Sony’s 4K-capable PS4 could be announced ahead of PSVR launch

The 4K PS4 might be officially announced soon. The existence of the upgraded version of Sony's console was previously reported by Kotaku, and today The Wall Street Journal reports that the device is expected to be officially unveiled before the October launch of PlayStation VR. As with the previous report, the WSJ says that the beefed-up version of the console will support 4K graphics as well as provide extra power for the PSVR virtual reality add-on. The new PS4 is expected to include both an upgraded processor and GPU, and the WSJ says that it's likely that both versions of the console will share an identical software catalog. There are no details on when it might launch or how much it will cost.

This type of mid-cycle upgrade for a console isn't exactly common, but Microsoft has hinted that it could do something similar for the Xbox One, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer predicting that consoles could eventually resemble PCs in this regard. "When you look at the console space, I believe we will see more hardware innovation in the console space than we've ever seen," he explained. While both Sony and Microsoft could potentially release new, slightly upgraded versions of their consoles, competitor Nintendo is going in a more traditional direction with a brand new device codenamed NX, that will replace the Wii U and is expected to be unveiled some time this year.

• SourceWall Street Journal