PS4.5 could arrive after E3, before the holidays

Not only is the PS4 4K hardware refresh happening, but according to a new report, it could be on store shelves for the holidays.

Sony is indeed planning on selling a new higher-end version of the PS4, sources familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal, and that version will be more capable of handling VR than the current PS4.

Both PS4 and the rumored PS4.5 are said to share the same library of games, however it's likely that older units will offer a compromised VR experience, with one idea thrown around that those gamers might not get a 360-degree experience.

Finally, the sources said to expect an announcement before PlayStation VR comes out in October, with retail units hitting store shelves by the end of 2016.

PS4.5 will peeve new PS4 owners

Sony Group President and CEO Andrew House announced earlier in the month that the PS4 had sold 36 million consoles worldwide over the past two and a half years.

Should the PS4.5 come to fruition, Sony might find itself in a bit of hot water with consumers who recently purchased the system and now possibly won't get the full VR experience the PS4-purveyor promised them.

That said, Nintendo recently made a similar move with the 3DS line of handhelds with this year's New Nintendo 3DS that offered a second directional stick and an upgraded processor, and there was little to no pushback on the matter.

• Why a 4K PS4 would betray the console code