Sony is reportedly sending out PS4 dev kits (also called “Orbis”) to chosen developers and, of course, games for the next PlayStation are already in development. A report from VG247 states that the current PS4 dev kits feature up to 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB Disk space (HDD or SSD? Yet to be confirmed) and an AMD A10 chip. The choice of an AMD chip can be controversial due to all the hype that Sony’s very own cell processor had caused. It also makes it easier to port PC games to the PS4 since the A10 chip is an off the shelf component. On a side note, rumor has it that the PS4 will support up to 4k in resolution. Yikes!
Are we going to see the PS4 on next year’s E3? We can only hope for the best.
WaSaBe’s take on the matter: The AMD A-10 is a tough little bugger that packs a CPU/GPU on one chip (APU). It features a decent performing CPU with a powerful GPU for one that runs off a single chip, and can outperform Intel’s I7 HD 4000 graphics but severely lacks behind it in the CPU aspect. The question a lot of people have is, are the games going to run off of this chip purely? probably not is the answer.
The way I see it, is there are two cost effective scenarios, the first is having a separate and dedicated card doing all the gaming workload and the AMD A10 will be used only when playing videos or in the main menu interface and most probably in apps. The 2nd scenario is using a less powerful dedicated card that will co-operate with the AMD A10 and work together to handle all the workload, gaming or otherwise. (AMD calls this crossfire).
In both cases it’s an efficient way to reduce heat and power consumption, leading to a quieter experience when running those basic tasks. There is no real need to have a dedicated card running and a whole bunch of fans cooling it when you just want to open a browser! Not to mention that A10 chips are quite cheap, even in retail pricing!
On the matter of 4K, I strongly believe it will be supported for future proofing purposes. But I believe the 4K resolution will only run in the menus and videos and a very small subset of games. Pretty much the same way current generation consoles run menus and videos in 1080p but most games in 720p or under.
Lastly, the 256 GB sounds very much like an SSD offering. The standard issue capacity for SSD storage currently comes in 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 GB (ofc you can find those 40GB, 120GB or other storage sizes). Hard disks, as found on shelves right now, would come in higher increments (anything from 512 GB or 640GB up to 4 TB). The only benefit I see to an SSD in consoles is quicker boot times, unless the games were to install on the console, then you would gain huge speed advantages against an HDD. A couple of years back, the notion of an SSD in a console would be put to the sidelines due to its price, but the prices of SSDs halved to a very affordable price in a year!
Source VG247 via Redmond Pie
