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The arrival of the next generation in console systems is hugely exciting for Digital Foundry. Sony and Microsoft are effectively pressing a giant button that resets everything we know about consoles and, for us, the race is on to find out exactly what's inside the new hardware, what it's truly capable of, how it compares with the current state-of-the-art in gaming technology, and how the platform holders have customised their designs to give their machines the edge over the competition.Over the last year, we've seen leaks of unprecedented authenticity, we've chased down numerous developer hints, seen prototype devkits put up for sale on eBay, and amidst some remarkable fantasy nonsense, even reader tip-offs have translated into big stories once doubled-sourced with developer contacts. We revealed the near-final PS4 specs prior to February's reveal event, and have followed that up with further next-gen exclusives, but the thirst for hard data on the performance of the new consoles is unquenchable. We will always want to know more. So, what would happen if we had the opportunity to talk face-to-face with the man who holds all the answers about PlayStation 4?
We found out this week, when we had the chance to meet up with chief architect Mark Cerny at the Develop conference in Brighton. This was an opportunity to sit down and chat with the man who not only knows the final hardware design inside out, but who would also be able to talk at length about the entire developmental process - the thinking behind the hardware, the decisions behind the balance of the components, and the alternative designs that never came to be. This is also the man best-placed to tell us how Sony managed to cram 8GB of GDDR5 into the PlayStation 4, in what is believed to be a last-minute yet massive addition to the spec of the new console.
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