It’s been a fantastic console cycle so far, with the big names in gaming redefining and reimagining what a game could be, as well as having the hardware to back up these visions. Sadly, current technology can only go so far, so it shouldn’t really be surprising to find out that Sony is now starting work on a successor to their PS3 console.
Early work has begun on Sonys’ next big venture into gaming, with several studios already busy designing and producing next gen games for the hardware that is being built.
According to sources who spoke to Develop, the various game projects are in the early stages, although which of the sixteen first-party Sony studios that are actually doing this work, is unclear at this point.
Exciting news it may be, but don’t expect to be unwrapping one of these future consoles from the best parents in the world any time soon. With Microsoft already planning their next-gen console, possibly for a Christmas 2013 release, sources at Sony believe that their new console will only be available around 2014 at the earliest.
Speaking to Develop, Epic President Mike Capps still thought that building any new commercial hardware with a significant generational leap would be a “very tall order”. “I mean, PS3 is still very bad-ass,” Capps said.
Sony is still quite a far way away from finalising the core architecture and hardware structure of their next console, to a point where they’ve wisely begun to take input from game developers in the construction of the device, something that Worldwide Studios (WWS) boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed in a recent interview.
“We wanted developers in meetings at the very beginning of concepting new hardware”, Yoshida said.
Whatever Sony is working on, rest assured that the end result will be a beauty to behold. While the company may not be gurus at launching a new product, the hardware they design and release is usually on the bleeding edge of what is technically possible, allowing for it to truly live up to the title of “next-gen”.
Still, it’s going to be a tough battle, considering the ideas that their rivals Nintendo and Microsoft for their next consoles, so lets hope that Sony comes up with something truly special to set them apart from the competition.
Last Updated: October 21, 2011
