PS4 Release Date Nears: First Teardown Reveals PlayStation 4 Specs [VIDEO]

With the release date for the PlayStation 4 right around the corner, Sony beat gearheads to the punch on Thursday by opting to release a video showing a complete teardown of the PS4, which was performed by Sony engineering director Yasuhiro Ootori as an exclusive for Wired. Check out the video below.

In the video, Ootori removes a brand-new PS4 from its box and opens the new PlayStation by removing its various hidden screws along the back of the console, revealing the power supply unit, the optical drive for game discs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, the fan, the heat sink, the Bluetooth antenna, the 500GB hard drive, and the mainframe.

“This is the motherboard,” Ootori said. “This CPU core is an x86, which is the same as the one in a standard PC; in order to put that into this motherboard, we have used our exclusive design, which is specialized for the game console.”

Ootori also revealed the singular CPU-GPU integrated processor, which is a unique chip that can handle both computational tasks and graphics rendering; in most computers and electronic devices, these chips are kept separate from one another, but not so in the PS4. In the PlayStation 4 teardown, Ootori also showed off the console’s 8GB of GDDR5 memory and 176 Gbps bandwidth.

“Because a GPU needs lots of bandwidth, we adopted GDDR5,” Ootori said. “We have this exclusive secondary processor in order to continue the network processing with low power consumption, even in standby mode.”

The PS4 specs also include a Wi-Fi antenna, a USB 3.0 connector for USB devices, an HDMI connector for AV devices, an AUX connector that can connect to the PlayStation camera, and gigabit Ethernet.

To keep all these specs cool, Sony will release the PS4 with a heat sink that has two heat pipes and is directly attached to a shield plate, as well as an 85mm diameter centrifugal fan, which generates air pressure and directs airflow to keep the PlayStation 4 cool, even during intense usage. Check out the full teardown video above and enjoy the PS4 in all its glory.

PS4 Release Date Nears: More About The PlayStation 4

Thanks to its custom chipsets, ultrafast memory and 1.84 TFLOPS graphics processor, Sony will release the PS4 as a powerful gaming console that rivals the PC experience, at least as far as performance and graphics power are concerned. The PS4 will come with a redesigned wireless DualShock controller, which now includes a “SHARE” button to immediately stream and send videos to social networks, and a handful of built-in applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Redbox Instant. In addition, the LED light that bisects the PS4 will also change colors depending on the situation, although Sony declined to specify how exactly that function would work.

The PlayStation 4 will also feature PlayStation Plus, which is Sony’s membership service that offers original content and multiplayer services across its ever-expanding collection of games. Current members of PlayStation Plus will be able to immediately bring their profiles to the PS4, but the membership costs $50 a year or $18 for three months of the service.

Sony has set the release date for the PS4 on Nov. 15 in the U.S., while Sony will release the console in Europe just four days later on Nov. 19. Most stores say they are sold out of the PS4, although a handful of retail stores like Best Buy will carry a number of consoles in-store for their midnight release events on the morning of Nov. 15.

What do you think of the PS4? Do you think it was smart for Sony to release a video detailing the teardown of the PlayStation 4, even though the console has yet to be released? Will you purchase a PS4 when it sees its initial release date, or do you plan to wait on your next-gen console purchase? Sound off in the comments section below.

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