Podcast: Episode 4 - Is the PS4K a Good Idea?

Praise the Sun. For the next month.

Good stuff guys.

I just want the bit about the PS4k and don't look forward to scrubbing through an hour long cast to find it. Anyone have a "starts at" for that bit?

Another great podcast. It made me REALLY want to play Dark Souls 3 though. 5 sleeps!

Cheers for another good episode. Maybe I can stop worrying about my name now.

@DerMeister You got it, Dermie-Star

@Quintumply Thank you.

I agree, its ridiculous (PS4k), the reason why many buy consoles is because its a stationary target. I would be fine with a PS5 in two years or so if its fully backwards compatible, but not a PS4k.

No, 4k TV has barely any channels or content. Are there any 4k games worth buying? Why am I even commenting on this? What is that dog howling about?

Really good listen - thanks for reading my question. Timesplitters 2 was an awesome shout. Had it on Gamecube and then got on ps2 so I could play multiplayer with mates who didnt have a gamecube (i.e. all of them). Trivia - Timesplitters 2 is featured in Shaun of the Dead. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

@nathanSF I have over 50 HD channels and will be getting 4K TV soon with my SkyQ box - how many channels I don't yet know but no doubt will increase over time. According to analysts 50% of the US will have a 4K TV in the next few years!

Netflix and Amazon also have 4k content too

I know the PS4 hasn't been out long BUT that doesn't mean that from a technological point of view its going to last 5-7yrs. There is a difference between market age and technological age.

A PS4k doesn't necessarily have to deliver 4k gaming - especially not in AAA's for example but could deliver 1440p (effectively 2K) and with clever upscaling could deliver a 4K experience. The R9 380x (£180 retail) can do this. It could also have a 4k Bluray and offer 4K Netflix/Amazon Prime.

@BAMozzy - "Netflix and Amazon also have 4k content too"

Don't forget, Sony just rolled out it's 4k "Ultra" streaming service this week, but it currently only works on Sony branded 4k tvs. Having it work on a "PS4k Ultra" seems like a given. W/ or w/o a UHD blu ray, Sony called it's service "Ultra", so there ya go.

http://4k.com/news/sonys-ultra-the-newest-4k-streaming-service-on-the-market-went-live-today-with-a-catch-13411/

http://www.techhive.com/article/3050743/streaming-services/sonys-pricey-ultra-video-streaming-service-goes-live-today-but-youll-need-a-new-high-end-4k-sony-tv.html

@rjejr I personally don't have a Sony 4K TV or a Netflix/Amazon Subscription and don't really have any interest in paying for one so I had no idea Sony had launched its own.

If its only available on Sony's own TV's, it's a very limited audience with Samsung and LG seemingly the market leaders. A great way to increase its potential audience would be via a PS4k console. It makes even more sense now to make the PS4k from a Sony perspective. Maybe they could/would give a discount on 'Ultra' if you have a PS+ subscription.... Maybe!

@BAMozzy Interesting stuff. I'm always up to get the latest tech asap but with things developing so fast nowadays, it's becoming far better to hold off a year or so for prices to drop as the (improving) tech gets cheaper too. The 4k compression and transmission tech is also getting cheaper so more channels will buy into it as time passes. I'm keeping an eye on these developments and will buy when BBC and Netflix start to bulk out their 4k transmissions.

@Batman Dang it Potter. If not for the puppy, you would fill me with disappointment.

Actually, I'm filled with disappointment. Usage of puppies is dirty.

@nathanSF I like to stay up to date with technology to a certain degree too. I don't have the latest mobile or tablet for example but I don't have a need for these. My PC is just a Win 10 Laptop (i3 2.3ghz, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM with a HD 4000 GPU - so the GPU is not great for gaming!) but as I only use it for internet browsing, emails etc - its adequate.

However the things that are 'important' to me are at the 'forefront' of technology. I have a 4K TV (just over a year old now) both the latest consoles and upgrading to SkyQ next week - before they add 4K content - at least all HD content will be better on SkyQ - native 1080p instead of 1080i so looking forward to that.

I am not usually 'first' to buy new technology - primarily down to cost. It took me 6 months to upgrade from last gen to my XB1 - I upgraded this first as it worked out financially cheaper for me - equivalent package would have cost over £130 more on PS (mainly similar games, PS+ and Season Pass that transferred to my XB was the difference). And another 10months after that to get my PS4.

I know its not cheap, the equivalent to my TV can now be purchased for half-price or less, you can buy both consoles for less than I paid too and if MS and/or Sony do bring out new consoles (intermediate or not), the price of the version I have is likely to drop again. When I bought my XB1, Kinect had to be included but a few months later was removed from the bundle and was cheaper again - the difference a month or 2 can make!

I don't complain though because at the time I bought, it was obviously the 'right' time for me. People who buy 'day1' pay even more but they have the benefits of it for longer, they got to experience 'next' gen first and for longer.

As someone with a 4K TV, I can see the benefits of a new or intermediate console. If handled right, I really don't see any issue and shouldn't split the user base. Does it matter if someone has a 'higher' resolution when playing Rocket League or Battlefield (or whatever MP game you prefer)? Could you tell if some people had a PS4k or PS4? I doubt it - you don't get to see what they see. Arguing that they may get to see something a bit sharper is similar to saying that someone with 55"+ screen has a greater advantage over people with a 40" or less screen. Some TV's have better input lag than others and some don't even bother using 'Game' mode which often increases lag to 3-4x as much. These are more advantageous than an increase in resolution. Someone with a PS4 and a 40" gaming monitor, playing a game at 1080p (or 900p) will have more of an advantage than someone with the PS4k and a 55" 4k TV (even in 'Game' mode) and 1440p (or 4k) because of input lag differences!

@BAMozzy We were talking more about games being developed with PS4K in mind. Splitting the user base by maybe splitting the release - similarly to the 'new' 3DS exclusive titles.

Fortunately everything is here say and rumours right now so we needn't worry too much! Thanks for listening!

@BenTarrant Obviously if games are developed solely for PS4k, then that would be an 'issue' for me - even if I am one of the ones with a PS4k. I can certainly see that being the case with VR specific releases more so. The fact that VR has to run at a much higher frame rate and have added motion control processing leads me to think that the PS4 won't cope well with some of the games - not without taking a hit in some way - be that resolution, draw distances and/or enemy count. It seems a lot are relatively simple games in essence. Golem for example looks like its predominantly 1 enemy in a relatively small arena (therefore not great draw distances), on rails shooter with relatively few enemies, walking sims and basic puzzlers (stacking blocks) etc. The most 'complex' seems to be 'RIGS' so far but that is 3v3 in 'small' static (not changing, no destruction) arenas and 3v3. Not saying 3v3 can't be fun and/or intense but its still a long way from CoD's 6v6/9v9, bigger environments and tracking all those bullets, explosions, killstreaks etc and miles away from Battlefields massive maps 32v32 and destructive environments.
I know No Mans Sky has more simplistic visual presentation but I do wonder if that will be possible with its draw distances, destruction and animal life.
I can see that if any game is for PS4k only, I can see that being a PSVR game. Looking at the minimum specs for Oculus Rift (the closest thing to PSVR), It requires a relatively high GPU (around double the PS4's) and a decent high speed CPU too (around double the clock speed). The resolution is slightly higher (1080x1200 compared to 960x 1080 per eye) but also has a slightly lower frame rate of 90hz.
If the 'rumours' regarding the increase in GPU for the PS4k turn out to be true, then I can see PSVR being one of the primary reasons that Sony would be doing this now. It could mean that games designed with Oculus in mind could and should also run on PSVR but only those that 'push' the minimum specs. The new AMD Polaris GPU seems to be designed with VR in mind and being smaller, more efficient and having the ability to have a higher clock speed as well as potentially cheaper (AMD want to make the minimum spec for VR more affordable than it is now) makes it sound perfect for Sony and their ambition with PSVR.
I can't see it affecting 'non-VR' games too significantly. We already have an idea on what the PS4 can deliver and it still has some leeway to go before it becomes a 'struggle' to get games to run on it. If the 4k does match the rumoured spec, I can see games running at higher resolution (say 1440) whilst on PS4 at 1080. Its theoretically possible that 30fps games run at 60fps on the 4k if the resolution stays the same. In that situation though, I see no issue with single player experiences giving players the option of 1440/30 or 1080/60 if the PS4 is only 1080/30 (double the frame rate or double the resolution - not both). If it has a MP component, I think the frame rate should be 'locked' at the same as the PS4's. For example, in the case of something like Uncharted 4, both the PS4 and 4k would be the same frame rate (60fps) with the PS4 at 900p and the PS4k at 1440p - the difference is purely visual and one looks a bit sharper than the other but both would still play just as smoothly. I have never seen an 'image' where you can't determine an enemy at 900/1080p that suddenly becomes clearer, easier to spot at 1440 or above.
A game would have to run at probably 900/30 on PS4k to be considered 'difficult' to run on the PS4 but even that could have a tweak to its lighting/particle effects to run on a PS4. If the 4K is being pushed to its limit at 720/30 then its a fair bet the PS4 version would need a lot of modification to run and at that point then I think we would see PS4k only but I also think by that point, the PS5 would be out and these are the last games of the PS4 generation.