Devs Gather Support for an Unannounced Console

PlayStation LifeStyle writes:

Will it be Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo? Or could a new console be in the works from another corporation looking to fight for consumers hard earned money in the console wars? One thing is for sure, we've found evidence of a developer scouting for talent to work on an "unannounced console platform"…

[SpoonyRedMage]

Dreamcast 2.

[Kain81]

maybe Dreamcast portable

[doctorstrange]

with the ibox or something, thats what Jack Tretton said was most likely

[QSPR]

a new console!!! right now i'm too busy with all the newest games out and coming soon,i don't wanna spend more money now in another console.... you know I get operation flash point,uncharted 2 (paid) modern warfare 2 (paid) mag (paid) bad company 2 (paid) demon's soul, forza (paid) splinter cell conviction (paid) GT5 (paid)etc etc etc etc... please don't do that i'm broke right now

[will11]

Have you ever thought of video games as a war to be the best? Well, right now there is a war going on between the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) and the Microsoft Xbox 360 (360). The PS3 has several capabilities that the 360 does not. The PS3 also has a better price point and it may have better games in the near future.
First off, the PS3 has capabilities that override the 360. For example, the PS3 has a main menu that you can use to store several different media such as music, pictures, and videos. The PS3 has the ability to put your own music from an Ipod on it so you do not need to buy a stereo system to listen to music. The 360 does have that option, but it is very limited. The PS3 can transfer any movie from any USB flash drive. The 360 does not allow you to do this without a live connection. Also, the PS3 allows you to transfer all of your pictures on the PS3 directly from the universal memory card reader, flash drive, or over the internet. In comparison the 360 does not have a universal memory card reader or an internet browser. The PS3 also has built in Wi-Fi which allows you to connect to the internet wirelessly. Wi-FI is also known as wireless internet. The 360 does have this option, but you must buy it on the side and it plugs in the Ethernet port. An Ethernet port is a port that you plug in an Ethernet cable allowing you to connect online with it. The PS3 comes with a 60 gigabyte (GB) built in hard drive, and it is also removable. You can install a 750 GB hard drive allowing you to have almost 101 hours of video or over 30,000 songs. The 360 only has a 20 GB hard drive and you cannot get any bigger than that. A hard disk drive (HDD) is a massive storage device that enables you to store media such as movies, pictures, games, music, and much more. It is what is most commonly used in all computers. You can copy your own videos right from your video camera or go on the PS3 web browser and download movies. The 360 requires you to buy movies from the Xbox live store and it costs around $50 for a complete movie. The PS3 has Blu-Ray, and Blu-Ray is a high definition (HD) movie player that lets you watch HD videos that are up to 1080p. This comes standard with the PS3. . If you want this feature for the 360 it requires you to buy an additional accessory which costs an outstanding $200! The PS3 also has motion sensing abilities. For example, if you are playing a flying game you can tilt the controller to the left and the plane will turn left. The PS3 has online play in almost all of its games and the online is free. The 360 has online for some of its games and the online play requires a yearly fee. That brings me to price points.
The PS3 has a high price point to begin with. It is $600 for the premium version. The 360’s premium version is only $400 dollars, but it requires several other accessories to even get close to comparing to the almighty PS3. The PS3 has several things that come free with the system and costs hundreds of dollars for the 360. The PS3 has HD videos, free online, and more options than the 360. Let’s do some math. The 360 costs $400. Add $200 for the HD and add $50 a year for online Xbox Live. Let’s say you pay for Xbox live for five years. That’s $250. Now let’s add. That is $900 which is $300 more than the PS3. Not to mention the PS3 has almost double the processing power and nearly triple the options than the 360 has to offer. So, even though the 360 looks cheaper than the PS3, the PS3 is actually cheaper then the 360. The 360 is more expensive and has less power but, it does not matter how much power there is; the game developers must use the power to make a better machine.
Lastly, the PS3 has fewer game selections right now. However, the PS3 gives game developers a chance to make the game a lot more detailed because the PS3 has so much power. The PS3’s processing speed is significantly faster than the 360. Most people think the PS3’s best game right now is Resistance Fall of Man; In this game a first person shooter saves Europe and Asia from being invaded by aliens. This game shows off just a little of the PS3’s processing speed, proving that the PS3 has a lot more capabilities. By comparison, the 360 has a popular game called Gears of War. It is a game that uses nearly all of the 360 power to play the game. The PS3 has the ability to have better games and more fun involvement in the games.
All in all, the PS3 can be the ultimate next generation system with the 360 just falling behind. The 360 is proven to be a previous generation system that does not have all the power or capabilities to even compare to the PS3. The PS3 has several capabilities the 360 does not have, a better price point, better games, and more involvement in the games in the near future making the PS3 a better overall game system.

[Jamescagney]

will11, that's an impressive wall of text. I didn't read it, but it's impressive.

[Qazdaz]

Nice novel.

[Motion]

This whole comment seems a bit outdated. The 360 has online in more than just "some" games, and the ps3 pricepoint isn't anywhere near $600 now, as well as not having a weak game selection - just to point out a couple flaws in your argument. I'm thinking you copy and pasted this comment from over a year ago?

[Maddens Raiders]

I haven't seen that much passion here in a long, long time. 0_o

[Jamescagney]

There's no stopping will11 now, he's on a roll. Can't wait for the next chapter.

[Static-X]

C + P job, Shame nobody will read it.

[Knghtz]

My favorite part of your story was when you conquered most of Asia and still found time later to beat up hitler.

[hassi94]

Some of that was actually true (the stuff about the PS3 having more features etc.), I was starting to tout you as a fanboy that isn't too much of an idiot - but then;

"The PS3 has online play in almost all of its games"
"The 360 has online for some of its games"

Seriously, what the **** is with that!?!?

"The 360 only has a 20 GB hard drive and you cannot get any bigger than that."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

"The 360 requires you to buy movies from the Xbox live store and it costs around $50 for a complete movie."

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS GUY!?!?!?!?!?

God you need to get out more, you wrote like 2 full essays of writing in this article - get a life or if you don't want that just go play some games on the PS3 (where apparently even when the features are exactly the same they're a little bit better on the PS3 haha)!

[Persistantthug]

Mr. will11,

You really need to discover the lost art (lost art for you, apparently) of summarizing, condensing, and paragraph separation.

Also,

Since when is the PS3 $600 or an XBOX 360 $400 in 2009?

[Raziel McGee]

wow someone needs to do some research but I will say it does provide the true gamers on this site entertainment. I rather enjoyed his little fit but kept thinking
to my self he really needs to get laid or just remove the sony teat from his mouth

[decimalator]

Wow, who let the trolls out?

[pixelsword]

1. Microsoft seems to be digging-in with the 360/Natal composite, and if Natal uses the vibration vest, it could out-do the Wii in terms of virtual interaction; plus Japanese developers seem to be very keen on Natal, which could make a huge breech for Microsoft in Japan, since the Japanese seem to be into things like that. The biggest clue, perhaps, is when Microsoft released the HD requirement for the 360; because many, many game could be split-screen, which could be a problem rendering in HD for Natal for every game by every developer.

2. The PS3's Cell processor is ahead of the GPU and FPGA, so even if an all new next-gen console dropped in 2010 using current GPU and FPGA chipsets, it won't be able to currently outperform the Cell according to a programmer who programmed on all three chipsets:

http://www.n4g.com/News-199...

so if the PS3 is rushed out of the door, it would be Sony's biggest blunder yet. The fact that they are investing in motion controls also seems to be suggesting that they are digging-in with the PS3.

3. The Wii made Nintendo a profit since day one, and has been doing so ever since, but the Wii is losing ground to the PS3. Nintendo is the only current console producer without "HD", so an HD Wii using the current Wii controller would be Nintendo's smartest move, especially since an HD Wii will be directly compatible with Sony's up and coming motion controller.

[will11]

Let me clear up some confusion. The essay at 1.4 was written by me in January 2007 when all that information was correct

[dachiefsman]

@will: I am sorry to interrupt you, but Tolkien had the greatest wall of text ever.

[Jamescagney]

@dachiefsman

Lol!

[UnSelf]

(whew) its a good thing Will11 knows what a forum/blog post is...

...he DOES know what a forum/blog is doesnt he?

[chaosatom]

ROFL. The comments are so fun to read :)

[frostypants]

My money is on the PS4. Sure, the PS3 has a few years left in its lifecycle, but I don't doubt that the PS4 will be hitting the street in 2 or 3 years. Given the extreme scalability of the Cell and a desire to not force developers to learn yet another new architecture, and the decreasing associated manufacturing costs, I imagine Sony will simply take the existing PS3, drop in an additional Cell chip or two and a better GPU, plus some obligatory motion-control gimmick (meh), come up with a snazzy new cabinet, and call it a day. I imagine such a strategy would also make backwards compatibility a snap. It should also keep the initial offering price far below that of the release price of the PS3.

[rockleex]

Obviously.

[cyberwaffles]

didn't super secret mention a new psp coming around after the pspgo?

[Darkseider]

The only thing that makes sense would be the PSP2 since it is just about time for Sony to drop a new handheld. The Wii, DS Lite/DSi, XBox 360 and PS3, PSP 3000/PSP Go are gonna be around for quite a while yet. The only other thing I can think of is a MS produced handheld.

[Sev]

Agreed, the PS3 is just getting started :)

http://n4g.com/ps3/News-409...

That's proof!

@ Below, that is very possible.

[decimalator]

Wouldn't surprise me if it was a Microsoft handheld. Maybe they're turning the Zune into a PSP-alike?

[doctorstrange]

yeah, that is very possible

[BYE]

I doubt it, the handheld market is saturated. There are three devices out right now, that's a lot for handhelds.

But then again, it's Microsoft. They like to jump into saturated markets.

[decimalator]

More precisely, Microsoft likes to enter saturated markets by buying out all of the competition and then causing said market to stagnate and rot into a putrid pile of poo. And then when someone else tries to bring something fresh, they crank their FUD machine into high gear.

[cliffbo]

whatever it is it will have an intel GPU/CPU.

[JonnyBigBoss]

VERY interesting.

[Sev]

My personal opinion is that we don't need a new console yet. Not when there is games being made like this...

http://n4g.com/ps3/News-409...

[SuperM]

I'd agree it is to early with a new home console. But a new portable shouldnt be to far off. Im guessing they might be working on a launch game for the PSP2. I dont think it will launch before 2011 though which should be late enough for a massive upgrade from the original PSP.

They are most likely very early in production and sony would want to have alot of games ready at launch so i think its reasonable to say its 2 years off.

[Kain81]

cause i remember Iwata said that the Wii´s life cycle would be 3-4 years
so it makes more sense in my Opinion...

But it could be Apple too

[decimalator]

An Apple console would be very interesting. Of course, there wouldn't be any games for it. ;-)

[Knghtz]

Plus you would have to get controller adapters for your controller adapters to play local multiplayer.

[dopeboimagic92]

Oh wow, this is pretty big. Great find!

[sikbeta]

I read somewhere that fatboy gabe newell said that GeOW 3 will be made for the next gen, so xbox 3 maybe?

why the disagree? I wrote "FATBOY Gabe Newell" not "FANBOY Gabe Newell"

Now that's what I call Blind Fanboy, If you don't see that Gabe Newell is FAT you need glasses

[militant07]

I think they disagree because its has nothing to do with Gabe,

GeOW is EPIC game, and Gabe works at Valve.

[sikbeta]

But, I didn't say anything BAD about GeOW, again I read somewhere that skinnyboy Gabe Newell said that GeOW 3 will be made for the next gen and Valve have an exclusivity deal with M$, that's all

[sack_boi]

His name is Gabe Newell, not "fatboy Gabe". He's just a game developer and like Kojima, Ted Price... he chose a platform. Stop hating and get a life.

[Knghtz]

LEAVE GABE ALONE!!!

ALL YOU WANT IS MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!

[Ausbo]

no one cares about gabe newell being fat.
OH wait let me rephrase that: NO one but ps3 fanboys on this site care that newell is fat.

Seriously, probably half of the gamers on this site is FAT.
America is FAT.
It is not like a videogame designer being fat is like seeing an alien.
Yes you can be upset about his comments. I don't like him either and i only have a 360, but i don't need to call him fat to feel better about myself and my system.

[sikbeta]

Sorry I forget that Fanboys loves their Devz like some kind of God, Perfect, Almighty and very Polite, Lord Gabe Newell from now on

[Pandamobile]

Sikbeta somehow mistook Valve for Epic.

What a tool.

[Knghtz]

Yea I noticed that too.

Yikes...

[sikbeta]

What a shame, I'm such a noob, sorry guys, I'll not edit to remember that I'm still a human and I can make mistakes sometimes

[militant07]

I meant gears of war is EPIC game ( the developers...)

[DoucheVader]

A portable Xbox.

[Sangria]

It would be interesting if EA launched their own console, but i more believe Sony is developing a PSP 2. I wont say PSP is a failure, but the excessive piracy, the price and the lack of family-friendly status make it hard to compete with the DS.

[MaximusPrime]

i love that fan-made concept of ps4. Really hope sony will look into that (i doubt it)

Anyway, on topic, i have no idea what consoles and i dont care.

[lh_swe]

But yeah I think it would be wise to keep these consoles on the market for a long time, I mean they have just barely come out and the games we are seeing are just phenomenal, not just graphically but gameplay wise.
I wanna see developers really start to struggle before they should even consider a next gen batch of consoles.

[Pandamobile]

I'd like a PSP2. A hand held with PS2 quality graphics would be pretty cool.

[Sev]

Now that I have a PSPgo, I wish it had a touch screen, and phone capabilities.

If Sony increases the processing power, the ram, and adds a touch screen and phone to the PSP2, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[Pandamobile]

The PSP GO is lame on so many levels. The PSP has had, what, 4 or 5 years now. Time to start on a new one.

[TheBand1t]

I'd like my PSP2 with a 2nd joystick nub...

[raztad]

I dont want a PSP2. That would split the whole fanbase, and it will put Sony in a very hard position to support both handhelds. IMO PSP Go is pretty fine, I'll get one as soon as it becomes more affordable ($200).

Regarding the visuals, have you seen GT psp? Metal Gear Solid: PW?, this year titles are pushing the psp capabilities to the limit and games are approaching PS2 best performers. Not to mention that the market leader, the DS, is a piss poor handheld in terms of graphic power so I dont see any real need or urge to get a more powerful device. It would be just overkilling.

[PLAYSTATIONGENRATION]

the psp has p2 comparable graphics..the next hand held will have xbox comparable graphics

[GaMa85]

I don't think it will be a new PSP because sony just released the PSP Go,maybe a new console maker or xbox 720?

[lh_swe]

A new console maker?

Atari? Sega? who could possibly want to make such a bold move as to enter a console so late? Looking back it hasn't worked out that great for those that have, but it's still an entertaining idea.

[renegade]

A apple console?

[Pandamobile]

That would suck.

If you thought the PS3 was expensive at launch, just wait and see what Apple prices theirs at if they ever made one.

[Chaos Striker]

No doubt the Apple fans will gobble it up though, lol

[v1c1ous]

to try and get a slice of the pie

[Grown Folks Talk]

As well as apple jelly, apple jolly ranchers, apple juice, apple pucker...

[EpsilonTeam]

Not another console i'm already broke.

[lh_swe]

I bought 3 consoles this gen and I'm the verge of re-buying one(360, mine is taking it's last gasps of air by the looks of it).

It wouldn't be very smart to enter this late, with the competition so far ahead, in a recession with all the other consoles at very reasonable prices for the amazing tech they offer, it would be damn near impossible to pull of a stunt like this though.

[K-man00]

everyone knows it is the Zeebo right./sarc

[ForROME]

Hmm

Sega= Doubt it no room for them to lose more money

Apple= Althought I think they want to get in, I think the Iphone is there way into the markety for now they will flex that then consider a console, but I wouldnt count a console out eithier from them

Sony= No way it would divide thier market and confuse people if they came out early

Xbox= I still think they will have a 250GB 299 Natal built in system

Wii= who cares

[Knghtz]

I care :(

Oh, a disagree? Oh never mind apparently I don't care :(

[Elven6]

There were rumors that Sega was working on a new console/handheld that would be announced in late 2009/2010 and based of their Arcade hardware IIRC, I forgot what site it was but they got a C & D from Sega over the apparently leaked documents.

[Aquarius]

There's already 3 competitors on the market, for another company to come out with a console that'll be senile.

Unless ofcourse HYPTAL really fails hard (which it will BTW;) then it'll be more probable. Since you know the flopmixmeh has been maxed out a year ago.

FLOPZA 2.5 supports this...
I wonder what company will bring it out and the type of games will be for it though.
My TripleAstation is currently serving me well at this moment ;)

[karan8624]

I would buy that glass/plastic PS3, its looks SICK.

Only problems are theres no room for all the 8 cores and whatever the hell else is in the PS3 and I'd likely end up breaking the controller by accident :(

[vmanj]

it can be any of the big three: MS (natal or xbox720); Sony(PSP2); nintendo(Wii2).........

and if itz a totally new company itz most likely Apple but EA could be a possiblity too........

[timestoby]

its the wii HD LOL

[Chaos Striker]

Of the companies most associated with this industry and market, I have a feeling Apple might be the one. Of course, it will take another 2 or 3 years before such a console from them (if it existed) will be publicly unveiled.

Then again, people here say its the PSP2, so that's another possibility. Time will tell...

[BYE]

This generation is far from over, I don't wanna see another console from the current manufacturers just yet.

However, if Sega made one it would be a different story. I'd accept it.

[Jamescagney]

Any new company trying to gain a foothold in the console market now will have a very tough time. So probably one of the three current companies. But who knows, there's some who may want in and have the cash to do it.

Would be a huge risk though.

[Karlnag3]

Maybe it's a nintendo console that's actually for gamers... then again all it will have is the same old franchises that I am completely sick with.

Another thing that is possible is some other random company trying to cash in on copying what onlive are doing.

Whatever it is we probably won't know till E3 or something.

[Relientk77]

Sega.... Apple?

a different company

who is it?

[Lifewish]

I am saying PSP2

[Ripyealip]

the ps4 pic looks cool. dont lke the controller though. but yea thier no room for another console. 3 is enough 4 is a crowd

[Grimhammer00]

I've been thinking about this for awhile. Casual gamers - which are really just people who prioritize their gaming differently than you or I...they buy maybe 5 titles in the entirety of their console ownership. This is Wii's issue...parents might buy a few titles, the kids buy a few more. If they are really interested in gaming beyond the social party atmosphere - they almost certainly go 360 or PS3.

So...what's Nintendo to do? So far...nothing. They have no need. They are skating by and soaking in the cash flow.

But, with Sony and 360 both entering Ninny's niche - thing's are about to heat up to catastrophic levels. Sony and MS both have superior tech to Nintendo. With HD TV's getting cheaper (though the recession has likely bought all us gamers a bit more longevity than we'd otherwise have)...I think Nintendo has reached that point in saturation where they need to sell "us" something new.

An HD Wii or whatever they decide to call it - and it likely will not be named after the Wii. The name speaks to casuals differently than it does to us Hardcore gamers. Regardless of the name...it's coming fast certainly.

I've speculated that Nintendo has the cash to compete with Sony and MS...but not the creative studio's or the understanding of the demographic they wish to add to their casual one. So what to do? How does one suddenly compete in the HD gaming market?

Apple.

With a sub-company of Nintendo & Apple the tech, money and the all important "it" factor will be in place. Dev's will jump on board faster than federal reserve can print money. The target demographics would be in one single announcement fully engrossed. This will also serve the purpose of hurting MS & Sony market share. Look at Apple's ipod's....we all know their are better sounding, cheaper alternatives to Apple's Mp3 players....but they are masters of marketing. Only in the last 2yrs has Apple suddenly offered "more" than say iriver or Cowon.

Regrdless, this new hardware won't be seeing any of my cash anytime soon...between my Ps3 (first) and 360....I just don't have the resources. And that may be the main reason why we haven't already seen Nintendo's cards just yet.

[psiom]

I don't know if Apple will ever do a console, but they could.

There are so many thousands of devs out there training themselves up in Objective C / Cocoa (who are not proficient in other languages / frameworks). If Apple launched a game console they would have so much de-facto pseudo-first party development support it would be almost unprecedented.

Of course, they are mostly indie devs doing small budget, small games, but that could be the point of the thing anyway. Maybe a console which combines Apple TV, app store mini games, iTunes video and music distro, and all other manner of Apps (just about the entire iPhone library could come across).

Just food for thought.

[PirateThom]

Apple Pippin 2: Confirmed.

[tonsoffun]

Well, I could see Apple reconfiguring AppleTV and having that as a media box (as it is now) that can play some digital games. But to be honest, I wouldn't see them being more complicated than what you are seeing on the iPhone.

BUT I personally think that the first new console we will see is the Wii2, the smae control method, maybe Motion plus built in with 720p support.

[TruthSeeker]

It Would be nice to see Apple release a new console. Their Apple-Bandi Pipin epically failed

[orangeback]

wow i hope its sega. i loved he dreamcast.

[CaptainPunch]

Another console? Judging by the controller it's a Sony system, but it's most likely not. Since the PS3 Slim just came out.

[Memo-Xen x3100]

it's MS or the igame/APPLE.

[Guitardr85]

If another console comes out, the games industry would COLLAPSE!!! It's shaky right not with profit being distributed between three companies...could you imagine it it was a forth? Devs wouldn't be able to develop for 4 consoles, games graphics would suffer, and profits would be marginalized...If this is true, I fear the saturation of the market will lead the another big games industry implosion...