Ben-DutkaObviously, this question assumes there will be two models of the PlayStation 4 when Sony's new console launches later this year.
The rumors are saying there will indeed be two different versions, possibly one priced at $430 and the other holding a $530 price tag. So let's say that information is accurate: What is going to separate the two systems? It can't just be a bigger hard drive, can it? I guess it's possible.
But given the sheer amount of options and features, perhaps it's feasible that the $430 model simply won't boast every last bell and whistle. On the other hand, maybe it's a matter of equipment; i.e., what comes packaged with the console. I keep wondering if any game company will go back to the days when a new video game console came with a freakin' game. And I'd be ecstatic if I got a bigger hard drive and a game for the extra $100. Or maybe they'll throw in another controller, or something. One thing's for damn sure, though- The PS4 better not come with only A/V cables. Seriously. Just…no. It's ridiculous that an HDMI cable doesn't come with the PS3; the PS4 not coming with one is just obscene .
Anyway, what do you think might be the differences between the two PS4 models (assuming there are two models from which to choose)? And what would make you pay the higher price? Is there something you feel you'd absolutely need to have? What is worth that extra hundred bucks to you?
I'd be willing to bet my ps3 that both models come with the new PS move camera thing. I'd love for it to be a second controller but I'd guess its probably like double the hard drive space
Last edited by firesoul453 on 3/8/2013 10:21:37 PM
Has there ever been a console to launch w/ a game? I think your right its gonna be xtra hard drive space with the new Eye Camera. But i hope it also comes with a game or controller.
The PS2 came with Gran Turismo 3…
NES came with Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt and came with the light gun, SNES came with a Super Mario game too. It was all down hill game pack in wise from there, PS1 had that stupid demo disc, I don't remember getting GT3 with my PS2, N64 had nothing and only about 4-5 games at launch, list goes on.
PS3_Wizard: That was a bundle. Gran Turismo 3 didn't release until the summer of 2001; the PS2 launched on October 26, 2000 and most certainly didn't come with a game.
No system in the PS1/N64/Dreamcast era came with a game to my knowledge. The last consoles to do that were those that came out between the SNES/Genesis and N64/PS1; like the Jaguar, Saturn, 3DO, etc.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 3/9/2013 11:21:12 AM
The cheap model comes with an x86 cpu and the expensive model comes with a Cell processor =p
rofl!! Sounds about right
that'd be great, doubt it's gonna happen though…
According to Highlander, the cell doesn't cost that much to manufacture.
extra hd space or a game or two. Im thinking that they may ship it with only av cables because every tv has that option but some may not have an hdtv yet
if you don't have a tv modern enough to have hdmi inputs, you have absolutely no business buying a PS4… or a PS3 for that matter but even more so.
I must agree with Crabba here, even though I don't quite approve of the wording that he used.
The next generation of video game consoles, and even the current generation to some degree, is mostly focusing on high definition gameplay. Given the expected price of the PlayStation 4, and the general hardcore audience it's targeting, it would be safe to assume that well over 95% of all consumers interested in purchasing a PS4 will already have a television capable of at least 720p display, if not full 1080p.
If they do not yet have such a display, they can certainly afford to purchase one. This is especially true if they consider themselves 'hardcore' enough to even have the PS4 on their holiday wishlist. The fact is, if the can afford to purchase an expensive next generation device, they can afford an HDTV to go with it.
I was an early adopter of an hdtv Heck i have a 3dtv so id love 4 the ps4 to come packed with an hdmi cord
But when i think of it from Sony's perspective, they may feel like it'll hinder sales Think of a person who has the standard tv thinking theyll get to play their brand new ps4 unaware that they cant Whats sad is that i know ppl who still have a sdtv I tell them to get with the times…
Actually that may be a bit insensitive of me..
Even Wii U comes with an HDMI cable, both SKU's. There's no excuse for PS4 not to come with one. If Sony is smart they will make the A/V out the same as it's been since the PS1, that way everyone will already have said cable in their home to use if they don't have an HDMI input.
@clockwyzebkny: So let's say for a minute that Sony doesn't include an AV cable with their upcoming PS4, and some poor unfortunate (and apparently uneducated) person decides to purchase a PS4, completely unaware that it doesn't automatically provide a standard AV cable, like past PlayStations did. Putting aside that this scenario is extremely unlikely to occur, being as how most gamers do an extensive amount of research on their future purchases (ie, the PS4), if this person was utterly unaware of the lack of a standard AV cable, why can't he simply go out to the local Best Buy electronics store and buy a cheap $40 HDMI to AV converter? (assuming, of course, that the PS4 comes with an HDMI cable)
Heck, Amazon sells one for $37.50.
Honestly, if they cannot afford (or do not want) an HDTV, but intend to play a next generation device that primarily outputs in an HD format, going out to buy an additional $40 converter wouldn't be much of a bother for them.
I know people who have standard definition television sets as well, and do not have the money needed to purchase a new high definition display.
That's fair, and understandable in this current economy. However, I must stick with my initial point here. If they can afford to purchase a $400 (or higher) video game device, which is essentially a high end toy strictly for their own enjoyment, they should also be able to afford a television set.
And if they still cannot afford an HDTV as well as a PS4, that converter is still an option.
(or possibly the native Sony model that is likely going to be compatible with the PS4, as it was with all PlayStations before it. You can buy this cable for less than $5 nowadays, and if that cable is suddenly not compatible with the PS4, Sony will certainly sell an updated AV alternative for sale separately. This comment was mostly based on the assumption that Sony were to cut all support for standard definition displays, which just isn't likely to be the case. Although the SDTV market is certainly small, it does still exist. But, if they did happen to cut SD compatibility, that's where a converter would come in handy)
Last edited by wiiplay on 3/10/2013 1:40:29 AM
I believe the cheaper PS4 will only play digital games and the high end PS4 will play both physical and digital games. I will pick the cheaper PS4 because games will go digital and might as well build my virtual collection. I no longer need a reason to own a physical copy cause it will not be playable on the next playstation. Signing up to ps plus gives me an instant collection, and is another reason to ditch physical copies. I hope Sony will allow us to get a 2tb hdd or bigger for PS4.
If the cheap one doesn't have the camera I'd opt for that, but I don't want a tiny hard drive. Hopefully we can swap hard drives again too.
If this is the case, I would also go for the cheaper one. I'm guessing that we will be able to swap hard drives again, I mean I don't see why not. But I guess we will have to wait and see.
im thinkin it's either gonna be difference in the eye being packed in or hard drive size
What would REALLY make me buy the premium model is a model with more powerful CPU/GPU. Make a low-spec & a high-spec model, and people can decide for themselves if they think it's worth the extra dough for better detail & performance. For all those people who say "graphics don't matter" can simply by the cheaper model, and for those who are willing to pay an extra $100 for better performance can do so.
Other than that a PS3 BC Cell chip & PS2 chip would certainly make me more interested in the premium model.
I never understood why you would pay so much more for a "premium" ps3 when the only difference is a slightly bigger HD when you can buy a cheap 2.5" 1TB hard drive yourself and easily just plug it in.
I'm also hoping for these features, although they should really be standard in every model since they're really not adding any cost:
* More than 2 USB ports (bugging me to hell with these slim's without 4 usb ports which the original PS3 had)
* Make it possible to charge controllers in USB ports with console power off, really not rocket science here.
That would be a scary place to be if you needed to buy the better system to get your games to perform at 100%.
I'm no tech genius, but wouldn't that make it so that developers needed to make two versions of a game for the PS4?
If so, your comment would be a hassle to make games for the system.
Also, for every USB port that they add, it does increase the cost. Thats the whole reason they took some away after the PS3 launch to lower the cost.
Last edited by PS3_Wizard on 3/9/2013 1:46:33 AM
Agree that two different CPU speeds would be a bad idea. Also agree that more USB ports are needed, XBOX has more, Wii U has more, PS3 needs more, PS4 better have more, and at least one on the back of the friggin machine this time.
They will *obviously* not release various performance models – that would go against the entire fundamental philosophy behind gaming consoles.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/9/2013 5:39:47 AM
WorldEndsWithMe: Why? For all the people who've been claiming they don't care about graphics, they can simply get a bit lower detail, maybe resolution and other bits & pieces and still run fine FPS performance wise.
PS3_Wizard: Certainly not, if that was the case they would need to make hundreds of versions of that same game for every different piece of PC hardware out there, and as most know by now, the PS4 is just a PC in a console box.
Yes, usb ports add "cost", but that cost is VERY minimal, as in cents minimal, and it was a moronic decision by Sony to save those few cents when making the slim ps3.
Beamboom: There have already been rumors about this both for the new xbox and ps4, so it's certainly not that unlikely, and I don't see why that would go against the fundamentals of gaming consoles either, it would still be the same tech, only one clocking a bit higher than the other. In fact, the new PC technology used in both new consoles would be a perfect time to do this.
No offence but that would be idiotic, Crabba.
The whole deal with consoles is that there is *one* set of hardware specs to develop for. The philosophy of consoles are to take computer gaming and make it as simple as possible. To operate with different performance model alternatives just *screams* wrong.
Just imagine releasing a game that only runs smooth on one of the versions of the PS4. This simply will not happen, trust me.
Or, if you don't trust me then let's make a bet, shall we? Care to make it interesting?
Let's say… The first PS4 game to be released in December to the one who's right?
Beamboom: I didn't say it's gonna happen, just like BC it's probably never gonna happen, they will probably be as lazy as this gen and just separate the premium model by some bigger HD and maybe a Plus card…
I think it would be great if they did, and would probably increase sales a lot considering they could scale price & performance in a way they never did/could with the PS3, so the people who are only interested in getting it cheap would be able to do that, and the people interested in getting the better performance could do that, and would therefor be more likely to pick up a PS4 at launch.
You obviously didn't properly read my previous post, since I already explained that all games would obviously run smooth on both models, only the premium version COULD run some games with more detail, effects & possibly resolution, all easily scalable options that would be an easy thing for devs to do. Simpler games would run & look the same on both models, only more advanced games already scalable for higher performance like say Crysis, Battlefield and the like would include 2 tiers… Still very much the same code, simple & "consoley".
Honestly, it's something I've feared for quite some time; the possibility of a 'premium' contract-like service, where certain features are available at an additional yearly cost. (similar to Xbox Live)
Could it be possible that Sony is heading down the same road with the PS4, but rather than forcing you to pay for basic multiplayer functionality, they're making you pay for the cloud gaming privileges? So, without paying the subscription fee, which may be cleverly hidden behind a 'premium' console SKU, you would only have limited access to the cloud services that the PS4 is set to offer. Multiplayer, chat and other basic services already available for free on the PS3 would likely remain free, but the more advanced cloud networking services would need a subscription.
That's just my two cents. Seems fairly logical, given the high costs of managing a reliable cloud network.
I'm still rather uncertain as to the fate of the PS4. I love cloud gaming, but hate the seemingly forced social concepts that the PS4 proudly advertises as a key feature.
I buy game consoles to play games. If I wanted to be a social butterfly, I'd go out and join a club, or possibly even go to a bar every so often.
Really skeptical about how Sony will handle this. Going to buy a console nonetheless, possibly even a day 1 purchase. (if I can find one) I love Sony exclusive IPs, and will buy a PS4 just for them. (just like I bought a Wii U mostly for Nintendo games)
I just hope they don't try to force me into a social environment I don't want to be a part of.
I'm pretty sure you don't have to fill out your profile with real info or share your videos etc.
Worlds, that may be true, but the same can be said with Facebook as well. They do not 'force' you to use your real name as your identifier, but it is recommended and 'pushed' as a 'must use' feature. In other words, if you're not doing it, you're not cool.
Last edited by wiiplay on 3/8/2013 10:58:51 PM
I would rather pay, say, $250 upfront for a lifetime of whatever extra services we get or the "premium" services rather than to pay $50 a year.
After having PS+, I just don't like going back to normal, it's like a huge chunk of the experience went away, and it did.
If there are two models, I will get the more expensive one.
I don't use facebook, twitter, none of that crap. I have a youtube account but that's about it. All these social features Sony implemented in the Ps4 are useless to me. What has the world become with all this social media online interaction? What happened to them good old days when if you wanted to meet anyone you'd have to tell Juanito to go call whoever to meet at whatever location.
Killa,
It's the fault of the digital age. Soon we will have surrogates to use so we will never go outside again. Haha!
Personally, for the extra $100, I expect bigger hard drive, and a game. I thinkthe PSeye will be included in either, but if not, then the more expensive one should surely includ it. Basically, I'd have no problem paying extra $100 if it came with a bigger hard drive, a game, and a pseye.
I also hear they may come packaged with some sort of headset too, that can plug into your controller. That might be an additional accessory/possibility.
The premium model will boast more peripherals, PS4 controller, HDMI cable, and bigger HDD, while the base model will come with just the PS4 controller, A/V cables smaller HDD 250GB max. That's my thinking about it.
Maybe one model without the buy-ray drive?
With the promise of every title being digitally available and the streaming services it strictly speaking is not an absolute need for this drive any more.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/9/2013 2:14:47 AM
A model with better specs would be my greatest hope, but seems pretty unlikely. Wouldn't that just be a pain in the ass for developers and business wise?
An eye and move addition seems possible and like a good deal to me. A Ground Zeros launch bundle would get me up at dawn launch day.
Maybe the higher SKU model will just come with a vita bundled with it to try to entice more early adopters. Every thing else will be the same with the PS4.
By the time the PS4 comes out surely the Vita will have had a price drop. Think about it, they can target the WiiU market with this bundle. Sony certainly liked pointing out the connectivity between the two devices at their recent conference.
Last edited by BigT_1980 on 3/9/2013 3:12:52 AM
ps4 wont cost that much, as i heard, the cheapest will be around $350, made possible coz of sony deal with AMD to rebrand and sell its PS4 APU in the mass market for consumer, so they are getting the parts for fairly cheap. And I assume The two SKU will definitely have the HDD size difference and also the Premium version will come with one year PS++ or whatever it ends up being call. In that sense they are giving away a game free, just like current PS+ free game program
id go for larger storage maybe a switch from HDD to SSD, but im hoping both will offer flash media rather than the archaic ancient unreliable slow HDD.
bundled hardware as well, the "deluxe" edition will probably come with the updated ps eye camera, and maybe even a move controller.
basically everything you need to play all the launch games.
hopefully will have some sort of reward program as well, a little thank you program only "deluxe" buyers have access too.
maybe throw in a free 3 month trial to plus too.
or maybe a free trial to the gaikai service.
i really cant see it restricting features, especially if its features games will use.
like saying oh you did not buy the deluxe version so you cant use the share button, you did not buy the deluxe version so your not able to play games you have not fully downloaded.
that would be stupid, shooting yourself in the foot big time!
SDD would be so goddam impractical with these huge mandatory game installs.
why?
SSDs have dropped rapidly in price to the point $ony could easily put a 500GB SSD in the machine if they wanted to.
help with boot up times too, something they REALLY need to work on!
Kinda easy, one gonna be bundled with some game , more HD and a one or three months of PSN plus.
The other just vanilla.
IMO, if it's going be a $100 difference it can't be just a bigger HDD, not even for $50, $50 more is too much for just bigger HDD.
Depending on the price difference, PS Camera, PS Move, PS Plus, game(s), extra controller(s) could be included.
the higher bundle should come with a Vita 🙂
The premium SKU should include the PS3 chipset. It would effectively be the ultimate playstation.
Actually, forget that, they could make the premium SKU with better HDD and a card reader, that kind of thing. But they should release a PlayStation Ultimate system. Since the system is a PC new, they could put the PS3 chipset on a expansion card along with the RSX memory and PS2 system on a chip, beef up the cooling in the system and sell them for $600 easily.
Seriously, a PlayStation Ultimate would be capable of playing every disc based PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 game along with all the PSN content you can shake a stick at. If that's not worth $600, what is?
And now you've gone and made me drool.
In a perfect world, Highlander.
Yeah that'd be stellar.
Yes, I would buy that!