420°

'PlayStation 4K' and 'Xbox Durango' will be key to Ultra HD adoption

With leaked details of octal-core processor banks paired with 8GB of RAM, the PlayStation 4 "Orbis" is sounding powerful (just for comparison of RAM alone, the 8GB of system memory is roughly 32 times more than the current model). But to see where 4K comes in it's worth taking a trip back seven years.

In 2005, very few people had an HDTV. According to one study, there were "as many" as ten million homes with high-definition screens -- globally. The problem, according to many commentators, was the lack of HD content: nobody wanted to buy an HDTV because there was little HD content; very little HD content was made because there were very few people to sell it to. Classic catch-22.

Kamikaze1354098d ago

I could understand why people wanted an HD TV, but an Ultra HD TV? I'll stick with 1080p.

Anon19744098d ago (Edited 4098d ago )

Even on a small screen, 4k makes a noticeable difference. Just search for "4K" on Youtube, and then were you adjust the HD settings, select "original". They're really quite stunning, although streaming these videos can be laggy. I understand there's a new compression codec for 4k coming that will reduce the file size so it's closer to what standard HD uses. It looks stunning even on computer monitors in higher resolutions, and even those aren't the 3840 pixels × 2160 pixels of 4k.

Don't forget, back when HDTV came out, no one wanted that either. You often heard: Too pricey, the difference isn't that much better than what I see with DVD, there isn't any content available, etc...etc. In 2008, less than a quarter of TV's in the US were HD. Now that number is over 3/4. When the prices start coming down and more content becomes available, why wouldn't you buy 4K?

http://youtu.be/Cx6eaVeYXOs

FriedGoat4097d ago

It would be good if they could render in 4K and downsample to 1080p, that will still increase the quality as we can do the same on youtube and see a difference.

irepbtown4097d ago

Very expensive though...

I would love to buy it but the prices are ridiculous. They will obviously come down as time goes on however in the near future I'll pass.

I'll also stick with my 1080p.

nukeitall4097d ago

"Don't forget, back when HDTV came out, no one wanted that either."

It's pointless to talk about technology when the price difference is negligible for an upgrade. Furthermore, HD has been around for almost a decade available to consumers.

With HD, it wasn't necessarily the video quality that attracted the masses, but rather the form factor of the TV itself (i.e. significantly smaller and lighter) as well as the quality of the screen i.e. the more pleasant viewing as opposed to the traditional tube TV.

If you really looked at how DVD migration to Blu-Ray happened it is very telling. It was very slow, and only when prices really really dropped as to be as cheap as DVD, traction really gained. Basically, the demand wasn't there to pay a premium. DVD was good enough unless the upgrade was insignificantly more in price.

4k content? That will take even longer for adoption than HDTVs. It will probably be slightly better than 3D adoption until it becomes the standard.

However, there is no real demand for it!

Bimkoblerutso4096d ago (Edited 4096d ago )

It does look stunning, but it's way, WAY too early to try and replace the HD standard at this point. HD had been around for a few years prior to the previous generation of consoles, and price was STILL a very large barrier of entry at that point.

Imagine a bunch of companies producing around a standard that is still very much in it's infancy...

SilentNegotiator4096d ago

HDTVs didn't cost $30K or whatever when the 360/Ps3 launched.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4096d ago
4097d ago
JohnnyAkiba4097d ago

2006: Why people want a 1080p tv right?
xD

ATi_Elite4097d ago

LMAO I'm already gaming in Ultra HD 1600p

Besides 4K TV's are still $20,000 and with NO 4K broadcast available I really do not see a big influx of people rushing out to buy 4K TV's when the prices drop especially seeing how their 1080p TV's are just fine.

ALSO remember how this Gen was suppose to USHER in 1080p Gaming......How did that work out?

I'll tell you how that worked out. NOT one AAA game is in 1080p and most AAA games struggle with 720p.

Consoles have Wattage caps and therefore they do not have the power needed to pump out superior graphics at high end resolutions. They do make good use of the limited specs that they do have.

Also 4K is more Hype than substance as 4K only helps TV's that are 60" or bigger. So don't get caught up in the 4K Hype unless you got deep pockets and 80" TV in your living room.

The proposed GPU's in the next Gen consoles are 4K capable but will sacrifice frame rates in order to do so.

MaxXAttaxX4097d ago

I don't see happening anytime soon either. But this is about mainstream adaptation, so no one cares if your PC can run games in 1600p, which isn't even Ultra HD(2160p or 4320p).

JamieL4097d ago

To be honest I think it's too soon for them to push 4K. They are in bad shape right now, and I think they should be careful what tech they put in the PS4. They can’t take such a monster loss on the PS4 this time. They’re not coming off the all time best selling console in history this time. I could live without 4K right now, and I think it could hold off for the PS5. I want Sony back in the black, and I don’t see 4K supported enough yet to justify it. They try so hard in the gaming side I would hate to see their troubles worsen.

4096d ago
Gamer19824096d ago

Games wont be enough to sell 4k. People need TV/Movie content and thats simply not coming. Not any time soon anyway. Plus not to mention older films which in fairness some have gone upto 1080p quite well but 4k will be a stretch too far. People will be getting HD and Ultra HD movies as everything is still being recorded in HD right now so anything post 2013 would probably be available in 4k (and probably not all) but anything before that you would get an upscaled version or have to live with 1080p. So most will say whats the point?

Also unless you go over 50" most people won't notice the differnce in TV/movies. It will be a niche product i'm telling you now.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4096d ago
DivineAssault 4098d ago

Good article.. But there will be way too many people that are content with 1080p versus people being content with boob tubes.. Ultra HD is coming & will be around but idk if it will be supported in gaming this upcoming generation.. To stream games or movies in resolutions that high would require some HEAVY duty high speed internet & will require people to buy $10k+ tvs.. Who knows what the future holds but i dont see Ultra HD coming anytime soon unless the economy rises BIG TIME.. Its way too expensive for people to buy new tvs, systems, fiber optics, etc in the nx 5 yrs

kneon4097d ago

4K TV's should be about $5000 by the end of this year for the smaller ones, so that means mainstream adoption should begin about year later.

H265 was just approved the other day so we're almost set for 4K content to begin being made available. We just need the new HDMI and bluray specs to be updated, and both of those are due this year from what I hear.

But I don't know about 4K for streaming. If you've chosen streaming as your preferred video medium then you have chosen convenience over quality. It that's the case then you probably wouldn't care about 4K.

Anon19744097d ago (Edited 4097d ago )

In terms of streaming, it was revealed that they are able to accomplish 4k using bandwidth similar to what they're using with HDTV broadcasts currently. The bandwidth required for such high res video was a concern for me as well when looking at this tech, but they're apparently already on top of that.

http://gizmodo.com/5942233/...

I mentioned before in another post, it makes sense for the next gen consoles to be looking at this tech. If the consoles are designed for another 10 year cycle, that's going to take it into the 2020's. If they want to make sure their consoles aren't left behind by TV tech, they need to be making gambles on what TV's will look like in another 5 years, and that seems to be trending towards continued 3d (3d tv sales doubled in 2012 and don't appear to be slowing, if though focus has shifted off the feature) and 4k resolutions.

But it's no different from HDTV adoption. We're not going to see 4k take off until prices come down, which will happen over time.

JoGam4097d ago (Edited 4097d ago )

Hopefully, but doubt it

SandWitch4097d ago

Dude, that was just a teaser for Ascention

steve30x4097d ago

The consoles wont make people rush out and buy a stupidly high price 4K TV. Until the prices get to a reasonable price then people wont buy into it.

ThyMagicSword4097d ago

Whoever buys the new 4K Tv without thinking twice, has too much money or suffers from immense stupidity. If the game line-up is not good enough, I wont go out and spend tons of money for the videogame-industry.

Karpetburnz4097d ago

True, I heard they will cost up to $30,000 USD. damn

They wont be maintream for at least another 7-10 years, then we will see price drops.

kneon4097d ago

The manufacturers have already said to expect prices of the smaller (55-60 inch) 4K TVs to be comparable to current high end TV's by the end of this year. It only costs them about $700-$900 more to make a 4K 60 inch TV vs a 1080p 60 inch TV. So that premium pricing isn't going to last long.

Those current $25,000 4K TVs would never have much market appeal at any price since they are a massive 84 inches. So why not charge a premium since they will never sell in big numbers anyway.

UnholyLight4097d ago

It's just like with every new technology in the TV sector. LED was expensive when they introduced it, more so than Plasma and LCD at the time. It's how you get to subsidize and improve on your technology is by introducing the expensive stuff first. There WILL be early adopters of 4K TV's and that will push the market into the range of greatly reduced prices and trickle down technology to the smaller less expensive televisions. They've already said prices will drop substantially after release.

This all makes sense in my mind because for example, the news channels generally still use the old format "Beta" method or whatever, and they have been waiting for a long time to use a new standard, I would see 4K being this standard. I believe the consoles will be much like what Microsoft did wih the Xbox 360 this gen; Initially there was support up to 720p and 1080i, and then a little while later the console was updated to output all the way up to 1080p as necessary. Same thing will happen this gen. These consoles will HAVE to be future proof enough that they will have a lot of support for 4k as 4k will become what 1080p is today IMO.

dcbronco4097d ago

Premium pricing is sometimes based on ripping early adopters. It won't take long for prices to drop. The real problem might be getting mainstream Americans to bite. Many don't really notice the difference between HD and upscaled. 4k has to really look like a huge leap to get them to move up.

Also there are the TV stations. The government made them switch here. I don't see them allowing themselves to be pushed into new equipment so soon. Plus a lot of TV personalities hate HD, They would really fight 4K.

ThyMagicSword4097d ago

I am not worried about the costs of the new Xbox or Ps, I am more worried about the costs for a new TV to fully enjoy the new generation of homeconsoles ...

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130°

70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability

With so many games fighting for players' attention and interest losing out over time, time sink games are at risk of eventually losing steam.

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
thorstein1d ago

It was worrisome to begin with.

It's a niche genre with only a handful of hits that can stand the test of time.

Cacabunga3h ago

I like the sound of that!! I will for sure never support these gaas games.
Sony must be shocked at gamer's reaction, making them cancel a few of these and hopefully go back to the good heavy hitters they had us used to..
now bring on that PSPro reveal and show us some SP 1st party awesomeness.

CrimsonWing691d ago

What’s to be unsure of!? Look at the ratio of success to failure!

DarXyde7h ago

It's pretty ridiculous.

Imagine having a breadth of data at your disposal to see the statistically low success rate of these games, only to be laser focused on the exceptional case studies.

shinoff218322h ago

Yes. Stop all the live service bs.

jznrpg22h ago

Only a few will catch on. You need a perfect storm to be successful in GaaS and a bit of luck on top of that. But a potential cash cow will keep them trying and some will go out of business because of it.

MIDGETonSTILTS1722h ago

Helldivers 2 manages just fine…

Keep production costs low… don’t just make custscenes until the mechanics and enemies are perfected first.

Make so much content that you can drip extra content for years, and the game already feels complete without them.

Most importantly: make weapons, enemies, levels, and mechanics that will stand the test of 1000 hours. This might require more devs embracing procedurally generated leveled, which I think separates Helldivers 2 from Destiny’s repetitiveness.

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60°

The Battle Pass Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Modern Gaming

Nameer from eXputer: "Some exceptions aside, I don't think the battle pass is a net positive for gaming with how they're implemented in most live service titles."

got_dam1d 2h ago

Battle passes AND meta gaming both.

DivineHand1251d ago (Edited 1d ago )

I like the way Helldivers 2 does battle passes. It allows you to make purchases on each level of the battle pass and gives you the option of choosing which item to unlock first. The more purchases you make using medals the further you progress. There is no timer and you can earn medals towards purchasing stuff via personal orders and Major orders.

I haven't played much live service games that have battle passes but I remember some games that have battle passes where you progress through it linearly using an exp system. What makes it really bad is that the battle pass will have like 50 or more levels with the cooler stuff being closer to the end. They also have an in-game shop that sells exp boosters so you can reach the end of the pass before it refreshes. Everyone ilse will have to grind their way through.

lucian22923h ago

battle pass in fortnite is perfect; buy one and it buys the rest for every other season as it gives you more money than the first cost. so 8.50 and season ends with you getting 13.00, it pays for the next and you have some pocket change to save up for cash shop. All of which is optional

470°

PS5 Pro specs leak video taken down by Sony

Sony is taking actions as video by Moore’s Law is Dead, has been issued with a copyright claim.

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
andy851d 20h ago

And people say it's all fake because Sony haven't said anything 😂 conveniently forget the PS4 Pro was only announced 2 months before release.

BeHunted1d 19h ago

It's fake. There's no factual evidence other than his own made up specs.

Hereandthere1d 19h ago

What were the specks Sony was afraid of showing?

Shikoku1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Digital foundry put a video out saying what he leaked was exactly what they also knew about the PS5 PRO. So no it's not just stuff he made up

Babadook71d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

If it’s fake what copyright does MLID infringe upon?

😂

andy851d 15h ago

Aye because they'd go to the effort of copyright claiming it if it didn't exist 🙃😂 you'd have to be a special kind to be thinking its not a thing by now

Cacabunga1d 15h ago

They need to reveal it with uncharted killzone or a heavy hitter like this

Ironmike1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

U mean the specs that we'll established digital foundry which said these are the actual specs published a video on 2 weeks ago I mean they are only one of most trusted sites for tech information but they just made up a video for the sake of it

Christopher1d 1h ago

I would love for it all to be fake, but lots of people are saying they've seen/heard the same thing. But, man, we 100% don't need mid-gen upgrades when we're failing hard to optimize current hardware.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1d 1h ago
Seraphim20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

if I recall Sony lowered sales expectations for PS5 earlier this year. if that is the case we won't hear anything about a Pro until next year or shortly before/when it's dropping. After all, if the Pro was dropping this year/fiscal year they wouldn't have lowered expectations.

As for squashing rumors. Yeah, shit like this prevents potential buyers from adopting now, just like slim rumors in the past. It only makes sense to keep things under wraps from a business perspective. Despite living in a technological age of unfettered access to information we don't need to know whats going on behind closed doors be that at Sony, Nintendo, MS, or amongst any development studios. When the steak is done we shall feast.

JackBNimble20h ago

By the time games are actually made to take advantage of the pro spec's the ps6 will be released or close to it.

jznrpg1d 19h ago (Edited 1d 19h ago )

Just announce it already! I want to preorder one asap. But in reality they don’t want to lessen PS5 sales until Pro is ready to launch so I understand the business part of it. September is probably when they announce it with an early November launch like the PS4 Pro

Ironmike1d 15h ago

Pro won't lessen sales sames ps4 pro never and the ps4 pro was more relevant at the time cos move to 4k this not needed

RaidenBlack1d 8h ago (Edited 1d 8h ago )

Yea, my brother got his PS4 (coz of a good deal) after the PS4 Pro's release.

darthv721d 5h ago

^^same here. I got a base 4 for only $100 off a guy who bought the Pro. then a few months later I found a guy on craigslist selling a pro for $100 because it was left behind by his former roommate who moved out. That was the beginning of my obsession to buy up the different variants of the PS4 that were released.

As of now I am really only missing the 500m one and the gold slim but otherwise I have pretty much all the other retail ones. https://consolevariations.c...

BoneMagnus1d 3h ago

@darth - Nice collection!

crazyCoconuts22h ago

Anyone with 4K that appreciates 60fps is gonna disagree about it not being needed.
DLSS is a god send for Nvidia, and there's been nothing like it for AMD...yet ...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 22h ago
DeadlyFire1d 3h ago

They will announce it around E3 timeframe about May-June whenever they do a showcase for the year.

neutralgamer19921d 18h ago

Just announce it this thing will sell well

Ironmike1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

I don't think it will pll still haven't seen the potential of ps5 yet

Cacabunga1d 1h ago

agreed, but it might sell if they announce some 1st party games to lead the way. if people see the difference with the base version they can move on. for my sake I am still gaming mainly on PS4 (still not finished with RDR2 due to lack of gaming time). I have a huge backlog on PS5 I am hoping to get into.

mark3214uk1d 10h ago

why? game makers havnt even come close to maxing out current spec yet, were getting al lthese new TFlops and game maker are making crappy remakes not worthy of the ps3

Minute Man 7211d 5h ago

The guts of the 5 and X are 5 years old

fr0sty22h ago

People keep saying that, yet we still have games running at near HD resolutions, 30fps, and ray tracing features turned off.

PRIMORDUS1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

I would take that video and upload a torrent of it, fuck that copyright bullshit. If your going to do something that has a chance of being taken down, make a torrent first share it. Then Sony or any other company is helpless and you can laugh in their faces, taunting them to try to take it down 🤣

LoveSpuds1d 9h ago

With kind of analysis and advice, you could be a lawyer for Trump!🤣

tronyx121d 8h ago

As much as the PS4 Pro didn't represent a major % in the playerbase, announcing a 'better' model will hinder sales from the 'base' model. They are right, business-wise.

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