What we know of The PlayStation 4 so far.

here's what we know is inside PS4 development kits—model # DVKT-KS000K—as of January 2013. As you'll see, some things have changed since earlier kits became available in March 2012.

System Memory: 8GB
Video Memory: 2.2 GB
CPU: 4x Dual-Core AMD64 "Bulldozer" (so, 8x cores)
GPU: AMD R10xx
Ports: 4x USB 3.0, 2x Ethernet
Drive: Blu-Ray
HDD: 160GB
Audio Output: HDMI & Optical, 2.0, 5.1 & 7.1 channels

Last March, we gave you an early look at how the PlayStation 4—code-named Orbis—was shaping up. Nearly a year later, we're about to bring you a clearer, more timely update, including new technical specs and information on an upgrade to Sony's traditional controller design.
The information you're about to read comes from official Orbis documentation, a hive of more than 90 PDFs about the forthcoming console. The details of the files were shared with Kotaku by an individual known as SuperDae, the same person who last year attempted to sell a pair of next-gen Xbox development kits on eBay.

What follows won't tell you when the PS4/Orbis is coming out or even what it's destined to be called. Our best sources are mixed on whether the new Sony console will be out late this year, to match the expected launch of the next-generation Xbox, or whether Sony will wait until 2014. What you will learn about below are some of the guts of the console (as they stand for now, at least) and how it works. Some of those details were familiar, matching things we'd heard before; others were new and refreshingly specific.

Source

Unless this thing really knocks me off my feet I won't be buying this right away. I try to wait until there are at least 5 games I want before picking up a console, and early adopters always get the short straw unfortunately.

If all the hooplah about a touchscreen controller being included is true, I await the backlash of "GERRRR, COPYING NINTENDOOO" everywhere. Despite the Vita already planned to be used in a similar manner.

i've heard rumors of the new xbox using a touch screen controller as well.

- The Rose - wrote:i've heard rumors of the new xbox using a touch screen controller as well.

Well, they've been pushing stuff like SmartGlass so I wouldn't be surprised.

I hope it knocks the price of the ps3 down. I barely afforded the ps2 when it was brand new (200 buck) only for it to have had tons of problems. I refused to pay 500 bucks for the ps3 and still do. I want to get a ps3 but not at that ridiculous high price.

Glad someone else reads kotaku, and im glad you sourced your find

the only thing that puts this PS4 over my computer is the Bulldozer Processor which is the Next-to-newest Processor AMD has out atm, with piledriver being the newest, and Steamroller (not yet out). its a massive CPU, and should preform well, although, i think its hyper threaded, and i know that has alot of issue with games, hopefully, with games being built for hyper threading, all these hyperthreading issues will be gone come next generation games. Also, since Durango and Orbis will have AMD parts (CPU&GPU) that means i might not have to switch over to intel come time to replace my computer parts

DemonEyesJoe wrote:Glad someone else reads kotaku, and im glad you sourced your find

the only thing that puts this PS4 over my computer is the Bulldozer Processor which is the Next-to-newest Processor AMD has out atm, with piledriver being the newest, and Steamroller (not yet out). its a massive CPU, and should preform well, although, i think its hyper threaded, and i know that has alot of issue with games, hopefully, with games being built for hyper threading, all these hyperthreading issues will be gone come next generation games. Also, since Durango and Orbis will have AMD parts (CPU&GPU) that means i might not have to switch over to intel come time to replace my computer parts

Aye

Kotaku has pretty good news a lot of times.

And I wonder if the new chip come out if they would upgrade to at least piledriver.

johnstang2 wrote:I hope it knocks the price of the ps3 down. I barely afforded the ps2 when it was brand new (200 buck) only for it to have had tons of problems. I refused to pay 500 bucks for the ps3 and still do. I want to get a ps3 but not at that ridiculous high price.

ps3 is $250 now. it hasn't been 500 for years. From rumors the ps4 will launch for $400 pretty nice price compared to ps3's launch price

Keiichi Morisato wrote:

Aye

Kotaku has pretty good news a lot of times.

And I wonder if the new chip come out if they would upgrade to at least piledriver.

doubt it, i mean, i guess, coming from sony, they like to make things better-than-average but, the cost right now in development and overall price to make that switch might be costly. and since the Dev box isnt out yet, i would say its possible, but HIGHLY doubtful. and how consoles are built, its to maximize on lower end stuff, i mean, see how skyrim looks in comparison to oblivion, which were both on the 360, and skyrim on the PC is still quite heavy. its all about optimization, so, i guess, technically speaking, a Bulldozer in the PS4 would be the equivalent of the steamroller or better, due to optimization.

consoles are always built on mid-end stuff and the stretched with optimization so, even though your high end computers are still much better than what the PS4 or Durango will be, they wont be able to hold say, 6 years down the line when Consoles are still using the same tech, but have been used to such an extent they can push everything out of what they have, again, compare what you needed to run oblivion on PC to skyrim on PC

Sony is somewhat out of their mind, I don't really know what the point is of going over 1080P resolution but asking 25K for a tv that supports that so we can play games in their full capability almost makes me hate them in the same way I hate microsoft.

I'm not ready for next gen really. So I too won't get this unless it's actually worth getting. But considering the latest ps3 model is 500gb HDD, they are starting off bad.

However if the 4060(something like that..) resolution actually makes the games better somehow, then I'll start to work up for it.

But next gen feels more like pure monetary competition then any sort of artistic progression.

According to game informer, dev kits are already out. In fact Dragon Age III is going to be for next gen systems and has been in the works for a little while already. So it's likely we will have next gen systems by early to mid 2014, maybe even late 2013.

JakDark wrote:Sony is somewhat out of their mind, I don't really know what the point is of going over 1080P resolution but asking 25K for a tv that supports that so we can play games in their full capability almost makes me hate them in the same way I hate microsoft.

Sure 4k is nice and super HD but that doesnt mean that it wont work on regular HDTVs. Sony is just future proofing with a 4K PS4

JakDark wrote:I'm not ready for next gen really. So I too won't get this unless it's actually worth getting. But considering the latest ps3 model is 500gb HDD, they are starting off bad.

Dev kit. The shipping HDD will likely be 500GB, 320GB at the very least.

JakDark wrote:However if the 4060(something like that..) resolution actually makes the games better somehow, then I'll start to work up for it.

But next gen feels more like pure monetary competition then any sort of artistic progression.

Again I think sony is actually pioneering here. They took a big bet on Bluray when the PS3 shipped and lucky for them it took off.
The big bet this time is 4K and likely game streaming to your console.

I'm just mad 'cause I can't afford to switch over.

im just hoping for backward compatability

uallandme wrote:im just hoping for backward compatability

perhaps you should get a steam box then, then, you have infinite backwards compatibility with steam and emulators, or, go one better, and get a PC

JakDark wrote:But next gen feels more like pure monetary competition then any sort of artistic progression.

I think it's always been like that. It's about what their developers make in the end, and I think Sony has the best developers in the industry. It doesn't hurt to have them on a very long leash, allowing them to make their dream games essentially. The PS3 is stocked with creative and artistic games.

JakDark wrote:I'm just mad 'cause I can't afford to switch over.

I plan to preorder mine at gamestop. Pay on it a little at a time to leave a little amount to pay on launch day or pay it off completely before launch day. I'd be risking getting a defective console, but with the automatic warranty i'd get a free fix; so in the end not much of a risk there .

just going to leave this here, some new info about the ps4 and some specs not listed in OP (i think)
http://n4g.com/news/1160100/the-playstation-4-has-a-new-controller-fancy-user-accounts-and-impressive-specs-so-far

- The Rose - wrote:just going to leave this here, some new info about the ps4 and some specs not listed in OP (i think)
http://n4g.com/news/1160100/the-playstation-4-has-a-new-controller-fancy-user-accounts-and-impressive-specs-so-far

it wasnt in the post, but if you read the source page it goes into detail about that already

uallandme wrote:im just hoping for backward compatability

More than likely PS3 BC only for discs but you can DL PS1/2 digital games

AMD's bulldozer Is current gen technology. Even then it's on the low end of computer processors (Intel got them beat). I would've expected something far more powerful, but it's not like I could afford it anyway lol

Doomguy wrote:AMD's bulldozer Is current gen technology. Even then it's on the low end of computer processors (Intel got them beat). I would've expected something far more powerful, but it's not like I could afford it anyway lol

well "current gen" is next-next-next-gen stuff compared to the PS3 and 360, people dont realize how weak the consoles are, and always will be next to a computer. Putting top of the line stuff in a console and then mass producing it would cost WAY to much.

i honestly think intel>AMD simply becasue of compatibility with major games, as for the last few gens, everything has run intel/nvidia, so, i expect to see a big change in that comming this next generation of consoles

DemonEyesJoe wrote:

Doomguy wrote:AMD's bulldozer Is current gen technology. Even then it's on the low end of computer processors (Intel got them beat). I would've expected something far more powerful, but it's not like I could afford it anyway lol

well "current gen" is next-next-next-gen stuff compared to the PS3 and 360, people dont realize how weak the consoles are, and always will be next to a computer. Putting top of the line stuff in a console and then mass producing it would cost WAY to much.

i honestly think intel>AMD simply becasue of compatibility with major games, as for the last few gens, everything has run intel/nvidia, so, i expect to see a big change in that comming this next generation of consoles

I know this is kinda off topic since we supposed to be disscussing the ps4 but the above dictates my question. If the PC is more powerful than the consoles, can we put any console game in a PC and play it? I would think not for the game itself would be designed to look for things dictated by the console it was for. It would be looking for a game pad in the correct slot, memory cards in the corresponding slot ... ect.

johnstang2 wrote:

DemonEyesJoe wrote:

Doomguy wrote:AMD's bulldozer Is current gen technology. Even then it's on the low end of computer processors (Intel got them beat). I would've expected something far more powerful, but it's not like I could afford it anyway lol

well "current gen" is next-next-next-gen stuff compared to the PS3 and 360, people dont realize how weak the consoles are, and always will be next to a computer. Putting top of the line stuff in a console and then mass producing it would cost WAY to much.

i honestly think intel>AMD simply becasue of compatibility with major games, as for the last few gens, everything has run intel/nvidia, so, i expect to see a big change in that comming this next generation of consoles

I know this is kinda off topic since we supposed to be disscussing the ps4 but the above dictates my question. If the PC is more powerful than the consoles, can we put any console game in a PC and play it? I would think not for the game itself would be designed to look for things dictated by the console it was for. It would be looking for a game pad in the correct slot, memory cards in the corresponding slot ... ect.

You could definitely plug controllers into PCs if they use a USB cable. The big console makers though would obviously not want there games to work on other systems even though theoretically they can work. I know for older Playstation games they can in fact work. That's all I will say on that matter though.

you would need a cracker/emulator of a sort, yes, any Disk-type game CAN be played on a PC, but, not without something special to make it work.

for non-disk games, you always have ROMS that you can download and run on an emulator, sometimes this will also work with Disks, as, there is a program called "Dolphin" that will run Gamecube, and wii games, you can also buy sensor bars and get a way to run the Wii motion controls on your computer as well.

although it is possible to play EVERYTHING on the PC, its not without its own bit of work and finesse. whats REALLY amazing though, its you actually get graphical IMPROVEMENTS running them on a PC.

here, i tracked down this article for you

http://kotaku.com/5866481/how-to-play-wii-games-in-high-definition-on-your-pc

also, on the topic of memory cards. when you play an old N64 game (or anything else), all saves, wether it was on-cartridge like the LOZ series or memory cards like alot of other consoles in that generation (PS1/2) are instead saved in "States" which is basicly, a freeze frame save of the game. i want to say that sometimes the ROMs will allow saves (LOZ series) but 90% of the time, it will be a state save, which means, even older games that didnt allow saves, can now be saved. then, when you want to pick the game back up, boot up the ROM, and load the state and your EXACTLY where you left off, as if you never turned the game off. (all of this is saved Local somewhere within the directory of the Emulator itself)

your best bet for controllers is a good-ol 360 controller as it works natively with windows, and theres a ton of programs to map each button on it to the keyboard (alot of emulators have this built in) should it not work immediately "out-of-(box?)" so, you can make A=Spacebar or whatever. worst case senario, you map the emulator to the keyboard, and then map the keyboard to the controller Emulator~Keyboard~Controller and with they will all work in tandem.

So I guess I can by Final Fantasy 13 for ps3 and put it in my computer huh?