Sony confirms existence of PS4 Neo, not at E3

[SvennoJ]

Ruler said:

SvennoJ said:
Kinda unexpected they're planning on selling them both side by side for the rest of the generation. That only raises more questions of why and what for.

Perhaps it's still an answer to the failed slim model. Can't increase profits with a cheap to produce slim, introduce an equally expensive to make improved version to sell at a premium. Make the original one look like a good deal, and reap the profits on the premium model.

Otherwise I've got nothing. Why potentially piss of your existing user base and developers while adding confusion for potential buyers. I doubt the NX or a better XBox is making Sony do this, they never had a problem having the weakest console before and U4 doesn't exactly look bad. Nor PSVR or 4K are a reason. A new hdmi port would be sufficient, heck the existing one can already do video in 4K just not at 60fps.

Guess the title should be, Sony confirms shooting themselves in the foot. Not that it matters, they're walking on air for now anyway.

How they are shooting themselfs in the foot if all they do is keeping up with the times? Mobile, macs and PC they all work like this now with different models

Traditionally now is the time to introduce the slim, drop the price, get the games rolling and make a nice profit on the majority share of the console sales in a generation. Use that to pay off all the R&D and marketing of the launch and start with R&D for the next generation. By shooting themselves in the foot I mean they're effectively resetting the clock. More game delays because of new specs to incorporate, reset on profit margins and reset on the influx of consumers that jump in at the lower price point.

Sure there is a percentage of current hardcore base that will buy an upgraded machine, yet is that percentage big enough to offset all the negatives. It might be the only thing Sony can do atm though. Slimming down the current design failed. Keeping it at the same price will slow sales down, starting to take a loss on each sale is not a good idea either. Making a new design that runs sort of the same is an even harder sale to developers, might as well turn it into a premium version. Easier to port to and an excuse to raise the price and recoup its R&D and marketing.

I wonder how long they'll keep selling the old ps4. They're saying for the rest of the generation for now, yet it would get weird when the NEO becomes cheaper to produce than the original one.