Sony’s new PS4 will feature an upgraded CPU, GPU, and RAM, with Sony requiring developers to create games that will support its improved visuals by releasing games capable of launching in two different graphics modes.
According to Giant Bomb the new PS4 has been codenamed NEO by Sony, with its upgraded hardware allowing it to output in a 4K/Ultra HD resolution and granting it a more stable frame rate. If this report is true, it has also been suggested that Sony will require developers to create their games with both a “Base Mode” and a “NEO Mode,” with the latter boasting higher visual fidelity and improved performance only achievable by the new PS4s.
Check out a comparison between both consoles’ specs below:
Original PS4
CPU: 8 Jaguar Cores at 1.6 GHz
GPU: AMD GCN, 18 CUs at 800 MHz
Memory: 8 GB GDDR5, 176 GB/s
NEO PS4
CPU: 8 Jaguar Cores at 2.1 GHz
GPU: Improved AMD GCN, 36 CUs at 911 MHz
Memory: 8 GB GDDR5, 218 GB/s
While the PS4 NEO will be able to output in 4K, Sony won’t force developers to reach this resolution in their games, unlike their requirement that all games must be compatible with both the new and old models of the console. Sony also wants to maintain parity between both models, meaning that there will be no NEO-only games and all future PS4 releases will therefore be playable on both versions of the console.
Sony has yet to confirm these reports, though Giant Bomb are a trusted source so it seems more than likely that there is truth behind this rumor. We’ll likely learn more at E3, where the new console is expected to be unveiled by the hardware manufacturer.
