With the release of Sony's PSPgo, some might expect the next PlayStation console to be a disc-free endeavor. On the other hand, with the performance of the PSPgo, others might expect Sony to stick closer to what apparently works. And, according to Senior Vice President of Product Development, Shuhei Yoshida, that is just what they plan on doing. In an interview with Play3, he explained that the PlayStation 4 would indeed use an optical disc format when the time comes. An article in volume 201 of Game Informer says that the company is presently working on the "next jump," which PlayStation LifeStyle reports is "a disc similar to the previously announced Holographic Versatile Disc."
The disc is said to have a capacity of 6TB (terabytes) or 6,000GB (gigabytes), more than enough to support 1080p HD video, 3D imagery, uncompressed loseless HD audio, along with any other AV codec you could throw at it. On top of all that storage, the format can use the massive amount of available space to implicate extra security measures, a major positive when pitching the format to game developers (and movie studios) who don't want their games pirated.
This would of course help "future proof" a PlayStation 4 and help it endure a ten-year life-cycle. The question remains, however, of when will we need such a jump in technology.
