Sony Makes Minor Hardware Update To PlayStation 4 Pro

The team over at Sony is making a few tweaks to its PlayStation 4 Pro – but not quite in the way that you'd expect.

The company has shifted the model number of the jet black PlayStation 4 system in Japan from CUH-7000 to CUH-7100, according to Japanese website 4Gamer. In addition, it was confirmed that the forthcoming Monster Hunter World limited edition console, which will only be sold in Japan (for the moment), will also have the same model number.

4Gamer did a little digging as to why Sony changed the model number on the system, and it noted that it's basically required mainly due to an update with the internal components of the console – even though its general performance will remain the same. That means it'll still perform as planned, with no new tweaks to make things any better than the core model that was first introduced last year.

That said, Sony has done this in the past with its model numbering on systems like the PlayStation 2 (with differences between the open-tray model and the Slim); the PlayStation 3 (with its different designs and hard drive space); and the PlayStation 4 (with its different models, including the new Slim one and the gold system it introduced earlier this year).

It's kind of weird, though, that Sony would just change the model number here while the general model remains the same. What's more, if the company is using cheaper components in order to make the PlayStation 4 Pro more efficient, wouldn't those be reflected in a price cut? Or could there be one on the way for this holiday season, in the hopes of competing with Microsoft's forthcoming Xbox One X system?

Sony hasn't announced its holiday plans just yet, outside of its game line-up, which includes titles like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the upcoming Gran Turismo Sport and the just announced Horizon: Zero Dawn Complete Edition. That should be more than efficient for most gamers, but the introduction of a holiday markdown would push its sales even further, especially as it tries to get more PlayStation 4 Pro systems out the door.

You can pick up the PlayStation 4 Pro now.