PS4 Release in March 2013?

Once again, a new rumor has hit the web about the PS4. We’ve heard rumors of a PlayStation 4 release date in 2012, 2014, and so many more already that we just have to sigh and hope for one of these to be true. And don’t forget the rumor about PS4 development for next year release date.

Moreover, we’ve actually heard a similar rumor to this one already, but this one has a new source: a supposedly reliable anonymous person who heard the words “PlayStation 4 in 18 months” while Sony was in a “high level meeting”.

18 months from now is March 2013. While we’ve already talked about the PS4 2013 rumor back in June, when the Wii U unveiling caused a lot of speculation to circulate.

Of course, Sony responded with the usual: “we don’t comment on rumors on speculation”, but that just makes us more anxious. Could it be true?

Honestly, we believe that it’s possible to have an unveiling in June 2013 during E3, but why would Sony ever launch the new PS4 before the holiday season? Most consoles come out during November, when shopping rates skyrocket for the holidays. Same with major games, like the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which launches November 8, 2011.

Recently, we had a poll up asking you, our readers, when you think the PS4 will release. 4410 of you answered 2012, 3863 said 2013, 3713 answered 2014, 691 said 2015, and 865 of you answered 2016.

While we still think a 2013 or 2014 release date is most likely, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for it to be launched sooner. We want better speed, graphics, and all the quality Sony is known for to be out now in the PlayStation 4.

So what do you think? Does this March 2013 rumor hold any weight? If not, when do you think the PS4 will release?

Will Apple Make PS4 Worthless?

I’m sure I’m not the only one amused by Best Buy commercials mocking the lightning-fast speed of new technology constantly updating the market. The one that sticks out the most is the 4G commercial with Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber: “What’s a Bieber?”

The entire point of those commercials is that, when you finally save up the money and buy the next big gadget you’ve wanted (like the iPad or iPhone), the next one hits the market within a few months, sometimes weeks. Now there is the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, one for each year the device has been on the market (and that gets expensive).

The Epic Games leader, Mike Capps, weighed in on the effect that Apple will have on PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720: in short, he said the next generation consoles are completely worthless.

In a way, he’s almost right. Look at how quickly smartphones have taken over the market. Now they run on dual-core with 1GhZ RAM, remarkable for a portable device that is supposed to only do phone calls and texts. Games like Angry Birds flood the market, playable everywhere and addicting in their simplicity. But what if smartphones went one step further into console territory?

What Capps means is that, with the way iPhone keeps excelling, it makes sense that in a few years (like the iPhone 8 ) will be able to work as a controller and console in one. Simply plug into the TV and play.

While this seems possible, why would anyone want to rely on the same device for both gaming and phone calls? And I know a few of you have thrown a controller when a little PO’d at a game: imagine you threw your console everytime you threw a controller. That’s just plain silly!

But the thing that seems interesting: smartphones progress much faster than consoles, always getting faster and better. If someone wanted to buy the Xbox 720 or PS4, they’re shelling out at least $500 for the console and guts.

So, what would be a good solution to this predicament? One way would be to have a console “shell”, kind of like a tower, that can have pieces upgraded as Sony or Microsoft release better technology. Yeah, you’d probably end up spending more over time, but at least it would be optional instead of having to buy an entire new console every few years – and it would always be top of the line!

What do you think? Rumors abound about Xbox 720 and PS4 release dates, but is this just nonsense? Is Capps right?

Game Streaming on PS4

The former head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison, made some interesting comments about the next generation of consoles. The biggest one: game streaming.

Streaming has become a huge source of video entertainment for everyone. We watch movies from Amazon Netflix on our game consoles, computers, and TV. It’s everywhere.

Harrison believes that next-gen consoles, like PlayStation 4, will steer away from the current generation of consoles in a multitude of ways, one of which is game media. Instead of spending fifty-bucks for a disc, you’ll charge a credit card or use points to purchase rights to stream a game, just like we do for Netflix.

Why? He thinks it will be a more service-based model than a retail one, since companies like Sony learned a lesson when they overspent during the development of the PS3.

He said:

“The new business model is going to become a combination of retail and services, and it’s going to be an interesting decision for the likes of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, is the next console race about chips and CPU, clock speed and graphics, or is it about business models and monetization and discovery, and I think it’s probably going to be about the latter.”

But is that smart? Probably not. What if your router crashes for a day? How are you going to play your favorite game without being connected to the internet? That’s a major flaw, which is why this just seems silly as the only form of game media. It needs to be something on your harddrive or in your room, that you can access even when offline.

I mean, it would be nifty if some games were streamed, if it were cheap. More casual games, not directly geared towards dedicated gamers.

That may make PS more social, as well. Maybe if the PS4 can have a balance, it will be perfect.

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