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Step 13

• The Blu-ray/DVD drive is our next target, held in place by a couple screws.

• Unfortunately, the PS4 is NOT backward-compatible with PS3, PS2 or PS1 games. This drive may spin your old discs, but it won't play them.

• Oddly enough, it won't play music CDs, either, although this appears to be a mere software limitation that Sony plans to fix in a later update.

• But who needs an optical drive at all anymore, now that we've harnessed the power of the cloud?

• That being the case, Sony plans to launch a game-streaming service in 2014 powered by Gaikai tech, which will let you play PS3 games on a PS4. All the processing will be done ‘in the cloud’ by Sony’s servers, with just the video transmitted to your actual console.

• That's all well and good, but let's get down to what we really care about: Can we play Crash Bandicoot?

Step 14

• This is the story of an optical drive and his board... Join them on a journey of discovery, to find out just what they're made of.

• We found a few ICs on the optical drive board:

• Renesas SCEI RJ832841FP1

• Mitsumi 312 3536A

• ROHM BD7763EFV 325 T62 Motor Driver IC

• STM8ED 9H A07 VG MYS 331Z

Step 15

• In a race for the motherboard, we tear through a few screws securing the PS4's body.

• We're peeling off panels like we're remodeling a vintage 1960s den.

• We're so close; we can almost taste the chips (secretly, we're hoping they're Fully Loaded Baked Potato flavor).

• Soon, motherboard, soon.

Step 16

• At long last, we get to crack open that glorious briefcase of brainpower and withdraw our treasure.

• Unlike the motherboards we see in ever-slimming handheld devices, the PS4's motherboard flaunts uncluttered, rolling, green plains of fiberglass.

Step 17

Fields of fresh ICs ripe for the picking!

• SCEI (Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.) CXD90026G SoC (includes AMD "Jaguar" Cores and AMD Radeon GPU)

• Samsung K4G41325FC-HC03 4 Gb (512 MB) GDDR5 RAM (total of 8 x 512 MB = 4 GB)

• SCEI CXD90025G Secondary/Low Power Processor for Network Tasks

• Samsung K4B2G1646E-BCK0 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM

• Macronix MX25L25635FMI 256Mb Serial Flash Memory

• Marvell 88EC060-NN82 Ethernet Controller

• SCEI 1327KM44S

Step 18

They say the ICs are always greener on the other side...

• Genesys Logic GL3520 USB 3.0 Hub Controller

• Samsung K4G41325FC-HC03 4 Gb (512 MB) GDDR5 RAM (total of 8 x 512 MB = 4 GB)

• International Rectifier 35858 N326P IC2X

• Macronix 25L1006E CMOS Serial Flash Memory

• 39A207 1328 E1 3FU

Step 19

• What's that behind door number one, you ask?

• Panasonic MN86471A HDMI Communication LSI

• And door number two?

• Marvell Wireless Avastar 88W8797 7 Integrated 2x2 WLAN/Bluetooth/FM Single-Chip SoC

• Skyworks 2614B 315BB

• These images are courtesy of Chipworks. Thanks guys!

Step 20

• The case is starting to look sparse as we evacuate the EMI shielding.

• Determined to stay connected, the heat sink clung to the EMI shielding for dear life. It would not come apart.

Step 21

• At long last, the PS4's biggest fan!

• Okay, yes, that was a bad pun. But it is a pretty great fan. Look at those curves.

• Beauty is one thing, but this fan's also got function: it's designed to run smarter and quieter than the old PS3's wheezy windmill, spooling up and down gradually to keep the decibel count low.

Step 22

Teardown finally complete, we throw the pieces down on the table in victory.

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