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Next Playstation to Be Called "Orbis"

By Kenny Yeo - on 29 Mar 2012, 9:51am

Next Playstation to Be Called "Orbis"

 Source: Sony

There's quite a lot of buzz surrounding next generation consoles lately and recently details of Sony's next Playstation have surfaced.

According to Kotaku's sources, the next Sony console name (or working name) is Orbis. In terms of specifications, it is said that the Orbis could possibly be powered by an AMD x64 CPU, while graphics duties would be handled by an AMD Southern Islands GPU. Southern Islands is the codename given to AMD's latest generation 28nm GPUs.

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!

...

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).

Finally, Kotaku's sources also reveal that the next Playstation is being targeted to be released just in time for the 2013 holiday season. That sounds completely plausible given that recent rumors also indicate to Microsoft prepping their next generation console for a 2013 holiday season release date as well.

Source: Kotaku

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