Of course that trailer didn't give us any idea on what to expect from the PS4, with not so much as a glimpse, but that's not going to stop us from musing over it anyway.
The question for this week's weekly discussion is "what are your hopes for the PS4?" Some rumours say that it's not going to be as powerful as you might think, and Sony will instead focus on social and other unique features this time around. What do you think of that?
Or, do you just want a really powerful new console that can produce even prettier visuals?
Happy gaming!
30 comments:
I really do like the idea of focusing on features more than power. Over the next five years it seems very unlikely that PCs won't become a natural part of the TV ecosystem, and therefore Sony must surely know that the PS4 won't compete on raw power.
So instead leverage its other capabilities - social, cloud, content - and build a console for the vast majority of people that really don't care about having games that look as good as Crysis 3 on a high-spec PC.
Very smart if this is indeed Sony's strategy.
I have no interest in PS4 right now. It's pretty much as simple as that, really.
I've got a nice long post about my thoughts on next generation in general coming up on my site soon, but some of the things I'll be curious about are the online strategy (free multiplayer vs xbox live's subscription was a big factor for us in my house) as well as their approach to digital and game storage space (I've maxed out my 120GB drives long ago). Of course what exclusive games will show up is a factor. I'm okay with not pushing the hardware too much - that was exactly what priced the PS3 out of peoples' range early in its release cycle. I'm not sure what I would look for in social capabilities - posting trophies to FB or scores to Twitter is cute, but not terribly engaging from my perspective.
It'll be interesting to see if Sony can change your mind with the Feb 20 reveal!
I have a lot of faith that Sony can do something funky with social this time around - the Vita has some great social features that are unfortunately hidden, so it will be good to see Sony build out on that.
Yeah this is me too honestly.
Sony hasn't been able to capture my imagination since the PSOne for some reason and the fact that I've barely used my PS3 in the time since I've had it (bought it at launch) just tells me not to bother for a while at least.
You touching on the Vita - that's actually one of my key hopes for the PS4 - they had some nice integration with the Vita and PS3 - but I would like to see them build on that even more.
I'm not sure what exactly to hope from Sony, so I guess I will be surprised if they have something interesting.
Perhaps they are working hard to refine Move and make it more accessible to the market, or working hard to refine remote play through the cloud platform, or something.
More importantly though, I wonder how Sony will perceive the new platform and shape its identity. I like how Nintendo rings a group-activity/family-oriented entertainment device in its Wii U. It probably could have been more successful if they didn't make it too similar-looking to the Wii. Sony, on the other hand, always seemed to conceive it as a flexible device. Their console launches--ever since the PSP--always being shaky has me a teenie-bit concerned. If they simply refine the existing features and repeat the same procedures as their approach during the previous consoles, I don't see how it'll convince existing PS3 owners initially.
But alas, we'll see what happens...
I'm with FOREST RANGER. This is the first time I'm going to be witnessing a Sony reveal (believe it or not, I only started "mainstream gaming" less than five years ago. :$), so I'm curious as to where their priorities will lie in this coming generation.
Personally, I'm expecting something that differs from the PS3 in a great respect. As FOREST has also just said, I think Sony is interesting in putting out a new platform with its own individual identity - something the PS3 missed out on, in my opinion. From all the current rumours going around, it seems Sony has the same idea too. However, the main issue with this is that I highly doubt it'll convince the majority of existing PS3 owners.
Bottom line, I hope it's not just another box with more power in it. I really want to see the PS4 shape up to be something that reflects the Wii U's values, but in its own unique way. Online networking is also something I want to see - the Vita's got a lot of potential in that area, but unfortunately it's vastly overlooked. Hopefully, the PS4 can do something to reform this.
Hopes for it? A sub $100, or even $200, new console. Which, if what some of the specs are, I think Sony might be able to go that route, like I expect Microsoft to attempt with their next console. Sony has slowly, but surely, with the PS3 made improvisations to their PSN network. With the PSN+, I'm wondering if they will offer the console discounted for "subscribers", much like cell phones with contracts (it's what Microsoft has tested with the 360 in stores).
Oh, I play the ever-living crap out of my PS3 and Vita both. It's just that I think that the PS4 is completely unnecessary at this point in time. The reason that the gaming industry has seen such a decline is the constant desires for more, more, more, to the point that it's already near unaffordable to develop high quality games. So, let's make it even more expensive to develop games with new consoles. It's a logic that I don't buy into.
Neither the Wii U, nor the Vita and all of their features are selling like they need to to make the consoles sustainable. I think the idea of "uniqueness" and "identity" are great, but I think that between Kinect, Move and Wii - the market is moving away from these gimmicky features, to multi-devices.
As for the PS4, if they do something vastly different, it would most likely end them. They've got a massive loyal fan base that's come to expect niche, JRPG and big-budget action titles. If they were to lose their core fan base, it would be very bad news for them. Gimmicks are great... for awhile. Wii U is living proof that gimmicks don't find the audience gripped to the brand, or else the Wii U would be sold out worldwide still today.
With that said, I could see them going to a streaming device that's cheaper to produce and very powerful. But, there's a problem with that too though. My Internet provider (AT&T) just instituted data limits on me, causing my monthly bill to sky-rocket. The more we use these Internet services, the more we're going to have to pay. I can see this starting to happen worldwide and it won't bode well for Sony if it does and they do this.
Yeah I do see your point from that angle- although the industry does need to move on from the PS3 and Xbox 360 at some point. For me (on a personal level) though, I've learned a lesson this past generation - three consoles are too many in my house.
I already bought a Wii U (and I'm glad I did even though there isn't much that I want to play on it for a while) and I'll definitely be picking up the next Xbox since that's my primary platform, but I think that's going to be it.
Of course I say that now when there's no next-gen Uncharted sitting in front of me...
I don't necessarily think that Sony is going to put out a gimmicky console, but I do think that it will be features, not power, that Sony uses to differentiate itself this time around.
I would not be surprised if Sony, for instance, launched the PS4 as a 'free console' which came with an expanded PSPlus for example $100/ year. That's not as immediately impressive as some massive graphical leap, but if Sony is to focus on the lucrative segment of the market that does a lot of downloading, rather than the low-margin retail business, I think we could be in for quite a special console.
I really don't know if Move is a good idea for next gen. Perhaps building some of that technology into the main controller would be wise (and perhaps that's why there's the rumours of Sony finally doing away with the dual shock), but I would be very surprised if Sony made that a 'core' feature of the new console. Not when Mircosoft has vastly better motion control technology.
There is a silver lining there for the industry though. Consumer interest in games tends to spike when there are new consoles on the market - people tend to buy more games and such that after they've had an existing console for five years and are thoroughly sick of it.
As with most things in technology a refresh is essential at some point. It's just unfortunate that it came at a time where margins are unsustainably low.
It's entirely possible that the next two consoles from Sony and Microsoft will enable a wider range f business models than the PS3/ Xbox 360, which will also help return devs to profitability.
It's going to be interesting to see.
A $100 system with 50TB of memory with awesome launch title and your pick of two of them with reverse compatible with all PlayStation systems including handhelds and poops rainbows and 100 bills.
Well you asked.
The method of control is not necessarily what dictates a console's identity; it only factors into it. It is very much possible for the console holders to determine their product's identity without incorporating gimmicks. What dictates a console's identity is what how the relative company perceives it, the marketing put behind it, and the features designed to reflect that identity.
For example, the Wii U can be associated with social gaming, unity, family entertainment, and a "gaming for all" vibe. Perhaps Nintendo perceives the console as a "unifying" device; a device that brings people together. Hence the name Wii (we).
Sony's PS3 always seemed to be associated with gaming for the mature audience, flexibility ("it only does everything"), and the ideal perception of tech gadgets.
My concern is that if Sony simply adds more or refines features without fleshing out its identity at the very least, it may not sell excellently in the beginning.
Coffee, is there a zero missing in the estimated prices above? :p
If Nintendo couldn't put out a profitable system day 1 at $299-350, I don't see how either Sony or Microsoft could at similar price range. Their silicon is higher-powered, their boxes are bigger, their drives are many times larger, their memory is double or quadruple (and in the case of Orbis, apparently nice n snappy GDDR5 type) and these are just what we can safely surmise.
In the case of Sony, a camera system and potentially Move wands may end up part of the package as well, and then there is the potential additional overheads of Plus service and Gaikai(!?).
I hope they can hit $300-400 prices because this next couple years feels critical for these platform providers to re-establish their foothold as a slew of other options begin to hit the market at decent scale...oh also hoping they can build a platform that invites indie efforts, competes with Steam prices and has Mii-verse type functionality (Home can burn down, no loss).
If we are assuming Move is part of the plan going forward, I would be surprised if they didn't pack it in with the camera. If they don't treat it like a central feature, no one will.
I personally agree with Matt though, the value of that device doesn't mesh with the expensive box it seems they are poised to unveil.
I can partially agree...I have migrated to a largely mobile gaming lifestyle in recent years. PC gaming, thanks to low cost and easier plug-n-play, is knocking on my door though.
That said, I can't wait to see Sony's vision for the future of this industry. Seeing how much of their devices divisions are soaked in red and under competitive fire, this is likely their most important product for the next 4 or 5 years. They can't afford to drop the ball again like they did with PS3 and they have had time to observe the strengths of their competitors and plan accordingly (ditto for Microsoft).
In other words, they have to make us customers very happy to stay relevant this next cycle so I am pumped to see how they propose to do this :)
@ang1ache1:disqus Nope, I think Coffee is on to something - would it not be impossible for Sony to bring the entry price of the PS4 down with a mandatory subscription free for PS+? I think it would be a brilliant idea. $300 for the PS4 with a 2 year dedication to PS+. I'm game, because I'm going to be subscribed to PS+ every year any ways. Heck, I'm playing Darksiders right now and loving it because of the service.
Yep, exactly what I'm thinking too, but my idea (which I just typed out above before reading this) is a little different. I think "Free" is pushing it (there would be riots on launch day), but I think if they went with a $200 + PS+ Subscription, I think it would absolutely explode off of store shelves. I really hope Sony does something like this!
Yeah, I don't think Move will be a central force for the PS4. As much as I like Move (I got my start writing in the gaming industry for a PlayStation Move website), it's a highly underrated gimmick, that's insanely accurate, but I don't think it will ever be the main control format for PlayStation. With that said, I do hope that Move will transition over to PS4.
It's definitely going to be interesting to see! I think this generation could very well be the make or break generation for gaming consoles.
Don't forget that Sony has already experimented with subscription models, too. If you buy the Vita with 3G you can pay for it as you would a mobile phone - down here it's a 12-month contract at $50/ month.
Having a monthly payment scheme actually benefits the manufacturer better. The way modern business works, having a regular revenue income of $X is far better than relying on people buying the product for a one-off of $Y. It's called "annuity payment models." It allows the manufacturer to better account for expected revenues from a product (after all, they know they've got 1 million paying $50/ month. That's better than guessing that they will sell 1 million consoles), and reliable revenue means they can make better business decisions around the actual, rather than predicted, userbase.
I really wouldn't be surprised if Sony offered the PS4 on a "free + PSPlus for a 2 year contract" deal. Yes, demand will explode, but that's a good thing, right?
I know that the Vita has been the easiest console purchase I've ever made. $50/ month? Far more affordable than coughing up $400 upfront.
That pricing model definitely wasn't available in the US!
But yeah, you're most definitely right - the insane amount of demand for the console would be amazing for its launch. Wow! I'm now really hoping that Sony does something such as this.
I really wouldn't be surprised. If you look at Sony's broad strategy, you've got Music Unlimited (annuity sales model for music), there's PSPlus (annuity sales model for games), and Sony acquired Cloud gaming provider Gaikai (annuity sales model again).
Part of the reason Sony has struggled so much in recent years is because the management was undertaking a massive-scale transformation of the Sony business model that would make it more relevant to modern trends. That, in part, means annuity models become a preferable way to get money from the consumers.
Surely selling hardware this way is just around the corner.
Ahh, thats what Coffee meant. Hahah. Certainly possible but Plus revenue does not equal Live revenues, both in monthly fee and the amount Sony gets to pocket.
Sony needs to boost the value proposition of the service...for themselves (its certainly great for customers)!
Depends how you look at it, I think.
Imagine for a second that Sony considers the value of individual games to be nothing. Instead Sony considers games to be worth $X million, based on its subscribers, and its goal is to have the most customers by offing the most games at the best value.
So, just like Netflix views movies, and Spotify/ Sony views music. Perhaps the games industry is only a few years from seeing games the same way and Sony is right on the forefront of that kind of thinking.
I'm not saying it's a guarantee, but it's certainly an interesting idea...
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