Is Sony planning to upgrade the PlayStation? Reports say that the tech company is about to release PlayStation 4.5, which will come with a powerful improvement to support 4K resolution. This feature should enhance the way games are displayed, much to the delight of avid gamers.
Kotaku was first to report about the PlayStation 4.5 citing insider sources that supposedly confirmed this is in the works at Sony. However, the news outlet is unclear on whether the upgrade would cover current PlayStation 4 owners or if it will come as a completely new hardware that gamers would have to buy again. The move was supposed to have been decided in light of the launch of the PlayStation VR (Virtual Reality), as Parent Herald previously reported.
So, why should 4k Resolution matter to the PlayStation 4.5? 4K is dubbed as "ultra-high resolution," which has four times the power of the current 1080p HD screen display. While PlayStation 4 can support 4k videos and pictures, it cannot render the resolution to its full capacity. The console still doesn't have enough power.
If the PlayStation 4.5 does come out, this will essentially make the console as powerful as full-featured gaming computer. As such, it will make playing games using the PlayStation VR much more useful and compatible as the graphic display are super enhanced. It will also make the PlayStation 4.5 compatible with other virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Sony's supposed decision to launch PlayStation 4.5 comes as no surprise for other tech industry experts. Its biggest competitor, Microsoft's Xbox One, has a somewhat similar idea when the company announced it was planning to focus on hardware upgrades instead of releasing new consoles every few years, per Independent.
"The latest consoles use standardized components meaning that upgrades could be possible relatively easily - which may result in more iterations to keep the platforms fresh," Piers Harding-Rolls from IHS Technology said, per The Guardian. In the meantime, Sony hasn't made any comment about its plans for PlayStation 4.5 just yet.
