Sony reportedly developing PlayStation 4.5

Sony has begun work on a new iteration of the PlayStation 4 with the specific goal of running games at 4k resolution, Kotaku reports.

‘Developer sources’ claim that Sony has started briefing developers on the new, more powerful version of the PlayStation – which is currently being referred to as the ‘PS 4.5’ or ‘PS 4K’ by developers.

The PlayStation 4.5 will be designed with the objective of greater graphics power, thanks to the addition of a new GPU to the system. Currently, the PlayStation 4 can render 4K photos and videos, but lacks the capability to render games in 4K resolution.

This increase in graphics power would have the added advantage of increasing the PlayStation’s prospects regarding virtual reality, as console gamers will be able to experience PlayStation VR in higher quality and with a higher frame-rate than they would running the hardware off the the current PlayStation 4.

However, the development of an improved PlayStation 4 does raise some questions about it’s pricing and the situation current PlayStation 4 owners will find themselves in.

It is unknown whether PlayStation 4 owners will be able to trade in their consoles and upgrade to the improved version, or if they will have to buy the latest iteration for the full price. There has been no information as to the PlayStation 4.5’s release date or pricing yet.

The presence of a PlayStation 4.5 may result in difficulties with game releases, as there is a possibility that certain games may only support one iteration of the console.

This report of a new iteration of the PlayStation 4 follows recent statements from Xbox concerning their perspective of console evolution and hardware changes, signifying a possible change in the console gaming industry regarding future design models.