PlayStation 4K is reportedly real, so what kind of performance can we expect?
Let’s get one thing out of the way up front. Regardless of whether Sony calls this a PlayStation 4K, there’s no modern GPU that can pack into a console and offer a consistent 30 FPS at 4K within a $400 system price point. Teardowns of the original PlayStation calculated a $121 bill of materials (BOM) cost for its various processors. Even if we assume AMD’s next-generation Polaris architecture could deliver a 2.5x performance increase, the power envelopes and raw frame rates just don’t add up.
If “true” 4K isn’t available, what can Sony offer?
Sony’s best bet with any hardware refresh is to focus on delivering significant gaming improvement at existing resolutions while simultaneously supporting 4K media playback. Upgrade the Blu-ray player to Ultra HD, add HDMI 2.0 support for 4K output, take advantage of the HDR support AMD is building in next-gen hardware, and you’ve got a potent upgrade option. 4K at 30 FPS might not be achievable, but 900-1080p at 60 FPS probably is.