Neo is a good thing IMO. Those expecting it to offer 60fps 4k gaming or current gen quality in VR will be sorely disappointed. This is not what Neo is. Today’s game engines are scalable in both performance & features and the shared x86 based hardware architecture across all the leading gaming platforms including PC, equates to easier, not harder development, quicker porting cycles and ultimately less exclusive IPs. The last point is the most important and Sony knows this. They also know, even early into it’s life, with engines optimised to within an inch of their life, PS4 is already struggling to deliver smooth gameplay at the quality increasing affordable midrange PCs can reach. They know the PS4 was rushed to market with a lower spec than was desirable due to pressure from the competition; the need to, keep retail price down this time; and a desperate need to break away from the carbuncle of costly and difficult to program architecture that was PS3 and Cell chipset. Despite it’s eventual success, Sony know their design choices for PS3 were a big mistake leading to a difficult birth that nearly bankrupted them in R&D budget, was extremely unpopular with developers and almost cost them the last generation. Neo is the PS4 Sony wanted to give us had they not been licking their wounds from the last generation, with the rough edges smoothed and just a little more head room for developers to give it a lasting edge as an affordable livingroom game system for the masses in the second half of this generation. They know that in a world of 4k displays, where console exclusives do not guarantee dominance, the PS4 as it stands, may just not quite have had the legs to maintain it’s lead to the end. To be honest , I’m guessing that most casual gamers won’t notice much difference between the base PS4 and Neo other than slightly less frame drops, a bit more AA and a smoother UI with less artifacts on remote play or sharing streams. Eventually PS4 base will be phased out, no-one will really notice, we’ll all forget this hullabaloo and carry on enjoying the thing that really matters, great gameplay.
