Respected technology writer Hiroshige Goto of Impress Watch recently wrote about the Playstation 4 in his column.
Goto claims that Sony has begun studies on the possiblity of employing the present Cell Broadband Engine, the same processore used on the Playstation 3, for their next gen console. He said that although Sony could change its mind, the current atmosphere is that Sony will just upgrade the current PS3 chipset for the PS4. He further added that using different iterations of the Cell Engine has always been in the general plans of Sony. This is the reason why the company put so much money in its development. Another good reason for going in this direction is that Sony doesn’t have the time or the reserves to research and create a totally new chipset.
Using a new model of the Cell will ensure lower production costs for the PS4 as well as a shorter game development time. This can result in lower price for the system.
I’ve no doubt that we haven’t seen anywhere near what the PS3 can do yet – so with that in mind there’s no reason NOT to do this for the PS4.
And possibly leaving the door open for Backwards Compatibility of PS3 games? That would be nice.