HEXUS first mentioned the Sony PlayStation 4.5, PS4K, PS4 Neo (or whatever it may be called), back in April. At that time reports pointed to the PS4K upgraded console being equipped with a new AMD SoC featuring Polaris graphics. Since then the reports have been fleshed out a little, but yesterday a flood of news reports were published talking about Microsoft's answer to the PS4K – the Xbox One Scorpio.
Microsoft is said to be working on a couple of Xbox One iterations which will be announced around the time of the E3 expo. One will be a slim/shrunken-down version of the current machine and is said to be "the smallest Xbox ever made". There will be an enhancement or two; there's said to be a redesigned controller, and 4K video (not gaming) support is said to be integrated. This new compact Xbox One model is scheduled for release in August, say the sources.
Another new Xbox will be much more powerful and is said to be codenamed 'Scorpio'. Sources say that it will be about four times more powerful than the Xbox One on the market now, and will help Microsoft in its battle against the Sony PS4K. Since launch the performance edge of the PS4 has helped Sony in its console wars with Microsoft. Now it seems like Microsoft is set to turn the tables with its 'generation 1.5' console.
According to various sources and information collected by Polygon, the table above shows the comparative Teraflops of the current and 'generation 1.5' Sony and Microsoft consoles.
Of course simply having the fastest hardware doesn't mean Microsoft will reverse the console sales trends in its favour. There are other things to consider with the competing platforms; Sony's PlayStation VR headset readiness might be an asset, different game catalogues and entertainment features are available, there's pricing, and there are simple customer preferences and loyalties.
Both the current Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were released just ahead of Xmas 2013. They were released eight and seven years after the launch of the previous generation consoles, respectively.
