Video game consoles have a fairly predictable life cycle. As hardware ages, and thus as costs fall, it gets redesigned with a slimmer look. And Sony is adhering to that cycle, which has happened with two PlayStations in a row, with the PS4. But it’s got some extra surprises coming as well.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Sony will be giving the PS4 a facelift in early September, with two new models. The first is a slimmer, sleeker PS4, which has been rumored for a while, and is pretty much just the PS4 with a nicer plastic shell. There are no reports of any features being cut — unlike previous PlayStation models which sacrificed ports or features to lose some weight — which is good news.
Equally intriguing is the PlayStation Neo. The Neo, supposedly a slight power upgrade for the PS4 but not a full new console, has been talked about obliquely by game executives for a while, but this will likely be our first concrete look at it and what it does. Of note is that if the early September announcement date sticks, the Tokyo Game Show will be starting just a week later.
It’s odd that the Neo would be introduced now, when Sony can’t stop selling PS4s, and The Wall Street Journal says it’s to keep up that level of demand. But don’t forget the PlayStation VR headset is on the way, and while the headset can work quite well on a standard PS4, we suspect that the Neo will be talked about as a “preferred” experience. We’ll find out soon enough, as Sony has an event scheduled for September 7.
(Via GameSpot)