Microsoft fires the first shot in the "NEXT" generation.... - Page 154

MS has got some work cut out for it if Sony ends up shipping with 8GB of GDDR5 RAM



Thats pretty much overkill in a console as far as I'm concerned, but it is going to open up a lot of cool tricks. A Bethesda game will never freeze again for one.

Anyone notice the PS4 has A LOT of rumors from the NextBox? Maybe that is why they jumped first to get the publisity when both machines will be pretty much the same with a different Logo and online service.

And a lot of PS4 rumors from pre-show.

I don't think it disputed that gaming consoles need to do more than gaming now, nor that social media, mobile and web 2.0 are huge changes in culture that they need to tap into to be successful.

MS has a really tough act to follow. Sony even nullified the RAM advantage, built motion controls into the controller and is (presumably) packing a camera into the box. The presentation was 100% gaming focused, and the UI, network and services all look like a huge upgrade. Can kinect 2.0 and entertainment apps really top that? Theyve better have some huge ace up their sleeve, cause Sony just brought their A game.

PS4 looks interesting. can't wait to see what the next Xbox offers.

the presser was meh. some of the games looked great. but they spent so much time saying so little. no details on anything. just showed games and talked in conceptual terms for what they hope to achieve with the social aspect. the best part was the surprise with the 8GB.

What was the rumor on ram before now? Oh nevermind, I went back a page.

2-4GB was the rumor I believe. 8 is almost overkill if their architecture is what they say it is.

8 gbs will probably help these things run for as long as this generation did. I liked this presentation. They showed off a good amount of games and gave us the specs. It was a win for me.

We have been here before when it comes to final specs with Sony. It is possible the 8gb isn't final.

They just flat out told the world. 8GB is final.

Sony's presser was meh. I checked out about 20 minutes into it. There was nothing Sony announced that would make me want to go out and buy their console. Some of the streaming stuff looked cool, and I thought the Diablo III announcement was a good one. Other than that most of the games the showed that I was interested in will come out for the NextXbox as well.

I don't think there is any way to understate the magnitude of 8GB GDDR5. If Sony Ships with these specs and MS ships with what is currently rumored, it is clear the PS4 has a definitive performance advantage. Now, the question is "How will Microsoft counter?". As shown by Sony, even the most recent rumors published online can be outdated in one way or another. No one reported 8GB of GDDR5 and everyone who even suggested such a thing were immediately disregarded if not outright laughed at due to the perceived cost. So, it is conceivable that MS does something to tip the scales now that Sony has tipped it's hand in regards to the RAM. The problem for MS is they now have 2 places to shore up instead of 1. 8GB of GDDR5 feeding a video card that is already 50% more powerful suggests that MS needs to upgrade both the speed and amount of RAM or alternately, Upgrade the Video Card and the speed OR the amount of RAM. In my mind, the options look like this:

xbox 8GB GDDR5 + Upgraded Video Card

or

xbox 12GB GDR3 + Upgraded Video Card

or

xbox 12GB GDDR5 and keep the current Video Card


The were previous xbox rumors about a 16 core CPU and 12 GB RAM so perhaps MS already has some surprises in store, but based on the Current PS4 info and the Current xbox rumors, PS4 is looking like the beast.

In their defense, most of the games will probably be shown at E3. Same thing for MS. If MS decides they need to make a counter announcement, it will be very similar in that they will reveal some hardware info and show a few games and leave the big stuff for E3.

Apparently, Sony has confirmed PS4 will not block Used Games. The dominoes are falling.

It's quite a bit more difficult to redesign the APU, instead of just soldering on more or higher density memory chips. Shifting to GDDR5 doesn't make much sense when they've designed their system around the limitations of DDR3 - then they're just left with a lot of dead weight. I could see them upping it to 10-12GB of DDR3 though - they want more memory than the PS4, so they can run the same games whilst still having enough leftover for a much heavier OS, multiple apps in the background etc. If they don't respond in kind, and their OS is heavier, then they effectively have less and also slower memory.

I think they'll be fine shipping the slower system in the end - the most powerful system isn't always the winner, and they've got aspirations far beyond just games.

Normally I'd agree, but with the console launces 9 months away these types of things wont change. And if Sony flat out lied, Devs will leak the real specs real soon.


There's not really much wiggle room to change specs at this stadge withou serious costs and delays. Contracts have been finalized for a while now.

They were never set up in the first place. As said before, these rumors have gone around every gen since atleast SNES, and are there to generate pageclicks (mag sales back in the day).

Console manufacturers still rely on their retail channels too much to make any change.

And dont forget price. Gamers are spoiled brats and expect top gfx fidelity at bargin bin prices.

They want a $300 console in todays dollars that does exponentially more than one of yesteryear. The PS1 for example launched around $450 in 2012 dollars, and now that would be considered pushing it price wise.


Low price and good enough is good enough for most gamers. You won't get fanboy bragging rights, but youll get a almost completely same gaming experience.

best news thus far IMO!

Yup. The nextbox will be good enough, no question. There's still the kinect factor though, so they could very well launch at the same price. I hope we see something from them soon.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/21/sony-psn-games-wont-transfer-to-ps4/

Well this is a huge disappointment. Current PS3 & PSN games & game saves.. will *not* work on the PS4.

Sony has changed the architecture of the the PlayStation again!

Agai
Again until we see actual final hardware then I will believe it. I hope it will still be 8gb but announcing final specs vs showing actual final specs are two different things. This happened in 05 with a PS3 release date in Spring 06 with 2 HDMIs and other features that got cut with a showing of that actual console vs yesterday and saying what the final specs are. They can claim 9 months is the release date and push into 2014 and then we got a revision. It isn't guaranteed until it ships so I will hold off on excitement until we see actual hardware and a firm release date. I am looking forward to the new system and my biggest issue with the PS3 was lack of synergy. If online and the features they describe are going to be better than the current PSN, then I am very much looking forward for the system to arrive soon.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with price. I don't see how they can keep it under $400 to start...

It's nice to see Sony addressed the architectural shortcomings of the PS3 by adding more than enough RAM on a wicked fast bus & making the architecture more PC like which should in theory make it easier to develop games for...

As a platform I've always prefered Sony. It's relatively open in terms of accessories (BT) and storage (BYO hard drive), and free online play could have been a death blow to Xbox live...problem is the online experience just didn't come close in terms of making it easy to play when & with the people u want to play with, the party system & matchmaking on live just works so much better in most cases.

That's what it comes down to for me, games & the experience. We all know the cell architecture (sans the woefully inadequate RAM) was far superior to the Xbox 360...but the games just didn't measure up. There is also not a single Sony IP that I consider a 'killer app' that would make me buy the system. All the first party IPs I want to play have always been on Microsoft's platform.

So unless the nextbox reveal is woefully underpowered in comparison...I'll take a 'wait & see' approach with PS4 just like I did with the PS3. I don't need another bluray player that can also play games right now.
Edited by slyderulz - 2/21/13 at 5:38pm

I seem to recall that dual HDMI for the PS3 was announced to the world too...

Just sayin...

Having a second HDMI out is not quite as crucial to system performance as RAM.

Yup, but that was 18 months from release, then including a delay. If they are targeting xmas 2013, the hardware has been locked for a while now. Theres simply no way it wouldnt be, as suppliers dont just grow on trees.

Remember, typically there were long periods between announcment and release before. Not the case this time, as we know. Lots of people wondering when things were going to get shown and released.

Hell, sony even had developers make ingame tech demos and real demos this time instead of cgi renders. They learned their lesson, but its also because were relatively late in the dev cycle for a new release.

So that really only leaves a flat out lie. Could you imagine the blowback

You'll have to excuse MS fanboys, they are trying to find reasons to diminish the console.

i hope we don't get a delay and this is final spec but at the same time I am simply on wait and actual see when it comes to announcements. Watchdogs was confirmed to be running on a PC when they demoed it. .

Nothing to diminish. Again no one has seen the final console. I plan to pick it up regardless so please don't get sensitive over a discussion.