According to multiple Giant Bomb sources, the upgraded PlayStation 4 model, currently referred to as PS4.5/PS4K, is codenamed NEO by Sony.
Following Giant Bomb’s report, Digital Foundry confirmed the details, saying Sony is openly sharing specs with developers and they’ve seen the documentation detailing what’s different from PS4 and PS4.5. Here’s what both outlets say you can expect from the new PS4 model’s CPU, GPU, and memory:
The reports go on to say the hard drive in the NEO is the same as the original PS4, though they didn’t specify whether that’s related to capacity or connection speed.
Additionally, beginning in October, every PS4 game will be required to ship with a “Base Mode” for the original PS4 and a “NEO Mode” for the new model. Furthermore, games launched in late September will require a day one patch to add a NEO Mode, NEO-ready games can launch before the system itself is available, and previous released titles can be upgraded via a patch with NEO features. Despite the October requirement for games, Sony didn’t mention a release window for NEO in their documents.
By running PS4 games in NEO Mode, developers will be able to use the extra memory and hardware upgrades to offer higher and more stable frame-rates, improved graphics fidelity, and additional graphics features when players are using a 1080p TV. Sony writes in their documents that games in NEO Mode must meet or exceed the frame-rate of the game on the original PS4 model.
As previously reported, the NEO and original PS4 will exist alongside each other, and both systems will use the same PlayStation Store, connect to the same online communities, and offer the same user experience. On top of this, there will be no NEO-exclusive games, Sony won’t allow developers to separate players based on the model, and both models must support the same peripherals.
Giant Bomb ended their report by saying that more details of NEO should emerge over the coming weeks.
Do you think we’ll hear more about NEO at E3 in June?
[Source: Giant Bomb, Eurogamer]
