The senior vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) has suggested that it may be possible to upgrade the performance of the PlayStation 4.
Speaking with 4Gamer, Masayasu Ito noted that while this would not have been possible with the PS3 due to its complicated Cell technology, the PS4 in theory could be upgraded due to its adoption of x86 architecture. And, while not outright confirming this is an option that Sony will pursue down the line, it sounds like it may at least be considered.
"There is a potential", commented Ito-san. "It is easy to achieve a flexible performance enhancements. Although it is possible, for example, to provide variations such a standard performance version of PS4 and a high-performance version of PS4. It is a idea that can be considered."
Sony has a history of re-releasing its consoles with a slimmer design after they’ve been on the market for a few years, and it probably isn’t lost on anyone that PS4 could receive the same treatment at some point, possibly with a performance upgrade given Ito-san’s comments. That’s all just speculation at this point however, and with PS4 not even two-years old at the time of writing, it’ll likely be a while before we hear anything on a potential ‘PS4 Slim,’ especially as Sony recently announced a price cut for the machine in North America and Europe.
The format holder has enjoyed a fantastic 2015 so far, with worldwide shipments of PS4 reaching 25.3 million as of July, not to mention the fact that it has managed to beat Xbox One in monthly U.S. sales for a good while now. PS4’s success isn’t just limited to North America either; as of July in the U.K., the system has outsold Xbox One on a monthly basis since the beginning of the year. In fact, PS4’s lead over its rival is so significant that even Microsoft itself has conceded that Xbox One may not be able to catch up to Sony going forward. According to DICE’s Alan Kertz, PS4 is winning the console war simply because it’s a more powerful machine.
With the industry approaching the lucrative Black Friday/Holiday season, it’ll be interesting to see how both PS4 and Xbox One manage to perform in the U.S., as no doubt both Sony and Microsoft will be battling it out heavily to win consumers’ loyalty.