Sony: PS3's Momentum Means The PS4 Isn't Crucial
See Full ImageMost assume the PlayStation 4 is an inevitability, but few claim to know when Sony will release the new console.
The electronics corporation has been pretty quiet on the subject, and have often reminded everyone that the PlayStation 3 still has a lot of life left in it. Furthermore, sales are strong around the world and as a direct result, Sony may not need a new piece of hardware for a while.
During a French interview with Le Point (as cited by TheSilentChief), PlayStation France CEO Philippe Cardon said 2011 was a "very good year" for the PS3; it was the best-selling console in France last year, just beating out the Wii. And so, Cardon says Sony is "under a lot less pressure" to put out a new system, as opposed to the Wii, which has seen seriously lagging sales in comparison to its explosion onto the scene in 2006.
Microsoft needs the update as well, but Sony may not. Cardon finished by saying Sony would "probably be the last to announce something," which may not surprise anyone, although other company executives have gone on record saying they can't afford to be last to market again.
Well, as we've said plenty of times before, we're good with the PS3 for a few more years. Most gamers seem to agree.
Tags: ps4, playstation 4, sony, new playstation, next generation
1/29/2012 8:24:14 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (39 posts)
Russell Burrows
Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ 10:04:31 PM
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There is a lot less pressure since how many stung by RROD will be so trusting again of MS launch products??
Those stung by the promises made by Nintendo for the Wii will also be more hesitant to blindly trust Nintendoes promises for the Wii U.
A PS4 at 399 dollars and launching close to the Microsoft Terry or Next Box will help Sony sell console units.
0 up, 1 down
Qubex
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:50:42 AM
Reason being is that Sony has proven one thing this generation... that, for the most part, it's exclusive games rule. Multi-plaform titles have also, for the most part, performed well. The PS3 is lacking for nothing, and may simply get better and better as it matures.
The Sony gaming crowd are experiencing all this now, and will probably move over to a PS4 anyway when it is released. Some have the money to buy both the the new xBox and the PS4, which is not bad thing. You will get some natural defections as well, but overall, because of the strength and quality of games Sony is producing, I don't see such a huge issue.
Actually, I have calmed down a bit about this. I think Sony will do just fine with the PS4 if they have a really good line of day 1 releases when the console goes on sale, has a decent web browser and is fully backward compatible.
The unit will soar because we all know, if they are last out the block, they will come out with the best most powerful hardware, that will continue to stretch the imagination and raise the bar.
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
5 up, 0 down
Highlander
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:53:13 PM
Another point is that outside the NA market, the PS3 is quite dominant. With aggressive pricing and stellar games, there is no reason why the PS3 could not continue to dominate, especially as there really is not much that a new Xbox can offer that the PS3 does not already have.
So, a 2 year gap gives Sony 2 years to add polish and zip to the PS4 over and above whatever the competition do. I don't know if it will go that way, but I can see some logic for it.
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Fane1024
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 7:37:09 PM
There are murmurs that M$ will be unambitious with the 720s specs (more so than with the 360, which despite many weaknesses had powerful processors). If that proves to be the case, perhaps a PS4 could survive a longer delay.
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shadowscorpio
Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ 10:25:00 PM
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This gen was very different than the previous ones so whose to say that its wrong to go about the future differently? There's something in me that tells me that the PS3 will show us another side of excellence that perhaps can only be seen come next gen.
I don't know. I could be wrong but it just seems like this gaming gen was holding the PS3 back. The Playstation 3 is definitely going to be a console to remember.
3 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ 11:26:38 PM
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I am by no means a tech head, but to me the PS3 just needs an external RAM device because everything else seems a class above the rest.
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firesoul453
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 11:25:42 AM
The ram is just fine in terms of current hardware.
Its would make much more sense for sony to optimize current OS and release a couple more megs of ram for the developers to use
Just look at the N64. It released a ram upgrade (however it was needed a lot more)
Very few people adopted it, and although I would argue that the two games that required it are definitely the two best games of the N64, thats just it...
Only two games took full advantage of it.... Sure a few more here and there would use it if it was available, but optional use of it didn't add to much to the game (usually textures were a little sharper).
A ram upgrade would probably have little sales and will probably only be bundled with a few games....
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Nas Is Like
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:20:21 AM
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7 up, 3 down
Beamboom
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 1:36:03 AM
3 up, 0 down
ZenChichiri
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:34:20 AM
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Last edited by ZenChichiri on 1/30/2012 12:35:32 AM
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___________
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 1:17:47 AM
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does make me wonder what would be possible though, i read a article about a upcoming PC game that actually uses real time ray tracing!
amazing i did not think todays hardware could do it yet!
just makes me want to fast forward time to whenever new systems come out just to see what they have install for us.
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Dancemachine55
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 1:36:11 AM
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If Sony announce a PS4 at E3, I just hope they take the PS3 structure and beef it up a little to modern gaming PC standards, eg, 4 GB RAM, new 3D graphics cards and Direct X 12 support for the future.
Plus, keeping the 8 SPU architecture means backwards compatibility, so everybody wins!!!
Does anyone know if a PS4 with more RAM and a faster Blu-ray drive would make PS3 games load quicker and play smoother? Or would it play exactly the same?
2 up, 0 down
Fane1024
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 3:46:40 AM
The faster BD should improve some load times, though the games would be built to depend on HDD rather than BD, so again it might not help much.
I do think more processing power is an absolute must, at least the equivalent of 4 Cells.
p.s. Direct X is a M$ creation which Sony systems don't (and likely won't) use.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 1/30/2012 3:50:40 AM
4 up, 0 down
firesoul453
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 11:36:05 AM
Backwards compatible wise... it would make no difference.
A new console will almost centrally have more ram but no reason to have 4 gigs of it.. Remember these are game console and don't (well at least not yet) have a million different processes in the background, not to mention that they are not 64 bit but 256 bit (or if history is anything to look at the next gen will be 512bit)
faster BD would only help in a few loading screens (where they felt it was fast enough to not be on the hardrive) Virtually no difference with backwards compatibe games.
There would be no reason whatsoever to ever put Direct x on a sony game console. Then developers would have to make PC games....
Now a new Open Gl with support for new features would be awesome
Rumors of the past said sony is going to abandon the CELL processor.
This would mean no direct backwards compatibility. But if they did keep the cell artiture, then backwards compatible should be a breeze! It'll work great and be free to implement.
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Highlander
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 1:01:14 PM
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dmiitrie
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 2:49:10 AM
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As others have pointed out, the infancy of the PSN, the fact that Blu-Ray had not yet won the format war, and, especially, the $600 price all contributed to the PS3's early sales problems. Obviously the first two won't be an issue any longer, and I'm now starting to think that, with a killer launch lineup and a much smaller cost, the PS4 might just be able to overcome a late launch.
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Excelsior1
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 3:50:49 AM
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What sticks out when you look at worldwide sales is the almost 10 million gap between the 360 and PS3 in NA and the 5 million gap between them in Japan. That's just an observation.
Sony has already said they don't want to launch late again next gen. It's good the PS3 is having success late but once next gen starts it's a whole new ballgame. This gen has shown us anything is possible...we've seen one console maker go from worst to first and another do the exact opposite. If I were Sony I would take MS head on next gen. I would also try to come up with some way of targeting the sales inbalance in NA. An aggressive marketing campign could have an impact if executed properly.
3 up, 0 down
PHOENIXZERO
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 4:03:50 AM
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It's what I've been saying for a couple years now. The fact that the PS3 launched late wasn't that huge of a factor overall. The PS3 would be well ahead of the XB360 at this point if it wasn't for the early launch issues, primarily the high price. It probably would have helped also if the PS3 was "stronger" in the multiplatform department instead of typically being on the losing side of comparisons due to developers having issues porting (and even games that weren't straight ports) games due to the PS3's funky architecture. How many people would have gone with the PS3 instead of MS's console if the PS3 was the same price and offered the superior performance it should have? That's one thing I'm beyond certain will change because Sony has been pretty adamant over the last few years with Krazy Ken out of the picture. The PS4 is going to be massively more developer friendly than the PS3 ever has been.
If Sony does launch later, it'll probably be no more than six months after the next XBox and if so it better show it. Especially if the rumor of the XB360 using a version of the measly 6670 is true.. That's not at all difficult or expensive to surpass.
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slugga_status
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 10:32:56 AM
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Fane1024
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 7:46:29 PM
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SoulController
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 4:45:58 AM
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That being said, besides the kinect gimmick and MS' tons of money and ability to manipulate the media, they hit a homerun with cross game chat & xbox live. I dont care how you look at it but its true and the social aspect of gaming Sony really has to focus on that next gen. I know too many people who stick with xbox because their friends have it and friends of friends have it, even with all the amazing exclusives Sony has.
MS got lucky with Cross game chat and making it easier to connect and co-op with friends. Especially up against the war horse of Sony exclusives. If Sony figures out the next big feature that'll become standard in gaming, they will more than likely run the gaming industry again
1 up, 1 down
Excelsior1
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 6:12:48 AM
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Phoenix mentions "Krazy Ken" is history now so developers will most likely get a more developer friendly system. That's a very promising prospect because I think those bad ports played a big role in hurting the PS3's reputation amongst gamers. The effects of that linger to this very day.
Okay we get to SoulController's post about the social aspect of Xbox live driving a lot of 360 sales. I know for a fact that is true because I've witnessed it firsthand amongst my friends and family. I wonder how many gamers have bought a 360 simply because all their friends have one. No doubt it is a signifcant numbers of gamers. Especially in the younger crowd.
Anyways, it's not just cross game chat that makes Live a better medium for social gaming. It's also better because mostly everybody uses a mic or headset. I have had a terrible time finding people that uses a mic on PSN and that's a problem. Just fire up KZ3 and see how many are using a damn mic...you'll be lucky to find one other person. I have been told it's not not 2007 most people use a mic on PSN these days. Ha! They must be hiding from me. Even in games where a mic is pretty important like in Socom 4 I still struggle to find gamers who are using a mic.
That's easy enough to fix. Make sure you pack in a headset in each Sony system like Microsoft does. Add cross game chat. Problem solved. We know how the explosion of online gaming has played a big role this gen. I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. It's important Sony matches Microsoft feature for feature when it comes to online gaming.
5 up, 0 down
SoulController
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 6:51:35 AM
I'm hoping Sony figures out the next gaming necessity though like they did with having games on disc, lots of studios under their umbrella etc..
Last edited by SoulController on 1/30/2012 7:01:11 AM
1 up, 1 down
slugga_status
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 10:51:22 AM
The games that were bad ports weren't necessarily jaw dropping games either. Even so, how can any gamer say, I'm not going to buy this console b/c the bad port when in reality the dev dropped the ball.
Can't speak on your personal KZ3 experience, but when I go online on KZ3 there are plenty of people with mics. Same with UC3, any CoD, MAG, Mortal Kombat, etc. Now the thing that I don't like is that at times you can get into a match with people who have mics yet they all speak a different language. This happens from time to time..Overall, with PS3, you really have to make it known you have a mic. When you do so, you'll notice others turn on their mics. You'd be surprised how many people simply have it off b/c they think nobody else will have a mic.
What I will say the 360 is more accessible being that your mic is bundled with it. You can't possibly do that with bluetooth devices. It would increase the cost of the console bundle.
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gungrave
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 11:05:39 AM
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Highlander
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:59:14 PM
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SmokeyPSD
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 7:46:23 AM
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On the development side of things creativity and innovation has really only entered into the arena very recently for the PS3. Not just great visuals. In my opinion there's so much more to explore now without new machines with current trends in gaming. We also still have a constant changing machine to begin with through firmware.
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Gabriel013
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 8:10:05 AM
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I'm also worried they'll scrimp on the hardware components to try and keep the price down.
Sony should just do their own thing on their own timetable.
3 up, 0 down
CrusaderForever
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 9:14:12 AM
I will buy the PS4 D1P no doubt. Can you imagine the launch titles they will have available!! It will be legendary! Vita has an extremely impressive launch line up. PS4 will be the same if not better with awesome exclusives.
For instance, if Sony releases a launch line up similar to the following:
God of War 4
Uncharted 4
Killzone 4
Metal Gear Solid 5
inFAMOUS 3
and all the multi platform releases
With backwards compatibility
Could you still refrain from buying a PS4? The answer is No! You and every other PS fan will buy the PS4 D1P! Anyone that says they wouldn't is either lying, trying to be different or doesn't have the money.
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CrusaderForever
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 9:02:58 AM
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IGN had a lot of rage over SFvsTekken PS3 exclusive content in regards to Mega Man and Pac-Man. So many raged about M$ getting off their a$$ and throwing some money around to get the X360 gamers some exclusives of their own. There could be mass defections from X360 if this trend continues.
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slugga_status
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 11:04:17 AM
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Excelsior1
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 10:02:09 AM
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2 up, 1 down
firesoul453
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 11:20:58 AM
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Sure the wii is more powerful than the original xbox but it can't compete in terms of modern graphics and scale in current games
But luckily that didn't mean the wii had bad games.
I defeintly want the ps4 and want them to wait, but not forever....
1 up, 0 down
jwhyrock
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:37:30 PM
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Let's face the facts, the PS3 hardware is over 6 years old and wasn't top of the line at the time of release.
The RAM situation alone is a critical failure that has either directly or indirectly caused many issues either in gameplay and/or causing developers to gimp the graphics and size of the game. A few Sony ass kissing developers have said the hardware is fine and they have plenty of room to improve performance on PS3, but I think they are full of shit.
Every new game I play I notice the graphics as being visibly dated as compared to what PC is capable of producing on 2nd, 3rd and below tier graphics cards and not much RAM.
I realize most console gamers don't know anything about hardware, but dude trust me it is long past time for new consoles. PS3 and 360 are OLD.
I've been on the fence about switching to PC gaming for some time. If either Nintendo or Microsoft were to make an impressive console I would consider switching from Sony. I haven't forgotten Sony's series of corrupt and criminal anti consumer decisions they have made the last few years...
0 up, 5 down
Highlander
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 12:56:58 PM
Comparing either 360 or PS3 to PC graphics and memory is a false comparison. I realize that you think you know about hardware, but your post actually says otherwise. As for your parting shot, tell you what, go back to PCs where piracy is easy...
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SmokeyPSD
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 1:09:19 PM
You fail, troll. Go to PC yeah, sounds good.
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Robochic
Monday, January 30, 2012 @ 5:41:51 PM
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Palpatations911
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 @ 9:17:33 PM
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Once people will see the worlds best selling game franchise in history running on a next gen system, people will go bananas.
Last edited by Palpatations911 on 1/31/2012 9:18:49 PM
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LimitedVertigo
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Sunday, January 29, 2012 @ 9:50:51 PM