More sources claim that the PS4K/PS4.5 is real, could arrive in 2017

[Hawq]

Last week, a report from Kotaku claimed that Sony was in fact working on a PS4 hardware refresh, currently dubbed as the PS4K or the PS4.5. This new console is said to pack in more power in the hope that 4K gaming might be possible. Now, a separate report from Digital Foundry has come to light, with its own sources also claiming that the new console is real.

The sources from Digital Foundry’s report seem to refer to the device as the PS4K and could offer significant performance improvements over the current 1080p capable PS4.

While Kotaku’s report seemed to be throwing around the notion of 4K gaming, Digital Foundry is a little more grounded and tempers expectations as it is unlikely that Sony will manage to reach a specification capable of 4K with the same scope modern games have at lower resolutions. Right now, even the highest end graphics cards struggle with 4K in today’s titles.

“Everything we’ve heard positions PlayStation 4K as a machine capable of playing current and next-generation ultra HD media, while also offering support for other aspects of the 4K spec, such as high-dynamic range and a wider colour gamut – aspects of the 4K spec that could be introduced to gaming”, the report explains.

This new console will likely be arriving in 2017.

KitGuru Says: While the original report made it sound like Sony was aiming to take on 4K gaming (which would have been a stretch), Digital Foundry’s sources seem to offer a more down to earth view of the new box. It will likely be able to support 4K blu-rays and streaming but hitting the computational power to deliver 4K games in a console package likely won’t be possible at this current time.
source

[Code-Red]

Hitting 4k is definitely possible, doing it within a console price range is not. I'm glad I didn't sink any money into consoles this generation, this is a shitshow.

[OrangeRibbon]

As long as they don't split the market by saying "This games can only be played on the PS4.5"

[Code-Red]

I imagine they won't exclude releases from the older consoles, it'll be a matter of features.

PS4.5/Xbone1.5
4K/1080p, higher res textures, 60fps, VR, etc

PS4/Xbone
Standard releases

[Matisfaction]

This has been doing the rounds for a while, both systems struggle to hit 1080p 60fps and you've also got the NX coming in 2017 (which could be anything) so it's not come as a suprise. But with the PS4 doing so well, do Sony really want to potentially piss off 30M+ existing PS4 owners.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

New PlayStation 4 is codenamed NEO, buffs CPU, GPU, and RAM

All PS4 games to require 'Base Mode' and 'NEO Mode'

That new, better PlayStation 4 hardware Sony is expected to announce ahead of PlayStation VR in October? We have a few more details, thanks to sources speaking to Giant Bomb. First, drop the PS4.5 (lazy) and PS4K (inaccurate) monikers. Internally, the new hardware is referred to as "NEO," and it's about to explode.

The souped-up system is rumored to retail at $400. What does that higher price point get you?

"The NEO will feature a higher clock speed than the original PS4, an improved GPU, and higher bandwidth on the memory. The documents we've received note that the HDD in the NEO is the same as that in the original PlayStation 4, but it's not clear if that means in terms of capacity or connection speed."

Starting October (that's when PSVR releases), all PlayStation 4 games must ship with a "Base Mode" that works with original PS4 consoles and a "NEO Mode" that takes advantage of the following:



This means "NEO Mode" can offer higher or more stable frame rate and other visual flourishes. "The NEO will also support 4K image output, but games themselves are not required to be 4K native." In Sony's developer guidelines documents, the company reminds that games can't push 4K on the NEO at expense of performance. "Sony repeatedly reminds developers that the frame rate of games in NEO Mode must meet or exceed the frame rate of the game on the original PS4 system."

There will be no NEO-specific games (as with the New 3DS, though it's rarely been the case), as "Sony explicitly and repeatedly states that developers cannot offer exclusive gameplay options or special unlockables for NEO players." That said, NEO can offer improved versions of existing features; the example offered is a four-player local co-op PS4 game could theoretically offer eight-player local co-op on NEO. Given Sony's strict rules in keeping from splitting PS4 ownership, though, I doubt this will come up too much.

Similarly, all PS4/NEO games must have peripheral parity, so VR modes can't be locked to NEO. This means, contrary to the initial idea that NEO is specifically meant to accommodate VR, that your NEO can only be better at VR on a technical level. Also, despite games as early as September needing to be NEO ready, "devs are allowed to launch NEO-ready games before the NEO itself releases," so this doesn't confirm a launch alongside PS VR, at least not on its own. Existing PS4 games can also be patched to allow for NEO versions with better performance, but I don't expect a lot of developers taking advantage of the option. It took four years for Metal Gear Solid 4 to get Trophy support.

Sources: The Upgraded PlayStation 4 is Codenamed NEO, Contains Upgraded CPU, GPU, RAM[Giant Bomb]

Source: Destructoid

[Matisfaction]

That RAM Ceiling...