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[i-Lo]

They should go Canada and the console is just a bag with the components inside.

Yea, and in US, they'll just shove all the components in an empty AR-15's magazine. It's going to make for a great handheld.

 

[M.D]

Just putting this out there

Sony said to be in 'active negotiations' to launch an internet TV service

This rumor goes a year back

Sony Considers Internet Rival to Cable TV

 

[i-Lo]

Lol, you really think next gen open world games won't have better characters than Uncharted? The characters in Skyrim look better than 99% of characters from the last gen.

But that's because it was SD with no fancy and flexible shaders.

 

[ZaCH3000]

Shit.... sorry, lol I misread the first one as Crysis 3 (which is why I kept on referring to C3). Yea, that makes sense actually. But, I am still more conservative in my estimation. I'd say around high.

True, I can't say I blame you. Although, I don't believe that is what you are expecting one bit. I know in the back of your head you know the leap is going to be a massive one like every other generation is.

---------------

I'm impervious to these leaks because its purpose is obviously deception. Whether these specs are true or not is irrelevant. The hype generates because there is massive amounts of uncertainty relished every single day. I've seen tech demos and target renders which means more to me than unnamed inside sources.

 

[Can Crusher]

I'd like to hear thoughts/feedback on this thesis.

Common sense and history dictates than in order to expand an existing market you need to preserve the appeal that made the market and add appeal for a new audience that in turn expands it.

If they lose the core, they lose Xbox Live, they lose the attach rate...they lose what their business was built on.

I for one believe that simply, Xbox 360 was expecting a successor earlier than 2013 and the system life was expanded by the existence of Kinect. Also, like the PS2 before it, it started to live on 3rd party due to the success that it previously established.

I don't see them simply letting go.

 

[DieH@rd]

i don't know if this has been said already but apparently there is a press tour in london tomorrow. yosp just tweeted about landing there and he also tweeted it will be an exciting week! one of the writers from eurogamer tweeted the following

@ManuelStanislao
@stoneman_laura it’s an huge press tour where the major Sony’s developers show their new games to the press for the first time.

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

Hmmmm.

I would be really surprised if they showed and embargoed next-gen software ahead of an initial press conference. Have they ever done that before?

That is weird. It must PS4 and I guess Vita games too because we know all of PS3's games for this year don't we?

Can't see Yoshida flying all the way to London to show PS3 games but who knows....

 

[plainr_]

How many of you (like me) believe that we can call it a next gen when open world non linear games have visual fidelity to produce characters like we see in linear games today?

Heck, I'd even take this at 720p30fps.

Uncharted graphics in an open world. I can see that happening and I'd be okay with it.

 

[infiniteheteroskdasticity]

I think you're right that Sony's best bet is to focus on the core market, but I think it's only the best move for them and not the best move in general. As much as I love Sony as a gamer, I don't have much faith in their ability to bring everything together into that "center of the living room" box that Microsoft is focusing on. I think that ultimately, Microsoft is on a very good track to succeed at what they're trying to do with the traction they've gained this generation in the U.S. and their software capabilities when it comes to crafting a nice OS and gluing all kinds of features to it.

I guess Microsoft is taking a bigger risk? But this is probably the time to do it, and I think that they are in a very good position to pull it off. Plus, if they don't, oh well. This is what they wanted all along, and now is their time to go after it. So it's sort of, "We're more ready now than we ever will be."

I like Sony's approach on a personal level, and I really hope that, at worst, they find the profitable niche that you're talking about. I think Nintendo did a fantastic job with the Wii carving this sort of niche out for themselves, where they are no longer really part of the console competition and even if traditional consoles go away they will still be able to put out unique boxes that play their first party games exclusively and make a profit.

I think if Sony is going to carve this niche out, the absolutely pivotal moment for them will be in the very initial push. They have to come out immediately with games that are separated from what is on the next Xbox. Otherwise, the PS4 risks being seen by too many as the same thing as an Xbox, but without all of the extra features. It has to be something more than an Xbox, but without all of the extra features- and it has to make that clear very quickly.

Agreed. I think it is interesting that Sony has more pieces to pull together in the living room domination game (TVs etc) than MS but I don't think they have the capability to do that. They were, are and always will be a hardware company that only does software if they absolutely have to. I wouldn't be so blase about MS and its ability to take risks here. Their only success as a firm in the past decade has been the xbox 360 and that has not been a huge driver of profitability. While they could easily survive it financially, a lackluster debut for the next XBox would almost certainly be curtains for Steve Ballmer and an unprecedented shakeup. Obviously a similar problem for Sony could be existential. I don't focus on Nintendo too much. The Wii U is a current generation console that will compete with the PS3 and the 360 and both of those will be very cheap by the end of this year and will be around for years. The Nintendo fan base and first party software will keep them around but I do not see them as a player.

 

[Spongebob]

Quick summary of specs dedicated to gaming:

Durango:

GPU- 1.229TFLOPS (12CUs@800MHz)
CPU- 6 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 5GB DDR3(very low bandwith) + 32MB ESRAM(102.4GB/s)
Extra- "secret sauce"

Orbis:

GPU- 1.843TFLOPS (18CU@800MHz)
CPU- 7 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 3.5GB GDDR5(very high bandwith)
Extra- Compute module for GPGPU, physics ect.

 

[gofreak]

That is weird. It must PS4 and I guess Vita games too because we know all of PS3's games for this year don't we?

Can't see Yoshida flying all the way to London to show PS3 games but who knows....

Dunno, maybe he has other business also...

Just would be surprised. Leak potential would be sky-high.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

"All aboard!" Choo choo! Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga! CHOO CHOO!

 

[Trevelyon]

 

[sense]

That is weird. It must PS4 and I guess Vita games too because we know all of PS3's games for this year don't we?

Can't see Yoshida flying all the way to London to show PS3 games but who knows....

unless it is last guardian, versus, agent etc....!!!! lol i know that would be a miracle

 

[Gorillaz]

 

[Ashes]

Hmmmm.

I would be really surprised if they showed and embargoed next-gen software ahead of an initial press conference. Have they ever done that before?

Good luck getting around. Ha ha. Snowing like there is no tommorrow!

Would have been funny, if they were doing a press thing in Liverpool.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Both of these systems are going to be releasing games that blow you away. This isn't going to be a situation where one of them is constantly seen as "superior".
Proelite was just having a bit of tongue and cheek with that comment.

I'll reserve final judgment until I see final specs, but what we know now the ps4 easily has superior specs, which should distance itself far greater than ps3/360 last gen where it was sort of a wash.

Bkillian on B3D said that durangos "special sauce" is being way overhyped and to tame expectations. This makes sense to me, I don't expect durangos added hardware will overcome the 50% less tfop and less bandwidth shortcomings.

I also don't think texture diversity is going to be any better on Durango, given the bandwidth if the ps4 and the ongoing emphasis on streaming.

This could be an Xbox/GC type difference in performance, and I believe all multiplats will run better on ps4 if true.

 

[Suzzopher]

I think we will just be seeing gameplay demos from the Euro studios at the reveal.

They won't announce Santa Monica or Naughty Dog's next big game at the reveal of the PS4 they will be saved for E3 or the VGAs.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Long time lurker here - just thought I'd add my two cents. I work in the financial services industry and digital entertainment is my area of coverage. For the past year, that has meant I spend a lot of my time on forums like this trying to get any information I can. Just to make absolutely clear I do not know anything non public about the technology on the next gen consoles. Microsoft and especially Sony have been very good at secrecy this time around so speculation on forums like this is pretty much the only way I can get any sort of handle on the next gen.

What I do know something about are the business strategies behind Microsoft and Sony's next generation push and I think that is very important when trying to talk about the capabilities of the next generation of consoles. The way I look at it Sony is the only one building a next generation console - Microsoft sees the XBox as a lot more than just a gaming platform. The next Playstation will be a gaming console first with the capability to do media center stuff as a lesser priority. The next XBox will be a media center first with the gaming capability a second priority.

Sony's strategy for the next generation has increasingly been focused on what some would call 'core gamers'. They would likely be happy to sell around 75% the number of consoles that Microsoft does because the a bigger proportion of its customers would be 'core'. Historically these sorts of buyers buy 3-5x the number of games as 'casuals' so Sony's profitability would be good (most console profits come from software sales). The objective is to release a very profitable console and this is the way to do it. The hardware decisions appear to be getting as much power as possible at a certain price point. The former is why Sony's preferred solution (post cell) was initially to have Intel provide the hardware but the latter is why they ended up with AMD. The next Playstation will be able to do all the media stuff the PS3 can but things like Move and other 'casual' features would be at an incremental cost to a buyer.

Microsoft wants to sell a box that is at the center of everything in the living room and they eventually want to sell all the services for such a box. Their objective is to provide something that combines the functionality of a Tivo, a Playstation and a Wii. They are in negotiations with providers to provide a more a la catre approach to live TV (we think ATT's Uverse and Verizon's FIOS are the most likely NA partners). They will be competing with Apple and Google for this space but will likely be the first to market. In gaming Microsoft wants to provide a clear edge over Sony for 'casual' gamers so will include Kinect as a standard feature down to OS interaction. They see the profitability of this approach being driven by subscriptions to services and not by sales of AAA games. To do this, not completely lose the support of third parties and to still keep the initial price point within $100 of Sony Microsoft will likely release a box that is slightly less capable at playing AAA games than the next Playstation but provides much more than just the gaming + streaming video services the 360 provides.

Microsoft's strategy is obviously the bigger risk and the hardware choices reflect that. Given how important the third parties have been in designing the gaming parts of these machines, Microsoft has likely been forced to improve the original GPU choice and use a lot of special purpose hardware to stay close enough to the next Playstation. While Sony has made some moves to begin talks with service providers, they are far less advanced and unlike the next XBox, the hardware is not designed with this in mind (always on etc). The way I see it, Sony is a safer bet to make a profit but Microsoft has much higher upside if they are able to get a steady stream of revenues from TV services. Sony can still screw it up by diluting the 'core' focus and including 'casual' features that drive up costs on the console and hit profitability (eg included move, touch screen controller etc). That would lead to bigger losses on sales and a higher breakeven bar on software. A better strategy would be to offer all that at added cost.

I'd like to hear thoughts/feedback on this thesis.

Very interesting read. Seems like a lot of logical conclussions.

 

[Ashes]

We should probably stop using tf, and stick to CUs. That's more apples to apples.

 

[jiggle]

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Quick summary of specs dedicated to gaming:

Durango:

GPU- 1.229TFLOPS (12CUs@800MHz)
CPU- 6 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 5GB DDR3(very low bandwith) + 32MB ESRAM(102.4GB/s)
Extra- "secret sauce"

Orbis:

GPU- 1.843TFLOPS (18CU@800MHz)
CPU- 7 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 3.5GB GDDR5(very high bandwith)
Extra- Compute module for GPGPU, physics ect.

So on paper, we're now expecting the PS4 GPU to be on the order of...50% more powerful (in theory)?

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

unless it is last guardian, versus, agent etc....!!!! lol i know that would be a miracle

We know about them games. Top of my list would be GG's new games along with other games from UK based Sony devs.

If indeed this is what is happening. Which it probably isn't

 

[Iacobellis]

Good luck getting around. Ha ha. Snowing like there is no tommorrow!

Would have been funny, if they were doing a press thing in Liverpool.

 

[clutch.as.it.gets.]

The way I look at it Sony is the only one building a next generation console - Microsoft sees the XBox as a lot more than just a gaming platform. The next Playstation will be a gaming console first with the capability to do media center stuff as a lesser priority. The next XBox will be a media center first with the gaming capability a second priority.

I see it exactly the same way, and it´s disappointing.

Since MS decided to join the gaming industry i prefered the Xbox over the Playstation because of the better ports (xbox 1 as xbox 360 had mostly the best versions), and my dislike for Sony´s controller played also a part.

This gen i also had the ps 3 (i wanted to reward Sony for their strong first party output), but it wasn`t my main console, but that will definitely change next gen if the rumors turn out to be true.

Since around 2009 i feel let down my MS and their gaming efforts (thus buying the playstation 3 the same year) and it seems MS will go even more toward the multimedia/service box that can do everything but nothing really great.

I buy consoles to play games, and it´s getting more and more clear that MS and their xbox isn't the right choice for me.

 

[Spongebob]

So on paper, we're now expecting the PS4 GPU to be on the order of...50% more powerful (in theory)?

You would be correct.

I'll reserve final judgment until I see final specs, but what we know now the ps4 easily has superior specs, which should distance itself far greater than ps3/360 last gen where it was sort of a wash.

Bkillian on B3D said that durangos "special sauce" is being way overhyped and to tame expectations. This makes sense to me, I don't expect durangos added hardware will overcome the 50% less tfop and less bandwidth shortcomings.

I also don't think texture diversity is going to be any better on Durango, given the bandwidth if the ps4 and the ongoing emphasis on streaming.

This could be an Xbox/GC type difference in performance, and I believe all multiplats will run better on ps4 if true.

You're right. Orbis is going to be more powerful and games will run better on it. I wouldn't be suprised to see 3rd party games running at 30fps on Durango and 60fps on Orbis. It looks as though Durango will hold 3rd party devs back from raising the graphics ceiling as high as they would have liked. Orbis will be the core gamers console of choice for the next generation.

 

[infiniteheteroskdasticity]

I'm not sure I agree. Nothing that Sony has done seems to suggest they're willing to cede control of the living room to Microsoft, Apple or Google. Quite to the contrary, now that they finally have a media ecosystem in place, it seems like they would push even harder.

That said, I think Microsoft better understand how to succeed in that space, and have a more robust, comprehensive ecosystem behind them.

But I just don't see why or how a difference in the type of RAM provides such a stark difference between how each company is approaching the non-gaming aspect of their boxes. The idea that Microsoft would have worked so hard to become a significant force in core gaming only to abandon it a few years later just doesn't add up to me.

Edit: And similarly, I also think it'd be weird for Sony to have made media features so central to the PS3, and then have them abandon that approach with PS4.

Put another way: there is no sustainable way to produce a home console that only does games. GAF may not like it, but it's true. Only a tiny fragment of consumers would buy a box to put under their TV that didn't also double as a Netflix device etc etc.

Obviously Sony is not going to step back from the features they already have with the PS3. That said their non gaming component will certainly be cloud focused. Sony is not going to have a coaxial input on the next Playstation. At best, you could see them try an internet streaming TV service which is really just an evolution of the current VOD apps. MS will almost certainly unify all the input wires (cable, internet etc) at the next XBox. The next Playstation is almost certainly do or die for Sony but MS also has huge stakes with the next xbox. The company has not had any success the past decade outside the 360. Steve Ballmer's job s certainly riding on it. Sales will not be enough. The success of the services is what will make or break the next XBox.

 

[Ashes]

So on paper, we're now expecting the PS4 GPU to be on the order of...50% more powerful (in theory)?

A third you mean?

 

[Gemüsepizza]

Depends on how you view it, PS4 GPU would be 150% of Xbox 3 GPU and Xbox 3 GPU would be 2/3 (or 66%) of PS4 GPU.

 

[Boss Man]

Agreed. I think it is interesting that Sony has more pieces to pull together in the living room domination game (TVs etc) than MS but I don't think they have the capability to do that. They were, are and always will be a hardware company that only does software if they absolutely have to. I wouldn't be so blase about MS and its ability to take risks here. Their only success as a firm in the past decade has been the xbox 360 and that has not been a huge driver of profitability. While they could easily survive it financially, a lackluster debut for the next XBox would almost certainly be curtains for Steve Ballmer and an unprecedented shakeup. Obviously a similar problem for Sony could be existential. I don't focus on Nintendo too much. The Wii U is a current generation console that will compete with the PS3 and the 360 and both of those will be very cheap by the end of this year and will be around for years. The Nintendo fan base and first party software will keep them around but I do not see them as a player.

I think another thing worth mentioning is that, if we are going to talk about and assume that Sony is going to go after identifying themselves with the core, they are setting up shop in a volatile area and are not done even if they succeed. If we presume that all three are able to set up separate identities, Sony's (while favorable here) is going to end up being the weakest. The core market is likely to fall away from consoles as we know them now regardless by the time PS5 is ready to come out.

Nintendo has a very strong identity, pass or fail, Nintendo is going to be around. Microsoft is getting there with Live. They've just about cemented themselves as the online multiplayer console, but Sony could still knock them lose. Even if Sony manages to become the -games- console, they're going to need something more.

This is probably just fanfiction, but I'd really like to see Sony identify itself with the LittleBigPlanet/user creativity scene. PSN needs to become a more recognizable community somehow, so that it doesn't just feel like a place to play online for free while everyone is actually talking about Live. If they could pull something off like more personalized online personas (through media sharing, or whatever they can come up with) they might be able to duke it out with Live. I think this is a very important thing for them, because Live has sort of made Xbox the default console for the multiplayer scene, which is extremely important for the "core" mindshare. I think one of Sony's biggest problems this generation, right up there with the launch price, is the fact that Playstation just isn't as identifiable now as Nintendo (novel input, family, first parties) or Xbox (Live, competitive FPS) have become. Playstation can't just mean free online and almost all of the Xbox games but also a handful of first party games (which are too diverse to create an identity, and honestly not quite remarkable enough to catch the attention of the broad crowd).

Playstation next gen should be 60% first party developers demonstrating clear superiority, and 40% marketing an identity for the brand.

 

[Insane Metal]

i don't know if this has been said already but apparently there is a press tour in london tomorrow. yosp just tweeted about landing there and he also tweeted it will be an exciting week! one of the writers from eurogamer tweeted the following

@ManuelStanislao
@stoneman_laura it’s an huge press tour where the major Sony’s developers show their new games to the press for the first time.

Uhm.

 

[Marco1]

Sony used to be the largest threat to MS but it's now apple and google. This is why their strategy changed and why the nextbox will become something more to sell services.
I think they see the upcoming appleTV as a larger threat than PS4. I also think that with cloud gaming on the future they have no interest in taking a loss on a console that may take over 2-3 years to get profitable.

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

A third you mean?

Rumoured GPU flops: 1.2TF of which 50%= 600GF add on to 1.2TF= 1.8TF. Is that not how it's done?

My maths is crap.

 

[Ashes]

Depends on how you view it, PS4 GPU would be 150% of Xbox 3 GPU and Xbox 3 GPU would be 2/3 of PS4 GPU.

Ah. Ok.

 

[Marco1]

It would be interesting to know what the people who really know are thinking right now when reading this thread.
Are they laughing because we are right or because nextbox is a monster that Sony can't possibly match.
I'm amazed that most think kinect will be a huge focus when the reality among the people I know who own it have either sold it or hate it.

 

[BrainZEROX]

Sony used to be the largest threat to MS but it's now apple and google. This is why their strategy changed and why the nextbox will become something more to sell services.
I think they see the upcoming appleTV as a larger threat than PS4. I also think that with cloud gaming on the future they have no interest in taking a loss on a console that may take over 2-3 years to get profitable.

Sony has a foot in Google TV. I wonder if that could come to PS4 in some way or another. Maybe something like "other OS", running their Google TV software in a virtual machine. Sony could make it a paid option to download on the SEN should MS's media hub approach be the winning ticket.

On the other side, that would go against Sony's plan regarding SEN I guess...

 

[somuchwater]

Obviously Sony is not going to step back from the features they already have with the PS3. That said their non gaming component will certainly be cloud focused. Sony is not going to have a coaxial input on the next Playstation. At best, you could see them try an internet streaming TV service which is really just an evolution of the current VOD apps. MS will almost certainly unify all the input wires (cable, internet etc) at the next XBox. The next Playstation is almost certainly do or die for Sony but MS also has huge stakes with the next xbox. The company has not had any success the past decade outside the 360. Steve Ballmer's job s certainly riding on it. Sales will not be enough. The success of the services is what will make or break the next XBox.

That's interesting - you're suggesting that the 720 will also double as a cable box, too. I think that's certainly a possibility, and would definitely massively expand the target market. It's why I think the AppleTV should be a cable box, too.

Still, that's a tall order, requiring a tonne of brand new, unprecedented licensing arrangements - and something that will certainly roll out in the U.S. first, and then Europe much later.

Arguably, Sony could be doing the more sensible thing by jumping straight to VOD/Netflix style delivery.

 

[ZaCH3000]

I think another thing worth mentioning is that, if we are going to talk about and assume that Sony is going to go after identifying themselves with the core, they are setting up shop in a volatile area and are not done even if they succeed. If we presume that all three are able to set up separate identities, Sony's (while favorable here) is going to end up being the weakest. The core market is likely to fall away from consoles as we know them now regardless by the time PS5 is ready to come out.

Nintendo has a very strong identity, pass or fail, Nintendo is going to be around. Microsoft is getting there with Live. They've just about cemented themselves as the online multiplayer console, but Sony could still knock them lose. Even if Sony manages to become the -games- console, they're going to need something more.

This is probably just fanfiction, but I'd really like to see Sony identify itself with the LittleBigPlanet/user creativity scene. PSN needs to become a more recognizable community somehow, so that it doesn't just feel like a place to play online for free while everyone is actually talking about Live. If they could pull something off like more personalized online personas (through media sharing, or whatever they can come up with) they might be able to duke it out with Live. I think this is a very important thing for them, because Live has sort of made Xbox the default console for the multiplayer scene, which is extremely important for the "core" mindshare. I think one of Sony's biggest problems this generation, right up there with the launch price, is the fact that Playstation just isn't as identifiable now as Nintendo (novel input, family, first parties) or Xbox (Live, competitive FPS) have become.

Why? In terms of differentiation, focusing on games as a core competency is not as ludicrous of a business strategy as you would think.

People are willing to pay more for fucking TABLETS than game consoles right now. In my opinion, game consoles are viewed as game consoles and nothing more. Therefore, adding services slightly increases perceived value, but the marginal utility steeply decreases beyond gaming related services.

My market prediction may possibly be wrong but its the direction I would take SCE if I was CEO of Sony.

 

[iamshadowlark]

Rumoured GPU flops: 1.2TF of which 50%= 600GF add on to 1.2TF= 1.8TF. Is that not how it's done?

My maths is crap.

No his is. You're correct.


Eh never mind I see.

 

[infiniteheteroskdasticity]

I think another thing worth mentioning is that, if we are going to talk about and assume that Sony is going to go after identifying themselves with the core, they are setting up shop in a volatile area and are not done even if they succeed. If we presume that all three are able to set up separate identities, Sony's (while favorable here) is going to end up being the weakest. The core market is likely to fall away from consoles as we know them now regardless by the time PS5 is ready to come out.

Nintendo has a very strong identity, pass or fail, Nintendo is going to be around. Microsoft is getting there with Live. They've just about cemented themselves as the online multiplayer console, but Sony could still knock them lose. Even if Sony manages to become the -games- console, they're going to need something more.

This is probably just fanfiction, but I'd really like to see Sony identify itself with the LittleBigPlanet/user creativity scene. PSN needs to become a more recognizable community somehow, so that it doesn't just feel like a place to play online for free while everyone is actually talking about Live. If they could pull something off like more personalized online personas (through media sharing, or whatever they can come up with) they might be able to duke it out with Live. I think this is a very important thing for them, because Live has sort of made Xbox the default console for the multiplayer scene, which is extremely important for the "core" mindshare. I think one of Sony's biggest problems this generation, right up there with the launch price, is the fact that Playstation just isn't as identifiable now as Nintendo (novel input, family, first parties) or Xbox (Live, competitive FPS) have become. Playstation can't just mean free online and almost all of the Xbox games but also a handful of first party games (which are too diverse to create an identity, and honestly not quite remarkable enough to catch the attention of the broad crowd).

Playstation next gen should be 60% first party developers demonstrating clear superiority, and 40% marketing an identity for the brand.

I agree with everything you just said. Sony's identity has always been the core audience. The problem is their financial issues are coming in the way of realizing this vision. I definitely think there is a profitable niche out there for a 'core' focused player in the market. You will always be #2/#3 in numbers but you will be very profitable. I guess a good question to ask is what would the circa 2004 Sony do? They would probably be releasing a Cell 2 powered monster at a huge loss with a massive edge over the next Xbox after learning from the mistakes they made with the PS3.

 

[Razgreez]

Sony has a foot in Google TV. I wonder if that could come to PS4 in some way or another. Maybe something like "other OS", running their Google TV software in a virtual machine. Sony could make it a paid option to download on the SEN should MS's media hub approach be the winning ticket.

On the other side, that would go against Sony's plan regarding SEN I guess...

I would be really surprised if sony doesn't use the massive development time they've spent on android and google tv in their next console. It will be a real "doh" moment for them in the long term if they don't. They are the most active android developers after google themselves after all. I would love a timescape-like UI on the console since it's the cleanest and most functional amdroid front end i've used - still not perfect though

 

[Boss Man]

Why? In terms of differentiation, focusing on games as a core competency is not as ludicrous of a business strategy as you would think.

People are willing to pay more for fucking TABLETS than a game consoles right now. In my opinion, game consoles are viewed as game consoles and nothing more. Therefore, adding services slightly increases perceived value, but the marginal utility steeply decreases beyond gaming related services.

My market prediction may possibly be wrong but its the direction I would take SCE if I was CEO of Sony.

It's the direction I would take too, but that's because I don't think they have a high likelihood of succeeding at taking it further than that right now. They're just not as good at software as Microsoft, and not as well connected.

So I would do that, focus on games. But at the same time, realize that the absolute most important thing for Playstation this generation is making 'Playstation' mean something, and realizing that the future probably doesn't have room for this type of machine. So focus on that now, build your brand back up, and figure out what the PS5 is going to be. Maybe it's the core gaming machine, indie scene, and PSN is a habitat for user-created content? Then PS5 can do something like bring in that Internet-TV thing posted above, and also integrate user-created stations into it. Now Playstation means a thing that plays the 'real games', houses some impressive first party games, fosters indie development/and that you use to create and share. Of course this is just wild conjecture, but it's an example of how they need to make the brand mean something.

I don't think a "core" gaming console that does that and nothing else is something to look to the future with. I don't like saying it, but I just don't think it is. They can do it this coming generation, but probably not after. That kind of machine is probably going to be seen as nothing more than a limited PC with a few first party games.

 

[Gemüsepizza]

I think their ticket for the future after PS4 are their first party efforts. Whatever they will offer, a new traditional console or a streaming service - people will come/stay because of their games.

 

[Lambda Pie]

just some random thought: MS will be the only one to NOT have a tablet controller, in order to push Surface tablets to help built their "ecosystem", maybe even some sort of program where 720 adopters have special offerings on Surface.

720 will ship with a traditional controller + in-built Kinect.

 

[Ashes]

Funny that there's a press tour and two UK sites post leak info... Wonder how long they kept leaks to themselves...

Even if it was all already on the internet..

 

[Zabka]

Sony used to be the largest threat to MS but it's now apple and google. This is why their strategy changed and why the nextbox will become something more to sell services.
I think they see the upcoming appleTV as a larger threat than PS4. I also think that with cloud gaming on the future they have no interest in taking a loss on a console that may take over 2-3 years to get profitable.

I really hope this isn't their mindset since they are currently profiting from a box that sells the same services as the Apple TV and smart tvs. Releasing a more expensive system for less profit that requires a paid subscription to compete against <$100 devices sounds insane.

There has to be much more to this machine than services to justify cutting down its power, if the current rumors are true.

 

[TGO]

Quick summary of specs dedicated to gaming:

Durango:

GPU- 1.229TFLOPS (12CUs@800MHz)
CPU- 6 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 5GB DDR3(very low bandwith) + 32MB ESRAM(102.4GB/s)
Extra- "secret sauce"

Orbis:

GPU- 1.843TFLOPS (18CU@800MHz)
CPU- 7 Jaguar cores @ 1.6 GHz
RAM- 3.5GB GDDR5(very high bandwith)
Extra- Compute module for GPGPU, physics ect.

What is this?

 

[Clockwork]

What is this?

Specs less the resources not used for gaming aspects.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

So, the PS4 is in London. I wonder if they will show it...

 

[shinra-bansho]

Is Apple TV a threat? Hasn't Apple been trying (and failing) to successfully launch their set-top box for over half a decade? It's been seemingly "upcoming" forever.