Hardware isn't dead. Sony just stopped using it a selling point because the average consumer doesn't care what the hardware is, just what the device can do.
Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
21–30 of 37 posts
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#22Sony didn't talk about hardware, because the PS4 doesn't really differentiate itself with the next-gen xbox hardware-wise.
You'll have two main variables to consider:
- which (or both) slightly differentiated but mostly-overlapping game library do you want access to
- do you want to give money to the company that installed spyware via music CDs, or the company that gave us IE6, Vista, and chair-throwing CEOs?
I think of every dollar I spend as a vote on the kind of future I want. Neither MS nor Sony get a dime from me these days.
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#23Except physical hardware kind of does matter. In the case of the new Xbox, as well the new MS Office, whatever software you buy is locked to the device it's purchased on for life, no matter what. Have a PC/console die on you? Guess you'll be buying all new software.
>In the case of the new Xbox... software you buy is locked to the device
What gives you that idea? Even on the Xbox 360, I own many games that are "on demand" (no physical disc) and I have them installed on multiple consoles as long as I'm logged into my Xbox Live account. I haven't heard Microsoft say that this would be changing.
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#24They said all the specs up front:
PlayStation 4 with 8-core x86 processor, 8GB GDDR5 memory and DualShock 4 controller
They even gave more details specs later: http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2013/02/21/sony-announces-play...
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#25I didn't really cared about not seeing the device case. They made public the specs ( 8 GB FTW) so that was more important than seeing a empty case.
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#26Physical aesthetics of game consoles have never been fussed over that much (at least among geek/core gamer audiences). PCs were the same in the past. The current "industrial design boom" that Apple started is historically the exception. And yeah, something you hold in your hands and keep on your person vs. something you keep under your TV makes a big difference - note they did show the controller (the part you interact with directly).
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#27I worked with Mark Cerny (who presented yesterday) on Crash Bandicoot, and even by HN luminary standards he is a god-like superhero. Given that he's evidently played a key role in developing the PS4, I seriously doubt anyone will be disappointed when they see the physical machine. Sony probably just didn't want to leak details that could help competitors.
They announced the complete system specs( http://www.polygon.com/2013/2/20/4009940/playstation-4-tech-... ) That's more than enough to "help" competitors. The console manufacturers don't have any reason to copy each others aesthetics, because confusing branding doesn't help any of them, and there's no functional reason for them to all have the same shape/form factor.
Stackability.
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#28Sony didn't talk about hardware, because the PS4 doesn't really differentiate itself with the next-gen xbox hardware-wise. You'll have two main variables to consider: - which (or both) slightly differentiated but mostly-overlapping game library do you want access to - do you want to give money to the company that installed spyware via music CDs, or the company that gave us IE6, Vista, and chair-throwing CEOs? I think…
Sony aren't great at protecting data, but then again I've had my Xbox live account hacked. Both as bad as each other really...
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#29They discussed for a good hour about the specs only and how/why they ended up designing it this way (they consulted developers). So, basically the architecture is a very powerful PC in a custom configuration: 8-core x86 CPU and custom GPU on same chip, unified 8GB GDDR5 RAM.
What they didn't show is the physical design, which is a good move because the device isn't launched until later. They'll be able to get in the news again when they show the design / launch the device.
Re: Sony Announces the PlayStation 4 and the Death of Hardware
#30Sony didn't talk about hardware, because the PS4 doesn't really differentiate itself with the next-gen xbox hardware-wise. You'll have two main variables to consider: - which (or both) slightly differentiated but mostly-overlapping game library do you want access to - do you want to give money to the company that installed spyware via music CDs, or the company that gave us IE6, Vista, and chair-throwing CEOs? I think…
> Sony didn't talk about hardware, because the PS4 doesn't really differentiate itself with the next-gen xbox hardware-wise.
I think it does, actually. It has little over 50% more GPU shading power, twice the pixel throughput, and more than twice the main ram throughput. The difference is just about enough to make sure that PS4 can run at twice the resolution (720p vs 1080p) or twice the frame rate compared to XBox next.
The fact that they both use very similar system architecture, with PS4 just having more of it, will mean that it will be easy for multiplatform titles to scale to the difference. I'm willing to bet money that once the MS specs are actually out, Sony will talk about the specs a lot.