The Playstation 4 may be Called The Orbis

I don’t know who this Truss Ted Source is but this guy has it going on. He just knows EVERYTHING about everything that isn’t out yet.

Well Ted, as he likes to be called, has spilled the news on the next generation Playstation 4 console, and it appears that Sony will be ditching their longstanding love of numerical nomenclature by calling this new platform the Orbis, which may or may not be pictured below. Probably not.

While we have no clue what the console looks like, The Playstation Orbis (or just Orbis) is reported to have some incredible next gen features.

In addition to its obvious Blu ray player, the Orbis is said to support the new 4k HD standard of 4096×2160 and will offer 3D gaming in 1080p

However the new system will allegedly continue with Sony’s abandonment of reverse compatibility, meaning no PS3 titles will be supported. I always loved that my PS2 played my first gen games. And few remember the first version of the PS3 that could play them all. This feature was defenestrated in updated versions after that, and is sorely missed.

And you know what else you can’t (apparently) play? Previously used games! In an effort they are describing as a feature to combat piracy, games developed for the Orbis will be bound to a PSN UserID, making them unplayable on another Orbis console.

This concerns me. While I am sympathetic to their reasoning, the second hand gaming market offers a revenue stream that keeps the doors open on the shops selling the publisher’s games to begin with. Feels like biting the hand that pays you lots of money.

These retailers get a fringe benefit for all the risk and financial burden of selling your copy of The Princess Diaries: The Video Game in their stores. When it doesn’t sell, they suck it up and make an intentionally ironic coaster out of it, or throw it in a bin with a price tag well below what they paid for it. This is gleefully offset by all that money they make selling that used copy of Halo: Reach for the third time.

Rumor has it that a “resell pass” may be available for these titles for a fee, therefore unlocking the game, but adding to the cost of the used title.

I think much of this report is based on shreds of truth that will be revealed in time, but I doubt this is the final version of what the Playstation 4 will turn out to be.

How much of this do you think is accurate?