In a matter of a few hours, Sony’s event in New York will kick off. Sony had sent out a teaser along with the invite, which hinted that the event would be about the next generation in console gaming. Of course, Sony might not actually reveal anything about the the PS4 (as we’d like to call it) or Orbis (as it’s been known) today.. Still, we think Sony will unveil the next generation console at today’s New York event, give some details about the games for the device at GDC 2013 and have a full unveiling (launch date, variants and price points) at E3 2013.
If rumours on the Internet are to be believed then the next-gen console from Sony Computer Entertainment will go on sale around November 2013 and will be available in two variants priced at $500 and $600. When the PS3 was launched back in 2006, it was priced at $550 and $650 respectively.
Other speculations suggest that Sony has redesigned the dual shock controller as well for the PS4. Leaked images suggest that it has the same form factor as the dual-shock controller but the analogue sticks have been modified for better comfort. The controller will also have a touch panel in the same place that housed the start and select button. This will be the same panel that is found on the back of the PS Vita.
Speculations also suggest that Sony is working towards a project called PlayStation Cloud. This service may let users save game data, game clips and other content on the cloud. It is also speculated that gamers will be able to watch what their friends are playing in real time. The cloud service that Sony is apparently working on will be used to play PS3 games for backward compatibility. The PlayStation 4 will also have deeper social networking integration with Facebook and Twitter.
Sony will be ditching the cell based processor architecture found on the PS3 for a more PC-like architecture making the development process of the games a lot more developer friendly.
Another rumour being churned out on the Internet, and this one has got the gaming community in quite a stir, is that the system will not be able to play used games. Gamers will need to input a code or be connected to the Internet to be able to play the game.
The PlayStation 4 is also expected to have motion gaming built in. The Eye Toy along with the Move controllers converted the PS3 into a Wii HD. How Sony will integrate the move controller with the next gen system is yet to be seen.
Nintendo has already entered the next generation console war with the launch of the Wii U. the unique feature about this console is that it houses a 10-inch tablet as the controller adding more gameplay elements. Microsoft is the only company that needs to lift the veil off its next generation gaming console.
What do you think? With games such as WatchDogs, God of War Ascension and The Last of Us just around the corner, are we ready for the next generation gaming console for Sony? Between the PSOne and the PS2 there was a major leap not only in the graphical capabilities of the system but the jump from CD to DVD as well. The PS3 too was a major leap with respect to graphical capabilities and the system brought with it Blu-ray technology. Will we see a similar leap with the PS4?
The Sony event will live stream at 4:30am Indian Standard time. those interested can watch the live stream here.