While the PlayStation 3 celebrates a major milestone even as its sun starts to fade, rumors about the heir to the PlayStation throne continue to leak out of the game development world. The latest details about the fourth generation machine come from Europe, shedding new light on how the PlayStation 4 or Orbis will support 4K resolution output, how used games will be handled by the console, and just how Sony will leverage the recently purchased Gaikai cloud-gaming service in its machine.
British magazine PSM3 (the details of which were reprinted by German website The G Net) provides a wealth of new information to supplement a recent story about the console that confirmed Sony will not call its console PlayStation 4. The reason: The Japanese word for 4 is “shi,” which also happens to mean death. While it might seem silly to break from nearly two decades of successful branding because a two words sound alike, it’s important to remember how branding has negatively affected the Xbox and Xbox 360 in Japan. Where “X” marks the spot in the US, it’s a negative sign in Japanese culture. (Hence why the circle button on PlayStation controllers is used to confirm most actions in Japanese games, not the X button like in the US.)
PSM3’s source claims that the device, which Sony refers to by the codename Orbis, will play games that look similar to recent tech demos for games like Star Wars 1313 and Square-Enix’s Agni’s Philosophy demo. These games, however, will not run in 4K resolution as has been hinted at in the past. If 4K playback support does make it into the final version of the fourth generation PlayStation, it will be for video.
Sony will be taking more severe measures against piracy. Previous rumors about the Orbis suggested that Sony might try to block used, disc-based games from working on the console. This new report claims that it will do so by linking each individual game to a specific PlayStation Network account.
Unlike past Sony consoles, Orbis will not have backwards compatibility with PlayStation 3, at least not with Blu-ray disc games. Sony will instead offer classic games through a cloud-based streaming service run through Gaikai’s infrastructure.
Of all the rumors surrounding the next PlayStation, its lack of backwards compatibility is the most disappointing. PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi was insistent that every PlayStation made be able to play the previous consoles’ discs at a hardware level. Obviously Sony started moving away from this philosophy swiftly with the very first hardware revisions of the PlayStation 3, but it’s still sad.
The PlayStation 4, Orbis, or whatever Sony decides to name it, is expected to debut at E3 2013.
If it isn’t backwards compatible, I won’t buy it either, end of story..
I’m with you, Jeremy. Backwards compatibility is a must for me.
If they link specific games to specific accounts I won’t buy it, end of story.
Considering many of us in rural areas don’t have access to unlimited broadband, doesn’t look like I will be buying this.
You know, I’m not even slightly interested in this new console for these reasons:
- Backwards compatibility.
- Not be able to use used games in this console.
Hello, Sony. You are not Apple, so stop acting like them!! If you want your customers to play your games on your system, don’t break what has been proven that’s not broken! I buy used games from Gamestop, and if you think that this will deter piracy in the long run, think again. What are the Japanese so damned paranoid these days?
I was fine with no backwards compatibility on the PS3 due to the graphics. Since I’m happy with current gen I’m not looking forward so much for next gen unless there is backward compatibility. I also won’t buy something that links a game disc to an account. I’m sure they will make special versions for rental. They could also be counting on online services to deliver rentals. Sony needs to realize that the rest of the world is not as connected as Japan (or S. Korea). They may have unlimited 100mbps+ plans in many areas of Japan but outside of Japan many are doing good to get a few mbps.
You’re telling me that I can’t borrow games or play my old ones on the PS4? Well, this is highly disappointing. This seems like a big misstep for Sony.
What is the price
I’m a skeptic on this. I heard Sony say “3-5 years”.
They never learn their lesson, do they?
What’s that I hear? Oh yeah, that’s Sony’s stock prices falling so hard they’ve broken the sound barrier. Twice.
no backwards compatibility = no sale
I doubt the validity of these claims due to the difficulty Sony has had recently (in the past 6 years) making a profit on the PS3.
An earlier report indicated that Sony was going back to basics with a more economical console that won’t be sold at a loss to make it a price palatable to the consumer. Those rumors are much more likely considering Sony’s current position in the market than what these rumors imply.
Then again, Sony could be dumb enough to Neo-Geo themselves out of gaming.
FAIL!
word to the wise: if you have a ps3, save it because you wont be able to play them on the ps4. and if people are like those sheep that love apple go ahead and throw away your money and rebuy all of the games that you already own to play on the new ps4. SUCKERS !