Kotaku is reporting that Sony's successor to the PlayStation 3 will be codenamed Orbis and is scheduled for a holiday (US) 2013 release.
You can read more about what Kotaku's learnt here but the main rumours are that the "Orbis" will have an AMD x64 CPU and an AMD Southern Islands GPU, which will be able to run games at a resolution of up to 4096 x 2160. It'll also be able to play 3D games in 1080p.
The "Orbis" won't offer backward compatibility with PlayStation 3 games (like the current model PS3s don't offer backward compatibility with PS2 games) but it looks as though it'll have some kind of anti-used games measures built in, much as rumours suggest the next Xbox console will.
Kotaku says their sources tell it that games will be available on both Blu-ray and downloadable forms but disc-based games will have to be tied to a single PlayStation Network account. Kotaku's source says if the original owner sells a disc-based game, it seems the new owner could be limited to what they can access on the game disc and the new owner may have to pay a fee to unlock/re-register the game.
Any anti-used game measures like this will severely dent the pre-owned game market and personally, while I don't buy a lot of used games - though I still troll the used game bins at brick and mortar retailers looking for bargains on older games - I'm not sure how I feel about having to pay an additional fee on top of what I've paid for the game.
I don't have figures on used game sales in New Zealand but I would guess that it's a healthy market, especially given how much we already pay for brand new games here, but how do you feel about a suggestion that if you bought a copy of a game second-hand you'd have to pay an unlock fee to access all the content?
Stuff you might also find interesting: Game Junkie is on Twitter and you can email him here. You can also hear him on Kiwi FM every Tuesday chatting about video games with Glenn Williams, and, if that isn't enough, he has another gaming blog here. Check it out sometime. It's updated at least once a week.
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Disgusted. Would not purchase a console if this was legit. But hey, that's why they're called 'Rumour Mills'.
No backwards compatibility AND screwing us on used games is totally bogus. Sony will be shooting themselves in the foot if they go through with it. Fingers crossed they come to their senses and stop the double charging.
If the "anti used" thing turns out true, I will not buy one.
And I say this as a person who neither buys used games, nor sells games on.
I'm sure Sony can do without my money, though.
I would buy one - I would hope that every game comes with atleast a 24 hour free trial period - So renting games does not get effected as much.
Personally I think that the fee's for buying a 2nd hand game should only be in effect for the first 6 months - 1 year of the products life. Any fee's after this time is just plan greed.
Read this interesting article on Kotaku yesterday which put a spin on it that I hadn't thought of. Worth a look. http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/03/five-reasons-a-world-without-used-games-might-not-be-so-bad/
there are already attacks on the used-game market. For example, Battlefield 3 requires a licence to play on top of paying $100 for the disk.
Just plain wrong. Either they sold you the game or they didn't. Next the car company will want a fee to allow transfer to a new owner!
At the risk of sound fan-boyish (not sure if I can remotely claim that at 40 years old), I have to say I’d still buy one. I’d also still buy the next Microsoft console too.
Truth be told, I’m not into boasting a wall-to-wall catalogue of games I bought on the cheap simply because they were, well cheap.
There are enough quality games, and I believe there will continue to be quality games that would warrant buying a game brand new.
If you can’t afford it at the time of release, then surely you could just wait until they go Platinum or Classic? – spending wisely as opposed to spending because you have a couple of coins in your pocket right?
Hopefully what this does do is press for Game Developers to start making more quality titles. I mean it makes sense right? If people stop (or can no longer) buy used games, as consumers we’ll be driven to be more selective of the titles we do buy … if this results in some very hyped-up developers not meeting mass expectation, then I’m guessing the first thing they’ll notice is lack of sales! …
I don’t know? Maybe it’s just me being ‘old?’ … tends to happen when you have to be more frugal about your own personal entertainment spending.
Have to admit though that from all the specs listed in these rumours, all we’re talking about is the “anti-used game” issue?! … really?!
I’m keen on seeing what in the blue hell 4096 x 2160 looks like! I’m guessing that an upgrade to an UHDTV is on the cards? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_High_Definition_Television)
It also raises issues for return policies like EBgames have. I mean, they're not gana take back a game if they can't sell it since you used the codes. Since we can't hire them either Sony better have a trial for every game. Otherwise I will simply buy up all the PS3 and Xbox games I could possibly want and then not buy the new system.
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Thats bad news for the likes of United Video etc as I can see the market for hiring games to drop dramatically if Sony expect to charge fees to unlock previously used games on top of the hire costs (unless they release copies specifically for video stores to hire out that don't have this function).