In Theory: Can Sony upgrade PlayStation Neo's specs?

The date is set. On September 7th, we will see what Sony's been up to with PlayStation Neo - we should finally get some idea of the firm's vision for the new hardware, details on software support, and if we're really lucky, we should see live demos of Neo titles courtesy of Sony first party studios, amongst others. But despite some pretty solid leaks, speculation continues on the actual Neo spec. Could Sony pull a surprise out of the bag and reveal a more powerful unit at the upcoming PlayStation Meeting?

[NewMonday]

jumping both the gun and the shark

the perfect description to this saga

once Sony shows the big franchises like CoD, Battlefield, FF15, Mafia3, Skyrim(yep!) ruining Neo mode people will have a hard time holding off a full year just for little bit more performance

safe to say Witcher3, Uncharted4, Bloodborn ..etc will be getting Neo Patches.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

They might just rebuy it on Scorpio. Waiting a full year for a little upgrade and be spoiled with the game is not a good Idea.

[GameNameFame]

One thing Eurogamer is forgetting is yield. Two cores on Neo is deactivated. This is due to manufacturing yield. Sony technically can unlock one or two of those at cost of lower yield. Then work on getting better yield later on...

@XMarktheSpot

1. Comparison of 720/900P vs 1080P with better post processing is not the same as some zoomed in picture of AA. Damage control much?
2. PS4 had 40 percent power advantage. Which was significant.

Are you trying to damage control that 40 % power gap is not important? But turn around and say 50% rumored boost is some how significant?

Yet, your narrative/rhetoric is completely flipfloped.

[ShowanW]

@GameNameFame...

there would be a difference of more than 50% if MS if rumors are true that MS will be using Zen for Scorpio instead of the current Jaguar chipset.

and if MS is actually going 320mbps on the memory bandwith, that's pretty significant as well...

[NewMonday]

CPU doesn't stack with GPU, if they use ZEN its actually a bad thing for developers and will lead to losing games all together.

[DARK_WOLF]

@game

You have no idea what ur talking about.

And the ps4 did not have a 40% total advantage over xb1 thats just lies or truth for stupid people..

[agame914]

no

[GameNameFame]

@DarkWolf_NZ

40% refers to tflop.

But it also had far better ram and 4 times more ACE. Which means it would destroy X1 in DX12 games.

[XMarkstheSpot]

A little bit more performance? Since when was an extra 2TF little, like shoving the Ps4 into the Neo to create the Scorpio. I remember at the start of this gen for the longest time on any comparision between muliplat games Sony Fanboys would scream to the roof, "why buy the inferior Xbox version" over little things like zoomed in pictures of AA? So why get the inferior mutiplates on the PS? That kind of talk has died down a lot i will admit but the point remains the same

[Aenea]

It's 1.8TF, yes, that's a complete PS4, you're right in that regard.

But weren't Xbox fans saying that it didn't matter much that the PS4 was 40% faster? Well, now the Scorpio might be 40% faster than the PS4 Neo, big whoop.

I've never bought consoles for the perceived power of it, am just a PlayStation person since I prefer it over MS, not that MS makes bad consoles or anything, just a preference.

[Kingthrash360]

What's gunna be inferior tho? Both can run 4k 30, 1080 60....tho there is a rumor that sony has been working on 2 neos...a 5.5 tf and a 4.8...of they launch a 5.5 this convo will be worthless if tge launch a 4.8 that leaves the scorpio with 1.2 more tf...but what will it bring? If it's not running 4k 60 then what will it bring? 6tf isn't enough to make 4k 60 on AAA games. And in all honesty I'd rather have 1080 60 than 4k 30.
Lastly what will ms bring as far as games are concerned? They have the smallest 1st party devs line up and the smallest 1st party games line up and they are intent to recycle the same games over and over. What good is power without games...or new experiances? Halo, gears, forza are good games but I don't want to spend and extra 500 bucks to see the same games looking prettier. They need to bring more games to the table.

[XMarkstheSpot]

@ King Theres more to a game then 4k/1080p and 60fps. IQ, physics, AI, amount of AI, AA, etc. So the Scorpio could have better IQ, why wpuldnt it seeing on how it has an extra 2 TF

[XMarkstheSpot]

@ Aenea Would you rather 40% of 1 or 40% of 100

[yeahokwhatever]

http://www.extremetech.com/...

[donthate]

trash:

It doesn't matter if the spec difference has a markedly big or small impact on games or visual fidelity. The only thing that matters is consumers perception of if it will, and the simple answer is:

http://static1.gamespot.com...

I want to add though that, as Eurogamer article highlights, it is not the GPU bump that is significant, it is actually the CPU and memory bandwidth bump in performance that will be the most important part in driving the games.

[GameNameFame]

@Xmark

Which one of the boost do you think is more noticeable?

-Upgrade from 0.1 tflop to 0.6 tflop.
-Upgrade from 100 tflop to 102 tflop.

Also, arent you fanboys one who keep suggesting that technology has advanced so much that your eyes wont notice better graphics/resolution due to dimnishing return??

[XMarkstheSpot]

@ GameName Of course the worst of the worst comes out might as well just change your name to DigitalRaptor cause you two are among the worst. But fine lets get specific. Would you rather have a console with 1.8TF (the almighty PS4) or 1.3(Xbox). Now how about would you rather have a console with presumably 4TF(almighty PS Neo) or a console with presumably 6TF( A console with both almighty** to make a BEAST)? The choice is yours, and nobody will really care what you pick

Edit #2: And to answer your question obviously the 100-102 TF would be more noticable. Your gaining an extra 2 TF on top of 100, where as the other is just .5 under 1 TF of power

[ProjectVulcan]

There are several factors at play here.

1. Sony will probably have a 12 month head start. This is very important. If you're launching a machine that will have inferior specs, then get it out ages before it's rival.

2. It'll almost certainly be quite a bit cheaper. The most expensive single part in a console is usually it's silicon which will naturally be smaller in Neo. By the time Scorpio launches, Sony will likely be capable of undercutting it's price considerably.

3. Because they have a 12 month head start, that means a solid userbase before Scorpio is even out the door. Sony have more PlayStation gamers ready to go straight onto their new machine with their existing titles and uprated versions. We know PS4 already has a much larger market share that Xbox One, which means it is likely to have a larger amount of people willing to upgrade and take their existing games collection.

4. It's unclear as to what performance each console is really targeting here. 1080p is still by far, far and faaaar away the most popular HDTV resolution in terms of existing userbase. Sony might only think developers should improve their graphics quality, not just pump the resolution. In essence, the market might not be ready for 4K consoles.

Scorpio might be more likely to target higher resolution games, but without a massive 4K market, the extra performance will be mostly lost on the majority of people. Let's say a game is 4K (3840 x 2160) on Scorpio native, but 'only' 3072 x 1728 on Neo. This would be a sufficient reduction so that the difference in performance or visuals on anything less than a 4K display would be totally indiscernable.

But even on a 4K display we can also point to diminishing returns. 3072 x 1728 is still a HUGE resolution for games played on a TV typically from 6+ feet away. The difference between 1600 x 900 and 1920 x 1080 can be seen because both are still modest resolutions. But picking out differences as the resolutions go stratospheric becomes harder and harder, even for those with the most eagle of eyes.

i think Sony still have the edge here. Microsoft will have better hardware, but it'll be much later and more expensive. With a smaller existing market to upgrade to it, and a still (relatively) small 4K userbase even by the end of 2017.

We'll see though I guess? Just my two cents.

[GameNameFame]

@XMarkstheSpot

Answer to your question.
------------
If you are asking me spec question, I will pick stronger spec if cost and everything else are same. (in this example, Scorpio). But exclusives matters, and based on the fact that Xbox has no exclusives since all are going to PC, it makes the case weaker. We will see if there are any next year.

Nice attempt at not answering my question and trying to side track it.
--------------------

Now I know you are purely blinded fanboy... But seriously?

Out of the two options, you honestly think Option 2 will provide more noticeable effect?

-Upgrade from 0.1 tflop to 0.6 tflop.
-Upgrade from 100 tflop to 102 tflop.

LOL. Actually we can prove this somewhat by comparing (GT 420 vs 480 and 970 vs 980). I cant even believe I have to actually show you real life example of this. Either way, it proves Option #1 shows bigger boost. BY FAR, it is 600% power boost where as option 2 is 2% boost.

Its funny. I thought Xbox fanboys said that Xbox One has so much secret sauce including cloud, it doesnt need upgrade? Lawl. This just goes to show how people like you are in desperate denial. I bet you are going to damage control on how Xbox losing all its exclusive is somehow ok and has no effect on value of Xbox.

[XMarkstheSpot]

@ GameName Okay thats fair, option 1 will provide more "noticeable difference" i guess on paper but I dont really see what 600% of 0.1 to .6 TF is really going to show? What kinda of power can .6TF really muster compared to 2 TF(even though if you had a 102TF card it would not matter anys, a 4TF to 6TF is a better comparison)? What type of shadows can that create, physics, IQ? How much juice can you get out of .6 compared to 2TF, especially if we are comparing these so called PC video cards which we both know you really cant compare PC parts to consoles either because you get more out of consoles then you ever will PC, look at uncharted 4 on a 1.8 TF system. Good luck trying to get that out of a 1.8TF PC with the same quality settings. I mean Id rather have to extra 2TF then .6(But thats just me). As for the "lost exclusives" hardly anybody cares unless you live on this site. I know I dont. I game on console so anybody who games on console only all of those "lost Xbox" exclusives are still exclusive, cause you cant play them on another console, Idk why that is so hard to grasp to many people on this site. You going to buy No Mans Sky on PC? I know I wont, especially with the problems it has now, and plenty of other PCS games in general have. Im sure you bought it on PS4, so lets no kid ourselves and think that because its on PC its going to effect the majority of console only gamers, which im willing to bet is in the millions. PC has more problems and is not as easy to set up, and you always have to mess around with settings to get what your PC can handle compared to plug in and play. Its just that simple. Plus the ecosystem of the consoles imo is better then PC. Id rather game on XBL or PSN then Steam, but that is a personal opinion.

[GameNameFame]

It is a completely fair argument.

You do realize xbox 360 had 0.2 tflop.

So yea. Imagine if xbox 360 had 3 times more power. Difference would've been significant .

Not to mention that all the power difference will go towards resolution anyways.

So just like how x1 is 900p and ps4 is 1080p. Scorpio will have 2160p while Neo will have 1800p upscaled. Same physics, "more shadows" and etc. Just different resolution. So that Neo can free up resource to have same effects.

Argument isn't whether 0.5 tflop is less than 2 tflop. That is quite simple minded way of looking at it.

It is whether 0.1 to 0.6 tflop upgrade is more visible upgrade than 100 to 102 tflop.

Speaking of simple-minded. You really have no idea how PC works now. Do you? It really became extremely easy and plug and play. It's so funny how you desperately want to believe otherwise

[XMarkstheSpot]

@ Game Dude there is no way in hell gaming on a PC is as easy plug in and play then console, idk what youre smoking but I want it. Between needing to make sure your CPU usage is not 100% and crashes your game or lags it out and stutters the frames, the heat of your computer, overclocking(Doubt the casual would do that), upgrading drivers, upgrading internal PC parts, anti virus software, needing to screw around with graphic options on pretty much every game to make sure it runs "stable"(unlike console where you put it in and you know youll be able to play it), disk defragin (Because we all know after some use PCs get slow and run sluggish as hell, something you dont have to worry about consoles, you can play those for years and still have the same performance), overall maintenance on a PC over the course of say 2 years is not as simple as console. Stuff like that may not be "hard" to people who use computers but no way in hell is it easier then console, its not convenient at all, the point of consoles. Plus you can bring your console over your friends house, well you could bring your PC but who the hell lugs that(Which we will assume is a full tower if this is a gaming PC after all) and the monitor and keyboard/ mouse around. People usually just buy a laptop, and unless your willing to toss some cash, that laptop is going to be pathetic at gaming. And all I originally stated that its not a "little gain" in performance to NewMonday above. 2 TF is some serious power for consoles. If the Xbox 360 was 0.2 you said? And the PS4 is 1.8, and what they have accomplished with just that.. an extra 2 TF could be put to some good use imo. I also dont know how you know all the power difference will go to resolution when say both games can handle 1080p 60fps at say 4TF, well lets see what do we do with that other 2 TF? Do we up the resolution? Doubt it, id put it into particle effects, IQ, AA, shaders etc. As a developer thats what i would do if I was aiming for at least 1080p 60fps.

[starrman1985]

The PS4 was .5TF more powerful than the Xbox One at launch and that made quite a difference in regards to the stable resolutions of multi-plat games, this fact has been brought up time and time again by die hard Sony fans as a major selling point over the X1.

Now the Xbox Scorpio has a 1.8TF advantage over the (rumoured) Neo specs, this is a huge amount of extra power, so it's not the same as thinking "oh, I don't wanna wait out for the little extra boost, I'll get the neo now" of course, if you just want Sony exclusives - get the Neo! But don't be naive and believe that the Scorpio just has a bit more power, it's a lot more!

[GameNameFame]

@XMarkstheSpot

"make sure your CPU usage is not 100% and crashes your game or lags it out and stutters the frames, the heat of your computer, overclocking(Doubt the casual would do that), upgrading drivers, "

Dude. Are you for real? You are exact type of imbecile that PC gamers make fun of.

"needing to screw around with graphic options "

Nope. They now have preoptimization to your spec option. Both Nvidia and AMD.

" disk defragin"

Ok. Now i know you are desperately grasping now. Seriously? Are you that desperate that Xbox lost all its exclusive? I've never defraged my PC and its fine. Stop making stupid optional PC stuff some mandatory difficult stuff.

"f the Xbox 360 was 0.2 you said? And the PS4 is 1.8, and what they have accomplished with just that.. an extra 2 TF could be put to some good use imo."

Except that is not the point of the argument. Argument is which upgrade is more noticeable.

Option 1. Upgrade from 0.1 tflop to 0.6 tflop.
OPtion 2. Upgrade from 100tflop to 102 tflop.

Nice changing the argument. By trying your hardest to change the argument, you just proved my point. Upgrade from Xbox One to PS4 is going to be just as noticeable as Neo to Scorpio.

So if you say you never noticed X1 to PS4 bump, then you shouldnt really notice Neo to Scorpio either

[XMarkstheSpot]

Aww game name is a little pansy. You message me and block me so i cant respond? You arent even a gamer, you care way to much about where games are played that you are not even buying then actually playing them and having fun. What a little kid, grow up.

[jb227]

Yeah, there will eventually be diminishing returns really because the jump from XBO & PS4 to Neo will be a bigger one than from Neo to Scorpio theoretically so Sony getting the Neo out a year early should put this one in the bag for them yet again. History typically shows the first to market ends up the leader when it comes to consoles & I don't expect anything different here in terms of these upgrades.

Also there is obviously a reason why Sony isn't releasing the finalized dev kits until the time of the show. If the leaked specs from earlier this year were fully accurate, those kits would've most likely went out at any random time. Sounds to me like there is something more or different to the final version of the Neo than what we assume. That could be for the better, that could be for the worse, but I highly doubt the Neo we end up with is exactly the same as the Neo initially outlined.

[ShowanW]

jb227

WRONG!!!

if MS are goin Zen Chipset (over the current Jaguar chip) all cpu bound games will have NO issue running on Scorpio.

Zen + 320GB memory bandwith+rx480 (all theory of course, is signicantly more different that the current Xone One, PS4 and Neo... new architecture all together

[donthate]

Except that is exactly the thing that did Dreamcast in when Sony played the FUD game on Sega. Ironically, this is now MS playbook copied verbatim from Sony used against Sony! o_0

To top this off:

http://static1.gamespot.com...

[Lonnie18]

Agreed, when Sony announces the Neo they will show off lots of games and will probably come out two weeks after the said announcement.

[JasonKCK]

"little bit more performance" Keep telling yourself that.

[rainslacker]

This article was pretty well researched to be honest.

But it's biggest fault in the premise, is also addressed in the text of the article. The specs increase it stipulates would be likely, and I'd have to agree they're on track given the nature of consoles, also shows such little gain in overall performance, that it's hardly worthwhile. On the downside, it would also mean that it'd increase manufacturing costs, which of course means more costs to the consumer, so it'd be a harder sell overall.

At this point, the specs are nailed down. They would have been nailed down pretty well when E3 happened, and MS showed the Scorpio, so there is really no way that Sony could make appreciable changes to the hardware in such a short time frame, since the units would have to be in production now for release this year....and I have to admit, the fact that there is no leaked manufacturing information is pretty impressive....but I digress.

Sony could make some small changes to boost things a bit without compromising what they had, much like they did with the memory, or MS did with the CPU in the X1, but anything done is likely not going to make the difference much more different compared to MS targeted 6TF machine. Then of course, whatever Sony could do, MS would have ample time to respond by boosting it's own specs, so it's ultimately pointless in the grand scheme of things, other than for Sony to have a bit of a stronger marketing position when it comes to those who gush on endlessly about specs and what constitutes a "beast".

About the best us potential customers can hope for is that the marginal changes that can be made, are made, so we get that little bit of extra power to maybe make things a bit better in the end experience. Beyond that, I don't think Sony is really that worried about Scorpio right now, because the PS4 is going strong, and they will have a pretty significant time on the market with a significantly more powerful console than the competition...or even their own stock PS4. That coupled with their own world wide brand recognition, and strong game portfolio, will only help stave off the MS marketing, which seems more about "most powerful console", as opposed to "best games"(which MS also tries to push but it doesn't really resonate with the consumer market.)

[EpicSandwich]

If rumors are true it's just not a little bit more performance, it is a lot more. It won't go unnoticed like xbox 1 vs ps4 it will be a massive difference.

Newmonday
Your comment is hilarious lmao did u run to every gamers house and ask if they have a 4k tv? At the end of the day, the scorpio is going to have the better looking games. Im sorry, Sony fd up if they're sticking with 4tf. They didn't find the perfect power point at all

[NewMonday]

30% not much to be game changer especially coming a full year late , going from 1800p to 4k needs 3m extra pixels, an extra 2tflops can only give you 2m max so Scorpio needs 7-8tflops simply not enough.

also remember 80% of the market don't have a 4K TV, so 1080p60fps will be a cap and
Neo will handle that comfortably.

lets just admit it Sony found the best balance point of price and performance again.

[neutralgamer1992]

newmonday

thing is on this article anything positve towards the ps4 neo gets a lot of disagrees. just like we are to believe this site is pro playstation when daily bases hate/click bait articles are approved

when neo was leaked it was said by these same xbox fanboys that sony is doing wrong and leaving it's fan base behind. all of the sudden scorpio is the best thing ever. double standards

neo leaks could have been real, they could have been fake/old design. what's really stopping sony from releasing a more powerful console is beyond me. so ms can do it and sony can't? what if ps4 neo is 5.5TF(like neogaj rumored after e3) and has over 12 GB GDDR5 ram. than will waiting an extra year for .5TF worth it to gamers?

sony will have something big to show, if they were gonna show the 4TF ps4 neo they would have done it at e3.

i still think ps4 slim this fall and neo next fall is more likely to happen(ps4 slim to be over 3TF with HDR and 4k media player)

i just don't see sony handing the graphical advantage to ms anytime soon. i truly believe ps4 neo will be above 6TF and over 12GB ram with a much better CPU

but bottom line is i am just taking guesses. so believe the rumors if you want we don't have long to wait

what i don't understand is how sony can't or isn't allowed to change those specs just because something leaked

[NewMonday]

believe me once Neo games are shown gamers will forget about TFLOPS

something nobody talks about is that GCN architecture will jump from generation1 to generation4, improvements include better geometry, tessellation, shader engines, memory compression..etc

all that will make a bigger difference than expected.

[andibandit]

"ruining Neo mode"

You meant "running"?

[NewMonday]

#%$@ auto correct!

[Neonridr]

a little naive to say "a little bit more performance" when we don't have any numbers or specs yet. It could end up being quite a bit more than just a little bit.

Regardless, the differences between the XB1 and PS4 this gen were enough for Sony fans to crap all over MS, so you may have to be prepared to take a little bit back if the Scorpio turns out to be more than a "little bit" more powerful.

[NewMonday]

I check PC benchmarks all the time, it will be better but still in the ballpark like PS4/X1, but coming a year late will do massive damage especially in a short console cycle, Scorp will not have enough time to establish itself before PS5 comes out, it will be PS2 vs Xbox all over again

[sammarshall102]

I think they'll go with 4 tflops and Microsoft will end up with the 6 they announced

[Aenea]

"Difference between X1 and PS4 is .53 tflops

Difference between Scorpio and the Neo is roughly 2 tflops"

.53 Tflops and roughly 2 huh? Shall we make that .53 and 1.8 instead?

The power difference percentage wise would be the same as between the PS4 and the X1, so no, I for one don't think it will matter all that much, just hope they will make sure we will have steady frame rates from now on, since let's be honest both PS4 and X1 have been struggling with some multiplat games...

[NewMonday]

even with the 40% PS4 advantage many games run the same resolution and frame rate.

also an important factor is that the Scorpio will be held back by the weak XB1, it has a much lower common denominator than Neo has with PS4

Scorpio devs must scale their games starting with only 1.3 TFLOPs and the infamous ESRAM bottleneck unless they re-work every game from the ground up

on the other hand Neo and Ps4 base are closer and architecture is practically compatible fully 1:1 leading to better high end optimization, so in the end PS4 Neo games could still perform better than Scorpio, match-up wins could be split from game to game and that will kill the supposed advantage of Scorpio.

[rainslacker]

The percentages are roughly the same, although in reverse, however the difference between ~.5TF and 2 TF is quite a bit.

I don't think it'll make that much a difference for multi-plat games, which will go more for parity, and not utilizing all that extra power available on the Scorpio, and the gains may not be perceptible by the end user if the resolution is kept at 1080/60, however, the chance that that extra power can be used for something appreciable is quite high on exclusives made for Scorpio/PC. Not that I feel MS studios can pull off the same kinds of amazing feats that some of Sony's 1st parties can on seemingly weak hardware, but MS studios can at least get more done without as much work giving quite a pretty experience, and overall, MS studios do make pretty good games overall.

I don't know how it will all play out with the consumer though. PS is just more recognizable and respected world wide, where MS tends to be focused on a couple of the bigger markets. Could end up where the two are neck and neck again like last gen, but I can't see MS drastically outselling Sony since MS itself said they're targeting the demanding gamer, who wants the best of the best hardware, and that tends to be a pretty small market in the grand scheme of things. But now I"m getting into marketing/consumer talk, and not so much power difference talk.

[donthate]

slacker:

You mean how developers went for parity this generation?

Let's face it, developers are getting increasingly better at dealing with the difference in performance that they will be able to take better advantage of it. Besides, it has never been about what an impact the extra computing resources actually make in games. It has always been about perception, thus we get this:

http://static1.gamespot.com...

If you want to talk about amazing feat, look at Forza, Halo, and Gears!

One word: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

[DragonPaw]

I agree. The real question is: Will Sony make a console that will be capable of gaming in native 4k at a decent frame rate?

Geez, it is X Slim vs. Neo.

Sony is doing this wait to the last minute to announce, so why is it so hard to grasp that they might announce a console to compete with Scorpio?

[Kingthrash360]

We know nothing of neo spec until 9/7
Anything other is rumor.
There is even a rumor that the neo is 5.5 tf....but that's just as much a rumor at 4.2 or whatever.
Smh fuss over pillow talk lol

[donthate]

We know enough, to know that PS4K/Neo is weaker than Scorpio. We know that it is too late for Sony to change their specs, as confirmed here. We also know that MS knows this, and thus decided to release the Scorpio specs (that I might add, might be bumped further).

Everytime you play that game on PS4K/Neo (cause we know you are going to pick Sony no matter what!), you are going to remember that this Playstation version is the I-N-F-E-R-I-O-R version!

[Herbalistic]

Its too late for Sony to upgrade the Neo to compete with Scropio in terms of raw power.

[Antnee534]

Not True they can rename this neo the slim and then come out latee with a neo the far out paces the Scorpio. Well that's what I would do in this position

[Sm00thNinja]

Such a stupid analysis might as well be the PS5 if thats the case

[lastking95]

Then ps5, too much too soon. It'll blow up in not just Sonys face but the gaming industry as a whole will take a hit.

[mark_parch]

they can call it whatever they want neo slim doesn't change the fact it will be 4tflops. there is no question scorpio will end up being more powerful . but will people be able to hold off for nearly a year with multiplats looking better on neo. will be interesting. i think the thing that will be vital is the price point. if its cheap enough ps4 will just extend it lead in sales until the scorpio arrives

[Aenea]

A Slim model that's over twice as fast as a PS4? Yeah, no...

[donthate]

One can always wish!

After all, castle in the sky and all that....

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Nobody knows what the real specs are or the release date. This entire sideshow has been a little bit too much.

[Sevir]

Its pretty much set, just about every developer working onn Neo software have confirmed with both Eurogamer and Kotaku that its specs are set in stone, We MIGHT get a 5TF PS4, but that seems really unlikely. Either way, I'm excited that it'll come this year

[R6ex]

More importantly, will Sony have an upgrade plan for current PS4 owners? If not, sales of Neo will not be good. Afterall, consoles are supposed to be cheap. Why would most current PS4 owners buy a 2nd PS4 just for the Neo specs and then play the same games? I'll only trade-in my PS4 for a Neo upgrade. I will not buy a Neo if Sony doesn't have a trade-in/upgrade plan for current PS4 owners.

[OB1Biker]

From the article, 'Creating two prospective designs would cost Sony a lot of money for very little return.'
Didnt AMD announce 3 custom chips and we now know none is for NX???

[jukins]

How is it too late? Maybe it is if it's releasing this year but leaked documents aren't always the end all be all as said in this article.

[donthate]

Because:

a) MS knows Sony can't change plans, hence why they announced Scorpio specs
b) Sony stopped their show and left 15 mins on the table scheduled for PS4K/Neo, but pulled it when they found out about Scorpio
c) Sony announced that they are going to sell 20 million consoles this fiscal year, which is impossible to do without a new console
d) PS4K/Neo parts are likely already in production, and has been for some time

Yeah, it isn't just leaked documents.... You can delay it, but all the other plans can't be changed on a whim without major cost, and disruption.

Wishful thinking, but one can dream.

[Aenea]

Yup, indeed it is, and MS is too late with releasing their mid-gen update by a year...

[Rude-ro]

And the fanbase did not jump because of power so it does not matter.
They jumped because at the reveal, it was the same old boring software lineup and here we are 3 years later and they have only released ryse, sunset overdrive, and quantum...
What Microsoft will need is an exclusive library that will sell the Scorpio... This would be a double edged sword. On one side, leaving behind the current console so quickly and showing consumers that they do not know what it takes to push a console, or they keep it as a third version updated console and hope consumers are only wanting power.
Sony can literally make a 4K current gen console and be fine. Just make sure that everything on the ps4 runs at 4K on the neo and done. With all the exclusives coming, no reason to compete with a more powerful console with a much slimmer exclusive software library that did not push sales on the current Xbox.

[Rude-ro]

@bg116
Name those first party exclusives will you?
I beg. Without goalpost definitions.
I would love a good laugh.
Yes, I have wasted my money on the Xbox one,
The flip flopping? Like last gen sales mattered? Or like the comparisons mattered? Or like Microsoft even advertising where you get the best version? Like the power of the cloud.... Oh, wait, we lied. Here is a new console instead?
I truly hope that Microsoft thinks it power that failed them, because according to supply and demand, their software is not moving their hardware sooo...

[kraenk12]

True and they don't need to.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Yea release the PS NEO NEO

[LoveSpuds]

The only place the that difference in the power of the Neo and Scorpio matters is in the mind of the more rabid xbox fan.

The reason PS4 is currently dominating is nothing to do with power advantage, it is everything to do with Playstation's reputation as a Worldwide brand, it is to do with its track record for delivering for gamers and for providing a much larger and more varied library than XBox.

Americans like to buy American goods, that is understandable and that is what is keeping XB1 afloat, but the rest of the world has no such loyalty to the company.

[Prubar]

Reputation doesn't mean jack if you screw up the messaging. Look at the PS3/360 era. PS3 turned it around later in the generation but early on struggled because of the messaging. Now MS basically handed them the win with a crap ass announcement and that the PS4 was stronger and cheaper at launch.

[joeorc]

@Prubar6m ago
[Reputation doesn't mean jack if you screw up the messaging. Look at the PS3/360 era. PS3 turned it around later in the generation but early on struggled because of the messaging. Now MS basically handed them the win with a crap ass announcement and that the PS4 was stronger and cheaper at launch.]

If you also look at the fact that in Europe, Microsoft had a 1 year & 7 Month advantage on the PS3..but yet even with a 8 million lead, even with a cheaper entry price , even with harder to code for Hardware, even with the Majority of 3rd party game engines made for other hardware, and not the CellBE, That all the media coverage on how you killed your brand Sony..

But yet with all of that Sony still not only caught up but surpasses Microsoft's Xbox platforms lead and , today the xbox360 has been discontinued for Hardware production , but Sony still has PS3 still in Production, still selling and the on top of that.

The PS3 now has PlayStation Vue, which turns every PS3 into a cord cutting Streaming Cable TV box with DVR added.

Now take a look at both the PS4 and the Xbox one launch month until now.
Power is not the main reason for the market lead that Sony has been able to proceed with.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

But in this case for Sony since they haven't screwep up any messaging, Reputation means a lot. Companies can screw up and fix stuff too. Look at how Sony turned things around with PS3... They bought a lot of studios that ultimately pushed the PS3 power and shut every other people talking shit about the Cell processor. In couple of years PS3 got a robust catalog of games that are now getting sequels on PS4, not to mention the many new ips too.

And their previous success with PS2, PS1, and PS3 in its last 4 years has gained a big fanbase.

[silvacrest]

I think the initial price of the PS3 did more damage then anything

[curtis92]

I don't fully agree. I do agree that PS has a stronger worldwide presence and a lot more nostalgia triggers, but I know I usually go with the console that looks/runs the best for 3rd party games. Last gen, 95% of the muliplats I got were on 360 because i knew it'd run and look better. Same with Xbox. But this gen I've primarily been on PS4 for those same reasons. If Scorpio proves to have better hardware, that'll be my go-to system for multiplat.

[Hk85karlsson]

Are you living in the US?

[fanboysmackdown]

Yes and Sony consumers were very loyal to the $600 price tag of the PS3 weren't they? If I remember correctly it took a few years and many price cuts to catch up to the 360 so nice try flamer.

[LoveSpuds]

@fanboysmackdown
This has been discussed time after time, PS3 easily caught 360 last gen. Worldwide it outsold 360 month after month, it took time to catch up because of an 18 month headstart but, even at a higher pricepoint, even with every website slating the PS3, it still caught up and surpassed 360.

None of this was a result of the gamer perceiving it was more powerful, it was brand popularity and eventually, it was the exclusive library that made the PS3 the success it was.

[rainslacker]

Yeah, that and the $500 price tag as well for the 20GB version. Funny how that lower cost SKU never gets a mention, despite it actually being the most available, and highest selling SKU at the time, and some people will only ever accept that there was only a $600 version at launch....which is completely untrue. Did you even know there was a $500 SKU or did you get all your FUD from the misinformation campaign that spent so much time calling Sony out on a $600 console, despite it costing more to get a comparably equipped 360 which still didn't have as many features at the time?

Or is $500 too much for a console? I'd like to know your thoughts on a console being $500.

[rainslacker]

Believe it or not, many Americans are not so into US brands as one would assume. Most Americans consider foreign electronics to be much better in both design, function, and price. The xeno-centric concept of "buy american" simply doesn't exist, even when "made in the US" was a big thing in the 90's. Most Americans really don't give a damn except when they want to complain about all the jobs being shipped overseas, however most simply buy what is the cheapest or the best for the price.

In gaming specifically, most people aren't quite so centric on the country of origin, and it's more an eastern vs western game design philosophy which compels people's game purchase habits, but that has little to do with the hardware nowadays.

The reason Xbox is afloat is because MS got itself a stable fan base, and makes a decent enough product to warrant people buying it. Some people find what Xbox has to offer, and that's fine, but I doubt any of it has to do with MS being an American company, because even in America, MS is not what I'd consider a highly respected company among the general consumer.....and are more often than not the butt of jokes about evil corporations and mega-conglomerate anti-consumer company practices.

But I agree 100%, that Sony has a much better brand perception world-wide, and I'd say that even in the US, their brand perception is higher than the Xbox is. MS was making quite a bit of headway there with the 360, but they fumbled up a lot, which only reinstated the thoughts that the average, non-fanboy type, has about them.

@JuliaW

Even if MS is investing in all these other IP's, which I give them credit for doing, those games aren't really resonating with the general consumer. Maybe it's just a matter that MS doesn't know how to market the actual games, and focuses too much on the hardware, and hoping people believe them when they claim, "best lineup ever". For almost three years now, it's the software which gets the most criticism for MS. The hardware had it's time, but since the reversals, and since MS has been doing better on trying to make quality hardware, but ever since the beginning, it's one constant criticism has always been the software.

I know there are people that are excited for it, and I'm not trying to down play their excitement, or even the offerings that MS is bringing, but what MS is delivering has to resonate with the consumer to make it appealing. Just having the software isn't the same as the consumer wanting the software.

Sony has it's duds in it's line up as well, but they still are doing a much better job of selling the excitement of the games line up than MS is. Just look at this last E3. MS biggest take away was two new pieces of hardware....one 18 months from release which had nothing to show for it other than some devs talking about how they could now realize their dreams. Sony hammered from start to finish the games, and those games were exciting....even the lame ones were entertaining to watch. Heck, Sony even got people excited for COD.

That's why MS is struggling, and having more power isn't going to change that perception if they don't have something more to show, or at least show something which actually excites the gamer. So far, the only exciting new IP i've seen MS push this gen is QB, and maybe Ryse for some people. Everything else is what Sony would use as filler for their more exciting games....which keeps people focused in on their games overall.

[lastking95]

I agree with a lot of what you said except the end. At the end of the day most gamers don't play a lot of exclusive truth be told. PS simply being around longer and having that "grew up with" presence alone make it a bigger WW brand combine with MS less xbox support in non english speaking country is what help PS the most. Many people I know only play multiplats and you could guess them (COD Madden NBA GTA)

Apparently you are right about game hype. For what ever reason people people get uber hyped for PS games including the trash ones. The most recent had so much for a reason i don't understand and we see what happened. Theres another that getting a ton a hype but i know won't be good but i wont say any names. It's definitely not marketing cause they're not doing anything different than we see from Nintendo or MS. It's simply fans loving everything they show even if they show literally 0 gameplay (fanboy syndrome? Lying?) However based on the game sales, the numbers never match the hype and that goes for both MS and Sony, only proving what i said in paragraph 1 right.

[rainslacker]

NMS hype was built around it being something different and unique. Game play, it left some people wanting, but the hype itself was there for a reason, and I don't feel it was overstated. I feel that some people placed more expectations on it than it maybe should have gotten.

I can't think of another big exclusive that people are hyping beyond Horizon and GOW right now, but I can see why both of those would be getting a lot of hype. Horizon is a new interesting and potentially great new IP. Could turn out bad, but not much indicates that will be the case right now. GOW is GOW, and it's going a new direction which is getting people excited. With SSM taking cues from TLOU, it'll bring something I feel was needed in the series, and that's a stronger, more emotional story which allows more connection to Kratos. While I always enjoyed GOW, I felt his character and the story was always rather one dimensional, and he was always just built up as a bad ass that was just awesome for being a bad ass.

I dunno about the sales matching the hype. The hyped games tend to do pretty well for being exclusive. Some don't live up to the hype, but the marketing is there with Sony simply showing the games, and focusing on them over the hardware. Sony doesn't spend much time discussing hardware since the launch, except in some interviews, and some throw away lines at conferences.

[Artemidorus]

"September 7th, we will see what Sony's been up to with PlayStation Neo" said who?

Sony can do whatever they want they don't have to answer to self entitled millennials who hype anything.

[DeeBeers]

http://www.punkerslut.com/p...

Doesnt much matter to me. I have my sights set on a Scorpio. Scorpio is a MONSTER!! RUN AWAY!!

[Jburr94]

Thing is, you're an exception to the majority. When Sony shows what Neo can do, no ones waiting for Scorpio. PlayStation is more popular anyways so it'll always sale

[DeeBeers]

There is no combnation of words that can adequately describe how little that matters to me.

[Jburr94]

Cool, just letting you know that most people aren't gonna wait a year for power especially when Sony shows it running Neo mode. And you're one of the exceptions. Get it? Got it? Good.

[DeeBeers]

lol. so salty.

[TKCMuzzer]

If people like yourself are so obsessed with power and resolution why not just buy a PC? You can get one now and upgrade it and thanks to Microsoft's lack of commitment to Xbox exclusives you will be able to play all those same games. There is no need for the Scorpio in theory but on the other side of the fence there is only one place you will find PlayStation exclusives.
MY hardware is chosen by the library it offers me and not the resolution it can achieve, especially if it's a resolution my TV can not even display, HD is mainstream, 4K is not.

[DeeBeers]

the keyword being "if", I suppose!

[iNathan]

Wait, upgrade what hasn't been showed yet? Man this headlines are getting amazing loool can´t believe the BS i read across the board.

[peewee11016]

LoL 90% of the people sayign Neo wont do 4k and Scorpio will. Do not even have a 4k Tv/Monitor lol

[peewee11016]

K cuz numbers talk.
https://blogjob.com/oneangr...

[Silly gameAr]

If they're able too, quite a few people are going to have hissy fits before they have heart attacks. The same people who said power doesn't matter. MS did their job. All they had to do was say 6 teraflops, and they knew that xbox fanboys wouldn't shut up about it and would do MS's hyping of Scorpio better then paid marketers. It would become the new mantra, and every time the PS Neo was bought up they would rush to the article to tell everyone "Just wait for the scorpio, That will show you guys. Forget games it's about power now, even though it wasn't until we heard 6 teraflops."

MS gave them hope. Now to them, nothing that's announced can compete with 6 teraflops, and that includes games. I seriously hope that the NEO is only 4 teraflops, because if they bump it up, I would worry about some people's sanity around here.

[spoilerjerk]

I am surprised more people don't see that Neo is not in competition for with Scorpio. With a years head start the only console it has to beat is the S and between PS4 and Neo they will do that handily. Microsoft, in their predictable haste, showed their hand more than a a year early - this gave Sony all of the information they need as the pivot to the PS5. At that time Microsoft will be stuck with a just released Scoprio and the proposition of alienating more users by moving to their next system or falling behind yet another year. Sony set them up and they took the bait - I think this is why Xbox won't have anymore exclusives as they pivot themselves to the PC world leaving Sony/Nintendo focusing on consoles.

[sammarshall102]

Even if the PS5 releases in 2020 that gives Microsoft 3 years of having the power advantage

[Aenea]

I'd say two years, not 3...

It would be about time the Xbox fans have something to brag about, all the other stuff didn't turn out as they expected (DX12, Cloud Compute, etc.)...

[Sevir]

I can't with this who trumps who trumps who argument... the Neo is here this holiday, it will be on the market in people's hands and showing off high end games for consoles a whole year before anything more powerful in the console market emerges, a PS5 or New XB successor to the XBO family is not even on the cards currently. So let's quit with the1up convo...

Will MS have anything ready to compete with Sony this holiday season? Nope case closed... let's talk power next year :)

[starchild]

Yep, Sony is going to be more than fine. The PS4 will continue to do well and the Neo will likely follow suit. If you think about it Sony will have two consoles in the market for a full year that are both more powerful than the XB1.

[starchild]

That's a strange argument.

First of all, Sony isn't stupid enough to anger their user base by releasing the PS5 so soon after the PS4 Neo. Second of all, if they somehow did do it what's stopping Microsoft from following suit and releasing the next gen Xbox two years after the XB1 Scorpio? I just don't get your reasoning.

The reality is, Neo and Scorpio are mid-gen consoles and we probably won't see new consoles until the 2019 to 2021 time frame.

[Vasto]

Its all about the exclusives and not about power.

Thats what they say so why would they need to upgrade the specs?

[tulholdren]

Since I play playstations games the power of xboxs machine means nothing to me. I mostly play exclusives so

[objdadon]

The funny thing is is that both of these consoles will be more powerful to run the same games that are for the xbox one and ps4, I'll definitely take running my games at a higher frame rate, but the true power of these consoles will never be accessed without making exclusives for them from the ground up.

Lol at the disagrees, it's the truth

[fanboysmackdown]

I believe NEO's specs are locked in and the only change I would see would be 12 gb ram. Things will get more entertaining not only with games but with fanboy hatred because MS will turn the tables on Sony. Me, I don't give a shit because I think it's great to have two more powerful consoles so we can get closer to photo realistic graphics. PS5 and XB1-2 will be powerful machines when they arrive.

[babadivad]

I've been hearing the upgrade in RAM as well. There were rumblings that devs weren't happy with the current 8[5.5 available]. It wasn't enough to feed a GPU the size of the Neo.

[XXanderXX]

Yet no matter what is said on the 7 , that still gives MS/Xbox time to upgrade however they see fit . In the end this article is useless & a massive waste of time .

[100_SavAGe]

I think people should stop speculating and wait till the 7 of September

[Scottyxboxoneandps4]

I will just be glad when this resolution debate is behind us and people just talk about the games.

[MagicBeanz]

Sony fanboys: "anything is possible".
Microsoft fanboys: "no way".

Next question.

[yomfweeee]

If the original rumored specs were right and Sept 7th is the actual release date, probably not.

Otherwise yes they could.

[Gamist2dot0]

They're a hardware company so I wouldn't be surprised if the actual specs are higher than the rumored.

[Redx165]

The only way I buy a PlayStation Neo is if all of their games run at 1080p 60 FPS > 4k 30 FPS.

When will gamers learn that a higher frame rate is better than resolution?

[ARESWARLORD]

The specs will be fine no matter what they are it's going to be at least twice as powerful as a PS4 I've already traded in my Xbox One and games and now have a store credit waiting for the PS Neo .when that comes out I will sell my PS4 and put the money away towards the Xbox Scorpio. So hopefully I will own the Neo and Scorpio by next Christmas. they're both going to be awesome and I can't wait

[Chaos-Dad]

- XOne Slim -> 2016, better Hardware (more FPS), no exclusives, 4K/HDR-player.
- PS:Neo -> 2016, better Hardware, no exclusives, 4K/HDR-player.
/
- Scorpio -> 2017, +6TF, exclusives (fallout VR), 4K-Gaming.
- "Trinity" -> September 7th

[riverstars86]

PS Neo is for 4k gaming.

[thexmanone]

its just going to up scale to 4k, (most 4k tvs do this anyways) just like the Xbox s. Its been talked about many times.

[HeyNowChillax]

Yes Pixel Junk and Tricky Towers in 4K, gaming.

[HeyNowChillax]

HOLY HELL, I've Been Unblocked!!! So here's some Sony love to get me kicked again on this unbais and awesome gaming news site. They are making a major mistake separating the markets offering 2 versions of games, or a NEO enhanced version of the game. This is not the new way, it is simply a bad business decision. Sony had the market, 40 million + systems sold, which is unreal this generation. They then decide to create a problem for customers by separating the best most successful console, with another slightly better version that will only push 30 more FPS for 1080p games. Meanwhile the former adopters who actually give a crap about this sort of thing, see their original investment cheapened.

Hey, the people that don't give a crap or have money to burn on console tech might bite the hook, but what's the point. This news, not this article but NEO in general; pushed me to push my I7 Skylake GTX 970 4gb into my living room. While that's not the most impressive rig for PC people, it absolutely blows my PS4 away in every way with stereoscopic support through Tridfef and/or Nvdia 3DTV to play 60fps all maxed at 1080p. DS4 support and all.

I buy consoles so I don't have to upgrade them while we watch and enjoy as developers figure out the systems to get them to do some really incredible things mid/end life vs. PC. Yet now it seems, they expect us to just buy better hardware instead of relying on developer savvy. BULLSHIAT!

They put a GTX 745 equiv in the PS4, it works and will work better as time goes on, but to F their customer base like this is just a money grabbing terrible decision and I will not continue supporting the company for doing so. Shit we can buy a GTX 1060 for $250 or an AMD 480 for $200 and kick the doors in at the same res.

It's not right, businesses need to focus on their strengths which is their customers and limit the greed while they enjoy success.

[JackStraw]

oh great. another article where pseudogamers can show off their pretend understanding of computer specs and electronic circuitry. awesome.

[DarXyde]

The speculation is a little forced at this point. At the time of me writing this, our questions should be answered in three weeks and 3 days. Not a long wait.

We're still ignoring the possibility that the "rumored specs" were off, you know. People say, "Sony upped the RAM when they heard Project Durango would have 8 GB". Well, that's a valid assumption. On the other hand, couldn't Sony be playing the hidden spec hand, but this time intentionally?

It's very fair to expect at least 4TF of performance. We've heard that much. I don't think they're going to spec-match Scorpio, but I also don't think we're getting a 2016 launch. We might see PS4 Slim before Neo.

[Kiwi66]

Yes, No , Maybe, guess people will just have to wait and see once its revealed

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Short answer: No.
Long Answer: Nah not really.

[ZayBo06]

I can't believe people forgot about what Sony did with ps4!!!! Do everybody remember when people thought Sony was going with 4gb of rams according to several developers and leak documents... Even Sony's first parties studio didn't know what Sony was planning.. They had every developers developing their games using 4gb of rams, then when they reveal the ps4 it was 8gb of rams!!!! They had everybody, including their first parties developers, shock and excited!!! I think the ps4 neo will have something between 5tflop to 6tflop

[Majin-vegeta]

Lol I said that and got downvoted.

[Manic2014]

Well ram is easier to upgrade than the gpu, the architecture is specifically designed for the NEO, it not something they can upgrade few months prior to launch. Sure they can upgrade in the initial planning stage but they are most likely way past that stage.

[MasterCornholio]

The only upgrade that I'm seeing thats possible is either a ram upgrade or an upclock. People really should expect them to change the CPU or GPU.

[Dyldog69]

A more aptly named article title would be "In reality does ps4 neo need to upgrade its specs?".

[Kingoftherodeo]

seriously to say that people jumped on ps4ship simply because of its world wide brand is bit silly. we know the specs and the 40 to 50% more power than xbox pitch did it. at the end of the day it there wasn't much of a difference between two when it came to games not enough to say one game looked 40/50% better. now if rumors are true neo could already be in the works so if sony wanted to match ms , they could easily eat the cost of whatever they have so far and start fresh. if indeed scorpio ends up being the stronger console and leads with mutiplats we could see another split

[Tedakin]

If it comes out in a couple of months then I doubt it. E3 was in June... These things have probably already been mass produced at this point.

[DarkZane]

Those docs were likely months old when they were leaked and the specs were from old development kits. They likely changed a lot since then.

[wheresmymonkey]

Well yeah! They have thus far officially confirmed...absolutely nothing. We don't know the specs, so what are they upgrading from?

Well could they bring a out a better system than the current crop of rumour and speculation suggesst. well yeah. The same way the NX could still be a normal next gen console. We don't actually have any hard facts. Just rumour and specualtion. the problem is that people have started treating tips as hard evidence. Which it isn't.

[esmittystud101]

How can they upgrade an unreleased console's specs when the specs were speculated anyways?

Did I say that right? LOL

[NohansenBoy]

I thought consoles didn't need to be upgraded.

[agame914]

nobody knows the neos specs......

[lunatic0001]

I don't get why people are comparing neo and scorpio... I always thought the neo was being made to accommodate psvr as it will no doubt run smoother with it...not to say that the og ps4 won't work with psvr but for the better experience ,I think that's the neo's true purpose...and when it comes to scorpio...I think it's purpose is to show ms new strategy of not having anymore generations when it comes to xbox and just having upgraded hardware for xb1 every 3/4 years...at leat that's how I see it

[Movefasta1993]

If it realeses this year,it will be 4.5 tf.If they release it next year,it will be 5tf+. That's what i believe.I would rather they release it next year.