Developers of the rumored Playstation 4.5 console have confirmed the existence of the console. The console, considered by many to be an upgraded version of the PS4, will be, to some degree, virtual-reality capable, with 4k resolution. 4k resolution has approximately four times as many pixels as the current industry standard of 1080p. This is a very big step towards better graphics quality in consoles as most games had native 1080p or even worse, 720p.

The biggest upgrade to the Playstation 4.5 will be the graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU will be twice as powerful as the current model, which will allow much crisper graphics. It is not yet known what particular graphics card will be used, however consoles have tended to use AMD Radeon products in the past.

Drawbacks

This is not without drawbacks. The current PS4 model relies on an integrated model of the AMD Radeon 7850. This is a graphical system that is integrated within the CPU. Integrated graphics work fine with 1080p graphics, but they can rarely process graphics at 4k. Sony still wants to use the integrated graphics for the PS4.5.

Of course, because of this, quality will suffer. According to Sony developers "Realistically it is nowhere near enough to provide native 4K gaming at the same quality level as current 1080p titles".

Benefits

Of course with any hardware upgrade there will be benefits. The frame rates will likely increase with the new console. Overall quality will increase if 1080p resolution is used and so on. Even though the console is not the best, it will still be an improvement over older models, and that is all that really matters in the end.

Verdict

Even though it is not the be-all and end-all for consoles at the moment, the PS4.5 has many things that will improve console quality. The question still remains though, should consumers pitch in and buy the console? If you already own a PS4, it will not be enough of an upgrade to warrant purchasing another one, unless you really want virtual reality. If you are looking to buy your first 8th generation console, you should look to see the final MSRP on the PS4.5. It may very well be worth it to get the newer version instead.

In the end, the PS4.5 is a nice refresher to the console market. By adding in the potential of 4k graphics, consoles are at least beginning to make steps in the right direction. In addition, virtual reality, which was earlier regarded to be exclusive to PCs, may be making an appearance on the console market soon. Even though consoles are not always the best, they are at least improving.