Rumor: Sony chooses IBM POWER 7 CPU for PlayStation 4

ps3clan.nl reports: "IBM shall POWER7 debut for the server market in the summer of 2010. The PlayStation 4 shall use a cost effective version of the architecture custom designed for Sony's specific needs.

The only information available regarding FGNOnline currently has specifications and performance is that the implementation of the PS4 chip cores shall use 6.8, 24-32MB shared L3 cache, Quad core by threading, and a double precision performance approaching 200GFLOPS.

The CELL chip which powers the PS3 is capable of 15 double precision GFLOPS. This would give the PS4 a performance leap of over 10 fold over it's predecessor."

[zootang]

I'm saying there is not gonna be a playstation 4 for a long time!

[TOO PAWNED]

agree

[Dutch Boogie]

I agree. What is this nonsense? Sony won't release a ps4 until they reach at least 60-70 million ps3 consoles sold worldwide. Unless they mean the new cell chip will be released in 2012.

[DasBunker]

as a gamer i gotta say im always excited about how the next gen of games and consoles will be.. im glad the PS3 got the edge on graphics this gen.. one jaw dropping title after another

[TOO PAWNED]

whos to say that they won't reach 60 million or more by 2012? Remember 2010 is about to begin, and let's assume PS4 is fall 2012, that's 3 years from now.
Either way i have hard time with this story...way to early to talk about PS4.

[Sarcasm]

We're talking about 3 years from now, it COULD happen. By then the PS3 is already 6 years old, which is pretty much in line with the previous generations.

This doesn't mean that we all have to stop playing our PS3s.

[whoelse]

Well if this is true, it sounds like Sony probably regrets adopting technology that although is very powerful, is tough for developers to make the most out of.

If there really is a PS4 coming out in 2012 (feels too early to me), then I think we know what will be the star of E3 10!

[deeznuts]

Not too far fetched in my opinion. 2012 is a long ways away. Allow for highly probably delays, 2013 and now we've got 7 years in between releases. 6-7 years between console releases is highly probable

[blind-reaper]

but... butt the world ends in 2012!!! I want more time with my PS4 before I die!

[Sarcasm]

"If there really is a PS4 coming out in 2012 (feels too early to me), then I think we know what will be the star of E3 10! "

It's going to be late 2012, we're talking a full 36 months from now. Look at where the PS3 was 3 years ago and where it is now, a lot of things can change in 3 years.

PS4 will definitely be out by 2012-2013

[solar]

Silly Valve. They better start programming for a dead technology quick!!

:)

[evrfighter]

I don't think Valve is worried about console sales.

" http://www.fudzilla.com/con...
"Head man of Impulse distribution platform parent company Stardock, Brad Wardell, says his company's estimate puts Valve in charge of about 70 percent of the PC digital distribution market."

[raztad]

Valve better start training some programmers. The Power 7 looks to be a hybrid many core CPU, that is it can double as a CPU/GPU as the Cell does. There is no way to go but forward, the monolithic pentium age is over but Valve's stuck in it.

[evrfighter]

maybe next-gen consoles might actually enable Anti-Aliasing

LOL

[LukaX23]

Ever heard of Gran Turismo?

[DaTruth]

All this 2012 end of the world stuff and now we know the birth of Skynet is 2012 Judgment day!

It's all coming together!

Edit:Glad I got to be the first to say it!

[Saaking]

2012 sounds good. 6 full years of PS3 only support + 4 years of PS4 + PS3 support. I can't wait.

[sikbeta]

Is not gonna be a PS4 in quite some time, but doesn't mean they are not thinking AHEAD, what I'm saying Sony is not gonna wait to the PS3 cycle end to start thinking how to make the next one XP

The article is misunderstanding the whole point, IBM canceled the CELL as a product, but is using the same architecture basis to make new versions, i.e better/more powerful-efficient microprocessor architectures based on the CELL

This is something the Average Joe is not understanding, is like saying Coke stop making coke but use the same formula to make a better soda

[randomwiz]

"6-8 cores, 24-32MB shared L3 Cache, Quad threading per core, and a double precision performance approaching 200GFLOPS."

Soudns almost too good to be true. But it seems as though Sony is still going to use most powerful console strategy, but this time, they're actually making the parts they use cost efficient

ps4 and Xbox 720 BETTER BE LIQUID COOLED!(saying this because I got rrod twice and ylod once)

good for sony learning after their mistakes with the ps3 launch. They did something right with the slim launch, and you can bet they are going to launch the ps4 correctly this time.

[pixelsword]

Xmas time. This is just a ploy to get people thinking the PS4 is coming out soon.

[gaffyh]

I am going to say this one more time, THE SOURCE IS A BLOG!!

Which is why the whole info is fake.

[Pandamobile]

Valve's already expressed interest towards Intel's Larrabee.

[Arnon]

How about we quit worrying about how much processing power a console has, and actually throw in a good GPU for a change. I guarantee you, that you would see much better results. If my dual-core 2.5GHz + Radeon HD 4830 512MB can run Crysis on Very High, then quit worrying about some 8 core CPU. Processing power is most certainly a key element, but it should not be the defining factor of making a good console. If the cell was ANYTHING like most claim it is, I would be able to run Killzone 2 in a window while surfing the internet and listening to music, all on the same console. Considering the specs of this POWER-7, there's CPUs such as the ATI Evergreen, which is is 544 Gflop/s Double precision and its out right now.

Yes, continue using the cell (since it's one of the main reasons why it put them in a financial hole, or at least something of equivalent efficiency), but instead of throwing in a card that is equivalent to a 7800, take it up a notch and throw in something that will not be considered outdated the day it's released.

[Elaine Benes]

the world is ending, and the true believers will ascend in to Zeckiah, the safe-world created by the almighty Barsamus.

There will be no PS4 and xb720.

Join us now, for the time of ascension is near.

[Arnon]

lol... the world's ending in 2012!!

Oh, by the way, you're off by a day. Good job.

*rolls eyes*

[GWAVE]

If this is true, AWESOME! It just goes to show that Sony will pursue the best technology, even if it means leaving some of their old technology behind.

[HolyOrangeCows]

....wow.....no comment.

[SuperM]

Im not convinced that this is as much better then the cell as this article says. The Cell has 15gflops performance at double precision but about 200gflops at single precision. i honestly dont know what double precision means in comparison to single precision (float) and i dont know if these guys do either.

At wikipedia it says Power7 can reach about 250 gflops but it doesnt say anything about wether this is dual precision or not.

however if it really is that much more powerfull then the cell then we can only imagine what developers like Guerrilla and Naughty Dog will be able to pull of on the PS4. Next gen is going to look like CGI.

[Nihilism]

I agree with the first post, they need to post a profit before they did that hole deeper

[shazam]

ps3 is 40+ times more powerful than ps2 so this is bs

[Hisiru]

Why people here want a PS4 so soon? I am happy with the PS3 and I am sure it has much more to offer.

[zeeshan]

Yeah, I don't think that is going to happen... at all. I mean PS3 coming out in 2012. Unless I hear it direct from Sony, I won't be worrying about this type of news. First, I am sure that SONY is already thinking ahead about PS4 but this is no software we are talking about. That information is highly classified. It's another think to let info leak when it comes to an aleady designed/developed software or hardware but it's totally another when it comes to a tech that is under development.

PS3 remains the powerhouse of this gen and it has a lot more life remaining than most people usually imagine. The Sony's 10 year lifecycle claim is no BS. They pretty much mean that because they have the hardware that can live that long and support their plans.

[Mars Attacker]

If this is true, it is good news for gamers and developers. By dumping the Cell Sony will make things a lot easier on developers. Switching to a faster and easier to program CPU will allow for the PS4 to hit the ground running with great titles right out out of the starting gate. For gamers it will mean the PS4 won't gather dust waiting for games like the PS3 did.

[rucky]

So 2011 XBOX 720 confirmed?

[SuperStrokey1123]

The said they will support the 360 till one day after sony stops supporting the ps3, take that how you will.

[DelbertGrady]

No need for MS to rush anything. They haven't been in the backseat this gen like Sony.

[raztad]

@SuperS

So Ms is waiting for Sony to announce when the PS3 support will end? that's funny :D

[Harry_Manback]

There is so much fail & irony in that statement that I don't even know where to begin!
>_<

[sikbeta]

"The said they will support the 360 till one day after sony stops supporting the ps3, take that how you will"

Why M$ doesn't start to think by itself instead of wait for another company make a move and then follow it, they invented the "rush and jump to the next console" thing, so why don't start to make their own rules

[Trebius]

Off Topic: SodaPopinsky likes to spread eagle and let his father play with his vagina.

On Topic: This news about the PS4 is a little premature...(way premature actually)but I still enjoy hearing about it...its very exciting to think about how great technology has been evolving and how we were fortunate enough to see it happen.

Im thankful to have been alive to play the Atari 2600 all the way up to the Dreamcasts, Jaguars, and N64s and what-not.

It's amazing to think only 20 years ago we were in Awe at a pixel that could run and jump...

If technology continues to evolve in this manner...

Skynet is the truth...

[Mista T]

POWER7 will have these specifications:
45 nm process
4.04 GHz clock speed
max 2 chips per multi chip module
4, 6 or 8 cores per chip
4 threads per core
VMX capable core
32 MB on-die, L3 cache, shared by all cores. The cache is implemented in eDRAM (instead of SRAM)
max 517.1 GFLOPS per module
max 258.6 GFLOPS per chip
max 32.3 GFLOPS per core

I don't get that^ tell me what all that means some one that knows

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Basically...

...it's gonna freakin' rock!

[sikbeta]

IBM POWER architecture are non RISK which is an standard for non Computer Devices like every CPU for consoles, basically a RISK CPU is made in order that the CPU can do an amount instructions with a higher performance, so if SONY implement the IBM POWER 7 as The CPU, we'll have the same microprocessor as a HIGH-END PC

CELL Parallel Process Programing is the Real Future, I can't believe whiners can't deal with that, by that logic Computer Programing will never evolve

If this is truth, at least we know PS4 will be AMAZINGLY POWERFUL

[Mista T]

so woooow could it outdo games graphically such as crysis perhaps????

[ChrisW]

Cysis graphics are easily attainable on the PS3. It's the horrendous amount of physics that would cause it problems.

[lightningsax]

If Microsoft really names their new console the Xbox 720, I will laugh for days. Maybe it'll have "Tony Hawk Ride 2: Electric Sidekick-loo" packed in. I really don't think that will be the case. Sony will have PS4, which is easy enough to say, but Microsoft will need a new name for their new system. Especially if they're planning another followup- The Xbox 1440? That would be superior marketing right there.

[Arnon]

How exactly could a Power-7 be considered a high end PC CPU, when there's already CPUs that are outdoing this thing, right now? Sorry, but a console's hardware will only mirror a PC's hardware for a good... month? Actually, by the time the PS4 releases (if it's going to use this CPU), it will have already been outdated by possibly a few years.

http://www.tgdaily.com/hard...

I really wonder if anyone has actually worked with PC hardware, here.

"As long as it's got a good CPU, that's all that matters. Don't you know? That's how pretty games are made!"

Also, no. Crysis graphics are NOT easily attainable on the PS3, especially when the console can hardly even produce good anti-aliasing, and the fact that it's been proven that games like Killzone 2 are locked at 30 FPS at 720p, while a PC is running Crysis at absolutely no limit to FPS, with a resolution of 2560x1600. Crysis on very high will push about 3,000,000 polygons per frame in a big scene. At a reasonable 30 FPS, that's 90,000,000 polygon's per second, which I guarantee you, a PS3 could NOT handle.

Like I said... put a good GPU in the PS4, and you'll get better results than putting in an over-the-top CPU.

[Mars Attacker]

How many times do I have to tell you guys its going to be called the Xbox 1080? Calling it the Xbox 720 makes no sense when every game will run at 1080P...

[STONEY4]

"Cysis graphics are easily attainable on the PS3. It's the horrendous amount of physics that would cause it problems."

Then explain to me how no PS3 games look anywhere near Crysis?

[MetalGearRising]

Now it's time for Microsoft and see what they have up there sleeve......i'm guessing something more powerful and under raps which will be a knockout blow to sony's ps4.

[RetroPietro]

but even if the Xbox 3 is twice as powerful as the PS4 i wont be buying it. After my awful experience with the 360 i am never buying another Xbox. They are just not worth any money.
At least we all know the PS4 will have the best games and be the most reliable. Sony have never failed.

[PlayStation X]

cant wait to see the next gen version of rrod aswell =/

[Foliage]

It is more likely that Microsoft will once again panic since they don't have anything special planned, and after seeing what Sony has coming (which will trump their console yet again), will cause them to release their console a year or two before the PS4, rush it to market, and have another 60%+ failure rate.

But you'll still buy 7 of them.

[ZBlacktt]

Awh, it's year 4 for them and they are at 60% fail rate. I think they should fix the problems before putting out anything else ever.

[Pirateogta]

Year 4 and they're at a 60% failure rate? What in Satan's name are you talking about? First of all, the 60% failure rate is not a real figure. It's an inflated figure from a magazine survey responded to by fanboys that did not even have a 360.

Second of all, even if that was a real figure, it would be for the 360's entire life-span, not for current consoles. The failure rate for new 360s is well within the norm for any electronic product and even Microsoft themselves have stated that the RROD is in the past now.

Sure, there will still be failing 360s, but not many more than there are failing PS3s or failing Wiis.

[blizzard_cool]

Every time I'm having a bad day, I come here, read your comments and start laughing out loud. I thank you for that :)

[RROD Service_Rep]

Microsoft Rep: Hey, Sony announced what cpu they're going to use.

Microsoft: What! already? We're not prepared for next gen. Its ok, go to IBM and get a quick cheap modified version of it, and get the guys at bungie to make another halo ready. And we'll raise LIVE to $100 to subsidize the price of the console

[Lou-Cipher]

It really doesn't matter who has the best hardware in the future.

The biggest reason is

Playstation will always be better than Xbox simply because Sony has a $hit load of AAA Quality Game Developers under contract(1st&2nd party) and Microsoft doesn't.

While Playstation owners will never be able to play any of Microsoft's 1st or 2nd party games (Halo/Forza/Fable Franchises)

Xbox owners will never be able to play games from Sony's 1st & 2nd party like:

Uncharted Franchise
God of War Franchise
Gran Turismo Franchise
Infamous Franchise
Killzone Franchise
Motorstorm Franchise
Socom Franchise
MLB The Show Franchise
Little Big Planet Franchise
Jak & Daxter Franchise
Ico Franchises
Twisted Metal Franchise
and so on.

No matter how reliable or powerful Microsoft's hardware might be in the future, no matter how good they make their online, THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO COME CLOSE TO MATCHING SONY'S GAME QUALITY & QUANTITY.

[ultimolu]

...Oh, it'll be a knockout alright. Let's just hope it's built properly, unlike the 360...

[Narutone66]

MS will introduced 6 RROD.

[4point7BillionLoss]

it's going to be fantastic for Folding ;-)

This Quote shows that the Cell is rubbish, and that a more general purpose chip is superior, which is why the xbox 360 can do what the play station does with 5 less cores:

Interestingly, the primary reason IBM canceled development on the CELL is based PoweXcell 8i because of SCEI's change of stance. The company wanted to move away from the exotic architecture employed for the PS3 to a more traditional architecture favored by third party developers. The company wanted to move away from the exotic architecture employed for the PS3 to a more traditional architecture favored by third party developers.

[ajkla92]

RROA (Red Ring of Armageddon)

[spinbot_lv1]

next microsoft's console will be wii-like with a revisioned and upgraded current hardware, 60% of rrod, and bundled with project natal and you'll play like .......

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

BAH!

[GaMa85]

I thought IBM confirmed they have not stopped development on the cell?

[deeznuts]

Nope. I think they're killing development of the Cell. They said they'll keep making it as long as Sony needs them. But they're not developing it further I don't think.

[raztad]

First of all, this is just a rumor. Second, though this quote is not very clear:

" ... reason IBM canceled development on the CELL is based PoweXcell 8i ... "

It let me think that IBM canceled the development of the Cell based PowerXcell 8i. Canceling the PowerXcell 8i doesnt mean the demise of the whole Cell arch.

@bellow

Totally true. Hybrid Processors based off Cell technology is the way to go for IBM. It seems the Cell has some shortcomings that this new tech (Power 7) is trying to address

Quote

"Based on our experience gained from Cell, we now believe that the next generation of computing will rely heavily on the integration of multicore and hybrid technologies," the company said in its statement. "IBM continues to invest in Cell technologies as part of this hybrid and multicore strategy, including in new POWER7-based systems expected next year."

from http://www.internetnews.com...

Most probably the PS4 chip will be custom made.

[RememberThe357]

they will be incorporating much of it's design into it's future chip-sets. I'm not a real tech head, but from what I gathered they aren't scrapping the Cell, but just moving on from it. Sounds to me that the Cell architecture is going to be the foundation of IBM's future chips.

[techie]

They didn't cancel PowerXcell 8i - they're using it now. They cancelled it's successor.

Though they're apparently using Cell in future chip designs (which makes snese)

BTW there is no evidence in this story.

[sikbeta]

NOPE, you are wrong, IBM is killing THE CELL as a mass Product, they will use the architecture basis for new products, so we'll see CPU based on the CELL but not implemented the same way the CELL is doing, i.e:

Parallel Processing CELL + friendly architecture = Friendly CELL 2.0

[DaTruth]

Toshiba owns the Cell manufacturing plants, IBM can't kill production.

[Morituri]

You know that they always deliver the cutting edge tech that outlasts its competitors.

My advice?
Start saving for your ps4 now.
Buy it when it first comes out.
Support the next playstation early on.

Look what happened when you guys did not support the original, fully loaded, 4 usb port, backwards compatible, multiple media ports 60 gig ps3's...

Now you get the far less awesome slim, with fewer bells and whistles.

[Pennywise]

Take notes on how logic works people.

You sir deserve your bubbles.

[cmrbe]

We always want the best of the best and are willing to pay the price for it. I would imagine most PS fans here on N4G bought their PS3 on launch month.

However the market dictates that people still are not ready to accept that consoles are no longer just toys for kids.

Unfortunately we are still a minority. Mass market still want their cheap consoles which is evident with the sales of the slim.

I will never ever ever sell my 60gig fatty.

[PS3PCFTW]

those people that hated the ps3, are actually hypocrites. they hated it because of the price, deep down inside they actually WANTED a ps3. Its clearly evident here on these boards as well. ITs crystal clear that many people who hated sony and loved ms, have now become neutral or pro sony on these boards. Y? the ps3 is now 300 usd.

on launch day i dropped about 1100 on games, extra controller, movies and the 60 gigger. I love high end technology and i will be there at 9 am when the ps4 and psp2 launches to pick up my reserved items.

To me the ps3 has always been worth it. Sony owns the market and in turn, they own my money.

[zootang]

CRMB

Long live the fatty! I still have my launch 60gb:)

[lh_swe]

I knew that would change and I went for it when it was 400 with a ton of games and a much improved PSN.

Most people can wait if they know they are getting something good. I'm guessing GT5 and GoW III will be the deciding factor for some.

Ten times more powerful sounds good, if they stop using the cell makes no difference to me as long as it outshines it's predessesor in basically every way, 2012 sounds extremely unlikely to me, my guess is 2014 with 2 years of "full" additional support for the PS3.

[Morituri]

My 60 gig died on me, and with all my Demon's Souls saves (level 105),so I ran out and grabbed a slim, sent my 60 gig in for "repairs".

Long story short, I now have a new 60 gig & a new slim.

Bittersweet end to say the least.

But yeah, Love the fattie for life. I'll probably abuse the slim and use the fattie for backup.

[techie]

My advice for UK peeps is to wait one year until the console has had two price cuts...just like the PS2 and just like the PS3.

[cmrbe]

PS3 came out in end of 2006. Thats a 6 years difference. So going by this formula. The PS4 should be out by the end of 2012.

However considering how the PS3 is built. I really do think the PS4 will be out by the end of 2013 with the PS3 still being supported for another 6 years.

[Sarcasm]

Yeah this generation will last a lot longer because of things like PSN and the way they can keep updating via Firmware.

Needless to say, if a PS4 comes out with everything the PS3 has and more as well as true realistic mind blowing graphics as well as other features we probably cant even imagine right now, then I'm getting one at launch lol

[mastiffchild]

Well, I just doubt they want to release after both their rivals this time round and the release of PS4 depends on when it looks like Wii2 and neXtBox look like landing on the market AND now Sphere and Natal effect the market too. There's little doubt the PS4 will be close to having it's spec sheet filled already with an eye on exactly this kind of emergent tech so that when it does launch(hopefully this time at a less outlandish price compared to the competition too-Sony simply HAVE to start the next generation in a better, more competitive position as they won't be coming off PS2 style dominance)it'll be as advanced as can be and capable of lasting a long time via firmware without losing ground to their competitors and, really, cell tech should be both better next time AND much cheaper plus they'll have learned their memory lessons and GPU lessons to allow PC devs a quicker way into development but still giving their own studios the chance to keep the games improving through it's lifetime.

Whatever, it COULD be 2012 or it could be later OR if needs be they'll have to be in a position to drop it sooner as another gen starting a year(18 months in the EU!)late might be the end of them as we know it and a games industry without Sony would be a sadder place for me and many, many others. I like the three way competition ansd think it's a healthy way to keep the console makers on their toes-as long as we gamers stop thinking we owe these companies something and MAKE them perform for us rather than us jumping through their hoops and doing their arguing for them as has been over prevalent this gen.

More of us just being gamers that own differing platforms rather than being a Sony,MS, PC or Ninty gamer first and actual gamer second. MS won't be as slap dash rushing out next time but the way there's been no "slim" 360 redesign mkes me think they're more focussed on seeing how Natal effects everything and will build from there with decent hardware this time round. As well as all the excellent games coming this gen, with the competition set to really hot up again in 2010,I'm already excited to see where console gaming goes next-to mention nothing of what comes next on the PC! Great times ahead if we gamers can forget our differences and act like a proper, supportive community and avoid the cons which have nearly dominated this generation of gaming.

[Automat]

it's more like 7 years if you take your math seriously... 2006-1999=7 or what ?

[Pidolinpinpon]

This will make things interesting for next console wars

[joydestroy]

wow. this is very interesting!

[Raoh]

LOL

[guitarded77]

Ok, so I don't know much about this tech stuff, so my question is, if Sony is moving away from the "exotic" development by switching chips, will the PS4 be able to play PS3 titles with this new processor?

[Sarcasm]

Chances are it won't be B/C off the bat. They probably will still want people who want to play a PS3 game buy a PS3 instead. Much like they're stance on the PS2 today.

[trancefreak]

good ? i really hope there is ps3 bc but time will tell.

[-chaz-]

It might be possible, after all the Cell is a derivative of the POWER architecture.

[gamingisnotacrime]

but for some reason i have a gut feeling this is not great news.

Just pure opinion from me, nothing more

[colonel179]

I don't know much about chip technology and stuff like that, but I'm afraid the next gen consoles, be it the PS4 or Xbox 3, will settle with a minor improvement in power (graphics, tech, physics, or whatever) seeing as how Nintendo have made tons of money out of the causal market with a cheap, old-tech console.

I wish that at least one company (Nintendo, Sony or MS) would ignore that and make a console that improves as much as it was improved from PS2 to PS3... I will become a fan of whichever company launches the best console with the best games, just like this gen, IMO, is Sony.

If all three decide to go "casual" with gimmick controllers or interfaces or some BS like the motion controls (used in shovelware) then, i guess that will be the end for me in videogames...

[gamingisnotacrime]

that was exactly what i felt, but did not write lol

[killakam]

PS4 =terminator anyone ?

[cmrbe]

Yes if King Ken develops it. Ken is actually a skynet agent sent to the past to accelerate the development of skynet through the playstation. I am not joking.

[Tony240ZT]

HAHA

[-chaz-]

Assuming this is true, this is a good thing for the next Playstation. Cell is a powerful chip, but I think that the design was a little too impractical for many developers.

[ExgamerLegends2]

And so it begins. Another generation....another beasty engine. Personally I'm looking for a 2013 release for the PS4. I've had my ps3 since February of last year. It's been broken since July of this year. I want to get at least 3 more years out of it when i get a my new one for Christmas.

[Barragan]

if sony would make factory upgradable hardware for ps4 like every 5 months, not that the hardware for the whole gen isnt strong enough to bring out some impressive stuff, but having upgradable hardware custom designed by nvidia and sony and toshiba and ibm every like 5 months, ps4 would be a beast

[Barragan]

i cant begin to wonder how launch titles alone for ps4 will look

[Congentleman]

What a load of crap article. Why does this exist...?

[-x.Red.x-]

I will get my ps4 on launch date!

PS4LIFE

[IRetrouk]

ha ha you have just come up with the perfect slogan for the ps4,
PS4LIFE is perfect

ps3, it only does everything

ps4, PS4LIFE.

copyright that now so you can sell it to sony later down the line.

[timestoby]

all good things then. least they getn away from the crazy hard cell? lol.

[The_Zeitgeist]

How does this junk even get approved? This is a rumor and should be filed as such.

[xsteinbachx]

Where's the proof?

[Megan Fox]

First was IBM dropping the cell and now this... Something must be wrong. just speculating... Is the PS3 getting out of the race early?

[Knewness]

Definetly not, IBM dropped development of the cell because Sony wants this Power7 cpu.

[Pandamobile]

Glad they got rid of the Cell. Maybe the PS4 will have better multiplatform games now.

[DaTruth]

So you would prefer multiplats with extra 2 pixels over the incredible exclusives we get from it now!

When God was passing out brains...

[Pandamobile]

You think that the only reason the PS3 has good exclusives is because of the Cell?

Give the devs some credit you ass.

[bjornbear]

it'll summon a black hole.

[Knightofelemia]

I want my PS3 fully tapped out visually before I want a PS4 and I hope the PS4 uses the Cell and blu-ray again

[joevfx]

the new xbox will be on par with the PS3, "This would give the PS4 a performance leap of over 10 fold over it's predecessor".. holy crap!!!

this processor combined with teh nvidia chip that is specially being made for the ps4 is gonan have this system destroying everything. thast what you get when u have a hardware company doing what they do best, making hardware.

[Perkel]

"Further reports in English, it is a rumor and not confirmed by Sony."

lol ..

it's sham for cliks...

[DoucheVader]

First HHG says Modern Warfare was offered to Sony as an exclusive, now this site has a quote from some unknown source about a piece of hardware that is not even out of the prototype stages.

Also why would anyone confirm specs of PS4 now? Why would Sony willingly let MS know exact specifications for a system that won't be out for a couple of years.

Also, why does N4G allow Google Translations, aren't there enough American bloggers that can pick up on this story and make it in English.

[TABSF]

LoL If these figure are fact not rumor they will need more than that to beat PC.

Nvidia Fermi is looking to be 625Gflop/s Double precision early 2010.
ATi Evergreen is 544 Gflop/s Double precision and its out right now.
PS4 Power7 is looking to be 375Gflop/s Double precision 2012 and beyond.

Oh dear back to the Drawing Board me things because Nvidia and ATi will probably have multi Tflops Double precision card in 2012.

[Pandamobile]

I know. I lol'd at the specs.

[djfullshred]

No one in the console business is trying to keep pace with the PC arms race. The goal of a game console is to have a platform that remains the same for several years for software developers. PC hardware continually improves every year, so it is buyer beware if you buy software made today for a PC made three years ago. With a console, you can buy game saoftware today, knowing it is created for you console with the same spec as one that came out three years ago.

[Rai85]

http://www.heise.de/newstic...

[minikoopa]

As long as it launches with Gran Turismo who cares what cpu it uses!!!

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

You had the WHOLE of the internet on your side and you still couldn't kill off the PlayStation Brand!!! ;-D

HOW DO YOU FEEL??? SH!T??? GOOD!!! ;-D

[djfullshred]

2012..I question the validity of that target date. PS3 is now just getting rolling as they head into 2010, and the company mantra all along as been to have a ten year lifecycle on the hardware.

[DaTruth]

PS2 has a nine year life cycle and will still be around next year... Didn't stop the PS3!

[xsteinbachx]

Where's the proof?

[Barragan]

you still dont get it if you still havent got it the cell and all that power 7 stuff is all supercomputer stuff i guarantee launch games for ps4 will look like the top cg movies out if theres anthing to learn from this gen its dont let numbers fool you example ps3s 512mb ram for rsx but forgetting its 1.8 tflops processing power thats why we have games like kz2 and mgs4 and pc developers and pc fans are left scratching their heads, why? my friend chances are ps4 won only have this tech but like ps3 a cpu/gpu hybrid and thes chips can render trust me this ps4 will have several tflops of processing power

[TheMailman]

Barragan I agree 100% with you. I really don´t understand PC fans. They spend every six months towns of money to improve they’re rig only because of numbers. If we goanna to look for games the only one with very good graphics is Crysis. Even so K2, U2 or GT5 easily can match it. Woo cares for very high AA (above 6 AA you can´t tell the difference) and resolution (Tvs can´t display them and PC screens are so tiny that is really irrelevant have high resolutions. For me 1080p is quite enough in the future) I think PC freaks are blinded numbers whors…

[i_am_interested]

if this is from the same site that listed the powerVR series 6 and the ps4s graphics card than it has no credibility

[DJ]

Sony's focused on making the most powerful hardware out there, and the PS4 won't be any different. In fact, the reason they're enjoying such a huge boost in sales is because PS3 outclasses all other gaming hardware on the market at a (now) affordable price.

I'm certain they'll stick with IBM, but this isn't the CPU that will be used. Expect something in the range of 32 cores, and derivative of the Cell architecture.

[Boty]

DID YOU GUYS SEE THE 200GFLOPS! Them games are going to be SICK!(if true)

[Dr_Nefarious]

Heck yeah! Realistic physics, killer AI, and the list goes on and on. Hopefully they'll make us of the new found power and make a couple of the characters that you can actually talk to, and communicate with just like a regular person. Hopefully they make a gpu that is worth a damn this time around.

[Boty]

...about the amount of things going on at once! Imagine a Battlefield: bad company 3 that is exclusively made for the PS4. Imagine the pure physics, AI, PURE DESTRUCTION that would be going on at once.

[Narutone66]

Holographic display. I know a company developing on something like that.

[4point7BillionLoss]

if the developers are going to spend a life time learning a new architecture and not being able to harness it then, like the PS3 it will be a waste of time.

The Cell shows that even with MORE grunt under the hood, it's unable to render games any better than the xbox.

Play behind

[RedDragan]

With 200GFLOPS, would they be able to do those Killzone and Motorstorm trailers as gameplay?

Also, I hope they stick in atleast a full Gig of RAM! We have seen what the PS3 is capable of with just 256MB+256MB, A full Gig with that processor will be HOLY SHEIZER!!!!

It would kill off the Xbox Brand!

[Obama]

The next xbox comes with 3 packs of dynamites.

[ultimolu]

Lmfao.

[Boty]

Xbox M-80

http://www.crackerpacks.com...

[Obama]

Xbox M-80 is a fitting name. Bubble to you guys.

[Sybreed]

Some of you might think that 2012 is to earlie for a PS4 Release.

but dont forget the next XBOX and the power that might have? - And, maybe at lower costs, and out-performing the PS3? And with Exclusive titles, that might force SONY to release the PS4 Earlier than anticipated. I'am by no means a XBOX Fan, i own a PS3. I'm just trying to look at it from a different perspective.

The PS3 is pretty much surviving on it's more powerful hardware than XBOX ....

[trancefreak]

very true and sony wants that next gen market just a much as micro.

Doubt sony will let ms have a 1 year outing again.

good comment dude!

[cooperdnizzle]

sony invested to much money in to the development of the cell to go with a new cpu so i would imagine a new cell to be in the works because sony has not earned back the money from the cell yet, sony still believes that the multi core cpu is the way to go not a four core cpu but one more like the cell if anything. i think sony will go with the new cell and a gpu more like the larrabee. maybe game console will break through the 512 ram to and go for aleast a one gb ram

[hoops]

@LukaX23

"Ever heard of Gran Turismo?"

If it's the kind of AA that is in Gran Tursimo Prologue (which is almost none) then they need to come up with a better solution for AA for these consoles.
These consoles can barely do AA to begin with. 2x in some cases. Rare cases 4x. And that's very rare. In most cases NONE.

[cooperdnizzle]

yes sony has said ten years life cycle on the console but that means in five years the new console come out and the old one still gets games for five years does not mean that the ps3 will be here for ten years with no new console out but you also have to look at what ms is doing to judge any release date which they will have one come out pretty soon i would imagine the 360 has been out sense 2005 going on five years and the graphics are falling behind of the ps3 quality so expect some new console around that time

[killing_Art]

Xbox 720 will be capable of achieving 250 FLOPS in a single year /JK I love both ps3 and xbox.

[xg-ei8ht]

You know what i find funny though.

Stalker, looks like total crap, graphics worse in places then valves engine.

yes i downloaded the benchmark, horrid looking thing, nothing impressive at all, yet you need a decent setup to run it max settings etc. and that's the reason you need so much power in a pc. You do not need the same power in a console.

You and pandamobile better get back to crysis.

and on the subject of GTP OR GT5, there is no other racer that comes close grapically. Nothing on PC/360.

You know this is a fact.

[TABSF]

Yeah, I'm getting GT 5, I don't limit myself to just one platform.

Also for the best Driving Experience look to no other than rFactor, still the Best driving simulator in the world. 80% of all F1 teams in last 4 years have used it including Scuderia Ferrari, Mclaren Mercedes and Renault.

[Dorwrath]

So Sony is going to go with tech that be out of date by the time the PS4 is released.

PCs can already do what they say the PS4 will do when it's released.

[Xi]

What they're talking about is the core.

Realistically they'd use a similar setup as the current 360 which has 3 heavily modified power5's hyper-threaded.

The ps4 would use something similar with like 3 power7's running in parallel with a possible 5th combining all the threads.

You'd also have a high-end gpu providing texture and geometry work.

[Truth4You]

n4g.com = All I want for X-Mas viral x1000

[Wolf873]

shouldn't this sort of information be kept confidential until after PlayStation 4 has been developed? Even if decisions change later on, I hope MS and Sony keep a tight lid on these things so one console doesn't out class another, well then there's cost to consider.

[electricgta]

oh noes, ms built my x720 so poorly i got the rrod!! :'(

i took a picture so you guys can see

http://inyourwater.files.wo...

[the_union_of_PS360]

i heard the wii 2 well now upgrade too what the psp uses :)

[menoyou]

drooling

[diego750]

PS3 is already very good and now this. excellent, looks good but we will have to wait until 2012 or something

[fatstarr]

why are they using todays tech for tomoro?

[horndog]

just like when the ps3 was introduced and we all know just how good the ps3 turned out. Dead last this gen. LOL

This time it will have 250GamesFLOP per year! and twice the ports from third party devs. What a monster this is going to be. I can see why sony is already eager on abandoning the ps3. LOL

[MONOLITHICIDE]

lmao what! thats just tooooooo funny

[iron_sheik]

except flopza3 which bombed in sales

[Solotov]

If this is true, then Sony is going the same route Microsoft currently has. The Xbox 360 CPU is a variant of IBM's Power5 series. This means the PS4 CPU will look a lot like the current Xbox 360 CPU, only much more powerful. Developers will like it a lot.
If Microsoft also chooses Power7, then backwards compatibility should be easy for the next Xbox, assuming they choose an ATI graphics chip.

[Xi]

But theories are circulating that MS is actually looking at removing the cpu all together and going down a gpgpu road with multiple modified high-end GPU's working in parallel, they'd then use compute shaders as the basic coding language.

[JJFNIGHTS80]

But did SONY say the PS3 have a 10 year life cycle? I mean com on ' let's wait till the 10 year cycle is pass then let's talk bout the PS4 it's too early to talk bout it just let us enjoy playing the great games and more upcoming PS3 games coming out. The PS3 is still only 3-4yrs old. And the world will end in 2012. I WON'T GET A CHANCE TO FINISH AND PLAY ALL THE GAMES BY THEN!!

[thehitman]

for my ticket to china to get on 1 of those getaway ships ^^.

On topic I think ps3 will release in 2013 and 360 in 2012 just because Sony will continue w/ the ps3 doesnt mean they dont plan on having the next out sooner than later. Dont forget the ps2 is still kicking and its past 10 years now.

[Henry Cain]

I never doubt the power of Sony

[Quadrix]

I simply can't imagine a resolution beyond 1080p anytime in the near future, and I doubt Sony would release a console with the same resolution as the previous one.

[TABSF]

well there is many resolutions beyond 1080P out there currently in use by millions.

4:3 ratio

1920 by 1440 (Single Monitor)
2048 by 1536 (Single Monitor)
2560 by 1920 (Multi Monitor)
3200 by 2400 (Multi Monitor)

16:9 and 16:10 ratio

1920 by 1080 (full HD)
1920 by 1200 (Single Monitor)
2048 by 1152 (Single Monitor)
2048 by 1280 (Single Monitor)
2560 by 1600 (high res for single monitor)
3840 by 2400 (Multi Monitor)

Not all information on Single and Multi monitor may be correct by the maximum for a single monitor atm is 2560 by 1600 which is 198% more pixels than full HD 1080P.

[7thNightvolley]

10 times more powerful than the ps3.. that would be mad.. my eye would bleed with graphics.. i would be a whore of a whore of graphics.. damn.. the thought is making my head spin.. its gd they dumped the ps3 type processing to a more traditional method that way .. the is nothing i mean nothing in terms of multi tasking e.g playing music and games at the same time or cross game voice chat that the xbox can do that ps4 cant... that is for sure so anything MS throws sony i would respond in speed... and now i am sure MS is loooking and would make sure their system is going to be as powerful as ps4 the only thing i would worry is its reliability.. we all knw the infamous RROD and i dont think i want a sequel .. with all said.. i cant wait.. coz as i am getting my new consoles 2 new TVs are following to match and deliver that real goods maybe then we will have .. 3000p (sounds wierd i knw) that would be sooooo freaking sweet *i feel like a kid again*

[C_Dub]

But I want more PS3 first. There's still much work to be done.

[Matt0611]

...

[SnukaTheMan]

Waka waka waka.

[silverbeld]

If the PS4 is coming out in 2012 I will buy it instantly. 200GFLOPS 10 fold the PS3 is WOW!

[Xi]

Right now the 5870 is producing 2.72TFLOPS, yes that's T for teraflops which is like the the equivalent of 1000GFLOPs. Not only that you can also have that run in Xfire...

realistically if you have 2 5870's running in Xfire you're looking at 5TFLOPS or 5000GFLOPS.

[TABSF]

Correction, the ATi Radeon HD 5870 only does 544Gflop/s Double precision, the Single precision is 2.72Tflop/s

The PS4 is rumored to be 200Gflop/s to 325Gflop/s Double Precision which is already out dated if it is to come true.
Nvidia GeForce GT 300 series GPU (Fermi) is looking to be 600+Gflop/s Double precision out of the box early 2010.

[Xi]

Can you honestly tell me that the difference from what we're seeing now to what we will see next generation will be that significant that we need to worry about hardware now?

I'd rather both sony and microsoft make a PS3.5 and Xbox 540 and be profitable then risk them leaving the console gaming market. There's still a ton of power to be squeezed out of both the 360 and the ps3. I mean look at the ps2 and orginal xbox for example.

Black, Ninja Gaiden, GOW, Doom 3, Burnout, ICO, gt, forza etc. All of which still look better then anything the wii has produced and that hasn't stopped nintendo from producing some top titles.

And at the same time PC gamers like myself should be thanking the lacking hardware on current console in providing us with great solutions, the fact that the new cryengine will be running on consoles is a testament of how PC developers are finding solutions to common PC problems. The engine will have been more optimized and that means more can be pumped out it for better effects.

Honestly, the longer they stay around the better.

[boss_killa]

the ps3 still has alot of potential to be tapped. the only thing limiting the 360 is its dvd9. sony has more 1st party studios willing to push the ps3 whereas MS relies more on 3rd party games to sell consoles.

by next gen both systems will be pretty powerful. i dont think anyone will be able to tell the difference between ps4 or 720. but sony's 1st party will probably edge out MS's in terms of visual and overall quality.

[Noob]

http://www.computerandvideo...

Sure seems like they will again.

[Rocco Siffredi]

So Sony sees that the SPU technology is a FAIL and too expensive. Now they go the way like MS with a POWER PC CPU Quad core by threading??

sony = fail

[iron_sheik]

super fail
on top of that no game worth getting and just mega flops
CELL is also based on power pc architecture but is harder to program

MS doesnt own Power PC architecture. MS owns crap products and RROD

[SnukaTheMan]

Hopefully its soon and they sweep the ps3 under the rug like they are going to do with the psp go....I hope sony learns from their mistakes and dont charge over 400 bucks at the start...600$ was a nightmare for sony. Im sure I will get some disagrees but face it...people dont buy games for the ps3 folks.

[Rocco Siffredi]

And what owns Sony?? A CHEAP CRAp Blu ray drive with a 16% failure.

Hell, how high would be the failure if 90% of the games wouldnt need an install? lol.. the blu ray drive would burn! Sony knows that they build in the cheapest blu ray drive, thats why all games have to be installed. The laser would break down.!

And you come with 60% failure rate? SInce 2009 the failure rate for the Jasper boards is at 4% according to gamespot, while sony has a 16% failure rate since the slim!

"the 60% failure rate is not a real figure. It's an inflated figure from a magazine survey responded to by fanboys that did not even have a 360."

[Rocco Siffredi]

We all now that the forums all over the world are ruled by desperate Sony fanboys, and they also give the respond to magazines. next year it will be 90% for sure cause there will be more SOny droids.

[Tesselation 360]

and all droids are still evry much butt hurt with MS. Hope fony does sort out the problems with hardware next time around.

[spinbot_lv1]

uh memexport, tesselation great things eh?
next to 1 bubble...

[Truth4You]

IBM cancelled development on the CELL because Sony is going to bail on the PS3 early.

First to market, $300 system, PS3.5 without game installs.

Motion and Classic Controllers + Eye Toy

1TB HDD

[cliffyboy21]

regardless we all no ps4's going to blow the next xbox out the water but i don't think sony's coming out with their next console until 2014. 2012 just too early, of course MS gonna do the same like last time try to beat sony and nintendo by rushing their console and it's gonna malfuntion like last time heck it might even talk.

[The real killer]

If i not mistake, Microsoft can also use this CPU.

[111111]

How many more playstations does this world need?

[Vip3r]

It's good that the CPU will be designed for the PS4 but that spec will be old come 2012.

[clarkdef]

Thats not powerful enough! If you think about it the PS2 was 300MHz, and the PS3 has 7 cores each of those cores is 3200MHz, one of those cores is 10x more powerful than the PS2 CPU. Now I know that the 7cores can not aggregate into graphical power but still we need more than this to really get excited.

PS3 adds up to be 80x more powerful! But you dont see 80x better of a image.

e.g a 100hp car will get to a top speed of 160km but a 200hp car will not double it by going 320km, at most 230km

e.g a 100watt speaker that can do 120dB. But add 100 more watts to that speaker and your only gonna get another 3dB

Its the same with CPUs