New PS4 Specs Leak Based on January's Development Kit
The PlayStation 4 spec list has been refreshed thanks to Orbis documentation and the development kit.
Kotaku has acquired a list of specs for the unannounced PlayStation 4 "Orbis" console that are based on the development kits, model # DVKT-KS000K, as of January 2013. It's noted that these specs will likely change as the console gets closer to its final retail date, so take these components as merely what's provided for developers for the moment. AMD will take the center stage, providing both the CPU and GPU.
According to the specs, the kit has 8 GB of RAM and 2.2 GB of video memory. The CPU is listed as 4x dual-core AMD64 "Bulldozer" – indicating that there will be eight cores total – and the GPU is listed as an AMD R10xx. Also included is a 160 GB HDD, a Blu-ray drive, four USB 3.0 ports, two Ethernet ports, HDMI and optical output, and 2.0, 5.1 and 7.1 audio channels.
Kotaku added that there's also a headphone jack but it's unclear whether this will end up on the final product. It's also noted that the extra Ethernet port will likely not end up in the final build, as it's used for local sharing and testing purposes.
Kotaku goes on to cover the controller aspect, saying that developers are working with both the Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controller, indicating that the design and capabilities will be similar to the PlayStation 3 models. There's also a new model in development called the Orbis Development Tool which retains the same features but adds one key component: a capacitive touch pad as seen with the PlayStation Vita. It will recognize two-point multi-touch input, and will also serve as an additional input button when "clicked".
The PlayStation 4 will also supposedly offer multi-user simultaneous logins, meaning the console will allow more than one person to be logged into the same system at the same time. This is done by linking controllers to user accounts, thus when a second player activates a controller, he/she will be asked to log into their account. This would indicate that all user information will be stored in the cloud including trophies and game settings which can be accessed on any PlayStation 4 console.
Kotaku said the information contained in its report was generated from the development kit, and from official Orbis documentation provided by the same individual who attempted to sell a pair of Xbox development kits on eBay last year. To read the full report (which offers more detail about the controller), head here.
Actually, choosing Bulldozer is a godsend for PC gaming. This means that in order to perform well on low-clocked, poor-IPC CPUs, they will have to multithread extensively. This means that games built for the new console may finally see some benefit from HT on the Core i7s, not to mention perform quite will on Piledriver and its successors.
Seems rather off the shelf for sony.
we will see.
: on the plus side, hope we will see more natively multi-threaded (console ported) games for PC.
Seems rather off the shelf for sony.
we will see.
: on the plus side, hope we will see more natively multi-threaded (console ported) games for PC.
Actually, choosing Bulldozer is a godsend for PC gaming. This means that in order to perform well on low-clocked, poor-IPC CPUs, they will have to multithread extensively. This means that games built for the new console may finally see some benefit from HT on the Core i7s, not to mention perform quite will on Piledriver and its successors.
I'm not really a fan of PC-like hardware making up the consoles. What this leads to for cross-platform gaming is that the game gets developed on the console hardware first because it's a quicker dev/release cycle and more profitable since console gamers aren't likely to pirate their games, and then we PC gamers get the craptastic ported version with lower res graphics & lousy controls.
GPU is listed as an AMD R10xx: probably right as the GPU is the single most important part to get right in a dev kit
160 GB HDD: Absolutely, and I would not be suprised to see much larger drives, as well as an SSD option down the road
Blu-ray drive: maybe, maybe not. I know there was talk of 'download only' for games, but if they want it to be a multimedia center then it needs a blu-ray player.
four USB 3.0 ports: possible, more likely to see some cost cutting with 4 USB2 for controllers, and 2 USB3 for external HDD option (my origonal thought was they would have a small SSD for the OS and user files, and then force users to get an external USB3 drive to store games)
two Ethernet ports: Why would they do this on the final build? One gigabit port is already 1 more than what will be used by most users. Give it an ethernet and wireless N, and call it a day.
HDMI and optical output: Absolutely will happen, likely firmware upgradeable HDMI to support future 4K and Ethernet over HDMI technologies.
2.0, 5.1 and 7.1 audio channels: Absolutely will happen. Audio is cheap and easy tech to integrate, and the PS3 already has this, so why would they take a step backwards?
"The PlayStation 4 will also supposedly offer multi-user simultaneous logins, meaning the console will allow more than one person to be logged into the same system at the same time. This is done by linking controllers to user accounts, thus when a second player activates a controller, he/she will be asked to log into their account."
The problem with this is that I would then be expected to carry my controller to my friend's house, or expect people to be able to tell each of their identical black playstation controllers apart... I like the general idea behind it as it allows for trophy tracking when you are away, but it also may allow developers to say "you cannot play as the 2nd player on this game until you pay a $5 log-in fee, or purchase rights to the full game" kind of thing. That would be terrible.
Just look at consoles today (ps3 Xbox360 even Wii u), they still sell and are more than adequate for their market even with 7 year old specs. The market isn't going to accept $500 base model consoles and with good programming that setup shouldn't have any problem running games at 1080p at 60fps, and mainstream televisions don't need anything more than that for a while now. Looks good to me.
You get what you paid for,..
$100 Ouya console:
+ Cheap price
+ Cheap games
- casual games only
- poor graphics/slider/rail shooter
- quickly becomes obsolete at the rate of development in mobile performance
$500 PS4/Xbox 720 console:
+ performance adequate for at least 5 years
+ AAA quality games with real plot and all the nice stuffs
+ games should get you occupied for weeks/months
+ physical copy of games
- price
- price of games
There's still ALOT of people who wants to play console games- not cheap $1-$5 mobile games
Ultimately games sell the console, so having a limited choice will also limit console sales and minimize profits. It's better to sell your console at or slightly below cost and make money from the sales of games. That's continued revenue as opposed to a small one time profit.
The most CPU limited titles on the PC are MMOs, RTS games and shoddy console ported 2-core mess that Bethesda games are. MMOs and RTS are not found on consoles. The most popular console games are generally very GPU limited titles.
Consider that current titles that run on PS360 do not even run at 1920x1080. Actually recent games run well below 1280x720 (Black Ops 2 880x720, Uncharted 3 well below 1024x768, Dark Souls 1024x720). Now next gen cosoles will have DX11 graphics (w/ very demanding graphical effects like tessellation, bokeh depth of field, POM, dynamic area lights, higher resolution textures, etc.) and will supposedly target 1920x1080 resolution with some AA. The minute you are talking about gaming at 1920x1080 2-4xAA in DX11 and next generation DX11 games, you are going to be GPU limited in 90% of games, if not more. People keep ripping Bulldozer/Vishera apart but consoles aren't going to have HD7970 Ghz CFX or GTX680 SLI. Most likely consoles won't even have a GPU as powerful as a GTX670.
When FX8120-8350 are paired with a GTX670 at 1920x1080 AA in non-MMO/non-RTS titles, the gaming system is almost entirely GPU limited, regardless if an AMD FX8000 series or a Core i5/i7 CPU is used:
http://pctuning.tyden.cz/hardware/graficke-karty/25994-vliv-procesoru-na-vykon-ve-hrach-od-phenomu-po-core-i7?start=16
Having an AMD FX8000 series processor is actually the 2nd best option long-term assuming MS/Sony cannot afford to fork out more $ for Intel's Core i5/i7 CPUs. Think about this, would you rather have a Bulldozer/Vishera or some underpowered crappy IBM PowerPC architecture or a tablet 8-core Jaguar CPU?
Ya that's pretty much where I'm at. When I bought the PS3 it was the best blu-ray player available and the same price as a dedicated blu-ray player. I game a little on it but it's really all bout the PC for me. I'll probably pick up the new PS4 just for the occational sports or fighting game and to have a new blu-ray player.
Ouya will do for consoles what farmville did for facebook. Social/Casual gaming just dwarfs the console market. The biggest issue cited about the PS3 is it's excessive price. When the current set of consoles came out, which one sold the best: Wii. Why is that? Cheapest. Still great games, no HD. You can get really great games on an ARM/Tegra platform, and you, like MSFT & Sony are highly underestimating it's impact on the market.
Performance is only considered "adequate" for 5 years, because developers (save Crytek) don't bother pushing the envelope any more. The mediocrity of the development community is the reason why the current consoles are lasting a decade. If developers were putting out versions of their games that actually took advantage of the larger resource pool a PC offers, it would quickly push consoles aside. PC have moved evolutions beyond consoles, and sadly because games are no longer pushing those limits, hardware development is slowing, and becoming more expensive to buy. $900 GPUs?? I remember when $300 would buy the flagship product, and that was stupid expensive. OTH, if the latest AAA titles required that kind of performance, the GPU would be cheaper and more powerful. Xbox & PS# consoles are bad for gaming progress IMO.
First, I overall agree with your assessment. That being said...
I don't have a dog in either fight, but... mobile apps don't have to be flashy & high tech to have replay value. I'd say the actual number of games that you'd want to replay over a span of years is about the same. A couple on each platform. Graphics-wise, I'm still impressed what tablets/phones are capable of today. Granted, their graphics are what consoles were doing 7 years ago, but looking at the platform 'as is', it's respectable. Games like Infinity Blade, some of the EA sports and racing games, Angry Birds, Minecraft...all very re-playable on mobile devices.
So now you take a platform like Ouya that is open source and add to it other open projects like WebGL, and you have very capable games like . Again, this is just proof of concept. And I certainly expect next gen consoles to play games like Samaritan without much issue. Will Ouya do that? Not likely. But with constant open source contributions, that is the appeal of the lower priced OUYA unit. Lots of development interest on a platform that can continue to be revised, unlike the more closed environment of a Sony/MS/Nintendo console. I would certainly be more likely to give a $100 console a shot over a $500 console, unless I was tied to a particular platform's title, like Halo or something that's only available on Xbox.