With gamers getting antsy for next-generation consoles, VG247 is reporting that development kits for Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 4 (code-named “Orbis”) have already been sent out to developers. VG247’s sources claim there are four versions of the dev kit and the one just shipped out is a “modified PC” based on AMD’s (AMD) A10 APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) that combines a CPU and GPU on a single chip to run games in 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second in 3D without any slowdown. Dev kits are said to have between 8GB and 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage (it’s not clear if that’s SSD or a hard drive), an optical drive for Blu-ray playback and all the standard inputs/outputs found on the PlayStation 3 including HDMI, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
But before you fall off your seat, do remember that dev kits often have higher specs and more RAM for debugging purposes. The final product might be less powerful.
VG247’s report also says that the dev kits aren’t made in Japan (a first) and are designed with a UI that allows users to easily jump in and out of open games and applications and install updates in the background.
The PlayStation 4 will reportedly be “very affordable.” BGR exclusively reported in August that the PlayStation 4 would run games and video content at 4K resolution.
VG247 says it believes the PS4 will be announced before E3 2013.
