Sony announces PlayStation special event for February 20

Shawn Knight

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Staff member

There’s been a ton of speculation surrounding the unveiling of next generation gaming consoles from both Microsoft and Sony. The general consensus heading into 2013 was that we would see the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 debut at E3 in June but as the month went on, we heard rumblings that Sony might jump the gun and share their next console earlier than anticipated.

The latest on the PS4 front comes directly from Sony as the company tweeted a link yesterday to a PlayStation landing page with the tagline “See the future.” Console gamers should circle February 20 on their calendar as that is when Sony’s event is scheduled to kick off – promptly at 6pm EST, might we add.

The page otherwise lacks any further details but according to Gamasutra, the timing seems like a good fit. Furthermore, the site says they can confirm that Sony is currently demonstrating the system to developers via private meetings.

The publication also points out that Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello recently revealed his company was investing $80 million into software development for fourth generation consoles which we assume also means the Xbox 720. The executive reportedly noted that they do not believe Nintendo’s recently released Wii U console fits into the same category as these unreleased gen 4 consoles.

Given the Twitter hype and the landing page, it’s almost a certainty that Sony will unveil the PlayStation 4 next month. If not, it’s anyone’s guess as to what they will have in store come February 20.

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True but. maybe he means 4th generation 4 playstation in general as in ps4thgeneration.
 
I can't own up to a mistake I didn't make. Besides the fact that I didn't write the article, the author (Shawn) isn't the one calling Orbis and Durango fourth-gen consoles -- he's reporting EA's words. I simply tried to shed light on why EA's calling the coming refresh gen 4, at least as I understand it anyway. Enjoy your ban.
 
PS4 has got to bring in games in 4K to make a difference.

It won't happen. There's no way the PS4 is getting 4K support. That feature alone would make the console impossible to afford. The cheapest 4K TV is $12,000. Are you ready to spend that kind of money on a video game console, and then spend a similar amount on a TV to show said resolution? Didn't think so.
 
4K gaming? Maybe upscaled, but not rendered natively. You'd need GTX690 for that if you want to play next generation games at 4K in 2014-2015. Also, as mentioned by Sphynx, 4K HDTVs cost $20,000+, especially for sizes 80 inches and up (bare minimum for you to see the difference in pixel count between a 4K TV and a 1080P one from a normal distance of 9-10 feet away in the living room when gaming on a console). Since PS3/360 failed to even deliver on their promises of native 1080P gaming in 98% of their game library, just moving up to native 1920x1080 with proper MSAA/SMAA anti-aliasing and DX11 effects will be a decent enough step up. I can see how PS4 could support 4K resolution for 4K Blu-Rays / videos, etc. since HD7000 already supports 4K natively.

The other possibility is Sony might reveal Gaikai's cloud gaming service. Then that would set them up nicely to unveil PS4 around March-June and reveal how Gaikai will tie in with PS4's backwards compatibility of PS3 games. It seems somewhat early to announce PS4 if it is to launch only around Holiday 2013. Perhaps Sony will surprise everyone is launch the console by August-September 2013?
 
"fourth generation consoles which we assume also means the Xbox 720."

??
say what?
Sony is the only company with a 4th gen console.
M$ is 3rd, Nintendo is 6th.

"The executive reportedly noted that they do not believe Nintendo?s recently released Wii U console fits into the same category as these unreleased gen 4 consoles."

Really?
As far as I can tell, the WiiU is just as powerful as the next gen Xbox and PS. (close anyway)
Is it maybe because of the "non-standard" controller?
The WiiU disc format is a modified Blu-ray. Should be plenty of room for large graphical games.
I don't think the major developers should overlook the WiiU because of the failings of the Wii.
 
Why are people so stuck on the 4K bs, its not going to happen any time soon. Not in north America, we still only have 720p as the standard, not even 1080p and you think 4K is right around the corner. Pass whatever your smoking if you think a console is going to bring such resolution, it's just not financially feasible. In 5-7 years when the 5th gen Playsation, 4th gen Xbox come out perhaps (9th gen consoles), but not before that. PCs need to be able to output comfortably graphics at 4K long before the console equivalent ever can.
It's the fourth generation of modern consoles, as in, those with 3D graphics etc.
Actually its the 5th generation of consoles capable of 3D graphics, the Mega Drive (Aka the Sega Genesis) had 3D titles which was part of the 4th gen before the PlayStation. Just saying. Not sure why someone would refer to these next generation consoles as 4th gen when they really aren't.
 
Actually its the 5th generation of consoles capable of 3D graphics, the Mega Drive (Aka the Sega Genesis) had 3D titles which was part of the 4th gen before the PlayStation. Just saying. Not sure why someone would refer to these next generation consoles as 4th gen when they really aren't.

Meh, you're splitting hairs. The PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 were the first generation of consoles to offer full polygonal 3D graphics as a standard feature. Hell, Battlezone had vector 3D graphics in 1980, but again, being first doesn't really create a generation, being mainstream creates a generation. I think it's pretty obvious what EA meant by gen 4 consoles, whether you agree with them or not.
 
Meh, you're splitting hairs. The PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 were the first generation of consoles to offer full polygonal 3D graphics as a standard feature. Hell, Battlezone had vector 3D graphics in 1980, but again, being first doesn't really create a generation, being mainstream creates a generation. I think it's pretty obvious what EA meant by gen 4 consoles, whether you agree with them or not.

I think trying to justify why this is 4th gen is splitting hairs. I think the EA rep misspoke by saying this is 4th gen.
Why would mainstream 3D graphics define the start of a new console generation nomenclature, And who decides such?
 
Why wouldn't the proliferation of 3D graphics serve as a reference for a subset of console generations? Who decides such? Easy: anyone who notices a trend and cares to call it out. There isn't some standards board for the classification of generational categories. The coming update is the fourth generation of mainstream consoles with modern 3D graphics.
 
Why wouldn't the proliferation of 3D graphics serve as a reference for a subset of console generations? Who decides such? Easy: anyone who notices a trend and cares to call it out. There isn't some standards board for the classification of generational categories. The coming update is the fourth generation of mainstream consoles with modern 3D graphics.

What he said ^

But I'll pass on this "4th generation" and probably take the 5th :) since my PC will kick the **** already of the new generation this year !
 
You guys are all missing the point of this entire article arguing about the definition of 4th gen. Take it in stride and move on. If you're reading this you already know how bad consoles suck.
 
But I'll pass on this "4th generation" and probably take the 5th :) since my PC will kick the **** already of the new generation this year !

I got a WiiU...Mario is fun...
Besides the lack of games, the system is very cool. The controller is easier to use than is looks too.
 
I certainly hope that both Sony and MS take into account that their own customers wish to continue to play their old games on their new systems. With all the rumors flying around about DRM and NFC chips in the new games, customers are hesitant to purchase the next generation of consoles. Most simply see it as what it is, big corporations getting butthurt that they dont get a piece of the used video game market. I will have to wait and see how bad Sony or MS screw up the consoles. Much like with every console that has come out since the GameCube, I will have to wait and compare specs and features before jumping on the next generation console.
 
It won't happen. There's no way the PS4 is getting 4K support. That feature alone would make the console impossible to afford. The cheapest 4K TV is $12,000. Are you ready to spend that kind of money on a video game console, and then spend a similar amount on a TV to show said resolution? Didn't think so.

That's totally incorrect. 4K TV-s are expensive for two reasons:

- the screen is expensive and difficult to manufacture;
- manufacturers seek maximum margin as usual, at the expense of the innovation, for as long as the offer remains small.

For example, all new video cards today support 4K output, and there is no surcharge on them for doing just that. Just as there won't be a surcharge on a PS4 for being able to output 4K video. Video chips that can do that have been on the market for a while now, and they are cheap.

In all, your attempt to align price of a possible PS4 with 4K and open pricing on 4K TV-s is way out in the left field.
 
If you're reading this you already know how bad consoles suck.

I am yet to experience gaming on the ps3 or xbox, but I do have a psp. Though in the performance and graphics area a pc will beat a console anyday( and console games are relatively expensive ), consoles do have an inherent advantage for the user in terms of longer release cycle,no hassle of upgrading, and I believe games of the sports,adventure genre are much more enjoyable on the console.
 
I played the Xbox 360 for most of this generation and I finally bought a PS3 last year. I actually think I prefer the PS3. the whole interface is a lot more slick and PlayStation Store and the Plus membership is a lot more beneficial and you aren't as deeply penalized if you opt out of it. It could be because I am tired of my 360, who knows?

I am a PC gamer first and foremost, however due to crappy ports and certain exclusively made console games I am not stopped from enjoying consoles as well. PC gaming has been a bit dull for me for awhile, 2013 should be interesting.
 
It won't happen. There's no way the PS4 is getting 4K support. That feature alone would make the console impossible to afford. The cheapest 4K TV is $12,000. Are you ready to spend that kind of money on a video game console, and then spend a similar amount on a TV to show said resolution? Didn't think so.

That's totally incorrect. 4K TV-s are expensive for two reasons:

- the screen is expensive and difficult to manufacture;
- manufacturers seek maximum margin as usual, at the expense of the innovation, for as long as the offer remains small.

For example, all new video cards today support 4K output, and there is no surcharge on them for doing just that. Just as there won't be a surcharge on a PS4 for being able to output 4K video. Video chips that can do that have been on the market for a while now, and they are cheap.

In all, your attempt to align price of a possible PS4 with 4K and open pricing on 4K TV-s is way out in the left field.

Your really not thinking about this are you? Games WILL NOT run at 4K on a console, their power and heat envelope do not allow decent enough hardware to run this resolution in games, unless the game looks like a ps2 game then sure it will probably will be able to run that at 4K.

Bluray's on the other hand, sure, I'm happy to bet they will run fine at 4K but this doesn't require much from the graphics card.
 
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