Yesterday was an exciting day behind the scenes at TSA – emails were flying back and forth between us. Emails that are written in CAPITAL LETTERS and have excessive usage of exclamation marks. We’re probably completely wrong on every count, but it’s the weekend, and we don’t care.
We have a theory and we’re going to tell you why we think you will never buy a PlayStation 4.
It all started when it was pretty much confirmed that some sort of streaming service was to arrive on PS3. This lead me to recall Nanea Reeves, chief product officer for Gaikai, saying – or at least this is how we read the comment – that there would not be a ‘next gen’ console from Sony or Microsoft.
At this point pieces of the puzzle began to slot in to place and a couple of us had the same idea at the same time.
[drop]We know Sony want to extend the life of the PS3. We are pretty certain that the PlayStation 4 will not be appearing until next year and Sony desperately need to make some money fast, but MCV were absolutely adamant that Sony were planning to show new hardware at E3.What if Sony show something new, something we had not considered before, something other than the PlayStation 4.
What if there is a PlayStation Streaming Console?
A cheap little box with a built in PlayStation Eye and Move controller that only streams services, basically a PlayStation version of Gaikai which we shall dub ‘PlayStation Lite’. Sony could sell it for £100 or less along with a subscription service which allows you to play any PlayStation game you like.
You’ll remember Microsoft recently issued a $99 console, with a subscription based model.
Current PlayStation 3 owners can get the new service as part of PlayStation Plus, albeit possibly as an extra tier in the pricing, which might go some way to explain a few comments from SCEE folk on Twitter of late – maybe if you’re already a Plus subscriber come E3 you get the streaming for no extra cost.
Sony make all their profit from PlayStation via the games, hardware takes years before it becomes profitable so by using Gaikai technology and cheap off the shelf parts Sony could be in profit immediately from the launch of the PS Lite.
What of the PlayStation 4? Well there have been so many rumours flying around we could guess that 2013 will see the launch of a top end PlayStation 4 console. If you like buying games as physical products then you can buy the console and happily feed Blu-ray XL discs into its drive.
[drop2]Now here’s the killer thought – and it’s one being discussed elsewhere too: if you have a PlayStation 3 or one of our speculative PlayStation Lite consoles you won’t need to buy a PlayStation 4. PS4 games will be available to you on your PS3 via streaming.Sony can make hardware (and price it accordingly – i.e. bloody expensive) to those who want it, everyone else can switch on their PlayStation 3 and skip the expense and hassle of upgrading. The bank of PS4s down at Sony HQ will power the games, and stream them to your PS3 just like Gaikai does.
Sony might even miss the PlayStation 4 hardware phase altogether, that seems to be what Nanea Reeves was suggesting back in January. Skipping the costly first half of its life, when they’re selling at a loss and allowing half their users to stream on cheap hardware would be a huge money-spinner for them early on in the new console’s life.
The more we have thought about our little theory, the more things have slotted in to place. Barely a day goes by without Sony announcing a game, hell they’ve announced the next God Of War, surely that would have been a tent pole E3 announcement? Why are Sony clearing all the games out of the way in advance of E3?
Also, what’s up the the ridiculous amount of PSN maintenance? It’s been going offline for a day at a time, they must be doing something pretty major behind the scenes, getting ready for streaming perhaps?
We could be wrong – and we probably are – but turning the PS3 (and not forgetting the PS Vita) into a streaming service for the PS4 makes a hell of a lot of business sense for Sony, even if it might not make sense to gamers.
Over to you dear readers, are we mad as a box of soapy frogs or could we – just maybe – be on to something?
wick15
This theory sounds worryingly true. I hope it’s not though. I would really prefer to have a physical machine and physical copies of games. I don’t have a problem at all with the idea of a small streaming console, as long as a proper successor to the PS3 is released at some point.
TSBonyman
It does sound like a clever way to expand the Playstation user base although i have no interest personally in streaming games. I really hope this isn’t going to be the focus of E3 but i suppose i’ll wait and see what Sony reveal.
Mr_writer
Isn’t the PS3 half way through the 10 year life span? With the Wii U and next. Xbox I think the PS4 will arrive when them two consoles are nearing an end, which would be 5/6 years after launch. in effect ‘skipping’ next gen they can carry on supporting the PS3 which will be cheaper to produce. But they can stream any ‘next gen’ games.
Workshed
Whe ever said the 10 year lifespan meant they couldn’t release another console in 10 years? The PS2 had a 10 year lifespan ad the PS3 was out for the last few years of it.
uncleniccius
It’s a good idea. It could be MASSIVE if it gives the PS4 an ability to play PC exclusives. That is what I would want it for (Streaming PC only indie/retail titles would be FTW.
uncleniccius
HOLY CRAP! Maybe PS+ members will be in the beta? :O I would want a PS4 still though.
skibadee
talk about far fetched it will not happen.
freezebug2
Brilliant concept, but my broadband connection would likely melt, and I would probably break things due to a poor streaming. It’d be great to give it a try though…..even if it is just a hypothetical hunch.
TheShepanator
I think a streaming service may be on the cards but it would probably just be for PS1 and PS2 games, at least for the time being
hazelam
does it involve turnips? ^_^
that may be a bit obscure for many people.
anyway.
would sony really go for a streaming only device?
because even if they only sell a basic box for consumers, they’d still have to have the hardware in their server farms or whatever they call them.
as much as they lose selling the hardware, surely they’d lose more by not selling it.
that’s why i think sony wouldn’t do this.
you probably already know why i’m not interested in the streaming option.
you’ll have to excuse me if i’m not entirely coherent, i’m a little bit drunk. ^_^
Lymmusic
Just tried a few demos of witcher 2 and crysis 2 on my iMac through gaikai on 10mbps virgin cable and the frame rate on both was passable but not really playable, and the image quality varied with each frame from ok to good to mosaic… Some parts of the world may have the internet quality to deal with this kind of streaming, but not here. Although i am keen for the next gen, i dont think i can early adopt again, if the cost is huge, but i dont think that next gen style games streamed will quite cut it, and would just serve to highlight the flaws in the streaming than any technological leap visually… And i’m a sucker for picture quality. Id rather have the resolution and frame rate high or consistent, than have tonnes of effects and processing muddying everything up.
suicidalllama
What if they time streaming games into the game interrupting adverts from that patent a few days ago at the same time. Now that would be something that would stop me playing games completely. It might even make me go outside!
hazelam
go outside?
i know it’d be bad, but don’t start talking crazy now. O_O
The Lone Steven
ARE YOU MAD!? If so then i’m required by TSA law to inform you that there is a high risk of getting attacked by the resident nutter due to him thinking that everyone is after his position. :P
I would probably swear at the telly every time Go Compare plays in the middle of a game.