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Predicting The Future Of The PlayStation 4

Feature

by Matthew Kato on March 22, 2013 at 01:25 PM

37,076 Views

Sony's reveal of the PlayStation 4 excited the industry with its visions of next-gen games, the ability to play legacy PlayStation titles, the power of cloud gaming, and more. But will we see all of these features as stated, or are they just empty promises?

Here are a list of some of the PlayStation 4's features as we currently know them, and given the info at hand, I assess how likely it is we'll see them come to fruition as planned.

Old PlayStation Games Offered

Chance of Happening: Low (at least in the way that we'd like)

Sony and its cloud company Gaikai say that they want to offer PS1, PS2, and PS3 games for the PS4 via download. This sounds great, but even when it was announced, Gaikai co-founder David Perry said it as an end goal, and that the PS4's cloud strategy would come in stages.

While we don't doubt that there will be past PlayStation downloadable games available for the PS4, there's no simple switch that will make it happen. I also don't believe the selection will satisfy those who wished the system had disc-based backwards compatibility.

Different Hard Drive Sizes/Multiple Iterations

Chance of Happening: High

It may be annoying to gamers when hardware manufacturers offer different variations of their hardware, but companies seem to like it because it lets them advertise cheaper price points and presumably sell to different consumers. Given Sony's past history with different system configurations – including its love of bundles in general – we don't see this trend changing for the launch of the PS4.

The PS4 Hits Its Holiday Release

Chance of Happening: High

Sony seems to be on track with the PS4 even though it has not shown it to the public apart from the controller and camera. Developers have kits and Sony is loathe to lag behind the release of Microsoft's next console. Thus, I'm confident Sony will do all it can to make sure the PS4 comes out this year.

The PS4 Knows What You Like

Chance of Happening: High. Chance of It Being Correct? Low

One of the bizarre moments of the recent debut of the PlayStation 4 was when Sony thought that the PS4 surfacing ads and content that the system predicted you'll like was cool. When has a website or algorithm really gotten what you like correct? Think of all the bizarre pop-up ads or retail website suggestions you've gotten because you once searched for a cat sweatshirt as a joke. I expect the PS4 to get things similarly wrong.

Read on for more predictions.

Email the author Matthew Kato, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.

Filed under: Feature, Sony, sony computer Entertainment, ps4, playstation 4

Comments

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by Robertman2 Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:02 PM

Nice article.
by AshaMan3000 Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:10 PM

I imagine it'll sell better than the PS3 in North America with similar sales overseas... Conversly I think that the new XBOX will increase overseas sales while slipping a bit stateside. Time will tell...
by EctoSpartan Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:16 PM

I wonder if there is cross-game party chat.
by AppleTechies Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:17 PM

I am not sure if I should skip the ps3 for the ps4, or if I should just get the ps3 when it's cheaper.
by highmrk Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:25 PM

Very good predictions, I think the same way. Since Gakei was announced to come out in stages and isn't a complete promise, you can bet it's gonna be lagging behind launch. The only difference is that I would put the ps4 price point of $400 at high. They def don't want to make the same mistake with the ps3, the pc specs are cheaper, even though each console comes with a headset and nice dualshock 4.
by BLT Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:35 PM

Bring on the games Sony. Just bring on the games.
by vandridine Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:38 PM

from the rumors it seems that sony is more interested in the gaming aspect and Microsoft is only in it for the money and making the next xbox more of a universal device that puts gaming off to the side. If Sony can do what they promise i'm sure Sony will beat Microsoft just like they did during the past 2 generations.
by C24LoneWolf Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:45 PM

I just want them to pull their heads out of their REARS! Seriously, if you're going to make games that need to install about 5-10GB of data onto the hard-drive, then make a system with an insane ammount of hard-drive space. 500GB is a good start (though its really along the 420GB line) Along with a 1TB option. I know you can replace the HDD on the current PS3's but alot of people including my-self dont like the idea of going through the hassle, the long hours, and the risk of losing data in the process. In this day and age we live in, i know 500gb and 1TB are a very acceptable, and almost expected HDD requirements. I hate having to delete old game data every-time i want to play a new game like far-cry 3 or having to skip on download-only games because i have no space left =(....
by Valedrel Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:45 PM

I never understood the fascination with disc based backwards compatibility. That means they have to shove pieces of the PS3 into the PS4 effectively increasing the price of the ps4 by quite a bit. A backwards compatible ps3 was 600 bucks, when you could have bought a $300 ps3 and like $50 for a ps2.
by Boyzby Friday, March 22, 2013 at 02:46 PM

I'm sure the price will have a $400 and $500 model. I'll eat my hat if that doesn't happen. (I don't have any hats, aside from ones in TF2)
by For-402 Friday, March 22, 2013 at 03:19 PM

I still want to be able to add enhanced R2 and L2 triggers like I did with my PS3 controller. Even if they still cost five bucks!
by edogawa316 Friday, March 22, 2013 at 03:25 PM

Excellent article, I think that the PS4 could easily outsell the next gen Xbox from the start if they stick to what has worked well while making subtle improvements: Keep PSN access free to everyone but offer an improved PS+, keep up the quality of their exclusives and expand their catalog of exclusive IPs further, and continue to be an indie game friendly platform that people want to work with.
by Doctor Whovian Friday, March 22, 2013 at 03:28 PM

I agree with this. Although, I'd bet that there's absolutely no chance that it will sell for less than $499.
by sealsaa Friday, March 22, 2013 at 03:34 PM

Personally, i'd like to see Vita/PS4 compatibility kept to a minimum. Crossbuy/save/play are great features, but they diminish the Vita's individuality by reducing it to a peripheral/port machine. I also hope that PS Network/Plus remains the same, save for a few added features for being a plus subscriber.
by Tim Gruver Friday, March 22, 2013 at 04:34 PM

Yep, that there says it all.
by roadrashdeath Friday, March 22, 2013 at 05:04 PM

I've been meaning to start my own let's play, and this new gameplay upload thing will definitely help.
by The Great Gonzo Friday, March 22, 2013 at 05:12 PM

GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!
by Janice_Milburn Friday, March 22, 2013 at 05:12 PM

my buddy's sister makes $81/hour on the laptop. She has been without work for 5 months but last month her paycheck was $16253 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more.... www.miniurl.com/.../work-at-home
by Blade of the Fallen Friday, March 22, 2013 at 05:34 PM

I just wanna know when it's out
by SirRains Friday, March 22, 2013 at 05:45 PM

my question is how big will true next gen games be? I'm guessing a terrabyte is reasonable for its 6-10 year life span but that will probably be it's ps4 super slim 2020 edition. After all if they want to eventually phase out disc based games (which will forcefully cut out used games) then they need to provide a lot of space.