14 DAY TRIAL // Australian lifestyle site and tech magazine Smarthouse has a piece on a PlayStation4 rumor. The report is based on the information brought by a Sony employee. If we are to believe such news, the PS4 is expected to hit the market as soon as 18 months from now. That's next year.
Some may not even think twice about this rumor and dismiss it immediately and some may very well be influenced by Ken Kutaragi's statement (on his stepping off from his position with SCEI) and believe it: "As a matter of course, I have the vision of PlayStation 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network," said Kutaragi, former Chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
The article up on Smarthouse says "The device will include the same chipset as the current PS3 but where it will differ from the current model is in the drive bay and in the attachment area. It will also include an extensive software suite for the managing of content being streamed to a TV or Hi-Fi source. In addition, Sony is working on improving the output experience so that the device can become a true home entertainment centre eliminating the need for a media centre."
OK, I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble here, but it surely sounds more like an improved PS3, rather than a PS4. At the rate Sony's PS3 is doing at the moment, even with Blu-ray manufacturing costs down, they still have at least 2 years to cover everything. Profit is not an issue here. Now, there's another aspect to look at here and that's the PS3's capabilities. You don't honestly think that Microsoft is going to sit and watch as the PS3 starts to sell, do you?
The thing is, by the time Sony covers costs, Microsoft will roll out another console, beating the crap out of the PS3. A PS4 might sound like the logical choice for Sony, but not after they're done with the PS3.
However, if they do decide to start work on it sometime soon (if they haven't already), let's hope they don't implement a Green-ray alien technology so it still sits on shelves with a thousand dollars price tag.