Microsoft announced its Xbox One S and teased Project Scorpio back in mid-June. So far Sony has left its challenger unanswered - but we do know that there will be a 'PlayStation Meeting' on the 7th September, at 3pm, in New York (8pm UK time). At this September event it is expected that the first official information and images of the PlayStation 4 Neo will be revealed. Now, according to reports published by The Wall Street Journal and Polygon, we also think that Sony will release a slimmer new standard PS4 to duke it out with the Xbox One S.
The WSJ reports that "with the release of the two models, Sony hopes to attract hard-core fans and more casual users to its videogame platform". Sony has publically discussed plans for an enhanced PS4 but not mentioned the slimmer standard model.
The PS4 has, so far, outpaced the Xbox One in the popularity stakes. Latest figures show the PS4 has sold over 40 million units but the Xbox One has only sold about 20 million units. However the tide might be turning as the Microsoft console outsold the PS4 in July (in the US). Perhaps the progress with Windows 10, keener bundle pricing, and backwards compatibility features have helped Microsoft win over fans.
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Click to zoom in pictures
Meanwhile for pictorial 'evidence' of the new slim PS4, Polygon had some nice images for us. These apparently came from the unlikely source of the Gumtree buy/sell ads site, owned by eBay. The new console looks slimmer with slightly rounded corners on upper and lower case segments, the finish looks non-glossy. The optical port appears to have been removed and, in a neat design touch, the rubber base feet are now shaped like the Sony PS controller's iconic triangle, circle, X, and square symbols.
