[Archived] New PlayStation 4

[M-K]

There's a Sony media event to unveil the new PS4 tonight. It's been so long since there was a new console announced (Wii U does not count) that I'm not actually sure if I'm interested in the whole thing any more.

However, I recently got a games-capable PC / Hackintosh, and it makes my poor old Xbox 360 look about as advanced as Paul Ince's tactics pad, so there's no doubt we do need some better hardware for playing next generation stuff like Soldierman 6 and War @#/?.

The spec has already been leaked, supposedly - it will be super awesome, or so they say.

Apparently, rather than make expensive custom chips like the PS3's Cell processor, the new one uses the same off-the-shelf components as the forthcoming next-gen Xbox. But while the Xbox will be pitched as an all-in-one media centre (smart move, as the only thing any of my Xbox friends play these days is Netflix and Sky), the PS4 will have much better graphics and will therefore be the elite gamers' weapon of choice.

Anyway, the press conference is streaming from around 11pm UK time.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-02-19-playstation-4-revealed-watch-the-live-stream-here

[CapeTownRover]

Ive only just got a ps3 lol wtf! But i wont cry over it, as i only paid 40 pounds for an old 80GB one. Works fine

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[Biddy]

meh. I'll get one a year after it's been released for £100 less (maybe)

[Tom]

Here we go

[M-K]

A bit underwhelming, really. Can't say I'm interested in streaming to PS Vita / tablets / laptops as a second screen (that's Wii U's trick, and it's rubbish) and so many of the fancy promises they're making have been been said at previous console launches.

That Driveclub car game - what a crock! The guy says you can design a challenge on your smartphone, send it out, and within moments there will be hundreds of PS4 players competing to get the best score in it.

That will never happen. It'll be like every other console game, insofar as three months after launch there will only be a tiny hardcore of people still playing online because everyone has already moved on to the next big thing.

Even if there were a million people online, why would anyone give a monkeys about a challenge some random stranger whipped up on the bus?

[Tom]

Hardware was good but software so far has been dull

[Kamy100]

Hardware was very good, for a console the technical specs look very good. Almost all of the leaks prior to the conference were suggesting 4GB of high speed RAM, Sony surprised by doubling it to 8GB of high speed RAM. I like the share features and cloud gaming via Gaikai has the potential to be a game changer.

The triple A game announcements and the actual hardware is quite rightly being held back for E3 which takes place in June. E3 is the most high profile gaming event and that is where you get the big announcement.

I fully expect Microsoft to also have a event like Sony's in the next month or so.

[USABlue]

Ive only just got a ps3 lol wtf! But i wont cry over it, as i only paid 40 pounds for an old 80GB one. Works fine Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

I just got one too, 500Gig with Assasins Creed, under 300 bucks. Got it for meself for Xmas, bet I've been on it all of two hours so I am sure I'll live with it for a long time to come.

[Biddy]

What a completely pointless announcement show that was. Showed nothing new really that everyone didn't already know. Nothing that was shown will get anyone but the wildest fanboys and "must have newest of the new" people quaking with anticipation. Really quite disappointed.

Unless something really game changing happens, I can't see me trading up my PS3 and XBOX for the next-next generation. I think we'll need 4k TV's which the PS4 is rumoured to support. However that will be a few years until prices hit high street levels.

I'm not sure why the excitement for Gaikai either. It's just another way of extracting money and tieing people in. Granted you can't play "live" but you can already download demos and full games from PSN and XBox Live. I don't understand though why the downloaded versions are always more expensive than the real world prices. I can't see anything changing with the new technologies and in fact Sony want to push online distribution as they have already patented methods of tying games to consoles/users to try and eliminate the 2nd hand market. Think about that next time you spend £45 on a new release title that you finish in a day and then can't sell on.

[M-K]

There was nothing in that announcement about tying games to consoles to eliminate the second-hand market. Eurogamer has an article specifically stating that PS4 does not do that.

I actually prefer the kind of console announcement where a Japanese man holds up a box, everyone goes "Oooh!" and then they show a demo reel. Where was the PS4? This was all a bit high concept - too much marketing talk for my taste.

[Biddy]

I wasn't saying they will definately bring it in, but it has been widely reported that they have registered the patent to do it. Therefore they ARE thinking about it and it may come at some point http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-03-sony-patents-tech-to-block-use-of-second-hand-games

[Kamy100]

What a completely pointless announcement show that was. Showed nothing new really that everyone didn't already know. Nothing that was shown will get anyone but the wildest fanboys and "must have newest of the new" people quaking with anticipation. Really quite disappointed.

Unless something really game changing happens, I can't see me trading up my PS3 and XBOX for the next-next generation. I think we'll need 4k TV's which the PS4 is rumoured to support. However that will be a few years until prices hit high street levels.

I'm not sure why the excitement for Gaikai either. It's just another way of extracting money and tieing people in. Granted you can't play "live" but you can already download demos and full games from PSN and XBox Live. I don't understand though why the downloaded versions are always more expensive than the real world prices. I can't see anything changing with the new technologies and in fact Sony want to push online distribution as they have already patented methods of tying games to consoles/users to try and eliminate the 2nd hand market. Think about that next time you spend £45 on a new release title that you finish in a day and then can't sell on.

What a completely pointless announcement show that was. Showed nothing new really that everyone didn't already know. Nothing that was shown will get anyone but the wildest fanboys and "must have newest of the new" people quaking with anticipation. Really quite disappointed.

Unless something really game changing happens, I can't see me trading up my PS3 and XBOX for the next-next generation. I think we'll need 4k TV's which the PS4 is rumoured to support. However that will be a few years until prices hit high street levels.

I'm not sure why the excitement for Gaikai either. It's just another way of extracting money and tieing people in. Granted you can't play "live" but you can already download demos and full games from PSN and XBox Live. I don't understand though why the downloaded versions are always more expensive than the real world prices. I can't see anything changing with the new technologies and in fact Sony want to push online distribution as they have already patented methods of tying games to consoles/users to try and eliminate the 2nd hand market. Think about that next time you spend £45 on a new release title that you finish in a day and then can't sell on.

I am think that Gaikai could be a game changer, I don't want to spend hours waiting for game to download, so a service that allows you to stream content instantly really appeals to me, if that content is the entire PS3 back catalouge and PS4 games then that for me is huge. But I agree, we need more details on this and the related costs.

Microsoft according to rumours are deffo going after the used games market, Sony at the moment are saying that they aren't but I don't believe them. Eliminating the used game market will be a mistake in my book, there are lots of games that I buy purely on the basis that I can trade them, if that option wasn't available it would certainly mean that I wouldn't buy certain games and just rent them.

[dazmaz]

What a completely pointless announcement show that was. Showed nothing new really that everyone didn't already know. Nothing that was shown will get anyone but the wildest fanboys and "must have newest of the new" people quaking with anticipation. Really quite disappointed.

Unless something really game changing happens, I can't see me trading up my PS3 and XBOX for the next-next generation. I think we'll need 4k TV's which the PS4 is rumoured to support. However that will be a few years until prices hit high street levels.

I'm not sure why the excitement for Gaikai either. It's just another way of extracting money and tieing people in. Granted you can't play "live" but you can already download demos and full games from PSN and XBox Live. I don't understand though why the downloaded versions are always more expensive than the real world prices. I can't see anything changing with the new technologies and in fact Sony want to push online distribution as they have already patented methods of tying games to consoles/users to try and eliminate the 2nd hand market. Think about that next time you spend £45 on a new release title that you finish in a day and then can't sell on.

Everything Sony mentioned, to me indicates it will be a lot more download based rather than disc. The reason full game downloads on PSN cost so much is down to an agreement SCEA/E have with retailers basically saying they won't undercut them

[M-K]

Microsoft according to rumours are deffo going after the used games market, Sony at the moment are saying that they aren't but I don't believe them. Eliminating the used game market will be a mistake in my book, there are lots of games that I buy purely on the basis that I can trade them, if that option wasn't available it would certainly mean that I wouldn't buy certain games and just rent them.

You wouldn't be able to rent games if they had to be tied to a user account or console.

There are already ways of combating the second-hand market - EA's "project ten dollar" thing, which was roundly criticized at the time, is now the standard model for a lot of publishers.

PC games are generally locked to a single user, too, but since digital distribution has been around longer on that platform, nobody complains and they can offer games at much lower prices. I got Batman Arkham City and Crysis 2 from EA's online store the other week - I can't ever trade them or pass them on to a mate when I'm finished but I don't care because they only cost a fiver each.

When console companies eventually shake off the physical media distribution model - in which they agree not to undercut their retail partners - they'll be able to do the same thing. You'll never be able to trade your digital games though.

[Biddy]

I am think that Gaikai could be a game changer, I don't want to spend hours waiting for game to download, so a service that allows you to stream content instantly really appeals to me, if that content is the entire PS3 back catalouge and PS4 games then that for me is huge. But I agree, we need more details on this and the related costs.

That's odd. From the event its says that the PS4 won't natively support any backwards compatibility however Gaikai comes along and (undoubtedly) will be a payment/subscription service that will potentially allow the download and play of past PS games.

So is there anything really stand out that is making people want to rush out and spend the rumoured £300 for it?

[CapeTownRover]

So is there anything really stand out that is making people want to rush out and spend the rumoured £300 for it?

Come on Biddy, you know full well that people just spend for the sake of spending. It was like when 3D came out, people jumped on it, then realised that its not what they expected.

Imo this is like that... You have to ask yourself, is my PS3 no longer serving its purpose? If you answer yes, then indicate why, because as far as im concerned, PS3 are still very much capable of doing what you require from it

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[Guest Norbert]

I agree with Cape Town Rover. Loads of people with more money than sense will be queueing until midnight to get it the second it comes out. Now I'm very much behind the times with my Playstation 2 and my Mega Drive, so a lot of the internet gaming, downloads, Netflix etc. is beyond me, but I can see why others get wet about it all.

[M-K]

You have to ask yourself, is my PS3 no longer serving its purpose? If you answer yes, then indicate why, because as far as im concerned, PS3 are still very much capable of doing what you require from it

Your PS3 will always be capable of playing PS3 games, but in the not-too-distant future those PS3 games will look like crap compared to the PS4 stuff.

It's not just graphics, either - if we all settled for a console that was convenient, fun and played decent-enough games, we'd be using a SNES or PS1 and there would be no online gaming, no open-world games, nothing like Skyrim or Little Big Planet or MGS4 or whatever it is you're using your PS3 for right now.

Point is, technology drives innovation in games. Without technological advances, it would just stagnate.

[CapeTownRover]

Nobody is saying dont move with the times, but technology moves alot faster than is necessary at times.

Eg, alot of PS3 titles are 720p, whereas most tv's run full HD 1080p. There are now 3D tv's, but yet why has game developers not moved with the times? 3D is very much in its infancy, but the PS3 can handle 3D, yet there are hardly 3D titles from what im aware of.

However, now they will push forward certain changes to its Hardware, and big it up as being the best out there, just so that you and i can fill their pockets unecessarily.

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[M-K]

You've just listed a few reasons why we do need new console hardware.

Most PS3 games are 720p or less because the machine just can't handle detailed graphics at higher resolutions without slowing down to a crawl. Few games support 3D because that cuts the framerate in half again, as you have to render twice as many images.

I don't remember any previous console generation lasting as long as the current one before its replacement was announced, so PS3 has had a good innings.

[Biddy]

Aye, but just like the xbox, I still see no real advantage to upgrading on day one. As I say, a year or so down the line with a price cut or two maybe.

They have both had a ridiculous innings to be fair. Far longer than anyone would have thought. Guess it shows technology hasn't moved on that much.

[dazmaz]

We wont be seeing the PS4 until q1 next year, US and JAP will get it several months earlier just like the PS3.

Why upgrade? Well the PS3 will be 7 years old at that point, It, like the XBOX has lasted much longer than your average PC component. Sony put a shelf life of 10 years on it when it was released, the PS3 will still be supported for a few more years yet, like the PS2 was and the PS1 before it. Given changes in the way game now not only look but the level of depth the PS3 is reaching the end of its life.

Ill be buying on day one, partly because I want to have it, partly because my PS3 is currently on its last legs and I see no point it replacing that when the new one will be out within a year or so.

[M-K]

Aye, but just like the xbox, I still see no real advantage to upgrading on day one. As I say, a year or so down the line with a price cut or two maybe.

They have both had a ridiculous innings to be fair. Far longer than anyone would have thought. Guess it shows technology hasn't moved on that much.

The firmware updates plus a few minor hardware revisions have kept this generation looking fresh for ages. The first Xbox 360 I had couldn't download things in the background, it had 13GB of free storage space and that clumsy old 'blades' interface... no HDMI either, not that I had an HDTV then (it *was* a long time ago). It kept getting the red ring of death and I had to wrap it in a towel to basically melt it so it would carry on working for another month.

PS3 was pretty rough, too. No unified friends list, no cross-game chat (can you do that now?). Playstation Home and Folding as selling points! They added achievements, a premium subscription service... Both have masses of online services, you can rent movies, watch football, do, erm, other stuff probably.

Imagine what the next gen consoles will be like in three years. I like how consoles have become machines that basically get better with age.

[mode_m]

Nice hardware, surprise Blizzard announcement and new Final Fantasy. Good news is that Blizzard said Diablo 3 would also be coming to PS3, not just PS4. With any luck those who have it on PC can simply download for PS3 and log in using their existing account.

I will probably skip PS4 but looking forward to the new Xbox.

[CapeTownRover]

Come on MK you still have not answered the question, is your PS3 ready right now for an upgrade? If yes, why?

Pretend you didnt know what the PS4 specs are.

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