In an interview with the Financial Times, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Andrew House confirmed the rumours that a new and more powerful ‘PS4 Neo‘ is on the way.
The new hardware, which was being referred to colloquially as PlayStation 4.5, is going to be considerably more powerful. It is to be code-named ‘Neo’ in a Matrix-esque nod to PlayStation VR’s early codename ‘Morpheus’.
Despite being more powerful than the existing hardware, it is designed to “sit alongside and compliment” the current version of the PS4. Its upgraded specs are to allow it to work with 4K televisions and make the PlayStation VR experience run more smoothly. This is no-doubt in response to Microsoft’s slimmer Xbox one, which will support 4K televisions and will make an appearance at E3.
House described the upgrade as “high-end” and said that the system was designed with hardcore players in mind – though he didn’t elaborate precisely on what this means. He also confirmed that it would carry a heavier price tag. There was no detail on how much the system will cost, but rumours have circulated that it will be around the $399 mark.
House also went out of his way to quash previous concerns that developers will have to develop games separately for each system. He emphasised: “All games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4”.
Unfortunately House did not reveal a release date and he also said that the hardware will not debut at E3 next week. The focus for this E3 seems to be directed at PS4 and PSVR and the full range of experiences that will be available in the coming months. This suggests that the available software for Neo is still in its infancy, or at least that there is still significant work to be done in making sure the hardware is ready.
