Do we really need another game console?
With every new generation of consoles some new and groundbreaking feature is developed and us consumers go crazy for it. So what is it going to be this time? Virtual reality? Biometric feedback? Human like graphics? Well according to an article on c|net, the new Playstation 4, set to come out by the 2013 holiday season, has a few new features that are making my mouth water. Sony said the Playstation 4 will offer a gaming experience superior to current-generation devices, thanks to its eight-core X86 AMD Jaguar CPU and 1.84-teraflop AM Radeon graphics engine. The console will also come with a Blu-ray drive and 8GB of GDDR5 memory making it an estimated 8 to 10 times as powerful as the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Is this really enough to justify buying a brand new console? Especially one that is not backwards compatible with disks or downloadable of the Playstation network according to Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios. Although Dave Perry of Gaikai said that instead it will stream PS1, PS2, and PS3 games from the cloud. The Xbox “720″ is rumored to be power but a 16-core CPU which would douple the power of the PS4.
New Sony DualShock controller for the PS4
The new DualShock controller has a touchpad on the front for easy navigation and input methods as well as a lightbar on the back of it that serves 2 purposes:
- To enable easier player control identification
- To help aid the new stereo camera with a 3D location spotting, although it will not replace the move controllers
On February 20th, 2013 Sony revealed the newest addition to their family of consoles: the Playstation 4. Well, sort of. They did not reveal the actual console or what it will look like but they did release tech specs, the newest DualShock controller, and some exciting news about a certain game company that is set to join forces with Sony. That’s right Bungie is teaming up with Activision on a new game called Destiny to be released on the Xbox 720 in 2013 and the PS4 in 2014 providing that the respective consoles are out by then. As a huge fan of the Halo franchise I am particularly excited to hear that they will be branching out to the Playstation consoles due to the rumors that the Xbox 720 (still not sure if that’s the official name or not) will require an internet connection to be able to play it along with rumors of the elimination of secondhand games, meaning that you will only be able to play that estimated $60 game on one console before it is rendered useless. They plan on shipping games with an activation code which will only allow for use on one console.
With all these factors it makes it a tough sale for me until I see the performance and graffics to truly be able to pass an accurate judgement. Sony has been rumored to set the release price of the PS4 at $400 as opposed to the $500-$600 price tag for the PS3 when it came out and the Xbox “720″ is said to cost anywhere between $200 and $400 but your guess is as good as mine. It is a huge deciding factor to forget all the negative details if the prices for this next generation of consoles is indeed that low.