More details about the rumoured PS4 hardware revision, known as the PS4K, have been revealed by “multiple sources” according to Giantbomb, and confirmed by Digital Foundry. The new information reveals the hardware that will power the new console, and the console’s codename: Neo – another reference to The Matrix (see: Project Morpheus).
The NEO will have updated hardware components, allowing the console to support better framerates and 4K resolution. The CPU will still be a 8 Jaguar Core CPU, but will run at 2.1 GHz, up from 1.6 GHz. The GPU has also been improved, along with the memory.
| Original PS4 | NEO | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 Jaguar Cores at 1.6 GHz | 8 Jaguar Cores at 2.1 GHz |
| GPU | AMD GCN, 18 CUs at 800 MHz | Improved AMD GCN, 36 CUs at 911 MHz |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR5, 176 GB/s | 8 GB GDDR5, 218 GB/s |
The HDD is expected to be the same as the original PS4, but could include higher capacity models. Slightly odd is that the Blu-ray drive doesn’t indicate any changes, meaning it may not actually support 4K Blu-ray discs. It could just be an omission, but it’s quite a important one.
According to the report, every PS4 game from October is required to ship with both a “Base Mode” which will run on the currently available PS4 and a “Neo Mode” for use on the new console.
Games running in “Neo mode” will be able to use the hardware upgrades (and an additional 512 MiB in memory) to offer faster load times, higher frame rate and higher resolution. TheNeo will also support 4K image output, but games themselves are not required to be 4K native.
Giantbomb also notes that there will be no Neo exclusive games, and “Sony explicitly and repeatedly states that developers cannot offer exclusive gameplay options or special unlockables forNeo owners.” This include PlayStation VR exclusives.
No price or release date was revealed, but the report expects the console to retail for $399, and we speculate that the console will be available by the end of the year.
With no exclusives or special features for “Neo Mode”, the first-generation PS4 userbase won’t be too upset about the release of a new model. Let us know what you think about a new, improved model in the comments section below.