Is PlayStation Neo really necessary?

In the absence of official confirmation from Sony – and this may not arrive until the next E3 in early June – everything indicates that 2016 will be the year in which a desktop console splits into twothe year in which there are two versions of the same system, a model with more powerful technical characteristics that will have to coexist with the old model and that, unless Sony tries, and really tries, will fragment PlayStation4 users.

At first I had thought about detailing the —few— details that are known about the PS4K or PS4.5, but I think that with this news that aspect is more than covered and I also find it more interesting to stop and think: But does it really make us missing an improved PlayStation 4?

PlayStation Neowhich is how it would be known internally within Sony, arises from a need motivated by two technological milestones: Virtual Reality and 4Kalthough there are surely more reasons for the Japanese company to consider embarking on such a risky adventure considering that right now it has the upper hand in this generation, leading sales, with a comfortable advantage over its competitors.

Much of The fault that the PlayStation Neo may exist lies with the Xbox 360. When PlayStation 3 was born, Sony opted for a very powerful console, a true beast with an 8-core chip compared to its competitor’s 3, equipped as standard with a BluRay player and a starting price of 600 euros. I’m still recovering from that scare.

When Microsoft and its Xbox 360 arrived, it turned out that the graphical difference was not very big (or at least the third parties did not insist on demonstrating it), the Redmond company used an architecture close to the PC so that developers could program more easily on its console, and people jumped to buy it because in addition to having a wide and quality catalog (with games that in many cases looked better than on PS3) it initially cost 400 euros. And of course, Xbox 360 overtook PS3 to the right and Sony and his muscular table looked like fools.

No one was surprised then that Playstation 4 went on sale for 400 euros (€100 cheaper than One and its Kinect tether) and that its new console did not focus on providing it with much higher power than its competitors, but rather focused on offering a great experience to users: Many games , better online and social component. For you players. And of course, the players, delighted, have responded and the numbers are there.

I imagine that The decision on what output power PS4 would have was not easy at all. The resolution 4K (also known as UHD, capable of reaching 4096 x 2160 pixels per inch) was arriving, it was seen on the horizon, but it did so on a steam train, raising many doubts, debates about its usefulness, so slow that before settling it could be overtaken by the 5K or the 8K.

Sony got tired of waiting and launched PS4 knowing it would not be able to play games in this resolution when the 4K enters most homes. To this we must add the state of form of PCs thanks to the power of graphics cards, which have managed to be a couple of steps ahead of Xbox One and PS4 from the beginning, which results in many games cut in consoles compared to compatiblewhich rarely reach 1080p resolution and 60 fps and they have to sacrifice graphic effects, texture quality, volumetric smoke, dynamic shadows, tessellation and other tricks for the eyes. Sony, despite improving One’s numbers, has had to face a multitude of criticisms for the resolution and the refresh rates, for not having enough power to move the games like on PC, and that, I suppose, will have hurt their pride.

The definitive rapier comes with Virtual Reality, a “new” technology that uses a helmet, projects an image in each eye and puts us inside the games, achieving an immersion that goes beyond what we know. Two giants like Valve and Facebook are preparing HTC Vive and Oculus Rift and they do it in a big way, both in technology and in price, with the freedom offered by the growing power of a PC, a PC that initially needs very high requirements to be able to easily play games with high graphic quality that surprise the player. .

Sony jumps on the ‘Virtual Reality’ bandwagon with PlayStation VR but, aware of its technical inferiority, decides to go down a notch and launch a device for 400 euros. Now think about what PS4, a console that already ‘suffers’ to keep up with the PC, faces the challenge of having to compete technically with games that require generating twice as many images, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and processing head movement through the camera. Thank goodness PSVR will have a “miniPS4” to help out with all that processing!

For PSVR to succeed, it needs companies to release good gamesand Ubisoft, Electronic Arts or Activision some technical comparison with the PC is interesting so that the same game reaches as many systems as possible, That forces us to give more power to PS4 so that she can endure the sprint that her new competitors propose, even if it is with her tongue hanging out.

And I add one more ingredient to the dish: Nintendo NX. It is unknown if the big N will launch a more powerful console than the PS4 and Xbox One, but if it does and bows to the wishes of the major distributors, Sony could do well. a very serious competitor and PlayStation 5 is still very far away to be able to react. And if Microsoft does the same with Xbox One.5 we are in the same situation.

All of these are compelling reasons for Sony breaks the unwritten rules who say that everyone who buys a console versus a PC has the security of being able to play everything without worries. However… Is it really necessary?

None. Think about it for a moment. If we review the specifications, the difference in power between PS4 and PS4 Neo is not that great and Sony’s idea that both coexist and the entire catalog is 100% compatible on both is something very welcome but it also makes us think that companies are not exactly going to put all their effort into harness the full potential of Neobut rather on meeting the minimums for PS4 and from there, hopefully, adding some improvement in the form of resolution or fps.

Is PS4 Neo going to give us a lot? That question must be answered when we know if it exists and what it really contains, but a priori it does not seem that way. What it will surely contribute is a major discomfort in us, the playersespecially those of us who have spent 400 euros not long ago on a model that is going to look old, and we are second-class players.

This industry does not lack power, it lacks imagination. In companies, the belief has been established – or rather a sad reality – that the same thing, but more beautiful, sells and examples like GNOG, Life is Strange or Rocket League are great examples of the opposite. Our colleagues at Nintenderos recently wrote about it and from here we subscribe to their opinion and recommend that you read it.

Virtual reality does not need large hyper-realistic settings to impress, the human eye does not need a 4K texture to enjoy a game. Imagination, gentlemen, it’s free.