According to the newest but solid rumours, the PlayStation 4 should hit stores in 2014 in Europe. Japan and the United States should get access a little earlier.
Some fresh details about the specifications have also come out, which also states the specs compared to that of the new Xbox. Enough reason to take a look...
Sources from both Edge and Polygon state that the new PlayStation 4 will launch at the start of 2014 in Europe, whereas it will launch at the end of 2013 in the USA and Japan. The reason for the earlier release in the United States and Japan is to be able to compete with the new Xbox.
New controller and additional features
Sources also claim that the PlayStation 4 would have a new controller, which would have a touchpad instead of the start, select and PS-buttons. In addition to that, the controller would have an added 'share' button, with which people can put in-game screenshots and videos online. The PlayStation 4 would also record the last fifteen minutes of gameplay, without having to use any extra processing-power.
Hardware
It is said that Sony will be launching an improved PlayStation Eye (camera present in the PlayStation 3), which would work together with the PlayStation Move, just like the case is now. The hardware would look a lot more like that of the PC than the case is now. Due to this, it's easier for developers to develop games that can easily work on all platforms, and PC-ports will most likely be better due to this.
Also, the PlayStation is said to be slightly more powerful than the new Xbox. The Xbox currently has more RAM (8 GB) than the PlayStation 4 (4 GB), but Sony is aiming to reconcile this, according to the sources. Also, both consoles are said to have 8-core CPU's, with low clock rates.
Revealing the PlayStation
We've been saying that the consoles will be revealed for a couple of years now. This seems now to be closer than ever, as the parties themselves (Sony and Microsoft) have announced to be revealing their new console soon. Sony announced to be holding an event on February 20, in which the 'future of the PlayStation' would be revealed, as we said earlier today. One and one makes two, and it is likely the new PlayStation will be revealed at this event, which would confirm earlier rumours claiming the new consoles would not be revealed at E3, but on an own event of both parties.
