Well guys, it is no surprise that Sony loves to put out the best hardware they can afford, they like to push the best tech (even on handhelds). And I as a hardcore gamer absolutely LOVE them for this, but will this be healthy for Sony's PlayStation 4?

The PS1 had an edge over Sega Saturn in 3D graphics and ease of developtment, as well as CDs over cartridges over N64. It was an advanced console for the time, but despite having less RAM than the Saturn, and maybe less 3D graphic prowess than the N64, it was the best balanced and won the gen.

The PS2 was not the most powerful, because it was launched first (second only to Dreamcast), but by the time it launched yes it was powerful enough, had Emotion Engine and DVD to hype it up. It also had good balance and won the gen.

The PS3 also pushed tech in every way with custom Cell chip, BluRay, but being complex to develop for. While not as successful in terms of sales as other PS systems, it has pushed its generation's graphics to new levels and the exclusive games and services have made the PS3 console a must have, even if later in the gen. It lost some ground due to Wii's catching on fire and Xbox 360 being more balanced (price, power, released earlier and easier to develop for).

Now, enter the PS4. Let's take a look at its competitors: the Wii U which is remarkably inferior technically (on par with PS360) but will have some things working on its favor: released earlier, will be cheapest console, has the strong Nintendo first parties and might get some ports (specially if Durango is between PS4 and Wii U). The Xbox 720/Durango, according to rumors, is only slightly inferior to PS4 specs due to some compromises made for the mandatory built in Kinect tech, which would make the games look on par with PS4 counterparts due to diminishing returns that the majority of players would not notice. So the new Xbox would have the chance of being a huge hit with Kinect (like Wii), might be priced under the PS4 and theoretically be the "most balanced" out of Wii U and PS4. Also, if Xbox 720 is inferior to PS4, it might become the baseline to develop games for, which gives the Wii U a better chance on next gen ports.

So, what do you think? Might Sony be in trouble due to the PlayStation 4 being too powerful? Was 8GB GDDRAM really necessary? Do you think Microsoft will try and top Sony's specs, which would in turn make the PS4 the middle ground, balanced console?

I think the basic architecture and apparently similar architecture with Durango will help them here. Devs will easily be able to upgrade the games to port them PS4 and take advantage of its power if it is more powerful. FPS, resolution, and/or draw distance and loading times could be better on the PS4 version without too much work. Also even they're more expensive there probably won't be as big a gap as last time and the launch gap will definitely be shorter so I don't see how their launch could go anywhere but up compared to PS3.

I like your little stealth trolling at the WiiU in there.

What I think is, unless they have the $$ to magically make PS4 $399 or less, it will be too expensive.

Stop complaining, celebrate progress.

First of all, I can't wait until the "most powerful" console becomes the best selling, so we can get that myth out of the way.

Second, the only thing really special about the PS4 is the RAM. Did they go overboard on that? More than needed? I don't know, you'd have to ask developers about that. Perhaps they were being told that it would eventually fall behind Microsoft's box is they didn't.

I'm scarred.


I honestly don't think the most powerful system sells the worst is really a sound argument. There were plenty of other reasons why the PS3 had a hard time selling against their competition, not because of its power but because of the architecture and expensive components.

The PS4 will be cheaper than the PS3. The parts that make it up are not expensive new tech so a high level of power can be obtained without breaking the bank. In that regard I think power will actually help its sales.

There are three things which the averige consumer asks about a dedicated console:

1.  Is it (really) fun?
2.  Does it cost 300 Euro/Dollar?
3.  Does it have a lot of games/content?

The problem for Sony is off course 2. If they truly have the most expensive console, then 2 could cost them a lot of sales.

Wasn't the SNES more powerful than the Genesis, or am I wrong? I think the SNES was better in some ways, at least.

No, besides the prices of these parts will drop like a rock. If they sell a 400 dollar machine for 400 taking a small loss ( camera controller and packaging ) they will be turning a profit after a few games and an subscription to Gaikai. Year 2 the box it self should make a small profit.