PlayStation 4: What’s New In It

What can we expect from the PlayStation 4? 4.0 GHz processor, next-generation GPU and online everywhere. We dive into the possibilities.

The new generation of consoles is already here? Not according to Microsoft and Sony. They said that they have bet all the chips in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. After all, the recent arrival of motion controls for both consoles as well as the large franchises that are still to come leave the appliance without focus.

The arrival of the U Wii, scheduled for the end of 2012, however, already makes gamers turn their eyes to the next generation of video games. As much as the manufacturers still have nothing to advertise – at least not in the near future – the work on new platforms is happening as you read this article.

Last year, we made ​​our bets on the next Xbox . Now it is time to examine the other side of the coin and think that Sony may be preparing for its next-generation home console.

Powerful cells and improvements on what already exists

With the PlayStation 3, Sony was able to please Greeks and Trojans. At the same time it offered an affordable architecture for the creation of multiplatform games, and it also gave full power to exclusive developers with the Cell, a refined and extremely powerful microprocessor.

In PlayStation 4, this trend should continue, but it could be improved. Sony claims they must consult their partners about the complexity of the console, along with Toshiba, which provides  a more friendly and extremely powerful Cell. The expectations are being raised up to the fabulous amount of 4.0 GHz, since PS3 has offered 3.2 GHz. And it should use the PowerPC-based predecessor, but with a bigger number of cores.

Higher resolutions of the worlds?

Although the processor is the most important component of any equipment, the graphics hardware provides more potential in the worlds renderings. With the PlayStation 4, Sony must once again invest in visual art, presenting its fans an experience which has never before been seen in a video game.

The Samaritan demo, released by Epic Games , can be considered as a small sample of the graphics to come in the next generation of games.

In this field, some bets are sensible. The PlayStation 4 should not accept anything less than 1080p, a resolution which, unfortunately, is not a standard in the gaming industry. The stereoscopic 3D should also be an integral part, with more and more games being able to work with the technology.

When the subject is the machine’s video card, speculators and experts agree: the partnership between Sony and NVIDIA should continue. There is controversy, however, on the component that it will be used. While some claim that the company will produce a special GPU for this console, others bet on the adaptation of the latest generation of components which will meet all the needs of the future games.

Among those who bet on the second option, the GTX 560 seems to be an unanimous vote. The use of a graphics card which is already on the market and becomes widely used by the PC market would also be an aid in developing the most multiplatform games, eliminating the need for a specific development for the PlayStation 4.

On the other hand, some believe that the PlayStation 4 needs to reach higher. Recent statements of Masaaki Tsuruta, chief technology officer at Sony says that the new console could obtain even very high resolutions, like 8k, with impressive 4096×3112 pixels and a rate of 300 frames per second. In this case, it is a good ideea to prepare an excellent cooling system.

When it comes to performance, the RAM is also a factor to be taken into account. In the world of consoles, there are astonishing numbers that matter, and the PlayStation 4 should have only 4 GB of DDR6memory. More than that would not really be necessary, unless Tsuruta claims actually to offer pure reality and the new console needs to destroy all barriers in terms of resolution.

Focus on digital distribution and a lot of storing space required

The success of the Steam platform, PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE are an unmistakable indication that the future is digital. In order to ensure a good position here, Sony should invest in consoles with big hard drives which will need  to accommodate all the facilities of physical games and the big titles that, increasingly, are only available online.

In a world of beautiful high-resolution graphics, a hard drive of at least 160 GB should be expected. Over time, you can expect some PlayStation 4 editions with up to 500 GB of storage, allowing anyone to download anything is needed, controlling the amount of storage space without moving or deleting titles that are no longer played.

The digital world, however, should not be completely replaced by physical media. Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 should still offer  the Blu-ray as a medium of choice to run their games, while also maintaining its status as integrated entertainment center.

PlayStation 4: What Will It Bring New

With the PlayStation 3, Sony has already shown its intention to be more than just a video game, delivering a great Blu-ray player and a choice of content in the same package. With Vita, the focus is on functions that go beyond the game, with direct integration to social networks. It also provides games that are fully connected and use the 3G connection, to compete with smartphones.

There is no reason for this trend to stop and it becomes even stronger in the next PlayStation generation. PSN joins sites like Facebook and Twitter, allowing the player to share his/ her achievements, interests, and games with all the friends and followers.

The creation of matches should also be optimized in this way, with a single unified list of contacts. Nothing will need to be requested from the PlayStation Network IDs or from Facebook friends: the console itself will be able to identify which of your colleagues also have a PS4.

Still, games could take into account interests and activities of the player to create unique challenges and situations. So, increasingly, the barrier between games and reality would be broken and actions in the “real world” also account for the experience.

PlayStation 4 Release Date

Do you have shining eyes after reading all the perspectives outlined in this article? Well, you should know that, unfortunately, this whole new world has no exact  date to reach the market. As the PlayStation 3 was the last of the seventh generation console to be released, it is likely that history will repeat itself with its successor.

According to Sony, we will not see the PS4 at least until E3 2012, held in July. Since then, we have nothing on the release date of this console, but the most optimistic expectations indicate that we will see the new device later this year. The launch, however, would be expected for Christmas.

What do you expect tfrom PlayStation 4? Do you agree with our expectations? Leave your opinion in the comments!