Rumours of a more powerful PS4 have been circling the internet for over a month now, and while not everyone is happy about it, many are eagerly anticipating it, having already gotten used to nicknames such as PS4.5 and PS4K.
Though Sony has yet to announce an updated PS4, a new report from Giant Bomb has revealed a possible codename for the console, as well as a list of specs and details of what it will be capable of.
According to the report, which Giant Bomb says has been confirmed by a number of unidentified sources, the new console has received the internal codename ‘NEO’ and will feature a CPU with 8 Jaguar Cores at 2.1 GHz (compared to the original PS4’s 1.6 GHz), an improved GPU (AMD GCN, 36 CUs at 911 MHz compared the original’s 18 CUs at 800 MHz) and improved RAM (8 GB GDDR5, 218 GB/s compared to the original’s 176 GB/s).
RAM. Lots of RAM.
The report also states that Sony will require that every PS4 game from October 2016 onwards will have to ship with a ‘Base Mode’ and a ‘Neo Mode’, so as to work on both original and updated consoles.
The NEO will reportedly be able to output a 4K image, though developers will not be required to make their games 4K native.
As for the NEO’s HDD, the documents only state that it will be the same as the original PS4, though it’s unclear whether it’s referring to capacity, speed, or type.