Topic: PlayStation4 - News/Rumor/Speculation - Over 1 Million Sold on Day 1

[Chozo Ghost]

I also want to say that if that dude in the figure was wearing glasses he would look just like Hank from King of the Hill.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Mark Rein: Unreal Engine 4 for "systems we can’t name yet."
notice that that is plural. Pay attention to those PS4 & Xbox720 rumors. we just might see 1 or both at E3 this year.

The DICE summit is currently taking place as awards are being handed out and moments ago Mark Rein took the stage. While talking about Unreal Engine 4 he said that the graphics engine was running on “systems I can’t talk about by name.” This would obviously point to the next generation of consoles being pretty far into development. Let the rumors continue to come out of the woodworks!

UPDATE: The quote was technically “Including systems we can’t name yet.”

You guys won't believe me, but there are whispers that PS4 could be coming much sooner than you think. Sony isn't too good at keeping a secret, so don't be surprised if PS4 isn't actually slated for a 2014 release and gets announced officially sometime this year.

[Adrock]

Would Sony really officially announce a new console 2 years before launch? I feel like they're more likely to deny it until they're ready to have Kaz Hirai give a really boring presentation.

[Ceric]

Would Sony really officially announce a new console 2 years before launch? I feel like they're more likely to deny it until they're ready to have Kaz Hirai give a really boring presentation.

As CEO now his Boring Presentation Development time has been shortened with his new resources.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Sony Ditching Hardware BC once again by Ditching Cell?
http://kotaku.com/5889410/playstation-4-ditching-the-cell-processor-sources-say-which-leads-to-some-wild-theories


It's rumored that they are going with an AMD Fusion style chip.

[Chozo Ghost]

If the PS4 doesn't have PS3 backwards compatibility then there is no reason for Ian to buy that over the WiiU.

[Spak-Spang]

So then Sony will have to up the power of the PS4 to emulate PS3 games?  Yeah...that won't force Sony to put too much power in the system and under charge for it losing hundreds of dollars per unit and still selling it higher than anyone wants to pay for a console.

I am hoping Microsoft releases an amazing 3rd generation Xbox that keeps Sony from succeeding well this next generation...or at least come up with a different game plan than they always do.

[Chozo Ghost]

So then Sony will have to up the power of the PS4 to emulate PS3 games?

In order for software emulation to work, doesn't the hardware have to be like 10 times more powerful than whatever it is its trying to emulate? I guess its possible the PS4 could be 10 times more powerful than the PS3, but I kinda doubt that will happen, unless Sony is okay with launching another $600 console which isn't going to sell very well.

So if hardware BC is out and software BC is out my guess is there won't be any PS3 backwards compatibility. What they will probably do instead is port many of the PS3 games over to their download store thing and try to get people to rebuy them. Why let people play their old games for free when you can get them to rebuy them and make more money?

[Ian Sane]

If the PS4 doesn't have PS3 backwards compatibility then there is no reason for Ian to buy that over the WiiU.

Why would that matter since I already own a PS3?  I can just keep the old system, which I would do anyway.

I like backwards compatibility, mostly because optical disc systems are a little more fragile due to moving parts and lenses and such.  I expect old cartridge systems to just work (except the stupid NES of course) because there isn't much wear and tear but disc systems are a crapshoot.  Thus being able to play the old games on new hardware is a nice feature.

But the Xbox 360 doesn't have true backwards compatibility, Sony quickly took it out of the PS3 and Nintendo bascially acted like the Wii was never backwards compatible in the first place.  It didn't matter.  It just isn't a deal breaker so if these companies can save costs by not having it, they're going to do it.  And Chozo has the obvious point of them wanting you to rebuy old games.  I expect someday for a company to try to remotely brick their older system through an update and use the "you just bought a licence to use it" excuse.

[Adrock]

How did Nintendo act like the Wii wasn't backwards compatible when they included GameCube controller ports and memory card slots on the Wii?

[Ian Sane]

Nintendo just never promoted it in any real way and it wasn't like Gamecube controllers, games and memory cards were available in stores.  It was like you had to be hip to it to know the function was there.  I imagine most blue ocean Wii owners don't know what a Gamecube is and have never used the backwards compatibility.  It just wasn't promoted as any sort of selling point.

[Chozo Ghost]

I don't think GC BC was much of a selling point for the Wii anyway. The GC was a flop and only sold about 1/5th of what the Wii has to date, so the overwhelming majority of people who own the Wii never owned a GC and may never even have heard of it. It might seem weird, but I know there are people out there who have owned a Wii for years and they don't even know the GC ports are there because they are so carefully hidden away. If you showed them those ports they would probably just end up confused and then you'd have to explain it to them.

That would be my guess why Nintendo never made that one of the Wii's selling points. It would have just confused the casual non-gamer crowd Nintendo was targeting, and at the same time odds were that anyone who cared about GC compatibility probably knew it was there because they were the more savvy game oriented consumers who took the time to research stuff like that.

Another reason may be because of the criticism of how the Wii is just a beefed up GC. There is some truth in that, and no matter how you slice it its not something Nintendo would be proud of or want to have harped on. So keeping the GC ports hidden away and then later removed altogether helped them to downplay that.

[Adrock]

It was like you had to be hip to it to know the function was there.

Or not blind. The flap falls down when the console is mildly jostled.

I imagine most blue ocean Wii owners don't know what a Gamecube is and have never used the backwards compatibility.  It just wasn't promoted as any sort of selling point.

I imagine that most blue ocean Wii owners never used backwards compatibility because... they're blue ocean Wii owners. If they weren't, they would be gamers who have heard of Gamecube and potentially already owned one. I don't really understand your point. The reason these people bought a Wii was because it wasn't a Gamecube or a PS2 or an Xbox. That's what was appealing to them. The Wii reached out to them more than any other console before it. Backwards compatibility was never for them because they don't want a Gamecube because they didn't want a Gamecube when it was new. Backwards compatibility was for people like you or me who are gamers, who may or may not have owned a Gamecube. I can waltz into a Gamestop today and pick up a Gamecube controller and memory card. Up until a few years ago, I could even find them new.

[Kytim89]

The main reason that I have been hesitant about buying a PS3 besides the price is the fact that I can not play my PS2 games on the PS3. Granted that I could always keep my old system, but I believe in uniformity, so once a new system is released I always add my previous console's games to the succeeding system's library to save my self the hassle of clutter and being dependant on too many systems at once.
 
In fact, I bought a Gamecube right before I bought my Wii because I want to have to access to all the Gamecube titles that I missed. When I realized the Wii could play Gamecube games I sold the Gamecube and used BC to play the games instead. The only thing that pissed me off about the Wii was that it was not compatible with the Game Boy Player. Overall, I prefer backwards compatibility and that is the way it is going to stay for me for the forseeable future.

[TJ Spyke]

so once a new system is released I always add my previous console's games to the succeeding system's library to save my self the hassle of clutter and being dependant on too many systems at once.

The Wii was Nintendo's first console to have BC, so why did it suddenly become so important to you then?

Chozo, how do you consider GameCube to be a flop? It was profitable, and it sold quite well (not Wii numbers, but still OK). Do you consider Xbox to be a flop too? It and GameCube basically sold the same amount.

[Kytim89]

so once a new system is released I always add my previous console's games to the succeeding system's library to save my self the hassle of clutter and being dependant on too many systems at once.

The Wii was Nintendo's first console to have BC, so why did it suddenly become so important to you then?

Chozo, how do you consider GameCube to be a flop? It was profitable, and it sold quite well (not Wii numbers, but still OK). Do you consider Xbox to be a flop too? It and GameCube basically sold the same amount.

The reason Bc is important to me is that I once owned a PS1 with a large assortment of games and then I bought a PS2, so all my PS1 games carried over and I sold my older console. The Wii was the first Nnitendo console that I officially owned for myself. I played a NES, SNES, N64 and Gamecube before, but never had one for my personal use. The Wii presented a perfect opprotunity. Not only did it play Gamecube games, but it also played certian retro games via the Virtual Console.

[BranDonk Kong]

GameCube was a flop, there's no arguing that. It sold well at first, then fizzled and died. The XBox sold ~24 million vs the GameCube's ~22 million (about 33% less tan the N64), but basically 14 people in Japan bought the Xbox, so all of those sales came from NA, Europe and Australia, essentially, and it was Microsoft's first console. It sold quite well as a "thing," sure, but compared to the PS2 (which outsold it by nearly 7:1), and the newcomer, it was a complete flop. It did sell a **** ton of games though (208 million).

[Spak-Spang]

Well, the Wii was the first console of Nintendo's that could have backward's compatibility.  BC became important, because it was a major selling point for the PS2.  And since then it adds value and instant library of games to your console...and believe it not, most people don't like having 3-4 devices hooked up to their TV.  Specially, if they own more than one modern console. 

Anyway, I find it important specially since the Wii became mega-backwards compatible with the Virtual Console...it became a system that could play select games from all systems...and that was/is pure win.

[Chozo Ghost]

Chozo, how do you consider GameCube to be a flop?

All I mean is that it wasn't a mainstream system or a household name that everyone knew about. That's why I said there wasn't much point in Nintendo using that as a selling point with the Wii, because if you try to tell people its backwards compatible with the GC then you have to take some extra time and explain to them exactly what the Gamecube is, and since the "blue ocean" crowd never heard of the GC they are going to automatically perceive it as a flop because if it had been successful they would have heard of it and recognized the name. That's not something Nintendo would want people to associate with the Wii, so it was best for them not to underscore that.

Instead, Nintendo emphasized the motion controls and casual aspect of the console and this strategy was extremely successful for them.

[Ian Sane]

I've noticed most people play games in like a three year window.  For them videogames are largely disposable entertainment and if it is more than a few years old they're probably not playing it.  The average person would consider a game from ten years ago to be ridiculously old.  So BC is really only useful for more dedicated gamers anyway.  The person who uses his PS3 to play PS1 games is also the sort of person that if the PS2 didn't have backwards compatibility, would have kept his original Playstation around anyway.  If you didn't trade in the old games years ago, you probably would keep the old system around as well.  Everyone else trades everything in to get funds for the new stuff.

If you don't offer it, that kind of sucks but the people who will actually notice, even while grumbling, will pick up your new system anyway if you release enough games on it that they want.  I would like it (hell I would like Nintendo to re-release the NES) but it wouldn't convince me not to buy the system and all these companies know it.

[Caliban]

Orbis. From what I've read on Kotaku, and if it turns out to be true I'm even more inclined to not get a PS4... sorry, Orbis because there won't be any PS3 BC. **** that noise.

[TJ Spyke]

I thought it was a joke pic on IGN. Apparently they would also make it so there are restrictions on used-games and the Blu-ray Discs would be tied to individual PSN accounts.

If those 3 things are true, Sony would be trying to lose next gen too.

[GoldenPhoenix]

So if Sony and MS screw up the used game market by restricting it, then the Wii U may be the best selling out of the bunch by default. I really hope these rumors are false though, whether it be PS4 or the new Xbox, other they are shooting themselves in the foot.

[Spak-Spang]

I've noticed most people play games in like a three year window.  For them videogames are largely disposable entertainment and if it is more than a few years old they're probably not playing it.  The average person would consider a game from ten years ago to be ridiculously old.  So BC is really only useful for more dedicated gamers anyway.  The person who uses his PS3 to play PS1 games is also the sort of person that if the PS2 didn't have backwards compatibility, would have kept his original Playstation around anyway.  If you didn't trade in the old games years ago, you probably would keep the old system around as well.  Everyone else trades everything in to get funds for the new stuff.

If you don't offer it, that kind of sucks but the people who will actually notice, even while grumbling, will pick up your new system anyway if you release enough games on it that they want.  I would like it (hell I would like Nintendo to re-release the NES) but it wouldn't convince me not to buy the system and all these companies know it.

This is true.  Though, I would say 3 years is probably too long.  I would say it is closer to 2 years for a great game your friends all love to play...and 1 year for single player games and such.  Now Legacy games do not count, because there is a market right now for playing classic legacy games...and I find people play those games for different reasons.  Even modern games that try to create that Retro feel can't.

[Adrock]

I hope Sony and Microsoft falter to some degree because that increases my chances of being a cheap-o for the majority of the next console generation. I will always buy a Nintendo console because they're my favorite developer so if Sony and Microsoft have to take a fall so Nintendo can be ensured better support, of course I'd want that. I want them around because competition is good but I just want Nintendo to be more successful so I can save money. /consumerism