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PlayStation 6 and PlayStation Portable future visions

 The recent PlayStation video about the "simulated" technology in development between AMD and Sony engineers that will power the PlayStation 6 was interesting from a geek point of view. But from a gameplay perspective, there is - IMO - no need for a PlayStation 6 for another few years. Especially with the limp Xbox is-it-isn't-it launch .  April 2026 Update:  Compatibility with PS5 and PS4 games seems to be locked-in, as anything the PS6 full fat hardware the portable versions should be able to do as well, with near-invisible trade-offs at the silicon level.  Prices are firming up too with estimates around the PlayStation 6 handheld at between $500 to $700 and a PlayStation 6 at $700 to $1,000, depending on the deepening silicon crisis and Sony's budgeting wizards.  Only a few developers around the world could afford to take advantage of it for AAA+ budget games. Everyone else is still barely cutting the skin of the PS5's power, and most western smaller/indie o...

Sony teasing big news in 2014, but what are these mystery games?

After the Vita 2000 UK announce, Sony is now doing its usual teasing for some big game news to come. That's in the fullness of time, after due consideration of all the facts, most likely for PS4, yadda, yadda, ignoring the Vita's super-low-calorie diet of (admittedly brilliant) indie games and the odd hefty Japanese title like Toukiden.

Shahid Ahmad and the other Strategic Content folk are saying "wait a month", while other hints are being dropped to keep a look out at Games Developer Conference. GDC 2014 runs from March 17th-21st, which is more like six weeks, so two different announcements, or is this all part of a coordinated campaign?

I'm trying to think of new, new games, not re-reveals or peeks at stuff we already know about. So, Borderlands 2, Bioshock (whatever they decide, if it ever gets off the ground) and even Gran Turismo don't count. The same goes the old-games-revived motif they're waving around. While all these projects are deeply worthy of respect, and will be more than welcome, they ain't new!

So, what "new" stuff could Sony have up its sleeves?

Most likely contenders are another Uncharted title. That's given the good sales of the first one and that developer Sony Bend can likely pass the engine on to another team, perhaps while they work on a return to the Syphon Filter series, which they did a corking job with on the PSP.

Another option is "what the God of War devs did next." That could be Santa Monica Studios (or whatever they're called having just moved) or Ready at Dawn (currently working on The Order) who handled the excellent PSP incarnations.

Sony has had some fun with its partner Vita efforts, from the likes of Queasy's Sound Shapes, and its more of these left-field games that I'd look forward to most, is Sony Japan figuring out another Patapon or LocoRoco?

Then there's the big unknowns, an all-new IP, which seems to be at the heart of Sony Japan's efforts with Soul Sacrifice and Freedom Wars. Will Sony US or Europe be betting big on an untested idea that has emerged from some cunning coders mind or a dark development session?

Guess we'll find out soon. Any thoughts?

Currently playing on my Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5


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