The second generation of development kit Orbis, which is the name in the code behind the development of PlayStation 4, is built on hardware certainly more similar to what will be the final configuration of the console.
The Japanese giant has, in fact, begun to distribute updated versions
of Orbis developers, so they can work on the new architecture in advance
of the marketing of the console.
The system, according to rumors reported by VG247
, is made mostly with components available from computer retailers,
rather than proprietary solutions designed specifically for the console,
as happened with the PlayStation 3's Cell CPU.
Overall, according to our source, Sony has planned the distribution of four generations of development kit. Of the first we have already discussed , was based on AMD x64 and Southern Islands GPU. The second generation, however, is structured around a processor derived from the
APU AMD A10, which has multi-core CPU and GPU on the same die.
This second version of Orbis is also equipped with 8 or 16 GB of system
memory (it must be recognized that the development kit have generally
require a greater amount of memory, so the final version of the console
may have less RAM).
In the future, Sony will release two other versions of the
'hardware development kit,
which will progressively move closer to the final specifications of the
console that, in all likelihood, will reach stores during the Christmas
season next year.
The base of the hardware configuration of the new console seems to be
an evolution of the Trinity APU from AMD, although at the moment it is
not clear what type of personalization applied the PlayStation team.
What is clear is that, unlike the current generation of consoles, Sony
intends to reduce production costs and provide developers with a system
that is easy to program as it is a traditional PC.
What I want to achieve is that the Sony next-generation games can run on the next console
in 1080p at 60 frames per second in stereoscopic 3D, putting on the market a system that is able to perform this task today as in the years to come. PlayStation 4 should also support 4K resolution , standard renamed Ultra HD, for movie playback. This is the resolution 3840x2160.
Thus it seems that Sony intends to use an APU Trinity custom
calculations and heterogeneous architecture graphics Sea Islands, always
from AMD, for the development of video game graphics. Sea Islands is the next-generation architecture of AMD, we'll see in a concrete form on the first GPU in 2013.
It appears, once again, clear that the objective of the Japanese
company is not so much provide the best hardware absolute, but mainly
ensure low production costs. The risk for the years to come, is that you will have a console so that Quach was "daughter of the crisis."
According to VG247, the current development kits are also equipped with
Blu-ray, 256 GB of local storage, WiFi connectivity and Ethernet, and
HDMI output.
The new system also would be designed to be able to accept and install
the system update in the background, as do modern tablets and
smartphones. PS4, therefore, should always be a console connected to the Internet.
There is no official confirmation from Sony about these specifications.