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throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,772
6,935
Perth, Western Australia
I'm interested to see what apple do on the TV front.

I suspect something equivalent to an ipad 4 or ipad5 built into a TV would be a fairly competent game console in its own right, if given bluetooth controller support.
 

Miharu

macrumors 6502
Aug 12, 2007
381
10
Finland
I'm not in a hurry for a new console generation. I'm more interested in buying a new model of PS3 to replace my old. But not the slide-opening superslim version.
 

blesscheese

macrumors 6502a
Apr 3, 2010
698
178
Central CA
I have a gaming PC and now my Wii U. If the next-gen Playstation or Sony has something exclusive on it that I want, I'll get it, otherwise, no.

There hasn't been anything so far on the XBox or PS that I have wanted...

I'm also a little concerned about M$ dicking around with PC owners by locking in content for the XBOX for the first 30 days, and seemingly giving incentives for developers to not optimize for the PC until later (I'm thinking Skyrim here...). Because of that, I would be more biased towards getting a Playstation...
 

LagunaSol

macrumors 601
Apr 3, 2003
4,798
0
PS4, absolutely. I used to prefer computer gaming, but console gaming has some nice benefits. First, everyone is on a level playing field. You're not competing with someone who has a liquid-cooled overclocked $6,000 gaming PC, a 25-button mouse and an LCD keyboard with 100 extra hotkeys. Second, you don't have to deal with all the hacks and cheats. There's always at least one moron who has to ruin every game.

I don't buy Microsoft stuff and I'm really disappointed with the Wii U (I was a day-one owner of the original Wii), so I'm hoping Sony comes through with its next-gen Playstation (though they don't deserve much confidence right now...).

----------

I'm not in a hurry for a new console generation. I'm more interested in buying a new model of PS3 to replace my old. But not the slide-opening superslim version.

I agree, the new Super Slim feels like cheap junk. You might want to jump on this deal from Amazon as these previous Slim models won't be around for long. It's hard to find a deal on one.

I ordered myself one from the Amazon deal today. Needed another Blu-ray player (I already own a Slim), figured I'd spend the extra and go for the full console.
 

TedM

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2012
356
2
California
Probably. I don't know if I will get it at release. To me that seems a bit foolish as its really expensive and there aren't a lot of games at release. So my answer is yes. I will end up buying both. Maybe at release maybe not. Won't know till I see them launch titles. Won't be buying that Wii U garbage though.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
My theory is this, when ps4 & 720 hit they will be powerful enough to run a game like Crysis 3 with the same level of fidelity as the PC versions (dx11, tests elation & all that jazz) kitted out with the best & latest hardware now.

Realistically I could just buy a new ATI 7970 or such, bung it into my PC and have similar experience right now but €550-600 for a GPU compared to same price as a full launch next gen console and one that can be transported and serve as a Blu-ray player and such means that during this transition time I prefer to put my money on next gen consoles, than updating my PC hardware which is still good (runs mst games at 1080p on high settings still)

Then 4-5 years or so into the next gen when PC Cards are faster and cheaper I usually update my computer and then play majority of big multiplatform games on my PC as they inevitably look & play better than by that stage 'weaker hardware' on console.
 

blesscheese

macrumors 6502a
Apr 3, 2010
698
178
Central CA
My theory is this, when ps4 & 720 hit they will be powerful enough to run a game like Crysis 3 with the same level of fidelity as the PC versions (dx11, tests elation & all that jazz) kitted out with the best & latest hardware now.
...
Then 4-5 years or so into the next gen when PC Cards are faster and cheaper I usually update my computer and then play majority of big multiplatform games on my PC as they inevitably look & play better than by that stage 'weaker hardware' on console.

There's a lot of merit to this console-PC-console-PC "technology leapfrog" idea. I have kinda-sorta done it in the past.

My problem is I have difficulty getting rid of old stuff...you know, it becomes kinda like family...and so it is better for me not to bring home "stray consoles" as the PC is the best all-around device for me.
 

peskaa

macrumors 68020
Mar 13, 2008
2,104
5
London, UK
I'll buy a PlayStation 4 but won't get an Xbox. My 360 is sitting gathering dust because there is literally nothing interesting being released for it (I don't play Halo) that isn't cross-platform.
 

Tsuchiya

macrumors 68020
Jun 7, 2008
2,310
372
I think I'll probably end up buying both eventually. With the next Xbox I'm willing to take a chance and buy on release. The playstation...not so much. Depending on what Sony announce, I'll wait until there are a solid handful of must-haves.
 

Taustin Powers

macrumors 6502
Apr 5, 2005
263
549
I will very likely get the PS4, unless they kill it with some sort of "innovative controller" gimmick. Classic-type controller is a must for me.

However, I won't get it right away on launch day like I did the previous two Playstations. I am perfectly happy with the PS3 at this point, and there are still tons of good games to experience at an increasingly reasonable price level. I'll wait till the PS4 sees the first price drop, maybe even the inevitable first "slim" hardware revision. Saves a lot of money on hardware AND games!
 

hovscorpion12

macrumors 68030
Sep 12, 2011
2,536
2,463
USA
I am looking forward to the Xbox 720. I have had the Xbox 360 since launch in '07. There are rumors that the Xbox 720 will have graphics and processors that can match and or beat Alien-ware. Again that's rumor. I'm taking it with a grain of salt. I am still impressed with what the Xbox 360 can do in terms of graphics. 2012 brought graphic heavyweight games. Ex. Halo 4, Sleeping Dogs, Darksiders II, Black ops II..etc. Lara croft looks good, but can't tell if per-rendered or actual gameplay. GTA V may or may not be a disappointment depending on its graphics, everything else regarding gameplay, scale is amazing. 2013 is another big year, possibly that last of the Xbox 360. At least it's going out with a bang. It would be even better if the Xbox 720 has better backward compatibility with the Xbox 360, then the Xbox 360 had with the original Xbox.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
I am looking forward to the Xbox 720. I have had the Xbox 360 since launch in '07. There are rumors that the Xbox 720 will have graphics and processors that can match and or beat Alien-ware. Again that's rumor. I'm taking it with a grain of salt. I am still impressed with what the Xbox 360 can do in terms of graphics. 2012 brought graphic heavyweight games. Ex. Halo 4, Sleeping Dogs, Darksiders II, Black ops II..etc. Lara croft looks good, but can't tell if per-rendered or actual gameplay. GTA V may or may not be a disappointment depending on its graphics, everything else regarding gameplay, scale is amazing. 2013 is another big year, possibly that last of the Xbox 360. At least it's going out with a bang. It would be even better if the Xbox 720 has better backward compatibility with the Xbox 360, then the Xbox 360 had with the original Xbox.

The Xbox 360 launched December 2005 here, so where are you that it took two years more to launch? ;)


Both the Durango (xbox) and the Orbis (ps4) have reportedly the exact same quad core processor at the same speed.

It's GPU and Memory configurations that make the difference between the two.

The difference is the next Xbox comes with 8gb of standard ram, with reportedly 3 GB reserved specifically for the system and background stuff, and 5 for games / content. It also features 32gb EDRam the ultra fast ram that acts as a buffer between ram and CPU in order to speed the slower ram up and prevent bottlenecks.

The GPU is based on the 7000 AMD series


The PS4 comes with 4Gb of ram, but its the GDR5 type that comes on graphics cards and is significantly faster than the 8gb of memory in the Xbox (excluding the EDRam) 1Gb ram is reserved for the system, 3gb is available to games software.

It's GPU is based on te AMD 8000 series and likewise is faster than the xbox's on paper.



So on paper the ps4 should have 15% advantage over the Xbox's GPU, however the differences in memory (8gb + 32Mb Über fast edram. Versus. 4gb GDR5) will in all liklihood make the difference negligible.

So its looking like both the next Xbox and Playstation will be very close to each other and you can bet Multi-platform games will be even more indistinguishable than they are now, which is actually a good thing.


Where your purchasing decision will now come into play is in what additional services each of the consoles offer, and what exclusive first party titles appeal to you.


Hopefully with console hardware virtually identical to each other, this generation will have less of the fanboy BS, but that's probably just wishful thinking on my part.


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gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Got a Wii U only because I traded a couple of Nintendo systems in my collection for it.

I'm hearing that Sony and MS are looking into locking the games to the system (like NFC or RFID) to eliminate the used market. If that's the case, I won't be getting those systems until they're down below $200 and the games I want are in the bargin bin...
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
Got a Wii U only because I traded a couple of Nintendo systems in my collection for it.

I'm hearing that Sony and MS are looking into locking the games to the system (like NFC or RFID) to eliminate the used market. If that's the case, I won't be getting those systems until they're down below $200 and the games I want are in the bargin bin...

The chances are that wont happen this generation. Sony did the same thing with PS3 and it never happened.

With many of the big video-game retailers got into trouble during the global-recession period, it's only the likes of Gamestop and such that are surviving / and thriving and mostly in the second hand trade-in market.

If Sony or Microsoft pulled a move like this now - whilst the retail world is still shaky- I imagine Gamestop and others would simply refuse to stock the console, (they have threatened this before and done so with PSP-Go in many cases) and that would be a disaster this coming gen for Sony & Microsoft.

We all know where game distribution is heading, but currently more people still prefer to buy their games in retail / so they can be traded in later, than via digital download where the cost and perceived benefits are not as good a proposition than the retail package.


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Solomani

macrumors 601
Sep 25, 2012
4,785
10,477
Slapfish, North Carolina
PS4 most likely. I hope to be happy with that. The PS4 for serious gaming, and my shiny (2012) iMac for everything else!

P.S. -- why the heck do they want to call it Orbis? Is it really going to be orb-shaped? Calling it PS4 is more than fine with me.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
PS4 most likely. I hope to be happy with that. The PS4 for serious gaming, and my shiny (2012) iMac for everything else!

P.S. -- why the heck do they want to call it Orbis? Is it really going to be orb-shaped? Calling it PS4 is more than fine with me.

It wont really be called Orbis - that just the development code name. Lets face it Durango is worse ;)


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peskaa

macrumors 68020
Mar 13, 2008
2,104
5
London, UK
The Xbox 360 launched December 2005 here, so where are you that it took two years more to launch? ;)


Both the Durango (xbox) and the Orbis (ps4) have reportedly the exact same quad core processor at the same speed.

It's GPU and Memory configurations that make the difference between the two.

The difference is the next Xbox comes with 8gb of standard ram, with reportedly 3 GB reserved specifically for the system and background stuff, and 5 for games / content. It also features 32gb EDRam the ultra fast ram that acts as a buffer between ram and CPU in order to speed the slower ram up and prevent bottlenecks.

The GPU is based on the 7000 AMD series


The PS4 comes with 4Gb of ram, but its the GDR5 type that comes on graphics cards and is significantly faster than the 8gb of memory in the Xbox (excluding the EDRam) 1Gb ram is reserved for the system, 3gb is available to games software.

It's GPU is based on te AMD 8000 series and likewise is faster than the xbox's on paper.



So on paper the ps4 should have 15% advantage over the Xbox's GPU, however the differences in memory (8gb + 32Mb Über fast edram. Versus. 4gb GDR5) will in all liklihood make the difference negligible.

So its looking like both the next Xbox and Playstation will be very close to each other and you can bet Multi-platform games will be even more indistinguishable than they are now, which is actually a good thing.


Where your purchasing decision will now come into play is in what additional services each of the consoles offer, and what exclusive first party titles appeal to you.


Hopefully with console hardware virtually identical to each other, this generation will have less of the fanboy BS, but that's probably just wishful thinking on my part.

A few errors in there, if we believe the rumours.

The CPUs are going to be the same, but octocore not quad core - offset by a slower clock speed of 1.6Ghz. AMD chips, but off an upcoming platform not the current Bulldozer/Piledriver setup.

Memory on the PS3 is rumoured to only reserve 512MB for OS functions, leaving 3.5GB of that super speedy GDDR5 available for games. To be honest, I think this is better than Microsoft's approach of 5GB DDR3 for games (plus a small amount of faster ESRAM for buffering). The ESRAM is going to be about the same speed as GDDR5 - Microsoft are making a cost saving here by going for DDR3. The PS4's CPU/GPU are also going to be directly connected to the RAM, rather than having to go through the ESRAMto access it.

GPU wise, the PS4 should have an AMD card with 18 CUs (Compute Units, sort of like a CPU core) compared to 12 on the Xbox. Both are 7xxx series cards, in PC terms, as the 8xxx series is simply too new to be included.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
A few errors in there......


yeah but no but ;-) I was mostly right and I meant 2x quad core :p I still suspect the differences between the two when it actually comes down to it will be mostly OS & the extra services rather than power wise. At least this time round the game graphics should be pretty much snap between the two and with such similar CPU - it should mean developers can get the most out of both systems in the same time-frame.



bunny.png
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
The chances are that wont happen this generation. Sony did the same thing with PS3 and it never happened.

With many of the big video-game retailers got into trouble during the global-recession period, it's only the likes of Gamestop and such that are surviving / and thriving and mostly in the second hand trade-in market.

If Sony or Microsoft pulled a move like this now - whilst the retail world is still shaky- I imagine Gamestop and others would simply refuse to stock the console, (they have threatened this before and done so with PSP-Go in many cases) and that would be a disaster this coming gen for Sony & Microsoft.

We all know where game distribution is heading, but currently more people still prefer to buy their games in retail / so they can be traded in later, than via digital download where the cost and perceived benefits are not as good a proposition than the retail package.



Something's gotta get done at the Download level. Looking at the Wii U store, Nintendo is charging the same amount of money for downloads as the physical discs... :eek:

Same goes for online movies. I see iTunes older shows for $10 and TV seasons for $30, whereas the DVD's are on sale for $5 - $7 for older movies and $15 for older TV seasons.

I'm partial towards Halo and would like to get the next XBox...
 

peskaa

macrumors 68020
Mar 13, 2008
2,104
5
London, UK
yeah but no but ;-) I was mostly right and I meant 2x quad core :p I still suspect the differences between the two when it actually comes down to it will be mostly OS & the extra services rather than power wise. At least this time round the game graphics should be pretty much snap between the two and with such similar CPU - it should mean developers can get the most out of both systems in the same time-frame.




Absolutely, but I think the GPU difference might crop up at times - the PS is noticeably more powerful than the Xbox, which could mean more constant frame rates or more advanced features (lighting, tesselation etc).

However, a basically shared CPU architecture is a win all round.
 

roxxette

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2011
1,507
0
for one like me, where i play a game every now and then it sucks to have to get OS updates and then game updates that take forever....to the point I say screw it and go do something else

Exactly ! Ive been turn off by the updates several times, they take forever for some reason :( atleast for me.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
Exactly ! Ive been turn off by the updates several times, they take forever for some reason :( atleast for me.

One major plus point for PS+

It downloads the patches to your currently played games in the background so they are ready to be installed next time you start your game.

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cluthz

macrumors 68040
Jun 15, 2004
3,118
4
Norway
I have not been much into console gaming.
To be honest the only reason I want to have a console is to run RPG games that doesn't get released on PC.

XBox 360 is in my eyes a system that has most PC games, but those I prefer on PC.
PS3 have had quite a few unique RPGs too.

I just last year got into Nintendo Wii, because of Xenoblade Chronicles. That was for me last year's definite highlight in gaming, and I'm now playing The Last Story, which is also pretty good.

There is a huge chance I'm gonna buy a console, but it will not be on release, but possibly after a year, and then I'll choose which has most unique games that aren't available on PC/Mac.
 

TedM

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2012
356
2
California
I'll probably grab one or the other. Depends on the launch titles, but my expectations are that this is way better than the garbage that is the wii u.
 
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