PlayStation 4 (codename Orbis) technical hardware investigation (news and rumours)

[Wynix]

I see no reason for more than 802.11n at this point. Why include costly modern wifi features that none of your customers are going to be able to use due to lack of a suitable router? A later more recent spec can be rolled out if needed, but n is perfectly up to the task of playing games and streaming internet content. Heck, 802.11g is! The only obvious interest in faster wireless is streaming video from the console to other devices. Streaming uploads to the internet will be capped at internet upstream BW, which is typically low (1 MBps).

I concur, 802.11n is more than enough for the majority of users, hell even the ones who can use the new standard won't see much use out of it as the servers Sony use are not up to the task of providing the download speed to those users.

The cost vs benefit is basically non-existent.

 

[patsu]

The wireless LAN will be more for local Gaikai. Wondering how it's working out. Vita is 802.11n so ac won't help.

Does 802.11 ac improve latency at all ? I doubt it but I haven't read the specs.

 

[egoless]

Delete

 

[dagamer]

Even 802.11n @ 2.4Ghz can be crowded. I'm forced to use 802.11n @ 5Ghz on my devices including the PS3 and 360. So to me the built-in wireless is useless and an unnecessary extra expense. I would much rather have both frequency options rather than tickboxing 802.11ac into the PS4.

Also, more bandwidth is fine coming into the home, but the root of the problem is latency. There is work to try and solve this http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/14/buffering_research_european_commission/. That would improve all types of connections especially Gaikai and multiplayer gaming in general. Then you wouldn't need ever higher and ever bursty traffic to try and overcome the root problem.

No model of the PlayStation 3 supports 802.11n WiFi at any frequency: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ps3 (and that includes the brand new super slim model). Sony is being CHEAP.

 

[egoless]

Delete

 

[Kb-Smoker]

I use my old wga600 gaming adapter to support 802.11n on my launch 60GB PS3 because 802.11g is useless from all the competing devices. I use Microsoft's wireless adapter to run 802.11n@5Ghz on the 360 despite it having wireless built-in. Again, because the built-in wireless on each is worthless to me at 2.4Ghz regardless of protocol. So again I would rather the PS4 just supported dual-bands for my existing equipment rather than tickboxing a costlier 802.11ac.

Not worth it for them to do that. It has Ethernet so you can add whatever you want to that.

I'm just glad they included ethernet since the wiiu didn't. I have my house wired. I would do moca before wifi unless you just don't care about speed.

 

[MrFox]

802.11ac is only draft and the final specs are not expected until 2014. It would be very risky to use draft because there's no guarantee it will work with competitors. Remember Draft-N had plenty of compatibility issues, and most hardware weren't upgradeable to the final specs.

I can't find a reasonable use-case where 600Mbps at 5GHz isn't enough for at least the next 6 years...
I would love a quality external antenna instead of a cheap PCB trace though

 

[Gradthrawn]

Wireless specs were already announced on the 20th, 802.11bgn.

 

[patsu]

For high speed connection, I am more interested in the specification of the PSEye's aux port.

 

[Grall]

Modified USB, no doubt.

 

[patsu]

Why treat it differently ? Security and simplification ? Heard USB host is inefficient.

Does it use a USB cable on the devkit ?

 

[onQ]

Why treat it differently ? Security and simplification ? Heard USB host is inefficient.

Does it use a USB cable on the devkit ?

Have they updated the Devkits since the controller leak? because the Camera was inside of the Devkit at that time.

 

[Grall]

Heard USB host is inefficient.

It is, and very so (~50% efficient.) But it exists, and it's cheap, and tons of commercially available camera sensors come with USB interfaces, all of which is doubleplus-good for a cost sensitive piece of consumer electronics like a games console. Inventing something custom would require lots more effort, time, people, money...and you'd limit yourself to only the hardware which was specifically designed for your gadget. You'd lock yourself in, and would have to re-do much of your work each time say, a manufacturing process changes, or if a new supplyer needs to be brought in.

 

[TheWretched]

Couldn't they simply just use the physical layer of USB and use proprietary software ontop of that, though? I mean, it's a camera. It doesn't do much besides streaming out video and audio anyhow.

 

[tuna]

It is, and very so (~50% efficient.) But it exists, and it's cheap, and tons of commercially available camera sensors come with USB interfaces, all of which is doubleplus-good for a cost sensitive piece of consumer electronics like a games console. Inventing something custom would require lots more effort, time, people, money...and you'd limit yourself to only the hardware which was specifically designed for your gadget. You'd lock yourself in, and would have to re-do much of your work each time say, a manufacturing process changes, or if a new supplyer needs to be brought in.

Sony probably makes the cameras inhouse.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Sony probably makes the cameras inhouse.

Would still make sense to use usb rather than developing something proprietary. That said... It's Sony so they could well engineer up something more costly for little or no advantage.

 

[onQ]

Would still make sense to use usb rather than developing something proprietary. That said... It's Sony so they could well engineer up something more costly for little or no advantage.

Maybe it's Ethernet or Firewire, remember when Sony was going to use a HD IP Camera with the PS3?

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Maybe it's Ethernet or Firewire, remember when Sony was going to use a HD IP Camera with the PS3?

Both of which would be more costly to implement with little to no benefit. Especially when you considering that the PS4's Jaguar core is likely to have USB 3.0 natively if it is anything like the PC based parts.

Regards,
SB

 

[JPT]

Wireless specs were already announced on the 20th, 802.11bgn.

Thanks and crap :/

 

[itsmydamnation]

Both of which would be more costly to implement with little to no benefit. Especially when you considering that the PS4's Jaguar core is likely to have USB 3.0 natively if it is anything like the PC based parts.

Regards,
SB

what is costly about an IP camera? for 1gbps switching its dirt cheap. the benefit is distance and that can be a huge one.