At this point, the existence of the PlayStation 4 Neo and the Xbox One Scorpio is all but confirmed. The two new machines will be mid cycle refreshes of the hardware that also bump up the specs a bit, sort of like the New Nintendo 3DS was to the Nintendo 3DS- so it’s going to be the same console, but with improved specs.

For a lot of people, this is a bit unacceptable- after all, one buys a console so one doesn’t have to worry about upgrading their system, like they do with PCs- the deal is, you buy a console once, and you are set for the next 5-7 years. And while the existence of the PS4 Neo and Xbox One Scorpio will definitely not make your old consoles incapable of playing games, it does mean that they are no longer cutting edge.

With the New Nintendo 3DS, which came a good four years after the initial launch of the 3DS, Nintendo had several trade in schemes and promotions in place- this, plus the long gap in time between the initial 3DS and the revision, made the concept of a mid cycle bump more palatable to people. Should Sony and Microsoft maybe have a similar kind of trade in program in place, to make the transition into an era of iterative consoles easier for customers?

I have previously made the argument for iterative consoles on GamingBolt– I sincerely believe they are the way to the future of console gaming. A lot of my arguments were illustrated with comparisons drawn to mobiles and handhelds- however, one must keep in mind, with mobiles and handhelds, there are always trade in schemes in place to facilitate a transition to the newest model. If Sony and Microsoft want the PS4 Neo and Xbox One Scorpio to be received well, they may want to consider offering similar rebates and benefits to owners of the existing models.

While the PS4K, also commonly known as the PS4.5 and the PS4 Neo, has not yet been officially confirmed, its existence is taken as all but for granted, given the sheer number of corroborating leaks we have on hand confirming the thing’s existence.

However, even though the oft rumored and much vaunted mid life upgrade for the PS4 may be real, it appears that it may not be announced at E3, contrary to what a lot of people are expecting. Instead, if insider shinobi is to be believed, it sounds like Sony won’t be announcing it until far later in the year- which seems to match up with some of the other rumors that we have on hand.

“I’ve heard that Sony will announce the PS4 Neo at Paris Games Week. This made sense to me because the supposed upgrades are coming in what, October? I would have said this publicly if I was 100% sure, but it’s just what I was told,” shinobi said.

Which means that, if this report is correct, then the PS4K and the Nintendo NX will both be skipping out on E3 this year- leaving Microsoft with an open field, should they choose to announce their new Xbox hardware at the trade show next month.

At this point, the PS4K is probably the worst kept secret in the history of the industry. That said, more evidence is always welcome. So when the French video game and multimedia distributor Innelec released its financial results yesterday, and specifically and explicitly mentioned the PS4 Neo within them, noting that an October release of the upgraded console was expected, we had another piece of evidence to add to the pile that grows on an almost daily basis at this point.

And today, that piece of evidence grew even stronger- paradoxically, this happened because Innelec retracted their statement of the PS4 Neo, denying any knowledge on the platform’s release or even existence- almost as though they belatedly realized that they aren’t supposed to be discussing the unannounced platform in public yet.

“Innelec denies any official information about the launch of a PS4K Neo,” their statement reads. “It’s possible that during the fiscal year 2016/2017, some evolutions could happen on the current PS4, but we don’t have any information about their nature for the time being”

So… I guess we should expect that official PS4K announcement to happen pretty soon, now.

Contrary to popular expectation, it seems like Nintendo will not be announcing the NX at E3 this year, opting instead to take the wraps off of their newest home console later this year. Simultaneously, it also sounds like Sony will hold off on announcing the PS4K, the mid life revision for the PS4 that bumps up the specs a little, for a while, too- a report by VRWorld claims that both machines are being prepped up for a Tokyo Game Show reveal.

According to the report, Nintendo is planning on hitting the March 2017 release date, while Sony will get the PS4K out by Holiday this year globally, to accompany their launch of the PlayStation VR as well. The PS4K will indeed have the kinds of higher specs that have been rumored- which will presumably ease the ability with which the console can handle VR titles.

Unfortunately, the report does not go into any specifics about the enigmatic NX, beyond that it will be revealed at TGS. This would not be unusual- Nintendo unveiled the Wii for the first time at TGS 2005, after all, so it makes sense that they want to repeat the stunt that gave them their most successful console yet.

Hopefully, though, we learn more about both machines before then- TGS is a few months away for now, after all.

The PS4 Neo might be the worst kept besides the Nintendo NX but Sony still hasn’t actually confirmed the existence of a console that would be a slight upgrade to the PS4. Now documents released by AMD might have confirmed, once and for all, that the console does exist.

During AMD Investor Days, the company laid out its goals and its plans including a mention of “new semi-custom business in 2H 2016.” As VR World points out, this could have been the Nintendo NX but sources told that site the reference is actually about Sony.

While there wasn’t a ton of information about the PS4 Neo beyond that little slip of the tongue, there was also talk about the new console using 14nm and Polaris as part of its architecture. This would go at least a little way towards answering the question as to just how powerful this new console is going to be. Now we’ll just have to wait and see when Sony is willing to announce.

The PS4K and the Xbox 1.5 currently have the entire industry in an uproar, as consumers and developers alike struggle to come to terms with the rumored new paradigm; but one entity that seems to be unruffled by the shift to these iterative, upgraded consoles is Electronic Arts.

Speaking during Electronic Arts’ quarterly financial call, Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen outlined multiple reasons which, in conjunction, allay any fears the company may otherwise have had with the impending new machines:

• Both Sony and Microsoft realize the necessity for compatibility across devices (exemplified best by Microsoft’s BC offerings);
• EA are moving all in house development towards one singular engine, the Frostbite engine
• The Frostbite engine was designed around the current x86 standard, and so it should be able to handle any upgraded versions of that standard with ease

Put simply, EA foresees no disruptions in its development pipeline and process, even if these new machines do exist- they are counting on hardware and software continuity to cushion the blow.

[Thanks DualShockers]

I don’t think anyone could have seen Microsoft, who completely dominated the previous generation in terms of being the go to brand for third party developers, and for most costumers, bungle this generation as badly as they did- a lot of which has to do with their somehow doing the exact opposite of the things that brought them so much success with the Xbox 360.

When we sat down with Dmitri Ogorodnikov, from Brainy Studio, an indie game developer from Russia, who are currently working on TurnOn, we decided to pitch the question to him straight up- what can Microsoft do to recover momentum this generation?

“They need to make new updates such as a new console, which could deliver from a productivity point of view and is powerful than the new PlayStation (NEO),” Ogorodnikov said. “Also, not to torment on our game’s certification but since it was our first cert certification it was not easy. We hope it will be easier in the future.”

As for game certification, while in general, it appears as though Microsoft have made efforts to make the indie game certification process easier, it does sound like some lingering problems persist- and Microsoft would do well to address them fast, to garner more support for their platform.

As for the idea of a new, upgraded console, while Ogorodnikov did suggest it as a possible fix for Microsoft, it doesn’t seem like he is too much of a fan of it as a developer.

“These are only rumors at this point but if it’s true, then from the developers point of view you will have to develop, test (QA) and support 2 versions of the game. It cost you more time, money and nerves,” he said, rather candidly.

This sentiment does echo one that other insiders have stated developers are feeling about these new consoles- and it also makes you wonder whether or not Sony may be rushing with the entire initiative.

So no, the delay makes sense. As much as it disappointed me, I had to concede to seeing the logic and sensibility of the decision. What, however, did not make any sense to me was Nintendo’s subsequent announcement that they would not be debuting the NX at E3– that they would instead sit E3 out this year, and wait for later in 2016 to reveal the NX on their own terms, on their own time.

As bad decisions go, this one probably ranks pretty high up there- E3 is, diminished importance in recent years and all, still a pretty major media event. Mainstream media and outlets, places like MSNBC, CNN, BBC, and the like, all cover E3, exposing products announced and showcased there to an audience that otherwise does not keep up with gaming news. A good showing at E3, then, can lead to major mass market success for yourproduct, firmly putting it in the big league- just ask Bethesda, whose Fallout 4 became their most successful game in history, thanks to a stellar debut at E3. Skipping out on E3, in this context, makes no sense.

"E3 is, diminished importance in recent years and all, still a pretty major media event. Mainstream media and outlets, places like MSNBC, CNN, BBC, and the like, all cover E3, exposing products announced and showcased there to an audience that otherwise does not keep up with gaming news."

It makes even less sense for Nintendo– the company’s Wii U has been a major flop, and the console has been a slow slide into steady irrelevance. This is not about whether or not the Wii U is a good games platform – it is, for my money, it is still the bets gaming console this generation so far – it is about the fact that most people either don’t know about the Wii U, or they don’t care. Repeated poor messaging on Nintendo’s part, marketing that failed to penetrate into the mainstream, and a complete and total lack of third party support – more thorough than any other major system in history, including even the Sega Saturn and the PS Vita have suffered – have caused the Wii U to lose mindshare and cachet with the general and gaming public. Most people are simply not aware of the Wii U’s existence!

So yes, for Nintendo, this is a terrible idea- especially since none of these problems are permanent, and they could easily recover from them with a strong showing at E3 that made a hell of an impression. Now, they could always have a strong showing later, at their own show or Direct, too, no one is denying that- but right now, at E3, all eyes would be on them. People would be paying attention. More people paying attention means more people potentially converted to the cause, in turn meaning potentially higher sales right off the bat. But no, for whatever reason, Nintendo have decided to completely sit out E3 this year, not even pretending to have their ‘digital events’ or Directs, as they have for the last few years, instead just focusing on one game that doesn’t launch until next year, and will anyway be catered more towards the NX- the console that Nintendo won’t talk about. It’s baffling.

"It makes even less sense for Nintendo– the company’s Wii U has been a major flop, and the console has been a slow slide into steady irrelevance."

It may be baffling and even damaging for Nintendo- but for Sony, this absence represents a major opening that could allow them to further solidify the PlayStation 4’s insane momentum. You see, at this point, it is all but confirmed that Sony plan to unveil a mid life revision to the PlayStation 4- the PlayStation 4K, which will be a sort of New Nintendo 3DS-esque bump to the console, upping its specs to allow for a higher end gaming experience. The PS4K has not yet been announced- but it is evident at this point that Sony may be planning to take the wraps off of it at E3.

Now, the PS4K represents a bit of a hard sell to most people, even if it is a sensible and forward thinking move– after all, how do you explain to the 40 million PS4 owners that their $400 consoles are technically ‘outdated’ less than three years after they first bought them? In context of a brand new console unveil at E3, were Nintendo to debut the NX there, it would have become even harder, as all attention would have inevitably shifted to whatever Nintendo was peddling, leaving the PS4K with not much press, or worse, bad press, in comparison to the inevitable excitement that accompanies the reveal of a new console (a friendly reminder that even the Wii U and PS Vita had a lot of good press right after they were first revealed to the world). In this context, Sony’s move would be seen as a half hearted half step, and worse still, maybe even anti-consumer, as the focus would then have been on the unnecessary console upgrade that failed to respect the tens of millions of PS4 owners worldwide already.

The PS4K reveal needs to be a very careful balancing act- Sony needs to simultaneously sell this upgrade as a necessary and desirable one, while at the same time also making sure that they don’t inevitably make current PS4 owners feel as though their machines are obsolete. It’s going to be a difficult juggling act, and Sony needs to get its messaging down- something that may have been hard to do with the threat of an NX reveal. With the threat of the NX reveal, for example, Sony may have been tempted to push the upgraded specs of the PS4K more, which would presumably make it equal, or superior, to the NX- but then they would, by implicit extension, make the PS4 effectively obsolete, leading to resentment, negativity, and backlash from the millions who already own the machine. Sony could also have chosen to not focus on the upgraded specs much to avoid that, but then they would risk the PS4K looking like yesterdays’s news, undesirable, next to a shiny new console.

"Without having to worry about a new console reveal potentially making them look bad, Sony don’t have to be on the defensive- they can instead focus on what they want to say, without any other external consideration, instead of worrying about what they should say to get a leg up on the competition."

But Nintendo not being at E3 changes that- Sony get the stage all to themselves. They do not have to worry about the rug being swept from under them, because there is no new console that the PS4K will be compared to. Instead, it will be viewed as its own thing, and how it is perceived will depend entirely on how Sony manages to sculpt its messaging of the thing. Without having to worry about a new console reveal potentially making them look bad, Sony don’t have to be on the defensive- they can instead focus on what they want to say, without any other external consideration, instead of worrying about what they should say to get a leg up on the competition. This significantly makes their job easier.

Don’t get me wrong- the PS4K reveal could still go terribly wrong. Sony may still bungle the messaging, or focus on all the wrong aspects, or end up alienating both, the crowd looking for new tech, and the demographic of current PS4 owners, in a desperate and misguided attempt to appeal to both. The PS4K reveal could still be a backfire of epic proportions. But if it is, it will come down to Sony’s own mishandling of it. With the NX (currently) out of the picture, Sony’s job is easier- still difficult, but not as difficult as it would have been otherwise. If the PS4K reveal goes wrong now, they will have no one to blame but themselves- since external factors don’t come into play anymore, at least none that we know of.

To be very clear, then, the ball is all in Sony’s court now, and there’s no one on the other side who could dish out a bad serve and make Sony fumble. If they do mess up now, it’ll be because of their own poor serve. If Sony do poorly with the PS4K reveal now, it will be because they fundamentally failed to market the PS4K right to people with their messaging. With the NX gone out of the picture, however, the chances of that are significantly reduced.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The PS4K is more and more a reality with each passing day, even though it still has not been officially confirmed yet. We have spent a lot of time on this site discussing what the implications of a move like a mid cycle iterative upgrade to an existing console could be, at least on the market, and for consumers- but the developer side of the equation is often forgotten about.

So when we got the chance to sit down with Rocket League developers Psyonix, we decided to take the chance and ask them what they thought of something like the PS4K- given a hypothetical where the console upgrade does in fact exist.

“Well, hypothetically in the situation you have raised, it’s no better than having any other additional platform to develop for,” Psyonix’s VP Jeremy Dunham said. “It’s- what’s interesting about the question, the hypothetical, is, would the introduction of this item change things severely? And the answer is, it doesn’t really change much if that is the case. Because it’s really just a matter of whether or not you can support another platform, and that’s really what it boils down to- how the pros and cons of the hardware, or the extra QA time needed, or the amount of new assets you have to build, those are all considerations that all developers have to make, any time they develop for any additional platform, be it Sony or Microsoft or even the iPad.

“So really what it boils down to is, does the team, were they to work on something like that, be able to handle coming to another platform? And so the broad answer is, if the team is prepared and willing to do it, I don’t see that being an issue. And if they can’t or won’t do it, then it would be an issue, so it would differ on a team by team basis, on whether or not that would be problematic.”

It sounds like a reasonable assessment of the situation- in the end, a new SKU like this is nothing more than one more console to develop for. As for whether or not that is preferable to developers, in the end, that comes down to one thing, and one thing only- can those developers support another build to develop for?

The jury is still out about whether upgrades for the Xbox One and PS4 are indeed coming but according to Chris Harvey of Drinkbox Studios, which developed Guacamelee and Severed, it may not be as problematic for small developers as it will for the bigger studios.

Speaking to Games Industry International, Harvey noted that for larger studios working on multiple platforms this could be a concern. “For a big developer, they might not necessarily be overjoyed about it because of additional work that may have to go in to support different hardware SKUs.”

Smaller studios don’t have that problem though. “But as an indie developer, it’s not really that big a deal. Our games are not exactly pushing the edge of the devices anyway. So from our perspective, there might be some additional certification stuff to make sure it works, but it’s not going to fundamentally change how we develop our games for the consoles.”

What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know in the comments below.