Sony is working on a PlayStation 4.5: confirmed!

"Sony is currently planning a new version of the PS4 with increased graphical power and games running at 4K resolution. We don’t know whether current PS4 owners will be able to upgrade or if they’ll have to buy an entirely new device to benefit from this power boost, but from what we hear, Sony has started briefing developers.

Based on conversations with developers who have spoken with Sony, this ‘PS4.5’ will include an upgraded GPU both to support high-end 4K resolution for games and add more processing power that can enhance the games supported by PlayStation VR, the headset Sony will launch this fall. It’s unclear if ‘PS4.5’ is an official name or just a nickname that developers have been using. One developer jokingly called it the ‘PS4K’.

In layman’s terms, 4K resolution is around four times the pixel size of 1080p, which is the current standard for games on PlayStation 4 and competing consoles. The current PS4 can output 4K photos and videos, but cannot support 4K resolutions for games. With this upgrade, it would. Besides resolution, developers would have an opportunity to push more effects and other graphical tweaks to make their games look better, thanks to the new GPU.

A more powerful PS4 would also allow the machine to be more competitive with PCs in the world of virtual reality. With a higher-end GPU, the PS4 could more easily match up against the more expensive Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality headsets, which are designed to work with powerful PCs.

When contacted yesterday about this report, Sony declined to comment. “We can’t comment on rumors or speculation,” a spokesperson said in an e-mail.

The circle of people who knew about this upgraded PS4 was small until recently. Although some of the details have been vague; one source told us that the device felt “exploratory” and that it may not even be released this year.

At this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony held meetings with developers about the hardware and how it would work. The name ‘PS4.5’ was dropped all the while discussing its increased horsepower, mentioning both 4K resolution and PlayStation VR.

Sources aren’t sure when this upgraded machine will ship to consumers, nor how much it will cost. The PS4’s price dropped from $400 to $350 last fall, and one source indicated that this new ‘PS4.5’ could let Sony keep selling PS4 hardware at a higher profit margin for $400.

There are still lots of big questions surrounding the device. Will Sony allow people to trade in their existing PS4s to buy the new machine? How will developers cope with releasing games on multiple types of hardware? Could some games only support PS4.5, as is the case with the New Nintendo 3DS? When this PS4 goes on sale, will Sony continue to sell old PS4 hardware at a lower price? How can Sony manage all this without fragmenting the market?

Right now, there aren't any answer to those questions. Plans are always changing, and some of the details are fuzzy, but one thing has become clear: Sony is exploring the possibility of releasing a more powerful console way before the PlayStation 5."source

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Eh... Idk about the whole PS4.5 idea though.. I'd like to hope a full trade in towards an upgrade would be possible with maybe a bit of payment towards it (for maybe somewhere around $50 or something), but still if this turns out to be true I'm not too sure what I'll do since I have no plans to support or even get into VR anytime soon.. Or ever. :<

Simply allowing for 4K resolution in games isn't really enough to warrant a completely new console release. I mean yeah they'll look prettier but that's about it really. I certainly wouldn't pay an extra $50 on top of what the current PS4 costs just for that addition. Of course, maybe if this is true the rumor isn't stating every upgrade, but that seems to be the main one, and it certainly isn't compelling enough. (at least for someone like me)

It could be a good deal for the people who want to play the VR games. With that said  I doubt they would do a trade in for for just $50 more since VR is really expensive right now and It will coast quite a bit to get the PS4 4.5 running near PC like graphics.

I don't have PS4 yet so if it's cheap enough still I might get this when it comes out. 4k support is awesome!

Sony has finally acknowledged that it is indeed building a more powerful version of the PlayStation 4. PlayStation chief Andrew House told the Financial Times that the codenamed Neo is “intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4" and that “”We will be selling both [versions] through the life cycle.” The console will not be shown at E3.

The FT report confirms that the system will support 4K resolutions but was otherwise devoid of specs. House predicted that “[a]ll games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4.” No examples were given of the kind of performance boosts gamers who upgrade to the new unit can expect.

In April, Giant Bomb published a specs comparison from what it said was documentation for the new system:



House also told the paper that both the PS4 and the 4.5/Neo will support the upcoming PlayStation VR headset.

It’s still unknown when Sony plans to start selling the more advanced unit. House did tell the FT that it will cost more than the current PS4, but it was unclear if that means it’ll retail for more than $350, the PS4's current price, or if it will simply be more expensive than whatever the PS4 costs when the new unit is launched.

Sony going on-record about the new console today was likely an intentional move to lower expectations about it being announced on Monday during Sony’s E3 briefing. sauce

Welp, it's official the PS4.5 or NEO as it's called has been confirmed, but isn't going to be shown at this year's E3.

I think it's interesting that we all thought 3 new consoles (NX, PS4 Neo, and Scorpio) were all going to be shown at E3 just a couple months ago and now we know at least 2 of them won't be and probably not Scorpio either. XD

Still, that means it's likely a 2017 launch rather than this year. The fact that it's more expensive and will be sold alongside the regular PS4 means it probably won't really be worth it. That means it'll be at least $400 and probably won't have any exclusive games/features outside of the 4K support and maybe running a bit more smoothly.

Well, a lot of people tend to think that NEO will work better with VR running headset's & VR games. I have 0 interest in VR so I have 0 plans to upgrade. So I'm fine keeping the PS4 I already own & not upgrading for quite a long while.

^ Oh yeah, I guess that would make sense. I also am not interested in VR even slightly, so I agree with you on that. I'm perfectly content with my regular PS4, I already barely use it I'm not spending the extra money for 4K support and extra uses for VR, it seems kind of pointless.

Ay Sony, you milking the cash cow again?


Tbh, I always wanted a PS4, to play games like LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway: Unfolded, but have never been able to afford it. Crossing my fingers this "PS4.5" is cheap, but I doubt it. Infact, I think it would be interesting to even see LBP run at 4K...

[Also, I wonder if this might be competing with the Nintendo NX, when both release.]

At this point I feel like nobody wants to be the first one to reveal there console. As for the Neo I'm fine just sticking with my regular PS4 since I mostly just play indie games anyway and I would rather spend the money on the NX.