During E3, Microsoft stunned gamers and their competition by revealing not only the new updated Xbox One S but also the ultra powerful Xbox ‘Project Scorpio’ which will launch in the holiday of 2017. It was known before this revelation that Sony was also working on an updated console named the PlayStation Neo. However, Sony leaked all the information regarding this new upcoming update, and gamers and the media alike were left reeling trying to find a reason for the rather lacklustre response from Sony to the upcoming Scorpio.
Fast forward to today and Sony leaked another little tidbit ahead of their PlayStation event this September 7. Sony was widely expected to talk about their upcoming Neo device, and some even went so far as to naively predict that Sony would ‘up’ the specifications on the Neo as a response to the Xbox Scorpio, which will be 50% faster than the leaked PlayStation Neo specifications. But yesterday, we got a glimpse of the next PlayStation 4 Slim model, and gamers have been scratching their heads.
The leaked unboxing of the slimmer version of the PlayStation 4 shows a rather bland and ugly ‘box’ design, much like the Airport devices from Apple, but with more plastic and weirdly placed ports. Not only that, the device features only one HDMi port and an Ethernet port at the back, with all the USB ports relegated to the front of the device. The original PlayStation 4 had ports on the front and the back of the device, not to mention an optical audio port for higher end audio systems and headphones. I find it quite strange that a company like Sony would strip out a port that is very much required if you have a home entertainment system.
On the box, there is no mention of 4K, UHD or even HDR. The box does, however, show that the device will be ‘VR-Ready’, making that the prominent feature of the device. The Xbox One S, however, features not only a 4K UHD blu-ray player but also 4K Streaming support and on top of that, the latest HDR (high dynamic range) support for the latest TV’s, that some have called a bigger deal for gaming than higher resolution graphics. Microsoft also confirmed that the Xbox One S, which already launched this month, and subsequently sold out all around the world, will upscale all games to 4K where your display supports it.
I find it quite strange that Sony would not only reveal the rather disappointing PlayStation Neo, but also the rather odd looking PlayStation 4 Slim, which by all metrics will be a slightly shorter PlayStation 4, with shoddy packaging. This move seems to me like Sony was in a rush to try and make the PlayStation 4 even more profitable, instead of giving gamers a device that would make them want to upgrade, relegating that to the more powerful PlayStation Neo; which, by the leaked documents won’t feature any of the groundbreaking features that the Xbox One S launched with.
I’m sure the upcoming slim version of the PlayStation 4 will sell a ton to people who are visually impaired by their loyalty to Sony, but as a consumer myself I have to wonder why Sony would want to offer their fans such a lazy and backhanded attempt to have an answer to Microsoft. It seems to me that after E3, Sony went back to the drawing board and decided to launch not one, but two mediocre consoles this year.
Right now, the only saving grace for this rather disgusting ‘me too’ console is the price. Sony needs to release this at $199 or face a rather humiliating holiday period as Microsoft cleans house. Even at that price, I wonder if people would rather upgrade to a better experience, or go with the cheaper last generation console, we all know the Xbox 360 sold quite well after the Xbox One launched.
I feel that gamers and people who want a decent entertainment hub will opt for the new Xbox One S. At the very least it’s beautiful, and you can prominently display it in your living room.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.