Sony has been rumored to be working on a more powerful version of the PlayStation 4 for a while now. Codenamed Neo, the system didn't show up at E3 2016 in June, leaving its existence uncertain. Sony recently announced a PlayStation event on September 7 that will likely be the announcement of this new PS4 version. However, the company has been tight-lipped about the PS4 Neo's specs. Here's what we think we know so far:
PlayStation VR Is Virtually Certain
The Neo will almost certainly support PlayStation VR, since Sony has been adamant that its virtual reality headset will run on the standard PS4, and removing support for such a major new peripheral for the newest version of a console would be madness. Also, the PlayStation VR was codenamed Morpheus, so there's definitely some synergy in the project naming conventions between the two devices.Hardware Reports
Giant Bomb has reported from multiple unnamed sources some hard numbers for the Neo's hardware. According to the site, the Neo will have an eight-core AMD-built Jaguar CPU and 8GB of GDDR5 RAM like the original PS4, but the CPU's clock speed has been ramped up from 1.6GHz to 2.1GHz, and the RAM has also received a significant speed boost from 176GBps to 216Gbps. The Neo's GPU is beefed up most of all, getting an upgrade from the PS4's 18-CU, 800MHz chip to a 36-CU, 911MHz chip.
The improved specs should mean higher and more stable frame rates for most PS4 games. Ultra high-definition (UHD, or 4K) support seems certain, though it isn't known if the system will render all games in 4K, or if future games will have separate 4K modes for the Neo. 4K video output is obvious regardless, to match the media playback of the Xbox One S (though Ultra HD Blu-ray support is not confirmed).
No Neo-Specific Games
The general consensus is that the Neo, like the Xbox One S, will not have games exclusive to its improved hardware. While it will likely offer greater performance, that doesn't necessarily represent a compelling reason for users to replace their current PS4s, or even for potential owners to get the Neo over the standard PS4.This is a particularly important issue, since the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony will also be announcing a new standard PS4 model (likely a slimmer version, as Sony has done with previous PlayStation generations). The slim PS4 is supported by Polygon's report of a new, smaller version of the system appearing on an online auction site before being taken down.
None of this information has been confirmed by Sony itself, so currently all we actually "know" is that the company has a major PlayStation event planned September 7 in New York. And we'll be there to report new hardware or any other announcements as they happen.
Unproven
The not-quite-new-console-generation trend Microsoft and Sony seem to be working on with the PS4 Neo and hinted-at Xbox One Scorpio show a strange trend for gaming. These half-steps with upgraded hardware might encourage developers to keep console games closer to PC games in terms of graphical fidelity, but it's an untested process that could turn off gamers who invested in new systems at the beginning of the current console generation and don't want to buy replacements so soon.Without games designed specifically for the new console versions, there isn't much to convince gamers to buy them at all. With games designed specifically for the new console versions, gamers who already have the original consoles will be left completely behind, and become rightfully frustrated because of it. As it stands, the Neo and Scorpio have yet to prove their worth, and without some killer features to justify their existence, they'll both have an uphill battle even among the console failthful.