The next generation rumours are inescapable today. Following this morning’s report regarding the imminent announcement of the PlayStation 4, research firm Baird Equity has suggested that the console could launch as soon as October, with a reveal almost guaranteed to take place prior to E3 in June.
In a note to investors, analyst Colin Sebastian suggested that the system will retail between $350 and $400 in North America, which reinforces whispers that we’ve heard behind the scenes. It would certainly be a competitive price point for the console, after its predecessor notoriously released at $599.
Baird continued that the next generation hardware will be largely derived from PC components, and will boast “hybrid physical and digital distribution models" as well as "broad multimedia capabilities". The analyst added that while Sony is targeting an October launch, his “field checks” suggest that the manufacturer may be facing “early production issues” with the machine. That’s a concern, though Microsoft has also faced similar suggestions over the past six months.
As for the system itself, recent rumours noted that it would be much more “fluid” than the PlayStation 3, allowing you to access various elements of the operating system at the touch of a button. However, speculation coming out of the VGAs in December hinted that third-party developers don’t have as much confidence in the console as the Xbox 720.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 12
so many console releases this year omg my wallet...
@JavierYHL I know right. Though I've been having to stick with what I have at the moment. Keeping up with games gets pricey.
Lots apparently releasing, but in truth, bar anything truly exceptional from others, the PS4 is all I'm interested in personally.
That last line pisses me off. Microsoft has so much money from ripping off it's customers that it can pay ANYONE to say their console will be better...
I'll probably wait until next year at the earliest to pick up my PS4. Too much expenses.
The PS3 is currently selling for $269, how much of an improvement could $349 be? Unless they are all coming w/ 12GB? If it's less than $399 why bother?
@rjejr PS3 will be $199 by the time this releases, there's no doubt about that. PS4 will probably be sold at a small loss. Judging from the rumours, it's going to be a pretty massive improvement.
@rjejr The rumors suggest that the ps4 will use fairly standard PC components for the most part, which will cut down costs tremendously. Also, hard drives don't cost much to manufacture at all. skimping on the hard drive with less than 250gb of space would likely only drop the overall cost of the system by a few dollars.
@rjejr Given the difference in in tech between then and now they could easily get a nice jump in power for the price. Not only do they get the parts cheaper than we can (wholesale and bulk prices) they don't have to pay licensing fees for the OS which normally adds $100 to the total price.
You can easily get a 4-core CPU, GPU, 4 gbs of ram and everything else for $400, what ends up in the PS4 ultimately depends on their business strategy. Its possible they are planning to break even on hardware and make most of the profits off software and PS+.
Why do people put stock into RUMORS, its far too early to believe anything yet
@Azikira
I'm a Microsoft customer and I don't feel ripped off. I've got three 360's in my house in different rooms and I feel pretty satisfied with all of them (not to mention a Zune and several computers running an MS OS that I enjoy.)
Why wouldn't they put more than 4gb ram? My lappy has that and hates to run oblivion for example (good vid card too!) Seems like every console is merely adequate, forcing the games to push the hardware to its breaking point. Not that I don't trust em, I just look at even dated computer specs and see stronger stats. Make it work, designers : )
Oh hello last generation players from the past....
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