I finally got around to upgrading my phat 60GB that's been running on E for a while. I picked up a 320GB drive on clearance at TRU for $40, and finally found another drive laying around that was large enough to do a system back-up. After messing with the hard drive chassis screws for a while, I finally got the drives swapped out, formatted the new drive, and completed the system restore now I have about 220GB left. I go to download the last couple of Qore episodes, and I find the store is down for maintenance.

You have to be careful with those screws, as they can strip easily.

The Next PlayStation is Called Orbis, Sources Say. Here are the Details.

While the official reveal of Sony's next home console could still be months away, if not longer, Kotaku has today learned some important details concerning the PlayStation 3's successor.

For one, the console's name—or at least its codename/working title—is apparently Orbis. And it's being planned for release in time for the 2013 holiday season.

The details in this story come from a reliable source who is not authorized to talk publicly about next-gen hardware but has shared correct information with us before. What they're telling us in specifics matches much of what we've heard and reported in generalities in recent weeks.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment about these details, citing the company's policy not to comment on "rumors or speculation."

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Orbis. Say it out loud. Sounds a little like the word "four", doesn't it? Only it doesn't make the next PlayStation sound like a bad horror movie sequel.

It's also a name loaded with meaning. The word "Orbis" itself, from Latin, means circle, or ring, or even orbit. Not terribly helpful. Combine it with the name of Sony's new handheld system, though, and you have the common term Orbis Vita (or, in strict Latin, Orbis Vitae). Which means "The circle of life". Could the Vita be playing a very important role in the development and use of the next PlayStation home console? Maybe!

Such symbolism also suggests that rather than being a codename, like most companies employ when still developing a console (think NGP, or Durango), this might actually be the machine's final name. We don't know that, though, so keep an open mind about things.

Type in Vita.SCEdevnet.com and you arrive at Sony's portal for Vita developers. Same with NGP.SCEdevnet.com, referencing the former codename for the Vita. The PS4 version of that address gets you nowhere. PS3 does, as does Orbis.SCEDev.net, though not to any Orbis-specific portions of the site.

THE NEXT PLAYSTATION, AT A GLANCE
Is called, or at least carries the working codename, "Orbis".
Is scheduled for a Holiday 2013 release.
Won't be backwards compatible with PS3 games.
Will lock new games to a PSN account as an anti-used games measure.
New games can be bought either on Blu-Ray or downloaded.
Current specs are an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU

CURRENT SPECS

Our main source supplied some basic specs for the console, but as the future is always in motion, bear in mind these could easily change between now and the Orbis' retail release. Still, if you'd like to know what developers are being told to plan for now, here you go.
AMD x64 CPU
AMD Southern Islands GPU

The former, that's largely something we've heard before, but the latter is interesting. That's the name given to many of AMD's 2012 roster of high-end PC cards. The PS4's GPU in particular, we're told, will be capable of displaying Orbis games at a resolution of up to 4096x2160, which is far in excess of the needs of most current HDTV sets. It'll also be capable of playing 3D games in 1080p (the PS3 could only safely manage 3D at 720p).

NEXT YEAR

Our main source tell us that "select developers" have been receiving dev kits for the new console since the beginning of this year. Revised and improved versions of these kits were sent out around GDC, while more finalised beta units will be shipped to developers towards the end of 2012.

That should hopefully give developers plenty of time to have launch games ready for the Orbis' retail release, which will be in time for the 2013 holiday season. If you can remember the PS3 launch—it's OK if you can't, it was a while ago—that too was in time for the holiday shopping season (November 2006 for Japan and North America).

SO LONG, PS3 GAMES

Remember how the PlayStation 3 swiftly dropped the ability to play PS2 games? Well, our main source tell us the Orbis won't even bother, and that Sony has no plans to offer backwards compatibility for its existing catalogue of PS3 games.

SO LONG, USED GAMES

BACK IN DECEMBER... A post left on Pastebin back in December also referred to the PlayStation 4 as Orbis, calling it a codename in the same vein as Microsoft's Durango. The system specs in that post differ significantly from what Kotaku has heard, and the lack of a hard drive by default goes against the idea of downloading full games to the system.

The Pastebin post also mentions that big name developers like EA were disappointed by an Orbis much less powerful than Microsoft's next machine, so there's a chance that it's the story of an earlier prototype that didn't make the grade. We've reached out to EA for comment.

Just like the next Xbox/Durango, we've heard from multiple sources that the Orbis will likewise have some kind of anti-used games measures built into the console. Here's how our main source says it's currently shaping up: new games for the system will be available one of two ways, either on a Blu-Ray disc or as a PSN download (yes, even full retail titles). If you buy the disc, it must be locked to a single PSN account, after which you can play the game, save the whole thing to your HDD, or peg it as "downloaded" in your account history and be free to download it at a later date.

Don't think you can simply buy the disc and stay offline, though; like many PC games these days, you'll need to have a PSN account and be online to even get the thing started.

If you then decide to trade that disc in, the pre-owned customer picking it up will be limited in what they can do. While our sources were unclear on how exactly the pre-owned customer side of things would work, it's believed used games will be limited to a trial mode or some other form of content restriction, with consumers having to pay a fee to unlock/register the full game.

This would allow used games to continue to be sold at outlets such as GameStop, while also appeasing major publishers who would no longer have to implement their own haphazard approaches to "online passes".

That's all we've got for you at the moment. Remember, none of this information is confirmed, and even the information that is locked down in March 2012 may change before the console's eventual release. This is just what we've been told Sony is working on and planning for as of today. That being the case, how do you think it's shaping up?

http://kotaku.com/5896996/the-next-p...re-the-details

No hard drive is actually not that big of a loss, assuming you can install your own, common drive and they don't go the proprietary route. The size you need for a HDD is going to vary considerably, depending on how you purchase your games and what media you put on it. So if it helps keep the price down a little, it makes sense to just let you decide what size you want. Plus, SSDs are going to get inexpensive enough that they will be worth considering for a console, but they cost too much to include with the system. And if you're concerned enough about load times, you could just buy your games digitally or install them from discs if they allow that.

I wonder if Roy Orbison would approve of the name.

That really sucks ass it won't be backward compatible with PS3 games.

Yeah, but cheer up. We can look forward to "Uncharted: Full HD Trilogy Collection!"

If it doesn't allow backwards compatibility with PS3, I'm done. Seriously. I love the collection that my PS3 plays. PS1, PSN, PS3, all the HD enhanced PS2 games that are now PS3 compatible.

What, are they gonna try and do enhanced versions of PS3 games and make us rebuy 'em? No thanks...

Is it possible for video gaming to suffer a crash again? This lack of support for their own past games as well as a huge used/rental market for current games feels a like cutting off the nose to spite the face.

I was just about to post pretty much the same thing.

If everything on that list does turn out to be true, it's not a product I'd be interested in owning. That's an understatement, but I'll leave it at that.

Imagine if Rock Band songs aren't compatible with an Orbis RB. Some people have spent hundreds of dollars on those. I wonder if Harmonix would have some kind of free or reduced upgrade program, or if it's even possible if they want to do it.

No ps4 for me if that's true. No backwards compatibility with ps3 is pretty bad.

I've spent hundreds and hundreds in the PSN store. Thanks to PS Plus, i own hundreds more in freebies. If I can't play those games on an Orbis, I'm not interested in owning one

Up until now, backwards compatibility meant playing your old disc games on the new system. Now it also means access to a huge, unsellable digital library.

When is ps3 getting HBO go? The more systems its available on the closer HBO Will be to starting a subscription service without having to have cable.

That's a long way off. Cable/Sat providers have contracts with HBO. If it does happen, it'll be a major coup and all the rest of the dominos will fall.

Don't count on it for a long while.

Agreed. If true, I wont upgrade. Im gaming less and less the older i get anyway. And to be honest, short of giving me a hand job, I dont know what a next next gen system could do, that I would care about. PS3 is near perfect for me.

Don't get your hopes up. The CEO of HBO came out(with all the recent buzz about HBOGo) and said HBO will NEVER be available solo.

Sounds like its time for a new CEO.

Yeah, really. I am thinking a CEO that likes to make millions of dollars

Why? Right now, if I subscribe to HBO DirectTV gets a cut. If I subscribe directly to HBOGo, HBO gets 100% of the money.

no backwards compatibility would suck, as would not being able to re-download all existing licensed DLC. no HD makes no sense, especially considering the focus on digital downloads. The other thing that would piss me off is a new controller, or making ps3 controllers/move incompatible.

I don't own a PS3 though thought about getting one several times and actually like the system,. But I have to say that when I learned it... "won't be backwards" compatiable I was taken aback and wanted to see what the feelings of the PS3 crowd and possibly future buyers have to say. If anything game devs are probably shaking their head worried about sales till the next gen console hits the shelves. Sorry to hear this....

I'm surprised by the whole "need an internet connection" thing to even use the system. Is broadband now prevalent everywhere now? I thought that was still a major hurdle to overcome.

If that new PS4 stuff isn't bullshit then I will likely pass on it and start moving away from gaming. Unless they can blow me away and do so without a hard drive while making me be locked down to only one user then I will have to say no. This whole fight against used games is really hurting the gaming industry and it doesn't help that these bastards churn out the same stuff year after year with very little ingenuity and creativeness. They will need to either restructure their pricing of games or risk losing a substantial number of their base of current consumers.

I'm not liking what I'm reading about Sony's upcoming system so far. It will be very unlike Sony not to use a proprietary HD for their system.