It’s now looking very likely that upgraded version of the PS4 will make its way to retail in the near future, with several trusted reports claiming that the console will be able to output in 4K alongside it being armed with an improved CPU and more RAM. Inevitably, some people are not happy with this announcement, complaining that their existing PS4 will become obsolete as a result, or that this sets an alarming precedent for future home consoles in which they eventually won’t be able to play certain games as a result of not owning the latest version of the system.
However, if Sony’s predicted announcement of this new PS4, codenamed the “Neo,” echoes the reports surrounding the as-yet-unconfirmed console, then those fears should remain unfounded and, in actuality, the system will bring about much-needed change to the world of console gaming.
So here’s why the PS4 Neo is the future of console gaming, whether we like it or not:
Consoles will remain competitive with PC gaming
While consoles won’t be competing with PC graphics anytime soon, upgraded consoles at least mean they remain in line with industry standards for the foreseeable future.
By the end of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, both consoles were horrifically outdated. Sure, there were games such as Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us that did their very best to squeeze every last drop of power out of both consoles, but comparing the vast majority of their line-ups to what was offered to PC gamers highlighted a great disparity in both graphics and performance. Let’s not forget that the Xbox 360 wasn’t even prepared for 1080p at launch, with gamers having to buy a new console that offered an HDMI port if they wanted to play in a higher resolution.
While console gaming will always lag behind PC gaming in this respect, given how gaming rigs are able to be upgraded as their owners see fit, systems such as the Neo that bring the home console industry more-or-less up to speed ensure that there won’t be a massive divide between how console and PC owners are experiencing their games. While it’s true that many prefer consoles to PCs as a result of them being fundamentally easier to use, with incremental upgrades such as the Neo being detrimental to this selling point, there will be none of the fiddling required to get your games running on these new machines presumably outside of switching around your hard drives if you previously owned a PS4; you simply buy one of these new machines, and then away you go into a new world of 4K console gaming (if you own a 4K TV, of course).
With 4K looking to be a TV industry standard at some point in the not-too-distant future, Sony releasing a system capable of running in this resolution adds longevity to their console, something which outweighs the quibbles of those who don’t like the idea of the complications of upgraded consoles.
Lengthier console life cycles
This current console generation was predicted to enjoy a shorter life expectancy than the last.
Aside from the odd exception to this rule such as Nintendo’s New 3DS, typically the only opportunity console owners will have to purchase an upgrade to their existing console is when the new console generation rolls around. This results in problems for both manufacturer and consumer.
The manufacturer needs to work tirelessly and invest a great deal of money into conceptualizing and developing hardware that falls in line with the interests of their customers, along with falling in line with industry standards while simultaneously still operating at as much of a loss as possible (consoles are rarely profitable to sell at launch), effectively starting over from scratch and attempting to lure their established player base away from their competition. On the other hand, the consumer is effectively sitting on a depreciated machine and a library of games that will now become outdated with almost immediate effect, and they too will be forced to start over again by purchasing a new console, leaving their old games in the dust.
However, the introduction of an incremental upgrade such as the PS4 Neo will ensure that Sony can delay the inevitability of developing a brand new console, offering performance and graphical upgrades to those who wish to experience them, while still providing the same experience to those who picked up the previous model of the console. This is in no way a bad thing, as without such a move it seemed likely that the we were headed towards shorter life cycles for consoles, given the continually evolving nature of the gaming industry. The PS4 Neo will ensure that the PlayStation brand can remain up to date without requiring a drastic overhaul in the form of a brand new console.
Something for everyone
Even if you don’t buy the PS4 Neo, your PS4 experience will reportedly remain unchanged.
What if, one day, Sony stops supporting the first version of the PS4? That appears to be the major point of contention for those opposed to the idea of the Neo, worried that when they buy a console at launch, they will one day find that they’re excluded from playing certain games as a result of their machine no longer being able to run them. This is a valid concern, given that the likes of the aforementioned New 3DS has seen games being specifically optimized for that console, rendering the likes of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D unplayable on earlier models of the handheld console.
However, it’s not a concern that is particularly rooted in logic. The PS4 now has a dedicated player base as the frontrunner of the current console generation. Diluting this player base by introducing a new upgraded console with its own set of games wouldn’t be a risk worth taking, considering that the goal for this console wouldn’t be to get gamers to jump on new hardware, but rather to retain their interest in the PS4 and its library of games.
The reports surrounding this console concur with this view. According to sources, there will be no Neo-only games, with PS4 games instead shipping with both a Base Mode and a Neo Mode that allows gamers to select between graphics options depending upon which console they own. This means that no PS4 owners will be left in the shade, and the only real downside is that some may feel that they’re now playing on an underpowered system unless they fork up the extra cash. But this was also true of the last console generation when Microsoft released a newer model of the Xbox 360 that came with an HDMI port, thus allowing gamers to play games in a 1080p resolution. The only difference here is that this new PS4 should represent better value for money for those who choose to buy the new console, and for 4K TV owners will finally allow them to experience games in the ultra HD resolution they paid for.
