PlayStation 4.5 PS4k Sony Supercharged Superpowered Slim 1

Sony, it seems, really is building a superpowered PlayStation 4 console. Following last week's Kotaku reports, Digital Foundry has now thrown its hat into the ring, revealing that it's aware of the mid-generation refresh, that PlayStation R&D labs already have access to the hardware, and that multiple sources are referring to it as PlayStation 4K. It's almost certainly real behind closed doors, then.

The question is whether or not the platform holder intends to bring it to market, and what form it will take. The tech site proposes three distinct possibilities: a completely overhauled appliance with a boost to its graphical capabilities, an overclocked or evolved edition of the existing unit, or a more conventional PS4 Slim with very minor improvements to the hardware.

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All of these options would be compatible with 4K televisions, which seems to be one of the bigger drivers behind the hardware refresh. However, the Digital Foundry report notes that none of the above suggestions would necessarily be potent enough to push 3840x2160 in the most graphically demanding of games. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End in 4K, for example, would be a struggle.

At which point, it ponders what the purpose of this upgrade would be. Pushing graphics tech forwards is becoming increasingly more difficult in the console arena, so perhaps Sony sees a half-step as necessary while it waits for the true leap that the PlayStation 5 may bring. It's not clear, and it's also not apparent whether it will even adopt this model in the first place.

What is clear, however, is that it's at the very least working on it.

[source eurogamer.net]