It wasn’t very long ago that Kotaku broke the news that Sony is developing an upgraded version of the PlayStation 4, informally referred to as the PlayStation 4K. The news has now been corroborated by Eurogamer, specifically their hardware analysis division, Digital Foundry.
Writing on the console’s existence, Digital Foundry says that they have independently established that the console is indeed being worked on, and that Sony’s R&D labs have prototype devices. They also state that multiple sources have referred to the device as the PlayStation 4K. Digital Foundry, however, has the same concerns as me when I first heard about this leak:
“And this is where things become slightly strange – because while more GPU power is being offered to developers, realistically it is nowhere near enough to provide native 4K gaming at the same quality level as current 1080p titles. The full extent of the spec is a current focus of enquiry for us, but realistically, it is simply impossible to cram the equivalent of today’s top-end PC graphics hardware into a console-sized, mass-market box.”
The rest of the post goes into considerable hardware detail and speculation on why Sony might be working on such a device, as well as what the point of a mid-generation refresh might be. Whatever Sony is planning, Microsoft may have on their minds as well, if recent statements by Phil Spencer are anything to go by. Just what is up with these console makers? Let us know what you think in the comments below.