run? There's a chance it could. Either
way, Sony will need to tread carefully as far as motion gaming is
concerned; it's a pretty risky endeavor at this point.
Some other sources have claimed the PS4 will have a feature that
blocks used games. But this rumor popped up in response to the rumor
that the future Xbox would have that type of functionality, and
therefore seems like a stretch to me. Also, I don't think the industry
is ready for that sort of thing. I mean, it would certainly upset a lot
of gamers, and with the PS3 being this generation's least popular
console (judging by sales figures), Sony really isn't in the position to
upset their fan base.
Now, they could potentially release a disc-free console that was 100
percent dependent upon downloadable games. That would solve the "used
games" dilemma, though I don't think technology has advanced far enough
to make that a reality. In fact, my fellow Cheat Code Central writer
Shelby Reiches has already explained this in his speculative piece on the Xbox 720.
Personally, I don't think hardware manufacturers will be trying
download-only versions of major home consoles until late into the next
generation. As the PS4/720 generation starts winding down, we could
potentially see Sony or Microsoft test the waters with a scaled-down,
less expensive, disc-free version of their current console to see if
it's something we're ready for by then. I just don't see this becoming a
reality before that.
Speaking of pricing, I'm willing to bet that Sony has learned from
its PS3 blunder that pricing the console too high on day one could spell
disaster. Sony will have to carefully consider the price point for
their next console, determining which features are worth additional cost
and which need to be left alone to keep the price low. In this current
economic climate, I just don't see Sony able to convince gamers to spend
more than $400-ish at launch. And even that seems pretty high. Sony
will probably have to consider selling the first run of PS4s at a
considerable loss in order to drum up enough consumer interest in the
early stages of its lifespan.
The PS4 is also rumored to not be backward compatible. Now, even
though the PS2 and early models of the PS3 featured backward
compatibility, I can actually see this rumor ultimately being true. Sony
has since stopped producing consoles with any sort of backward
compatibility, as the Vita doesn't play physical copies of PSP games and
new models of the PS3 don't play PS2 games. It must be noted, though,
that the PS3 will still play PSOne games, and both the PS3 and Vita will
play digital copies of many of their predecessors' titles. I imagine
Sony will ultimately go this route, being able to sell us downloadable
"PS3 Classics" at some point.
So what's under the hood? Well, sources say to expect an AMD x64 CPU
coupled with Southern Islands GPU. To put that into context, rumors have
the Xbox 720 pegged with the AMD x64, though with a different GPU. To
the layman, the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be on fairly equal footing in
terms of power, though über-nerds will forever be duking it out over
which GPU is better. Some things never change, eh?
So what do we know about the PS4 right now? Well, pretty much nothing
for certain, but there are enough rumors out there to get us
speculating anyway. But while it's fun to think about, it's certainly
not time to start throwing out our PS3s quite yet. Especially since Sony
still claims to not be budging from the ten-year life expectancy it
originally predicted for the PS3. Either way, I'm not holding my breath
for a new console announcement from Sony at E3 this year.
Source : Here