More Powerful PS4 Confirmed, Won't Be at E3

Sony has confirmed the existence of a more powerful version of the PlayStation 4. In an interview with Financial Times, PlayStation executive Andrew House confirmed the system would be more expensive than the existing model (which starts at $350) and is aimed to "hardcore gamers" as well as people with a 4K TV set.

But, as suspected, it will not fully replace the existing PS4. "It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4,” he said. “We will be selling both through the life cycle.”

The new PS4 will not be announced at E3 next week, House explained. He was unwilling to share any details on when the system will be revealed or what it might cost.

"We want to ensure we have a full range of the best experiences on the new system that we can showcase in their entirety,” he said.

Also in the interview, House said he's not concerned about issues that could emerge from games running on two different sets of hardware.

“All games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4,” he said. Developers will have to do a "small but manageable" amount of work to make a game for both systems, he said.

Overall, developers should expect a "seamless" experience between them.

Lastly, House mentioned that he believes the new PS4, which is codenamed Neo but doesn't have an official name yet, will be "standalone profitable at the time that we launch it. Additionally, he mentioned that the cost to develop the system is already baked into Sony's most recent earnings statement and projections.