How the PS4 is shaping up to be the next must-own console

TechRadar: "According to SCEA's CEO Jack Tretton: "The hardware guys developed the [PlayStation 3] fairly independently, then dumped it onto the software guy's lap, effectively saying 'do something with it.'"

Considering that Sony spent around $3 billion developing the PS3, it seems likely that it will use an improved version of the Cell processor for a PS4. IBM has already released an improved version of the Cell for its blade servers. The PowerXCell 8i is a 65nm chip, with support for 32GB of DDR2 memory and eight fully-functional SPEs (compared to seven on the PS3)."

[Balt]

The big thing for Sony here, and it's consumers more importantly, is how can they justify a new system after they finally have been able to justify the ps3. One thing thay plexes me is our psn accounts. Everything we own. All of it. where does it go? The ps4 won't be backward compatable -- if it is there is a good chance it will get removed. Ps3 will be selling like gangbusters when ps4 drops. They won't want to cut into that.

So what happens, again, to all of our psn games? All of our ps1 buys? All of our dlc? Then, what about or disc based games for ps3... Can we expect to rebuy super hd 3d remakes of them like we are ps2 games?

Lots of stuff to address here.

[Queefy_B]

Bit of a random artice but i think the ps4 will be ps3 backward compatible and you will be seeing all those from less well off places like puerto rico and brazil ect move up from the ps2 and grab cheap ps3's.Sonly will know this very well.

[DigitalHorror81]

Honestly..I think a lot of the PS4 adoption (Early in the least) will hinge on Backward Compatibility with PS3 games. Not necessarily the PS1 games that the Slims will play, although that would be a bonus. The price point is definitely one I would like to know as soon as possible once it's officially announced.

[AAACE5]

"According to SCEA's CEO Jack Tretton: "The hardware guys developed the [PlayStation 3] fairly independently, then dumped it onto the software guy's lap, effectively saying 'do something with it.'"

This comment alone explains why the Ps3 has always felt complicates to deal with!

[AndrewRyan]

It won't be backwards compatible. The PS4 will have to emulate the PS3's processor which will be nearly impossible due to it's sophistication.

It's the sad truth but backwards compatibility dies once you use a processor that is hard to reverse engineer.

[MaxXAttaxX]

I'd say PS2 and PS1 backwards compatibility.

[AGamerOfConsoles]

Why the heck are these random articles appearing when it isn't even announced yet?

[BattleAxe]

It will be backwards compatible. PS2 games required a completely different chip set, whereas the PS3 and the PS4 will have a similar architecture, so I'm sure it wont be an issue this time around. You have to think that all the things that you bought on the Playstation Store aren't going to stop working. PS4 is just going to have more memory and a more powerful Cell processor. The new system will be built around the existing PSN infrastructure.

[RedDragan]

There is no chance that Sony will drop the Blu-Ray for a Playstation 4, and no matter how it is priced the BD-Association would not be averse to a PS4 undercutting the other products on offer.

The BD-Association is still watching BD take it's place in the wider industry. It is still to take over DVD afterall.

But anyway, BD is being kept artificially held high because it is still a new technology with a cheaper rival on the shelves. Playstation 3 came into profit over a year ago and the next BD Drive in a Playstation console will be able to read the dual layer discs and will have a faster read speed.

Super size HDDs will not be the only method, because even a 2TB drive will not be big enough for 1080p HD Movies and 1080p Games. We are talking about 35GB movie files here if the HDD is to be real alternative to BD. Additionally, if games get more complex they will also require more space and the world simply does not have the internet infrastructure to support downloads of that size.

The PS4 will likely be backward compatible because that will pull in the pioneer upgraders, will it stay? Don't know, nobody but Sony knows so no point in speculating there.

But here is a big problem for both Sony and Microsoft in the next generation. Cooling. That is a massive obstacle that they need to find a way around and simply moving the power box out of the machine will not help because the chips produce more heat than a power module.

If there are to be multiple Cell processors then I think the only way forward is Water Cooling, and with water cooling comes overclocking so they PS4 could deliver more bang for the buck that way.

There is a problem with that though... water cooling is an expensive option.

Ahhhh.... expense. The article is wrong is about that by the way. Sony can afford to make a loss on the Playstation 4, because the investors know that is a carrier for other products. Where Sony losses ££'s on the Playstation, it makes £££££ £'s in Blu-Ray tech and Cell.

They had to speculate to accumalate and they accumalated more than they speculated. Investors are not thick.

[SuperM]

I dont see why cooling should suddenly become a problem in the next generation. Hardware become more powerfull because they shrink the chips so they can fit more transistors in to the same space. When they shrink the chips they need less watts to run and they produce less heat. Unless they decide to make bigger chips then they used to do then cooling will be no different then it is now.

I also think its more likely that they will go for smaller chips then they did before because they will save money. Graphic cards are advancing far beyond what this generation of consoles can do and in a couple of years they should be able to get chips with 10x performance of the PS3 for a pretty cheap price. I think they are more likely to go that route then to make something really expensive that is 20x performance of PS3.

[ChrisW]

Yeah! Another "What If" article for hits!

[DeadlyFire]

PS4 will support PS3 games. No doubt in my mind. Why? So many PS3 titles + Move just releasing. Undoubtedly if PS4 was to come soon it would have to have some support to keep PS3's momentum going strong. If not it will hinder early buyers.

Why are these "What If" articles appearing. Someone has been tipped off on a new console at E3 2011. Noone knows which one it really is so speculation is everywhere. We will see 1-2 of 3 by E3 2012. :P

[xTruthx]

*Queefy_B *

Wtf are you talking about? almost every gamer in PR bought the ps3 and 360 on release date. Don't talk about places you don't live or know about. Man if you had said that in front of me or any other puertorican you would be crying by now.

[damnyouretall]

fiberoptic network is begining to be installed this year by google. 1gb a sec download. 50,000 people will have it by year end. so keep your expectations up for the future.

[HappyGaming]

I don't think Sony will ask you to give them your PS3 when you buy your PS4.

If you want to play PS1 Classics (which should be easily emulated onto PS4 by now I mean PS4 is 4 gens ahead of PS1 it shouldn't be hard) or if you want to play PSN games and such why not keep your PS3 and not through it away so you can play all the stuff you bought FOR THE PS3 on THE PS3.

[cooperdnizzle]

Andrew Ryan, It will be backwards compatible. I have also heard and think that it could happen. That what they are wanting to do with the Cell is to put two of the upgraded Cells in the ps4 which would allow you to play ps3 games but with smother frame rate and 1080P, So not only do i think it will play ps3 games but it will play them at a more efficient rate

[DaTruth]

It can't be backwards compatible if it doesn't use XDR ram, unless it uses emulation, and next gen consoles rarely have the power to emulate the previous gen without terrible bugs!

How will it run games with ram running at a quarter of the speed? Of course, this only applies to this article stating it will use DDR2.

[Reibooi]

This was a somewhat interesting read until I got to the part where they started talking about a PS4 without Blu-ray........

We have JUST had reps from Sony say that won't happen. Mainly because they are aware that the world at large doesn't have internet speeds fast enough to have a download only console(and that will likely always be the case) and that physical media will always be a large part of their business. People need to stop thinking that the next gen will be download only in any form on any console. It's not realistic to do so when such a large portion of the world either still has no internet access or has speeds FAR to slow to be bearable for a download only console.

[tmoss726]

@damnyourtall you're an idiot 1 Gbps is 1 GIBABIT, not 1 GIGABYTE. Get your facts straight.

[LOGICWINS]

I'm pretty confident that the PS4 will be backwards compatible with PS3 games. I also bet that you'll be able to use your existing PSN account on the PS4 which would include a download history of everything you've ever bought. I wouldn't be worried.

[PirateThom]

There's really nothing to address there... the main reason backwards compatibility was dropped was hardware, the PS2's GPU/CPU couldn't be replicated solely in software, even PC's still struggle with this.

If they use a similar artitecture to Cell, there's no reason it won't be easy to bring games across.

[a_bro]

im pretty sure they will stick with the cell. why kill something that they worked for so much to create.

Id say they will recycle it and replace it with a new version of the cell.

As for BC, it may have not been such a big deal as many thought it would be with the PS3, but it cost sony to at least release PS2 games on the PS store for PS3 owners. thats extra money in their pockets, only to go down the drain.

[GrandTheftZamboni]

I hope they think the same way. I think it would be wise for Sony to stick with Cell architecture as it proved what it can do and after developers learned to program for it. There is no new disc based media on the horizon so Blu-ray would suffice. Just add three or seven more Cells and more RAM. I guess the GPU would need an upgrade unless they make it possible/easy to use the Cell as the GPU as originally planned.

[Persistantthug]

August 2010?

Why in the heck is this being brought back?

PS....There will be no new XBOX or Playstation before Holiday 2013.

[DigitalHorror81]

You don't know that for fact. A new Playstation other than the NGP? No, I will agree with you there. But a new Microsoft offering? You can't say that. You don't know.

[iPad]

Damn, now that you mentioned it, it is a pretty scary thought. I seriously don't want to lose my PSN account.

[moparful99]

Sony knows better then to make psn accounts reset with the ps4.. I gurantee you that they will make psn universal and compatible between the ps3 and ps4...

[DanSolo]

lol they are NOT going to make you start up a new PSN account.... that would be ridiculously stupid so don't panic!

[DFresh]

We could say the same thing for XBL Accounts too.
Just saying.
:P

[RioKing]

Good point.

[RioKing]

That's why you keep your PS3, therefore keeping your sh*t.

[Gawdl3y]

The PS4 is very likely to be backwards compatible, as long as they stick with an improved version of the cell processor, because it is still the same architecture.

[Daver]

@Balt

I dont see the problem here... when i buy something new it is not to go back, maybe that is why I never got that backward compatibility problem... It is so not important. And anyway you will still have your ps3 if you wanna play older games...

[frostypants]

Finally these predictions are beginning to line up with what I've said all along: that for the PS4, Sony needs to do little more than to throw the next-gen Cell, or multiple current-gen Cells, into the next console, along with a good GPU (so the lesser devs...we all know who they are...can do more without relying on the Cell), and more/faster memory. All along the Cell has been known for being insanely scalable, and that when its cost to produce came down it could result in very cost effective performance gains.

Done right this console will be relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the PS3's launch price (my 60GB was $599), and would be 100% backwards compatible.

Blu-Ray is a MUST (as is something similar for the 720). There are still a lot of people who don't have the internet bandwidth to rely on downloadable content, and with ISPs already pulling stunts like throttling and usage caps, it's clear that the somewhat laughable internet infrastructure in the US has a LONG ways to go before such a scheme is realistic.

The pricing issues in this article regarding Blu-Ray, and Sony not wanting to price a Blu-Ray console too competitively against standalone Blu-Ray players, is a dead issue. Standalone Blu-Ray players are commonly under $100 now...safely under the typical price-point for any current-gen system, and way under the expected price-point of a next-gen system.

I'm calling it: PS4 will launch either Fall 2012 or Spring 2013. The base SKU will cost either $349 or $399. Ditto for the 720, which will also use Blu-Ray unless Microsoft has a death wish (because if the systems have similar specs, everyone will buy the one that can also play movies if the other cannot). Bank on it.

So there it is. Eat your heart out, Michael Pachter...

[Master of Unlocking]

@ Balt
You really think sony will develop the PS4 without thinking about that? You actually expect them to not have a thought about all the digital content we bought during the PS3 era when designing the PS4 OS?

I thought people should know better about sony by now...

[morkendo23]

all Im concern about
1.ps1,ps2,ps3 backward compatibility
2. price point: good start @ 399.00 not 1,000.00
3.hacker proof dont add features then later remove them linux,other os
4. tighter security
5. no DLC only contents
6. 3D blueray movie feature plus 3D gaming.
7. faster loading and better graphics. graphics not held back becuz dev. dont want ps4 to out shine the 720 give developers 2 years to tinker with ps4 bring out its FULL protinual day one not like 360 holding ps3 back becuz dev. are lazy.

[Lou-Cipher]

The 360 not having Bluray is the main reason it holds back the PS3. The 6.8 gigs the 360's DVD has isn't enough space for certain games this gen. (GTA4/AlanWake/FinalFantasy13 all suffered because the developers had no more space to accomplish what they would have if they had the additional 53.2 gigs of space the Bluray supports)

There are alot of developers that either completely cut content out of their game, or chop that content up and sell it as DLC later.

If the next Xbox & PS have Bluray, then there will not be many reasons to shortchange the Playstation owners next time around.

[HelghastGeneral]

The playstation 4 doesn't have to be cell based to be powerfull a good example is the next generation psp it has an arm 4 core cpu and a powervr 4 core gpu. they have stated that ps3 games can easily be ported to NGP. Its probably easier to develop for and sony should stay away from cell for ps4 and make something similar to NGP. I think this strategy would make it easier for developers and there be less difficulty in multiplatform titles. For ps4 it be backwards compatible and you have your psn account with all your titles. I think microsoft and sony should work together in creating similar hardware because in the end it will benefit developers and gamers and games would come out perfect on both systems. It doesn't mean they should make the same hardware one can have more power just the same architectures.

[NeoTribe]

If u buy a ps4 and still plan on playin ur old ps3 games which i dont really get but whatever, then keep ur ps3..... problem solved.

[SnakeMustDie]

PS4 should have an improved Cell with more SPEs and a higher clock along with a GPU that can rival 580 GTX. Having the Cell back in PS4 would ensure BC for the PS3.

[Motorola]

It wont be cheap, so it probably wont happen...Maybe as time goes by

[frostypants]

"It won't be cheap"...relative to what? The production cost of both the Cell and Blu-Ray has come waaaay down, and will be even further down by the launch date of this system.

It won't cost any more than if they went with a more conventional processor.

[Motorola]

a GTX 580 rival i meant.

[Shackdaddy836]

It won't be cheap. The 580 alone will cost about $500 right now. You would also have to add in a top-notch cooling system to account for the massive heat it gives off. Then throw in better cpu than PS3 and probably more ram cus right now the ram is a real crutch and you have yourself a pretty expensive device. If they release it in two years though then the price may drop significantly and it won't be that bad (probably more then the PS3 costs right now though).

[news4geeks]

ye but the cell has been a complete joke for sony financially.

[SilverSlug]

Really? Prove?

[theonlylolking]

Not if they use it in the PS4

[DanSolo]

@news4geeks

That is a pretty short-sighted comment based on linear thinking....or just plain not thinking!

Sony may have spent alot of money in designing and developing the cell, but it is tech that is being used in more than just the PS3. And it is a fair guess that it wasn't designed with just this gen in mind. It is likely something that can be relatively easily updated and evolved upon for the next gen.... as well as all the applications.

That said I am no expert on the matter and am basing that idea on guesswork, but I think if you reason it through it makes sense!

[arjman]

Yeah you can have a GTX 580 level GPU in the PS4, but the thing costs like £400 alone so unless you wana be paying at least £500 for the PS4 I don't think we're going to get that level of hardware...maybe cut down versions based on the same architecture.

[shossofe]

Don't forget the heat issue that will come along with it. Will need a really good vapor/water cooling system to cool a "580" in such a small space.

[Eu]

You're forgetting something prety important here....the time it will be released...it will be tomorrow, where the price and tech are somewhat new and not yet refined? or in a few years where the tech on it will be better/refined and the price will be lower? You guys keep trowing numbers or specs without even thinking it through...If you wanna speculate on something that its not even planned to be released yet at least put some effort into it....

[frostypants]

You don't need the same level of GPU power in a console if the console's CPU can offload some of the burden (which the Cell can and does very efficiently, when developers know what they're doing). Plus the general architecture of a console is built around supporting games/graphics, unlike a PC. Also, PCs waste a lot of resources on background processes that consoles don't waste time with.

Furthermore, Sony/Microsoft pay a lot less for those GPUs than we do. We pay a ridiculous markup when we buy standalone GPUs for our PC rigs...we get absolutely FLEECED. Sony/MS have the power of bulk purchasing on their side. Do you honestly think that GPU really costs anywhere close to $400 to produce? I'll bet Sony/MS could pay $200 per unit and Nvidia would still make a tidy profit.

The most powerful gaming systems will almost always be high-end PCs, but consoles tend to offer more bang for the buck and have more efficient hardware.

[RevXM]

Im sure its very possible that a 580 or faster card can be used. (I wouldnt bet on it though)

Its about how things get cheaper as time go. and how things improve and how changes can make things fit and run perfectly as well as having a long term plan for earning back money spent on hardware.

CEll CPU anyone?.

If a new PS console is released by the end of q1 of 2013 I would like a much similiar spec to this:

NEW improved cell.

580 nvidia GPU.

6-8GB Ram DDR2-3.

SSD connected via PCI-E: that we can uppgrade with ease. Will be small in size at launch, but the cost of ssd's are dropping fast 125GB might be realistic at launch.

Blu-ray: Faster than 2X please.

Then its the ins and ouputs.
(Thunderbolt?), bluetooth, USB3, HDMI1.4/5,Optical, Cat5e and Wi-fi standards.

Controller:
Improved quality and ergonomic design controller, make it feel solid, cool, responsive and precise. Built in mic maybe?

Recording the system output with the push of a button would be awesome and there is plenty of other cool things that could be done.

But I dont really expect it to be all like that but it could and I hope so.

The best thing to do is just to wait and see.
Speculating is fun.

[kyl277]

Last time they promised 1080P with 120 FPS, not that I believed it but I will take their words with a grain of salt this time and it will most likely not be a day 1 purchase again.

On my 3rd PS3 and still have my 1st PS2 and PS1.

[PirateThom]

They never promised that, they said it would be capable... and there's 1080p games and Super Stardust HD in 3D runs at... 120 fps.

[kyl277]

Ken Kutaragi said he expected games to do 120fps.

http://uk.gamespot.com/news...

Unless he meant indie games and forgot to tell everyone then they promised more than they can deliver.

I paid the £425 for a launch PS3 and it was nowhere as good as they promised and it took years of updates to get it good.

When it first came out I couldn't download a game in the background, I couldn't send a message from within a game, the PS Store was a mess and could only show 3 things at a time and was extremely slow, six-axis was a major disappointment, more of a gimmic and not a new way of controlling games.

All very basic things yet each unfinished while people I knew could do these things on their Xbox 360.

They can promise all they want but I will wait this time, no wait I will stick with my PC and spend that money upgrading or get the new Nintendo console.

[Nitrowolf2]

@kyl277

there is a difference between "expect" and "promise" and then "possible"
and plus he never said or all games and he did hold to that statement. As Pirate Thom said SSDHD does it, so it's def. possible as Ken said it would be.

[PirateThom]

Yep, "expected" and "promised" are not the same thing. In fact, as I pointed out, SSHD in 3D pretty much confirms the expectation. In fact all the "expectations" and "possibilities" were delivered on...

I also paid £425 for a launch PS3, but cost has nothing to do with the argument at hand.

Again, this is irrelevent to 1080p/120fps, that was poor oversight from Sony Japan on the importance of online gaming/media, which they RAPIDLY overcame to offer, potentially, the most robust digital media service options via a console, between PSN as is, along with Love Film, Mubi, Vidzone, Qriocity and movie downloads from PSN directly. "First came out" is the key here, the PSN you log into now is not the same PSN from a few years ago.

[Stealth20k]

nothings been announced. this is just mindless speculation

what SONY says is the ps4 has been put on hold to focus on the continued success of the ps3 and ngp/psps 2

[femshep]

sure if it affordable to today economy but i highly doubt we will see any new announcements for a couple years cause of there move controllers and how they still need to support them....and the way japan looks they really shouldn't be thinking of new hardware just yet

[plb]

I'm sure they will go more standard and make it easier for 3rd party devs Ala ngp.

[badboy808]

blame it on the 360.

[airhorn95]

Personally I think it would be sick if instead of making a brand new system they allowed you to bring in your system for an upgrade so it not only cuts cost for them, but also cuts cost for the consumer. And along side the upgrade department was the release of the same console with the upgrade already installed.

[femshep]

that would be the smart thing to do tho =p

[airhorn95]

Bubbled up bc i feel as if some1 agrees with me they deserve a bubble especially if they only have 2 lol.

[plb]

And who will be upgrading the already near 50 million ps3s? Know how much that would cost plus the complications that could arise.

[HappyGaming]

If the PS4 was built with upgrades in mind than that would be really cool.

If they could make it really easy to just buy an upgraded CPU/RAM/GPU and just switch to PS5 in 4 years than it would truly be a win win.

But what would make consoles special from there on why not just buy a PC?

For the same reason so of us proffer consoles now.It will be 100% clear which games will run. You will get all the exclusives. You will get the single unified gaming communication network.

and above all you will be able to save money and replace broken parts your self at a smaller expense.

ALSO

Like you said if you are lazy there would be no one stopping you from buying a new PS5 with the upgrades already inside.

[DigitalHorror81]

A system upgrade....BUBBLES for you for the intelligent comment.

[blackburn5]

If Sony could do that the PS4 would be the system to own. If you could just upgrade it every two or three years and improve on the system they wouldn't have to make a PS5 for a long time. Just take it to a store or maybe an official Sony upgrade store and upgrade for a small fee (or for free if Sony wants to)

[annus]

So basically you want a PC?...

The whole point of a console is because it ISN'T a PC. People don't want to have to pay for upgrades to continue playing. Isn't that why all the console fanboys cry about PC?

[airhorn95]

No I'm not talking about a PC I do see how you could assume that but its more like a 5 year update not every 6 months like on a PC and yes I no its not required to upgrade your rig every 6 months. Once this upgrade comes out new games stop supporting non-upgraded units basically its a completely new system in an upgrade form. As for who would be installing these upgrades they could make kits for people who aren't afraid of technology, they could also have a mail in service and without a doubt there would be 3rd party companies trying to make some money by doing the installs such as dare I say it "gamestop".

[Seferoth75]

LOL ONly an idiot would even suggest you need 6 month upgrades on the PC.. I do mine every 5 years. Which is exactly what you are asking for.

You just made yourself look stupid to keep from admitting you were wrong... really I'd rather be seen as wrong once than a complete moron for life but I'm not a Sony fan.

[RatherHavaBigGirl]

i agreed with you. gimme a bubble

[madjedi]

@airhorn95 Right which generation are developers supposed to code for exactly ps4 with 2 gigs of ram or 4 gigs, ps4 with 2 cells or 4 cells?

No it's a impractical idea, because no games are designed for console to be scalable and why risk alienating a percentage of your console market that hasn't or won't upgrade their hardware.

Buy a new console when it is released, it's more practical. That way when a particular technology is phased out like agp ports or ide ports before long, you don't have get a entirely new motherboard.

If you have a console why do you want to make it a pc? You defeat the purpose of plug and play, even more so than updates ect.

Until heat lvls can remain at a constant temperature with a fixed cooling system regardless of cpu/generation advancements this is not realistic.

Now i will agree that future consoles would benefit from a more modular design for repairs, but as for a 1 design fits all console update system, nope just buy a new console.

[Loner]

Nobody knows anything about the next ps system so this article is kind of stupid

[theonlylolking]

We know that it will have a CPU, GPU, hard drive, and RAM.

[Seferoth75]

Pretty sure the people designing it at Sony know something about it

[JusenkyoGuide]

and I'll continue to buy Sony consoles because they NEVER disappointed me.

ps1 - loved it
ps2 - loved it
ps3 - love it
psp - love it

[koston3647]

PS4 unveiled - E3 2013
Launched - 2014

you heard it here first.

[airhorn95]

Hahhahaha lmao you sounded exactly like the hip hop gamer.

[Apotheosize]

As long as it doesnt cost 599$

[DigitalHorror81]

Should it be $699 or $799 then? lol...you know it's going to be pricey.

[a_bro]

"you know it's going to be pricey."

buts its not going over $599 USD anymore.

Sonys going in another direction now, the post kutaragi direction.

you wont see frankenstein hardware that is ridiculously expensive to sell to consumers anymore.

[hiredhelp]

The PowerXCell 8i is a 65nm chip, with support for 32GB of DDR2 memory

Wow i like sounds of this the daddy to the cell we have now.

now i kinda cant see console needing 32gb ram. not for gaming purposes. ddr2 very doable now ddr3 out. wow faster processor huge amount of ram all needs now is a great gpu. keep bluray
or blu-ray XL,
we have a beast on our hands but not yet as we just seeing what the ps3 is made of im lving every bt of it. specially when you have multiplatform games and devs working bringing out new engines in new games. utilizing the consoles such as crysis bf3. not to mention the whole face list with infamous 2. no not yet sony please.

[sjaakiejj]

Large amounts of RAM creates certain bottlenecks as well. It takes longer to charge RAM modules if their capacity is bigger, which would actually make the console slower, as it takes longer to retrieve data from them.

4 Gigabytes should already get us a long way for a console.

[arjman]

Yup it will 8 times the amount of the PS3 :D!!!

[hiredhelp]

yep why i said we wouldnt need 32gb ram. and yes 4gb ram will be plenty enough. it may seem bit back dated but there now cheap witch makes for better manuafatory cost's

[ReBurn]

The PS4 won't have 32GB RAM. The chip they're talking about can handle up to 32GB RAM because it is built to run in a blade server. My guess would be 4GB or less due to cost.

[DigitalHorror81]

Sony has always upgraded the sizes of their media for each system.

PS1---Cd-rom
PS2---DVD-ROM
PS3---Blue Ray
PS4----? Bigger Blue Ray?

[moparful99]

Is everybody already forgetting the new laser format that sony developed and announced last year?? They have developed a technology they allows them to put twice as much information in the same amount of space on a regular blu ray disc.. This new laser is so accurate that they can write information closer together on the disc and also retrieve that information quickly... I'm trying to find the article...

[house]

you talking about this http://hothardware.com/News...

right?

[moparful99]

Yep thats it... Thats not the exact artical that I read.. The one I read explained it much better but yea thats the laser.. Can you imagine a 1tb disc??? That is nuts....

[sjaakiejj]

Ps4 is overdue already, 10 year lifecycle is including the overlapping.

I say E3.

[caperjim]

I hope your right. I do expect a Wii 2 and a new XBOX to be announced this E3.

[FAGOL]

'external power supply' no thanks

[WesMcLaren]

no doubt

[TABSF]

LOL this article fails on so many levels

Its say that a future Cell will be based on 32nm, instant fail because by the time PS4 comes out CPUs will be at 22nm or even 16nm.
IBM has also drop the Cell project.

Intel Larrebee is dead, Intel has stop it because the performance was horrific and it thermals and power was terrible.

It also talks about wifi technologies 802.11n and dropping a/b/g. Thing is usually they support a/b/g/n why drop support when 90% of the market don't even max b never mind g or n. This is due to the average ISP in USA is 2Mbps.
In the UK where at 100Mbps with Virgin media.

The only one I can see happening is less dependency on Blu-Ray. Whether people like it or not Digital will take over as Sony and Microsoft will still charge the same price but without packaging and stores taking cuts.
Blu-Ray will still be there for Films and backwards compatibility most likely.

[bozebo]

Yeah but digital download may not be an option for a chunk of the market who's ISPs have bandwidth caps etc.

Blu-ray sized games would be quite a massive download. I'm not sure why the article said install times would be reduced, because the download time would be much longer than that.

However, if consoles move to downloaded games then ISPs may feel the pressure to stop messing with people. Fibre should be the standard anyway.

But the problem with the internet is not the customer's line speed to the exchange, it's the bandwidth available beyond that point (between points within a country, or between countries). The more bandwidth that gets thrown around, the worse peoples pings get and the more packets are dropped. Ping times have been steadily rising since broadband got popular because people's download speeds have gotten pointlessly high. Fibre could actually turn into a bad thing if too many people in an area are using their 100mbps to its fullest at the same time. But anyway, hardly any content servers would be willing to offer that kind of bandwidth. Something like 30mbps for a game download seems realistic, even in 2016. I get about 7mbps of my 22mbps for steam downloads.

There is also the problem with most routers being total junk. The standard virgin fibre router will crash if 3 devices try to download at an uncapped speed (steam, other patchers, sky TV, skype if you host a call will use as much upload as possible). The main benefit with having a 100mbps line is the capability for multiple people to get plenty of bandwidth, but that isn't possible without an expensive router. (infact, routers of that quality don't even exist unless you build it yourself or buy an over the top blade router from cisco for like $4000)

Theres more to wifi than just the bandwidth it allows, generally one chip will support the lot - taking out 'useless' types of wifi won't decrease the cost at all. And for things on the LAN you might need faster wifi (like streaming uncompressed blu-ray quality vids from a media centre box to your playstation to watch on a TV or Monitor, even with resolutions greater than 1080p).

[TABSF]

Well the way it works on Steam is Valve have 95 server farm locations dotted around the World, they host the same content.

You connect to Steam via the main server farm but to get content like games you connect to one of the 95 server farms.
This can be chosen by the end user in the setting menus on the Steam client.

When you download a game off Steam it installs it at the same time, if any parts are missing you can verify the download. (I got over 300 games never had to do this before)

Also I can download GTA IV which is 16GB in less than 1 hours with an average of 4.7 - 5.2MB/s = 37.6 - 41.6Mbps on a 50Mbps SLA

Steam is not the problem here before I have received 6.5MB/s = to 52Mbps which exceed my SLA

The route I'm using is a standard ISR D-Link DIR-615v2 and a Netgear WGR614v9 ISR.
http://i00.twenga.com/compu...
http://kbserver.netgear.com...

Of course there is more to Wifi than just bandwidth but If you network is encrypted like mine using WPA2-TKIP 25 character with 256bit encryption you lose half the bandwidth.

Personally I would never recommend using DHCP for Wire hosts, also minimise Wifi (only for portable devices) plus always MAC address filter and disable SSID broadcast.

[supremacy]

Sony to my believe doesnt really want to just keep making new consoles every 5 years or so. Its getting more expensive with each generation and its not easy maintaining a healthy yet profitable run with all of the issues taking place.

Stiff competition, pirates, the cost of game development ect.

My believe is that they might very well be looking into making an upgradable playstation that would last beyond the x amount of years they are pegging their current platforms.

The idea would be to use similar but yet anvanced parts (used on the ps3) for the next playstation combined with a flexiable/expandable/upgradabl e box with one or two open modules for future upgrades.

Something simplistic yet significant to the end user. Imagine two slots on the back of the unit for things like aditional memory/ram graphics and sound. That would just plug and function off a purposely design mother board for this.

Like an expansion bay where once you plug in your upgrade, and turn the system back up, it automatically sets your systems new settings (similar to how fw works after its initial installation) without the hasstle pc users deal with.

These will probably come out every 5 years or so(and be solely distributed by Sony themselves), and turn traditional consoles into powerful yet simple gaming pcs for the average people to use. Thats where I feel sony is trying to head with their next machines.

If one where to simply look at what each PlayStation platform brings to the table, one will see how Sony simply tends to include and add all these different functionalities and interfaces familiar to different markets and fields. For one minute I wouldn't doubt that maybe, just maybe this is the same case with the ps4.

Thats just my two cents of course.

[caperjim]

I always wanted an upgradable console. I hope they do this.

[supremacy]

Trust me its only a matter of time.

I mean if you look at whats happening, whats going on with the industry and how complex and expensive the chain is becoming. You will come to grip with this theory going forward, its only logical.

It used to be simple motherboards and cardtridges, and consoles power was measured by the number of bits it sported. Now its a different story and one that has many of these people talking "specs" you know that pc language.

The goal for the ps4, but more realistically the next generation of playstation after it. Is to make an upgradable unit, that combines sophisticated hardware with user friendly methods associated with its core design.

Gaming rig, with the ease and convinience of the traditional home console.

[samchez77]

This article is Ancient. I read it ages ago.

[TronEOL]

If what Kaz said is true, the PS4 won't be launching in 2016 like the article says, it'll be launching, or be announced in the next 2 years. WITHIN the next 2 years.

Sony has a steady habit of launching a new console every 6 years, and it'll be PS3's 5th Birthday in November. So I either expect something to be announced at this E3, or next E3.

This is a guarantee.

[likedamaster]

I'm sure Sony has a plan, and something up their sleeve for the next console.

[ivant]

Tho whole idea of a new next gen console or Ps4 is stupid. Sony needs to learn from Nintendo how to satisfy the masses with less expensive technology yet still be an improvement over the previous gen.

Sony only needs to make a Ps3 Plus....

.... with 2 Gb Ram, Improved Game Os, inbuilt FM tuner, HDMI input, Improved Cell Processor, in a Laptop sized Slim profile, for less than US$350.

This Playstation Plus would be fully backwardly compatible, easily do stable 60 fps & True HD games, be a media recorder and player...in short, would be a real Beast of a Machine.

This is such an obvious thing to do and would enable Sony to make money from every console sold... from the very start, just like Nintendo did with the Wii.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Sony showed this gen that they're all about the consumer, while Microsoft showed plenty of ugly faces. I reckon consumers won't make the mistake of investing in a Microsoft console again.

[bigevilworldwide]

Yeah Microsoft has a lot of ugly nasty money hungry faces, they showed me time and time again that they only care about how much money they can milk out of you for every little thing. Just like the 10 raise on gold subs for ESPN yeah they forgot to mention ESPN 3 they might as well call that obscure sports quarterly

[BLAKHOODe]

The PS4 isn't going to be without blu-ray - thats the main reason a lot of people picked up a PS3 to begin with (including me and why I'm on the verge of buying a 2nd PS3). I also can't see Sony going with a "pure gaming machine" when it (and Microsoft) are pushing their current consoles more as entertainment devices, rather than gaming devices.

[astrobrights]

It's dumb to assume the next Sony console will be without Blu-ray. It's one of the biggest selling points for the PS3.

[RatherHavaBigGirl]

the next gen consoles should be in its testing phases for at least 2-3 years so that the consumers arent the beta testers for faulty hardware. now, many sheep will disagree saying, "the time for the ps4.....(dramatic pause)...is now" and, "BRING ON NEXT GEN ITS GONNA BE AWESOME!". these are the group of people who'll be sending their new shiny consoles in for repair within 2 years or purchasing it. oh well, cant tell people shit

[Coogi]

PS4 will cost at least $650.00, just watch.

It will bomb at first but then win in the end like it's doing now.

This is coming from someone that does not have a PS3, Not bias in anyway, it's just a fact is all. Though, I chose Xbox over PS3 because there's more RPGs on Xbox and well, when I was younger I got one when they first came out and stuck to it.

But anyways, this article is garbage, it's assumptions on most parts but the title acts like it's confirmed or just cold hard facts...What is this an ExtenZ commercial?

[Bolts]

Unless this console can run triple AAA games @ native 1080p and 60 fps using PC style high res textures then there's no point.

Oh, and don't forget to pack some god damn RAM into it this time. 512k RAM in a dedicated gaming machine is a joke. I'm not sure what the hell MS and Sony were thinking when they both made that decision.

[Incipio]

512MB*

[hazelamy]

i know what they were thinking.
"this ram stuff is expensive"

i don't know why sony cheaped out on the ram, they were putting all this other expensive hardware in there, like the cell and the bluray drive, compared to that the cost of putting more ram in would have been pretty small.

i think maybe they saw ms use half a gig for the xbox and then thought that if that's what they're doing we can get away with that too.

give the next console several gigs, at least, i'm fed up with games where you drive past a load of cars then when you look back the street behind you is empty.
what i'm saying is i'd like a console with enough memory that it doesn't forget everything as soon as it's offscreen.

[Incipio]

Absolutely. More RAM = better world persistence = better open world games = better Red Dead and GTA

[Eu]

RAM is raw power.....the more you have (until certain point...) the easier/faster it is for the CPU....Console software coding is not about raw power like PC...its about refining the code, the betterment the use of what you have...thats why PS3 is still pushing better graphics/physics and so on every game tha come out, the guys are refining the code to its optmal lvls...on the PC the games that are out are using the raw numbers and not a better code...look at Crysis 1...if you didnt have the ultimate card at the time you couldnt run the game at the top (and even then if you didnt have everything TOP -and even having it...wow- sometimes you couldnt...that game was simply atrocious at hogging the pc resources when launched)....thats why PC is soooomuch better than consoles....trow whatever code in there and make the fools buy more RAM, better CPU, motherboard, GPU and so on....thats why PC gamers are elite....they pay HIGH to be called fools by lasy ass developers.

[Bolts]

What a completely pointless rant about PC code optimization. It changes nothing when the fact is that this "future proof" console have as much RAM as an iPhone 4 and in some cases, less than the highend Droids. 512mb of RAM is 512 of RAM, no amount of code optimization is going to pull RAM out of thin air. With enough RAM on board the PS3 would actually be able to do stuff that it was designed to do...like running Home in the background while playing Killzone 3.

[bozebo]

@Fanboi
256MB*

[XxPURExX]

"an external power supply (to reduce the size of the box and to improve cooling" get screwed power bricks suck

[therapist]

if your sick of 1024x720 games with no anti aliasing and crappy 20-30 frames per second with tons of pop-in, you better start wanting a new console, or else get a gaming pc

if you don't give a crap and think this gen will last 3 more years, just don't buy it, a new console will be out this year, or 2012 at the absolute latest wheather you want it or not

[bigevilworldwide]

Ummm if by new console you mean a new Wii with the only update being HD graphics yeah, I'm sure Microsoft could be in a hurry to get some more money from people then yeah your right there wont be a damn ps4 anytime soon.

[Bits-N-Kibbles]

I am not even counting year 1 for PS3. No one had a PS3 it seemed like, too expensive. The PS3 was made to outlast the competitors. I doubt I will buy a PS4, i like my PS3 and its current capabilities. I don't have the money (probably $700) to dish out more for a completely new system, and I'm at the point in my life where I really don't have the time either to justify dropping all that money on something I won't use as often like the PS2 and PS3. I have a fat PS3 and it pretty much does everything for my home entertainment right now, so there is no reason to upgrade just so devs can work with more power and room. BF3 shows me there is still a lot left in this generation.

[americanGTA]

let us PLEASE finnish with the ps3 before we start talking about ps4 :-P

[Paballo]

whatever the specs of the PS4 are.I really hope we get better games whilst we enjoy this generation....with that all in mind I have to admit in terms of games..this is the worst generation ever so I really hope more importantly that software catches up with hardware and goes beyond..all this considered this generation will be the most remember for one thing alone...introduction of DLC,motion gaming and 3rd party exclusives became the way of the Dodo

[SnukaTheMan]

And there will be no competition....sadly we all know at this point it will not be...

[kaozgamer]

pfft trust me guys, bluray will definitely be on the next console. some places dont have fast internet to be all internet dependant. like australia we still dont have fucking fibre optic.

[OpiZA]

Should they stick with the Cell architecture or shift to something like a multi core intel type chip? Keep it as close as possible to the PC to help third party devs?

[DrFUD]

PS4 is a ways off.
The next console to be released will be the Wii2.
But the Wii2 is going to have a blu-ray drive and will be more powerful than the PS3.
This will allow 3rd parties to develop games for both the PS3 and Wii2 since the Wii2 will include a classic controller option again.
Microsoft is looking at the successor to the 360 because once the Wii2 is out, 3rd parties will be able to make games that take advantage of the blu-ray and Microsoft can only waive the fees for extra discs for so long.
So Wii2 next.
The next XBOX the following year.
And PS4 a couple years after the next XBOX

[ephoenix6]

Do you have any links for your info?

[SuperStrokey1123]

Its the internet, anyone can make stuff up and have no way of backign it up. Didnt you know?

[RAmar101]

Ps4 will have to launch at 299 it will have to, sony won't be doing another 599 no way otherwise its a fail.

@rikan that's a lame post, look how much time ps3 launched after 360 and at what price? Its only few mil behind its an acheivment on its own, and whilst slew of software keeps getting released on ps3 same can't be said for other platforms, get over it!

[SuperStrokey1123]

299 is wishful thinking...

[AlphaJunk]

ummm... who cares about the new systems?? they are just now supposedly "pushing" the PS3 - every game is "utilizing %100 of it's power .... um nevermind wait it was only at %70... and our newest game is running at %100... um ok version 600 is now really really truly runnning at %100.." blah blah. They haven't even announced anything and the the systems are still $300 to $400.

[Mister_G]

Just put more of everything in the box (SPU's, RAM, etc.).

Blu-ray? Yes, but include a faster drive, x12 speed instead of x2.

[ephoenix6]

the article is almost a year old, and the cpu and gpu for the ps4 have already been confirmed from other companies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wik... (built around series 6 for gpu)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik... (for cpu)

[bigevilworldwide]

yeah cause not just any idiot can edit a WIKIpedia article, haven't you realized yet to take anything WIKIpedia says with a grain of salt. I could go on right now and say that I own a PS4 and its the most amazing thing ever

[ephoenix6]

I'm not quoting from wikipedia. The confirmations come from other pages, but I sent links to the wiki pages for further details on the cpu and gpu.

http://www.google.com/searc... (gpu)

http://www.google.com/searc... (cpu)

[SRTold]

I will not buy a ps4. Why? I like achievements, and I want to keep my xbox gamerscore pumping higher and higher. Why else? The main reason?

The controller. I bet they are going to be idiots and release yet another dual shock.. Why not fix your damn controller and release one that is on par with the xbox controller. If there was a controller a bit more like xbox, I would consider getting the ps4. Until that happens though, I will leave all the thumb vs thumb dual shock action for someone else.

[ephoenix6]

trophies are very similar

[ILikeTurtles]

WTF?! "external PSU"?

Internal PSUs FTW!

Better cooling? The RROD is often caused by an overheated GPU or CPU as far as I know xD

[xtremegamerage]

4 PPE'S
12 SPU'S
2-3GB RAM - SPLIT
GPU - Guessing Nvidia again - 460gtx?
8x speed bluray.

[sarshelyam]

...Xbox's next hardware releases will be first to launch, and even it has only been hinted at. Speculation is sometimes fun, I get it, but it's too early for Sony considering the amount the system can do today versus what it did over 4 years ago. It's an evolving piece of Hardware that could likely shift the lifecycle beyond what everyone is assuming to be the norm today.

[joeorc]

the next Playstation which what ever name it will be a PS4 or what ever most likely use Arm core Processor's with the Cell processor running in connection as an accelerator chip. just like it already does inside TV's an Laptop's. running all Hybrids inside the Playstation 4.

the CPU with have a GPU on the same die. an the GPU will also have a CPU on DIE. to avoid branch hits.

HYBRID core processor's like the Cell an Arm already have quite a bit in common, attach a dedicated GPU to the mix an you have one hell of a game machine.

low power/clock cycle is the key. Hybrid cores are also where the majority of the chip's are heading anyway.

which was in the way the Cell processor was designed for attacting the memory wall. which only help's with development of software going forward.

Blu-Ray is pretty much going to emain due to the fact it still runs DVD's included also with Blu-Ray. Aside of just the Blu-Ray function it still runs standard DVD's Blu-Ray was meant to convere with DVD not really replace in the standard sense because too many DVD's are still being sold an still run just fine on Blu-Ray an dvd player Hardware in Top set boxes an PC's an in many Cases inside of TV's.

right now with DVD or Blu-Ray be off the markert in say 5 year's time?

who knows but i would say very doubtful, due to the fact that right now many bandwidth is being capped in the internet ISP companies not opened further!

an right now it does not look like the growth is going to be fast enough in that time to offset the number of people or the lines being expanded into areas of the North america as an example that still have to use Dial UP or sat. broad casting to get internet.

There will be more in commen with the PS3 with the new playstation like already with the NGP in the way it's designed , because right now that's the way the industry is moving. though it will be an upgrade, but not as much as some with be thinking. the main part will b service related. PSN an Playstation suite will be the drive's not so much as the Hardware but as a Software an services direction.

[joeorc]

"Standard Blu-ray would not be good enough for the PS4.
We all know Blu-ray spins too slowly -hense major installs."

OMFG..do you even know what you just said..hahahaha

you do know blu-ray per each 1 x transfer's data 4 times per 1 x than the DVD speed per each 1x?

it's 54 for Blu-Ray per 1x
it's 10 for DVD per 1 x

DVD is not faster nore does it hold as much storage nore is it have a higher Bit rate!. you have like many fell into the pr marketing trap that microsoft spewed when they did not get HDI through for Blu-Ray.an java was decided over HDI. If you would happen to even look up or know that Blu-Ray is already a DVD standard reader an recorder technology already inside the blu-ray drives.

so how is DVD faster if Blu-Ray already reads DVD's?

OMG, HD DVD an blu-ray have quite a bit in common

but Blu-Ray was an has been always better than HD DVD
in speed an in Bit rate an in storage, just like it was over DVD already.

"Now, it is true Sony have discs which can hold 100GB, but do they spin any faster?"

you would not be asking this if you knew the answer!

it does not need to spin as fast an it could anyway. but that's beside the point the DVD optical drive's are Cav While the Blu-Ray drive's are CLV.

an here is something you may not know the disc will still limit how your optical disc drive's head read's data on a disc's where the data is placed on the disc if it's a cav laser. It's data on the disc inside the drive because many dvd drives have to have their data on the outer most part of the disc to get the fastest speed of the drive. while with Blu-Ray it's not the case because Blu-Ray read's at the same speed from the center to the outer most part of the disc.

[Droid Control]

Standard Blu-ray would not be good enough for the PS4.
We all know Blu-ray spins too slowly -hense major installs.

HD-DVD was better because it had the storage of the blu-ray but the speed of DVD.

Now, it is true Sony have discs which can hold 100GB, but do they spin any faster?

I love blu-ray for movies, but for games, its a mixed bag.
Blu-ray 2 is what is needed for the PS4. Until Sony can deliver that, a new console could not be launched by them or M$.

If Micrsosoft announces the 720 this year with DVD i will literally laugh myself to death.

Next gen machines need a minimum of 1TB storage was well.

Sony need to use the cell again. Developers have finally got to grips with it, the teething problems are over. Sony have lost their arogance after a good butt whipping by the competition. Everything is good.

When the PS3 launched it was an incomplete system and certainly not worth its asking price. Now it is. Now it is all but finished with the exception of cross game chat.

PS4 needs cross game chat, even more live features, FULL Steam integration.

Finally, Sony must not allow M$ another years head start. If M$ do announce the 720 this year, Sony MUST announce the PS4 soon after. They MUST.

Sorry poor gamers, but sony must deliver hard core gaming for the elite while you play old gen games on your aging PS3's. You can buy a PS4 after i've had mine for a few years. We can't hold back progress for the beggers./

[SuperStrokey1123]

News flash, they could put a faster bluray drive into their ps4... its just a 2x drive now but they could do a 8x or more drive easily. You have no idea what you are talking about. Many of the best games dont need any kind of install.

[Neko_Mega]

30GB at best for HD DVD, sorry but Bluray beats it badly. Plus there is already a company that has made a 1TB disc.

[Gambuzin0]

Don't get cheap on the ram, and instead of wasting money on a revolutionary cpu, get a very good costume gpu, and please no jaggies next gen!!!

[ElementX]

A costume gpu? What does it dress up as?

[RevXM]

Agree.
Go with a Cell type CPU once again just better performance.
Custom modern hi end GPU, 6GB Ram and removable/upgradable SSD through a PCI-e slot.

The price of SSD storage is dropping fast.
60-125 GB is realistic at the Launch model, if we say its set for realease late 2012-Q1 2013.
Damn possible, since there is no need for doing CELL level research all over again for Ps4 wich can lead to more Ram and a High end custom GPU.
And better and silent cooling would be awesome.

[XeNoStRatoS]

Too funny... not read one single official word about the next Playstation (who knows if it will be the PS4?) and all ppl are starting to discuss technical features and stuff... Guys get yourself a life and enjoy the current gen as long as it lasts.

It won't pay out for Sony or MS to jump onto the next gen by this time! Nintendo is a different story, they printed money like hell and are truely outdated with their console.

[bigevilworldwide]

Nintendo knows they need a new console the only people they buy WII anymore are the poor people that wanna pretend they are either exercising or they pretend the have a real next gen console.

[LordGamer]

Another much ado about nothing article.

[tmoss726]

Hmmm hardware that even hasn't been officially announced = it's going to be the greatest thing ever. Love this site.

[T3MPL3TON]

The price is truly what matters to me. I want a price point basically as soon as they announce it and it better not be too high. I love the PS3 but that original asking price was just ridiculous.

[RealtorMDandDC]

It's not going to happen next year...the PS4 will probably be out sometime in 2014-2015.

Microsoft is probably scary close to releasing the Next Xbox probably in less than 18 months......

If you take a notice at the current state of Xbox it is in a stalemate...Kinect is selling very well but that's it......

There is no advertising for any core games that is non-Kinect....(except for COD)

PS3 has at least 3 more years before we see a new PS branded home console.........

I remember when Xbox came out....it was a core-gamers heaven...now it trying very hard to play the roll of Nintendo...

With the excessive money being poured into Kinect.....and no hype for any great core-games besides Gear of War 3....this reminds me of when the original Xbox was on it's death bed.....

[Neko_Mega]

Bluray won't be in the PS4, maybe Xbox 720 but not PS4.

I can see Sony pushing the 1tb disc out for PS4 and supporting it for console only (Wouldn't be a bad idea).

But I would like to see a console pushing 4gb of ram (or what ever you want to call it), but I bet if Sony does do the 1tb disc. I bet the drive is going to be more faster then the Bluray (Would have to be to read everything).

[JohnnyHalo]

Great! so now n4g is gonna be reffered to as N4ps4G

[thrashermario]

will be buying a ps4 for shure

[razgriz94]

My thoughts on the PS4:

It will be announced E3 2012, for release 2013.

It will still use the CELL. Possibly with more SPEs and a higher clock (3.5 - 4 GHz). But let's be honest here. The CELL is to this day one of the most powerful CPUs, and I doubt it's yet being used to it's full potential.

Updated GPU (obviously). Most likely something modeled off current cards. They'll want it to support tessellation, and AA (which is one of the PS3's limitations).

I predict 2-4GB of RAM. Maybe XDR again (which is faster than DDR3) or DDR5. I still think it's smart to have dedicated RAM for the CPU and GPU though.

Wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n, still Bluetooth 2.1. And hopefully an IR port again so peeps can use their universal remotes.

I do predict a higher HDD size, probably the base model will have 500GB, with the premium model having 1TB.

Sony is not going to ditch Blu-ray. Not everyone has internet, and certainly not everyone has internet sufficiently fast enough to be downloading these large games. Hell, people struggle downloading what's out now. As far as loading times, BD drives have increased in speed. The PS3 is using an early generation drive, so that's why it's slow.

The PS4 will be backwards compatible, because it will be built on similar architecture.

And I think Sony would be wise to pack in a DualShock 4, and Move 2 with every system. Motion gaming isn't yet replacing controllers, but there's a lot coming for it, and at least some people really want it. Oh, and they should include a BT headset too so they don't have the same issues as with the PS3.

PSN will remain free. Trophies will transfer over, but will be categorized between PS3 and PS4.

And finally, I think by just evolving the already stellar PS3 hardware, rather than spend billions on development, Sony can release the PS4 at a competitive price of $400.

[ZBlacktt]

Someone should link this guy to when ND came back to explain what they meant about " maxing out the PS3 ". In that story, you'd read they did not mean the console itself.

[Clarence]

High price had nothing to do with the PS3 coming into 3rd. It was the year headstart by M$. The PS3 is the 3rd fastest selling console.

[boss_killa]

The most important thing for Sony to get right is the launch price.

If they can get a pretty powerful PS4 out for $399 then they should have a better launch than the PS3.

[Timactionfigures]

There is no need for PS4...yet! Just make more kick arse games that meet/exceed the few we've seen (you know the ones)!

It shouldn't be hard for more developers to churn out Killzone/Uncharted quality visuals, with unique experiences like Demon's Souls (not exactly an eyesore) and generally awesome action packed and occasionally intuitive gameplay!

With those things PS3 has a LOT of life left! And a lot of PROFIT from games. Are you listening Sony?!

[bigevilworldwide]

OH my god I am sssooooooo tired of reading this stupid crap about a PS4 Sony just started making money off the PS3 so why would they make a PS4 any time soon. it will be at least another 3 years before they even start thinking about announcing a PS4.These stupid speculation/opinion articles need to stop the just make the ignorant go to gamestop and ask if they can reserve a PS4 cause they don't know what opinion is.

[Drano]

No matter how Sony tries to deliver, they will forget something vital. What will it be? That's what surprises us every generation.

[Platinum_k]

.... i LOVE Sony! =)

[alex3369]

first of all this is a bit too far away to talk about.... secondly the ibm powerXcell 8i is 12,000 dollars for the 32gb version so why they are even relating it to the ps4 is absurd. also the article asks maybe no blu-ray? seriously why would they not do it? it doesnt make sense for them not to seeing as 1080p is the limit for a while so games shouldnt be over 50gb anytime soon. yes i know killzone 3 was 44 but still it just would be a huge bust if they didnt use it. also the ps4 is too far off again, the xbox 720 or whatever we call it is also a long stretch so i find this topic irrelevant and useless. sorry to be a fuddy duddy

[SolidMGSnake]

Theres needs to be a new console, an upgrade. Its clear to many of us that games like Crysis 2 are being held back by the current ps3 hardware. The performance of our games need to get to true 720p and 1080 w/ high framerates.

[TBONEJF]

PLEASE FOR THE LAST TIME STOP TALKING BOUT THE PS4 AND XBOX 720(NOT REAL NAME). I've already invest in my PS3 great HD GAMING BLU-RAY AND 3D but I don't no 3DTV yet but eventually will buy one. And theirs still lots and lots of titles coming around the corner and so many haven't played yet. And No one don't have the money right now to spend couple hundred of dollars on NEXT GEN CONSOLES due to the economy and it's too early to think bout or talk bout NEXT GEN CONSOLES JUST DROP IT ALREADY.

[seniorfrito]

Yeah well, they had better improve the graphics for any next-gen console because the PS3s graphics were not great. It's like they had never heard of Anti-Aliasing when they developed the PS3. I expect to see something amazing for the PS4 or I'm not buying.

[HelghastGeneral]

I think the cell is a very powerful cpu however I believe sony should stay away from it. Most of you people haven't even tried programming or coding you do not know how difficult and stressful it is. Programming for cell and really getting the use of it is really hard and it takes a long time and only top experienced programmers can achieve this. If anything the ps4 should be a cell hybrid this way programmers who don't want to use the extra power can program how they are use to and those that do use the extra power.

[RealtorMDandDC]

Putting my on pre-order as I type this........lol