Sony Corp. released two new versions of its PlayStation 4 gaming console on Wednesday: the PlayStation 4 Pro, a powerful device designed to run virtual reality games and display high-quality video, and a slimmer, more efficient version of the PlayStation 4 that's an incremental improvement on the original first released in November 2013.
The PS4 Pro will go on sale Nov. 10 for $399 (about ¥40,300). The PS4 will cost $299 — $50 less than today's model — and be available in most markets on Sept. 15. Aspects of both devices have leaked or openly discussed by Sony over the past several months.
For most consumer electronics devices, it's not unusual to see updated versions appear after a three-year pause. But gaming consoles operate on their own rhythm. Seven years passed between the release of the PlayStation 3 and PS4. The devices unveiled Wednesday don't technically count as a new generation — the gaming press has regularly referred to the PS4 Pro as a kind of "PS4½." But they do mark a notable shift toward a strategy of more frequent updates in the hopes that people will pony up for a new console more than once or twice a decade.