PS4 Theories and Rumours

As we all know, the current generation of gaming consoles is coming to a close, and the release of information about their successors isn't very far away. For now though, all we have is speculation and rumors.

So what are people saying about the PS4? How viable is the information? And how excited/concerned are you about it?

From what I've heard there are two bits of information that I am, frankly, concerned about. The first deals with something that gamers have been dreading for quite a while, and that's the use of technology that prohibits the use of used games. While this has been talked about and even used in some capacity by companies like Capcom and EA, it was released a few weeks ago that Sony had patented technology specifically aimed at keep gamers from starting new games on used discs. Now, I read the article a while ago on IGN and I don't quite remember all the details, but regardless, this news is troubling. I think it's also worth mentioning that Microsoft is also pursuing this technology and may have its own patents, so this isn't exclusive to Sony.

The other thing I find troubling is the relatively recent news that the PS4 may be abandoning the Dualshock controller. I find this particularly surprising, given that Sony has had this controller in one form or another since the beginning, and that people identify the Playstation through its controller. Now if this weren't bad enough, there is talk that the Dualshock may be replaced by a "touchscreen" tablet...sound familiar?? Now everyone knows about my qualms with the WiiU and my distaste for their tablet, so it's pretty horrifying to think that Sony may take a similar path.

Now of course, these are just speculative rumors for now...but might they be grounded in truth? Between these two ideas, I find the first rumor about prohibiting used games to be far more likely than the second rumor about the controller. Do I think it's feasible that Sony will change their controller? Of course, but I highly doubt they'll focus almost exclusively on a tablet like Nintendo...I think it's more likely they'll just alter the Dual Shock in some way.

i had heard (or read) something similar about the controller. the idea was to make it a break-away controller each end with a PS move part (does THAT sound familiar?!?!)
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Correct me if im wrong but wasnt there a big deal that when the PS3 was released that the controller originally lacked rumble? but its ok it had 'sixaxes' control. why would Sony want to change something that has stayed the same (and worked) for 3 home consoles?

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ok more rumors and a video. the video does not show much but a date Feb. 20


what does Feb 20 mean? no idea but you can bet that the 'internet' thinks is the announcement of the PS4. Only time will tell. also the rumor of the touch screen controller has popped up again. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

people of FTW I give you a prototype of the PS4 controller
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while it looks like previous playstation controllers one big thing to note is the 'screen' in the middle. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Well, since we're only a few hours away from a PS4 reveal, I figure I'd post some rumors that got started at Kotaku from an inside source they have. Here's what we know:

-The above controller is indeed legitimate and it's what's going to be used for the console

-The PS4 will interact with smart phones to access and download games remotely (was this the reason Sony recently bought out the cloud gaming service Gaikai?); if you select it on your iPhone or Android, you can immediately start downloading whatever it is your console - this seems similar to the system coming to the Wii U - it'll also somewhat resemble Microsoft's current SmartGlass service

-Each console will ship, right out of the box, with a PlayStation Eye where you can watch your friends gaming even if you're not playing the same game

-PlayStation Plus will be dropped in favor of a service called PlayStation World, which is intended to directly compete with Xbox Live (most services will require a subscription); unless Microsoft announces a change in policy, this means that Nintendo will be the only major console manufacturer that offers a free online service

-Two models will be offered, priced at $429 and $529 respectively, but no details right now as to why they're different

-The rumored launch date is November 2013

-Technically unrelated from the above (different source), but 6 developers confirm that PS4 games run natively at 60 FPS at 1080p, which is about as good as Crysis 2 did on the PC

I personally don't care for the screen in the center of the controller, as I think it looks out of place and frankly makes the dual-shock look rather ugly.

As for the specs of the system, they are rather impressive. it's hard to believe that a console will actually out-pace a PC (with regards to visuals, at least). I will say I'm still concerned about the possibility of the system requiring a constant internet connection. I know they've denied it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Forsaken Lament 44 wrote:

I will say I'm still concerned about the possibility of the system requiring a constant internet connection. I know they've denied it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

I dont see why any game company in their right mind would want to do this. There had already be several fall outs from this before (see Assassin's Creed 2 for PC or even the current Sim City) I know they will argue that this will 'cut down' on pirated games but it only takes one smart troll to find a hole and its all over (do we need another system hacker PS3?) also look at the controversy that is happening right now with microsoft.