Skip to main content

We don't know why Sony's making PS4K, but there are plenty of reasons it shouldn't

Console me.

It's real, then, in case there was ever any doubt. Confirming what's been known in considerable detail for some time, Sony has acknowledged the existence of a new, more powerful PlayStation 4, choosing to do so via a glib admission in a Financial Times interview timed to clear the air ahead of next week's E3, where it won't be discussing the new console any further.

Perhaps it doesn't need to, when we already know the specs of the machine, details of how it will co-exist with the current PlayStation 4, and what we can expect of the experience. What that leaves, though, is the all-important question of why, the answer to which we'll be no closer to learning next week as execs look set to stick their heads in the sand. Maybe they simply don't have an answer, because now is as good a time as any to be more forthcoming with one. I've struggled to find one myself, and all I keep coming back to when considering this new PlayStation 4 are reasons why not - and why a mid-cycle console upgrade on this scale sounds like a pretty rotten idea.

Watch on YouTube

History sets a robust precedent, of course, and looking back over the relatively brief lifespan of console gaming, it's hard to find any examples of mid-cycle upgrades that were anything other than a mistake. From the Famicom disk system to the notorious mess Mega Drive found itself in towards the end of its life, puffing and wheezing underneath all those unnecessary, divisive add-ons that sucked the momentum out of Sega's console business, it's a history of failures and disappointments too often brought about by hubris.

You'd forgive Sony for succumbing to over-confidence after the stellar start the PlayStation 4 has enjoyed - and it's true that PS4's success is such that the platform is already basically fail-proof. That success was brought about in part by Microsoft's stumblings, but also through the simplicity of the console's offerings. The PlayStation 4 in its first few years might have taken people by surprise, but it's been relatively straightforward to see how it's succeeded: here, quite simply, was a machine that played games more capably than its opposition, and did so ever so slightly cheaper, too. That message, however, is about to get a whole lot muddier.

Maybe the new PlayStation 4 is a result of factors elsewhere at Sony: a push to sell the 4K TVs essential to the business that was traditionally at the heart of the company. It wouldn't be the first time, either - the PlayStation 3's flirtation with 3D always felt more like an effort to hawk 3D televisions than a push for a new gaming frontier - yet while earlier dalliances have been relatively harmless, this feels like it could be an act of self-sabotage.

Why? Because it challenges the concept of what a console is, and not necessarily for the better. There's a reason I've always stuck with consoles, and why it's always been how I've chosen to play games, from Nintendo through Xbox and PlayStation. It's the promise of stability: of being able to plug a box into a television and play something I know is on an even keel. It's the promise of simplicity.

Watch on YouTube

It's that promise that's kept me and many others away from PC gaming, and with the PlayStation 4K, one of the best reasons to stay on console is quickly eroded. It's that sensation when playing on PC that there's always one tweak that could be made, that you're always one quick dabble in the graphics menu away from the optimal experience, that takes me back to the warm stability of console. Taking one step towards an upgradeable PC model is one step further away from the age-old appeal of consoles - and if it comes to a straight fight, there'd be little reason to opt for a PlayStation, with its awful UI and storefront with amped-up prices, over a PC running Steam.

What's potentially the worst thing about PlayStation 4K, though, is that in an instant, Sony will create 40 million second-class citizens with vanilla PlayStation 4 consoles. They'll no longer be playing on the best, as was advertised to them not so long ago.

Maybe it's time for the old console model to move on, and traditionalists like myself need to move on with it. Perhaps the success of the PlayStation 4 has led to hungry eyes at Sony, and it's not the PC market it's looking to but instead the Apple model, whereby upgrades are rolled out on a regular basis as old hardware is slowly phased out. It's a model familiar enough to be globally accepted, but it's very much dependent on having an upgrade system in place for existing customers, as you get with a contract phone. Maybe Sony's got a bigger, smarter plan for it all, but it's certainly not sharing it with us just yet. The only thing that seems clear is that now would be a very bad time to buy a PlayStation 4 when there's so much uncertainty about its future.

How Sony goes about managing that message is going to be fascinating, which is why its silence right now and next week is so frustrating. It's hard to see much by way of positivity in the announcement, and dodging questions is no way to address the issue - it's up to Sony to convince us it's not on the brink of an almighty mistake.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com