It looks like the PlayStation 4 NEO may be coming sooner than expected.
A leaked document on the PlayStation 4’s long-rumored upgraded model, the PlayStation 4 NEO, contains some surprising information on the new model. Some fears can immediately be alleviated: The NEO will share the same online gaming community and marketplace as the current PS4, and all PS4 games will need to be supported on both. This happened with iPhones as well, although it got to the point where some apps were just too advanced to run well on older models, even though they were technically supported. This is a legitimate concern for the NEO, but one that would likely be relevant only towards the end of the PS4’s lifecycle, if ever.
The specs aren’t quite as ambitious as the 4K output some hoped for, but there are upsides. Sony is looking to have the NEO performing well above 1440p, but it probably will not hit 4K. There is mention of a 3840 x 2160 resolution, that would use “checkerboard rendering” to upconvert on a 4K monitor. Additionally, any games that are optimized for NEO must have the same or better framerate on NEO as on the current PS4, and developers have the option to release forward-compatibility patches for games.
As far as development, we have some hints as to when we will be seeing a NEO. Sony will be accepting NEO support submissions in mid-august, and a line about early-October games states that “it is OK to release NEO-ready titles before NEO launches”, which suggests the possibility that the NEO could appear as early as late-October.
While not a necessary upgrade, particularly when the more interesting PlayStation VR is coming in the same timeframe and will likely have a similar pricetag, the Playstation 4 NEO appears to be a solid upgrade for the PS4. And you can probably pick up for the holidays.