Revealing Sony's New Console Before Feb. 20th

First of all, thank you for clicking on this article and reading it with curiosity, interest, and excitement. After you read this we are fairly certain that you won't need to look for more info. You may think you've read this info before, but I implore you to read carefully. *All information is subject to change. This articles is based on numerous reports, news, quotes over the past three years. Images are not that of Sony's next console or accessories rather concepts and prototype designs. So lets get to it.

Sony's Playstation 3 released on November 11, 2006 and now past its six year anniversary we are met with the impending announcement of Sony's next console. Development of Sony's next console started in 2009 and four years later we are going to see the final product. With so much speculation and contradictory news in the air it's hard to get a decisive answer to your personal questions, but we are going to attempt to answer each one of them in this massive article. Sony's next console will be announced on February 20, 2013, which is less than two weeks away, and from what they say, "The Future is Here."

Name
Titles are important. They allow people to quickly and efficiently label something and recall it to memory or to relevance. Sony's next console was initially called the "Playstation 4" for the obvious reason of its succession to the Playstation 3. Inside Sony the code-name slapped on the machine was "Orbis," and many patents filed by Sony are labeled as such. "Orbis" is assumed to correlate with the Playstation VITA; "Vita" in Latin means "life," and "Orbis" in Latin means "circle." This "Circle of Life" concept fits the plan to have Sony's new console be linked and synced to the Playstation VITA, but we'll explain that later. "Omni" was unveiled in late 2012 and we strongly feel that this is the title Sony will give their next-gen console. I'll refer to Sony's next console as "Omni" for the rest of the article.

FYI: In Japanese the number "4" is pronounced "Shi," which is the same as "Death." I highly believe that Sony will not call the system "Playstation 4."

SPECs and Hardware
If you're a gamer then you have no doubt seen many iterations of what Sony's next console *could* contain. We will tell you what the Playstation "Omni" will be fitted with but lets break down the specifics first.

Dev-Kits. Dev-Kits are the prototype bare-bone kits sent to game developers for a few reasons: learn what can work and what cannot, allow developers to familiarize themselves with the new technology/hardware, and promote growth and productivity with the console as a whole and gain insight on the final product with feedback and testing. Lets look at the three dev-kits that Sony sent to game studios from 2011-2013. *Note these are listed and written as Sony had them detailed.

#1:
- R10 Board (Special BIOS)
- Win 7 64bit
- Sandy Bridge (intel) or Bulldozer (AMD)
- 8Gb RAM
- 650 Watt PSU
- VS2010 SP1
- Desktop Windows Manager should be turned off
- App will use Windows for everything except GPU interface

#2:
- DVKT-KS000K ("Initial 1")
- Runs Orbis OS
- CPU: Bulldozer 8core at 1.6GHz
- Graphics: R10 (Special BIOS)
- 8Gb RAM
- HDD 2.5" 160Gb
- Network Controller
- Custom South Bridge allows access to controller prototypes

#3:
- SoC based Dev-Kit
- Available Jan2013
- GPU Liverpool
- CPU 8core Jaguar
- 8Gb RAM for Dev-Kit (4Gb for retail console)
- Bluetooth controller, BD Drive, WLAN, Network Controller, HDMI (as much as 1980)

Final Version:
- 8Gb RAM
- 2.2 Gb RAM dedicated to video
- CPU - 4x Dual Core AMD64 Bulldozer
- GPU - AMD R10xx
- 4x USB 3.0
- 2x Ethernet
- 50Gb 6x Blu-ray disc drive
- 160Gb HDD
- HDMI & Optical 2.0, 5.1, 7.1

This tells us a lot about how developers reacted to the first drafts of the console and what they wanted to change. This info also lets us know just how prepared Sony was going into pre-production because not much changed over the three dev-kits. Reports have claimed that the Playstation "Omni" will have 4Gb of RAM; as you can see all dev-kits have 8Gb to begin with, but this is a common practice as the developers need a little "extra" room to play around with the technology and limits. The possibility of the "Omni" releasing with 8Gb is still extremely likely, although RAM is expensive. The GPU is said to have 2.2Gb of memory dedicated to gameplay that pushes 800GHz and with the capability of DirectX 11.1+, Unreal4, and Frostbite2. The CPU is certain to be an 8core Jaguar build that clocks in at 1.6 GHz. Rumoured reports claim "Omni" will house an AMD quad-core APU of 3.2GHz.

The graphic power of the "Omni" will come from the "R10" which is the Radeon HD 7000 series, a.k.a. "GCN," a.k.a. "R10xx." The Radeon HD 7970 is 300 British Pounds by itself (roughly $470). This will allow the "Omni" to reach 1.84 Teraflops and push for extremely crisp textures and displays at high resolutions that I'll describe later.

Memory
"Omni" will either have 4Gb of RAM as the Dev-Kit model states or 8Gb to compete with Microsoft and boost the "Omni's" stats. "Omni" will house 16Gb of Internal Flash Memory as the PS3 did. The Dev-Kit model suggests a HDD of 160Gb but I speculate the "Omni" will release with a version with a higher storage level. Sony purchased GaiKai for $380 Million and will implement "OmniCloud" for online storage as well as streaming video and games to the system.

"OmniCloud"
"OmniCloud" will be powered by GaiKai and it will allow the "Omni" to have online cloud storage and add many features to PS+. It will also make PS1, PS2, and PS3 games compatible in streaming format on any device. A dongle will likely be released to plug into "Omni" and be $70-$99. One of Sony's best features is its back catalogue. Allowing players to download or stream games from the older Sony consoles would generate revenue without any production cost. See PS+ below for more.

Locking-Out Used Games
Sony and Microsoft are both battling piracy and one way they plan to achieve results is to release games with one-time use activation codes in order to play them on their respective console. This will lock-out the used games market and prevent gamers from sharing disc with friends and family. Sony will use NFC tech to bind games to the "Omni" which will almost eliminate second-hand gaming. The process will begin with buying a new game and registering the game and activating it with an included one-time use code. After it clears you'll install the game onto the console. This claim would make the alleged 160Gb HDD mediocre in comparison to Microsoft's alleged 500Gb or 1TB HDD they plan to release with the Next Xbox. 360 and PS3 games are relatively 4Gb in size (not including DLC.) After you have installed the game you can sell the disc and download a digital copy to play at any time since you have already registered and activated the game. The sold copy would return to retail and be given a reactivation code. This wouldn't kill the used games market but it would harm the profit and the willingness to part with your games or buy used copies.

In-Game Ads
Sony has had research teams and test groups look into the benefits of having advertisements inside gameplay. The "Omni" would slow down gameplay to prepare the player of an incoming advert and would require a vocal confirmation of a response through the controller to continue to gameplay, the game would slowly return to normal and these would happen in intervals or at specific parts of titles. These adverts could also be implemented into trailers or extended use on browsers or the PS+.

Touch-Pad Controller

Sony is ditching the Dualshock controller that gamers have been used to since PS1. Instead they are releasing a Touch-Pad Controller capable of biometric feedback. Reports claim that this controller will be based on the PS VITA. I proclaim that Sony will update the VITA to be able to work as an additional controller to the Omni or be used in sync with Omni as a remote. Details of the biometric feedback state that the handles of the controller will be outfitted with sensors and tech to allow the player to feel certain sensations during gameplay and allow the Omni to sense details about the player. For instance; a gun overheating in-game would trigger the Omni to heat up the controller to notify the gamer, and cooling the gamer's hands if sweat appears.

SPECs of the Touch-Pad Controller:
512 Mb RAM
Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9
SGX543MP4+ GPU
5" OLED 16:9 capactive multitouch screen
960 x 544 resolution [Nintendo's 3DS is 3.5" at a resolution of 400 x 240]
Front QVGA Camera and back VGA camera both with a resolution of 640 x 480.
The Omni's back-side will be the Touch-Pad; just like VITA

I almost guarantee that the Dualshock controller will be usable with the "Omni" but Sony will likely push hard to get users to adapt to the new controller.

PS MOVE
The Playstation MOVE will continue to play a vital role for Sony and will be updated with more features, usability, and may even take cues from the new "biometric" Touch-Pad controller. Sony has invested too much time and money into funding and marketing the PS MOVE and I strongly believe they will tailor its technology to sync with the Omni, VITA, Omniviewer and/or "Simulview."

PS+
The online service for Sony will only get better with new interfaces, better capabilities and a new OS. Cloud-support and gaming will indeed be utilized by PS+ but one of the most interesting new rumours to come from its online service is that it will no longer be free; for the most part. Reports claim that GaiKai's CEO said,

"We've come up with a new way to charge for games that hasn't been done before. I haven't announced it because I don't want my competitors to do it...it starts by letting the publishers be part of the pricing on all services." 

This quote could be calling for a "pay-per-hour" or "pay-per-rental period" of service. With the aforementioned In-Game Advertisements this could turn into a massive overhaul in the way we perceive marketing in the gaming industry. We already see advertisements added in the backgrounds or foregrounds of games today but next-gen titles could add "pop-up" links to products or broadcast commercials like you see on YouTube, Pandora, etc.

Sony could offer a bundle plan for both the "Omni" console and a PS+ subscription plan to offset the base price of each.

4K Rumour
Sony has planned on the "Omni" to support rendering of video games in stereoscopic 3D mode in 1920 x 1080 HD resolution at 30fps-60fps (Frames per Second.) Output of 4K resolutions would be that of 3840 x 2160 or 4096 x 2160. These resolution require a major power supply and performance out of the console. In my opinion 4K is not likely to be added to the "Omni" for gaming. The "PS4's" superior processing power could not run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at 4096 x 2160 at 60fps. Instead I believe Sony will reserve 4K for only video use. Look for Sony's "Omni" to run games at a standard resolution of 1080p at 60fps.


Sony is releasing its 84" LCD KD-84X9005 Ultra HD TV this Christmas at $24,999.  More news to come!

"OmniViewer" a.k.a. Playstation Eye 2

"The "OmniViewer" is a thin, lite, and slick head mounted autostereoscopic display that can track the user's head and presents a 360 degree image view with semi transparent AMOLED screens. This can turn any TV into a 3D TV, as well as add extra augmented reality information outside of the TV screen. One application from an entertainment perspective is seeing movies in 2K, 4K, and even IMAX resolutions as their original size where you have to move your head to look at the full picture being displayed. It will sync with the VITA." -
DualPixels

The application called "Simulview" allows up to three users to watch the same TV but see different images. Sony's PS3 3D monitor already does this with split-screen gameplay for two people.
I expect the Omniviewer to be a peripheral and not a standard item. This will be aimed at dedicated gamers or movie-lovers.

The Share Button
The "Omni" will posses a "Share" button in the center of the controller that will allow the user to share many different types of media to connected accounts or to his/her PS+ profile. Playing online could allow the user to capture and share screenshots and post them to Twitter/Facebook. Users could share their scores or profiles over PS+, or gloat about specific trophies achieved in gameplay. The ability to share your experiences would be a massive turn-on for gamers that are eager to brag and challenge their friends and foes. The button could also be used to share game demos, trailers, on the browser, or specific content on PS+.

Pricing
160GB Basic Model - $350-399.
160GB-320GB Premium with "OmniViewer" - $450-499.
"OmniViewer" may cost $199 separately.
The Touchpad Controller may cost $99-199 separately.
(I would like to see Sony release a model with a bigger HDD)

Launch
September 2013 (Sept 17th to be personally specific). Sony could very well do what Microsoft is "planning" to do; Soft Launch in September and then have an explosive re-launch in Summer 2014.

Potential Launch Titles/ Next Gen Titles
Uncharted Omni (Untitled)
Siren
The Bodyguard
WipeOut Omni
Bump in the Night
Media Molecule
Omni Fitness
"Judecca"- Square Enix's zombie hunting game with "biofeedback" gameplay
Watch Dogs
Star Wars 1313
Metal Gear Solid 5 (Phantom Pain)

Unknowns
Sony Santa Monica is working on a New "PS4" IP
Guerilla is working on KillZone 4 and a New IP
Naughty Dog is working on a Uncharted 4 (Untitled) as mentioned above and a New IP
EA is working on "4 or 5" IPs
Infinity Ward has confirmed a new Call of Duty game for 2013 with no specifics yet and is working on a Next-Gen IP
Respawn Entertainment's Debut IP
Ready at Dawn (PSP God of War) is working on "an exciting new AAA IP for Next-Gen home consoles."

*All information is subject to change. This articles is based on numerous reports, news, quotes over the past three years. Images are not that of Sony's next console or accessories rather concepts and prototype designs.

-Daniel, Jedi Editor
daniel@thetechfixation.com
@thepausemenu on Twitter @darthurra on Instagram
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