The ToyBox

Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin

Sony confirms PlayStation 4 is "under way"

By | May 26, 2011, 12:59pm PDT

Summary: Sony PlayStation 4 is already in the works, but will you be buying one?

Here is something loyal Sony PlayStation fans can look forward to: the PlayStation 4, as revealed by Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Masaru Kato on a conference call with investors today.

According to Eurogamer, Kato was asked to explain to investors the reason for increased spending on research and development:

For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life. But this is a platform business, so for the future platform - when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that - but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there.

His confirmation on the PS4 actually conflicts with comments made by Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Kaz Hirai (the face of Sony during the PSN crisis) earlier this year, which are essentially that the PS3 will continue to be the focus of Sony until 2016, and that the next-gen console “is not something that we are even debating now.”

But that was pre-crisis. With the level of animosity the PSN outage has generated amongst customers, as well as rumors Nintendo will be announcing its next-gen console Wii 2 next month, Sony may have no choice but to bring the PS4 to market earlier than anticipated. Somehow I think gamers can live with that.

What improvements would you like to see in the PS4?

[Source: Eurogamer]

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Topics

Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

Disclosure

Gloria Sin

I have no stocks or investments in any companies or interests which may lead to a conflict of interest in my coverage.

Biography

Gloria Sin

Gloria Sin is a New York-based freelance journalist who writes about the tech toys that you can't live without for ZDNet. She has little patience for poorly designed user experiences, and is not afraid of opening the guts of her own machines for repair or hacking her gadgets for new uses.

She has written for FastCompany.com, Popular Science, Olympic News Service; she currently covers the startup scene in the Tri-State area for NYConvergence.com.

Prior to ZDNet, Gloria was the online editor for Dance International, and dabbled in web design and social media consulting. When she is offline, you will find her at an ice rink living out her figure skating dreams. Follow her on Twitter.

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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
flipicaneze Updated - 1st Jan
I would like to see native dual screen support (I hate playing split screen, but good luck with this one)

gobs of ram (while RAM is ultra cheap)

Wireless N (just to have it, I always run wired)

rear USB (I hate the cable loop coming to the front of the console),

replaceable inner socketed/slotted parts for GPU, CPU, wireless and memory (this will save Sony huge headaches and expenses in the long run after the whole ongoing YLOD incident and can help with possible upgrades to extend the service life of the console)
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I think i may pick this up...being a sexbox fan, I was waiting for another Playstation to jump on... but i have a strong feeling, that Sony will be making PSN a paid service much like xbl...
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@iPwnz They already did. It's called Playstation Plus.
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there must be more games and interesting features

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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
dustypotato 26th May 2011
THE PLAYSTATION 4 INFORMATION HAS LEAKED! I just saw the specs and pictures of the new console, and wow... I'm amazed.

If you don't want to wait until E3 to see the Playstation 4, here's the link:

http://playstation4leaked.com.nu/
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
Luke Wood 26th May 2011
@dustypotato
The link provided is a click jacking attempt nice try!
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
SKITTLE LA Updated - 26th May 2011
@dustypotato

Idiot.
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@dustypotato

flipping ******
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@dustypotato

Quit trying to click-jack, you low-level criminal
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
SmokeNMirrors 26th May 2011
He might just be talking about a revamp of the PS3, say the "hacker proof" version we've heard about.
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But will it run.......
Economister 26th May 2011
Linux? wink
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
mjlaverty@... 26th May 2011
@Economister
Naw, they learned their lesson on that one... thats how they got hacked to begin with...LOL
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@mjlaverty@... Shhhhhhhhh if the Linux Idiot...sorry I mean Advocate hears you, it may start a war!
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@Bates_ LMAO grin
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@mjlaverty@... They dind't get hacked with Linux they got because they went after someone for installing Linux.
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Nobody cares
Joe_Raby 27th May
n/t
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
Scrabbler 26th May 2011
"What improvements would you like to see in the PS4?"
Games which are worth playing.

PS it is not clear from the snippet in the article what they are actually talking about other than "they are working on something".
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
DonRupertBitByte 26th May 2011
The Playstation 3 is the last Sony product I am buying until they change their lawsuit-happy ways.
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@DonRupertBitByte - right on.

But it's not just the lawsuits, it's also the painful DRM technology that leaves so many of their products so unreliable and difficult to use, the "root kit" incidents and the general attitude of "we own you, so suck it up". Sony makes solid products and the quality of their manufacturing process is impressive but the overall customer experience is another matter. From a 21st century perspective their corporate hardball attitude is offensive. Get on the freakin' Clue Train, Sony.
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This is just the way it is
Joe_Raby 27th May
@ralphclark

Commercial software code is treated like artistic media, so it falls under intellectual property and copyright laws, and as such, almost always involves a license to use it without a transfer of ownership.

If you don't agree to the terms, don't use it.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
atari_z Updated - 26th May 2011
PS3 and XBox 360 are very old platforms, clearly now inferior to the PC by several orders of magnitude.

I'm not talking about the fact that PS3 players play with a pad (which is clearly inferior to the mouse for precision), but about the specs: 256 MB for the CPU and 256 MB for video card: this is abysmal, very very bad. games have to be compatible to PS3 and XBox (same low specs), so what can we expect now except corridor games without ANY freedom ?

They need to upgrade their old system, they have pushed the limit of indecency now. Paying 70 euros to play on a 256 MB CPU system. They must be joking...
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@atari_z You may think the specs are not impressive, but the xbox slim works great for me!
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@rmark@...
Jesus, enough with the PC/Console pissing contest. They are two different animals. I just dropped a few hundred dollars on a graphics card for my PC, because I wanted to run some of my games at their fullest potential. I have all three consoles and I am fine with what they provide. If you do not want an idiot proof box, then go with your pc/mac or whatever, but enough with the PCs are better. PCs are more expensive, if you are chasing the latest and greatest graphics.
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@atari_z

Game consoles are dedicated to running one task at a time and the code is compiled directly for the hardware. You don't usually have high-level API's that make it easy for programmers and add inefficiencies into the system like you do with general-purpose PC's. Even the PS3 OS runs directly from firmware. The only multitasking you get is playing music or doing downloads (only in certain situations) while you do other things in the OS.

Besides that, your specs are off.
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@atari_z The difference comes in the dedication of the hardware and the way the Cell functions. Just because it's a 256 MB doesn't mean much when you take into account that the Cell, with it's SPE's has more power per transistor than most desktop processors. Also the Cell isn't also running thirty or forty different OS processes in the background at all times when it is running games. Considering the level of dedication inherent to the hardware the performance is actually comparable when you are talking about just games.

Cell processors also stomp standard CPUs in floating point operations by orders of magnitude. However this also highlights the problem with comparing PC processor architecture to Cell architecture. It is literally apples to oranges. An optimized Cell, dedicated to a single niche, like the PS3, is going to be just as good as a CPU multi tasking in a standard desktop environment. The only real difference is in the shiny newness of your GPU, which probably cost as much as the PS3 brand new if you upgrade fanatically.

So what it boils down to is, Two different processing architectures for two different tasks. One platform you are locked to the hardware, but it will always be crisp and clean and the software will be optimized for it. On the other you can, and indeed must, upgrade to play the newest library of games. If you want to talk euros the PC will probably cost you more over the lifetime of the tower IF you upgrade your GPU to keep it current with technology.
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@atari_z You forgot to mention the fact that the GPUs both the 360 and PS3 use are shader model 3-based (DX9/OGL 2.x), placing them far behind SM4 and SM5-based cards in terms of what the graphics can really be like. Heck, even the Wii has SM3 graphics.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
awkward hug 26th May 2011
Bigger better faster prettier games are not better games. The high cost of making AAA games on these consoles mean we keep seeing the risk managed publishers churning out mediocre sequels year after year.

Give me a new and unique user experience. I don't know what that is - did anyone expect the wii to succeed?
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@awkward hug

So, the Witcher 2 is a mediocre sequel? Get real... there are VERY FEW ideas out there that haven't been done in video games, excepting things that would get the games an A-O rating in the stores.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
Grayson Peddie 26th May
A new PS4? I don't have the money to afford PS3. Let the price of PS3 settle down to $199 for 160GB HD and release the new PS4 then.
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I would like to see:
Cross-game chat/party chat
improve triggers on controllers
more usb ports
backwards compatibility
improved trophy system
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@flipfool13 Hooray, somoene who actually answered the question.

I'll add better account portablility. I want to be able to log in to my account at a friends house while playing games such as COD Black Ops and not be a guest.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
timgilbreath@... 27th May
and the article mistakenly says:

"as well as rumors Nintendo will be launching its next-gen console Wii 2 next month"

They meant that it is rumored to be ANNOUNCED at E3 next month, not LAUNCHING next month lol They Sony would really be shitting themselves lol
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@dustypotato "you are a bum"
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
Grayson Peddie 27th May
What about a hybrid PS4/PS2? That's less space taken up by PS2 and PS3, meaning less wires.
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What?? I just got a PS3 3 months ago! Lame, but I can't say I'm surprised, really...
I just hope they don't send out a "firmware update" that bricks all PS3s after the PS4 launches.
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...except play nice my other non-Sony toys. It'll be stable hardware - sorry MS.
....they might as well pack up and go home.

If they do use the Cell processor in the PS4 (as some have predicted) and they can't/don't offer this, then it'll put a permanent black eye on the once-respectable Japanese megacorp.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
I Hate Malware 27th May
Sounds like a huge assumption on the authors part.
Sony confirmed they are working on a new platform, I think the key term here is "home equipment" To me this indicates they are working on something other than a sedentary device that sits in your lounge or bedroom. Perhaps a tablet version?
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
MrElectrifyer Updated - 12th Jun
All I wanna see is support to install a non-PlayStation operating system platform; perhaps a Unix derivativ wink, lol

Besides that, wouldn't mind gaining backwards compatibility with all playstation platforms, can't see any benefit of it over my PS3 (jailbroken) + NGP (when it comes out) in the upcoming 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 plain
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Better be backwards compatible with PlayStation 1-3 games, or forget it. I don't care if they have to add an emulator to play the Playstation 1 and 2 games, it should be easy considering that Sony made the original systems.
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
Garrett Williams 30th May
10 years between consoles is a long time. It used to be that there would be 5 years between releases. Think of it... do you want to play games on hardware that was top-of-the-line a full decade ago?
I wouldn't be surprised if a netbook could get the same graphics as a PS3 when the console is 10 years old.
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Bein a PC gamer that can drop dough on the hardware its hard to say but vid card aside seriously more memory and a CPU that isn't rediculosly hard to program for although its sad how unused the PS3 CPU doesn't get used to its full potential. And secondly better marketing this time. I'm not a fanboy or whatever but I hated that xbox advertised for stuff that the PS3 already did but PS never called em out.
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I just bought a PS3
davidr69 7th Jun
This thing better last for a good 5 years. Heck, my PS2 still works!
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HEY!!!! Police your site and get rid of that malware posting by dustypotato please.
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They need exclusives
swingers
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New Playstation 4
sergeyin 20th Dec
Cant wait to play a Playstation 4 game, hopefully in 2012 playstation-4.info
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RE: Sony confirms new PlayStation 4 is
flipicaneze Updated - 1st Jan
I would like to see native dual screen support (I hate playing split screen, but good luck with this one)

gobs of ram (while RAM is ultra cheap)

Wireless N (just to have it, I always run wired)

rear USB (I hate the cable loop coming to the front of the console),

replaceable inner socketed/slotted parts for GPU, CPU, wireless and memory (this will save Sony huge headaches and expenses in the long run after the whole ongoing YLOD incident and can help with possible upgrades to extend the service life of the console)

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