Sony has finally acknowledged that it is indeed building a more powerful version of the PlayStation 4, as Kotaku first reported in March. PlayStation chief Andrew House told the Financial Times that the codenamed Neo is “intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4” and that Sony “will be selling both [versions] through the life cycle.” The console will not be shown at E3.
The PS4. No pics of the PS4.5 yet!
The FT report confirms that the system will support 4K resolutions but was otherwise devoid of specs. House predicted that “[a]ll games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4”. No examples were given of the kind of performance boosts gamers who upgrade to the new unit can expect.
In April, Giant Bomb published a specs comparison from what it said was documentation for the new system:
via Giant Bomb
House also told the paper that both the PS4 and the 4.5/Neo will support the upcoming PlayStation VR headset.
It’s still unknown when Sony plans to start selling the more advanced unit. House did tell the FT that it will cost more than the current PS4, but it was unclear if that means it will retail for more than $US350 ($471), the PS4’s current price, or if it will simply be more expensive than whatever the PS4 costs when the new unit is launched.
Sony going on-record about the new console today was likely an intentional move to lower expectations about it being announced on Tuesday during Sony’s E3 briefing.
We’ve also reported that Microsoft is developing some new Xbox Ones, a smaller unit set for release this year and a more powerful “Scorpio” unit that would be competitive with the Neo. Microsoft’s E3 briefing is also on Tuesday, giving them a chance to talk about new hardware, if they so choose.
Comments
53 responses to “Sony Confirms PlayStation 4.5, Says More Powerful Console Won’t Be At E3”
bummed it wont be at e3 but happy they confirmed its coming.
Wonder of they’ll package it with a PS VR?
Considering the PSVR was codenamed “Morpheus”, I think it’s pretty likely they’re targeting the VR space with “Neo”. Neo had amazing powers, and Morpheus had amazing glasses. 😛
How did I not make that connection?
…I can’t believe I didn’t put those two together.
Where does Trinity fit in???
She could be the new controller in skin tight leather.
PSP attempt 3? (could they be that crazy?)
You need 3 eye-toys?
Trinity is the combination of the ps4, The Neo, and the Morpheus.
Trinity is probably some sort of couch, because she had an amazing ass.
consoles taking the jump to provide different units
will we see 2 or 3 teirs of console in the future, if this sells well there might be, choice!
I don’t know, it’s my understanding the majority of the extra power is going to be directed at getting them displaying in 4K (totally could be wrong though). If that is the case I see it being more along the lines of when they had 2 seperate Xbox 360s, one with hdmi and one without.
Not 4k gaming from i’m told, just 4k blu-ray playback.
Ah that makes sense.
Yeah haha. My mate who is a manager for EB knows someone with Sony and was telling me 4k Blu-Ray. It makes sense when even the GTX 1080 has troubles pushing out perfect 4k gaming.
I think yes. Sony had to source their own silicon at some point during the PS3 life cycle in order to supply the PS3 units they needed. This time they will go with the best their partners can design and manufacture.
Provided there are no major architectural changes, backwards compatibility will make any future iteration immediately an upgrade.
The upside is the speed of adoption for new hardware tech, and I like it.
“intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4”
What a load of nonsense. Genuinely feel my intelligence is being insulted by this marketing drivel.
They don’t mean in a physical sense. You’re not going to have both next to each other at home and then switch between them to do different things. They’re obviously talking in regards to marketing and sales. Both will be available during the PS4’s lifecycle, and while the standard version will be there for current owners and those who want a bit of a cheaper option, the Neo/PS4.5/whatever they want to call it is there for those who want 4K support and/or higher resolutions for gaming.
Upvote for drivel instead of dribble.
Sony just can’t put a step wrong here. As long as it’s more powerful than the neXtbox and comes out first, Sony will remain ahead of Microsoft for the rest of this generation. If it doesn’t meet those two marks then Microsoft will catch up.
That’s really weird. You’d have thought that they would have left the confirmation to be a big announcement at E3. Makes me wonder if they have something big under the sleeve.
I expect a lot of focus on VR. No need to focus on two bits of new hardware.
If you need the Neo to make full use of the VR, like the rumors have been saying, you’d think they’d be showing both off.
Yeah, although they’ve said you don’t need Neo for VR. And they don’t really want to send the message that you need to spend another $1000 for VR. That’ll just push customers away. $500 for VR is…well half that.
though when i saw what the old specs were for the cpu, i thought that what it should have been on release.
though as i have seen the current specs everywhere, i am interested in the harddrive size, as i don’t want to change it.
but hopefully by the time i get mine they are standard with at least 2tb
SIgh. I just bought a PS4.
Ooooh. But on the bright side, you now have a PS4! Insert smiley face please Siri.
Welcome aboard! ?
I’ve barely touched it. PS3 games backlog…
I still have one too, but i also a Wii Backlog, a 200 game steam backlog and about 100 games on gog
though despite not having a PS4 i do have collection of Games for it that i picked up heavily discounted on disc and few on PSN.
you tend to benefit from being a late adopter except with the wii and the ps3 (but that’s only if you cared about BC or having Linux on your ps3)
Yep, bought at the wrong time…. I’m sure this won’t come out for 3+ months anyway, at least you get some time with current gen. The only reason waiting would have been good would be cause existing units would more than likely drop in price OR you’d have the option spending more for extra horsepower.
At least the preliminary reports are stating that they’re not fragmenting the market, all games should run on both, just better on the new one. It’s not like you’re losing out, but yeah the timing does suck.
Not a big deal, I got the nice red MGS5 edition so I’m happy with that.
lol what a load of trash. why wouldnt you just buy a PC and plug in a controller?
Because I don’t want a PC…..
So you like games but dont want to play them on the best system available?
Well firstly ‘best’ is subjective and depends on which parameters you go by. I don’t need 4k 60fps at the moment. I might like it but I have no need for a dedicated PC for gaming, especially as a student. I can however use a PS4 to play Blu-Rays, stream Netflix, and still have a near optimal gaming experience.
Yes. That’s why I have a Wii U 😛
Might have to play Red Dead Redemption on Pc too, oh wait……..tehehehehe
I was a die-hard PC gamer for years, but over the last two have now almost completely switched to Mac. Because I was missing some games, I also picked up a PS4. Honestly, I have more fun with it and play more games on it than I ever did my PC. I highly doubt that I will ever go back. Best is definitely subjective in this case.
Agreed, I keep my PC hardware half upto date (upgrade mobo, cpu, ram every 4 years and vid card every 4 years…. but they seem to alternate 2 and 2 if that makes sense).
I’ll be picking up a 1070 cause im heading to the states in 2 months and thats mainly for an upgrade from my 560. I’m excited for VR PC content and most of that is non gaming related. I think the PC and VR will offer a lot of cool shit. PS4/Xbox will have their VR offerings but itll be some lame apps and games.
I cant justify a full VR upgrade at the moment so eyeing off the psvr and xbox vr offerings but I think I’ll be ditching my xbox one and moving to ps4.5 bundle when it comes out (depending on e3 news). The thought of dishing out 1k or whatever for a full ps4.5 with VR is so much better than upgrading the whole rig with a 1080, then another 1.3k on a vive…. massively cant justify it. If the ps4.5 is 1k or 1200 with PSVR then at least you know its a fully fledged system that will be current for 3-4 years…. thats less than the cost of JUST the vive haha (wont be as good but I reckon it’ll be bloody decent).
I’ll still be grabbing the 1070 in the states cause its super reasonable and I still play rocket league on PC…. Hoping the morpheus will be hacked for PC. If that happens then I’ll be over the moon !
PC != (Always) Best.
At least you get to play FFXV at launch date 😛
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I feel like Microsoft having the earlier, and shorter, press conference is going to once again bite them in the arse.
I actually wonder whether not having it the conference is more about brinksmanship than strategic planning. Like if you’re going to sell new hardware in October you’d wanna get that into E3 to let people know about it.
Part of me thinks they’ve watched the Internet chatter (specifically around how they’re aiming for 4Tflops and MS is supposedly aiming for 6! And perhaps they’ve changed their plans
PS4 memory bandwidth should be 176 GB/s.
So basically this is a preemptive strike based on the required specs of VR. What really annoys me is that this is going to split the user base and force me to buy a new console less than two years after I spent $600 so I can play the new games as they are intended.
And how long will it be before new games release which CANT run on the old version? This really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Nobody is forcing you. Both consoles will be supported throughout their lifespan, meaning all video games along the way must make the game compatible on PS4 as a priority, and on 4K as an option. The fact is that VR requires more grunt than the PS4 can provide, so if you were going to enjoy VR you would have had to fork out for the appropriate PC hardware to do so anyway. This is the only way to bring VR to the living room, but at no point are you being forced.
Thankyou for being reasonable.
It would be awesome if they would just release modular upgrades so you didnt have to buy a whole new unit. If you could just dump another $400 into a modular video card then upgrades could be a lot more incremental and the sting would be taken off a $1000 purchase. No need for a whole base unit etc etc.
I dont own a ps4 at the moment so the ps4.5 / vr combo is super appealing to me but I can see how it would annoy you if you already owned one. Itll be expensive for console gaming but compared to a PC rig it’s half or less of the cost, so a good deal in my eyes.
That would be pretty cool. I think ASUS once had a laptop where all the parts were easily accessed and swapped out. I guess once the console has already been designed there’s fewer options to upgrade it cleanly.
But yeah, as trivial as it may be, you would likely spend the same or more on a PC upgrade. Could even be generous and give the old console to friends or family. I was looking at the prospect of buying a 4K bluray player so this upgrade holds additional benefits for me, again at a price I would have spent anyway for such an upgrade.
I wonder if the PC master race wankers realise how insufferably predictable they are in these comment sections?
PC is master race
PC
Vive = 1200-1300
1080 = 1300
Mobo/Cpu/Ram = 700+
Case/Power/Incidentals/Hdds = 400+
Rough cost = 3.5k for quality shit
PS4.5 with PSVR
Not sure but I’d say 900-1400 is generous
It’s at least 50%+ less and there’s no fucking around with drivers and what not. I’m all about the PC don’t get me wrong, but moneys money haha. I would love to have unlimited funds and upgrade my rig but I’m a realist and the content just isn’t there yet. When I weigh up that pc rig for cost/effort and the content not being there…. doesn’t really add up just yet. I’m sure PC will be the goto in a couple of years but I can’t justify it at the moment… once again its not just the money, its the spending heaps of money for very very limited returns.
I really think Sony will do their best to nurture PSVR but we’ll see. There’s still a huge possibility that PSVR will be the next kinect, eye toy, move etc etc but all signs are pointing to serious backing of the tech. If they can manage to hack the PSVR to work with a PC then I also think they’ll be selling a shitload of units as people can use them for both console gaming and whatever PC applications…. would be the realistic best of both worlds for someone like me for the next 12-18 months.
You may not realise this but you are fighting for a platform like SNES vs Genesis or a PS2 vs Dreamcast fanboy.
When it comes to gaming, there is no master race. More powerful hardware doesn’t equal better games; it depends how well the hardware is used to express an idea which is platform independent.