PlayStation 4K Is Real, According To Reports — What Does That Mean Moving Forward?

With rumors the past few weeks circulating after the Game Developer’s Conference about a PlayStation 4K being a thing, reports have now come out confirming the possible console refresh of the PlayStation 4 being real — and in a prototype phase. Reported by Eurogamer, the site has confirmed reports from their sources that Sony is in fact building a PlayStation 4K, though the outlet doesn’t have too many specifics in terms of specs and projected cost.

In the Eurogamer report, their Digital Foundry team broke down the report, saying that the potential console is already in Sony’s Research and Development phase.

“In the wake of last week’s post-GDC outing of the hardware by Kotaku, we have independently established that it’s real and that Sony’s R&D labs have prototype devices, and we also have more than one source referring to it as PlayStation 4K, the name we’ll be using for now. 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.”

That line towards the end is interesting, as Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry team is speculating that even though the potentially new PlayStation 4K is being branded as a 4K device (hence the name), it couldn’t realistically provide enough power to offer true 4K gaming at the same quality as what the current PlayStation 4 can do at 1080p. That’s telling, considering the PlayStation 4, and Xbox One by direct comparison, consistently fall short of industry gaming benchmarks set by the PC.

Previously the Inquisitr speculated as to whether or not a true PlayStation 4K is actually “doable.” And it could be, if Sony were willing to take a loss initially on the hardware. By today’s PC standards, which currently is the only hardware capable of doing 4K gaming, to even sniff 4K, a graphics card at around $700 is needed (a GTX 980 ti or an AMD Fury X). To fit something like this into a console couldn’t be entirely feasible, especially considering, as Eurogamer points out, the PlayStation 4K would need to conform to the current AMD APU structure that the PlayStation 4 operates with.

The question still to ask about the PlayStion 4K is whether or not it is truly a mid-cycle refresh, meaning it will be sold and developed concurrently throughout the life of both it and the regular PlayStation 4, or whether or not this is the next console in the PlayStation lineup, and the PlayStation 4K is just a codename for a potential PlayStation 5. Sony themselves have been silent regarding the rumor, and, as Eurogamer says, their independently confirmed source is still unidentified.

Many might wonder why, only two-and-a-half years into this console generation, a new console is already being hinted at, or in Microsoft’s case, overtly talking about. Many console owners choose their platform for the simple fact that they won’t be forced to upgrade so quickly, unlike the idea that a lot have concerning PCs, where constant upgrades are seemingly necessary all the time (they aren’t).

Chances are, if Sony is to tackle this report head on, they will likely hold off until this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June. Sony typically hosts their press conference on the Monday before the expo opens up (typically Tuesday morning), so if Sony is going to talk about a PlayStation 4K, it is most likely going to happen on the big stage.

However, Sony does need to do something to assuage fan’s fears that they will not be forced to repurchase a console only two years after buying the original PlayStation 4; if the PlayStation 4K is simply going to be a convenience item and not a necessary upgrade.

Looking forward to the PlayStation 4K? Concerned? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via Sony]