This is NOT going to be just a PS4 slim designed with 4k bluray and steaming capabilities. Because if it was then
1.WHY IS SONY BRIEFING DEVELOPERS ?
All these leaks talk about a prototype going around, about Sony presenting it to developers. If that is true, then the PS4k will be a beefed up PS4.
From the Eurogamer article Option 2 is the best option.
You'll be able to play PS4 games with better performance and fidelity period.
There will be no "Splitting the user base" nonsense.
Base PS4 gamers will still play like nothing happened.People who want the games to run and look better can sell their PS4s and buy PS4K.
Look at it this way. You buy a PS4 game. Say Bloodborne 2 or Battlefield 5.
1.PS4 Base would play the game on "Medium settings".
2.PS4k would play the game on "High settings" .
Even current games such as Uncharted 4 would be patched.
Fallout 4 at 60fps on the PS4k .
This way Sony can ride the PS4k all the way to 2021 when the PS5 comes out.
Having the base PS4 till 2020 is a very long cycle. Having the PS5 come out at 2019 for $399 is MEH. because it won't be that much if an improvement over PS4, you won't get the generational leap.
With option 2 Sony can satisfy the hunger for a better experience; people who want better frame rates and better graphical fidelity. And they can make the PS4 cycle longer.
Oh yeah.... and VR games would work better on the PS4k.
And about 4k gaming ? lol not a chance. I don't even think PS5 will have native 4k gaming sorry not possible. 4k is four times 1080p. if PS5 did 4k gaming natively. Details in games would look exactly the same as ps4. PS5 is more likely to do 1440p gaming, can be up-scaled and look great on 4k screens, can also be down-sampled to look great on 1080p screens.
It's not so easy.
You simply can't say that for current PS4 owners nothing will change. Because having to handle two platforms with different specs means that there will be compromises to make on both.
Only way this won't have an impact on current PS4 development is if the PS4k has the same APU but clocked higher (taking advantage of a manufacturing process shrink to 14nm). In this case the same code would run on both, no optimizations problem at all. The higher clock would allow for higher res and/or frame rate.
Other possibility is a different GPU but really strict guidelines from Sony, meaning that the game has to be the same, extra power can only be used to bump the resolution up.
For example the PS4k might be able to do native rendering of the same games at 1400k with internal hardware upscaling to 4K.
Second point you make about hardware cycles doesn't make a lot of sense.
A PS5 in 2019 would be a huge jump compared to the 2013 PS4.
It's the incremental upgrade model which will put an end to significant specs bumps since a new model comes out every 3 years.
We're really changing the concept of consoles to something like exchangable/upgradable terminals to play the same games.
Btw I'm skeptical on this, the only positive (more powerful hardware sooner than usual) is counterbalanced by a significant list of negative points. Even people wishing for better frame rates for example.....how's that gonna work for online games? Gen1 players at 30fps and gen 2 players at 60fps playing together? It won't work. You fracture the userbase and you create barriers forcing to upgrade.
But at this point we don't know anything, people might just be speculating on what will prove to be just a PS4 Slim with a few added features like slightly better resolution for games and support for 4K media.
Personally I don't see any rush or need for this especially in Sony's position, they could have kept this in the drawer as a side project, wait to see how the market reacts to Microsoft doing the same thing and if the reaction is positive they can respond within 6-12 months with an even better model.
.
