Sony to release its own PS4-SuperGrafx

[SGX Engine]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/sony-plans-new-playstation-for-graphics-heavy-games-1459152941

Sony Plans New PlayStation for Graphics-Heavy Games


The days of waiting six or more years between videogame-console releases are coming to an end.

Sony Corp. is planning to sell a more powerful version of its PlayStation 4 machine to handle higher-end gaming experiences, including virtual reality, people familiar with the matter said, while continuing production of its existing console that has so far sold more than 36 million units world-wide.


Existing PlayStation 4 owners would need to buy the new model to take full advantage of the enhanced graphics and power, though it is likely that the current model and the coming one would share the same software catalog, one of the people said.


The new console would be announced before the planned October release of the PlayStation VR, Sony's new virtual-reality headset, the people said. It would be able to handle ultra-high-definition resolution graphics. The upgraded console would also provide more power for running the PlayStation VR, whose main competitors, Facebook Inc.'s Oculus Rift and HTC Corp.'s Vive, are designed to work with top-shelf computers.


News of an upgraded PlayStation console was earlier reported by Kotaku. A spokesman at Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony's videogame division, declined to comment.


Videogame console successors typically are released every six to seven years. The PlayStation 4, for example, was released in 2013, the PlayStation 3 in 2006 and the PlayStation 2 in 2000. Machines from Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. have followed similar release cycles.


Microsoft recently signaled plans to deliver console upgrades in lieu of entirely new systems years apart as it looks to more deeply integrate its Xbox One system with its Windows 10 operating system for personal computers.


"We will see more hardware innovation in the console space than we've ever seen," Xbox head Phil Spencer said at a press event in San Francisco on March 1, in which remakes of several games with 4K resolution capability—quality four times greater than today's standard of full high-definition—were announced. "You'll actually see us come out with new hardware capability during a generation allowing the same games to run backward and forward compatible."


Nintendo is developing a new gaming platform, code-named "NX." It hasn't revealed any details about it, though some analysts believe it could be available as early as October.


Nintendo declined to comment on its console release cycle.


Sony's goal with the upgraded PlayStation 4 console is to capture gamers willing to pay for a richer gaming environment, including a high-end virtual-reality experience, the people familiar with the matter said.


Even without a beefed-up console, Sony is expected to be a leader in the VR market this year despite delaying its PlayStation VR system until October, according to Piers Harding-Rolls, an analyst at research firm IHS. Sony's headset starts at $399, below the $599 Rift and $799 Vive.


Macquarie Securities projects Sony will sell eight million PlayStation VR headsets in the product's first two years on the market, but Macquarie says it will take years before the hardware device itself becomes a considerable profit contributor. For now, the headsets will drive highly profitable software sales, Macquarie wrote in a research note recently.


About 1.4 million virtual- and augmented-reality headsets will be sold word-wide this year and nearly 40 million headsets by 2020, researchers at Gartner Inc. estimate. Augmented reality blends digital images with a person's view of the real world.


Sony has been expanding its offerings recently, including the rollout of an online TV-streaming service, to attract a wider range of customers. Simultaneously offering a standard model PlayStation 4 and an upgraded version to appeal to both casual gamers and hard-core fans is part of this effort, analysts say.


Damian Thong, an analyst at Macquarie Securities, said he expects PlayStation 4 software to be usable with future-generation consoles, a switch from the past, when certain games were incompatible with different-generation consoles.


"It would clearly signal the end of the traditional console generation cycle," said Mr. Thong, in a recent letter to clients.

I saw this movie before.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I call bullshit on it being capable of good 4K gaming, seeing as it takes a $500 R9 Fury or GTX 980 Ti to play at 4K on a desktop, and even then you'll have to settle for middling settings in the most demanding games.  I like the idea of upgrades, though, but it'd be better if they used discrete video cards like a PC, so peeps don't have to buy a whole new console to get the benefit.

PS - I also call bullshit on their "$399" VR.  It makes a nice press quote, I guess, but it's not so cheap when you add in the cost of the required camera and move controllers.

[CrackTiger]

If it ends up true that they're going to release an extra powerful PS4, it would set a precedent and pave the way for Microsoft to replace the Xbox One with hardware on par with the PS4 v2 and even the playing field.

But even if it is true, I don't expect people to line up to buy a better PS4 and I don't think VR is figured out well enough for mass market appeal.

[xcrement5x]

If it ends up true that they're going to release an extra powerful PS4, it would set a precedent and pave the way for Microsoft to replace the Xbox One with hardware on par with the PS4 v2 and even the playing field.

But even if it is true, I don't expect people to line up to buy a better PS4 and I don't think VR is figured out well enough for mass market appeal.

Actually, if anything it encourages me to hold out on buying a PS4 and wait for the better version to come out.  Either the V2 will be the same price for better specs, or the original version will drop in price.  Both of which are good for me.

[Psycho Punch]

Fuck you, Sony.

Microsoft and Sony are really trying to destroy the console market aren't they.

[TDIRunner]

Fuck you, Sony.

Microsoft and Sony are really trying to destroy the console market aren't they.

It seems like it, but I really don't care what they do.  There isn't too much in the current gen that I'm interested in.  I've said for a while now that even if they stopped making video games today, I would have enough in my own personal collection to keep me busy forever.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

If they force developers to support both versions of hardware (which is easy enough to do), I don't see how it'd hurt the console market at all.

[CrackTiger]

Fuck you, Sony.

Microsoft and Sony are really trying to destroy the console market aren't they.

This more than anything has me convinced that they believe that it's the last console generation and some sort of generic cloud service or something else very un-console-like is next.

[Dicer]

This console gen is stupid...

[SGX Engine]

OMG this is literally the PC-Engine 2 / SuperGrafx.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1202462

PS4K information (~2x GPU power plus clock increase, new CPU, price, etc)

Price is currently $399.99 they were discussing a better CPU which would raise the price to $499.99 we were guaranteed the price will be no higher than $499.99 (He mentioned the CPU upgrade quite a bit almost as if they haven't really decided on a final spec could be a pricing issue.) also there is currently no plan for any type of trade in program for current PS4 users but that could change.

They stated that the GPU is twice as powerful as standard PS4 and much faster. They did not say exactly how fast but that is was running at a higher clock speed while being much smaller than the original.

[PukeSter]

Haven't bought a PS4 yet, so the news is kinda interesting.

What about the 40 million current owners though?

[Psycho Punch]

Haven't bought a PS4 yet, so the news is kinda interesting.

What about the 40 million current owners though?

They're fucked, LOL!
*looks at ps4 with tears on eyes*

[TheClash603]

I played with PS VR last year at Fan Expo and it was really cool because it worked well and the experience exceeded my expectation in almost every way.

The only thing that didn't fully allow me to immerse myself were the fairly low quality graphics.  It felt like I was in a VR world, but I also felt like I didn't belong cause am higher quality than everyone around me.

Perhaps Sony should've skipped VR this gen and waited til the power was there to support the tech?  Or maybe this is a genuine solution?

I am a sucker and I'll buy one, hope it doesn't suck.

[Gentlegamer]

If they force developers to support both versions of hardware (which is easy enough to do), I don't see how it'd hurt the console market at all.

I think the idea is to beef up the hardware to support VR, as well as have games be able to run on different quality profiles, like on PC. PS4.1 would run games on "high" settings, PS4.0 on "medium" or something like that.

Basically turning consoles into closed system PCs (which they already kinda are).

Meanwhile, I'm about to buy a PS4 for Dark Souls III (and Bloodborne). Oh well.

[Groover]

This is the New Nintendo 3DS for console. I don't mind it. I think I will pick up the PSVR and if this makes it even better I can see myself picking one up.

[SGX Engine]

http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/sources-the-upgraded-playstation-4-is-codenamed-ne/1100-5437/
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-more-powerful-ps4-console-upgrade-detailed-fur/1100-6438978/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2016-sonys-plan-for-playstation-4k-neo-revealed

CPU: The good news is that there will be a CPU upgrade over the lacklustre x86 cores found in PlayStation 4. The bad news is that the cores themselves have not been changed at all - they have simply been overclocked from 1.6GHz to 2.1GHz - a 31 per cent improvement. As with the current PlayStation 4, one core and a time-slice from another is reserved for the operating system.

Memory: We're still at 8GB of GDDR5, with a 24 per cent boost to bandwidth compared to the original PS4. The current machine uses 5.5gbps memory modules. Basic maths suggests that Sony has pushed this to the same 7.0gbps modules we see on high-end graphics cards like the GTX 980 and GTX 980 Ti. There are some concerns here. The boost to bandwidth isn't exactly huge, it will still be in contention with CPU utilisation (they both share the same interface), and the bandwidth doesn't scale particularly well with the mooted GPU boost, which - to be frank - is massive.

GPU: This is the most exciting aspect of the spec. Compute unit count doubles from 18 to 36, and clock-speed increases from 800MHz to 911MHz - a 14 per cent increase. That's an overall increase of 2.3x in FLOPs. The question is, what technology is being used here? AMD has created both of its current-gen console processors so far by taking older, off-the-shelf components and disabling a couple of compute units. In effect, Xbox One got the Radeon HD 7790, while PlayStation 4 got a more capable, semi-custom Radeon HD 7870. Here's where things get interesting - the 36 compute unit count cannot comfortably fit any of AMD's existing GPUs. It suggests that Sony and AMD have pushed the boat out, that they are using the upcoming Polaris technology.

How two PlayStations will co-exist: Base and Neo modes

Sony seemingly acknowledges the need to integrate the two models of PlayStation 4 available simultaneously on the market - internally dubbed as 'Base' and 'Neo'. There will be no games exclusive to the Neo model, every title will be available on both, and there's no suggestion of VR-exclusive Neo modes at this point. Developers are prohibited from creating Neo-exclusive gameplay features, and enhancements are expected to be graphical and performance-based in nature. Gamers on both systems will be tied into the same ecosystem, meaning that users of both models will be competing against one another in online games. The user interface and PSN systems will also be identical.

The big question is just what is possible using the enhanced hardware. The need to support existing PlayStation 4 hardware puts a ceiling on the kind of experiences developers can offer - any kind of multi-platform development is defined by the lowest common denominator, and it's rare to find a developer that will dedicate significant resources to a small minority of users.

[wilykat]

So will there be an add-on for older PS4 costing oh about $200 to boost the performance of older PS4? Or are we going to start seeing a crapload of sub-$100 used PS4 that many people may dump in favor of newer PS4?

[xcrement5x]

So will there be an add-on for older PS4 costing oh about $200 to boost the performance of older PS4? Or are we going to start seeing a crapload of sub-$100 used PS4 that many people may dump in favor of newer PS4?

I can't see how it would really be possible to upgrade the GPU of an older system without some addon that is basically like 2/3 the cost of a new system.  Unless they do some sort of exchange program, which knowing Sony seems unlikely.  A glut of used PS4s for cheap would be niiiice though.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I doubt it's going to make a difference in the original PS4's value.  Considering how many people see no difference between the graphics of the PS4, xbone, and Wii-U (and little difference between current and previous generations), I'd wager the majority of current and prospective PS4 buyers could care less about having more power, unwilling to shell out more money for an incremental improvement.

Without additional ram to support much higher resolutions or improved texture packs, I expect the main difference between old and new PS4s will be in internal rendering resolutions and/or frame rates: the old PS4 will render a game at 720p or 900p while the neo will work in native 1080p, and/or they'll both be rendered at the same resolution but at 30 fps on the original hardware and 60 fps on the neo.

[SGX Engine]

This article and video was just put up by IGN within the last day.

PlayStation NEO: How It Could Fail

"The TurboGrafx-16 (called the PC Engine in Japan) was a late-80s Japanese console that beat Sega and Nintendo's 16-bit models to market. The console was designed to be expandable, with compatibility built into its tiny Core Grafx base that encouraged CD-ROM based expansions, upgraded video output, improved sound, several varieties of RAM expansions, and optional internal storage memory. The console was actually a big hit in Japan."

"But manufacturer NEC didn't know when to quit. The company kept creating more and better hardware expansions for the platform, eventually producing a fragmented market. The design culminated in the massive Japan-only SuperGrafx spin-off, which was a colossal failure."

"Worse, NEC couldn't duplicate its initial Japanese success when it came to the US. The expensive variety of hardware iterations fragmented the market and added extra cost at a time when the Genesis and SNES promised simpler solutions. While the TG-16 had some spectacular games, poor marketing, high prices, and a market fragmented by expansions and competitors doomed it."





http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/04/20/playstation-neo-how-it-could-fail

[esteban]

This article and video was just put up by IGN within the last day.

PlayStation NEO: How It Could Fail

"The TurboGrafx-16 (called the PC Engine in Japan) was a late-80s Japanese console that beat Sega and Nintendo's 16-bit models to market. The console was designed to be expandable, with compatibility built into its tiny Core Grafx base that encouraged CD-ROM based expansions, upgraded video output, improved sound, several varieties of RAM expansions, and optional internal storage memory. The console was actually a big hit in Japan."

"But manufacturer NEC didn't know when to quit. The company kept creating more and better hardware expansions for the platform, eventually producing a fragmented market. The design culminated in the massive Japan-only SuperGrafx spin-off, which was a colossal failure."

"Worse, NEC couldn't duplicate its initial Japanese success when it came to the US. The expensive variety of hardware iterations fragmented the market and added extra cost at a time when the Genesis and SNES promised simpler solutions. While the TG-16 had some spectacular games, poor marketing, high prices, and a market fragmented by expansions and competitors doomed it."

Fragmenting the market is a real concern, but obviously this person is oversimplifying/conflating factors for PCE/TG-16 failure...

Why are aesthetic changes an issue? Who cares? The hardware is functionally equivalent....



SuperGrafx, you poor thing! Are you the 32X of NEC Land?

Unfortunately, the chronology and immediate abortion of SuperGrafx doesn't fit the author's theory...

[SGX Engine]

I'm just surprised they mentioned and showed the SuperGrafx !!

[wilykat]

Would the PS4 Neo suffer from frequent PCB cracking due to poorly designed board and plastic layout like SuperGrafx does?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Unfortunately, the chronology and immediate abortion of SuperGrafx doesn't fit the author's theory...

Agreed.  It was dead and buried long before the Super CD, Arcade Card, or Duos came out.

[BlueBMW]

The closest comparable situation I see is the New 3DS.  It irritated me a little bit since I already had a 3ds and 3ds xl but honestly so far I've seen no reason to get a New 3DS yet.  But it is frustrating when you've already bought hardware and then very quickly a new version comes out.

This is probably the norm though.  I'm already accustomed to upgrading my PC every few years.  I usually do graphics card every 4 years and CPU/memory every 4 years and stagger the two so something new every 2 years.  Its just the way of things it seems.

[TheClash603]

I bought the New 3DS because my original 3DS was not an XL model.  I agree this is the best comparison, because the New 3DS has performance improvements which are nearly unnoticeable.  There is Xenoblade which can't be played on the original 3DS and only the new one, but that is the only exclusive game I think.

However, I didn't pick up Hyrule Warriors 3DS yet, but I have heard it is nearly unplayable without the New 3DS.  Review scores were markedly lower when speaking about original 3DS performance.  In the event Neo mode turns into a similar situation, that would not go over well with consumers.  3DS has gotten away with it because it is only one game and the install base is likely not buying games primarily based on graphics, due to the limitations of the system.

[SGX Engine]

Sony exec Andrew House confirmed the existence of the new, more powerful PS4, often referred to as PS4K and PS4 Neo or Neo PS4.

House called it "a high-end PS4"

However it won't be shown at E3.

http://www.cnet.com/news/sony-confirms-high-end-ps4-is-coming-but-it-wont-be-at-e3/
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/06/sony-ps4-neo-confirmed-e3/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/10/ps4-neo-confirmed-wont-be-at-e3

"We want to ensure we have a full range of the best experiences on the new system that we can showcase in their entirety."

[SGX Engine]

So yeah.