PlayStation 4: Sony’s chance to redeem itself
Sony aims to not make the same mistakes twice when it comes to the PlayStation. While we’ve been hearing that the Japanese electronics maker would be sticking with the PlayStation 3 for the foreseeable future with no plans for a new console, that is apparently no longer the case.
Gaming news site VG24/7 reports that sources say Sony is determined to get the PlayStation 4, codenamed “Orbis,” out before the launch of Microsoft’s next console, referred to as the Xbox 720. Rumors have suggested a late 2013 release for the 720, and Sony wants the PS4 out first.
Sony’s hard lessons with the PS3
Do you blame them? The PS3 launch was a mess. While Sony came hot of out the gate at E3 2005 with a console that captivated everyone with its power and gameplay, those were the good ‘ol days. A holiday season launch that year was not to be, and repeated delays pushed the launch back to November 2006.
This gave Microsoft a year head start. Frustrated game developers turned to Microsoft and Nintendo as a result of Sony’s mistakes, and PlayStation exclusives like Final Fantasy were offered on rival consoles. Worse yet, Sony (and Microsoft for that matter) probably never factored in the surprising success of the Wii.
It was a perfect storm that nearly washed the PS3 away.
All these factors permanently damaged the sales potential of the PS3, something that has taken a half decade to recover from. While sales of the console now are nearly equal to the Xbox, it is still in third place. This is a far cry from the past where the PlayStation 2 crushed the competition, and had no trouble in attracting exclusive rights to the hottest game titles and franchises.
PlayStation Orbis: Sony’s mea culpa?
Sony needs a home run with the PlayStation 4. From what’s being rumored, it appears the company is fully aware of this fact. The device is said to move to the x86 platform, and will support games at a resolution of 4096×2160. This means the PS4 has the capability to do 3D games at 1080p, an improvement over the 720p supported by the PS3. The processor would jump from eight to 24 cores, so there’s a heck of a lot of power inside this thing.
With gamers demanding more realistic games, it’s only a natural progression for Sony and other manufacturers to pack more power into its consoles. Whether game developers will have the capability to take advantage of it right away is another story; many game developers still aren’t using the current console to its maximum potential.
One thing that may disappoint gamers is Sony’s apparent decision to take an aggressive stance against used games, akin to what Microsoft is expected to do in the next Xbox. Discs would be locked to the console once they are played. This will kill the massive used game business that GameStop and other retailers have built over the years, but on the other hand it puts more profits in the pockets of the developers.
Add all of this together, along with a maturing online gaming system (hopefully unhacked) in the PlayStation Network, and the PS4 could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Sony’s video game business. Whether it will be able to compete with Microsoft’s Windows 8/Windows Phone 8/Xbox 720 trifecta, though — all of which are rumored to have extensive cross-platform compatibility — remains to be seen.
Gaming news site VG24/7 reports that sources say Sony is determined to get the PlayStation 4, codenamed “Orbis,” out before the launch of Microsoft’s next console, referred to as the Xbox 720. Rumors have suggested a late 2013 release for the 720, and Sony wants the PS4 out first.
Sony’s hard lessons with the PS3
Do you blame them? The PS3 launch was a mess. While Sony came hot of out the gate at E3 2005 with a console that captivated everyone with its power and gameplay, those were the good ‘ol days. A holiday season launch that year was not to be, and repeated delays pushed the launch back to November 2006.
This gave Microsoft a year head start. Frustrated game developers turned to Microsoft and Nintendo as a result of Sony’s mistakes, and PlayStation exclusives like Final Fantasy were offered on rival consoles. Worse yet, Sony (and Microsoft for that matter) probably never factored in the surprising success of the Wii.
It was a perfect storm that nearly washed the PS3 away.
All these factors permanently damaged the sales potential of the PS3, something that has taken a half decade to recover from. While sales of the console now are nearly equal to the Xbox, it is still in third place. This is a far cry from the past where the PlayStation 2 crushed the competition, and had no trouble in attracting exclusive rights to the hottest game titles and franchises.
PlayStation Orbis: Sony’s mea culpa?
Sony needs a home run with the PlayStation 4. From what’s being rumored, it appears the company is fully aware of this fact. The device is said to move to the x86 platform, and will support games at a resolution of 4096×2160. This means the PS4 has the capability to do 3D games at 1080p, an improvement over the 720p supported by the PS3. The processor would jump from eight to 24 cores, so there’s a heck of a lot of power inside this thing.
With gamers demanding more realistic games, it’s only a natural progression for Sony and other manufacturers to pack more power into its consoles. Whether game developers will have the capability to take advantage of it right away is another story; many game developers still aren’t using the current console to its maximum potential.
One thing that may disappoint gamers is Sony’s apparent decision to take an aggressive stance against used games, akin to what Microsoft is expected to do in the next Xbox. Discs would be locked to the console once they are played. This will kill the massive used game business that GameStop and other retailers have built over the years, but on the other hand it puts more profits in the pockets of the developers.
Add all of this together, along with a maturing online gaming system (hopefully unhacked) in the PlayStation Network, and the PS4 could be exactly what the doctor ordered for Sony’s video game business. Whether it will be able to compete with Microsoft’s Windows 8/Windows Phone 8/Xbox 720 trifecta, though — all of which are rumored to have extensive cross-platform compatibility — remains to be seen.
