If you're thinking about buying a new PlayStation 4 this week, don't.
Despite Sony having already moved over 40 million PlayStation 4 game consoles, the Japanese hardware maker is hoping you're ready for at least one of two new PlayStation 4 consoles currently in production.
First up, the PlayStation 4 Slim — a slimmer version of the same PlayStation 4 you already own. Sony's yet to announce this guy, but at least one gamer in the UK already has one.
An editor from Eurogamer even visited the gentleman who bought this one and confirmed it's legit; the console boots up like a standard PlayStation 4. And, in all ways except for looks, it seems to be exactly that: a standard PlayStation 4.
Sony's got a long history of shrinking its PlayStation consoles, from the original PlayStation through to the PlayStation 3. This would be the first form factor change for the PlayStation 4 since it launched back in 2013.
But that's not all!
There's yet another PlayStation 4 in the works, and it's more than just a new form factor. It's got a sweet codename — "Neo" — and it's capable of powering 4K gaming (the successor to high-definition gaming). This is the one that Sony officially announced (after months of leaks) in an interview this summer with The Financial Times.
Sony president Andrew House calls the "Neo" console a "high-end" PlayStation 4. Unlike the Slim, though, it's not intended as a replacement for the current PlayStation 4. "It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4. We will be selling both through the life cycle," House told The Financial Times.
In the context of what we know now, it looks like House means that the new "high-end" PlayStation 4 will be sold alongside the Slim (which will replace the original PlayStation 4 console). As history dictates, it's very likely that the PlayStation 4 Slim will cost the same as the current model PlayStation 4 that it's replacing: $349.
In the process, Sony's guaranteed to drop the price of the original PlayStation 4 — retailers will want the shelf space for the new slimmer PlayStation 4, to say nothing of the upcoming PlayStation VR headset launching this October. Regardless we'll learn a lot more very soon; even though Sony's not saying anything right now, the company has a New York City "PlayStation Meeting" event coming up in just a few weeks.
But in the meantime? If you're thinking about buying a new PlayStation 4 this week, don't.
