I can't imagine Sony or Microsoft releasing new SKUs just to get new HDCP hardware. They'd need real, tangible benefits for consumers to accept a new looking device/name and offer something to entice existing users to upgrade.
Presumably improved codecs would mean it's not too much more than an h264 encoded 1080p stream.Jesus, how many Gigs of bandwidth would it take to stream a 4K movie? Hundreds?
Presumably improved codecs would mean it's not too much more than an h264 encoded 1080p stream.
The Xbox One And PS4 Don't Need To Make 4K A Priority
Yesterday, I read a great piece from our own John Archer about how Netflix is making bold predictions about the future of 4K, namely that they expect both Microsofts Xbox One and Sony s PS4 to support the format within the year.
Now, before gamers get alarmed, theres a big difference between the One and PS4 supporting 4K for video, and supporting 4K for gaming, something reserved only for ultra-high end PCs in the current gaming landscape. It is exceedingly unlikely, if not downright impossible, that this console generation will ever see 4K gaming, so that notion should be put out of all of our heads immediately.
For as good as Drake may look in Uncharted 4, we wont see him in 4K until at least PS5.
And yet, its so far left consumers with relatively little 4K content to consume, and therefore no reason to be concerned with upgrading to a 4K TV anytime soon, hence the rather long predicted adoption curves for the format. Even if the 4K content market is expanding through the likes of Netflix and Amazon, its not doing so quickly enough where Sony and Microsoft should be trying to hit some imminent target of getting the capability to their consoles. And yet, Netflix is trying to get them to do so, given the large portion of their viewership that uses the service through game consoles (myself included). Why bother with 4K content when the machine running Netflix cant even broadcast it? But again, this seems like something that at the present moment is more a problem for Netflix than Xbox One or PS4 owners who may not care all that much about what theyre missing with a select handful of shows in 4K made for a TV they most likely dont own.
Additionally, it stands to reason that many consumers have another obstacle standing in their way before 4K seems like a reality: internet speeds and bandwidth. 4K takes dramatically more bandwidth to stream than regular HD, which can mean that either A) consumers can hit bandwidth caps set by ISPs (the same ISPs who are also the cable providers Netflix is trying to compete against), and B) their connection speed might be too choppy or strained for a constant, enjoyable 4K viewing experience. Im sure everyone out there has seen their Netflix go pixelated or cut out when streaming, and the likelihood of that happening only increases with 4K, considering US internet speeds are largely garbage, and refuse to climb much higher even with the advent of new technology. This is likely Netflixs biggest hurdle when it comes to streaming 4K, and theyve been doing battle with ISPs over throttling and internet speeds for years.
Not posted for good reason.
Not posted for good reason.
We (as in this thread) is talking about 4K PS4/Xbox One in the sense for video playback and this Forbes "contributor" is taking off on a (gaming) tangent.
Nintendo being cheap with licensing HDCP?Lots of focus on the XBO and the PS4 here, which makes sense given the quotes, but is there anything to stop the WiiU streaming 4k video likewise?
I can't imagine Sony or Microsoft releasing new SKUs just to get new HDCP hardware. They'd need real, tangible benefits for consumers to accept a new looking device/name and offer something to entice existing users to upgrade.
It would be a good time to overall upgrade the hardware on the consoles.
New/better CPUs for PS4, new/better GPUs for XBone!
Why not? ;(
I mean, might as well right?
Why not? ;(
I mean, might as well right?
It would be a good time to overall upgrade the hardware on the consoles.
New/better CPUs for PS4, new/better GPUs for XBone!
Why not? ;(
I mean, might as well right?
No, Trine 2 is 1080p60. They claim to be able to hit 4k at 30 fps if Sony were to allow 4k output for games though.
I remember the original xbox 360 that came out in 2005 didn't even have an HDMI port, which was added to later versions. I think the same thing will happen with the x1 and ps4 in that the HDMI 1.4 port will be upgraded to a 2.2 without changing much else.
At that point you might as well just release a brand new console. Hardware refreshes for dedicated devices like consoles where people are trained to buy based on the value they will see for a certain amount of time are a very tricky subject.
The only way Nintendo gets away with it today is because the 3DS is a limited market and so not many people care about limited games made with limited scope.
But if major devs had to constantly iterate their tech and development practices to work on games consoles that had to refresh at the pace your suggesting with an unproven market for the 30+ million installbase of people who already bought the previous one, that's taking a very risky leap.
Even the 32X and 64 ram carts didn't go that far, as they were only optional peripherals, and still failed because people want their games consoles to be stable and be relevant for the duration of the console gen.
I wouldn't even expect 4K from next gen consoles. For movies? Sure. For gaming? Hell nah.
No time would ever be a good time for that, you see.It would be a good time to overall upgrade the hardware on the consoles.
New/better CPUs for PS4, new/better GPUs for XBone!
It would be a good time to overall upgrade the hardware on the consoles.
New/better CPUs for PS4, new/better GPUs for XBone!
Forbes CONT strikes again...John Archer
Contributor
I would upgrade my xbone for a version that played every game in 1080p. I don't even see the problem with it.
I really hope not. I don't want to shell out another $400 or $500 every 2 years just to keep playing games. It would be way cheaper to just get a gaming PC at that point.I'm curious if this generation of consoles will see different performing hardware SKU's during its lifespan. We are all used to upgrading our smartphones every couple of years or so, and I'd gladly pay for an incremental upgrade for better performance/visuals.
I really hope not. I don't want to shell out another $400 or $500 every 2 years just to keep playing games. It would be way cheaper to just get a gaming PC at that point.
I wouldn't necessarily say 2 years, but 4 years would be optimal. And you wouldn't be forced to purchase a new console. Think of it like getting a new iPhone. You can still play most new games on a couple generation old phone, but the new ones would have more advanced graphics options. Waiting ten years for a hardware upgrade is far too long, especially how fast the hardware industry moves.
What does this even mean?
a big question for Sony and Microsoft will be how they manage the potential backlash from the tens of millions of people who already own original PS4s and Xbox Ones.
It would be a good time to overall upgrade the hardware on the consoles.
New/better CPUs for PS4, new/better GPUs for XBone!
I can't imagine Sony or Microsoft releasing new SKUs just to get new HDCP hardware. They'd need real, tangible benefits for consumers to accept a new looking device/name and offer something to entice existing users to upgrade.
Gesh guys, both the PS4 and XB1 are designed to be Media hubs and to support ALL media with IPTV power levels (less than 21 watts) including 4K blu-ray. They are BOTH using the same Xtensa DPUs that Kaveri uses to support HEVC and implementing a custom HDMI port with twice the bandwidth (higher clock) and HDCP 2.X done by the same Xtensa DPUs is not difficult...it's all software. I'm using X to denote a firmware update-able HDCP which is another requirement.Doesn't seem too strange. I remember the Xbox 360 Elite was what finally introduced HDMI to the console and they then just put them on every new unit. I kinda see Microsoft doing this again. 1TB hdd, dual HDMI 1.4 ports Xbox One Display Elitist sku.
This whole topic doesn't make sense to me.
Unless you've really cheaped out on a 4K TV, it'll have a Netflix app built in anyway. Why worry about a secondary device being able to do something your TV can already do?
Both Microsoft and Sony are going to use AMD IP and that IP is designed in part for the CURRENT Forge processes. So when Sony and Microsoft have AMD design a revision that will be forged by Global Foundries, it will use the Silicon that gives the best yield and currently that is 28nm SHP. That changes the voltages and timing and AMD taking advantage of the Silicon will change the design and it will be more efficient and support a higher clock. When AMD moves to 28nm SHP on interposer with 3DC and HBM stacked DRAM nearly everything changes, for sure how L2 cache will work.A revision that would support 4K video and new HDMI? Maybe but any sort of real tinkering with the hardware in terms of increasing performance? Yeah, that's not happening and you'd be dumb to expect or even suggest it.
Good point indeed but isn't Netflix on Playstation the leading device for streaming right now?