That's what you do when you are on the lead. You play it safe
The backlash and inevitable criticisms from the press, PlayStation fans, and the retail space will dictate how ambitious Sony is with future console iterations. Neo is about as safe as it gets, but the logic behind the component choices make sense.
I just hope whenever these executives use language such as "High End / Premium" PS4 they aren't referencing an expensive machine. PS4's success was in no short part due to it being a machine that punches far above its weight class in the context of price
erormance ratio. Neo, if the rumored specs are to be believed, should be making profit with ease at $399.
But I hope they don't take Scorpio lightly. Consumers are more educated than ever, and if Sony thinks they can get a free pass by trying to dole out an uber expensive PlayStation which shares the same part's as its predecessor in a historic first move into the iterative console space -they'll really burn those bridges they've worked so hard to build back.
On top of it, their number one competitor in the console space appears to be going for broke in the most ambitious console ever created. The Neo could be the PS2, or it could end up the Dreamcast. On top of all this? PC gaming is getting cheaper, easier, and more popular than ever.
PlayStation in 2016 has some of the most charismatic, smart, and forward thinking people working under its umbrella. I just hope it doesn't fall victim to the Corporate Sony of yore that managed to create the Qualia, ES Premium, and uber expensive electronics that had no right being their respect price points.
PlayStation is a mainstream brand - and that's whats been the secret to it's success. Look at the failures of any of the myriad of Sony's high end attempts- and you'll see that the high end strategy almost never works for a company not named after a fruit.