Sony's long-rumoured September PlayStation event, where the company is expected to launch a mid-cycle upgrade for the PlayStation 4, has finally been confirmed by invites sent out late on Tuesday night. The event is slated for September 7 at 3pm ET in New York City, which will be September 8 at 12:30am here in India. Incidentally, the Japanese electronics giant had also chosen NYC as the place to showcase the original PS4 back in 2013.
This isn't the first we've heard of a possible September reveal for the console dubbed as PS4 Neo, with the Wall Street Journal reporting back in June that two new PS4 iterations - a newer one capable of 4K gaming and a slimmer version of the existing one - would be showcased at a gaming event in September. Then earlier this week, French gaming site Gameblog and Vice's gaming section pointed towards what we now know: that the PS4 Neo would be unveiled on September 7 in NYC.
(Also see: PS4 Neo Does Not Mean Regular Upgrades Like PC or Mobile: Sony)
While a lot remains unknown about the upgraded PS4, a leaked presentation did reveal a boost in processing power and graphics chip, which will not only allow it to deliver 4K gaming but also make it better suited for the upcoming PS VR. Sony has said before that the new console will run "a very large majority" of the original's games, so it's only natural that its VR headset - launching in October - should be compatible as well.
Speaking to Financial Times before E3 2016, president and global chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment Andrew House said the reason the new console skipped the year's biggest gaming expo was "to ensure we have a full range of the best experiences on the new system that we can showcase in their entirety".
Microsoft did launch a slimmed down version of its Xbox One console at E3 2016 in Xbox One S, which became available in select markets around the world at the start of this month. It has also confirmed its own plans for a mid-cycle upgrade - known as Project Scorpio within the company - and will be launched sometime in 2017.
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