According to videogame site Giant Bomb, a number of its sources have confirmed the much-rumoured ‘PS4.5’ is currently operating under the codename ‘Neo’ and will feature an upgraded CPU, GPU and RAM.
Specifically, the Neo will also have a CPU with 8 Jaguar Cores but clocked at 2.1 GHz, compared to the original PS4. It also features an Improved GPU: AMD GCN, 36 CUs at 911 MHz. Like the original, it will pack 8 GB GDDR5 RAM, but will kick up to 218 GB/s from 176 GB/s.
Every PS4 game will be required to ship with two different modes–one where the game will run on the current PS4 and one that will run on the upgraded console. The Neo mode will utilize the superior hardware to increase and stabilize frame rates, while also offering higher resolutions. 4K output will be supported, but games won’t be required to run at 4K resolution.
Those who own 4K televisions should expect to see their games upscaled to fit the resolution, though everyone should expect to see an increase in frame rate. The report claims that Sony requires games in Neo mode to run at a higher frame rate than they would on the original PS4.
Despite the upgrades, this new console will not replace the PS4 and will instead exist alongside it. There will be no Neo-only games and Sony will not let developers separate Neo users from those playing on original PS4–that also means Sony won’t let developers offer exclusive options or unlockables for Neo players. This includes peripheral support, which means it won’t offer exclusive VR modes, either.
Games released on PS4 from October on will need to support both the original console and NEO, according to GiantBomb, with games released in September receiving day-one patches to bring them up to NEO standards. Older games are said to require a patch to take advantage of the improved hardware, too, so don’t expect that they’ll suddenly run better on the new hardware.
