Playstation 4 Release Date Headquarters (Continually Updated)
While the PlayStation 3 is just now hitting its stride, and has its best days still ahead of it, Sony is not one to rest on its laurels, and with the intense competition in the video game world at present, plans for the PlayStation 4's future release are already being put into motion. In fact not only is the PlayStation 4 getting this treatment, but even the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6 are in the early stages of planning and conceptualization at Sony's R&D labs.
Although we've yet to see what the PS3 can fully do when really put through its paces (in fact Sony states that games currently on the market are not even close to pushing the system to its full potential), the thought of an even more powerful console looming on the horizon has gamers worried about the holes it will leave burning in their pockets, but giddy at the possibilities of what this new behemoth of a console will be able to pull off. Just imagine the hardware on this thing, it will be insane! The Question Everyone Wants the Answer To...
As a result, the question on everyone's mind is, when will the PlayStation 4 see the light of day?!?!? While Sony has not released any official information concerning the system's future launch, the generally accepted release date is pegged as late 2012, which would follow the trend of Sony's previous console generations. The PlayStation 1 was first released in late 1994 in Japan and 1995 throughout the rest of the world. The PlayStation 2 hit stores in 2000, giving the PS1 a retail shelf life of 6 years from its Japanese launch. Likewise, the PlayStation 3 came out in 2006, 6 years after the release of the PS2. Following this trend that Sony has established would give us a late 2012 release for the PS4.
Other rumours have also circulated of late which backs up these claims. At last year's Game Developer's Conference in Germany, the CEO of Crytek announced that his company's development of their next-generation graphics engine, the CryEngine3, will release in 2012, around the same time as the PlayStation 4. Although he stated he had no concrete information that the PS4 would be released around this time, and that even if he did, he would not be at liberty to share that information, he expected this to be the release window of the new system.
The Business of Sales (Or How to Get a PS4 Sooner by Not Buying a PS3)
It's possible that how the PlayStation 3 fares in the current console war may also determine the release date of the PS4, for a couple of reasons. If the system continues to flounder in 3rd place in the console wars, failing to generate the revenue which was initially expected of it, Sony may be far more eager to cut their losses and rush the PS4 to market sooner rather than later, possibly as early as late 2011.
If the PS3 does indeed fail to make ground on the Wii and Xbox 360, it may also convince Sony to try and jump the gun on the next generation console wars and get their system out the door first. Both the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2, which dominated their generations of the console wars, came to market at the same time or earlier than their competition. The PlayStation 1 was launched just after the Sega Saturn, and well before the Nintendo 64, while the PlayStation 2 was released before both the Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.
This enabled Sony to get a head start on the competition and gave developers time to build their skills at developing games for the console, to the point that even as more powerful consoles came after, games released on the older system were just as good technically, providing no real incentive for players to move to the new consoles.
This same effect has worked against the PlayStation 3 to some extent, as though considered to be far more powerful than the Xbox 360, the one year head start the 360 received has allowed developers to more quickly maximize the system's potential, resulting in games that rivaled games on the PS3 when it released. Only as the system's life spans come to an end will we likely see the PlayStation 3 come out with games that clearly trump what the 360 can do graphically.
How Sony plans to play their hand is cause for much speculation. What we do know is that the PlayStation 4 is coming sooner than we may think, and it will take gaming to a whole new level.
Let us know what you think. Will we see the PlayStation 4 within the next 2-3 years, or is the release further off? Feel free to comment below. You can also join our forums to voice your opinion on everything PlayStation.
Update - July 2009 - In a recent interview, Doom and Quake creator John Carmack speculated that Sony will likely attempt to be first to the dance floor with their new console, before Microsoft launches their next console. As talked about above, there is plenty of rationale in this line of thinking. On the other hand, Sony has long maintained they have a long-term plan for the PS3, and with the lower production costs of the new slim model PS3, and the increased sales of the new version, the PS3 may just be coming into its own. Whether Sony will try to launch before Microsoft (by all accounts Nintendo will actually launch first, but they're not considered direct competition to the others like Sony and Microsoft are to each other) remains to be seen. Let us know what you think.
Update - June 2010 - In an interview with Gamespot at this year's E3, Activision COO Thomas Tippl shed some up-to-date, though still quite vague light, on the PS4's future release. When asked when he expected the next generation consoles to release, Tippl stated that it was unlikely they would see release within the next 2-3 years, as Activision still had no information on any new consoles. With development times for next gen games running 2-3 years on average, it makes sense that if the new consoles will come with third party games at launch (a near certainty), it will be at least 2 years from the time third parties first get the development toolkits in their hands to the point where the console releases. In the meantime all we can do is speculate and continue to wait.
Update - May 2011 - According to a recent article in Eurogamer, Sony has confirmed they're directing finances to an undisclosed research and development project for a "Future Platform". In the build up to E3, rumors about Project Cafe suggest Nintendo will announce the Wii-2 and developers have reported receiving prototype development tools for a new Microsoft product. Everyone is expecting an Xbox720 and Wii-2 announcement, we can hope that Sony has something as big to announce.
A quote from Sony's chief Financial Manager Kato stated "For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform - when we'll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that - but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there."
Update - E3 2011
Gamers eagerly awaiting a Playstation 4 announcement were disappointed when SCEE boss Andrew House released a statement in an interview with Eurogamer
"From a Sony perspective, we're very comfortable with PS3 and the way that market's developing,"
Although they made it clear they have no intention of a Playstation 4 related announcement anytime soon they did show off their new 3D capability as well as the NGP/PSP2 now officially named Playstation Vita. They've waited 7 years after the release of the PSP to announce their next generation handheld, we could be waiting a similar length of time for an official Playstation 4 announcement, stay tuned!
Update - July 2011
A recent article on Digitimes (A highly respectable technology information resource) has claimed that Sony has filed for new components from a Taiwanese component developer. That same developer reported that the new components could be used for a Kinect style motion sensor for the Playstation 4. The article suggested that Foxxconn and Pegatron Technology will be used to create the new parts for Sony, both companies were involved in the making of the Playstation 3.
The article also reported that they will begin production at the end of this year with the hopes of a 2012 launch, some have speculated as much as 20 million Playstation 4 consoles will be ready for time of launch.
Sony has yet to make an official comment, watch this space!!
Update - September 2011
In a recent interview with Sony's Director of Global Operations, EuroGamer discovered that Sony are quite willing to discuss the next-gen console, it's just that they don't feel there is a need to. In the interview, Shuhei Yoshida went on to explain why Sony are in no rush to pump out announcements about the next-gen Sony console.
It basically boils down to the game developers, while they're still able to improve their products using the Playstation 3, Sony see no need to develop and release the Playstation 4. Ubisoft and a few other companies have expressed their concerns that current hardware restrictions on the PS3, with the main problem being Ram, are reducing the quality of the games they could develop but industry experts have said a simple Ram upgrade could extend the shelf-life of both the Xbox360 and PS3 by several years but it's not something we expect to see.
This console generation has seen some real innovative titles hit home consoles, games such as L.A Noire, Grand Theft Auto IV and Mass Effect proved that current generation consoles still have what it takes to give us a great gaming experience but is it the best we could get? It's inevitable that Sony will release a next-gen console, the Wii-U is a year away, the Xbox 720 a year after that, Sony has been around a long time and is worth an estimated $60 billion, so it is safe to expect them to bring something to the table that can compete with Nintendo and Microsoft.
Sony doesn't remain one of the most respectable companies on the planet by drawing the short straw, they know what sells and they know how to design it. It's known that the Playstation 4 has been in development for some time now and it has been said that developers already have access to the SDK tools used to create new titles. Just because the juicy details about the PS4 haven't been leaked yet, don't assume they're not there. With all the information accumulated on here and other PS4 fan sites, it's confirmed that the Playstation 4 is coming, it's just a matter of when...
Update - October 2011
Developers of the Uncharted franchise, one of the most successful to launch on the Playstation 3, made an announcement today in which they state "The Playstation 3 could not sustain another installment of Uncharted". The announcement went into details about plans the developers had to improve the franchise but the current technological capabilities of the Playstation 3 would not be able to support such plans. This was a shocking announcement to the industry, with many of the experts arguing that the Playstation 3 has yet to be pushed to its true limits suddenly silenced by this information. What does this mean for me or you? The release date for the Playstation 4 is going to come sooner than most people are expecting.
Update - December 2011
During a recent press event in London, head of Sony Europe, Jim Ryan, said that Sony did not want to fall too far behind when releasing the next generation Playstation. During the press conference he made it clear that the release of the upcoming Wii, as well as the rumors of the next Xbox, have spurred Sony on to push the release of their next generation console. The Wii-U will be released later this year and the rumored Xbox 720 is expected to be announced later this year, with a release date of 2013. The Playstation 3 launched a year after the Xbox360 and didn't really suffer all that much, with the exception of the technical issues.
However, with the current state in the economy and the expected next generation prices to be even higher, can they afford to delay the release a year later than their competitors? The Wii-U isn't really going to compete with with either the Xbox 720 or Playstation 4 as it's clearly not designed for the more hardcore gamers but it still leaves you wondering if they can pull something out of the hat.
There has also been concern expressed over the developer tools. Rumors circulated several months ago that the developer tools for the Xbox720 games have already been deployed but there has been no hardcore evidence to suggest the same for the Playstation 4, the last thing Sony need is a bunch of rushed launch titles.
So what do you think? Can Sony afford to delay the launch of the Playstation 4 by a year or will the Xbox 720 capitalize on an extra year of sales?
Updates - January 2012
Sony's Kaz Hirai has stated "we are not making any announcements at E3. I've always said a 10-year life cycle for PS3, and there is no reason to go away from that." Keep in mind the PS2's life cycle after the PS3 came out leaving the possibility for anything to happen...
In a recent interview with Naughty Dog's co-president Evan Wells expressed his concern above developing the next generation of games. During the interview he told Eurogamer that the company suffered "dark times" during the transition to the Playstation 3 but he hopes that the experience and wisdom they gained during that time, has better prepared them for the next generation of consoles.
Uncharted is arguably their most popular title so this pretty much confirms the release of Uncharted 4 on the Playstation 4 but will past ghosts reveal themselves and give Naughty Dog even more issues?
Although the interview didn't really reveal any juicy gossip, it has confirmed that developers are aware of what will be required for PS4 games, suggesting that they may already have access to the developer tools. Previously, developers have gained access to these tools 1-2 years before the consoles release so using past experiences, we could be looking at a mid 2013 release, assuming we all haven't burned up in a raging ball of apocalypse by then.
Update - January 11th 2012
Sony's Deputy President, Kazuo Hirai, recently made several comments that have trashed rumors about Sony making a Playstation 4 related announcement at E3 this June. He mentioned the fact that the Playstation 3 has always been planned for a 10 year shelf life, although this doesn't totally squash the possibility of a PS4 announcement as Sony continued to support the Playstation 2 years after the launch of the PS3. He also stated that Sony have yet to take full advantage of the capabilities of the Playstation 3 and they hope to do so using innovative technology such as the Playstation Move. Sony also plan to dedicate a lot more time and resources to the 3-D market "We are definitely, from a Sony perspective, very committed to 3-D,".
Update - January 11th 2012
Sony President Shuhei Yoshida recently laughed off comments when asked about the possibility of a Playstation 4 launch this year. During a Playstation Vita interview, CVG threw a number of questions at the big man but he shrugged them all off saying "We have no immediate plans for another home console announcement". This could of course just be a way to create more hype and anticipation for Sony's E3 announcements or, they may truly have no intention of releasing the Playstation 4 over the next year or two. Only time will tell, we'll let you know what happens at E3.
Update - March 12th 2012
During a recent private viewing at the San Francisco’s Game Developer’s Conference, members of the gaming press were lucky enough to get a preview of the next generation of the Unreal Engine. Sadly, everyone involved was asked to sign a NDA, meaning we can't get any real concrete footage of the new engine but Epic’s VP Mark Rein said that the next generation of consoles would need to be 10x stronger than the PS3 in order to utilize the new engine. Everyone expects something special with the next-gen consoles but can you imagine what today's games would be like looking 10x better?
Update - March 30th 2012
A recent article on Kotaku has confirmed that the Playstation 4 is in development and is currently going under the code name of Orbis. Kotaku stated that an inside source leaked the information and has also said that the resolution will be bumped up to a massive 4096x2160 thanks to AMDs Southern Islands GPU and x64 CPU. It is also rumored that 3D games will support 1080p.
Other information in the article hinted at a possible anti-used game system where players that purchase second hand games will have to go online with their new console and purchase the right to play the game. With the popular GAME store already threatened by administration, and those companies making it clear their biggest profits come from second hand titles, this is an industry changing move from Sony.
Several high profile gaming studios have also confirmed that they have received the developers kit for the Playstation 4, leading us to believe we're going to see the next generation console in time for the 2013 holiday period.
Update - April 5th 2012
VG247 is stating that sources have told them, that Sony is confident that their next-gen PlayStation will be released before the Xbox 720.
The VG247 source was quoted as saying: “Sony are completely in the belief that they have the jump on Microsoft this time.” “You should be watching the timing of next year’s E3 keynotes, and who’s going to go first.” “Top line publishers already know about it,” the source said. “Developers working with publishers – like Ubisoft, for example – already know what’s going on. They’re already working on it.”
Coming out first has its disadvantages, such as price point. There are advantages as to the line-up of games available at launch – especially exclusive titles. For now it's just rumors, however, we will have to see which console is announced first.
Update - April 6th 2012
According to a recent article in a Japanese newspaper, technology giants Sony are shaping up to lay off up to 10,000 employees. The article follows recent rumors that they've also begun forcing employees into early retirement as well as seriously cutting the pay of some of their top staff. It's no secret that Sony have begun focusing their efforts into certain departments as they've started to pump more money into the crystal LED design, as well as their next generation console.
Update - April 7th 2012 - Why Orbis?
Late last month the first concrete information about Sony's next generation console was published, codenamed Orbis. The original article was published on Kotaku, a pretty reputable gaming website that has reported similar topics on previous Sony projects with 100% accuracy. Since the release of the codename, people all over the internet have been speculating the possible reasons behind the word Orbis.
Orbis comes from Latin and has several meanings but they all share something in common, it represents a circle, a ring, a complete journey. If we take a look at Sony's recent Playstation Vita release, we can find some more hints there. Vita is the Latin for life, mostly known thanks to a sub-par 1960s film. There's already plenty of speculation that the PS4 and Vita will feature heavy cross compatible features, so if we put both together we have Orbis Vita, roughly translated into complete circle, or circle of life.
It's definitely a break from the current naming cycle of the Playstation console and Playstation Orbis has a really nice ring to it. It's safe to expect a holiday season reason in 2013 so make sure to leave room on that Christmas list
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