PlayStation 4 - everything you need to know

If Microsoft is secretly readying a new Xbox to succeed the Xbox 360, then surely Sony must be working on a PlayStation 4? TechRadar makes some predictions on what will be inside Sony's next console.

[THC CELL]

the only thing i need to no is...........

Where can i pre order right now ?

[Pain]

Unlike a complete hardware redesign like that other Last gen trying to be next 68% faulty one...

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

Your not allowed to say 68% RRoD on this!!! ;-D
Micro$oft are Watching you!!! ;-D

[TheXgamerLive]

I think a disc drive won't show up atleast for MS as it will all be digital downloads, not sure where sony is in that process though.

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

...It will be SH*T like the Original xBox + xBox 360!!! ;-D

Original xBox = DEAD
xBox 360 = DYING

;-D ;-D ;-D

[Stryfeno2]

This is why Sony is in trouble now..
"The hardware guys developed the [PlayStation 3] fairly independently, then dumped it onto the software guy's lap, effectively saying 'do something with it.'"

It seems like we can expect the PS4 earlier then expected...I dont think Sony will get rid of the optical drive because Sony had lost alot to make Blu-ray successful. Plus, what about backward compatibility...Optical disk is a must.

But one thing for sure, the PS4 wont be release with a high price tag and way more developer friendly.

[DavidMacDougall]

It will probably have an updated Blu-Ray lazer so they can use them new 100-500Gb Blu Ray discs but still read the old ones for backwards compatibility

[DTClown]

-BluRay standard in every SKU...a faster spinning BluRay.

-More RAM...I bet 1GB DDR

-2 Cell processors

-1 Terabyte hard drive

I do believe they will offer 2 versions, a fully loaded media hub version, and a stripped down economy version. Both SKU's will have the same capabilities for playing games though. Day 1 purchase for me!

[Calcio]

"More RAM...I bet 1GB DDR"
Bet it's more than that...

[HighDefinition]

It will a beautiful thing and the PS3 will still be supported.

[Ju]

The specs are a bit exaggerated, IMO. But I'd go in same direction, though. Two CELLs won't happen, but I guess they'll have the new multicore CELL (2xPPU, 32xSPU). HDD will not go up significantly because of cost reasons (but 100+GB should be standard), and the RAM possibly could hit 1GB (but less, if more cost effective and allows them to do all they want - with better streaming support). I'm curious what they're gonna do with the RSX...

[HighDefinition]

I agree.

Except. HDDs aren`t that expensive, especially in BULK.

[Anton Chigurh]

maybe they should consider a nucle@r re@ctor as the main CPU =P

right now , I'm happy with my PS3 and the 360

PS360 FTW

[Ju]

Every cent counts, though. If they can get along with lower costs, then they'll do it. I am pretty aware, that usually a 20G HDD costs more then a 100G drive these days (especially in bulk, because bigger drives are simply in higher demand). But, the mainstream sweet spot will possibly stay around 160-250G for a while, I suppose.

[HighDefinition]

I think it`ll be between 250GB and 500GB, so we kinda agree.

Also, if the BR Drive stays(which it most likely will) it`ll definitly help them in cost. Since by then it`ll be like DVD was last year. Cheap to buy/produce.

[MNicholas]

8 x Next generation Cell processors with 32 SPEs each (8 x PPE, 256 x SPE)
8192MB XDR
256GB solid state "hard drive"

Common API for game control, audio and graphics

Backward's compatibility components:
RSX w/256MB GDDR3 (slowly phased out)
Blu-ray Drive (cheap to manufacture)

Break-even from Day 1. Profitability in 6-12 months.

[Rob0g0rilla]

Plus all that other stuff? That would pretty sweet. I don't even think Crysis requires 2 Gbs of ram.

[SaiyanFury]

This argument for digital downloads is still moot. People can download a 1GB demo in an hour or two. Sometimes up to 4, like on my 1.5mbps internet connection. But to download a full size PS3 game like say, MGS4, do you know how long it would take to download that on my connection? I've downloaded torrents that were nearly 40GB and it took me over a month to download. Digital downloads will NOT become the main source of games until internet infrastructure can match the bandwidth requirements needed. What I mean, of course, is that everyone needs to have access to high speed broadband with at least 40-50mbps in order to truly be effective. And with the recent trend of ISPs in the US capping bandwidth, I don't see it happening.

[potenquatro]

quad or dual quad cells with better tool set
2+ gigs Nvidia and a serious talk with Nvidia for a serious card better OS
DS3 with better sticks
impose some standard internet features on game devs
faster BD drive to make installs optional not mandatory
rear usb
same reliable harware
keep black colors

[QuackPot]

But 1 Gig Ram is just not enough especially for the various uses of the ps3/ps4.

The multi-cell is the way to go. If the typical cell becomes dirt cheap, all sony has to do primarily build a improved mother board with faster system bus and able to handle more ram and of course an improved GPU.

This way Sony doesn't have to spend alot in development of the Ps4. This also means the Ps4 would be alot cheaper on release than the ps3....and alot powerful.

This is the obvious way to go especially if Sony is unlikely to recoup development and production costs per unit sold of the ps3 during its life cycle.

Evolution not Revolution....

[Guwapo77]

- Dual Cells (2 x PPU; 16 x SPE)
- 2 or 4 gig XDR (not DDR 1-15; XDR is the way for PS3)
- Some new ATi card build for the PS4. (something tells me they are going to jump ship from Nvidia and Intel's new card isn't an option, I don't have any facts to support this...just a hunch)
- 750gig HDD low model; 250gig SSD high model
- post draft n for network card
- Blu-ray 10x (no DL'ing will not be the sole means for PS4 to operate, with ISPs throwing caps on usage these days, 3 years from now we will not see a massive change in direction).

[Gazman]

Boost the RAM to 8gig

[psnDevistator356]

Will have MAGIC and will do whatever you need it to. That's the future

[lsujester]

I don't imagine the thing would have TWO Cells in it. After all, IBM has improved Cell already from the version within the PS3. The new variant that it mentions, PowerXCell 8i, is what is in IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer, and it has further variants being worked.

Within the next couple of years, assuming IBM sticks to Cell and keeps improving it, it will still make a capable processor for a new console. And with devs cutting their teeth on it now, future games won't have the ultra-high learning curve the PS3 had.

As for the other parts like the GPU, being it will release in the area of 2011, you can expect a graphics chip along the lines of the ones that will be made within the next couple of years. After all, RSX is for the most part a G70 card, which NVidia release mid-2005, a year before the PS3 launched.

As for RAM, there's no way it'll launch with less than a gig, and I'd go with two if I were a betting man. Along with a couple hundred GB HDD, and we're all set.

[Ateanboy]

There are SO MANY things that are wrong with that article....

Let me explain...

A PS4 without Blu-Ray? NO. It will never happen. This author seems to be in the same wishful-thinking mindset as those douche-bags over at Micro$oft.

The truth is that not even in the coming years, will all of the world be ready for download-able media exclusively. There will ALWAYS, or at least, for the next few decades, going to be some form of storage medium for media.

Not everyone in this world has internet access. And not everyone who has internet access has UNLIMITED bandwidth. And not everyone that has UNLIMITED internet access wants to so sit there and wait for a 50 GB game to download.

Not to mention that they would need a Blu-ray drive for PS3 backwards compatibility. And they WILL have PS3 backwards compatibility.

A PS4 without Blu-ray? If the PS4 doesn't have Blu-ray, then I wouldn't get a PS4. And neither will millions of other people.

The PS4 will have a Blu-ray drive. And since it's going to be a couple more years in the future, it'll most probably have a faster drive than the one the PS3 has.

Will the PS4 be a pure games machine stripped-down out of its expensive technology? NO. This could never happen. Nintendo did something similar. They chose to target the "casual" gamer, but that is because Nintendo had nothing to loose! They had NO fanbase left. Everyone had gone the way of the Playstation already. They did not loose a thing. But if SONY where to try to do the same, SONY would loose A LOT of their fanbase, which is mostly composed of "hardcore" gamers.

I know that if SONY chooses to create the PS4 as a "casual" gamer type of machine, then the PS4 won't be more powerful than the PS3. And if the PS4 isnt more powerful than the PS3, then I ain't going to be buying it. And I know that there's millions of people out there that feel just like me. SONY would loose all of its hardcore gamers to Microsoft. And SONY isnt going to let that happen.

IS it possible that there will be 2 versions of the PS4? Yes. Just like the PS3. One will have bigger hard-drive than the other, and a few other differences like the number of USB ports, but that's it. I believe they will still let people pretty much choose their HDD size by letting you stick in your own 2.5" HDD.

Other than that, it is OBVIOUS when you say that the RSX will be replaced by a newer graphics chip... DUH.

It'll have some form of the Cell Processor.

I DO believe that it'll have more RAM, but not TOO much more. I DO believe that it'll have faster RAM, and an even BETTER motherboard design allowing for different hardware to have even MORE bandwidth speed. I believe that that is the future of RAM. Not size but speed.

It'll use the same XMB style for the OS.

It'll have a wireless card and bluetooth.

It might not have the Memory Card slots, but it WILL have USB slots.

It will be backwards compatible with PS3 and PS2, but not PS1. PS1 games will by then be completely irrelevant. And SONY will just say, "You want to play PS1 games? Buy a PS3." It'll be MUCH more cheaper by then.

The PS4 will basicly be an enchanced PS3. And I think that the real difference will be happening in the software field rather than hardware.

And I believe that they have struck gold by allowing dedicated servers for online games. Games in Resistance NEVER lag. Not even on 42 Player maps!!! I hope this becomes a routine and more and more 1st party games hop on this sh*t. I HATE games that have to "host". And when the host disconnects the game ends.. In Resistance, even CUSTOM, player created games run on dedicated servers. So if the player who created the game leaves, the game still continues. It's little things like that that make me choose the pS3 over the Xbox 360.

[fafoon]

Is that its gonna Kick the 720's Ass
Just like the PS3 is doing with the 360

[theKiller]

and it will have the most things possible at that time to include in a console!

[juuken]

That's if Sony stop hyping things before they're ready.
That's what hurt them back in 2007 as well as the price.

Other than that, PS4 FTW. :3

[blu3print]

must stay, these analyst, technology geek type people got to realise that the gaming world does not consist of only the US and Europe etc alone, there are still some countries that only have dial up or very slow broadband. limited speeds, and that's not just going to change in 4 or 5 years. To say that they will reuse the cell as to allow reusing of code meaning most likey it would be backwards compatible, how the hell will we be able to play our disk without a drive?

[Cartesian3D]

I want to say the same, because I live in one of those country you said..

optical drive is the only choice for this global market,its cheap to produce and easy to use.. we cant download a 50GB game with 512kbps connection (omg with dial up connection it will take so long :P 1 year or sth)

[Sitdown]

Bubbles! You make a great argument.....one that I have not even heard before..but completely agree with.

[INehalemEXI]

Good point. Bubbles.

[joemayo76]

totally agree wit u guys, anyone else find it funny how these game companies (among other industries) are pushing for more and more digital content to be downloaded , while ISPs are (or pushing for) caps on download limits. Here in Canada the big ISPs ALREADY implemented caps =|

[Cajun Chicken]

But no-ones really shown us what the PS3 is honestly capable of yet, Naughty Dog, one of the Sony's best developers have only made ONE visually stunning AAA game and usually deliver a full trilogy with each game improving in art style and technically.
Insomniac have made 3&1/4 games (1/4 being Q4B) when they usually make 3 max games on one series alone.
Sucker Punch have also got 1 game we know of so far and all those developers improve every game in gameplay, artistically and graphically. If you've seen what some of those guys did on the PSone, PS2, you'll know that the games evolved leaps and bounds.
That; and Team Ico and the GoW team of course.

Fact is the PS4 ain't going to be here any time soon, because all the developers are pretty much occupied with the life of the PS3 at this time being. UNLESS that's the possibility of what the new Insomniac studio set-up for is for...HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

If the PS4 does turn up in two years, you can guarantee I won't be in on that immediately, because its going to cost a freaking bomb and as I said, most the inhouse developers will be too busy still working for games on the PS3 and I pretty much think the PS3 is heading towards perfection in my opinion.

AND of course it'll have optical drives...what, are these people fools?

EDIT: BC too, I think that some people have learnt what happens when its not universally included this generation.

[himdeel]

...the PS3 hasn't gotten to that point where the developers are squeezing every last bit of processing power from the system. This is why SONY can use and stick to a ten year model. Once we get to that squeezing phase I think we will really be impressed.

Games typically get better with time and experience once developers get a stronger grasp of how to work on a particular systems hardware. I think of the games on the PS1 and how they got better when I didn't think they could. Same can be said for the PS2.

The next HD systems after this gen will be amazing either way but this article was an interesting read nonetheless.

[Ju]

I agree. And that's why I think the PS4 will be closer to the PS3 then PS2 to PS3. They need to refactor the PS3. There's no way around this time. Use all cost saving which went into the PS3 already and pimp it up, but go even further with costs saving (either cheaper XDR or go DDR, for example). BD drive will stay, I am pretty sure about that. Hopefully a cheaper and faster drive, though.

[Grimhammer00]

I'm with Cajun on this....it's a ways off with Sony's 10yr plan. Though they have lied before, I think they believe in their 10yr plan. Which will in my opinion be a big mistake. MS will come out before them regardless...but if the window is 2-3yrs before Sony responds...let's hope at that point the Dev's are all on board the Sony train.
Also, optical drives will not go away - probably ever...unless the big 3 can implement a USB cartrige software thing. Retail would cease to exist if the big 3 axed DVD's,BLU-RAY! That would be bad news for advertising, social viral advertsing and buisness as a whole. Since DVD's and likely even Blu-Ray is cheaper than carts..we won't see USB games anytime ever....which is a shame, as load times on carts was non-existent back in the day...or am I remembering it that way? LOL

[Cajun Chicken]

The 10 year plan will work fine, because by the time the '720' comes out, the PS3 would of generally caught up on everything people have previously said its lacking.
The 10 year plan is only inspired by how long the PS2 has survived as a gaming system and looking at that model, its incredibly possible.

If you really want to see it that way; I think the '720' may have a case of the early bad times the PS3 had, because of the cost, technology and lack of first party games once launched.
Meanwhile SCE's developers will of been working full pelt and actually have more exclusives for people to buy the PS3 for than the '720' would probably have in 2 years. Which by that 2 years of '720' having games, guess who'll appear from no-where..

Thing is; MS need a set of inhouse and close developers with great records as equal as SCE's always delivering team since the PSone (yes, some were acquired for the PS2) and all the time this and last gen, I only see Microsoft's vanishing. Which is why I think they are generally, stupid.

[No FanS Land]

the console hsould have a 3.5 inch harddrive standard to every console+an empty 2.5 inch to fit your ex-ps3 harddrive.

two independant internet connections (one for online gaming and the other for media streaming, downloads)

hybrid processor: a cell processor for math intensives actions (physics calculation) and a standard (quad-core?) for better game performance.

AND more hardware controlled than software. take the xbox for example, on XBL the console controls your headset(surely the main reason why croos-game chat is so easily done on the 360) , not the game, just like their in-game music.

[Raoh]

"
AND more hardware controlled than software. take the xbox for example, on XBL the console controls your headset(surely the main reason why croos-game chat is so easily done on the 360) , not the game, just like their in-game music."

not exactly.. sony had all of those features ready to go and ran a demo of it prior to release..

microsoft bought the patent of the code that makes these things possible.. it looks like the 360 does things no other machine can because its a better console.. but in reality microsoft is just better at buying patents and cornering markets via boardroom tactics not innovation

[No FanS Land]

I agree (though I sever saw those features in a demo console)

the problem with sony is that they're quite slow, and microsoft made sure not to repeat sony's errors. But microsoft could learn from sony with hardware conception. you know one big fan to cool everything off instead of two little overspinning fans.

EDIT: Sony also made sure to put the most possible things standard(usb cord, 2.5 HDD, any bluetooth headset or usb, keyboard or mouse...) which is great for my wallet

[Raoh]

the article is fail..

sony only need update its system board and add faster blu ray drives to upcoming ps3 models..

it wont really effect older ps3 owners.. the blu ray just spins a little slower. longer loading times for older models with option of installs.

__

but the main reason why the article fails is that they are speculating what the ps4 (if there are plans to release on pace with the xbox which they are not) will have when no one knows because sony is unpredictable when it comes to its architecture... the next playstation may be more confusing than the last.............

________________

also the 360 is a beefed up xbox.. putting the ps2 to shame.. not the ps3..

they say that the 360 was the first next gen but in reality its the xbox reboot......... they are now going to release a next gen machine leaving the 360 some where below the ps3 but above the ps2..

if you slap a better graphics card and more memory into the ps2 it would compete with the 360 as is.

[Toixer]

It is interesting what he writes, that Sony build the ps3 with having the ps4 in mind. That would explain their huge investment into this machine.
But only naives conclude, that the ps4 could be released in 2016. Hirai's statement was just in regard to ps3 support, which surely doesn't include a hint to the ps4 release date.

[rhood022]

I know I may be in the minority, but I believe the PS4 should release later than the next Xbox console, if only by a few months. And here's why:

1. Pay close attention to MS during their development cycle and see what the final memory specs are, including GPU capability, for the next xbox. This is relatively easy to do because of patent laws, and double it.

From a cost standpoint, it would make sense to put resources into these two areas particularly since the overall cost of Blu-ray (the biggest reason for the high price of the PS3), HDD and the CELL processor are coming down.
By focusing on increasing the memory beyond what may be in the next xbox, you are pretty much guaranteed better games right out of the gate. In today's gamer culture, where impatient gamers want mind blowing games, or even gamers who can't decide between which console, the choice would be clear.

The only road block to this would be if Sony decides to create a new processor instead of using a newer CELL chipset. Programmers would have to figure out the new processor, which would create scenarios similar to the first year of the PS3's life. If they use a newer CELL, they would have had time to learn the basic architecture, thus making programming much easier and thus getting better results earlier in the system's life.

[Ju]

I fully agree with you. I would even go so far to say they should release it 1-2 years after the next xobx. Simply to use these two year to advance the technology even further and give them a cost advantage. If they really wanted to, they'd should introduce a PS2 1/2 as a casual filler at $99, IMO, to cut off the low entry but don't put to much pressure on high tech.
There's no doubt, by doing so, the xbox will push the envelope over the PS3. But will it be enough? It will definitively segment the xbox SW market and cut into revenue for either one (360 & 360++), while a cheaper PS3 will increase its own market(share) ? Being early the next time around will be very risky, IMO. Should that happen, Sony will not have that huge pressure on the PS4 and should release a solid product later.

[NipGrip]

Just because one console is nearly tapped out (as admitted by devs) doesn't mean the other is. It's called "future proof" meaning as time goes on, it's been built to accommodate new features and tricks devs can learn to pull off. Look at how great God of War 2 looked on the PS2 compared to some early PS2 titles. The PS3 will only get better and better and the PS4 will not be out for at *least* 5 more years. It's the 360 that will be having a new console out years before the PS3 and it will still have a tough time competing. You can only spend $300-400 on a console every so often, not every 5 years. This isn't the days of $100-200 consoles.

[jerethdagryphon]

sony anrt likly to spend another 3 billion developing a entirly new chip cells here it works (quite well) almost all of the dev cost this time was in bluray and cell thats done ps4 will be almost entilry profit

it will be a cell varient and 1gb plus ram 500gb-1.5tb drive although i wouldnt put it past them to have a non optical option sometihng new
with brd as a standard sony inovate its what they do best

[Kratos Spartan]

I would bet that the PS4 will be some kind of multiple-cell designed product with a huge amount of innovation for technology.

Playstation 4: "The Next Level"

[BYE]

There's no point in Sony releasing a new console just yet, hardware is not the limit right now, it's budget! Only a few titles in this generation who are using the hardware well, although nowhere near its limit yet, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, Gran Turismo 5. But those titles take many years to develop. The more realistic games get, the more difficult it is to create.

[Common Sense]

It's going to have 4 PPEs and 32 SPES.
6x or 8x Blu-Ray drive Quad Layer BDs
120GB-320GB HDD
GPU- Intel Larrabee or new Nvidia Chipset

[Ju]

I can agree with the list. Except Larrabee doesn't make sense. I could imagine they merge the RSX into the CELL, or even remove parts from the RSX but add others to the CELL (similar what Larrabee does. Two vector processors doesn't make sense, IMO). Larrabee's only major difference (beside caching and memory mapping) is the texture unit on the die. The rest is just a CELL with general CPU design (cache instead of SRAM, direct memory mapped CPU, no PPU, but discrete parallel PPU/SSE combos). Taking the RSX (for compatibility reasons) but use an improved texture unit, push the SPEs to 32 or so and 2-4 PPU cores, and the CELL is competitive to Larrabee by being backwards compatible to the PS3 (CELL/RSX). That would be very cool!

[PopEmUp]

nearly time to discontinued the 360 and time to moved to the 720 lol

[GodsHand]

Bring on the PS9 already.

[na2ru1]

so far he made all our playstations look slick n sexy

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

Bring back Ken!!!;)

[Droid]

you must be thinking of George Foreman.

[MAGNUM-RAM]

that's the rules of this race. If another console competes when someone drops out then xbox360 has
Let you down again.
It really doesnt matter but if you do care then your lil pony has just broke its legs & its out of this gens race which is gonna last alot more laps. Sony will keep running circles even after the race is done as prooved with the ps2 & psp.
get a life! Ps4 is a open production & open to new ideas & technology. Xbox720 is a replacement that needs to match ps3. Its over. Forget about it.
Do you really care?
Xbox360 will drop out again this gen. The competition is too experienced & too strong.
you are lucky to have xbox360 on the map for its online service & halo. But its no where near the best.
get over it & play your games today.

[sonic989]

this is way tooo early to talk about
we are only started to scratch the surface for what the cell can do
and some games cant even use 8 percent of that power
according to bioshock dev at e3 2008
i think the 720 will try to compete with ps3
like the current xbox with the ps2
CELL for ever
note : sony will not make a lame move with 4 times more they will search for a new things they will not use the cell
and MS will not release anything more powerfullll than the cell cause the cell took around 7 or 8 years in drawing board AND WITH A HYPE AROUND IT MS DOESNT HAVE ANYTHING WITH HYPE right now sooo think

[Delive]

"With a giant hard disk in the PS4, games could simply be piped straight to the console on release day; long install/level load times would be eliminated."

Not taking into account the people not connected to the network or on slower connections. At least here in America, the motive is greed. They are not going to open up the pipes of bandwidth without a high price.

Also, this will not remove the install times. What do you call the DL/Install process.

Also, I predict that like the PS3, the PS4 will arrive when after the console 2 generations ahead of it falls off. When the PS2 stops being supported, the PS4 will emerge, just like the PS1 and the PS3.

There will be no plans to remove the option to have disk based media. In 4 years, the digital download scene will not have a large enough percentage to dictate the removal of disk based media.

[sonic989]

and this an early demo of the cell
look at what it can do
compared to the new and improved cell inside the ps3

[FantasyStar]

We're barely into THIS gen and we're already talking about the next-gen? This all makes me so sad.

[ApocalypseShadow]

but next gen systems will always be coming and speculated on.ps3 is just fine at the moment.it does so much already.ken k. had a vision and roadmap that sony has followed and will follow even though he's not at the company anymore.but i'd bet he's still an advisor to sony.

but ps3 is a 10 year plan.....

1)bluray as standard and upgradeable from 25gigs.mgs4 hit 50gig and we know from different companies that 100 or more gigs per disc is possible with a firmware upgrade.i expect ps4 to have a large disc medium.it will be cheap to have by then to just include it.

2)we have seen the hard drive being upgradeable in ps3.and supported by sony themselves without void of warranty.i expect ps4 to go that route as well.

3)investing all that money in cell to just drop it for ps4 would be stupid on sony's part.i expect an upgrade to the cell model as ken k. thought of.ps2 had multiple chips and ps3 had multiple chips.i expect ps4 to have multiple chips working together also.

4)this article says ps4 should only play games first and foremost.this uneducated person who wrote the article must have forgotten that one of the reasons ps2 sold so well was because it played dvd movies.not everyone needed ps2 to play games.it was a low price way of getting in on dvd watching.either way,sony won if you bought their "GAMES" or their "MOVIES."

bluray is the same thing.you may not be able to do that with 360 or wii,but ps3 can be bought for bluray movie watching.computer entertainment isn't just "GAMES."but those with a limited system don't expect more to begin with.

but ps3 also does dvd upscaling,game playing or if you want,a powerful computer with linux."YOU" the consumer can decide what you want ps3 to do for "YOU."360 fans can't see that because all 360 does is play games and last gen media on dvd.why would sony fans expect you to think outside the box of games?you have nothing else that 360 can do.i expect ps4 to do more like ps3 does.

ps4 will be powerful.but you got a long wait to see that anytime soon.ps3 is here and increasing it's marketshare.the one thing i want to know,and if someone can answer the question......

sony has 8 spes.but one is redundant in cell if one of the others fails.but as far as i know,we have not heared anyone that has had a ps3 break down by one spe going out.so the question is...

"can sony turn on that spe to be used for games through a firmware upgrade?"

we saw psp get a firmware upgrade from 222 to 333 to run newer games like god of war.can ps3 do the same?it would mean another future proof thing for sony and ps3.

apocalypse........

[FantasyStar]

I don't think Sony will be allowing the use of the 7th SPU anytime soon. Sony disabled it to produce bigger Cell yields in the event one batch was defective. It's a cost-effective measure. I can predict the moment Sony allowed use of the 7th SPU, expect to see mountains' worth of threads on "MY PSTHREE KANT RUNZ THE GAMZES!!!!" -most likely because their Cell processor has that defective SPU that was originally meant to be disabled.

[ApocalypseShadow]

too bad i guess.but it would be cool with more added power that was secretly unlocked and taken advantage of.

okay,you answered that one,how about this one......

"can sony create a large cell based game using a large IBM cell based farm,and have ps3s log into it to play this game?"

i say this because you can log into the ps3 with psp and play some games(lair and poker are examples),watch movies and look at pictures.but psp is not producing the graphics.

what if sony created a matrix type world that everyone could log into on that farm,and it looked so real,that you would jump at the chance to get in to play.but ps3 would not be producing the graphics,the cell farm was.psp and broadband may not be fast,but it works.

what do you think on that?ps4 level graphics without having ps4.it's all on the server.

apocalypse.......

[TL24]

If Sony somehow unlocked the 7th SPU for Dev. to use! I'm not sure how BIG of a difference it would make; but i'm sure it would make a difference.

Only time will tell i guess o_O

[suntzu420]

From the Wikipedia Article for the PS3
"The PlayStation 3 uses the IBM-designed Cell microprocessor as its CPU, utilizing seven of the eight "synergistic processing elements" (often shortened to SPE). The eighth SPE is disabled to improve chip yields (i.e. chips do not have to be discarded if one of the SPEs is defective.) Only six of the seven SPEs are accessible to developers as one is reserved by the OS. Graphics processing is handled by the NVIDIA RSX 'Reality Synthesizer', which can output resolutions from 480i/576i SD up to 1080p HD. The PlayStation 3 has 256 MB of XDR main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3 video memory for the RSX."

So technically, the PS3 has 8 SPEs, with one disabled giving it 7 SPEs. 1 of those is used for the OS, so devs get to work with 6 SPEs.

[DFresh]

I can imagine a few things about the new Playstation.

-1.) Most games will be Digital Downloading.
It's already prove most devs and firms are heading in that direction even Sony is following that path.
360 started the idea of putting DD into games but Sony expanded it by letting you download full games.
ex.) GT5 Prologue, SOCOM Confrontation, Warhawk, Siren, etc.
In other words w/ both the PS4 & 720 they won't have disc based games anymore only DD for their next consoles.

-2.) We can expect Blu-ray will replace DVD and DD will be more available to the public later on in the future.

-3.) Sony will definitely try to find a more logical way to make their console a lot easier to develop for but also have a lot more power then what the PS3 has to offer. I know everything will be greatly improved and more expanded w/ the next console.

-4.) We can expect both consoles will use OLED as their next gen TV for visuals in their games.
720 will probably be in 2080P the next standard but Sony will develop a even better OLED that can play in 4080P.

-5.) I also imagine Home being more integrated into every game and be a lot more expanded w/ everything beyond games and movies.

-6.) We can also imagine that the next console will be a lot more affordable then the PS3.
Probably $300 or $400 day one of release.

-7.) I can also imagine a lot more firms will be advertising for Sony once Home is more common and promote the PS4 in anyway they can even more then the PS3.

I know Sony is gonna have a bigger advantage next gen then Microsoft.
-First to develop OLED TVs.
-First to develop full games on a DD Service.
-Best hardware devs in the world so you know they'll try to make the PS4 more affordable.
-Amazing Devs that can really show off what Playstation is all about.

We all know the PS3 will win this gen in the long run but I feel the PS4 will be even greater from day one and expand even further then what the PS1, PS2, and even PS3 could of dreamed of.

Sony has learned a lesson and they will be better prepared for the next console then the one they have now.

[StrikingDmc4]

stop ooozing ur bs you know all taht crap is not true ppl will have to sell their houses in order buy it hmm?

[Irishrocket69]

You sure do "know" a lot! I'm sure SONY would like to know things to! The PS4 will not be out until 2014 at the earliest, this I know!

[TapiocaMilkTea]

What?! obviously bluray drives isn't going to cost anything by then, it shouldn't be a problem to have bluray in the PS4. Downloading games is not going to eliminate the install time, it'll make it worst. And putting a lot of stress on the hardrive means lower life span and it'll be a pain to redownload 1tb worth of games. Also, you won't be able to bring a game to another friend's place to play.
A faster bluray drive is the only option.

[MAGNUM-RAM]

there are car shows that showcase the next line of luxury cars but this article is talking about what might be in the future concept cars. Its stupid & is conversation for day dreamers. A guy could say he hoped the concept car can fly & probly will. This person cannot be wrong in his accessment. You should be at the dealership but you are drawing conclusions of the future instead.

[heyheyhey]

hell no, the PS3 is only just starting to really flourish

no PS4 until 2015 i say

[thekingofMA]

it won't be as soon as this article suggests, but definitely not as far away as 2015

[Iceberg032]

More powerful then the 360 so it is all on Microsoft to make their next gen console the more powerful out of the to, because Sony will use a more powerful Cell proceser next gen, what will Microsoft do?

[Raoh]

thank you suntzu420

if anyone wants to revisit why the ps3 can last so long.. its redundancy.. in case of failure it cost nothing to activate the disabled spe..

if they want to give the ps3 longer than ps2 life.. eventually enable the last spe.. if one has already been activated due to one being failed.. no worries by that time of activation the costs of repair will be minimal compared to early rrod repair costs..

(all speculation on my part.. i'm not saying this is the plan but a possibility)

[Vip3r]

I reckon the PS4 will be something like.

10x more powerful CPU than the Cell. Could be one specifically made for gaming.
8GB RAM
GPU similar to a highend DX11 card
1 or 2 TB HDD
Very fast BD drive
PPU?
Powerful audio chip
Same exellent build quality

Just a guess.

[mac4u10]

Yea but all dat togther would cost a lot of money with all this ps4 or xbox720 both companys needs to sell their hardware at a profit so i dought we will be seein all this spec on the so called future consoles for a very longtime.

[Radiodread]

how bout ps9 like the commercial awhile back with the spores goin into your brain. God I hope sony does that someday...

[jerethdagryphon]

on a silicon wafer the %ange of failed cores in some way is extremly high during pentium 3 era companys learned that defective cache didnt mean no chip
a celeron is a clocked down failed pentium
a phenom x3 is a x4 with a defective core
the 8 spes on cell one is disabled by hardware because of the failure rate on such a complex chip
this one only has 7 working chuck it.. no they lock one down on each after testing the worst proforming one is disabled maybe 1 byte of cache is faulty it boost chip yield it is not for redunceny nor can it be activated.

i agree that sony should launch after m$ so they can see final specs and tweak there own finals to beat it
they would be foolish to drop cell so much was invested in it
that would be like going to 32 bit cpus after investing billions in 64 bit

:)

facts are facts

[Xiru]

The only weakness of the PS3 are:

-Speed of the Blu-Ray drive. Faster drive = no more installs! Yay?

-Ram. While it is indeed 512mb overall, the XMB takes a piece of it, and developers have complained about getting use of all the ram. I would suggest 1gb minimum for the PS4.

-Dual Shock 3... No more trigger buttons please! Give us back the dual shock 2!

-Backwards compatibility. Just do it... People don't like having to keep their PS2 hooked up.

-XMB. Its good, but keep working on it. Moving around can be kinda rough sometimes.

To make the PS4 the best it possibly can be, please include the following:

-Solid State Hard Drive. Speed = win! By the time PS4 comes out, they should be dirt cheap.

-Quad core video card. :)

-True 1080p for all games, and freaking trophy support for all games.

Do this Sony, and you will win the hardcore market with little trouble. Oh yeah and try to keep it under 400 bucks this time...

[Expy]

If there is a Digital-download-ONLY console next generation... it will FAIL.

[Cynical-Gamerzus]

SSD along with 2 GB of system Ram and the games are gonna scream at you!! Next Gen!!
SSD is the future Samsung has a 200MBytes per sec one out now!!!!
I dont care if its a 120 GB SSD drive make it SSD!!

In 5 to 7 years SSD is gonna hit over 300-400 MB per sec!!

Sony or MS better USE SSD this can revolutionize gaming!! screw more cores an bluray how about super fast streaming and loads at 400 MB per second!!

[PotNoodle]

To be honest, any developer who actually knows how to program properly would know if they used the hardware like they are supposed they would not be complaining about the memory of the console, you know ask any pc gamer, having faster ram is better than having more ram - so why are these lot not complaining about the ram of other consoles? I'm not trying to start something off between console owners here, more like having a jab at the developers but:

Xbox360:
512mb gddr3 system ram @ 700mhz
Playstation3:
256mb XDR system ram @ 3.2Ghz
256mb ddr3 video ram @ 550mhz

I don't want to start a fanboy war off or anything, both are very capable setups - i just don't understand how only a few develoeprs can complain about the setup yet others praise it? Surely its just down to poor programmers?

[Lord Shuhei Yoshida]

The PS4 will be here in 2016.

[Ngai]

If microsoft releases a new console at this moment they're calling their death.

[Citizen Cook]

Not much of a leap, and no innovation...

They've already lost this generation because they will never make money, they might as well TRY and beat M$ to the next gen post with a Cheaper PS3.5... aka PS4...

[skyfire2261]

I have to disagree. I have a cable internet connection much like you have by the sounds of it and i can download a 1gb demo in about 5 min. hardly a long wait. A game the size (movies and all) of MGS4 would probably take about a half hour for me.

I guess there are many factors that contribute to downloading but I have never had to wait days on end. Some of the complaints about downloading content are quite exaggerated i think.

As for the PS4. I agree with the author in the sense we will see Sony do what Nintendo did with the Wii. Use the previous gens hardware. This really does make sense for the long run and Sony has set themselves up for the win next gen. I really doubt hype will strike twice for nintendo next gen and I think they will be forced to create new hardware.

One thing I would like the PS4 to use is Flash media for it's games. Sony already has there own format (memory stick) and I think they just came out with a new one thats really fast i think? There are just so many advantages to flash over optical. Only thing against it right now is capacity/size ratio's but that's changing fast.

With games being released on Flash based media we won't need installs. no load times and less packaging. I doubt the cost would be any different then what we pay for games now anyway. I mean come on sizes are increasing and costs are falling.

I know i was just saying with Saiyanfury about downloads and even with flash based media we could still have downloadable content and such.

Just think of it. finally we could have a system with little to no moving parts. Fans and hdd noted. but then again, I imagine Sony will still let us upgrade our HDD ourselves to whatever we want and by then SSD will much cheaper and bigger ;).

[tk]

With the Cell, the PS3 took a whole new direction. The PS2 was wonderfully weird as well. However, with the tech now becoming mature - we will most probably see them leverage this - which will mean less development cost - much more muscle under the hood - as they will just improve on the current tech. Don't see them for example use something else than the Cell.

So we should most probably expect a much more capable Cell, much more capable GPU (NVidia most likely). Which would mean that it would be 100% backward compatable with the PS3.

Also - due to the software becoming more mature - we will see a much more mature SDK this time around.

For the disk - BR will most probably stay.

[Naked-Snake]

Gives a whole new meaning to the word Fanboy.

[DJ]

With about 32 SPU units, and 4 PPU units (based on IBM's diagrams), 8GB of RAM, a faster blu-ray drive, easily 250GB hard drive, new nVidia GPU, and an even faster bandwidth system.