Gaming Is this the PlayStation 4? Sony says we'll 'see the future' on February 20th

[tom_mai78101]

Sony has just announced a PlayStation-related event for February 20th at 6pm, and it looks like we may be getting a look at the company's next-generation home console. In a tweet, Sony says that the PlayStation Meeting 2013 will allow us to "see the future" and an attached video teaser may even have given us a first glimpse of the hardware. The video is mostly abstract renderings of the classic PlayStation button symbols, but there are brief flashes where it looks like something else could be going on. In any case, we could have less than three weeks left until we see the next PlayStation, reportedly codenamed Orbis, for real.

Additionally, noted industry analyst Michael Pachter says Sony has also extended invitations to company investors for the upcoming event. We can't be positive a PlayStation 4 is on the agenda, but clearly whatever Sony is preparing to share is rather important. Prior to today's teaser, many believed Sony would be revealing its latest console at this year's E3 conference, if not later. CEO Kaz Hirai has hinted that Sony might repeat its last-gen approach: let the competition go first, and follow up with a more powerful machine. The PlayStation 3 was released an entire year after Microsoft's Xbox 360. Microsoft employee Larry Hryb ramped up hype surrounding a successor to the 360 earlier this month.

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[Varine]

A newer, more powerful Playstation than ever before! OR, a combination developed in joint with Microsoft: the Playbox (or X-station... they could keep Xbox because that's cooler)? Make it happen, Sony.

 

[Accname]

A newer, more powerful Playstation than ever before! OR, a combination developed in joint with Microsoft: the Playbox (or X-station... they could keep Xbox because that's cooler)? Make it happen, Sony.

Yeah! More monopoly! The world is yet not full enough of these.

 

[Varine]

Not a monopoly. They retain separate businesses, but work together to make viable a product that is more efficient, cheaper, and technologically more advanced than either could make on their own, by pooling their resources and technologies into a single product for the betterment of the consumer. They would make a product that would likely be cheaper to produce and more powerful, with a far larger budget for design and innovation with likely some of the best engineers for the project, and would likely sell as many, if not more, units than the two of them would do separately. It would increase sales of games from which they collect royalties by not competing with each other over what console you should get Call of Duty on, and people would likely get more games, because they won't be restricted from some really good titles because they only have one or the other console. More people would participate online for the same reasons. In the end, the losses would likely be minimal, if any, and it would be a desperately needed step forward in multi-national and corporate cooperation in technological fields.

 

[tom_mai78101]

... make viable a product that is more efficient, cheaper, and technologically more advanced than either could make on their own...

The word "cheaper" is a bit of an overestimation. I don't see how cheaper it gets when it comes to Playstation. The rest of it, I'm neutral about it.

A newer, more powerful Playstation than ever before! OR, a combination developed in joint with Microsoft: the Playbox (or X-station... they could keep Xbox because that's cooler)? Make it happen, Sony.

XOR (X-tra Original Replica), or NOR (Next-gen Original Replica)? Or NAND (Not Awesome N-nough Device) for a PS?

 

[Varine]

The word "cheaper" is a bit of an overestimation. I don't see how cheaper it gets when it comes to Playstation. The rest of it, I'm neutral about it.

Do you know how console marketing works? They lose money, both Microsoft and Sony, for every console they sell. This is made up by people buying games, because to publish on these consoles you have to pay royalties, and buy specialized development kits, and it's expensive. And typically those royalties are paid up front, which means if you develop a game and want to print five thousand copies to start, you have to pay royalties on five thousand units that haven't been sold. So they get money from it either way.

Now, the reason they can afford to keep it so cheap (remember, they're losing money when they sell you an Xbox for 300 dollars) is they, like most major computer companies, have deals with various electronics manufactures, and the rate that Microsoft can get CPU's for might be less than what Sony can get for them. And the design would be more efficient. PS3 obviously has better features in the operating system, but the design of the Xbox I think typically takes it. Without direct competition with each other, they wouldn't have to go in opposite directions like they are. Without that competition, they would likely be able to develop a more rounded system that is extremely versatile and would have virtually nothing to stand up against. Both companies are very good at what they do, but they, like everything, have strengths and weaknesses, and I think a joint effort between Sony and Microsoft could be an extremely successful venture, and I would like to see things like this happen more often.