PS4 May Get 4K Upgrade

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Sony is said to be working on an upgrade to the PS4 to support 4K resolution. It may work without the need to buy a whole new console.

The report from Kotaku is based on conversations with unnamed developers who’ve received word from Sony.

The main change would be an upgraded GPU that would be partly designed to support 4K and partly to boost the processing power with the aim of allowing more powerful games on the forthcoming Playstation VR headset.

Apparently developers have been using the term “Playstation 4.5,” a name that appears to be a working title at best rather than an official one. There’s also no timescale for a release and no sign that the idea is at an advanced stage.

Why Sony would make such a move now is also unclear, though one theory is that with hindsight it’s decided that these higher specs should really have been in the PS4 from the start to future-proof it. That theory has it that Sony was forced to leave them out because it felt the pressure of competition to get the console out at roughly the same time as the Xbox One. In turn, two years feels just too early to release a completely new console.

How exactly the upgrade would work is also unclear. One possibility is that Sony switches to the “4.5” with a new manufacturing run, but offers a generous trade-in for original PS4s. Another is that it lets customers keep their existing console but have the GPU replaced.

In theory Sony could even sell the new GPU for customers to install themselves, but that sounds like the type of situation that would give its lawyers conniptions with the possibility of something going wrong and it being arguable on who’s to blame.

Whatever the approach, Sony would likely have to be very careful in how it pitched things. It seems far too early to risk users feeling that their PS4 is now outdated or no longer the “current gen”, but at the same time Sony would need to push the benefits to make people feel happy to pay whatever the upgrade cost turns out to be. In particular, it would have to be very careful not to make it seem like people sticking with an “ordinary” PS4 wouldn’t get the full value from buying the Playstation VR headset.


Free eBook: Practical Change Management for IT Projects (a $39.99 value!)

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[Free eBook: Practical Change Management for IT Projects (a $39.99 value!)]

10 Actors Who Almost Went Crazy In Their Roles [Video]

Method acting isn’t a new technique, but the idea of living the life of a character in order to give an honest performance has only gotten more popular in the last few decades. Some actors can take the technique a bit too far, however, pushing the limits of both themselves and those around them. Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Actors Who Almost Went Crazy in Their Roles.

[Screen Rant]

Check Out This Amazing “Street Fighter 2” Themed Photoshoot by Dana Tarr

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I am very lucky to know some incredibly talented people. One of those people is a young man by the name of Dana Tarr. He wanted nothing more than to be a photographer, and unlike most people, he actually chased that dream aggressively until it was in his hands. From shooting Nicki Minaj (say what you want about her music but no man in his right mind would’ve passed up that opportunity) to hanging out with Clinton Sparks, he has already made a massive name for himself. But as you can see from the work below, the man has a gift.

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But the beautiful thing is, much like most cool people, he is a geek at heart, as you can see from this stellar photoshoot. The two stunning models (and bloggers too!) you see above are Arielle Paul (Chun Li) and Ashley Bard (Lara Croft). This amazing layout (From the I, ECHO PARK blog) is about as meta as it gets. Chun-Li playing as Chun-Li (sporting victory pose)! There is much beauty in that. From the costumes to the visual effects, this is as good as it gets, and I am not just saying that because I know them.

Also, how bleeping nice is it to see an old-school arcade get represented too? If you live in the Los Angeles area, the Button Mash arcade/bar is a must-visit spot for geeks!

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Huge props to all involved. I am blessed to know some of the people I know (and now, so are you).

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Source: [I, ECHO PARK | Dana Tarr Photography | Button Mash Olschool Arcade (LA)]

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