PS4 Blowout: GPGPU, DirectX 11; Sony London to “Set the Bar for the Industry”, Global Illumination, Instant Radiosity, More

[platformmaster918]

superchunk said:

thismeintiel said:

Sony has never released a console that was only marginally more powerful compared to the previous gen, and they are not going to start now.  The only people who think the PS4 is going to be a slight upgrade from the PS3 are Nintendo fans who are praying the gap in graphics won't be a large as it was this gen.  But considering Wii U is currently trying to compete (and in some cases losing) against current gen consoles, it seems the graphical gap will be similar.

That is really a stupid argument to have in an attempt to say Sony will have a super console.

• PS3 was a dramatic jump from PS2 going from weakest console to arguably the most powerful.
• PS3 was the worst financial home console Sony has ever made.
• PS3 took Sony from two consecutive generations of dominating the home market by over 70% to being in third place with about 25%.
• PS3 is not an approach Sony will want to repeat.

So while its true that Sony has never "marginally" improved the power from one gen to the next, until the PS3 they had also never came close to complete and utter failure and bankruptcy as a company.

Look at their current state... they are financially weak, have a failing portable console, and a marginally successful home console. (along with a lot of other products that are in a wide range of financial circumstances... most not good)

On top of that, they are a Japanese company based on the Yen that is trading horribly to all other currencies right now. Simply put, Sony cannot afford to take massive PS3 level losses on a console again. Therefore, like the Vita that launched with a very small loss, the PS4 will launch with a very small loss. It only makes obvious sense.

They also won't want to put out another $600 console as that proved to be an unwise decision and clearly limited PS3's initial sales. So anyone should expect the PS4 to be around a more normalized price point of ~$400 max.

With those two obvious points in mind, you simply are not going to get a console that is anything more than marginally more powerful than the PS3. Its just not going to happen.

Like the WiiU, it will be more about the newer technologies (stuff in DX11 or similar) and general architecture/services provided than it will be about raw numbers in power.

WiiU is sold at VERY small loss and has a tablet controller for $300 and $350 and basically is on par with current gen otherwise (other than ram which is dirt cheap).  PS4 should be able to have a faster processor, better graphics card (DX11 capable of high resolutions), and at least twice as much ram and still fall safely in the $400 range potentially being profitable or a small loss.  I'm thinking $400 and $450 with an attachment (dongle I believe was rumored) for PS3 BC as an optional peripheral to be purchased separately.  That would still be $150 less for the best model than PS3 was at launch and it will have a lot easier architecture and not have to push a new format this time.  They just need to keep the controller simpler and be the true gamer's console of choice.