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| PlayStation 4 | |
|---|---|
 Concept winning model | |
| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Manufacturer | Sony, Foxconn, ASUSTeK and IBM for SCEI |
| Product family | PlayStation |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Eighth generation |
| Retail availability | 2011 - 2016 |
| Media | Download, HVD |
| Operating system | XrossMediaBar, PlayStation 4 system software |
| CPU | 8.04 GHz POWER7 Cell Broadband Engine or CBE 2 with 4 PPE & 8 SPEs |
| Storage capacity | SSD, Cloud Computing |
| Graphics | 600 MHz NVIDIA/SCEI RSX 'Reality Synthesizer' RSX 2 |
| Controller input | DualShock 4, PS Move |
| Connectivity | IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.0 Wired gigabit Ethernet |
| Online services | PlayStation Network |
| Backward compatibility | PS1, PS2, PS3 |
| Predecessor | PlayStation 3 |
The PlayStation 4 or PS4 will be the eighth generation video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment and manufactured by Sony Corporation Sony Electronics division. The console will be the successor to the PlayStation 3 and (according to PSW[1]) it will be twice as powerful with a similar size to the Wii. The PlayStation 4 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 720 and Nintendo's Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles. According to rumors, Sony desires to put the PS4 on the market by 2011, E3 2011 at Sony Conference. although no announcement has been made. In April 2011, Sony allegedly confirmed that the Playstation 4 will be released in Japan on May 16, 2012 and released in the US on October 23, 2012.
Concept art for the console has been produced by graphic designer, Tai Chiem[2]. As displayed, the futuristic look of the eighth generation console consists of a spherical screen and a 'knell touch screen panel.'
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[edit] Console Race
Sony is in competition with Microsoft to bring a next-gen console to the market. Sony realised that when Microsoft released the Xbox 360 with a relatively cheap engine, this allowed Microsoft to capture a healthy chunk in the gaming market.Also the PlayStation 3 is a distance away from the Wii in the market (especially in East Asia). This made Sony to think as to making a smaller console, as the Japanese buyers prefer smaller platforms.
While the PlayStation 3 has only recently been released and has its best days still ahead of it, Sony is not one to rest on its laurels, and with the intense competition in the video game world, plans for the PlayStation 4's future release are already being put into motion. In fact not only is the PlayStation 4 getting this treatment, but even the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6 are in the early stages of planning and conceptualization at Sony’s R&D labs.
While Sony has not released any official information concerning the system’s future launch, the generally accepted release date is pegged as late 2012, which would follow the trend of Sony’s previous console generations. The PlayStation 1 was first released in late 1994 in Japan and 1995 throughout the rest of the world. The PlayStation 2 hit stores in 2000, giving the PS1 a retail shelf life of 6 years from its Japanese launch. Likewise, the PlayStation 3 came out in 2006, 6 years after the release of the PS2. Following this trend that Sony has established would give us a late 2012 release for the PS4.
It’s possible that how the PlayStation 3 fares in the current console war may also determine the release date of the PS4, for a couple of reasons. If the system continues to flounder in 3rd place in the console wars, failing to generate the revenue which was initially expected of it, Sony may be far more eager to cut their losses and rush the PS4 to market sooner rather than later, possibly as early as late 2011.
If the PS3 does indeed fail to make ground on the Wii and Xbox 360, it may also convince Sony to try and jump the gun on the next generation console wars and get their system out the door first. Both the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2, which dominated their generations of the console wars, came to market at the same time or earlier than their competition. The PlayStation 1 was launched just after the Sega Saturn, and well before the Nintendo 64, while the PlayStation 2 was released before both the Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.
This enabled Sony to get a head start on the competition and gave developers time to build their skills at developing games for the console, to the point that even as more powerful consoles came after, games released on the older system were just as good technically, providing no real incentive for players to move to the new consoles.
In a recent interview, Doom and Quake creator John Carmack speculated that Sony will likely attempt to be first to the dance floor with their new console, before Microsoft launches their next console. As talked about above, there is plenty of rationale in this line of thinking. On the other hand, Sony has long maintained they have a long-term plan for the PS3, and with the lower production costs of the new slim model PS3, and the increased sales of the new version, the PS3 may just be coming into its own. Whether Sony will try to launch before Microsoft (by all accounts Nintendo will actually launch first, but they’re not considered direct competition to the others like Sony and Microsoft are to each other) remains to be seen.
In an interview with GameSpot at 2010's E3, Activision COO Thomas Tippl shed some up-to-date, though still quite vague light, on the PS4's future release. When asked when he expected the next generation consoles to release, Tippl stated that it was unlikely they would see release within the next 2-3 years, as Activision still had no information on any new consoles. With development times for next gen games running 2-3 years on average, it makes sense that if the new consoles will come with third party games at launch (a near certainty), it will be at least 2 years from the time third parties first get the development toolkits in their hands to the point where the console releases. In the meantime all we can do is speculate and continue to wait.
[edit] Games
Rumours suggest that games will be retailed online via the PlayStation Network. Meaning that all PS4 games will be downloaded and that no packaging or BD cases or boxes are to be made with the new eighth generation games. However, a recent article explains why this rumor will not become reality.[3]There is no information on backward compatibility just yet, but presumably, the PS4 should be able to play games of the previous generations: PS1, PS2, PS3.
According to PS4info exclusive games such as Killzone, Uncharted and Little Big Planet will all most likely return to the console in astonishing graphics with incredible gameplay.
[edit] 'Forward Compatibility'
There is speculation over the PS4 containing forward compatibility of the next-gen platform Xbox 720. This could improve PS3 games drastically: the level of re-draw being vastly improved, or the possibility of multiplayer games being able to feature thirty two players online instead of sixteen.This should utilize the PS3 games and modernize them to similarise the eighth generation games. But predictably, this doesn't appeal to Sony as customers wouldn't be as keen to buy the new games - instead just play on their old ones.
[edit] Cell Processor Platform
SCEI has officially chosen IBM’s currently in development POWER7 architecture for its PlayStation 4 system (stated in an article on ps3clan.nl[4]), currently scheduled for a 2012 worldwide release. IBM shall debut POWER7 for the server market in the summer of 2010. The PlayStation 4 shall use a cost effective version of the architecture custom designed for Sony’s specific needs.The only information FGNOnline currently has available regarding specifications and performance is that the PS4 implementation of the chip shall use 6-8 cores, 24-32MB shared L3 Cache, Quad threading per core, and a double precision performance approaching 200GFLOPS. The CELL chip which powers the PS3 is capable of 15 double precision GFLOPS. This would give the PS4 a performance leap of over 10 fold over its predecessor.
Interestingly, the primary reason IBM cancelled development on the CELL based PoweXcell 8i is because of SCEI’s change of stance. The company wanted to move away from the exotic architecture employed for the PS3 to a more traditional architecture favoured by third party developers. As displayed by its choice of processors, the server based POWER7 and the TBDR based PowerVR 6, SCEI once again has sights set for performance leadership in the next round.
[edit] Release Date
The PS4 may come earlier then most expect, although there hasn't been a fixed date set for the Playstation 4. According to PS4Info, the console will hit the stores near the end of 2012 making the difference between the PS3 and PS4 six years. Albeit Sony says PS3 has a ten year life cycle, so it won't be released until at least late 2011.[edit] References
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