Some more PS4 Neo news has come out, as developer documents have leaked onto the internet showcasing specs and guidelines for developers to follow. The new leaked documents line up with what we’ve heard about the console previously, so it’s safe to say that what we’re seeing in these documents is what we’ll get.
The slideshow starts by detailing what PlayStation Neo is, before talking about what the upgraded console will offer. It will be a higher-end version of the PlayStation 4, and as of now, Sony is evidently planning to run with Microsoft’s strategy of offering software support for both console simultaneously.
According to the documents, as of October 2016, all PS4 games will support the original unit and Neo, with Neo to offer better performance. As previously discussed, the Neo will support 4K displays, and offer various improvements over the original PS4 console.
Higher, more stable framerates, and improved graphical fidelity will be perks that Neo owners can enjoy. Of course, this isn’t really news. The goal of the system was discussed long before we knew the specs, but it’s good to see that everything lines up.
Meanwhile, the documents also offer some important and thorough information on specs. It probably goes without saying, but these specs won’t necessarily make it to the retail version of the console, but as of right now it’s what developers are working with.
The Neo consoles will utilize the same Jaguar cores as the original PS4, with an improved frequency of 1.3x moving from 1.6GHz to 2.1 GHz. The GPU will be similar, with an improved version of AMD hardware. Finally, Neo will use the same amount of memory, but at a higher bandwith at 218 GB/S, which is a 1.24x improvement.
Finally, the documents detail how developers can get their games running on both consoles as well as how to work with lower resolutions.
In other PS4 Neo news, Amazon Spain may have leaked the released date and pricing for the console, according to VGLeaks. Based on the information in this developer document, the release window seems a likely bet. Amazon is also known for leaking release dates and pricing ahead of time, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if this were true.
According to Amazon Spain, PS4 Neo will see a release date of October 13, and retail for approximately 400 euros.
Seems like a pretty safe bet to say that we’re going to be getting the Neo by the end of 2016. It seems like an interesting decision by Sony to not talk about the hardware during their E3 press conference if the release date is so close, especially since their competitor Microsoft did so.
Of course, most of the people I spoke to after the event said that they weren’t planning on picking up an Xbox One console until Project Scorpio launches, so it may have been better for Sony to hold off with their focus on games during their press conference this year.
