Predict: The Next Generation Console Tech

[Blazkowicz]

well if we can do pie in the sky then I want a 600 square mm APU, with just 8% of the GPU and one core or module disabled for redudency, 384bit gddr5 with 6GB memory (that's too small but we'll make do with it), 1TB SSD + 4TB HDD, two thunderbolt ports, 8GB of MRAM (why not, you can swap to it or suspend/resume) and a 4G LTE-Advanced modem just in case.

Well that's not satisfying on the memory side, so maybe we can have 24GB ddr3 2133 on 384bit and 2GB memory on interposer, 4096 bit wide.

 

[fehu]

how would ken kutaragi make a ps4 ? ( without the supercell )

Another mess

 

[DieH@rd]

We dont have a good translation, but this japanese article talks about the possibility of PS4 using Steamroller cores.
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/kaigai/20121225_580059.html
google translate - http://translate.google.com/transla...cs/column/kaigai/20121225_580059.html&act=url

 

[steviep]

Somehow I think stores selling GPUs aren't taking such a big amount off the top. I don't have figures on hand but I've heard of razor thin margins in other markets like game sales and you'd kind of expect competition to drive it well below what you're saying.

No idea about the OEM though, since of course the GPU chip isn't the only thing on the BOM.

Between 0.5% and 1.5% are the general margins at the usual lower-margin computer retailers (at least when there isn't a price premium on the product, and has a competitive online price). We're not talking big box stores there.

lol, dont throw out kutaragi from the ps4 equation this early, we should not forget that he trained a lot of engineers in Sony, I wouldnt be suprised that sony executives called him for advices adn ideas for ps4, and that his previous students/friends still call him for advices too. so maybe kutaragi aferall had somee input with ps4. (I believe he is still occupying a post of adviser within sony, japanese companies dont forget their previous employees, they have a great culture in that regard).

Expect a similar design philosiphy to Vita. Whatever that tells you

 

[Helmore]

Expect a similar design philosiphy to Vita. Whatever that tells you

I kind of like the Vita. I don't own one and I've never even seen one in real life though. One thing I don't like about it is the battery life, at least according to what battery life is like from the few reviews I've read. In my opinion, if the PS4 is similar in philosophy to the Vita, then I'm actually fairly optimistic in what it'll bring to the market.

 

[DieH@rd]

I have zero complaints about vita's battery life, it managed several times to live trough 3-4h gameplay sessions of Golden Abyss, without telling me that battery is low. More than enough for me.

Good hardware combination, excellent screen, full controls, and good battery life that can only become better with future revisions of the hardware.

 

[anexanhume]

I have zero complaints about vita's battery life, it managed several times to live trough 3-4h gameplay sessions of Golden Abyss, without telling me that battery is low. More than enough for me.

Good hardware combination, excellent screen, full controls, and good battery life that can only become better with future revisions of the hardware.

Agreed, it also had the maximum specs one could expect with what was available at the time. And a custom wide with VRAM memory interface.

For me the equivalent would be a many cored x86 design with a 100W TDP GPU (equal or better than 7970m performance with GCN improvements). Equivalent RAM would be DDR3/DDR4 with a 1024 bit memory interface. I don't know that that's possible with the GPU heat and existing 3d methods though.

 

[SKYSONY]

How not 2TF for Sony. Everyone is saying the difference won´t be big between both consoles and the GPU on the June dev kits already had 1.8 TF.

 

[novcze]

sorry for double post

EU players are usually not very vocal, but you can check this link, to see how they feel about SingStar icon and its placement.

 

[V3]

Sony have been burnt twice by powerful but too expensive hardware so I wouldn't be surprised if they make their next console more along the lines of the original PS1/PS2. Their last 4 hardware releases have been failures from a business sense between the PS3, PSP Go, Xperia and Vita. Since the PS3 Slim could be considered a success if you were to discount the original PS3 I would likely consider the successor to the PS3 to really be the successor to the first slimline model which retailed for $299 IIRC so a price range close to that will probably be likely. If the A10 rumours are true then they may even be targeting $299 as a firm release price and the console itself may only consist of a modified A10 at its heart.

If PS4 is only going to consist of a beef up A10, why bother, might as well stick with PS3 chips, just overclock Cell and maybe unlock the extra SPE and overclock the RSX and improve the RAM chips too. And called it Playstation Viiii

 

[arijoytunir]

sony could have 2 skus of ps4 - one with only the apu + 384 or 640 gcn cores and the other with a additional discrete gpu .

 

[Nesh]

I said that Sony will have their hardcore games and they will continue that I am sure, but you don't have to have 2 TF to give you the power to give you next generation games 1.5 to 1.8 TF could do fine. There are reasons why third party developers are not happy with Sony. Third parties want power, ram and a much better development environment and Sony seems to be rushing things. Sony hasn't done traditionally good with the casual crowd. Go check the sales for all of the titles that I listed above and you will see that they did very poorly at best in many regions.

You vaguely referred to lower powered in terms of electricity and relatively "weaker" console compared to previous gens. You werent specific. I understand the reasons why third party developers are not happy with Sony but what does their reasons have to do with the casual market? These are demands from devs no matter what kind of game they want to create. The dev that aims to create the most hardcore game ever in existence will have the same demands.
These games did poorly and why they did is irrelevant to the developing environment. If your content and the context under which you deliver your product is not the right one it simply wont help sales no matter if that product is casual or core oriented. On one hand you point a) to the areas that show a direction Sony has taken suggesting they will target casuals more than before and then b) you point to some casual games that have failed. These are two separate subjects (and if they were the same subject they somehow contradict each other since that would suggest the direction does not produce good results and hence they should stick with the core only). One is about the direction. the other is about the execution and I have already admitted that Sony has lost an opportunity to get the casuals with the PS3. They have been making attempts to win casuals for quite some time. And they were doing it since the golden days of the PS1. Those 100+ million owners of PS1 and PS2 consoles werent only core gamers.The console industry have enjoyed an enormous growth since the introduction of the PS1, not thanks solely to the core gamers but also thanks to their widespread casual appeal. T They succeeded with the PS1 and PS2. Not so with the PS3

 

[jonabbey]

So it's a known thing that devs are complaining about Orbis, now?

 

[BRiT]

sony could have 2 skus of ps4 - one with only the apu + 384 or 640 gcn cores and the other with a additional discrete gpu .

Not if they want either one to succeed. You do not fragment your market by hardware performance in the console space.

 

[anexanhume]

Not if they want either one to succeed. You do not fragment your market by hardware performance in the console space.

Why, it worked so well for the 32x and sega CD

Turned out OK for the N64 though.

 

[Helmore]

So it's a known thing that devs are complaining about Orbis, now?

I'm not aware of such being the case. We've all heard enough complaints about how hard it was to work with the PS3, but nothing yet on the PS4.

 

[bbot]

Remember the rumor about orbis having a gpu /w computing power of 1843 gflops called "tahiti" and used on the 7970? 7970's are rated at 3788 gflops, so did anyone figure out the discrepancy between the computing power and the gpu type?

 

[DoctorFouad]

this is an article abouT how advanced intel is with CPU performance :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/atom-z2760-power-consumption-arm,3387.html

It is sad that AMD are that far behind...buying ATI saved them and guaranteed them a long term profitable contracted with sony/microsoft/nintendo. Without ATI I am pretty sure no one would have gone with them...

 

[Squilliam]

If PS4 is only going to consist of a beef up A10, why bother, might as well stick with PS3 chips, just overclock Cell and maybe unlock the extra SPE and overclock the RSX and improve the RAM chips too. And called it Playstation Viiii

I'm sure it would still be significantly faster that the PS3 if it also has a beefed up GPU. If they're only say targeting $299 a beefed up APU is probably all they can afford isn't it?

Perhaps the reason why we're not hearing about the PS4 is that people along the chain aren't liking what they're hearing and therefore dismissing them?

 

[Helmore]

Perhaps the reason why we're not hearing about the PS4 is that people along the chain aren't liking what they're hearing and therefore dismissing them?

The same reasoning could be used the other way around. If they're not liking what they're hearing about the PS4, then there is all the more reason to vocally complain about it. I think they main reason we've heard so little about the nextBox and the PS4 is simply much better secrecy policies. It's just a matter of time before we'll hear more, as they say, patience is a virtue. In the mean time, we can all bicker about what we'd like to see .