Cognition Dissemination: The Possibility of a PlayStation 4.5

Trends come and go in the video gaming universe, similar to any entertainment-focused industry. But a big one has undoubtedly stuck around among this medium for the last decade: Video game consoles are becoming more like PCs. For better or worse, this trend is only becoming more obvious.

This started when all three platforms allowed for software downloads to internal storage media during the last console generation, a natural occurrence for software distribution with then-new technology. Games also started receiving patches to fix certain issues, another expected evolution. You’ll seldom see anyone complaining about both features, as they’ve been beneficial and convenient for developers and consumers.

The systems themselves are also being built like PCs. This applied to the 360 last-gen, crafted using circa 2003 PC parts, and which ran on a form of Microsoft’s then-modern Windows firmware. But while the Xbox One unsurprisingly inherited this, Sony also took the same route with PlayStation 4, thanks to the act of building a system using off-the-shelf parts being considerably cheaper and easier. The same could be said of Vita, which used parts more endemic to mobile platforms.

However, recent signs have suggested that consoles could start becoming like PCs in a way some people don’t want. It’s enough that some who’ve predicted the death of consoles in the near or distant future are feeling vindicated, if some rumors can be believed.

This past Friday, Kotaku posted a rumor saying Sony is currently preparing a PlayStation 4.5, a slightly more powerful version of the current console. Their report suggests it will pack enough power to output up to 4K resolution for video games, and provide enhanced performance for games, especially those utilizing the recently-dated PlayStation VR. According to them, Sony is currently sharing these plans with developers, perhaps so they can plan for how they’ll use its extra power. These new feature sets will be built in to newer consoles, but there’s no information regarding whether current console owners can upgrade their current system without buying a new one. Since over 36 million have purchased PS4s, plenty would be upset if they had to pay a high price to buy another system, regardless of whether they really need it.

What makes rumor this more believable is how it popped up soon after insinuations suggesting this could be in the cards for PS4’s direct competitor. During the time where Head of Xbox Studios Phil Spencer was discussing plans to merge the XB1 and Windows 10 ecosystems, he also hinted at how Microsoft was considering an iterative upgrade to their console. Given the shared software lineups, they might as well make the system completely like a PC.

Non-PC platforms receiving iterative upgrades isn’t a foreign concept, but thus far, their impact has been minimal. Nintendo previously did this for the DS and 3DS through the DSi and New 3DS, respectively, though the number of important exclusive software released on both upgraded platforms could be counted on one hand. The New 3DS has been slightly better off than the DSi, as some titles have received enhancements while being played on the newer version of the console — Hyrule Warriors Legends being a good (and perhaps dubious) example. The Sega Genesis’ 32X and Nintendo 64DD also partially count, though they’re also examples of how add-ons can go horribly awry.

Upon mulling this over further, releasing new PS4 and XB1 hardware makes sense, given that developers will want to keep pushing these platforms throughout this console generation. The last console gen was a long one, whose last few years involved developers making more technologically demanding games by increasing their visuals and size. This led to them pushing both systems beyond their limits, and resulted in games whose performance was less than desirable. See Assassin’s Creed III and Dark Souls II for good examples, where both games had serious performance reductions on consoles. They wouldn’t have had this hindrance with iterative systems, and developers would welcome upgraded consoles considering there’s a chance of this generation being equally as prolonged.

Though most games would simply use the increased hardware power for better performance, it wouldn’t be a surprise if exclusive software titles were made, especially for PSVR.As I mentioned in Thursday’s post, some developers mentioned at GDC this past week that some games will have lower performance if played through PSVR, due to the system simultaneously powering the game and headset technology. But in a system with more power, that won’t be as much of an issue. The same will presumably apply to XB1 and Microsoft’s HoloLens, assuming enough developers besides those owned by Microsoft plan on using it.

Of course, this would also take the place of upgraded consoles which simply came in a slimmer form factors in previous generations, after certain parts could be shrunken and manufactured cheaply. Those who often purchased redesigned systems wouldn’t mind having a technologically upgraded system along with that. But others will be unhappy about that, especially if there’s no way for owners to upgrade the current model.

Don’t take any of this to mean that an enhanced console is definitely coming; this is classified as a rumor for good reason. But if it did, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see consoles taking another element from PCs. I’m honestly having serious trouble thinking of how Sony and Microsoft could provide these upgrades for anyone who already owns their current systems, but I’m no expert on console or PC architecture. We haven’t reached the point where consoles will realistically be phased out, but as more time passes, the more that vision of it happening in the future comes into view.