The rumored PlayStation Neo, or PS4.5 as some like to call it, was just confirmed by Sony. The odd thing is, even though Sony confirmed the new console, it also confirmed we will NOT get a look at it during E3 next week.
In an interview with Financial Times, Andrew House confirmed the more powerful PS4, the first time Sony has made any comments about it. House is the p resident and global chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment. He also mentioned that the new PlayStation Neo will be sold alongside the current PS4 model.
“It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4. We will be selling both [versions] through the life cycle,” House told Financial Times.
So why is Sony making two consoles to sell at the same time? The goal is to target different audiences. The new, more powerful PS4 will be aimed at hardcore gamers and those with 4K TVs. The original PS4 will still be offered to those who don’t want the upgrade.
The new console will also not split the PS4 fanbase. “All games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4,″ House said. There may be a small amount of work needed for the developers to make games for the new upgraded console, but House is anticipating that will not be much of an issue.
With all these plans, why is Sony holding back on showing off the new console at E3? It seems there aren’t enough games to make as big an impact that Sony wants. “We want to ensure we have a full range of the best experiences on the new system that we can showcase in their entirety,” said House.
Because of an E3 no-show, this might change up the rumored release window for the PlayStation Neo. We’ve previously heard rumblings that the new console will come out this October. If Sony is holding back the unveiling to less than five months before launch, that seems like a foolish move from a marketing and advertising standpoint. I would not be surprised to see the release window getting pushed further back towards the holidays, or even into 2017.
The absence by Sony might also work in Microsoft’s favor. Rumors on the Xbox side of things hint at two new consoles getting revealed soon, an “Xbox One Slim” redesign of the current console and a more powerful console upgrade. The Slim is rumored to be releasing by the end of 2016, with the upgraded console coming next year.
So what do you think? Are you interested in getting this new PS4 now that it has been confirmed real? Are you bummed we will not get a reveal at E3 next week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
