EA: What would PlayStation 4 even do?

August 31st, 2011, 02:10 Posted By: wraggster

Gamers are still happy with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and EA would like to see the current generation of consoles last "a little longer".
That's according to EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau, who in an interview with CVG questioned what Sony and Microsoft could be able to do with 'next-gen' hardware over current consoles.

Pointing to the publisher's stunning FPS contender Battlefield 3, the exec argued there's still horsepower left to squeeze out of PS3 and Xbox 360.

"It's hard for me to conceive what you would do on a PlayStation 4," Gibeau said. "The displays are already 1080p, you're already connected to the internet... You could make it faster, you could have more polys and you could up the graphics a little bit... but at what cost?

"It'll be interesting to see how [Sony and Microsoft] think about it in terms of the next generation but it seems to me that customers are happy, and we're happy to build games on [360 and PS3] right now."

He added: "The way the business used to run where you had these big console transitions just isn't happening anymore. They're much longer, the online capabilities are making the way customers interact within the audience very different from when we went from PSOne to PS2.

"I think that [the age of] big, abrupt change in consoles where we all pile in on top of each other and everything changes overnight is just gone."

The exec, who showcased an impressive line-up including Mass Effect 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Battlefield 3 at Gamescom this month, claimed EA's happy with the "consistent" technology of current consoles.

"One of the things that we like is that the technology is consistent, and we believe that there are still things that you can do on these systems... we haven't quite squeezed the last once of hardware horsepower out of these things, as you can see with Battlefield 3.

"Frostbite 2 technology coming in can do some really interesting things that nobody is able to do, and you see some great stuff coming from our competitors too."

He added: "I'd like to see the cycle last a little longer. I don't see consumers right now banging on the walls for a new platform. They seem to be very happy with their PS3s and 360s. They love the online connectivity, they have great communities and great libraries.

"I like the fact that Nintendo's coming in with new hardware. That'll help really rev up their business for the HD side, which is where we're in a really good position."

In the same interview, the EA Labels president told CVG the publisher is looking to re-imagine and bring back "a couple" of classic franchises.http://www.computerandvideogames.com/316621/ea-what-would-playstation-4-even-do/

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