Screenshot taken From Sleeping Dogs.

2012 was a good year for the gaming industry. There were a few major disappointments and some great games, but overall it was a good year.  Before we gear up for 2013 and the excitement it’s going to bring, let’s take a look back at some of the hits and misses of last year.

2012 The Good:

• WiiU released - brought with it the use of a second screen.
• PS vita released.
• Indie games do marvelously well : The Living Dead, Journey, Hotline Miami to name a few.
• Surprise hits help us maximize the fun: Sleeping Dogs and Dishonored, PS ALL Stars
• Sequels once again do well: Max Payne 4, Hitman: Absolution, Black Ops 2, AC3, HALO 4, Mass Effect 3 etc.
• OKAMI HD comes out, with much better graphics and the same great gameplay that made it the game of the year.

2012 The Bad:

• THQ, owners of Saints Row, Metro, WWE files for bankruptcy.
• Anticipated games get delayed: Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Aliens etc
• The Mass Effect 3 ending has a huge reaction from fans, make the developer add an extra ending
• The disappointment of Assassins Creed 3 not living up to its potential.
• Resident Evil 6 being a bad game.
• Slow PS Vita sales.
• Not a lot of original games and content.

2013 - Let us gaze into the crystal ball!

2013 is going to be a big year, infact its going to be a really big year for gamers. Why? Well, we are well on our way to the next generation of gaming. The Xbox360 came out in 2005 followed by the PS3 in 2006. The new consoles will be announced soon. Latest rumors are suggesting that Sony and Microsoft will announce the new systems before E3, maybe even as early as March. Also throw in the fact that Nvidia has announced Project Shield and Valve has announced the Valve Box.

The excitement and thrill that comes with new technology, great games, is what is going to drive this year and we can easily expect new titles and never before seen technology. I can’t wait.

First a look at the consoles coming or atleast to be announced this year. From there, I will share an exhaustive list of titles announced for the year.  And these titles, they all look great.

The Consoles

The PS4 Rumor Roundup - Codename: Playstation Orbis

• It will limit the use of pre-used games.

Probability: 10% as such a step would definitely drive customers away. 

• The New PS will not use the current PS3 Cell Processor

Probability: 50%. Why? Well if they use it, it will cut the new PS’s costs, but as has been seen over this generation, the Cell structure has been difficult to develop for.  Plus there is news that Sony will be collaborating with AMD for graphics power.

• Lack of backwards compatibility

Probability: 85%. This is surely something that will take place if AMD comes in as the previous games are based on NVIDIA architecture. Also, Sony has had success in releasing HD versions of PS2 games on the PS3 and with the graphical leap expected, it would make more sense to upscale the current games.

• Mind Blowing Resolution

Probability: 90%. For the PS3, Sony bought its Blu-ray technology,  which won its disc war against the HD DVD. Right now Sony is pushing its new 4K TVs coupled with OLED technology. I am sure that Sony will support this technology as it inadvertently supports the higher end Blu-ray discs.

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• A new PS EYE

Probability: 95%. The original PS eye for the PS2 was the basis on which the Kinect was built. Microsoft defeated Sony at their own game and improved Sony’s technology to their advantage. Sony’s Move was great, but the camera was seriously lacking. There will be a new PS Eye along with a more advanced Move controller. Leaked documents have shown the new technologies Sony is working right now.

• It will use a second Screen

Probability 85%. With Nintendo bringing a second screen with the Wii U, and Microsoft following suite with the Smart Glass, Sony will be using a second screen as well. It could be an external attachment, or link up with the Vita or even cellphones.

• 8GB RAM / 16GB Flash Memory

Probability: 90%. Sony plans to undo their mistakes. The PS3 lacked the RAM to perform tasks simultaneously, and this will allow them to do perform multiple tasks without any issues including running the OS systems and apps in the background.

• The Alleged Specs:
  • AMD Fusion APU - Codenamed 'Liverpool'
  • AMD x86 Quad Core at 3.2 GHz
  • ATI r10xx (3rd generation) GFLOPS at 800 MHz and 1843 - Codename "Tahiti"
  • 8 GB RAM
  • Blu-ray
  • HDMI 1.4 - 1080p output
  • 320 GB + HDD
  • 16 GB Flash Memory
  • Run Capability at 1.84 Teraflops

Historically, every new generation of the Playstation has been 10 times more powerful than the previous one. From the PS1 to PS2 and the same with the PS2 to the PS3, this has been consistent and I am sure it will bring the same leap to the PS4.