Sony may not have shown the PlayStation 4K at E3 2016 this week, but its messaging has been razor sharp: the iterative console represents a step-forward for gamers looking for the best possible performance, but no one will get left behind. It's an option – and it will be sold concurrently alongside the existing PS4. This is what SIE gaffer Shawn Layden told TIME:
"With this move towards a high-end PS4, it's not to bifurcate the market. We're not creating haves and have-nots. There's only going to be one game on sale, and it will play on both [consoles]. You'll have the same experience, but one will be delivered at a higher resolution, with an enhanced graphical experience. Everything else is going to be exactly as you'd expect."
This statement echoes everything that group president Andrew House has been saying about the system as well, so it's nice to see the manufacturer provide a consistent message about the product. We still need to see exactly where those alluded "graphical improvements" reside, of course, but with the platform supposedly due out this year, we're sure that we'll learn more soon.
[source time.com]
Comments 25
I think it'd be foolish to assume that there won't be times when those on the lower powered hardware will miss out. Not being funny but there are many games that have performance problems on the current PS4, and that's with the developers only having one machine to work on. Sony are already letting games like Far Harbour release in a poor state. I don't think they will hold developers to account if games run really badly on the base PS4 once Neo launches. Nothing has happened previously to demonstrate otherwise. They just wait for the developers to fix it (or not fix it, as is often the case).
That said I'm all for better hardware and will be getting a Neo myself.
so basically what PC gamers have been doing for years either playing it at a basic setting or if you rig is powerful enough playing at a high end setting, same game but one just looks better
@kyleforrester87 They're saying that people on current hardware won't miss out, though. There'll be a mutiny if they change their stance now - and we'll lead the charge.
Of course, as for whether the games end up running like garbage on the existing device, that remains to be seen. They're making the sort of noises that suggest they don't really want that, but I agree with you that they're unlikely to police it.
You'll have the same experience, but one will be delivered at a higher resolution, with an enhanced graphical experience.
Same <> higher res and enhanced expereince
It's all about the "but".
And, just as I predicted, E3 winds up being all about the systems that arne't there, Neo and Scorpio. Surprisingly though, Ninteod is getting a pass on NX w/ Zelda. hmm
@get2sammyb that's the problem though, that lack of policing will result in some upset gamers on the lower spec hardware. Without guidelines it's inevitable that developers will get lazy and the acceptable performance of any given game is likely to reduce. If half the user base upgrade this leaves an even smaller pool of people than usual to complain, and those with the better hardware will just be telling everyone to get over it and upgrade already. So yeah, you'll get the same content, did we mention it'll be running at 8fps? Enjoy!
But that won't be a problem for me on my super fast NEEEEEEOOOOOwwwww....!!!!
@JoeBlogs True, I'm honestly not suggesting it'll be a HUGE problem but if we are getting shoddy releases even now it's only going to get worse and worse once new hardware is released and the current generation roles on.
@kyleforrester87 I think if they add options to turn down the game settings, like on PC, it would help A LOT. Like the option to reduce resolution or turn off shaders to get a higher frame rate.
@kyleforrester87 Personally, I think that the Neo could actually help developers and benefit PS4 players too. I think the Neo could take the pressure off developers trying to hit 1080p with the highest visual effects that still keeps the frame-rate hitting a certain level for 'most' of the time. It would enable developers to drop to 900p in favour of maintaining a locked (or more stable) frame rate and with maybe more visual effects because of the drop in resolution.
The Neo is the one that's going to be the resolution number hitter. I bet if developers had opted for 900p and locked 30fps, Fallout 4 and Far Harbours Fog would not have been an issue but the pressure to hit 1080p is often greater than locked frame-rates.
@BAMozzy Maybe. I understand that, at least some of the time, the process is to make the game they want (i.e Witcher 3) then think "right how can we downgrade (or, errr, optimise) this enough to actually get it running". In that scenario I wonder if they'll put as much effort into getting the game running well on the base hardware as they would Neo.
I just see this as similar to PC games, without the user having the option to change settings directly.
But i do agree with @BAMozzy in terms of it helping the "lesser" kit.
Although not quite the same, The Witcher 3's improvement by virtue of CDProject's better handling of resources has improved performance immensely since release, so the Neo development may have a similar positive affect.
Bifurcate, he said bifurcate. What in the wide world of gaming is a going on here? However i am actually impressed by the chairman's word choice of bifurcate.
Like the Scorpion i think the Kneeo will turn out to be next gen. Why go halfway as both current gen consoles have been descibed as under powered since release nearly 3 years ago? The PS4 games playing on both can just be backward compatibility.
@kyleforrester87 While you have absolutely valid points, I think that its missing the new paradigm that will emerge. Currently developers try and push the PS4 too hard, they try and hit that 1080p as much as possible, even if the framerate suffers. Now with having a console where they CAN hit that 1080p no problem (the Neo), they wont be as fearful to drop to 900p on the classic PS4, which would result in a much more stable and smooth experience. The same goes for various graphical effects. They can tone them down on the classic PS4, since the people that really care about having the best effects and resolution, will have the Neo. The ones that just want to play games, will have the classic. I think this will result in a better experience for everyone.
@NoCode23 The Neo isn't that much of an upgrade in reality. If the rumoured specs are true, the Neo is only 2.5x more powerful - Its not the same jump as the PS4 was (around 8x). This is just to see the 4th gen Playstation through the next couple of years until they can realistically offer a leap in power at an affordable price without seeming to be too soon from a market sense. If Sony released a PS5 now, people would be rightly upset as they expect a console to last 5yrs at least but leaps in technology has effectively aged the PS4 more quickly.
@thedevilsjester Exactly!!!
@thedevilsjester I honestly hope it goes that way and they don't just use it as an excuse to get lazy - necessity is the mother of all invention and it's this logic that has pushed developers to squeeze everything they can out of console hardware in the past. Without the necessity I wonder if they will bother!
I look forward to incremental upgrades as long as my current ps4 purchases will run on neo (ps4 ver2), ps4 (ver3) and future ps4 (ver x). Every tech upgrades annually nowadays - it's just the norm. Trade-ins can keep your upgrade costs low. Strange how the console gaming market has graphical elitists and fall head over heals for faster performance and uber graphics, yet some gamers don't want a faster console? Could these be pc gamers trolling the console sites to confuse things? I might be wrong here! But I do know a couple of mates who are jealous that their 1 year old pc with nvidia gtx 960, paying over £900 can be nearly matched by £300 consoles.
First of all I want to thank you all for speaking in intelligent ways. This is a nice discussion area. I have been seeing so much hating and claims without support online. Thank you everyone. So my first thought is that you guys are right! The 2 systems will balance each other and allow for more stable experiences on each. This is a smart way to go about it. Second, keep in mind that Sony is most likely using the polaris based amd gpu/apu structure. I am following the new information closely coming out about this new tech. The more that comes out, the more impressive it looks. The full rx 480 card is being rated at 5.8 Tflops right now. So i think the 2.5x performance improvement is quite low. That was a number given before anything was spoken about the new polaris cards. I think it will be much better then that based on the new information. I agree with the idea that bbq_boy said. I am not so elitist that I NEED the "most powerful" machine. I want wonderful games to run smoothly, from a company that has me as their first priority. That is exactly why I support Sony this generation. They aren't blowing their own horns. They are trying to give us a good experience and put us first. Final thought, they are being very secretive, and they are being cautious. I feel this bodes well for us. I feel they are letting Microsoft jump ahead and then they will careful handle the PS4k. Very much like when ps4 and xbone launched. I have hopes they will come out strong and show once again this generation they are thinking of us first.
Their not fooling me. It's a brand new console! Better graphics, better hardware, probably better storage. It's a PS5. I feel this came WAAAAY too soon after the PS4 launch. I feel cheated.
Sony PlayStation are a very professional organised and fair company! And for people to think that they are gonna say that people with the original console won't miss out and then go and do the complete opposite,,,,,,, well let me just say your all pessimists! Why would they jeopardise losing their fans to the competition by being dishonest! It wouldn't be very professional and, very risky. I will buy the neo but I do believe everything that Sony is saying about the old and new consoles!! People just love to moan!!!
As long as basic version runs at good framerate andvis well optimize I don't care...
I don't know. It seems at this point that devs would be foolish to make games optimized for the PS4k. The install base of the PS4 is huge, millions and millions of people. Very few of those will upgrade, I'd guess around 20-25%, max. Most developers would rather sell games to those people who only have a base PS4, and have games that may run a little better on PS4k. If games run like crap on the base system and only really work in the 4k they would be targeting a minority of gamers (at least for a couple years) and that is a stupid financial decision.
@get2sammyb
Indeed, just look at all the woeful shovelware on the PS store, zero curation or quality control....and the system is only 3 years old.
I'm ok if ps4 neo has the same graphics compared to the old one but it's game all 60 fps. Bloodborne, uncharted 4 and ratchet & clank already has excellent graphics, it only need to run at 60 fps on neo.
@get2sammyb and to think, I'd never even heard the word terraflop before E3
thats the one issue with this new xbox it cannot be like they say that all games will work with the one and the scorpio it would be a massive downgrade to the one if the specs are right plus lets not get onto the price I have seen some tech people say the thing could cost 500+
so in my eyes MS have said we lost and are going for the next generation in 2018 so I am wondering how much not showing it was them taking it back and looking into making it ps5
Bifurcate. I'm gonna be using that word whenever possible now .
The ps4k won't bifurcate playstation consoles in the same way the DSi didn't bifurcate the DS systems. There will be some ps4k experiences only available on ps4k, similar to DSi, there will also be some enhanced features in ps4 games, similar to DSi, but for the most part current owners won't be alienated, again similar to DSi.
However, continuing with the Nintendo handheld analogy. There will likely be a next gen console within 2 years of the ps4k release, similar to DSi.
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