PS4: PlayStation Meeting 2013 heralds big news from Sony
"Just what will Sony announce at PlayStation Meeting 2013?" is a question almost nobody is asking, because we're all getting short odds on the answer being "PlayStation 4".
Sony has announced a big reveal coming 6:00PM PST on February 20. You can sign up for updates via a teaser page.
The last PlayStation Meeting was called to announce the Vita, so if this one's not the next PlayStation console, it's going to have to be something really spectacular.
Next-generation hardware announced from Sony and Microsoft are expected this year. Although Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai told press Microsoft could make the first move, sources said Sony wanted to beat Microsoft to the punch, something back up by independent rumours.
The firm has been struggling with financial issues and may need the boost of a new hardware announce to retain stockholder faith. Some sources have suggested the new consoles might ship before the holiday season this year, but bear in mind Sony announced the Vita almost a full year before its launch.
Sony released a teaser trailer to go with the announcement, which is full of abstract shapes. Feel free to speculate on what they might mean and express your disdain for the female sigh at the end.
PlayStation 4: what we think we know
Sony's next generation PlayStation 4 has generated a number of persistent rumours, many of which have attached the codename Orbis to the device. VG247's sources suggests the PS4 will have significantly more raw computational power than Durango, Microsoft's next-generation offering.
The console has been frequently linked to AMD 10 eight-core technology, and is said to have at least 4GB of RAM; internal storage of at least 256GB; and a Blu-ray drive capable of reading discs of up to 100GB of data.
Sony is said to be aiming for an affordable price point and to use the same input and output devices, so you shouldn't need a fancy new telly. The system's OS is said to have been heavily revised since PlayStation 3's XMB, and thanks to 1GB of RAM dedicated to system functions, will allow users to switch in and out of games and system functions fluidly.
Multiple rumours and alleged leaks have backed up these claims.
On the less frequently-cited side, there's word that Sony may develop a new controller for the console. One whisperer said it might have biometric features. A new social and multiplayer service, BigFest, is expected.
EA said yesterday it has next-generation games in the works, and Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream recently registered a domain suggesting it has one, too. Mentions of next-generation hardware and games have been turning up on résumés and job advertisements for well over a year now.
Sony shut down production of the PlayStation 2 recently, which is sensible if a new generation of hardware manufacturing is required.