Oh hell, I won't buy it - I'm just explaining the advances of technology that it employs. I can spend £400 and build a power tower that could accomplish far more than this Microsoft malarkey, on top of all this non-loaning and back compatibility BS. It is without shadow of a doubt more impressive than the PlayToaster is going to muster - Sony make TV's, they are not innovators of software in the league the Microsoft are, unfortunately.
I find myself in disagreement, good sir.
Sony are perfectly capable of releasing something as technically powerful in terms of the spec of the machine.
The success of their next platform will hinge on a few things:
1.) The online experience - The Sony PS3 was as good, hardware wise (if not better) than the 360. It didn't lose the console battle based on hardware. It lost out because, despite being free, PS3's online experience was vastly inferior to Xbox Live. If they can address this issue in the next console war, they're in with a fighting chance of winning, imo.
2.) Whether they will follow suit with Microsoft's strategy in attempting to disembowel the 2nd hand games market. Sony have a real chance here to be seen as the "good guys". If they reject Microsoft's attempt to monopolize the 2nd hand games market they could quite easily garner a great deal of public support. (From a wide spectrum of gamers - Younger gamers who don't have £40 to shell out on a brand new title. Anyone who has a few friends they regularly swap games with. The Highstreet - hell, this is going to mean full on war from the remaining game retailers out there. This is going to cut massively into their profits. Which console do you think they're going to be promoting hardest come release date?) ((If, and I know this is a big if, PS4 steer clear of Microsoft's strategy. They may not.))
I think they've underestimated the number of people who either like being able to borrow their friends games or visit their local high street to pick up "3 for £15" 2nd hand game deals. (That type of thing).
3.) Price. The Xbox One, with its mandatory Kinect bundle, is going to be expensive. The PS4 isn't going to bundle a mandatory extra that will add at least £100 to the price of the Xbox One (if original Kinect prices are anything to go by).
The PS4, then, has an excellent opportunity to quite substantially undercut its nemesis here.
If both consoles were released tomorrow and the price different was Kinect - it'd be a no brainer for me which I should choose. There are going to be so many people who will opt for the PS4 if its cheaper because, if they're anything like me, they'll have a real problem paying hard earned cash for Kinect when they have no intention of using it.
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TL;DR - Don't write off the PS4. Microsoft have ****ed up adequately enough for PS4 to arrive the White Knight. If it is cheaper and boasts similar/better hardware specs (and, importantly, doesn't attempt to squish the 2nd hand games market) then I think it's in with an excellent chance this time around.
The only way they'd **** this up is having a higher RRP despite not bundling an extra while backing Microsoft's gutting of the 2nd hand games market. I can't see them doing either.