Sony might release an upgraded PS4, but is it actually a good idea?

A current gen console re-releasing with improved hardware. Yeah, that doesn't sound right.
A current gen console re-releasing with improved hardware. Yeah, that doesn't sound right.

If you’ve been keeping up with all the latest buzz around the gaming world, you’ll know that in a recent interview with Sony Computer Entertainment senior vice president, Masayasu Ito, he discussed the possibility of a new PlayStation 4 model with better performance somewhere down the line with 4Gamer. (Translation of full interview by DualShockers.) 

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The TLDR: thanks to the PS4’s architecture, there is room for improvement. So in a way you can ‘buff’ the console to get an even better gaming experience. 

The question is, would this be a good idea? 

In an article by GameSpot covering this interview, they mentioned one of the main points that could be used to provide an answer to the question:

Offering a beefier PS4 model would conceivably split the PS4 audience, which doesn’t sound like something Sony would want to do at this stage with the PS4 enjoying such strong sales and momentum

GameSpot brings up one of the best reasons why Sony shouldn’t consider doing this. Splitting your audience is never good, not when you have everything going your way. Having a united front standing behind one console is much better than causing a rift within your own userbase. 

The Issue

Think about it, if Sony does offer a better PS4…for now let’s give it the name PS4.1, where does that leave the PS4 owners? With better performance, you can bet that games coming out will be tweaked to run at a higher frame rate or feature better graphics on the PS4.1 in order to justify its existence.

This will inevitably leave the PS4 owners in the dust. 

This could easily lead to some PS4 owners turning resentful.

What about the games? How will this affect the developers? We’ve already seen the shady business going on with graphical downgrades and fps issues. How much more trouble would the developers be in by having to consider the ‘better’ PS4? Can you imagine the complete mayhem that might arise if a game was released exclusively to the better version of the PS4? 

There are a number of issues that an upgraded PS4 could bring, and as it stands right now, I don’t think the advantages such a console might offer outweighs all the problems that follows in its wake.

What do you think? Would Sony looking towards releasing a better console damage their momentum or do you think this is a good idea?


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