About a month ago, we reported on widespread rumors that Sony was prepping a “PlayStation 4.5,” that would feature souped-up hardware and graphics capabilities. Well, we may now have more concrete details about Sony’s planned upgrade.
According to Giant Bomb, the PlayStation 4.5 has been codenamed NEO by Sony, and will indeed be quite a bit more powerful than the current PlayStation model. Here are the hardware specs provided…
As you can see, the PlayStation 4.5/NEO will offer a significant boost in CPU speed, and an improved GPU. The RAM will be unchanged, although the system will be able to access that memory faster. These upgrades should allow regular games to run in 4K resolution, and improve the scope and visuals of PlayStation VR titles.
More interesting than hardware specs, are details on how Sony will reportedly market the upgraded console. According to Giant Bomb, once the new system launches, all PlayStation games will be required to come in both a “base mode” and an enhanced “NEO mode.” That said, there will apparently not be any NEO-exclusive games, and owners of the basic PlayStation 4 will be able to play online with owners of the newer console. In fact, developers won’t even be able to offer exclusive modes or gameplay options for the updated PS4. The extra power is to be strictly for better visuals and performance.
It’s expected the PlayStation 4.5/NEO will launch this October, and once it’s out, all PlayStation games will have to support both the original PS4 and the new system. Previously released PS4 games will be able to add NEO support through patches. The new PS4 will reportedly cost $399.
It’s nice that Sony seems to be going out of their way to not split the market, or exclude current PS4 owners, but at the same time, not doing any sort of exclusive NEO games or features renders the new system kind of pointless. Of course, a lot of games could end up being compatible with the original PS4 in name only. “Sure, you can play this on the basic PS4, as long as you’re okay with 10 FPS.”
What do think of Sony’s rumored PlayStation 4.5 plan? Will it work out smoothly, or will the market end up split despite Sony’s best-laid plans?
via Giant Bomb