Kotaku: Sony is working on a ‘PS4.5; briefing devs on plans for a more powerful PS4

PS4.5 isn't going to cut short the generation though. Its just a mid-upgrade. Lets not act every Playstation games after PS4.5 launch, is going to be PS4.5 exclusives.

In fact, i tend to think a release of a PS4.5 means a potential PS5 isnt going to be released anytime soon.
 
a big proponent of PSVR that Sony are pushing is that the PS4 has an established user base, millions of people who have the exact same spec'd hardware. Fine tune a game for one PS4, and it will work exactly the same on all PS4's.

They're not suddenly going to change that mid-generation.
 
PS4.5 isn't going to cut short the generation though. Its just a mid-upgrade. Lets not act every Playstation games after PS4.5 launch, is going to be PS4.5 exclusives.

I'm thinking that there will only be ''mid-upgrades'' from now on. As in ''PS5'' will be a similar jump from PS4.5 as 4.5 is from 4 and not a total hardware rework. And when ''5'' launches developers would be allowed to drop support of 4 and start making games exclusive to 4.5+5. There will possibly never be games exclusive to one ''generation'' from now on if this is the model they choose to go foreward with. This way there would always be shorter generation cycles but with hopefully sizeable userbase already on the previous model and always have a cheap+expensive models on market that play the same games.
 
i think by now we have seen these websites mis intrepet things over and over.

and there is a difference between supporting 4k output via some upscaler or something ... which is fine.

but, the basic ps4 spec that ps4 games are coded to complie with - will not change.

can mark my works on that, e3 or whatever.

Sony are simply not dumb enough to break the golden rule of why console software allways beats out PC software ..and thats the closed box, that remains static throughout the course of the platforms full life cycle.

and sony have even less reason to figgle with that model being so far out in front than they ever have. it's always the trailing platforms that have had to resort to these add-ons etc to try and spin something to the masses to warrent a sales bump.


so no, we aren't ever going to see PS4.5 sw hitting the shelves, forget about it. no one is going to need to sell their ps4's in order to run their games in some increased poly count mode etc. is not going to happen.

forget about it.

and, thats a good thing.

i just hate seeing this constant urge for some PC like model console life cycle, the PC model is a total fail, why go that way?

but yeh ..just not happening, sorry.

Yeah cheaper gaming, near infinite BC, free online and the ability to modularly upgrade your parts are such fails

a big proponent of PSVR that Sony are pushing is that the PS4 has an established user base, millions of people who have the exact same spec'd hardware. Fine tune a game for one PS4, and it will work exactly the same on all PS4's.

They're not suddenly going to change that mid-generation.

I mean, VR could've accelerated their plans for this, since psvr is going to be playing on a lot shittier hardware than most oculus rigs, for example. But the traditional generation model is going to be changing for everyone starting this year
 
a big proponent of PSVR that Sony are pushing is that the PS4 has an established user base, millions of people who have the exact same spec'd hardware. Fine tune a game for one PS4, and it will work exactly the same on all PS4's.

They're not suddenly going to change that mid-generation.

What if games like 'No Mans Sky' cannot meet PSVRs 60fps requirement to work on current hardware.

Would you rather VR for it to never happen or would it be better if new hardware arrived to make it a possibility?
 
Pressure? L O L
People have no self control! I think that's why those kind of people stay away from PC gaming, because they would be upgrading every year trying to get the best performance possible.
I don't think it's such a weird concept to want a guaranteed ROI on your console for 5 years without having to consider upgrading. Or is that alien to you?

PS4.5 isn't going to cut short the generation though. Its just a mid-upgrade. Lets not act every Playstation games after PS4.5 launch, is going to be PS4.5 exclusives.
I'd rather they just wait another 2 years and call it the PS5. Carrying the same architecture and backward compatibility doesn't necessitate the shorter cycle.
 
I wonder how much panic is happening at Microsoft. They were going to close the performance gap, and now Sony may one up them all over again.
 
I wonder how much panic is happening at Microsoft. They were going to close the performance gap, and now Sony may one up them all over again.

The best thing Microsoft should be doing right now is trying to diversify their EXCLUSIVE lineup for their next console.

Sunset Overdrive 2 would also be a good start.
 
When people buy a console, it comes with the expectation it lasts the full length of a generation before the next, without pressure to upgrade mid-cycle.
Pressure? L O L

People have no self control! I think that's why those kind of people stay away from PC gaming, because they would be upgrading every year trying to get the best performance possible.

He's right you know. people who don't want to feel pressured shouldn't be pressured...
 
or imagine Bloodborne with 60fps and correct frametimes.

which will happen like NEVER even on new hardware but still, IMAGINE
Sony might push for the 60fps at least, and that by proxy will smooth out the frame pacing issues most likely even if it doesn't actually FIX it. Need to find if there was a DSII breakdown there though given the issue was in all the prior games as I recall.
 
I wonder how much panic is happening at Microsoft. They were going to close the performance gap, and now Sony may one up them all over again.

Well if they are behind on r&d/production of their new iteration then this puts them at the helm of being console musturd race because they can release after seeing what the competition has.
 
I wonder how much panic is happening at Microsoft. They were going to close the performance gap, and now Sony may one up them all over again.

Microsoft probably benefits more with everyone here saying they'd rather go PC because there's so little differentiation between consoles and PC.
 
Not really. One of the biggest mistakes we all make is assuming what comes next will look more or less like what came before. Things do change.

This console business model dates back to the mid 1970s. Come on people -- things will change as time goes on. It happens in all parts of life.

It's not as simple as 'things change, times change, just get with the times'. Consoles up until now have been a fire-and-forget purchase as far as ROI is concerned for a good 5 years without having to consider an upgrade. Non-enthusiast gamers will probably just buy one unit and keep it for several iterations anyway. So I don't see the big idea behind a frequent and fast approach to hardware.
 
If PS4.5 is going for 4K maybe Xbox Two is too!

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12TFLOPS

get

Oh... Oh my... TAKE MY MONEY!!!

NOkrIWm.gif


I do not smoke, but I think I need cig after reading that. Whew!
 
It's not as simple as 'things change, times change, just get with the times'. Consoles up until now have been a fire-and-forget purchase as far as ROI is concerned for a good 5 years without having to consider an upgrade. Non-enthusiast gamers will probably just buy one unit and keep it for several iterations anyway. So I don't see the big idea behind a frequent and fast approach to hardware.

Ya'll ready for the PS platform on windows? Because that's where we are going.
i'm ok with this.jpg
 
i think by now we have seen these websites mis intrepet things over and over.

and there is a difference between supporting 4k output via some upscaler or something ... which is fine.

but, the basic ps4 spec that ps4 games are coded to complie with - will not change.

can mark my works on that, e3 or whatever.

Sony are simply not dumb enough to break the golden rule of why console software allways beats out PC software ..and thats the closed box, that remains static throughout the course of the platforms full life cycle.

and sony have even less reason to figgle with that model being so far out in front than they ever have. it's always the trailing platforms that have had to resort to these add-ons etc to try and spin something to the masses to warrent a sales bump.


so no, we aren't ever going to see PS4.5 sw hitting the shelves, forget about it. no one is going to need to sell their ps4's in order to run their games in some increased poly count mode etc. is not going to happen.

forget about it.

and, thats a good thing.

i just hate seeing this constant urge for some PC like model console life cycle, the PC model is a total fail, why go that way?

but yeh ..just not happening, sorry.

What? It's happening man, accept it or not. But it's happening.

Also, PC model is a fail? lol yeah ok.
 
What if games like 'No Mans Sky' cannot meet PSVRs 60fps requirement to work on current hardware.

Would you rather VR for it to never happen or would it be better if new hardware arrived to make it a possibility?

If No Mans Sky VR couldn't work with PS4 current hardware then it wouldn't exist on consoles period. If it did, then you're telling the existing 36 million+ PS4 owners you would need to spend a $1000+ on a PS4.5 & PSVR if you want to maximize your investment. Which would kill the already limited potential adoption rate for PSVR. It's never going to happen because that would directly conflict with what Sony said at GDC:

 
I wonder if the people that complain about games constantly being delayed, taking longer and longer to develop, are the same that are demanding that console lifecycles stay exactly the same, not evolving with the game development.
 
I wonder if the people that complain about games constantly being delayed, taking longer and longer to develop, are the same that are demanding that console lifecycles stay exactly the same, not evolving with the game development.

I wonder if those that are excited about the switch are. There's a reasoning for a shorter cycle between consoles, I'd like to know what that is.
 
I'm a bit skeptical that this hypothetical PS4.5 would release this year. Why not push it to next year so as not to indirectly diminish PSVR sales?
 
I wonder how much panic is happening at Microsoft. They were going to close the performance gap, and now Sony may one up them all over again.

Nobody outside of fanboys in digital foundry threads concerned with their e peen really actually cares that much about power. Those that actually do aren't playing their latest battlefield titles on consoles.
 
I definitely don't see a system that can suddenly play existing titles at 4k. It's not just a question of raw horsepower requirements where power draw, corresponding heat dissipation requirements, and economics of large die sizes at cutting-edge process scales makes it improbable. It's also a question of memory. Take an existing game that pushes the existing limits of memory and increase the size of all render targets and frame buffers fourfold – and how much memory would you need? How much additional memory bandwidth? It just smacks of impracticality all around.

Support for a handful of titles that scale to 4k? Or intermediate resolutions that show modest benefits over 1080p when scaled to 4k? 4k blu-ray support? Sure. I think it's more than just plausible, it sounds positively likely.
 
Honestly this just means I'm gonna wait longer for this gen to get itself all sorted out. I'll get a ps4 whenever it gets cheaper and Sony has a definitive version of the console on store shelves.
 
Some of y'all hoping for 60fps make me laugh lol.

I don't think hardware was ever the problem, but rather what the developers prioritise. You give devs more power, they'll make the game look prettier. Simple as IMO.
 
Some of y'all hoping for 60fps make me laugh...hardware was never the problem, it's just priorities. You give devs more power, they'll make the game look prettier. Simple as.

I could see a consistent 60fps across the board on PS4.5 being somewhat realistic because devs would still have to support the standard PS4. Push the effects up too much and you can't port it down to PS4. So maybe make things look a bit better on PS4.5 and then lock in that 60fps
 
To those detesting iterative consoles:

What if the NX is a success and ends up being a mid-gen disruptive force that can do more and better than the PS4 and Xbone? You're looking at an awkward situation for Sony and MS if Nintendo is able to put out a viable competitor to them halfway through this console gen.

While I highly doubt Sony or Microsoft will pull an OG Xbox and prematurely kill off their 8th gen systems in order to rush a 9th gen version out the door, I'd very much bet on them wanting to be able to put something shiny on the market to maintain a competitive edge on the NX. Unless of course Nintendo is Nintendo and does a Hat Trick of shitting out another underpowered console that's late to the party with its internals.

Oh yeah - And where were you guys for the last two decades of handhelds? Iterative versions have been accepted for a LONG time there. The sole exception I can think of is the Vita, which isn't getting an upgraded spec version anytime soon with what a smashing success the Vita has been.
 
I could see a consistent 60fps across the board on PS4.5 being somewhat realistic because devs would still have to support the standard PS4. Push the effects up too much and you can't port it down to PS4. So maybe make things look a bit better on PS4.5 and then lock in that 60fps

At what res are they locking in at on 60fps though? That's the question. 1440p?
 
I could see a consistent 60fps across the board on PS4.5 being somewhat realistic because devs would still have to support the standard PS4. Push the effects up too much and you can't port it down to PS4. So maybe make things look a bit better on PS4.5 and then lock in that 60fps

Ah shite, never considered the technicalities of the porting part - your post make sense actually when I come to think of it. Jumped the gun with my post ha, you raise some great points.

But yeah, I hope of this does come to fruition you're right. I just feel in general with hardware it's all about what the devs want to target and what may perhaps help in marketing: eye candy.
 
I don't think it's such a weird concept to want a guaranteed ROI on your console for 5 years without having to consider upgrading. Or is that alien to you?


I'd rather they just wait another 2 years and call it the PS5. Carrying the same architecture and backward compatibility doesn't necessitate the shorter cycle.

I dont think PS4.5 existing and releasing now doesn't mean they wont make a PS5 few years later.
 
To those detesting iterative consoles:

I don't deteste the idea. But I very much question a release this year, particularly from Sony. I haven't seen a single person supportive of a release this year explain how it's not severely damaging to PSVR. Or how it even makes sense from Sony considering that the PS4 is currently tracking ahead of where it was last year, which was a record year for the PS brand. I could see an upgraded console working in the future, maybe a year or so from now. But this year makes no sense for Sony with everything they've got on their plate.

What if the NX is a success and ends up being a mid-gen disruptive force that can do more and better than the PS4 and Xbone? You're looking at an awkward situation for Sony and MS if Nintendo is able to put out a viable competitor to them halfway through this console gen.

With the exception of the Wii, every Nintendo console has sold less than the last one. And recent history would suggest that you probably shouldn't put much bank on them making a powerful console. But let's just say they exceed the PS4 and Xbox One by a good amount. Then Sony and/or MS can release an upgraded console down the line. What's the point in Sony releasing one immediately?
 
Oh yeah - And where were you guys for the last two decades of handhelds? Iterative versions have been accepted for a LONG time there.

I'm happy with my PS4 spec-wise regardless of what the NX will offer (and I'll likely buy the NX too). I think the current gen consoles can live in harmony even if they're competing. Handhelds have always been much cheaper than their console counterparts, so it's less investment to replace them. I waited to buy into the 3DS knowing at some point there would be a revision - and there was, which was when I bought the N3DS. Handhelds generally don't brand themselves with half-generation-esque names however, that helps a lot. Even then, people expect that they will have revisions as a result of the iterations and will hold off on buying.

I dont think PS4.5 existing and releasing now doesn't mean they wont make a PS5 few years later.

I just don't see the need for a mid-cycle option.
 
Talking about Microsoft, they are making games with MP 60 (halo) and dynamic resolution. With a probably Xbox one upgrade the game should gain power to keep higher resolution.

But frames per second are also fully impacted by hardware upgrades so if the game doesn't have 60fps mayhe the choice (dev side) must be lock the game at 30's.
 
I wonder if those that are excited about the switch are. There's a reasoning for a shorter cycle between consoles, I'd like to know what that is.

Well, I'm not excited in particular, but I am against the idea of console lifecycles not changing along with game development. We want a return on our console investment, but with a traditional cycle, we will end up with less games each generation because games take so long to make. That doesn't sound like a good return on investment to me. I've already spent a lot of time waiting for good games this gen, and I'm still waiting on some of my favorite studios to release a single game.

It just makes more sense to have more frequent console updates with similar architecture that devs can work with. I'm cool with 5, 6 or even 7 years but it's got to be fully backwards compatible at this point. Building a wall between each console forcing developers to work with new hardware every time has to be a thing of the past, it needs to go away.
 
I'm thinking that there will only be ''mid-upgrades'' from now on. As in ''PS5'' will be a similar jump from PS4.5 as 4.5 is from 4 and not a total hardware rework. And when ''5'' launches developers would be allowed to drop support of 4 and start making games exclusive to 4.5+5. There will possibly never be games exclusive to one ''generation'' from now on if this is the model they choose to go foreward with. This way there would always be shorter generation cycles but with hopefully sizeable userbase already on the previous model and always have a cheap+expensive models on market that play the same games.

I think PS4.5, if it exist, will not be able to play ps5 titles though. There will be too much confusion.

I think it will be targeted towards the late adapters. People who are still playing ps3 at this moment. They can price cut the original PS4 by then too.

Say ps4.5 release 3 yrs after ps4 and 3 yrs before ps5. Ps4 still last 6 years in the market, and the ps4 owners dont miss out on anything.

It'll be like the mobile phone cycle: one batch of iphone owners switch from iphone4, to iphone 5 to iphone 6. Another batch switch from iphone4s, to iphone5s to iphone6s
 
I just cant see this happening at all. Sony has no reason whatsoever to change things. The PS4 is dominating the market.

Once upon a time, Netflix asked to merge with Blockbuster. Blockbuster laughed at them because they were dominating the market, just like the PS4.


Dominating today means nothing for tomorrow. IMO Sony has the pulse of the market.
 
Wait, this might actually be real. I thought this is/was a hoax but I see it here and other places spoken on as if there is legitimacy here. WTF Sony if true.
 
It just makes more sense to have more frequent console updates with similar architecture that devs can work with. I'm cool with 5, 6 or even 7 years but it's got to be fully backwards compatible at this point. Building a wall between each console forcing developers to work with new hardware every time has to be a thing of the past, it needs to go away.

I feel you on that, I just think if going forward consoles are full BC we don't necessarily need a new console upgrade every 3 years along with it. A normal 5-year cycle still works in that regard.
 
Isn't it obvious?

A $399/499 VR Headset releasing in October AND a brand new PS4 itneration in the end of the year (who knows the price, $499 maybe?). Both will be competing with each other indirectly.

"Should I buy the new PS4 or a PSVR?"

whynotboth.gif
 
The 28nm R9 370X is already clocked at 1.18Ghz

20 CU's clocked at 1.6Ghz would be 4Tflops & yes it would be enough for 4K in a closed system.

The R7 370 can run BF4 at 4K 25FPS with just a little over 2TFLOPS
what make you think that a PS4 with 4TFlops couldn't do 4K games?

Different architecture (two gens newer) and CPU bottlenecks. Take a look at the ratios that result from your approach.

The current PS4 is based on the 7000 series and has 1.8 Tflops and the R7 370 is 1.9 Tflops. The 370 runs BF4 in 4k at 25 fps on average the PS4 runs roughly twice the framerate at a 5.76 times lower resolution.

If you ignore architecture differences and CPU bottlenecks you assume a +5% delta in Tflops would result in a +186% performance delta.

If we overclock the PS4 architecture by +5% directly we know this results in a +5% delta in Tflops, yet one wouldn't expect "framerate-resolution" performance to nearly triple. The situation is far more complex than you understand it to be.
 
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