Who thinks there will be no PS4?

[Alby_da_Wolf]

Willem said:
There will be a PS4 because it will be released in another time.
What I mean with that is all console-producers will face new challenges in the coming years.

MS has their shareholders who are expecting big profit-margins.
If MS cannot meet those expectations those share-holders will start to complain and invest their money elsewhere. And given the recent numbers ( Q2-2009 ) their revenue did not grow much ( just 3% higher then Q1, while Q2 is in the holidays ) and their profits in the division declined.
In other words: they sold a lot consoles to create a large userbase, millions of Gold-subscribers, high-priced accessories, big hits like Halo & Gears of War but it doesn't make enough profit.
Other problems they face is piracy, I know enough people who bought the console because it's easy to mod.
And what hardware will MS use in their new console, and will it be powerfull and cheap enough to face the competition ? And will the architecture change so much that developers have to learn the machine again ?

Will people who bought the Wii replace it with a later version ?
They don't care much about HD-graphics or 5.1 Surround Sound. So can Nintendo release a new console successfully when it only has improved graphics / sound ? I guess they will hang on to the Wii as long as possible.

Sony could play it a lot smarter next gen, they learned their lessons about price, online gaming and console features.
They don't make profits yet, but they heavily invested in Blu-Ray and I guess that will turn into some profits when the recession starts to fade.
The same with the Cell: I took a major investment, but it proved it's powers, flexible architecture and scalability.
They could easily put two General Usage Cells and a Cell-enhanced nVidia-chip in the next console to create a cheap and powerfull console.
And those developers who understand 1 Cell wouldn't have much trouble deploying and optimizing software for 2 Cells.

So yes, I'm pretty sure there will be a next PS, and another Ninty, but I'm not sure about the XBox. If the profits don't increase enough this year they might pull the plug and concentrate on their core-business: Windows, Office and Server-software, simply because their profit-margins are a lot bigger there.

 

arsenicazure said:
PS4 is going to be PS3 TURBO.. like the wii.. and will have a "waggle".. like the wii

hmm..maybe wii is a "true next gen" console after all

I have to agree with both, except that instead of two Cells, a Cell with more cores should cost roughly the same or even less and offer faster comms amongst all cores and allow smaller and cheaper mobos.

Big RAM, at least two, better four, general purpose PPE's and a smaller HDD standard even on entry level models, to let them fully use online services, are of the essence. Reasonable launch price, that is at least an entry level model at $399 or less, even more indispensable. And no Tefal Grill-like design, please!