PS4 Pre-Release Rumor/Speculation Thread

[Gameguy]

It'll be a PS3 with FULL PS2 BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY! And support for Minidiscs, UMDs, cassette tapes and 8-track tapess!

(Note: Vinyl adapter costs $100.)

What? No compatibility with Beta? No built in grill? What good is it then?

[WCP]

Or they licensed the Oculus Rift headset and you can literally "see" the future.

You know what.... I know it's a long shot, but....

[duffmanth]

I would imagine it's gonna be a PS4 announcement, as I can't think of anything else it could be? I hope Sony has learned their lessons from the PS3 launch though!? They can't release the PS4 at anymore than $399 or it's gonna be the PS3 launch all over again.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I would imagine it's gonna be a PS4 announcement, as I can't think of anything else it could be? I hope Sony has learned their lessons from the PS3 launch though!? They can't release the PS4 at anymore than $399 or it's gonna be the PS3 launch all over again.

I'm pretty sure that they're not going to announce a price point during this "reveal".

It's going to be close to a year until we see the thing at retail. While I'm sure that they have a bottom line in mind, a lot can change between now and then.

I DO expect that it's going to be a more reasonable launch price than the original PS3.

[Cornelius]

I DO expect that it's going to be a more reasonable launch price than the original PS3.

I agree. Given the state of Blu-Ray then vs. now it just wouldn't make sense at all for it to be so high.

[retroguy]

Nintendo isn't selling Wii U's as aggressively as they were the Wii at this point in that system's lifespan. SO - both of the other next gen consoles have a shot at a bigger portion of consumer real estate.

Eh, I wouldn't worry about Nintendo. Between the phenomenal success of the DS and Wii and the revitalized sales of the 3DS, I'm sure they've got more than enough socked away to not be bothered if the WiiU doesn't do as well. As they already proved with the N64 and Gamecube, brand recognition goes a long way. Most non-gamers have at least heard of Mario, Zelda and Pokemon, but how many have heard of Devil May Cry, God Of War or Resistance? I would say that Nintendo is the only one of the three to be in the enviable position of being able to outlast the other two simply by waiting for them to self destruct. It'll be interesting to see how things go in the next couple of years.

[Gamevet]

If the specs previously leaked for both are to be believed, these are based on pretty standard AMD designs with some GPU customization. As such, there is not going to be much concern about yields. Still, it really depends on the final launch window. Some rumors are pegging the next Xbox at September which would be too late to significantly modify at this point.

They are 8 core AMD APU chips. The Jaguar APU is slated for a release during 2nd half of 2013. These aren't Trinity APUs.

[IHatedSega]

A friend of mine thinks GTA V will be a launch title. I hope it is. And Watch Dogs and the Elan Paige game. If not theyre compatible with PS4 without an update needing to be downloaded.

[Griking]

This is highly unlikely, because that would cause an enormous drop in hardware sales..

I wonder if developers would agree to make special deals with Sony if the console didn't play used games. For instance, agreeing to pay a higher royalty per game sold or giving Sony more exclusives

[IHatedSega]

I wonder if developers would agree to make special deals with Sony if the console didn't play used games. For instance, agreeing to pay a higher royalty per game sold or giving Sony more exclusives

If they announce on the 20th that the PS4 wont play used games, then Microsoft will be able to say they wont do that. Itll make buzz for the 720 even bigger and kill off a lot of momentum the PS4 would have. Developers would instantly stop working on PS4 ports and make the 720 have more exclusives. Itd be like the Saturn not getting ports of PS1 games that were in the works because of one huge mistake the parent company made.

[Griking]

Developers would instantly stop working on PS4 ports and make the 720 have more exclusives. Itd be like the Saturn not getting ports of PS1 games that were in the works because of one huge mistake the parent company made.

My point is that developers may be willing to accept less sales for the short term if they knew that in the long run they'd be helping to kill off off the used game market. Bailing in the PS4 to make games for the 720 just because the 720 plays used games would just be shooting themselves in their own foot.

And besides, we really don't know how many less sales they'd see. Sure, less consoles sold would usually mean less games sold but if they knew that every game sold was sold new then that's a big plus.

[retroguy]

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

[Gamevet]

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

Even if they did that, 70% of the people that will buy a PS4 or 720 won't have a clue that they can't buy or sell used games. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony didn't implement the feature until years after the console had been released.

[IHatedSega]

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

Unless you like JRPG's, then youre SOL.

[Griking]

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

if both the Xbox 720 and PS4 didn't play used games and the Wii did I have a feeling that you'd see more developers take their chances and abandon the Wii over abandoning the 720 and PS4. Its not as if the Wii had great 3rd party backing in the first place other than a lot of shovel-ware.

[Bojay1997]

Even if they did that, 70% of the people that will buy a PS4 or 720 won't have a clue that they can't buy or sell used games. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony didn't implement the feature until years after the console had been released.

I think this is the most likely scenario. All they would have to do is implement a mandatory cloud-based DRM for games similar to what happens with PC games from Ubisoft and EA today.

[Lucifersam1]

That would be something! Hehe. Well, MSFT probably wouldn't be phased terribly, would try to stick it out, and turn it around. Sony, on the other hand, is screwed if the PS4 flops. Just look at their earning over the past few years (http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/SNE/tab/5). They just aren't making ANY money.

The cash on hand has to dry up eventually. Especially if they keep paying a dividend to shareholders! I'd bet that if the PS4 does flop we see Sony turn into Sega (only making software).

I am going to get a PS4 this gen and leave the Wii-U and next Xbox alone (own all three current gen right now).

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

[JSoup]

This is purely hypothetical, but how's this for a scenario: The PS4 and Xbox 720 both turn out to be unable to play used games. Seeing this, many, MANY parents thinking about what to get for their kids, as well as regular gamers who aren't made of money, flock to the WiiU as the only sensible option left. Microsoft and Sony leave the gaming business due to dismal sales and massive losses. Nintendo carries on business as usual, but with a much higher user base. Gamers ultimately are better off. For all the snarky comments directed towards Nintendo by people who aren't fans of theirs, one could make a valid argument that they're the only ones who know what they're doing.

Then, Ouya and Steam Box step into the ring and everyone remembers why they didn't go with the WiiU from the start.

[Press_Start]

if both the Xbox 720 and PS4 didn't play used games and the Wii did I have a feeling that you'd see more developers take their chances and abandon the Wii over abandoning the 720 and PS4. Its not as if the Wii had great 3rd party backing in the first place other than a lot of shovel-ware.

HA! Then let them! Any dev or company signing on to this anti-used game idea is signaling their death knell. Let me ask a question, this is what's going to be the frontier of videogames? Screwing gamers seven ways to Sunday just for another nickel and dime they haven't gotten from DLC or online passes yet? If this is what they are contributing toward the future of the gaming and can't understand gamers are able to afford their new $60 games by selling off their old ones from an economic standpoint, then they deserve to fail.

[Griking]

HA! Then let them! Any dev or company signing on to this anti-used game idea is signaling their death knell.

I used to work in a retail store. From time to time there would be pissed off customers who would swear to never shop at our store again. They always came back. The problem is that, and I hate to say it, people are just too weak. People will threaten to never purchase another console but most of them will do so anyway because when it comes down to it, they want to play their games. Sure there will be a bunch who really give up gaming and not purchase another console over this but those are likely going to be the people who mostly purchased used games in the first place; i.e. the people that developers will miss the least.