So if there’s nothing that separates the games between the standard PS4 and the anticipated PlayStation NEO… what’s the point of a brand-new console then? Now Giant Bomb is reporting some further details on this new console, and it all sounds…a bit weird. The information obtained by GiantBomb offers no finite elaboration on this, stating that devs will be “allowed to launch NEO-ready games before the NEO itself releases”.
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Giant Bomb reports that starting October, every PlayStation 4 game will be required to ship with both a “Base Mode”, which will run on the current PlayStation 4, and a “NEO Mode”, which will be used for the new model.
The existence of the upgraded console – often colloquially called the “PS4.5” – was rumored last month.
The publication reports that from October, games released for the PlayStation 4 must ship with a “Base Mode” for the current model and a “NEO Mode” for the upgraded model, while games released previous to October can opt to take advantage of the new hardware with a patch. This means that no NEO exclusives can be made, nor can they boast features that cannot be replicated on the original PlayStation 4.
Furthermore there are strict guidelines for developers to make sure there are no NEO-exclusive games, gameplay features or options exclusive to it. There will be parity in terms of peripherals such as PS VR as well.
Several sources have confirmed to gaming website Giantbomb that the PS4K is referred to internally at Sony as NEO. Expect the PS4 NEO title to deliver vastly improved frame rate and higher visual fidelity due to its 4K support.
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It is very critical for Sony to find the right balance between its existing community of PS4 users while also creating a PlayStation NEO that is attractive enough to woo a significant number of gamers to drop their hard-earned cash on the new product.
