According to tech site DigiTimes, the PlayStation 4 could be upon us very soon. According to their story, Sony is partnering with a Taiwan-based partner to begin manufacturing of the next entry in the PlayStation brand. The system is said to make use of a Kinect like interface and movement based controls and will be manufactured by employee rated #1 manufacturing company Foxconn and Pegatron Technology who constructed the PlayStation 3 as well. The initial volume is said to be set at 20 million units.
This now posts an interesting topic to those of us who make use of our PS3 as our main gaming system. Do you abandon the PS3 for the PS4 in 2012? To answer this we should look at a best case scenario.
Do I think that it is too soon for the PS4? Hell yeah I do! Games are still very expensive and the hardware is still priced the highest in the market. Jack Trenton less than a month ago even said that he felt that the PS3 was just hitting its stride and the next system refresh was still some time off.
I do know that 6 years has been the average lifespan for the Sony systems with the PS1 launching in 1994, PS2 in 2000, and PS3 in 2006 so 2012 makes sense when you look at their model. Is there a way that the PS4 launch could be done to appease PS3 owners? Yes I think so.
Sony could do the same thing they did with the PS3 and include PS3 emulation in the PS4 initially so people could have the option of trading in their PS3's and still being able to make use of the software that is coming out and being able to buy the new system. I also feel like Sony should make every game shown for the PS3 thus far come out on the PS3 and not make the jump to the next generation. I'm looking at you Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XIII Versus. As long as they still maintain the PS3's library they should be able to easily transition the fans of older series onto the new hardware.
This year Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, Killzone 3, Socom 4, Ratchet...um...7(?), and Infamous 2 all have seen or will see release and most likely won't be seen for at least another two years. Think about that launch line up for a new system and as just a fan of video games doesn't the concept of a system launching with this kind of quality just blow your mind.
Do I think the PS3 has alot of legs left, yeah. Do I have $600 bucks for a brand new PS4 next year, nope. Do I think that recent upgrades to PC gaming have left the PS3 and Xbox 360 in the dust, ABSOLUTELY (See Battlefield 3 as an example). I love my PS3 and all the amazing looking games but I am ready for the next step. What do you guys think? Be objective just don't shout "I HATE CHANGE" like a bunch of kids, we really want to know what you think and why! Invite your friends to join the Fan Boy Nation!
