Comments on: IBM Dropping the “Cell”? What Will Happen to the PS4?

By: mcloki

mcloki — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:18:28 +0000

Andy.
5. People will not pay any price.
6. BC is a straw dog. Why give something away for free when you can update it an make more money. The God of War 1 and 2 bundle are case in point.

Your comment for 5 and 6 contradict each other. My Original PS3 has backwards compatibility but cost me $600. The machine was good enough but people didn’t buy it at that price. People are very price sensitive these days. That is going to stay for at least another 3 years. America isn’t getting out of the economic doldrums overnight.

I don’t suggest Sony port Chrome. I suggest Sony and Google partner up. Google has good software developers, sony does not, Good has poor hardware guys, Sony has excellent ones. They should combine forces. Both of our proposals would have the effect of opening up the developer API. Google just has more marketing and money behind it rather than Sony going it alone.

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:04:47 +0000

@23

I agree with some of your comments, but not all.

1. Open the store for all developers to use. Include a Homebrew section for hobyist developers, make it a bit like the Apple App Store in terms of who gets in, and which apps are chosen.
2. Create an API for web developers to query game stats and player profiles for community integration.
3. I like BluRay, but by the time PS4 comes around I’d expect online distribution of movies to be available. Think AppleTV + iTunes store.
4. Give me a big HDD or no HDD (but make it mandatory that a HDD is installed).
5. If the machine is good enough people will pay any price you ask, but it needs to be good enough – anything under $500 would be fine.
6. Backwards Compatible would make people switch earlier, I was annoyed when my PS3 didn’t have that feature. If you’re not going to include BluRay, give me an option to media swap my disks to digital versions…for free. (it’d be nice if I could do this with my PS3 as PS1/2 games I already own are now for sale on the Store, why should I pay for something I already own?).

Andy.

PS: Forget porting Chrome and Google OS, just open up the developer API and let the world write software for you…and split the revenue 60/40.

By: mcloki

mcloki — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:28:34 +0000

Sony needs to make sure of three things in the next round.

1. Make it uber easy to develop for.
2. Own the online distribution portion. Online only distribution f games makes financial sense for the developers.
3. Give the developers of small games an option to sell their games on the next Sony console.
4. Partner with Google and port Android to the PSP and the PS4. Port Chrome to the PS3. Google and Sony are in a fight with MS. Sony needs software help, Google needs hardware help. Sony Erricson can make Android phones and sell Android games. The collaboration will hurt MS. You’re not going to see Android games being sold on the XBox. And Sony and Google need to create an online store that can compete with Apple.
5. It has to be cheap. Really cheap. The price point they should shoot for is $199 launch. Another expensive console launch will kill them. Hopefully they don’t go subscription but I could see them working a deal with the cable companies to make the PS4 a set top box. Like your cable converter.
6. Hire bungie away from MS, now that they ar independant and have them create a unified online party system. Make it avaialble to every developer on the PS4 for free. It’s the ps3 big weakness.
7. Either make Home the default area and have every developer create for it or drop it. Right now it’s turning into a ghetto.

By: Eddie

Eddie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:46:30 +0000

Well if these rumors have any inkling of truth…Sony’s next gen hardware is making its appearance first.

First we had the news of Imagination Technologies PowerVR Series 6 GPU that is supposed to be used on the PS4. Now the news of the actual Cell being dropped, and something being made in its stead.

If these are true…then it could be an indication that Sony wants out on the market first this round.

By: matt

matt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:17:47 +0000

Agree that 2012 is looking like a console launch year. Who, remains to be seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if 2011 had a new console. That would be 6 years since the 360 Launch.

I don’t think this will effect the PS4 at all. PS4 Development started before the PS3 launch. Sony must have the CPU decided by now and would have already locked up a deal with IBM on the PS4 Cell. If they are no longer using the Cell, the next best thing must be getting used. They may have a variation of the Cell that they are changing the name of. Sony may just use the current Cell chip in a multiple array to boost performance.

Who the hell knows!

By: Royalty32

Royalty32 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:02:22 +0000

I see, so what u are saying is like with the ps2 GoW was pretty much all the ps2 could do but when GoW 2 came out it look alot better than GoW even though the ps2 was already at its max. I understand now. So is santa monica maxing out the ps3 with GoW3

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:57:14 +0000

“…they pretty much maxed out the ps3. So does that mean that there wont be a game looking as good as U2?”

If the hardware is truly maxed out, then I think the next step for a developer would be to optimize the existing code. Look for ways to trim out code and create a more efficient program. Sometimes they also discover ways to cheat or trick a common visual effect, which can free up the processor for more demanding work. GOW2 for the PS2 was a good example of how the graphic standard for a game can still be improved even when the hardware limit has theoretically been reached.

By: Royalty32

Royalty32 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:45:25 +0000

@ Matt, so reading the U2 article u provided they pretty much maxed out the ps3. So does that mean that there wont b a games looking as good as U2. Will GoW 3 come close.