This is the second piece I've read on the PS4 (being called "Orbis" right now) in the past few weeks, so I thought it might be worth getting a thread going...
Right now the rumors are:
-Is called, or at least carries the working codename, "Orbis".
-Is scheduled for a Holiday 2013 release.
-Won't be backwards compatible with PS3 games.
-Will lock new games to a PSN account as an anti-used games measure.
-New games can be bought either on Blu-Ray or downloaded.
-Current specs are an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU
I am guessing that folks here are going to be bummed by the rumored lack of backwards compatibility and measures against used game sales, but to be honest neither of those bother me very much since I hold onto old consoles and since new games so often drop in price by 50-75% or more within a few months of release anyway (and used games are usually not significantly cheaper than new anymore) . I suppose it will bother me after those new games aren't available at retail, but I'll trust future modders to make it a non-issue around the time the PS5 comes out (if consoles haven't died by then )
What wouldn't surprise me with the next Playstation and XBox is if they possessed the capability to key a game to a PSN or Live account (respectively), but didn't require it. At least that way, there'd be a standard, probably more seamless way to handle it.
For better or worse, it's something that publishers are doing already, so it'd make sense to make provisions on the OS side.
Figure, Blu-Ray includes the possibility of region lock in the spec, but it's optional. The majority of Blu-Ray discs (~70% last I've read) are actually region free. As I understand, it's the same with the PSP and PS3, just with nobody (or nearly nobody) actually using the capability.
When I'm deciding on buying a new console, the first thing I check is to make sure that it will properly lock games to my account so I don't have to deal with those pesky used games.
Hmm the backwards compatibility is kind of a kick in the pants but I'm planning on just getting a slim that will hopefully last forever so I'm not that upset with that one. The system locking crap though, that's the one thing that bugs me. I pretty much buy all my games new and that just punishes me by not letting me just take a game to a friends house to play or have some one being a game over.
Just had an idea thinking about the whole used game thing that I would be fine with. Release a patch after a certain amount of time that would render the whole need for an unlock or whatever they use null and void. I mean after a certain amount of time it is impossible to find games new.
J T wrote:When I'm deciding on buying a new console, the first thing I check is to make sure that it will properly lock games to my account so I don't have to deal with those pesky used games.
J T wrote:When I'm deciding on buying a new console, the first thing I check is to make sure that it will properly lock games to my account so I don't have to deal with those pesky used games.
So that's why use steam then?
Ha. Good point. I don't like that about Steam either. They sell games dirt cheap though, so I don't really care.
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