With the current consoles being basically a PC it seems Sony went one step further and delivered us one of the first true console upgrades we have seen in many years. It claims backwards compatibility will be a thing but it remains to be seen whether we will see "we highly suggest the PS4k" in the future. No release date but game developers are seemingly required to support it by October and have patches for games released before then.

There have been all sorts of rumours and speculation happening for months now but it is being widely reported now as more concrete information has come to light via Giantbomb.
It is claimed so called 4k output is supported, though games themselves will not be required to do so. Unknown framerate/frequency but it would be surprising to not see some flavour of 60Hz, especially as Sony is requiring game performance to match or beat the present PS4 model. Alas the VR/headset gaming stuff Sony is working on seems to be a bit absent from the documents obtained, give or take mention of a breakout box, so possibly not 120Hz out of the box. The specs the furryteeth care about see rather more modest increases (still 8 cores but with a jump from 1.6Ghz to 2.1Ghz, slightly faster memory and more "compute units/CUs" which is somewhat analogous to the older concept of shader cores in the graphics cards) and other than a bigger memory allocation/"budget" for games it does not represent a change in the core underlying architecture. Unlike upgrading your PC though you will apparently not see improvements beyond any firmware driven upscaling and such unless the devs release a patch.
Whether we will see the return of 4 player split screen co-op now everybody can have their own 1080p space is also unknown, we can but hope. Apparently online games of a competitive nature are being considered in this with a kind of online mode being required so we hopefully will not see the FOV and increased clarity set appear in consoles.

Official word from Sony is not a lot right now but there are many conferences coming up so we might hear more from one of those. No price has been mentioned but apparently the previous leaks reckon $400 USD (£280, 350 Euros, 43000 yen, $520 Australian, 3250 Sek or 267 Guineas, though users of any of those currencies are probably wary of directly converting like that).

We have not really seen true console upgrades since the days of the Amiga, give or take things like the N64 expansion pack which is hardly in the same league as this. What do you think about all this and what do you hope this leads to?

Thanks to Foxi4 for the sources.

 

[FAST6191]

I am not sure I can count the 32x, segaCD or 64DD as upgrades like this or the amiga line. They might go to the same parties and would certainly have been studied as part of market research for this but same would be a stretch for me.

As for 4 player split screen then if I can play a whole single player game on a 20 odd inch TV then playing it on a 50 inch TV at 4k (which for this I will consider it the four 1080p screens stacked side by side and on top of each other) should dodge the claustrophobic thing, not that I ever really felt it and I personally never had a small TV growing up. I fear you also missed the either sarcasm, insincerity, cynicism and/or general apathy towards the games industry that most news posts I make like this tend to be laced with.
Obsolete? There is a reason we still bust out bomberman, sort out LAN xboxes/360s, have 16 bit emulators and more at parties and/or nights in. Granted I relish such things a bit more as I am too cheap to pay for online on consoles so that is most of what I get if I can not be bothered to maintain a gaming grade PC. Equally I am happy enough with two player a lot of the time... wonder if I can get silly wide aspect ratio for two player games.

 

[CathyRina]

Couch coop multiplayer is a way better experience than online multiplayer imo.
The Irony of it all is that this feature was in its prime when the TV were tiny as f*ck. Now we have big screens but no split screen.

 

[hollowtip]

4-player co-op won't be obsolete for as long as people have families, friends and couches. Online is great and all, but you're not going to play online multi on a party - you'll play couch co-op. As for the price point, it's supposed to be $399 and chances are that later down the line the new revision will simply replace the base model, as it was the case countless times before. Regarding the add-ons you mentioned, only the 32X was an add-on focused on horsepower - the other two were merely new storage readers with some additional hardware to allow for steady read-out (like extra memory), they weren't exactly re-inventing the base system, merely adding functionality.

I'm talking specifically about split screen four player co-op/vs gameplay, not multiplayer games where everybody is visible without the screen having to be split. Also, 4k technology won't be a revolutionary addition to the PS4 experience, just like the add ons I mentioned.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm talking specifically about split screen four player co-op/vs gameplay, not multiplayer games where everybody is visible without the screen having to be split. Also, 4k technology won't be a revolutionary addition to the PS4 experience, just like the add ons I mentioned.

Technically speaking, both the SEGA CD and the 32X revolutionized the Sega Genesis experience - one allowed for a multitude of streaming options like FMV and Audio CD BGM's, the other provided the system with means to render true 3D (far beyond what the SuperFX chip could ever achieve, see tech demo below) as a stop gap between the Genesis and the Saturn. Not that either was particularly successful, but they did provide the system with a bunch of new tricks the competition didn't have.

 

[vincentx77]

Releasing a refresh for a $400 console after being on the market for 3 years is not acceptable, especially given the way this thing will likely fragment the PS4 market. I know Sony says that all games must work on both consoles, but I have a fear that if it sells well, most games will be optimized around the Neo, not the base PS4.
Sony has also stated that games must run at the same or higher framerate on the Neo as the base PS4, meaning that devs will either have to cap PS4 framerates if they want to hit 4k on Neo, or 4k Neo games will use lower quality graphics settings.
And looking at the specs for Neo, if you do the math, you can clearly see the GPU is weaker than an R9 290. I have an R9 290x and a 4k monitor and I can tell you that if you want to game in 4k, you definitely have to make compromises with that setup. I would venture to guess that the reason Neo's GPU is 2x more powerful is so that you get a PS4 dedicated to each eye in the VR setup.

And for the record, even though the Sega CD didn't add anything in the way of color, it did add a second CPU that was nearly twice as fast as the one in the Genesis, as well sprite scaling and rotation in hardware, and some extra PCM playback.

 

[tbb043]

[a whole bunch of nonsense]

Folks, that's why you should never post while intoxicated

And for the record, even though the Sega CD didn't add anything in the way of color, it did add a second CPU that was nearly twice as fast as the one in the Genesis, as well sprite scaling and rotation in hardware, and some extra PCM playback.

Redbook audio wasn't anything to sneeze at, either.

 

[Pleng]

Why are people even comparing this to the 32x, Sega CD and DD64? Those were add-ons to an existing system. This is a whole new system.

People who don't have a PS4 will now have 2 options; the original model at a cheaper price, or pay a bit more to get this one.

People who already have a system can either trade in, or keep their original system. Nothing stops working, and as far as I can see there won't be any games designed exclusively for this system so really nobody loses out.

 

[Captain_N]

So it's like a PS4i.
or New PS4.

This was kinda tolerable with handhelds but with $400 consoles, yik.
If PSVR really takes off, maybe this will be worth it. Or at least worth $800.

I was thinking the same thing but nintendo did not force developers to support it.
i wonder if the publishers/devs will like the forced policy. Perhaps it will let nintrndo sneek in and take over...
if all their gonna do is upgrade hardware in 3 years its better to just go pc. thats what happens in the pc gaming world. pop a new gpu in or a new mobo and good to go.
I have that pc in the picture lol . It has one of them quantium big foot drives in it...

 

[Steena]

Console manufacturers keeping on making their own products look like carbon copies of PCs, except inferior in everything, and now having a lower price/performance ratio per generation, which was the one upside.
I spend ~$200 every 3 years to keep my PC into the high tier; looks like consoles will double that for half the performance. What a deal. Also, absolutely nothing will run natively at 4k, unless it ran at 10fps or was a PS2 port. Much less split-screen multiplayer, which is even more taxing. Those specs don't even come close for it. I'm interested to see how will Sony bullshit their way out of this particular one. Watch it be some horrible upscaling abortion.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I was thinking the same thing but nintendo did not force developers to support it.
i wonder if the publishers/devs will like the forced policy. Perhaps it will let nintrndo sneek in and take over...
if all their gonna do is upgrade hardware in 3 years its better to just go pc. thats what happens in the pc gaming world. pop a new gpu in or a new mobo and good to go.
I have that pc in the picture lol . It has one of them quantium big foot drives in it...

To be honest, if the NX happens to be just a little less powerful than a PS4, it's not going to have nearly to problems the Wii U had. The Wii U released with power just slightly better than what existed for the 7+ years prior (Nintendo trying the Wii formula again), just one year before the PS4/XB1 would come out, demolishing what the Wii U could do. Devs were moving onto the next-gen, and even though the Wii U was next-gen, its power was closer to that from the previous gen, and devs needed more power for their imaginings.

Now we have the NX and upgrades to the PS4 (and XB1?) coming around, but I honestly don't think it will be the same scenario happening again. Far from it actually. Unlike the shift from last-gen to this gen, these boosts to existing systems is just that, not an actual generational jump. This means the base units will still be supported for some time. In fact, the base units will still be the focus, not the improved versions, because the devs will have to make sure their games work for them, as those like Sony are demanding that there be nothing special with the boosted versions other than FPS and/or resolution. So, if the NX is at least capable of what the base units can do, then it'll be part of the group and not just an outsider like Wii U was.

Of course, we'd all like the NX to be a bit more than that, as rumors are suggesting it's not an improved version of the Wii U.

 

[Foxi4]

Once again we come back to the "consoles are made to be just like PC's" argument when they always have been. This approach annoys me so much it's not even funny because it's grossly misleading and uneducated, it denegrates the effort it takes to design a gaming system that uses customized hardware and still doesn't alienate developers.

The N64 was basically an SGI Indy, so much so that the workstation could be used as a devkit. The Xbox 360 was like a pair of Powermac G5's strapped together, which is exactly the setup Microsoft used for their initial presentation of the system, much to the amusement of the more keen observers. It goes as far as the NES, which shares the same CPU with the Commodore VIC-20. Even the Atari 2600, the grandfather of all modern consoles (and by that I define a console that's programmable via some form of removable storage) is basically a close relative of the Atari 8-bit computers. This generation isn't an exception, you guys.

Consoles don't exist in a vaccuum - they are in the exact same pool of technology as our other devices. They use the same hardware and software, everything else does - they always have, and there's nothing wrong with that. Their stregths spring from how the hardware is customized for the purpose of gaming, and since the PS4 *is* customized to a great extent, it's no different from any other console that came before it.

The architecture used does not a PC make, unless you're also willing to say that your Gamecube/Wii/Wii U/XB360 were actually PPC Mac's and your Nintendo handhelds are actually ARM smartphones. The whole distinction is well-within murky waters anyways as at the end of the day, all of those devices classify as computers - computing is what they do. They're also personal, so there you go.

 

[Daggot]

I'll pick it up if I can trade my OG PS4 for a reasonable discount like most revisions.

 

[KingVamp]

Too bad I can't remember who was negative about N3ds, but OK with Ps4N. Anyway, "Might as well buy a PC." Last time I check, the people who bought the PS4, don't have to buy the Ps4N. They can still go the whole generation with that console and yeah, it most likely going be exclusives on the Ps4N, especially for VR, but you still don't have to buy it and if you feel that compelled, wait for the price to drop. I still have the original 3ds, despite the bigger size, extra features and games. Probably going wait until the next handheld to upgrade.

Since this is a optional console, they could very well make it a $500 system.

 

[Incolbum]

Playstation VR would be the step before 4k, I'd assume. The steam vr test runs two screens at 90fps each, so if Sony can really pull off a Playstation that can do that at 1080p, and keep the price under 500 dollars, I'd think about buying one.

As for 4k, I think we still have to wait a few years before that even is a plausible concept. The cheapest you can build a 4k pc today is about 900 dollars. A lot of people still don't even have 4k TVs, so I assume Sony will wait until the trend has both caught on with TVs and has become cheap enough to mass produce.

 

[BLsquared]

Once again we come back to the "consoles are made to be just like PC's" argument when they always have been. This approach annoys me so much it's not even funny because it's grossly misleading and uneducated, it denegrates the effort it takes to design a gaming system that uses customized hardware and still doesn't alienate developers.

The N64 was basically an SGI Indy, so much so that the workstation could be used as a devkit. The Xbox 360 was like a pair of Powermac G5's strapped together, which is exactly the setup Microsoft used for their initial presentation of the system, much to the amusement of the more keen observers. It goes as far as the NES, which shares the same CPU with the Commodore VIC-20. Even the Atari 2600, the grandfather of all modern consoles (and by that I define a console that's programmable via some form of removable storage) is basically a close relative of the Atari 8-bit computers. This generation isn't an exception, you guys.

Consoles don't exist in a vaccuum - they are in the exact same pool of technology as our other devices. They use the same hardware and software, everything else does - they always have, and there's nothing wrong with that. Their stregths spring from how the hardware is customized for the purpose of gaming, and since the PS4 *is* customized to a great extent, it's no different from any other console that came before it.

The architecture used does not a PC make, unless you're also willing to say that your Gamecube/Wii/Wii U/XB360 were actually PPC Mac's and your Nintendo handhelds are actually ARM smartphones. The whole distinction is well-within murky waters anyways as at the end of the day, all of those devices classify as computers - computing is what they do. They're also personal, so there you go.

Yup. Nice explanation, Foxi.
Still, this seems to be an interesting move for Sony; can't wait to see where this goes. Not saying I will invest in them at this point, but still.
I would hope that perhaps this might open up the development of titles by indie devs a bit, but if it did, I could see smaller players being unable to use the new "PS4k" hardware upgrades, limiting them to only the lower PS4 bracket. But they did say that all games will be cross-compatible, which actually would negate that hypothesis.
Maybe one of the things Sony is trying to push is the sales of their own 4K televisions? I mean, if the "PS4K" is going to be even half the price of a budget 4K PC, it might stimulate people to actually buy 4K diplays to see the improved picture. Maybe Sony's move here will help 4K jump into the average consumer market? Again, more hypothesizing.
Ah well. I'll have to wait on this one, especially since there are not exactly a myriad of PS4-exclusive titles I am interested in, which of course would be the main reason behind purchasing one instead of just the "next-gen" graphics.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[VMM]

I am actually glad they changed the name from PS4K to PS4 Neo.
PS4K make it look like the main point about the console is 4K gameplay.
Which could make developers try to force their games to run at 4K,
which would result in terrible framerates.

Trying to jump to 4K now would be nuts.
PS4 has a hard time rendering games at 1080p60fps, if we are able to see most games running at this resolution and framerate on PS4 Neo that would be enough for me.

 

[netovsk]

Well to me my ps4 is pretty much a walled garden cheap pc already and thats how I like it. I play only pc games or pc ports on it and I actually find most ps4 exclusives kinda dull,.specially compared to nintendo ones which are awesome.

 

[teegeeack]

pic looks a lot like a late 1990s compaq mini-tower PC. the peak of american industrial design, right there. good to see sony taking inspiration from the classics.