PlayStation 4 & Xbox One adopting Nintendo’s handheld update strategy makes sense to analysts

Your Xbox One is obsolete. Your PlayStation 4 is junk. But if these consoles are starting to feel old, Microsoft and Sony may step in to sell you the same thing all over again with something extra sprinkled on top.

Analysts think it’s possible that Sony and Microsoft could start applying Nintendo’s iterative strategy for handhelds to home consoles to release a new PS4 (which many are dubbing PS4.5 and PS4K) or an updated Xbox One. Coming out of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, Kotaku reported a rumor that Sony is showing developers a revamped version of its home console. The improved PS4 reportedly has more horsepower and the capability to output 4K visuals. Sony has not confirmed this, but we’ve spoken to a handful of industry insiders who are not surprised by this leak — others mentioned they couldn’t comment due to a nondisclosure agreement. Rumors of a mid-cycle PS4 upgrade was something a few were hearing even before Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer spoke about introducing iterative improvements to the Xbox One hardware during a spring showcase for Microsoft games. Now it appears that both major console manufacturers could have new hardware in the near future.