Sony knows how to build up to the Christmas in style, launching their PlayStation 4 Pro on 10 November.
Some console gamers will remember a time where you bought a console without feeling the urge to upgrade. Now gamers are tempted into upgrading their top of the line consoles earlier than ever. Starting a few years back, Microsoft and Sony released slim versions of their heavy hitting consoles. This year, the same two are upgrading with a little more punch and packing in performance enhancements. First up is the PlayStation 4 Pro.
Fun-ction over form
Packing in extra punch has led to the PlayStation 4 Pro becoming a big bulky beast of a machine. While some say this isn’t much to look at, we really appreciate the edgy design that Sony consistently brings to the table. Whether it be phones, tablets or consoles, at least they are consistent. Taking a leaf from the McDonalds school of thought, why have a cheeseburger when you can have a double cheeseburger.
Of course, virtual reality is a big deal for Sony right now. To give this the presence it deserves, The PlayStation 4 Pro added a super exciting extra USB slot – feel the excitement well up inside you and then fade away disappointingly into the abyss. That’s really it as far as looks are concerned.
Under the bonnet
Now this is where things get interesting. 1TB of storage allows you to download more games than the original 500GB version. Double the GPU’s, a faster CPU, 1 GB more of RAM which will provide 4.2 Teraflops of processing power. This basically means the PlayStation 4 Pro is double the power of the standard PS4. Don’t go putting your hands behind this when its on because dam it gets hot. It might be an idea to invest in worth investing in attachable fans down the line to combat this.
All that power, and for what?
The point of this power seems pretty straightforward – improve the experience. The quality of the experience with the PlayStation 4 Pro will be down to the type of TV you own and down to developers to make the games. Which we think might take some time. In truth, the biggest feature of the PlayStation 4 Pro is 4K. Using a technique called “checkerboard rendering,” game makers can turn 1080p games into 4K experiences, and the results are pretty astounding. If you own a 4K TV, you can play a number of current and older PS4 games in 4K; “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” and even the three-year-old “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” boast substantially crisper visuals. And if your set and the game support HDR (high-dynamic range), you’ll experience a bigger contrast between light and dark.
On another epic point, Sony has made with the new console is there will be no exclusive games for the Pro, all games past present and future will have complete crossover ability.
The €400 question
It’s an important question and really the big one, is the PlayStation 4 Pro worth the money?
Well, kind off. You are getting the most powerful console on the market and one that is future proofed in the race to full 4K. However, there’s really nothing the Pro will do on a standard HD TV. So while a full library of games is not there yet you’re basically paying for the extra memory and potential. Maybe put the money towards a VR headset instead.
