The PS4 just got a little bit more powerful

Okay, tech time: the PS4 has an eight core CPU (actually, two four core ones but let's keep this simple). Until recently it used to reserve two of those for the operating system, meaning games were powered by the remaining six. Now a seventh has been unlocked for general use.

That means the PS4 now has a little bit of extra power it can throw at games in general. The Xbox One did something similar last year which apparently gave it a noticeable boost in some areas, along with some additional overclocking.

Quite what this new power will bring to PlayStation is unclear, as it seems to have been snuck out with no song or dance. The patch notes of FMOD, a middleware audio engine simply makes a passing mention:

According to Digital Foundry, sources have told it that this new resource is actually split between game and operating system duties, so it's not as clean cut as a whole new core for developers to use. When Xbox One unlocked its core, the amount available to a game depended on OS demands - voice commands could apparently tie up half what was available, for example. Obviously this is also only going to affect new games going forward, unless studios retroactively patch something in for older titles (unlikely considering the time and cost involved).

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Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.