The WSJ is confirming what we all saw in Sony’s slick video teaser for its upcoming February 20th event: Sony will be announcing the PlayStation 4. Citing the ol’ reliable ‘people familiar with the matter’, the WSJ says that the PS4 will be announced on February 20th and be released later this year. More »
Rumors of the next console generation are hitting left and right as we head deeper into 2013, and today Sony may have just given us a date for the reveal of its next console. The company has released a new teaser trailer of sorts on the PlayStation Blog, and it suggests that the next PlayStation will be announced on February 20. That’s less than a month away, so the PlayStation 4 may be closer than some think.
Like all good teasers, Sony’s doesn’t give away anything. All we see are the classic PlayStation button symbols and the February 20, 2013 date at the end. The post on the PlayStation Blog is similarly short on details, but the title does invite us to “See the Future.” There’s also a link users can follow to leave their information to “Be the First to Know.” Naturally, we can’t be sure of Sony’s intentions, but it certainly sounds like the company is gearing up to announce its next console.
This event will be going down at 6PM Eastern on the February 20, and if Sony is planning to use it to reveal the PlayStation 4, it’ll probably be getting quite the jump on Microsoft. The Xbox maker has been just as secretive about its next console, but recently, Major Nelson posted a countdown clock to E3 2013 on his blog. That suggests Microsoft will reveal the next Xbox at the expo in June, meaning that Sony could have a number of months on Microsoft if it chooses to go all-in on February 20.
We’ll just have to wait and see, because you can bet Sony won’t let any new details slip out before it holds this event. We’ll naturally be covering Sony’s event, so you’ll be able to find details on whatever the company announces right here at SlashGear. Do you think Sony is getting ready to announce the PlayStation 4?
PlayStation 4 announcement tipped for February 20 in Sony teaser is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
What’s this? A Sony invite to “see the future” of PlayStation on February 20th in New York City? From the looks of the very tease-y clip Sony’s released (found just beyond the break), it’s clearly PlayStation related. Perhaps involving a certain codenamed “Orbis” project? The company’s official PlayStation Twitter account says “See the future” and pushes followers to this website, where invitees can sign up and everyone can see the aforementioned video.
We’ll find out soon enough what the tease is about, as we’ve just finished up registration. From the video … well, the future features the same triangle, circle, square, and cross buttons, apparently. A recent report detailed some specs for Sony’s rumored next PlayStation, including an eight core AMD64 CPU and an AMD R10XX GPU — specs that may change dramatically before we hear anything official. Could this be the first volley in Sony’s rollout of the next PlayStation?
Source: PlayStation Meeting 2013
![PS4 To Run On Eight Core AMD CPU; Includes Touchscreen Controller [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ps4-amd-eight-core-touchscreen-controller.jpeg?resize=630%2C420 "PS4 To Run On Eight Core AMD CPU; Includes Touchscreen Controller [Rumor]")
After enjoying the PlayStation 3 for over six years, we’re completely ready for the PlayStation 4 to enter our homes and dominate every free time we have. We’ve been keeping a close eye on its progress, even though we know Sony won’t announce it before Microsoft announces the next Xbox. It looks as though we may not need to wait for their announcement as a report was released today highlight much of what we can expect from the PlayStation 4.
According to a report published on Kotaku, the PlayStation 4 is rumored to have an eight-core AMD64 CPU and an AMD R10XX GPU, although these are currently available in the PS4 developer kits and could change by the time its released to retail.
Other features expected in the PlayStation 4 are improved user accounts which allow multiple Sony Entertainment Network accounts to be signed in simultaneously in order for multiple users to unlock trophies and possibly access multiple cloud saves. The controller is also said to resemble the DualShock, but includes a capacitive touchpad, which we heard rumors about just last week.
Until Sony makes their official announcement, the information Kotaku provides should be taken with a grain of salt as Sony could decide to make changes to the PS4 at any time before it’s officially unveiled.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New Sonic Game Rumored For Announcement Next Month, PlayStation 4 Controller Expected To Have Touchscreen Similar To Wii U GamePad [Rumor], 
Home video game consoles seem somewhat quaint at this point, and it’s not an issue of graphics capabilities or raw power, on which scales they both still beat out mobile devices. But in terms of content delivery, smartphones and tablets blow away the old guard of the video games field. ‘More power’ will still likely be the clarion call of the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft, and new details leaked around Microsoft’s Xbox 360 successor, codenamed Durango, suggest they’ll have specs to boast about.
A leak from VGLeaks offers a look at what kind of CPU and GPU will be inside Microsoft’s next-gen console, and it includes 8 CPU cores at 1.6GHz, with a custom 800MHz graphics processor in the GPU. There are 8GB of RAM on board, with 32MB of fast embedded SRAM at double the throughput speed, and a 50GB-capable 6x Blu-ray drive. Wireless connectivity protocols include both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, and there’s still a Gigabit Ethernet port for gamers with low latency multiplayer demands. It’ll also come with USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4a, which supports 3D over HDMI, Ethernet, audio return channels and 4K resolution.
The rumored specs for the PS4 mean that it can beat the Xbox 720 on paper, at least when it comes to teraflops, giving it a theoretical 50 percent advantage in raw computing power according to previously leaked info on Sony’s next-gen machine. But the CPU/GPU combo should be similar for both, making it easier to port between these consoles and the PC for developers. An easier development process for game-makers that gives them greater potential reach will likely be a key component of the next generation of home consoles, now that they’re competing for game studio attention with mobile platforms, where game porting and development cycles are a lot less demanding of a time and resource investment.
Big specs are an investment in the future of a platform, especially for game consoles where CE companies sink lots of money into R&D and don’t even make a profit on hardware for the first few years. The Xbox 720 is likely designed for at least a 10 year active life, and that’s part of why it boosts the processing power outlined in these leaks. But that’s an old model, and one that hasn’t yet had to face the test of the rapid iteration cycle of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.
The big story at CES 2013 this year wasn’t 4K or 8K TVs or the smart home, it was the increasing power of mobile processors, as exemplified by new Qualcomm and Samsung chips. These processors can handle graphics that, while not on par with consoles quite yet, makes up much of the ground remaining between them. The Xbox 720 and PS4 may help put a further narrowing of the gap a bit further out of reach, but when these launch, I don’t think we’ll be talking about their success in terms of which has the better specs – that discussion began to die the moment you could beam a game you were playing on your iPhone wirelessly to your TV.
If you believe the hype, Sony and Microsoft will be announcing their new consoles this year. We think both will, along with many other gamers and analysts out there. With the next generation seemingly on our doorstep, the only question now is which console will come first. Speaking to The Times (as reported by IGN), Sony CEO Kaz Hirai may have just answered that question by suggesting his company will let Microsoft go first.
“Why go first,” Hirai asked, “when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?” That’s all he said, leaving us to wonder if Sony will indeed wait until Microsoft has revealed the next Xbox before it announces the PlayStation 4. Of course, whatever advantage Microsoft would gain from Sony announcing its next-gen console first seems minimal at best, as most of the hardware in the next Xbox will likely be mostly – if not entirely – final by that point anyway.
Then again, it isn’t as if being last out of the gate is a bad thing for a new console. Out of the big three for this generation, the Wii was the last to launch in the US. If you concern yourself with consoles at all, it’s likely you know how that turned out. Just the same, the Dreamcast was the first console to launch in the prior generation, and that didn’t end so well for Sega, with the company deciding to leave the console business altogether just a couple of years after it launched.
Still, with all signs pointing to an E3 2013 announcement for the next Xbox, it makes you wonder when Sony will announce the PlayStation 4 if Hirai really is planning to wait for Microsoft’s own reveal. Perhaps we won’t see the PS4 until the Tokyo Game Show this year? We’ll just have to wait and see, so sit tight and try not to let the anticipation get to you.
Sony might not reveal PS4 until Microsoft has announced next Xbox is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Last week we reported on a rumor of Sony possibly announcing its PlayStation 4 at a pre-E3 event this year, or at least at this year’s E3. Even though Sony’s Home Entertainment VP may have been privy to some inside information, PlayStation 4 news doesn’t get more official than a quote directly from Sony CEO, Kaz Hirai.
In an interview with the Business section of The Times, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai let loose the company won’t make an announcement unless Microsoft does. Hirai says in the interview, “Why go first, when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?”
As much as we’re anticipating the announcement of both the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4, we can’t help but feel his comments are a bit on the arrogant side. Sony most likely already knows what it wants to do with its PlayStation 4 and any changes they can make with their next-fen console after Microsoft announces its console probably won’t make that much of a difference, and instead will have Microsoft delivering its console before Sony, which we know PlayStation fanboys won’t be happy to hear.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Atari Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy To Separate From Nonprofitable Parent Company, Temple Run 2 Downloaded Over Six Million Times In 24 Hours, 
PayPal is becoming more widely accepted lately as you can purchase many goods using your PayPal account, including Starbucks coffee. You can even purchase digital goods from your Xbox 360 as they’ve been accepting PayPal for months now, and it looks like PlayStation 3 and PS Vita owners will finally be able to use the service to purchase their digital goods now.
The process isn’t as easy as it is on the Xbox 360 as you could input your PayPal information from the dashboard in order to access it when needed. Instead of being able to input your PayPal information in your account settings on either your PS3 or PS Vita, you’ll need to visit the Sony Entertainment Network site, enter your account information, and then access your wallet to then add funds through PayPal.
Supporting PayPal is certainly a step in the right direction, but Sony needs to mainstream this process by supporting it within the PlayStation 3′s XMB or on the PS Vita. I’m sure there are many of you out there, who like me, couldn’t be bothered visiting the Sony Entertainment Network site and will probably not link your PayPal account to your PSN account until it’s available directly on the PS3 and PS Vita. Until then, thanks for the thought, Sony.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Next-gen Xbox Architecture Details Leaked , Minecraft Xbox 360 To Get Update 8 Soon, 
![PlayStation 4 Controller Expected To Have Touchscreen Similar To Wii U GamePad [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/playstation-4-ps4-touchscreen-controller-wii-u.jpeg?resize=404%2C283 "PlayStation 4 Controller Expected To Have Touchscreen Similar To Wii U GamePad [Rumor]")
Think this, but without that Move adapter on top.
We’ve been hearing a lot of news lately concerning Sony’s PlayStation 4, which we might officially hear more about by May. But until Sony delivers the goods, we’ll just have to wait and speculate and report on rumors that come from credible sources. Such as this next story involving the PlayStation 4′s controller.
According to CVG sources, Sony is expected to ditch the DualShock controller design they’ve been slightly modifying for the past sixteen years with the original DualShock controlling debuting with the PlayStation. The PlayStation 4′s controller will include biometric sensors on the grips of the controller and an LCD touchscreen.
An additional source says PlayStation engineers are “trying to emulate the same user interface philosophies as the PS Vita.”
It seems whatever Sony is planning for the PlayStation 4 will offer similar functionality to the Wii U’s GamePad, which may once again change how gamers play their games and interact with their console seeing how a touchscreen controller seems to be planned for the upcoming console. Although, just like the Wii U, having a DualShock controller be compatible with the PlayStation 4 isn’t completely out of the question as they may interact with the system as well, similar to how the Wii Remotes interact with the Wii U.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: PS4 Hinted To Be Announced During Pre-E3 2013 Event [Rumor], Disney Patents Hint At Future Making Game Consoles [Rumor], 
Sony has been rocking its DualShock controller design ever since the original PlayStation was out in full force, but while the console launched in the US in 1995, the DualShock technology didn’t make its way to the market until 1998. Now, it looks like the company will be waving farewell to the classic design for something a little more modern and high tech with the rumored PlayStation 4.
According to Computer and Video Games, an anonymous source that works at a “senior game studio” that’s working on an upcoming Sony game has said that Sony will be introducing a new controller design with its next console, and will introduce some new features to the controller, like a touchscreen and biometric sensors.
It’s said that experimentation and testing of potential controller designs has been extensive in Sony’s research and development department. A second source connected to Sony said that engineers are “trying to emulate the same user interface philosophies as the PlayStation Vita,” which points to possible touchscreen capabilities with the new PS4 controller.
While the DualShock design may be on its way out the door, it’s possible that Sony will still support the PS3 controllers when they release their new console, similar to how the Nintendo Wii U still supports older Wiimotes, so there’s a possibility that older DualShock controllers could be used as secondary controllers on the PS4, but of course, Sony has declined to comment on the rumors.
[via Computer and Video Games]
PlayStation 4 rumored to ditch DualShock controller design is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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