Ever since the info was supposedly leaked, I haven’t had a chance to actually voice my own opinion on this rumor since my attention had been completely focused on the NX, and that is the possible existence of the PlayStation Neo always known as PS4K or PS4.5…
In this post, I am going to be focusing on the consumer part of the discussion, I under stand that for developers, this will be a great hindrance to them but since I am not a developer myself, I can’t go into great detail about it.
Before we begin, let’s look at what exactly is the PlayStation Neo. From the information that is currently available online, the PS4 Neo is essentially a more powerful system with its CPU been 1.3 times more powerful than the base PS4, it’s GPU been 2.3 times more powerful than base and the memory been 24 percent more bandwidth and 512MB more usable RAM. Essentially it’s purpose is to be able to play games at for 4K resolution.
Now here is where the problem lies, in my opinion. A lot of people (40 Million people to be more precise) have bought the PS4 with the assurance that their system will be basically sufficient for at least another 4-5 years. So when you have rumors claiming that there’s going to be a more powerful version of the PS4 coming out soon, especially to those who just bought the console this year, they’re basically getting slapped across the face by Sony.
There’s already an eco-system built around the PS4 and it’s still steadily growing. To disturb that now at this stage will cause a resistance that will probably bite Sony on the ass.
Now here is my thoughts on it. This isn’t something new, companies like Microsoft and Sony have done something like this in the past, with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite and Sony’s PS3 Slim, however where I’m drawing the line here is what the Neo means for us.
Xbox 360 Elite and PS3 Slim where designed to allow more people to be able to purchase the consoles at a cheaper prices with small alteration to the consoles itself (memory size, shape etc.), however the core of these consoles remained the same as their predecessor. If had a PS3 and my friend had the Slim, we would not see any difference in our games and I would not feel the urge to upgrade because I feel like I’m at a disadvantage. And vice versa with the Xbox 360 and Elite. The gameplay, no matter which version you’ll have will run EXACTLY THE SAME, both in game features and visually.
The NEO however, with the rumored specs, make that argument a little bit difficult to back up. The fact is that if the NEO truly can run games at 4K, that alone has already alienated those who people have invested their money in the PS4. I’ve seen the arguments of both sides (for and against the NEO) and to a degree I can see their points but I still stand with the side that says this NEO is not needed.
The argument that I have always heard from those who play on consoles is that, it’s easy to play on console, you don’t have to worry about upgrading in the near future, the games will run great etc…now what? It seems that, that saying no longer holds truth for the most part.
And I can guarantee you that the PS4 NEO will also be marketed as a tool that can support the PlayStation VR a lot better that the PS4. This will also piss off a lot of people.
If this is something that will become common thing in the near future where you can no longer be sure of when the next console will come out or should come out, then you’re better off just playing on PC then. I simple can’t justify Sony’s business move if this were to be true.
It’s true that times are changing, but that does not mean it’s always for the better. The people that are for the NEO, that are saying that it’s not a big deal obviously have money to throw around, but for the rest of people who prefer to invest their money wisely, they will surely be pissed off.
Now look, if you have the PS4, you don’t have to buy the new console, you system is still great for what it is but as gamers, we WANT the latest gadget and games out there, so no matter how you slice it, you will feel like you need that console, and if you just recently bought the PS4, you will most definitely feel like you just wasted you money, even though you haven’t. That is what the NEO will cause.
It’s not just the money too, it’s also the fact that it truly does not make any sense and its just too damm soon. Not only that but if it is true, your PS4 value will go down just like that. The trade-in values will drop considerably if the PS4K is confirmed to be true. Good luck trying to get a good deal at Gamestop.
All I can say is that…hopefully the price of the NEO won’t be that high.
Now let see which side are you on in this discussion. Please vote your option here:
