Digital Foundry (and via them, Eurogamer) cannot be looked at as an unreliable source of information. Since they have detailed a lot of information about the upcoming new PS4 (PS4K, PS4 NEO) while they are still unconfirmed by Sony, we should take a look at them… let’s get right into a small (?) recap.

Dual Shock 4 remains the primary controller, and Sony doesn’t plan to change it. 1080p is going to be the mandatory (!) minimum display resolution. Sony wants to push developers towards higher resolutions. Super-sampling down to full HD is an option, but 1080p is the lowest pixel-count allowed. No online segregation between console is allowed, though. If a PlayStation title supports online features, they must be deployed equally on both systems. Developers can’t have Neo-only servers. However, this might mean there would be possible gameplay experience differences if a basic PS4 runs the game at 30 while the NEO does so with 60 frames per second. Save data systems are cross-platform. All data (save games, backups) would be interchangeable between both systems by default. However, it seems that Sony is leaving it up to developers to ensure that Neo and PS4 save-swapping works. Forward compatibility patches would only be for old games only – after October 2016, Sony expects Neo support on all games. Older titles can have Neo features patched in; the platform holder will not allow new titles to add Neo features at a later date.

The same PSN ID can be used to access the same content across multiple PS4 and Neo consoles – however, you can only have one device allocated as the Primary Console, and you can’t be logged in simultaneously on more than one PS4. Themes and avatars work on both systems. The PlayStation Store pages and physical game-packaging are expected to list Neo-specific features, and there are no plans to prioritise PS4 or Neo content in using the PlayGo ‘fast start’ download system. Trophies must be entirely consistent between PS4 and Neo modes. No Neo-exclusive trophies or any variance in how they are triggered.

Neo-only or PS4-only games are not permitted (Neo can still run unenhanced titles. The devs are prohibited from locking out audiences of either console). All games you buy should offer both PS4 and Neo functionality with no extra costs associated with running titles on a different console. All new titles with Neo support use unified packages that run on both platforms. The CPU binary is identical while three GPU binaries (shared, PS4-specific, Neo-specific) are all contained in the same package.  All DLC and additional content are entirely cross-platform. Unified downloads are used for both this and basic game patches. Developers can’t supply exclusive gameplay features for Neo owners. If the game has a split-screen mode, it must be available on both systems. However, modes can be enhanced – so a two-player split-screen mode on PS4 could be expanded to allow a four-player variant on Neo. Developers also can’t add exclusive content to either PS4 or Neo systems, and if there’s a bug in the Neo-specific code, developers are not allowed to divert Neo owners to the PS4 code path. The game must be fixed.

That’s all there is to it. It sounds good on paper, but how would it work in reality? We’ll have to wait for that to see how this NEO folds out…