E3 may still be just under half a year out, but we're already starting to get in plenty of news in terms of the next generation of console technology that's likely to make an appearance out at the next round of the big show. This time, we're turning away from Xbox and checking out the other major competitor in the non-casual stakes.

That's right; we've got word about the PlayStation 4, and the current word says that Sony's powerhouse gaming system has a pretty fair chance to be ready to show at E3 as well. With that word also came some word about the new device.

It's clear that Sony wants to match Microsoft as much as possible between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox (which at last report is now the Microsoft next-gen entry's name), since the PlayStation 4 is set to pack in a set of four dual-core AMD64 "Bulldozer" chips for a hefty eight cores total, an AMD R10xx graphics processor, eight gigabytes of system memory, 2.2 gigabytes of video memory, a Blu-ray drive and a 160 gigabyte hard drive. Those are said to be the specs for the developers' machines, not the actual retail versions, so expect storage size to likely pop up from there.

A new controller is said to be in development, though it will be largely indistinguishable from the old, as it will feature a capacitive touch pad, much like that on the back of a PS Vita.

Revamping to the system is only the beginning, as the new PlayStation 4 is looking to restructure the way users handle their accounts. While there isn't a whole lot known about this procedure yet, the early word suggests that users will be able to log into their player accounts from their controllers rather than from their consoles.

With word now suggesting that Sony will be ready to show the PlayStation 4 at this year's E3 awards, or maybe even a bit beforehand, it's a safe bet that the 2013 holiday shopping season will be a very big one indeed for gamers. Get ready, folks...this is going to be a doozy.