Sony 'PlayStation 4.5' could be revealed by October

The 'PlayStation 4.5' will reportedly be released before the PlayStation VR's launch in October

The PlayStation 4's successor could be coming out this year (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

The rumoured 'PlayStation 4.5' could be arriving this year, according to reports.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal has said the new console will be broadly similar to the PlayStation 4, but will have beefed-up internal components which will allow it to play games in 4K resolution.

The more powerful machine would also be better at handling the PlayStation VR, Sony's upcoming virtual reality headset.

There's no news on a solid release date yet, but the WSJ's sources said it would be announced before the launch of the PlayStation VR in October - so we could see it sooner rather than later. Major annual gaming conference E3 is coming up in June, so it's possible we'll find out more then.

Speaking earlier this year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer told the press that Microsoft was considering making its console upgradeable at the start of March, possibly through hardware add-ons which gamers could purchase to keep their machines on the cutting edge of technology.

There's no indication of this modular approach at Sony, however. The WSJ said PlayStation fans would need to buy the new console if they wanted to get the upgrades, although one source said it was likely that older PS4 games would be compatible with it, and vice-versa.

There's no information yet on the console's pricing, but it's likely that upgraded hardware will come at a premium. However, with the cost of a high-end VR headset and a compatible gaming PC running into the thousands, a PlayStation 4.5 coupled with the PlayStation VR could be a good bundle for VR fans.