The new PS4 isn't a big design change, nor is it a drastic costcutting measure like the cheapo PS3 Super Slim. Unlike Microsoft, which had a lot of work to do to fix the Xbox One-or indeed Sony, which had to fix the huge and costly original PS3-the original PS4 was already a desirable piece of hardware. Those hoping that it might run cooler than the old one are out of luck: the thermal camera shows an external case temperature of around 40 degrees after running Resogun for half an hour-nearly exactly the temperature as my launch PS4 (your console may vary, depending on ambient room temperature). While the AMD APU inside the new PS4 may have may have undergone a die shrink-indeed, the similar AMD APU inside the Xbox One S underwent a 16nm FinFET redesign-Sony appears to have used the improved efficiency to cram the chip into a smaller case, rather than opt for a cooler console.
Similarly, there's little reason to upgrade to the new PS4 console. Unfortunately, if you do need to use the drive it's noticeably noisier than on the original PS4, emitting a rather irritating humming sound.Įnlarge / OG PS4 on the left, new PS4 on the right. If anything, the new PS4 is actually slightly quieter than the older model, at least when playing downloaded games that don't use the Blu-ray drive. Interestingly, this hasn't made the console any louder. The optical port has been removed, as has the extensive venting, leaving just the gaps around the edge of the console to pump out hot air.
Round the back of the new PS4 are more changes.
If it's in an AV cabinet and unlikely to get knocked about, it might be fine, but for those with bustling households the stand is a wise investment. Unlike the original PS4, which did OK without a stand, the reduced thickness of the new PS4 does make it wobbly when stood vertically. On the right of the new PS4, tucked into the gap between the two halves of the console, are teeny square, triangle, circle, and cross symbols, the circle doubling up as a hole to insert the optional vertical stand. Plus, those using chunky USB cables or USB sticks will have no problem filling both ports at the same time. There's a wide gap between them, which may seem a little odd at first, but it makes getting a cable into the port that much easier. Aesthetics are always going to be divisive, but I'm a fan of the subtler PS4 Slim.Ībove the power and reset buttons is the slot-loading Blu-ray drive, as well as two USB ports. The overall split-parallelepiped aesthetic remains, but the sharp, angular corners that gave the PS4 a monolithic vibe have been rounded off for a softer look, while the matte black surface is much closer to the slightly rougher surface of the PS3 Slim than the original PS4, resisting fingerprints well. Sure, the visible glow was a nice bit of electronic bling-and arguably useful when it glowed orange to let you know the PS4 was in rest mode-but its removal has rid the new PS4 of the horrors of the fingerprint-friendly glossy plastic, as well as given it a lovely uniform look. Take the light bar that once split the glossy plastic on the left (or the top if you're one of those horizontal users) from the matte plastic below on the launch PS4, for instance. In fact, after a week playing around with the new PS4, I'd even say some of those cuts have made it more attractive. That said, they're not ones most players will miss. That price means the new PS4 costs largely the same as the old one, and some features have been cut despite the lack of price reduction. When it goes on sale on September 15 the 500GB version of the new PS4 Slim will retail for £259/$299. Instead, the new PS4 (which replaces the old one) is much like the PS3 Slim: a leaner version of an existing console. It doesn't have a 4K Blu-ray player, nor does it feature slightly faster graphics processing than its bigger brother. Unlike Microsoft's compact console offering, the Xbox One S, the new smaller, slimmer, less glossy PlayStation 4 doesn't support 4K (UHD) resolution. For more on the PlayStation Pro, check out our coverage from the event.
The PS4 Slim was announced alongside the 4K-capable PlayStation Pro at the company's 2016 PlayStation Meeting event.