Menu Close

Sony Confirms R&D Costs For Future PlayStation Platform

Ben-Dutka 68 Comments

Most analysts and journalists don't expect the next PlayStation to arrive any time soon; previous estimates said no sooner than 2014.

But that doesn't mean Sony can't be working on the hardware, right? After revealing their annual numbers , Sony went on to confirm they are currently working on a successor to the PlayStation 3 . When financial officer Masaru Kato was asked about an increase in research and development costs, Kato replied that the "main driver" was "prototype research work, development work during the current fiscal year in [the] game segment."

"We have a portable NGP to be launched later this year, so we have development expenses to be incurred for this product and for the home equipment. The PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform–when we'll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that–but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there."

Nintendo has already confirmed that their new console will be playable at E3 and go on sale next year, and rumor has it that Microsoft is already hiring for "next generation" Xbox development. But as we've said before, we're plenty happy with the current platforms…not like we have any say in the matter. Ready for another console war?

Read more →

Crytek: We’re Prepared For The Future Generation

Ben-Dutka 60 Comments

How long has Crytek been preparing for the next generation of consoles? Oh, since around the time of the first Crysis .

Granted, that title never came to consoles but the sequel certainly did, and it turned out to be one of 2011's best titles thus far. In speaking to GamesIndustry.biz , Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli said their CryEngine 3 was made "with an eye on future hardware architectures." He adds that most of the fancy features in other middleware "are running in an unplayable tech demo on a supercomputer," but those very same features are in action right now (in the recently released Crysis 2 ). Said Yerli:

"We've been waiting for the next generation of consoles since we released Crysis 1, as the high end PC features we invented back then will be pretty standard on next-gen consoles, we believe.

Developers can work with CryEngine 3 right now, running real-time GI, sub-surface scattering, movie quality camera effects, etc. in vast worlds with extreme complexity and be confident that the technology they are working with will be scalable to the next generation."

This follows hot on the heels of what DICE said last week, about how they're looking forward to the next generation, and Ubisoft said something similar , too. There's no doubt that Crysis 2 was a great achievement, and it'll be interesting to see what Crytek does with their next project…and whether or not they'll wait for the PS4 or Xbox 720.

Read more →

Sources: No New PlayStation Or Xbox Until 2014

John-Shepard 67 Comments

Historically speaking, we should be preparing for the next round of consoles right now.

But according to various industry sources, neither Sony or Microsoft are prepared to launch into the next generation until 2014. This according to Kotaku ; it seems the two companies are seeking to extend the current console cycle, regardless of indications that Nintendo will launch a new system by the end of 2012.

One industry insider said, "Both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they're delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better." Other anonymous sources say Sony and Microsoft are thinking about 2014 as a target date, although 2013 is a possibility "if either company feels pushed."

As for what to expect, the source believes that any new Xbox in 2013 would be little more than a Kinect-upgraded system, rather than a full next-gen console. This source claims MS has no idea what parts would even come in the next Xbox, and the company is "wrestling with whether to be profitable on day one." M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon added:

"I think we'll see a game of chicken between Sony and Microsoft. Sony definitely isn't launching a successor before 2014 and could stand to benefit by having Microsoft launch first as PS3 builds in to North America and builds a strong position in Europe. Microsoft claims there's a lot more room in Xbox 360 for developers to max out, but here PS3 could have a strong advantage."

Personally, I'm good with what we've got now for another few years. How about you?

Read more →

DICE “Desperate” To Move Into The Next Generation

Ben-Dutka 81 Comments

When you have a new engine, you're a little more confident that you're keeping up with technology.

DICE has said several times that Battlefield 3 will push both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to their limits, and the studio isn't frightened of new consoles, either. DICE executive producer Patrick Bach told CVG that the upcoming FPS would be one of the best-looking console games of the year, but he'll "prove it rather than talk about it." And furthermore, he claims their Frostbite 2.0 engine "could cope with a new generation:"

"I don't know what the big corporations are thinking but definitely we are desperate to move on into the next generation. I think Battlefield 3 will look like a next-generation game and all the technology we're building, the whole Frostbite 2 system – the animations, audio, everything – is trying to aim for a couple of years in the future, rather than looking at what we have today.

We are already there. If [Microsoft or Sony] were to release a new console tomorrow, the engine would scale onto that platform, because we have been looking at not only the PC technology today but also speculating what will happen tomorrow when it comes to these things. So everything from our streaming technologies [to] rendering technologies is scalable onto future platforms."

Planning ahead is always a good idea. If you have an outdated engine and your productions look outdated on current consoles, you can't possibly be in a good position for the next round of systems. But DICE appears to be in the opposite position…and we're all sorts of excited for Battlefield 3 .

Read more →

Ubisoft Looking Forward To A New Console Generation

Ben-Dutka 86 Comments

Most developers have been pretty adamant: "No, we don't want any new consoles just yet."

But one publisher thinks we need a new round of consoles soon, because innovation and originality is starting to go out the window. In speaking to MCV , Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot claims there just isn't "enough creativity" at the end of a console's life cycle:

"Consumers like the current formats, but there is not enough creativity at the end of a cycle to really spark the business. If we look at the industry’s history we see that there are times when it is right to introduce new IP and times when it is harder. At this stage in the consoles’ life cycles it is possible to do new IP, but it will be more attractive when new consoles come along. That’s when consumers are more open to trying new things."

On top of which, Guillemot believes that even those developers who don't want the next generation to happen too soon will benefit: "They can try new things because the consumer expects and wants new things." Well, that may be true, but isn't it also true that it takes a developer time to come to terms with new hardware, especially where PlayStation is concerned?

At any rate, Microsoft and Nintendo will likely grant Ubisoft's wish long before Sony.

Read more →

Is Anyone Anywhere Ready For The PlayStation 4?

Ben-Dutka 130 Comments

You know, maybe we've just forgotten: it's 2011. In looking at the history of this industry, especially the history of the PlayStation brand, shouldn't we be anticipating the fourth console…like, now?

We're only months away from the four and a half year mark in regards to the PS3. Looking back at the original PlayStation, which launched in 1995, going four and a half years would put us in the middle of 1999…a mere 15 months (or so) away from the release of the PS2 in 2000. It was a bit longer between the PS2 and PS3 – the PS3 launched in late 2006 – but let's not forget that we'd be hearing news and rumors for well over a year before the machine actually arrived. And thus far, we've heard next to nothing about a fourth PlayStation. So what's the deal? Why isn't everyone everywhere clamoring for information? Where are the headlines?

Well, it's probably because nobody wants it right now. These years seem to have gone by faster than ever before, and Sony has only recently started to look at the PS3 as a profit-turner. Furthermore, most developers are saying the same thing- "hell no, I don't want the PS4; the PS3 still poses plenty of challenges and it's still plenty expensive to make games for it!" Before, when Sony would say a games machine would be around for 10 years (as was the case with the PS2), that didn't mean they wouldn't release a new console in that time frame. But this generation, doesn't it seem like just about everyone – gamers and game makers alike – would be perfectly happy if we didn't see another PlayStation for a good three or four years? It feels like the general consensus.

Personally, I distinctly remember really looking forward to the PS2, and actually sorta getting tired of the first PlayStation. But really, with the PS3, I feel plenty satisfied, and I'm convinced developers can indeed do more. Besides, I get the sneaking suspicion that the PS4 will be extraordinarily different…so different, in fact, that it'll be unrecognizable to those who grew up during the dawn of gaming.

Read more →