I bet you the PS4 will be a very good system to have

[darkchrono]

With it looking like the PS3 is going to finish third behind the xbox360 and the Wii I bet you sony is going to make the PS4 a much more reasonable system to own than the PS3 (the expense of the PS3 and its games is what pretty much made it fall behind).

I would assume that the PS4 will be a cheaper system to buy and the games prices will be a little more reasonable as well. It's funny because if you go to alot of stores there are still just as many PS2 games on the shelves as there are 360 games.

[Hambone]

The console race has only begun, my friend.

[Big D]

If the current consoles are anything to go by, then the PS4 will basically be just a PC with a controller. I think the current generation are veering away from what traditionally made consoles accessible and fun - the 'plug-and-play' functionality, rather than endless nitpicking over customisation, system requirements, and constant bugs, upgrades and patches.

[DMKA]

lol, fanboys.

[unfinished fantasy]

lol, fanboys.pc ftw!

[Cyric]

TBH, I think consoles have officially gone as far as this generation will go. In order for Sony to be able to replace the PS3, it's going to need 3 features: holographic, hi-definition, and interactivity (for lack of a better term). Basically, the 'screen' would hover over a mat that you stand on, while the game plays around you. Sort of the like the Wii-motes, you'd have some sort of special equipment to wear for the mat to pick up your movements.

[darkchrono]

I think all the ps4 really needs is just a lower price and improved graphics from what the ps3 had.

The only thing I think that would be cool for the ps4 to have that the ps3 doesn't have is the ability to install the entire game onto your hard drive so you don't have to bother with putting the cd's in everytime you play.

If they did that couldn't they make it so once the game is installed the first time the only ps4 it could be reinstalled onto is the original ps4 it was installed on (so people who didn't buy the game couldn't borrow it and install it on their own gaming system?

[Sarc the Swordsman]

I want the PS4 to have the ability to transport you into the game you play in!

...ahem. I'm not too bothered about the PS4 yet, it'll be overpriced when it comes out, so I won't go out of my way to get it.

[Dreddz]

If Sony is keen to push digital distribution then maybe it will be a download-only console. I could see that happening because we won't see the PS4 till 2011-12 and a lot of things could happen between now and then.

[The Shoeless Hobo]

If Sony is keen to push digital distribution then maybe it will be a download-only console. I could see that happening because we won't see the PS4 till 2011-12 and a lot of things could happen between now and then.

That would be horrible. It would take me a month to downlaod a game and my download limit would rocket over the monthly limit. :(

[Mirage]

yeah, expect internet connection technologies to stay as they are today for 4 more years.

[Goldenboko]

If the current consoles are anything to go by, then the PS4 will basically be just a PC with a controller. I think the current generation are veering away from what traditionally made consoles accessible and fun - the 'plug-and-play' functionality, rather than endless nitpicking over customisation, system requirements, and constant bugs, upgrades and patches.

I disagree. I can't speak for the PS3 because I didn't want it. But the XBOX and Wii have provided easy functionality. A few bugs here and there, naturally, but all of the games I own (especially for Wii) have been easy to pick up, and fun naturally.

[darkchrono]

And although the ps3 requires updates to the system all the updates are automatically included in the cd you buy so all you have to do is pop in the game you bought and the update will happen automatically.

[Bolivar]

It's funny because if you go to alot of stores there are still just as many PS2 games on the shelves as there are 360 games.

That's because the PS2 is a very much alive console, with apparently 130 games being released this year.


If the current consoles are anything to go by, then the PS4 will basically be just a PC with a controller.

The PS3 already is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_for_PlayStation_3)

The PS3, upon its release, was a very far-sighted machine, and its potential has yet to be even concepted. In the meantime, the cheaper system that darkchrono suggested Sony "needs" is already out, alive, and is so far the most widely owned console of all time.

[cloud21zidane16]

I wouldnt say the PS3 has come third yet, i think the novelty of the Wii will wear off eventually and the PS3 does have a lot of good games out now so it could compete with the 360.

[Dreddz]

This generation will end up like the 16-bit generation with the Megadrive and SNES. The 360 will have a head start and the PS3 will slowly catch up till it clinches 2nd. That's how I see it going anyway.

[Madame Adequate]

Here's what I would do to make the PS4 successful:


One SKU. A fair sized, but not excessive HD included. The current system is confusing at best. Pack in two controllers and a DVD remote as standard. The SKU can be phased out and replaced with superior models as the technology and production capacities advance over the years, as occurred with the PSX and PS2.
A sensible price. The console doesn't have to be as cheap as a Wii. It should also not be as massive investment as the PS3 is. I personally think a PS3 is cheap, because I recognize that it includes the cheapest Blu-Ray player I'm going to find on the market, but the release price tag of the PS3 was simply ridiculous for most people.
Decide on what I want the PS4 to do and work exclusively on that. Don't tag things on to try and steal from Nintendo, for instance. Don't add gimmicks few use. I would personally direct the PS4 towards just two things - games and movies. Beyond that, the only concern would be online.
When it comes to online, Sony itself, centrally, should provide the resources needed to ensure a reliable, fast, global system. There should be no bias or preference in terms of games, everything should be given what it needs to succeed online. Obviously, make this as cheap as possible (ideally as cheap as free. XBL service with zero cost? People would be all over that like Soviets on farms)
Establish/revive/maintain a strong stable of games. Wipeout is probably the quintessential example. The PS brand was built, in its early days, on games like Wipeout. People talk about the Nintendo Wii as changing gaming and bringing it into the mainstream, but Sony did exactly the same over a decade earlier. The PlayStation One was the first console which it was cool, not dorky, to have in your living room. It became a lifestyle item as well as a console, and a global brand, through the strength of Sony's stable combined with their marketing acumen. Who even remembers that Wipeout also appeared on the Saturn?
And yeah Kaz Hirai gets locked away in a dungeon somewhere in Hokkaido and isn't heard from until the PS4 has been out for awhile. Sony let their success with the PS1 and 2 go to their heads, and they squandered a vast fanbase in a shockingly short time through little more than a few poor decisions and a spate of terrible PR.
Backwards compatability. As much as possible. PS3 is non-negotiable. PS2 is difficult to justify not having. PS1 should be done too, if at all possible. The entire library of Playstation games should be playable, right back to December 3, 1994.

[Mirage]

I wouldnt say the PS3 has come third yet, i think the novelty of the Wii will wear off eventually and the PS3 does have a lot of good games out now so it could compete with the 360.

haha, no. The 360 has a superior lineup when it comes to exclusives. The Wii has sold more than the 360 and PS3 added together too, so both the 360 and PS3 are just dreaming of surpassing the Wii in console sales.

Btw milf, the 360 is cheaper than the Wii now ;)

[Slothy]

The Wii has sold more than the 360 and PS3 added together too

May be nitpicking, but from the numbers I've seen this statement is wrong. The Wii has not sold more than both the PS3 and 360 combined. I'll qualify that with a "yet", since I do think it will likely overtake them both, at least for a while. I don't think it will continue to sell like hot cakes forever though.

[The Shoeless Hobo]

yeah, expect internet connection technologies to stay as they are today for 4 more years.

Ii will. It would take atleast six years for our country to drastically improve our internet. It would be a multi billion dollar project and we would have to actually dig up holes and replace the old wires with fibre optics.

This is an actual plan my government is considering though.