Following our story this morning on images of a slim version of the PlayStation 4 had already begun to appear online, a report has now surfaced indicating that Sony will officially unveil refresh of the standard PS4 console at their PlayStation Theatre event on September 7.
The Wall Street Journal (paywalled) has reported that “people familiar with the matter” have confirmed that a new model of the PS4, along with the upcoming PlayStation Neo, will be shown off in the coming weeks.
The move is reportedly a bid to sustain demand for the platform. Microsoft has been well behind Sony in terms of unit sales so far this generation, but the Xbox One outsold the PlayStation in the United States last month and current expectations have placed Project Scorpio, Microsoft’s console for 4K gaming and VR, as more powerful than Sony’s upcoming PlayStation Neo.
Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Securities, is quoted as saying that the slim revision of the PS4 would be cheaper than the existing model. The news also comes ahead of Sony’s launch of PlayStation VR in October.
When contacted for comment, a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson replied with the following: “Sony Interactive Entertainment does not comment on rumour or speculation.”
Update: Story and headline have been amended slightly for clarity and to closer reflect the original report.
Comments
20 responses to “Report: A New Standard PS4 Will Be Shown Off Next Month”
Cheaper, yes. But would this mean a reduction in features for the console itself? I mean some images show only a single USB port on the front, whereas others appear to show two. But would they even cut the cost down?
There are a few differences that I’ve seen from the photos. The HDD bay cover is no longer a separate piece, and the power/eject buttons are actual buttons now instead of touch-controlled. It still appears to have the three inputs on the back (HDMI/Ethernet/Aux) but no optical input.
The redesigned PS4 console also has buttons replacing the touch ones from the first generation.
Really!? Wow, I didn’t know that. I got a launch unit, replaced it a few months in for faulty bluetooth, but I really like the touch buttons (even though I keep having to remind myself which is power and which is eject).
I had a launch unit which kept ejecting the disc mid game. The second unit was a white console. Same problem.
Then the 1TB units had buttons and has never happened since. Turns out the plastic case would heat up and caused the touch buttons to react and eject the disc. Don’t know if this is true, but it’s what I read in many forums online.
But glad you haven’t had that issue.
My bad, it appears to have two USB ports on the front. Maybe it’s lacking aux output.
The PS4 doesn’t have an AUX port.. The controller does. I think you mean optical audio out which appears to be lacking on the rear i/o here.
Yup, thanks for that haha. So maybe that’s the cost cutting to make it cheaper? Or it could come standard with 500gb. Looks like a panel on the rear to remove something, you maybe you can upgrade it yourself. Like the current PS4, of course.
I’d say that would be the HDD bay cover, which as we know has always been user upgradeable.
Spot on. Which is why I have a 2TB in mine.
I bought a pc , partially fueled by all this sort of stuff.
Consoles aren’t nearly as convenient as they once were. A real shame.
For me, consoles are a warm snuggle blanket whereas the PC is like taking the training wheels off your bike. I like both experiences, but on balance I prefer to snuggle 🙂
That may have been true for me once. But with all the updates & other bullshit, I’m feeling it less & less
I know! Thank goodness for auto-update and sleep-mode on PS4. Sometimes I dread turning on my PS3 because odds are whatever game in my backlog I want to play, I’ll need to wait anywhere from several minutes to almost an hour for patches and stuff to download.
Yeah, I turn things off at the wall when I’m not using them. I just play offline & start the update when I go to bed.
I like a good PC, but they don’t even come close in the support and convenience departments for an average user. Not even close, not yet.
Yeah, nah.
Sold.
Interesting developments this gen, with both major consoles getting hardware revisions around the same time and upgraded hardware hot on the heels that is probably solely to provide VR support.
Cheaper is good – will be probably be in the market for one early next year