Sony Playstation 4: new 1TB model announced, old model slimmed down

Launch comes just a week after Microsoft announced an expanded Xbox One

(Sony)

Sony has launched a new version of its PlayStation 4, adding a bigger hard drive and changing the console’s case.

The new console has had its internal hard drive doubled to 1TB — in line with the new Xbox, announced last week. And the 500GB model has been slimmed down, making it 10 per cent lighter and 8 per cent more power efficient.

The new 1TB console — named the “Ultimate Player Edition” — will be released in “select” countries in Europe on July 2015. A broader release after that is expected but has not yet been confirmed.

The 500GB console also has a slightly different look. The hard drive bay has a matte finish which it claims makes the console look “casual”, and will be released in black and white.

Along with the new PlayStation, the company has also updated its PlayStation app for Android and iOS. It will now let users enter promotional codes from within the app, rather than redeeming them on the PlayStation 4, and lets people see comments on streams from the app, when video is being broadcast from the console.