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[ackblom12]

This is the full speaking event.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/443086

It will have 8GB of unified memory, a X86 CPU, 8 CPU cores, 2 teraflops computational performance, and a "Supercharged PC architecture."

Clearly "Supercharged PC Architecture" is bullshit marketing speak, but I'm pretty happy with those specs.

So far they haven't actually shown the console itself (rumors are that it's because it has no optical drive, but I'm 99% sure that even Sony isn't that stupid. It's gonna be at least another gen before consoles could support that), but the controller has been and while the console doesn't have hardware based BC, it is going to be able to play PS3 games off of a cloud service... which seems like it may or may not work. It's going to be shit for most countries.

[ackblom12]

Destructoid has a collection of the announcements on their site.

Here ya go.

[snalin]

That's some decent specs for a computer, now. Even considering that the thing needs a lot less computational power than a PC to play games, games will look better on average household computers during the thing's lifetime.

I dunno, as much as I get excited for new hardware and new titles, dropping more than I have to live on after rent each month on a console that's offering nothing my current PC right now doesn't already have other than exclusive titles...

[ackblom12]

Well, rumor is they're not planning on going higher than $450 for the console, probably closer to $400. Not half bad for a new console launch. I'm still planning on giving it a year or two for a price drop mind you.

Honestly, I don't think anyone expects any console that comes out to compare in any way to a home PC with decent specs. That's not really what people buy consoles for.

Edit: Looks like a 6x Blu-Ray is confirmed for it. http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/20/sony-details-playstation-4-specs-8-core-amd-jaguar-cpu-8x-bl/

[ackblom12]

So, it looks like the ghost of the CELL chip is going to haunt the shit out of Sony's PR for the PS4. Due to the massive change in CPU architecture, it won't have PS3 compatibility, which isn't entirely surprising, but it also means that PSN purchases from the PS3 won't fucking transfer.

Seriously, consider this. Nintendo is handling online pretty damn well this gen (finally) and Sony is fucking it up. Hilarity!

[ackblom12]

PS4 Specs in Greater Depth

The fact that the 8gigs of RAM is GDDR5 is pretty great. Doesn't change how much ass that changing the architecture of the console causes for BC, especially with PSN, but it does likely mean they have a lot more wiggle room in practically every other way. I just don't understand why this means that they can't make a goddamn software emulator for the PS1 and PS2 classics from PSN. The only thing I can think of is that they figure not doing so will have less blowback than doing so for them and still having the cloud streaming for PS3 games.

[Blyss]

I got excited for about half a second, then I remembered that I don't bother with launch purchases, and I wouldn't pay what they're asking (whatever it may be) for getting the thing on the day it comes out anyway, oh, and I don't really give a shit about what promises ANY of the console makers make.

When it comes out, I'll see what it can actually do, and to be honest, I still won't buy it for a year or two after it comes out.  Same with whatever nonsense Microsoft comes out with to replace the 360.

[ackblom12]

Yeah, I'm following my usual plan of waiting a year or two after launch. Gives time for things to settle, hardware quirks fixed, figure out what was and wasn't implemented, usually a price drop and get a library backlog going.

[maxusy3k]

This is currently doing the rounds and sums up the cynical angle pretty well;

[ackblom12]

I just about lost it when it started on the car fetish talk.

[maxusy3k]

That was almost verbatim what was said at the actual conference, too!

[de_la_Nae]

That was hilarious, and far too true to life, I suspect.

[Thrillho]

I'm sorry, 'teraflops' are a real thing? It sounds like something Chris Morris would make up for a phony news report.

Also I heard that the PS4 won't be backwards compatible. That is fucking hilarious, and also a huge, huge dick move.

[ackblom12]

The BC issue is due to the CELL architecture. CELL is basically the biggest mistake Sony has made period since it means that no CPU architecture they come up with afterwards will ever be able to compatible. This is basically where all of us who follow the industry and hardware get to point and yell "WE FUCKING TOLD YOU SO!".

And yeah, Teraflops are "one trillion floating point operations per second".

[Thrillho]

WELL YEAH FUCKING OBVIOUSLY 

[ackblom12]

I have no capability of explaining it any better than this wikipedia entry to be honest.

Floating Point

[Pilchard123]

I can never take the name seriously. It's nearly as bad as WIMPs.

[Thrillho]

My favourite acronym ever is the TV panel show Would I Lie To You? Because it abbreviates to WILTY?

It amuses me that it's like a really aggressive way of asking someone if they're slightly limp.

[ackblom12]

TerraFLOPITIS could definitely be a new name for Erectile Dysfunction

[jwhouk]

"Not backwards compatible."

Suddenly, I hear a bunch of smirking Apple Macintosh fans chuckling to themselves.

[Welu]

I'm very slow to pick up new consoles or games, even if I have the money, so I barely keep up with announcements. Although I loved that video.