The next generation of home consoles is likely to launch in 2012, with an Xbox 360 successor looking set to be the first out of the door.
Several other major developers, including some EA studios, are also said to be in possession of these units, which are apparently PCs containing off-the-shelf components provided by Microsoft. AMD is believed to be providing the bespoke GPU solution for the console.
The first iteration of genuine devkits running custom hardware is expected to arrive with studios by the end of the year, with all signs pointing to the console itself launching in late 2012.
The site also reports that one major Sony-owned studio is now working exclusively on games for PS3's successor.
Microsoft is rumoured to be planning to make the first official announcements about its next-gen Xbox console at the CES expo in January 2012.
Comments
27 comments so far...
JJM-NUKE on 16 Nov '11 said:
I hope these new console support DX11 as it's awesome.
Denther on 16 Nov '11 said:
I like the fact there is a link to another CVG article at the bottom of this entitled
"No PS4, Xbox 720 before 2014 says Skyrim boss"
monty_79 on 16 Nov '11 said:
Cool! Looking forward to a new generation of loveleness. My only worry is that it will be more of a transition like xbox to 360 in terms of quality of games rather than something which will completely blow me away with the initial batch of games. I hope I'm wrong, though.
Godlike Ape on 16 Nov '11 said:
Please don't be called XBox 720. Please don't be called XBox 720. Please don't be called XBox 720...
StonecoldMC on 16 Nov '11 said:
Whats that saying? Theres no smoke without fire.
Well I reckon even Pocahontas could see the smoke signals from Glasgow, with the amount of next gen Microsoft console related artciles weve seen appearing over the last week or so.
Headsrinker on 16 Nov '11 said:
Exciting stuff!!
My money was on the back end of 2013. (i still think this will be the case, theres always a few delays)
jester00773 on 16 Nov '11 said:
I wont be a new console from Microsft again. I bought the 360 on release day and the console scrathed my discs and Microsoft refused to replace them saying that i must have moved the console as the disc wass been used, which wasn,t the case.
Then i had to send the console in 4 times in 2 yearsfor repairs, one time they sent it back without even fixing it. The staff on the phone could not speak english and just read from scripts, and had the manners of a farmyard sow!
gmcb007 on 16 Nov '11 said:
Now I have recieved information from my source that tells me that I will be having a cup of tea in 2012.
Cogglesz on 16 Nov '11 said:
I wonder what the graphics are going to be like, i hope they are a real upgrade to what we've got now, along with bigger and more advanced games, i'd be dissapointed if i'm not blown away with them, however playing skyrim right now on the pc i'm wondering a lot how much better can games really get graphically, skyrim is stunning!
RichPerry on 16 Nov '11 said:
Damn, Pachter had you down as a coffee man until 2013 at the earliest.
dubplate240 on 16 Nov '11 said:
As much as I would like to believe this I feel that we as informed gamers would need some kind of documented proof. Your source gives no mention of the type of tea, sugar or christ even if there's milk in it ... for all we know you could be sipping a cup of iced tea with a slice (urgh).
I was expecting cuppas to be announced at ETea 2013 for a Chrimbo'13 brew at the earliest.
bennyt on 16 Nov '11 said:
Boom! Bit surprised though, thinking more of 2013. Just hope MS aren't rushing it, trying to get it out the door maybe before the Wii U?
So i wonder what the games for it will be?
Halo 4 is going to be on the 360 as frank stated, so unless a halo spin off is in the works, that possibly leaves fable 4, alan wake 2, rainbow six patriots and batman 3 perhaps, erm... what else? AC3? Freedom Fighters 2? Battlefront 3?
I'm intrigued but with Batman AC, ME3, Skyrim, FC3 etc i wonder how the graphics can get better...
TOKEN on 16 Nov '11 said:
Tell you what i like about these storys is that all the nay sayiers will be eating their words after saying'itll never happen' or'2345',now their'll say 'i thought 2013,hope they dont rush it'.
What will be intresting is that who will fall behind in sales from the start?
Sentinator on 16 Nov '11 said:
Unless they are pulling a Twilight Princess with it. But I'll believe it when Microsoft confirm it. Both Sony and Nintendo wanted to release 3DS and Vita in 2010 and 2011 respectively. The only way I can see it coming out first is if they are rushing it. Surely they won't make the same mistake again just so they can be first? They realise it won't stop Wii U selling right?
biron_w on 16 Nov '11 said:
i can't see a 2012 release to be honest. I think MS will announce a new console at e3 next year with a release date in time for Christmas 2013.
alan666 on 16 Nov '11 said:
cannot see it released in 2012.
bjjcjc on 16 Nov '11 said:
At the same time though, can't see them waiting until Christmas 2013 and not only giving nintendo a massive head start, but potentiall letting sony release before them.
Budly Moore on 16 Nov '11 said:
Funny how some think Skyrim is the pinnicle of gaming graphics, I mean it's a beautiful game, but imagine them empty inn's packed with revellers, smoking and drinking, bump into one and their beer spills from the glass, realisticly splashing on a 3d rendered floor.
Next gen graphics will heavily rely upon physics, but will still retain un-natural elements, dont expect to run through a pile of autumn leaves dispersing each of them through the air in a game like Skyrim (I secretly hope to be proved wrong).
GGCAN on 16 Nov '11 said:
I hope they don't rush out the PS4 and hopefully they'll make the PS4 backwards compatible with the PS3.
In my own opinion, with the economy the way it is, I wouldn't want to chance putting out a new console (most likely higher priced than what is out now).
Many people just won't have the money to purchase.
As well, many have learned after this generation of consoles, that it's better to wait a bit and let the bugs get ironed out of the newer consoles.
Sentinator on 16 Nov '11 said:
If this is true then they may have to. They won't want Nintendo and Microsoft to gain too much of a head start.
alan666 on 16 Nov '11 said:
it's more likely going to be spring 2013, the Wii-U will just drop away i think like the Wii did because people even Nintendo fans are getting tired of the same old re-releases on every new Nintendo console, i doubt if Sony will release the PS4 before the Xbox 720, just seems to be to soon.
King Bohan on 16 Nov '11 said:
Hopefully, it‘s not the smoke from a melted heatsink this time!
Seriously, though, I shan‘t be forkin out £450 at launch this time. I will need to see proof of its functional ability before investing...
MANYOO4EVA on 17 Nov '11 said:
If Xbox 720 comes out in 2012 then Ill get in 2013, 2014 if it comes out in 2013.
I'll wait a year until they've ironed out all the problems and bring it out a new slim model.
Also i have too many ******* games to play as it is!!!
Come on, this is ridiculous. Halo 4 is coming this gen as already confirmed and that'll be end of next year at the earliest.
What a load of b******s.
vitorfernandes83 on 17 Nov '11 said:
I can't believe people that say we don't need new consoles and there's no way of improving graphics, Jesus, almost every game on consoles this generation has had some amount of jaggies (lack of antialiasing), even games launched recently, LA noire is a great game but graphics are just plain ugly, take a look at the pc versions of battlefield 3 or skyrim.
If anything the consoles need to catch up on pcs, I love my ps3 but please give me a more powerfull console as soon as possible, money is not an issue. Give me native 1080p on every game, 60fps, no screen tearing, at least 8x antialiasing and no lags, that's all I really need for the next 20 years, and to top it up make it a smaller console, and if it's not asking too much, make it use less power
veato on 17 Nov '11 said:
Have you seen the graphics card required to give BF3 1920x1080@60fps on PC?
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/1 ... analysis/4
To get a minimum 60fps on high and ultra settings requires an ATI HD 6990 4GB or Nvidia GTX 590 3GB
Dropping to medium (thus reducing MSAA to well below the 8x you want) and things get better.
vilvic on 17 Nov '11 said:
Without sounding disrespectful to MS they have the easiest job. The XBOX is basically as PC in a console box - which in many ways gives them a huge advantage (dot net development, direct x, xbox libraries just need ported). Sony and Nintendo produce custom hardware which ultimately makes their platforms more difficult to work with. I have read that Sony have done a good job with the Vita and made it easy to code for. Usually there is a huge learning curve for the devs, not to mention that the system API's are at an early stage. Hopefully that won't happen this time and the PS4 will start on a good footing. Nintendo for me have to get more 3rd party devs interested in developing for the platform. Nintendo produce some awesome games, but have be rehashing the same games/characters for too many years now.
vitorfernandes83 on 18 Nov '11 said:
Well, the ps3 has 512 ram, I think half is even shared, but they can squeeze it, some games (uncharted3) can show a lot, better than some pcs with double the specs. I'm sure a ps3 or xbox 720 with 4g ram would be able to do the same. Plus the technology advances so fast that that graphics card would be cheap in a year ( yes, I'm sure we won't have new consoles for at least another year), plus RAM is so cheap now. Plus I'm not asking for all the bells and whistles, I only want the jaggies gone, no lags and just a slight improvement in textures perhaps. I'd pay £400 for that, it's not like I'm asking for a big change, as of, from SNES to Nintendo 64 for example (more or less the same time in between). We gamers should demand more for our money, the companies are trying to sqeeze as much as they can from our wallets, and nobody demands for better things