Rumoured Developer Kits Suggest Powerful PS4 Specs

Developer kits for the upcoming PS4 are apparently in the wild and they paint an impressive picture of the next generation console.

Here’s just a nibble: up to 16GB of RAM.

Other rumoured specs include an AMD A10 APU (a CPU/GPU combo), between 8-16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage (which could be Solid State) and a Blu-ray drive. The usual suspects make up its connectivity portfolio and include standard Ethernet, HDMI and WiFi.

According to BGR, this hardware cocktail is capable of running 3D video games in 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second without any slowdown. That’s a feat today’s consoles aren’t capable of.

Boy Genius is right in pointing out dev kits often have higher specs and RAM for debugging purposes, indicating the PS4 could reach the market with some comrpomises.

The new PlayStation will have a new user interface. The new UI will be better at multitasking, allowing gamers to easily switch between games and software installs taking place in the background.

When the PlayStation 3 was first launched in Australia, it was crippled by a high price tag. It was an orgy of no-compromise new technology, and although its introductory price was steep, Sony was ‘bleeding money’ on the console for four years. Eventually it began turning a small profit, but to do so Sony had to omit superfluous features like backwards compatibility.

With the PS4, BGR allege the console will be ‘very affordable.’ It’s the right idea as the games available for a console when it’s launched can influence whether it sinks or swims. A cheap console will result in more people buying it, ultimately attracting more gaming developers and a better catalogue of games. 

One reason why the PS3 gained traction was because it was a cheap Blu-ray solution. The PS4 is believed to have its own draw: the ability to play and watch 4K content. 4K, officially known as Ultra High Definition, plays video at four times the resolution of a Full HD 1080p TV, at 3,840×2,160.

At present Sony hasn’t officially recognised a PlayStation 4 is in the works, but speculation hints it will be announced before E3 2013.