In an interview posted on GamePro last week, former Sony CEO Ken Kutaragi stated that ideas for PlayStations 4, 5, and 6 have already been conceptualized. However, new, yet still unverified sources now claim that his recent retirement has enabled him to streamline plans for a PS4 prototype sooner than anybody thought.

According to a report from Smarthouse, an unnamed Sony insider has claimed that Kutaragi's proposal for the PS4 would involve the same chipset as the PS3, but would include an extensive overhaul to the system software. This would better manage streaming content from a broadband network source, and combined with the console's existing Cell processor, this upgrade would likely supplant the PlayStation as a developer for network-based gaming entertainment in the near future.

The PS3's Cell processor has, of course, become something of an Achilles' Heel in this latest bout of console wars. Although it allows for Sony to vastly increase yield on speed as well as processor manufacturing, it has made it somewhat difficult for developers to design new games as a result. Still, Sony's unwavering dedication to the processor so far has indicated their plans to use it as the engine for most of their future console endeavors.

Kutaragi has similarly hinted to the possibility of generating entirely online-based consoles in the next couple of decades. This rumored "PS4" may act as the template behind a completely internet-driven gaming experience, and may successfully kill two of Sony's birds with one stone. First, it would cut out the middleman by allowing Sony to distribute their games directly to consumers at a lower price, and second, it would eliminate Sony's other bane: the highly lucrative used games market.