Playstation 4 codename: Orbis?

If sources are to be believed – and really, it’s up to you on whether to believe them – Sony‘s “next PlayStation” is going to be called the ‘Orbis’, and you may not like what you hear.

The name presumably plays on ‘orbital’, which is about revolutions, but not the kind where we get guns.

Kotaku, to whom the information was spilled, set up a nice argument where ‘Orbis’ would potentially play with Sony’s latest handheld, the Vita (meaning life), to form the Orbis Vita – the Circle of Life.

Are Sony planning a futuristic cross-platform experience that references popular 90’s Disney films? Speculation is fun!

Personally, I’m calling it the PlayStation FOURbis.

What it’s packing

According the information, the Orbit will be using an AMD processor – which is in line with all the rumours and “leaks” being reported on. Of course, this information is a bit more detailed, touting an AMD x64 CPU and an AMD Southern Islands GPU.

Here’s a kicker – remember how long it took to convince everyone to get HDTV (and how it’s taking even longer to punt 3DTV)? Well the Orbis will apparently kick HDTV in the pants by boosting resolution to 4096 x 2160.

That’s higher than the “new iPad‘s” fancy retina display. Take THAT, Apple.

Oh, and then there’s also being able to play games in 3D at 1080p.

Backwards

Keeping with the Sony tradition of completely ignoring their previous consoles – the Orbis won’t be backwards compatible. So I hope you didn’t place too much sentimental worth on your PS3 games.

Adding to that, the sources indicate that, like the Nextbox’s supposed anti-used-game ideals, the Orbis will also try to prevent gamers from sharing the love through used game sales.

This will apparently happen by linking or registering any game (physical or digital) to a PSN account. That means you’ll need to connect and authenticate a physically-bought game online before playing it.

It sounds horrible – but on the plus side, you’ll then be able to re-download the game if, say, you get bored one day and feel like sanding down your Blu-rays.

Whether this means you’ll need an always-on connection, or if it’s a one-time authentication, it’s irrelevant – it sounds like DRM and that makes bunny cry.

See? Now he's crying. I hope you're happy, Sony.

Releasing sooner than you think

I hope you saved the biggest pinch of salt for last – because according to these sources, game developers have had dev kits for the Orbis since the beginning of 2012.

And they’ll have launch titles ready for when the console goes on sale – Holiday 2013.

What do you think about the latest next-gen PlayStation speculation? Yay or Nay? Is Orbis a silly name? Share your thoughts on the MyGaming forum and in the comments below.