Hmmmm, let's put this one in the 'we're not convinced but maybe' pile. According to comments from Macquarie Securities analyst Damian Thong, Sony could well release a PlayStation 4 Slim as well as the recently confirmed PlayStation 4K - or 'Neo', as it's more commonly referred to. If there's truth to this, then it would mean that both Sony and Microsoft plan on introducing refined, smaller versions of their current-gen consoles in the relatively near future.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Thong thinks the Japanese company could unveil its reworked system at "a game show in September". It's unclear whether Thong has inside information with regards to Sony's plans for this year's Tokyo Game Show, but it's an interesting comment all the same. Needless to say, the PlayStation maker hasn't bothered responding to these potential claims.
Could you see Sony revealing a PS4 Slim later this year? Would you be interested in a Slim knowing that the PS4K can't be too far away? Scratch your head in the comments section below.
Comments (22)
hey we knew a PS4 slim would be coming anyway, they have done a slime version of EVERY console after all
@FullbringIchigo Indeed, but with PS4K times are clearly changing. Guess we'll just have to see what happens!
@ShogunRok of course the Slim and the 4K could be the same thing
The PS4 isn't exactly a 'bulky' console and it seems as if Sony opted to increase the power a bit instead of just going for a redesign. To me that says Sony are 'aware' that its not 'powerful' enough do deliver a 'consistent' level of gaming over its life cycle. By that, I mean that as games get bigger, more complex etc, we don't see a drop off in resolution, visual effects or frame-rates. Software is what defines a consoles shelf life. I see no benefit in releasing a 'slim' version of the PS4 with a more powerful option available. All that cost in R&D, redesigning and manufacturing etc when people can buy a 'slim' (maybe not quite as slim) PS4 or Neo for more power. The Neo not only appeals to newcomers but because of the increase in power, could appeal to current PS4 owners too. A slim is much more limited in appeal and the chances are, the current PS4 will be cheap and we could see a lot more on the second hand market as people upgrade to Neo.
A new slimmer model would be great but I can't see it happening until at least 6 months after the PS4K. It would be stupid to confuse the market by releasing them too close to each other.
Surely if they make it any slimmer it will affect the cooling system. I've got a laptop cooler on top of mine as it is.
You barely need 1 PS4, never mind 3
I would just like to be able to hook up an external hard drive already. Already juggling the 500G memory!! Cmon Sony!!
This just in: analyst believes sky is blue
I'd go for a "PS4 Silent" at this point
@Neolit Nice one!
@DamienVonOslo Yea, that'll be my biggest reason for picking up a PS4K. I hate that I can sometimes barely hear dialog in games, because of the PS4 fan.
@FullbringIchigo I think you're right. If you look at the way Sony has been talking about the model in interviews they are really hard to position it more as a PS Slim than as something that is completely different and will replace anything at all. It has mostly been the media, using the PS4K as clickbait, who can't stop telling us how the Neo will "change everything"...
@joey302 take a look at this forum thread mate. https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/ps4/dealing_with_a_500_gb_hd?start=20#reply-33
Could be of some use.
Unless Sony are deliberately setting out to confuse the market I can't see this being true.
What can be gained by making a Slim? The PS4 isn't that big now so how much of a space saving can they get without affecting the heat generated and cooling? I guess they could add 4k media (bluray, streaming) like the XB1s but I doubt they could shave 40% off its size and the Neo will offer the 4k media.
Sony obviously took the opportunity to increase the power inside the PS4 whilst adding 4K media support - its effectively the 'slim'. Part of the reason we had slims in the past was due to changes in the technology. The PS3 launched with a 90nm chip at its heart and full PS3 architecture too. With the development of smaller chips (45nm) and removing the PS3 architecture, they were able to greatly reduce its size.
I still feel that this generation will not last 6-7yrs and the Neo is designed to to prolong it. Compared to the XB1, the PS4 with its better GPU is more likely to last a bit longer but I wouldn't be surprised if we see a PS5 by Q4 2018 - 5yrs after launching the PS4 - that would still allow a 1-2yr crossover phase too. Therefore I don't think it makes sense to spend a lot of time, research and development costs etc, to develop a PS4 'slim' that may not save a lot of space. They can still sell the PS4 as a 'budget' option, the Neo as the 4k and improved gaming option BUT still a PS4 and then see this generation through to the PS5.
I wasn't against the Neo but at the same time I'm starting to wonder if Sony, despite having a console capable of nice looking games that is selling very well, is in a panic over what MS and Nintendo are doing and are starting to overthink things. It would've been better to just stick to the 5-year cycle and release PS5 in 2018.
@Gamer83 I think they're indeed afraid of the PS4 not being competitive specs-wise, as to why they're releasing a Neo. On the other hand, they didn't bother having the lowest specs at all during the PS2 era, so why would they now?
I alreany bought one and it's a PS TV
@Gamer83 I think itsthe fact that their own developers have encountered 'hardware' restraints in the development of their games. Suckerpunch had issues with the lack of processing speed of the CPU and Infamous is GPU bound as a result. Naughty Dog wanted to release Uncharted 4 at 1080/60 across both aspects. We don't know if they had to scale back some of the visual effects too (shadows etc) even though the game looks incredible. Other developers have had issues with scaling their games down for consoles. We obviously don't know everything in development for the next 2 years or so and I include projects for PSVR. I am not saying that the PS4 can't play them, but maintaining a standard (say 1080/30) is proving increasingly difficult.
The standard PS4 is obviously competitive. Its still delivering the 'best' level of console and could still be competitive when the NX launches. I still think the Scorpio will be a new gen in essence and fully expect it to have its own software - regardless of what MS say now. They have already given mixed messages about it and its the only MS console that has VR mentioned - I can't see the XB1 delivering VR - it barely has the power to run games at 900/30 let alone at the resolution/frame rates required for VR and the processing for the headset motion too.
Sony promised 4k media and looks like they have taken the chance to add a bit more power to maintain that standard to help the PS4 reach the 5yr mark. They could of course not bothered and let games drop a bit. I don't know if PSVR and the games for it needed a Neo, it seems unfair on the base users if games have performance issues but time will tell
I must admit, I was very critical of this generation and the power they had. I have been saying for years that I can't see this gen lasting 5years - not unless we are happy with 720p gaming. Just look at how games now don't have fixed resolutions and unstable frame rates.
The first couple of years of last gen, we saw a steady improvement as developers got used to the console architecture. We saw a steady growth as they pushed the technology to its limit, then it plateaued but it was clear by then that we needed a new console before the games started dropping. - when I say dropping, I refer to making more and more concessions rather than in the actual quality of the gameplay, story etc. Consoles this gen though started with a lot of concessions and has continued throughout!
not sure I believe rumours started by thongs
@ShogunRok The slim version replaces the old version so I think it stays at 2.
@Kidfried yeah i reckon the PS4K will be like a mix between the XB1s and Scorpio
why release 2 different systems and clog up or confuse the market like XBOX are when you can make them both into one, a slimmer more powerful console
@Neolit LoL... Yea, the industry need to stop the discrimination against Plus size console.
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