Even before the PlayStation 3 launched in 2006, Sony (SNE) decreed the console would have a 10-year lifespan. Six years later, the PS3 is already showing its age, as is its main competitor, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox 360. Both gamers and developers want new consoles to play with and develop for, and in a recent interview with GameSpot, Sony’s VP of hardware marketing John Koller suggested that regardless of when the highly anticipated PlayStation 4 (code-named “Orbis”) launches, Sony will support the PS3 for at least three more years.
Speaking on how long the PS3 would stick around, Koller told GameSpot: “We’re going to continue supporting the PS3 for the next few years. Absolutely. And we’re going to continue supporting it not only that long, but as long as there is a development spigot that’s running hot. And I can tell you right now, the development spigot for PS3 is very hot. A lot of great games coming. Same thing with PS2…it’s kind of stuck around as that old warrior, many years after its launch. But there’s still games launching for it.”
Unconfirmed early PlayStation 4 rumors suggest Sony’s next console will still support optical discs, output 1080p 3D video and have an AMD x64 CPU and AMD Southern Islands GPU. BGR also exclusively reported in August that Sony’s PS4 will support 4K resolution for both games and videos.
In the meantime, a new PlayStation 3 model that is 20% smaller and 25% lighter will hit stores on September 25th for $269.99.
[Via ArsTechnica]