What started off as a rumour based on reporters overhearing developers chat at GDC earlier this year, was later confirmed to be real: an upgraded version of PlayStation 4 is in development.

A couple of weeks after the initial report, another one popped up that included specific details for specs, computation power target, and more. This report was based on documents Sony provided to developers to explain why the upgrade was being made and what it’s looking for, in terms of supporting content.

It now seems these documents have been made available online. The 42-page presentation is pretty comprehensive, covering everything from development tricks to reach 4K or near 4K resolution in games, to some dates for when prototype units are to be expected.

Although we have not verified the veracity of the documents, they do appear legit, if outdated. That aside, these documents are more than likely what the recent reports were based on, seeing as how plenty of details (like specs, target release date etc.) are a match.

Looking through the material, a couple of points stand out. First, Sony is emphasising more than once that the Neo will coexist with the original PS4, with both using the same store, system software, application package and online services. Sony also mentioned in the slides that PS4 games released October, 2016 or later should support both systems.

The documents also reiterate that although the console is aimed at 4K TV owners, HDTV users should still see benefits like improved graphical fidelity or higher frame-rate. One facet of this is seen in how the console will be able to detect the TV’s resolution output and launch the correct “mode” based on that.

As for older titles, Sony is leaving it out to developers whether or not they want to release patches to support the Neo. However, the aim is to have existing games run on the new console the same way they did on a regular PS4.

As for availability targets, various prototype units are mentioned, starting out at different dates this year, and reaching end of life sometime in spring 2017. Release timings for mass-produced units, presumably referring to a consumer version, are still TBD.

Posted: Jul 15, 2016 1:04 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2016/07/15/ps4-neo-leaked-internal-documents-confirm-specs-reveal-dev-guidelines-more-rumour/