Sony makes the PS4 more powerful by unlocking an extra CPU core

Sony has apparently unlocked an extra core in the PlayStation 4‘s eight-core CPU, which could potentially have positive ramifications for gamers.

Members of the Beyond3D forum spotted a mention of the unlocked CPU core in some release notes – “PS4 – Added FMOD_THREAD_CORE6 to allow access to the newly unlocked 7th core” – although Sony has yet to confirm anything as of yet.

It’s likely that the seventh core has been unlocked for developers only for the time being, and we don’t expect any existing games to make use of the extra power, at least without a patch.

Up till now, only six cores were dedicated to games, while the last two handled the operating system. It’s likely that the OS itself has been optimised to such an extent, that an extra core can be dedicated purely to gaming purposes.

How much difference this extra core will make in future games however, remains to be seen. Microsoft made a similar move with the Xbox One earlier this year, but for the time being at least, don’t expect much, if anything, to drastically change.

[via Engadget]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.