What to expect from Sony’s PlayStation New York event: PS4 Neo, PS4 Slim, and more

Sony is getting ready to replace the PS4. Sort of.

No, it isn’t launching the PlayStation 5 already, but it is supposedly going to introduce not one but two upgrades. The first one is called the PS4 Neo, and the second one is called PS4 Slim. Both of these consoles, as well as a new controller, are expected to be unveiled at a Sony PlayStation event in New York City. At the time of writing, Sony hasn’t yet confirmed the existence of the Slim console, however.

Still, if you’re interested in what it is or what it might feature, or maybe you want to know more about that PS4 Neo, which is supposed to bring 4K capabilities, we’ve given a quick overview of what Sony might unveil at its event.

When is Sony’s PS event?

Journalists received invites to a “PlayStation Meeting” scheduled for 7 September at 3pm EST at the PlayStation Theater in New York.

What can you expect from Sony’s PS event?

Pocket-lint

PS4 NEO (PS4K/PS4.5)

The PS4 Neo – also called the PS4K or PS4.5 – is set to be officially unveiled during an event in New York on 7 September. The new console will be able to upscale current PS4 titles to 4K and support games with improved visual fidelity, which benefits the company’s upcoming Playstation VR headset. In other words, it’s basically a souped-up PlayStation 4, bringing upgraded hardware specs and better graphical performance.

Sony’s console is also expected to feature an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. PS4 games will work on the console, too, and they’ll receive a boost in performance. Moreover, no game will be exclusive to the new console. Games will have an enhanced mode that will improve the graphics on the upgraded version, but they’ll still work on normal PS4 consoles. The PS4 Neo is intended to sit alongside and compliment the standard PS4.

Sony has already confirmed the console’s existence. We’re just waiting on the company to launch it. At the moment there are no details on a price for the console, but chances are, this will be a pricey upgrade. We already know a lot about PS4 Neo, thanks to a series of leaks as well as a direct confirmation from Sony’s Andrew House, but check out Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up for more details about the console:

• Sony PlayStation 4K: What is PS4.5/Neo?

@Shortmaneighty2

PS4 Slim

The Wall Street Journal has reported that we can expect two consoles to launch at Sony’s New York event: the rumoured PS4 Neo and a new “standard” slim model. All attention has been on a future high-powered console, and so no one expected a Slim model to be announced too. Sony has a history of revamping consoles, usually with a launch of the Slim with a lower price to attract those yet to jump on the PS platform.

While the PS4 Neo is expected to offer 4K output and more beefed-up internals, the PS4 Slim is expected to be a slimmer version of the existing PS4. It’s a console upgrade that’s becoming pretty standard in the industry. (Think of the PS3 Slim, and even the recently released Xbox One S, which has a smaller body and slightly improved features such as a built-in 4K UHD Blu-Ray player.)

Keep in mind a PS4 Slim appeared on auction site Gumtree recently, revealing a Marmite design. From that leak, we can see that the PS4 Slim is significantly slimmer than its predecessor and has most of the same connectors as the standard PS4. It has a power port, accessory port, HDMI out and Ethernet port. There’s no more details yet on other features the console might bring. We don’t even know pricing.

Some reports have suggested that the new PS4 Slim has the same capabilities as the existing PS4, rather than offering any sort of upgrade, but other reports, such as a recent analysis performed by the folks at Digital Foundry, has shown souped up internals for improved game framerates.

ZRZ (YouTube) via Engadget

PS4 Slim controller

The PS4 Slim might get a new controller, according to a recent leak. It looks as though the new controller isn’t going to vary too much from the DualShock controller of the PS4, but there’s a change to the light bar, now showing through on the top of the controller. Originally there was a video of this new controller shared by ZRZ on YouTube. A picture of the controller is floating around still, however, thanks to Engadget.

To verify the new design, a gamer who was able to buy that original PS4 Slim from Gumtree, has confirmed that this visible bar on the top just looks like a transparent section, allowing the light that shows at the front to be seen on the top too. Speculation suggested that this might be for linking-up with PS VR when it launches. With the number of leaks appearing, this is all looking likely.