Outgoing Sony exec Kutaragi already planning PS4

Playstation inventor Ken Kutaragi, who will retire as chairman and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. on June 19, is already thinking ahead to Playstation 4 and beyond.

In an exclusive interview with EE Times, Kutaragi said: "As a matter of course, I have the vision of Playstation 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network."

[XxZxX]

That's his job for now. Technological Advisor.

Btw FIRST!!

[QuackPot]

Did he push the inclusion of the Blu-ray or the developer-unfriendliness of the Cell processor design? Why didn't they go for 1G ram instead of 512? If he allowed Linux to be installed why not just preload their own sleek, fast, optimized version(Sony Linux OS) instead of leaving it to buyers to do?

Alot of mistakes were made with the Ps3, the biggest being the inclusion of Blu-ray. The CD was the standard media format when PS was released; the DVD was the dominant format for Ps2. But the HD format standard has not been determined yet so BD should not have been included. It should have been an optional upgrade.

Ps3 should have been released in Nov 2005 with a standard DVD RW media device, 1G Ram, Sony Linux preinstalled. Even without Rumble enabled and so-so games, this would have pawned xbox 360. It's a PC Console - media center, gaming, internet, productivity. And it would have sold for $350. The xbox 360 would have never got a years headstart and the opportunity to build a large impressive library of games and net service.

The same mistakes won't be made with Ps4 but I hope Ken doesnt have too much say. He did a great job with ps & ps2 but he is now well past his use-by date.

Because of his mistakes, Ps3 has a lot of catch up to do....but Sony will eventually be victorious.

[GunPants]

5D. here we come!!
that guys crazy!

[Marriot VP]

it only makes sense to go to 5D, when the PS3 has already achieved 4D

[tehcellownu]

go to give it up to krazy ken..haha..

[snoop_dizzle]

why isn't there an outcry for another sony console.

Boy when there was rumors of another xbox(and i mean after the elite) people were screaming bloody murder. Now granted people were worried about the price, but id take that news like you take this news.

The rumored Xbox was probably was their next gen console.

Either way, from a recent story(i think its actually on this site or some other), internet connection are going to get super fast, meaning that digital distribution could be the future for the PS4 and Xbox"720".

Though i kinda wish they still used a actual physical format.

But just look at the music industry. Even though i still like to physically have something.

what are your thoughts?

Do you think digital distribution will take over for better or worse?

[Kyur4ThePain]

at quality levels I want to see is probably a long way off still.
I do NOT want to download or stream something that is only DVD quality...I've been spoiled by HD.
The speeds that were reportedly attained will not be available to you and I for a long, long time.

[Bathyj]

Maybe PS4 is pretty much built, at least in theroy.

200GB BR, the latest GPU and 3 cell chips. All the hard works been done already.

[PS3 Owns All]

Indeed, 3 Cell chips which will be 21 PROCESSORS all in 1 box, 3 which will be deactivated!! Those 3, will be, activated through, firmware updates in the future! PLAYSTATION 4!

[bootsielon]

It will have a next-gen cell, i.e. a 32 core, 32 nanometer process cell, running at higher cycles. Not only will it have the latest GPU, but it'll also have a PPU and an AIPU. 200 GB BR-D and 8 Gigs of unified RAM. Its online service won't be lagging behind Xbox LIVE as it was in the beginning of our current era, since they will have cought up.

Nearly every PS1 and PS2 titles will be available for download. PS3 will be sold for 150 dollars by then, and PS4 will be sold for 399 or even less.

The controller will be a new variation of the Dualshock/Sixaxis. You can split it in two wireless parts, just like the Wiimote, but it'll still be able to become a one piece controller to play classic games. Imagine Fight Night Round 5 with that kind of controller.

Resolutions will reach [email protected]

[lilgringo]

So you believe we've evolved so much when PS4 releases that our eyes will be able to tell the difference between 60fps and 120fps, and that everyone own a 100" hdtv screen so we need a 2160p resolution?? You're breaking my balls man! You're breaking my balls!

And just a notice to all the morons out there: FPS is NOT equal to GRAPHICS

[snoop_dizzle]

we probably wont see these speed s for a while, but then again, we might not see next gen consoles for a while. At least the PS4.

And yeah, i'm sorta a collector, not a big one, but i just think it will probably turn to distribution sadly.

[techie]

Kutarigi is a legend...and you will see his legend in the PS3 as it gains popularity once its price goes down. The cell processor came out of his mind and developers and companies are already impressed with its power and functionality. He always designs machines that take a while to get a hold of, but that means they have a much longer life. Even in GOW2 they said they had some power left over so they could make an extra "HD mode"...he really is a genius.

[ErcsYou]

ken decided to step down (up) himself, he was not forced out like some dip sh!ts think. why stick around in system development if their wont be another system for 6 years? he wants to develop new things but i guarantee he will also design any new Playstation system to that comes out. this guy has had ideas floating around in his head for 10 years. sony was probably more than happy to see what else this mad man can do. sony is going to change the video game industry in the next 3 years and ill be their supporting them all the way.

[ASSASSYN 36o]

No one truly knows why but failing sales for PSP.....check, lack of good games for PS3.....check, high price tag for PS3.....check, whacked out PR ads and statements.....oh yeah, labeling the PS3 as a computer.....k thats cute'
Kenny you are fired!

And as history has proven with you little boys these facts will be ignored...again.

[sak500]

lol...And Ken while you're at it take barbie (Kaz) with you. They'd be better off w/o him as well.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

PSP being the only handheld to ever hold up against a new Nintendo. Check.

PS3's game line-up looking great through 2010. Check.

Over 200 games in developement. Check.

Dude...you really shouldn't look at how the PS3's doing now...because Sony didn't fire Kutaragi when the N64 was outselling the PS1 or when the Gamecube launched and everyone wanted it. (we all found out that it sucked)

Sony looks at the future...and not the now...MICROSOFT!

I know you're messing with us PS3 owners about Waiting Beyond...but I'm fine playing R:FOM with no LAG and a greater draw-distance than what the 360's capable of. I also mainly play Battlefield 2 on my PC though. It's not like we're stuck waiting dude. Lair comes out soon. This year is freakin' insane for games on both systems...not for the Wii though. Super Mario Galaxy...prepare to hold up your system!

I'm so bored with you fanboys...

[DJ]

But with the proper amount of restraint, people like Kutaragi can help push the boundaries of consumer products. His dreams are very far out there, but allowing him and his teams to try and achieve that is very important. Production of Playstation 3 was very expensive (in fact, he wouldn't even disclose the fact that they went overbudget to Howard Stringer initially) but the Playstation brand is known for constantly raising the bar.

I'm sure plenty of people within Sony Corp told him it'd be cheaper to not put in HDMI, to not license FlexI/O, to not use XDR RAM, to forget about Blu-ray, but luckily he stuck as close as he could to his original vision. His place in Sony though really is dependent on the performance of PS3. If it fails, don't expect them to keep him around very long. But if it succeeds in winning this round then that'll solidify his importance to the chairmen.

He's an engineer, not a spokesperson. It's better for people like Phil and Kaz to take care of those duties. Based on the design of the PS3, it's obvious that Playstation 4 is going to be a literal sequel. Previous PS platforms have been quite different from each other, but the next one is not only utilizing an nVidia GPU (contract was signed in March 2006) but also a new version of Cell which is supposed to have 4 PPEs and 32 SPEs. Yeah, 36 cores. IBM's crazy. It will also use Blu-ray though, and that's simply because Blu-ray can do up to 200GB. No need to use a new format anytime soon.

Microsoft is in a tough position because they're taking the Sony route and creating their own chip as well. It's very beneficial in that it gives them free reign as hardware designers, but it also means that learning the new architecture will be initially difficult for developers. PS4 devs on the other hand will actually be able to recycle code that they worked on for PS3 titles and watch it perform even faster since they'll be using an improved version of Cell. That's the real battle coming up; PS3 and Xbox 360 are just hints at what's about to happen, and a lot of people will begin to realize why 'Krazy Ken' risked so much. Let's just hope we get to see that day..

[ErcsYou]

your comment was better than the story, spoken like a true gentleman.

RE: disagree? why? i dont understand? NO TROLLS ALLOWED

[Bebedora]

Well spoken and thanks for the info!

[cdawson]

He has done alot for Sony's gaming area, but the things he's been saying since the Ps3's launch is making him look more senile than a genius.

[ben hates you]

i think the next box should be XBOX:EVOLUTION 4gig xdr gddr4 at least build a video card far beyond what computer's offer and all awesome games and online. and dj ms should still keep pc coding so they would rain supreme with dev's still, ps3 can never compete against a computer its rep is that it is a gaming machine and it is so it won't make one or more per household like pc

[ErcsYou]

i can see it now, mircosoft makes its first desktop computer and calls it a xbox

[ben hates you]

is to continue for sure with playstation

[BIadestarX]

If what sony is saying is true (PS3 will last 10 years)... I wonder how accurate they can estimate the kind of harware that will be available during that time + what people will be interested on.

[bootsielon]

...10 years, even when PS2 came out 5-6 years after PS1. PS4 will probably come out 5-6 years after PS3 came out, but PS3 will have a long life too, just like PS2 will probably attain 150 million sold through its lifetime. I believe PS2 could even surpass 10 years.

[QuackPot]

You have only to look at the ancient h/w, PS2 to see how such long life cycles can be achieved.

Have you seen what you get with God of War 2 with 32M Ram? Show me a game today on a modern PC - let alone 333 mhz CPU - with a low spec graphic card, NO HDD and only 32M Ram which is as good if not better than GoW2.

Unlike PCs, you write the software for the hardware - to maximize the h/w full potential.

Also, the pure game console is dead. The PC console(gaming, internet, media center, productivity) is the future...and it saves you $$ as you don't have to upgrade every two years as you do with PCs. You get at least 7 years life before moving onto the next gen console. One hardware purchase for 7 years. Just buy a PC Console(eg Ps3) not a console and PC. Sensible really. It'll save you thousands$.

Remember: most PC users don't need a high spec PC for their everyday use. Serious gamers are a minority. Most console users actually have a life.

Now Ken had vision - he deliberately allowed the use of Linux on the Ps3. He, like myself who is a Deltan(check bio), didn't close his mind to having a PC and Console in a single unit. Unfortuantely, most foolishly believe they must be separate. What a backward way of thinking. Have some vision or imagination.

[Theo1130]

about them talking about a 10 years cycle?

[THELANDSOFSAND]

coming to a lamestore near you in 2008-

"PS4: THE REVENGE OF KRAZZZY KEN!"

"Be Afraid, very Afraid"

hahahahahahah

don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out ken

[ErcsYou]

lame

[Bebedora]

...of southpark for a while there too.

[sak500]

Since he cannot use Playstation name for his revenge console, maybe he can team up with the guys developing Phantom console and lend them a helping hand.

[level 360]

...give the guy his due respects for delivering us the mighty PS1, PS2 to play our brains off. It's good for him to retire at his peak w/ the PS3, a good console only plagued by it's unreasonable price, and very low number of titles. Sony badly needs a new guy and with new ideas to get the PS console back w/ the competition...

[Imknow1]

Wasn't he the main man boasting about how the PS3 has a life span of 10 years? Are you kidding me? :D

[CrazzyMan]

anyway, after 1 year everything will change =)
and ps3 will dominate, than they will bring back Kenny =)

[tk]

Don't take a techie and make him a bad manager. Let the techie do what comes natural to them, and let the brand manager and other disciplines do what they do best.

With all the mistakes, Ken did lay the foundation for at least the next PS machine the PS4. It will be a much smoother transition than the XB720. The next PS will most probably be a machine with a Cell CPU - upgraded or multiple Cell's. The XB720 on the other hand will most probably have, yet again, a totally new architecture - in terms of CPU.

The Nvidia graphics CPU will most probably be better this time around, because I would guess that they will stick with the NVidia GPU, but this time with the whole design cycle time to think it through, not just slap it on at the end of the cycle.

The BluRay should be fine for the next gen, 200GB should do it. nd it will be really really funny, because this time around MS will most probably also have a BluRay drive - which they will only announce the day the machine gets launched - to minimize the PR embarrassment.

MS will most probably be a bit more under pressure to get some form of financial viability out of the Home Entertainment division, because investors will not put up with a drain on financial s while Nintendo who was the total underdog for this gen, came from behind and is clobbering all with the Wii. And made a profit from the get-go, while MS will not likely see a penny of profit this generation again.

But yes, good move to get Ken to not head the company - he seems to be challenged in that aspect. Let him dream and advise, come up with strategy - but let the production guys come in on equal level and tell the top management if Ken has time for another technological step, or if the feature freeze on all components is just in time at the same time to maximize spec for production. The one bad decision that most probably cost him the top spot, was the RSX. IT is OK, competitive with the XB360 GPU, but given an extra year to production, it could have whooped ass, and now needs the Cell to help it out. A whole year on a critical component where specs seems to double year on year - not good. Smacks of miscommunication amongst departments.

[WilliamRLBaker]

Nintendo all ways makes profit, They made profit pretty much all of last gen as well, so them making profit this time around is no biggy, And why would their be PR embarresment if microsoft next system has a BR drive it means BR won, And microsoft said if the BR won then they would support it, But they supported HD DVD cause they thought it was the better format.

[DJ]

And it's not that the RSX needs Cell to do basic functions, it can simply rely on Cell's SPEs to set up the scenes before RSX chews through them. Xenos has the benefit of being able to choose between Vertex and Pixel shader functions (very flexible) but the Xenon CPU can't be relied upon to help out since it usually doesn't have any available cores. Typically, 360 titles use two cores for the game code and the third core for decompression/audio.

It's completely optional, but there's a lot of benefits to doing Vertex functions (such as pre-culling) on the CPU before sending that data over to the GPU. RSX is heavily skewed towards Pixel functions since it utilizes dedicated pipelines, so that means with SPE assistance (only requires one) RSX can be pushed on Pixel functions even harder. Really, it's just about improving graphical fidelity since it allows for more polygons and improved rendering. Lair, Uncharted, Warhawk, Final Fantasy, and some other notable titles are doing this already.

[iceice123]

One thousand dollars, he wants you to have discipline!

[BrainDead]

If it wasn't for Ken, you Xbox drones would not have your precious 360.

Funny how people are jealous of the man.

Heck he has earned more than you will in your entire pathetic life ha ha.