Next-gen PlayStation reportedly coming out in November

Sony’s PlayStation event, where the company is expected to unveil its next-gen console, is looming ever closer, and according to new reports, the new console will be out in November. According to Kotaku, the PlayStation 4  will be out in two variants, costing $429 and $529 (approximately Rs 23,000 and Rs 28,000) respectively. The website states that its source is the same one that had leaked the in-development names of the PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox (Orbis and Durango respectively).

The report corroborates an earlier one, which stated that Sony was considering a £300 price tag (around Rs 25,000) for its next console. The £300 price-tag seems to be very low, especially compared to the launch price of the PlayStation 3. The PS3 was launched in the UK at a price tag of £425. It is worth noting that the UK price of the PS4 will be the local price and not the price directly converted from the Japanese version, which is said to cost 40,000 yen (approx Rs 23,000). When the console makes its way to India, we can expect a price of approximately Rs 30,000 to 35,000.

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Kotaku also states that the next PlayStation won’t have a free online componenet like Sony’s current-gen console. Instead, it may be following the path of Xbox Live, where users will have to pay in order to play games online. As long as Sony continues its current PlayStation Plus system, where it gives away free games, I doubt this will cause much of a problem among gamers.

A bit too literal, maybe

Sony will be holding its event in New York at 11:00 PM GMT (roughly 4:30 AM IST). At the event, we are expecting an announcement of the console along with a name and, perhaps, a couple of launch titles. The company may even announce some new plans for its handheld—the PlayStation Vita.

Sony has been counting down to its PlayStation event by releasing retrospective videos about the history of the PlayStation. The latest of the lot was a look at the PlayStation 3.

The video takes us all the way back to the first unveiling of the PlayStation 3, with its considerably large and monolithic design. We then get aglimpse of the first—and ultimately most popular—slim redesign of the console. One of the most distinct visual differences between the slim PS3 and the original one, other than the size, was that the slimmer one had a matte paint job on it as opposed to the very glossy original.

We also get a look at some of the games that have made it to the system, and will be making their way to the system. This includes all the Spider Man games, The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite and Uncharted.

Then we get a look at the PlayStation Move, with all the new differences to gameplay motion control brought to the table. The Move was often hailed as being better for gaming than Microsoft’s Kinect, as it was much more accurate and allowed for finer controls in more action oriented games, as well as the casual sports games.

For more information on what to expect from the next-gen console, check out our PlayStation 4 rumour round-up.