The PlayStation 4 Pro, Was it Worth It?

Alex S. from Link Cable Gaming writes: "The PlayStation 4 Pro, was it worth it? Now that the PlayStation 5 has been released and Sony has reportedly begun discontinuing all but the base PS4 (Slim) model, we felt like it would be a good time to look back at the legacy of Sony’s premium PS4 system and answer the question we asked ourselves way back near its launch."

[RazzerRedux]

"So what’s the verdict? Was the PlayStation 4 Pro worth it? Honestly, unless you’re the kind of person who always wants to be on the cutting edge and needed to play your PS4 games in 4K, then no, it never was – and now that it’s being discontinued to make room for the PlayStation 5, likely won’t be talked about much."

Uh yeah.....if you are not going to utilize newer tech then you probably shouldn't buy newer tech. And last gen is always talked about less and less than current gen. Quite the Captain Obvious conclusion there.

[SullysCigar]

Quite agree. What's more, for anyone with PSVR, the Pro made a notable difference to clarity and performance.

It also removed the effect where the centre of the image was clearer than that in your peripheral vision (I forget the name of the effect, but it's used to save memory).

[Notellin]

Came here to mention VR and PS4 pro were where it really shined.

[UltraNova]

I've owned the Pro since day one and it was not worth in hindsight. But, seeing and experiencing the current PS5 shortage, which looks like continuing for a good while, I'm happy to be able to play cross gen games at a "respectable performance" until I finally find a ps5 in stock. For that reason alone can we say it's kinda worth it? Personally speaking no.

That leaves me with the next question, will a PS5 Pro worth it? I'm not that optimistic tbh.

[SullysCigar]

^ @UltraNova, so to you it wasn't worth it, but it was, but it wasn't. Got it (kinda)!

What I don't get, is why you've replied to me without even acknowledging VR, which both me and @Notellin were talking about.

[UltraNova]

Sully,

Valid questions I must admit. It wasn't worth it to me in the end because all OG PS4 games were optimised well and the difference in performance vs the Pro wasn't so dramatic. That said I can't discount the Pro's value today when cross gen is a thing as well. I'm being fair and unbiased.

As for VR from what I've read and heard, yes it was totally worth it pairing it with a Pro, I have neglected to touch on that because I do not own a PSVR and I don't like commenting on something I haven't experienced that well.

Hope that clears things up.

[Taero]

Foveated rendering I think?

[SullysCigar]

^ Fair play @UltraNova :^)

And @Taero, I believe you're right - thanks!

[darthv72]

I just picked up the battlefront pro last night for $100. The seller said it stopped working, turns out it was just a bad hard drive. I had it up and running in no time. As for the VR, I recently hooked it up to my original pro and yeah it makes a difference compared to the slim. Has anyone had issues with lens fogging? I am and was wondering if there is something I can put on the inside to prevent that.

[bouzebbal]

Pro is amazing.. 4K gaming, supersampling for 1080p screens, enhances VR games.. A good beast!
Days Gone, God of War, Tlou2, Tsushima, GTS Horizon look stunning.

[CorndogBurglar]

The funny thing is I would have loved to have gotten a PS4 Pro, but I never did. I didn't feel like it was NEEDED or NECESSARY. But thats just me. Its all up to opinion. For me, I wasn't going to go spend another $400 or $500 (whatever it cost at launch) for a mid-gen upgrade knowing PS5 was only a couple years around the corner.

If my base PS4 had died on me, 100% I would have replaced it with a Pro. It just all depends on what people want. But my base PS4 served me well, and still is. The only game I ever felt like I needed a Pro for was Control, because it struggles on the base console. And CyberPunk, also, but thats kind of a different story and still runs poorly on the Pro.

[Ju]

Traded mine in. So, was $150, not 400...and it was absolutely worth it.

[TallDarknWavy]

I've read Cyberpunk runs around 30 FPS with dips in open world driving. It's not exactly poor.
I love my Pro, every game runs so much better with more solid frame rates and crisper textures due to super sampling.

[fr0sty]

I love mine, especially for VR. Getting to enjoy all my games in above 1080p (sometimes true) 4K in HDR has been great.

[mikeslemonade]

Yea it was worth it. I would even be a proponent for 3 console iterations per generation. The Pro is not even a 4k console and not at all cutting edge.

[demonseye]

@UltraNova so far all we know about the ps5 Pro is that there wont be one.
are we a 100% sure their won't be one of course not.
but we are a 100% sure they are planing not to make a ps5 pro right now.
as they said they thought it won't be needed and instead they think the ps5 life cycle will just be a lot shorter than the ps4. because the chances of 8k becoming a standard in games in the next 4 years are exteremly low. the chances are higher the consoles cant keep up perfomance wise so that means next gen will come earlier.

[Teflon02]

All I say is. If it wasn't for pro. We'd never have upgraded versions of PS4 games at higher res for _k use on ps5. That alone is good enough

[RazzerRedux]

That's an excellent point.

[Elda]

It was well worth it for me. I love new tech including seeing great graphics looking sharp vivid & clean on a tv screen. When I bought my first 50 inch Samsung 4k hdr tv back in early 2016 the games on the Pro displayed on the tv looked fab!

[CobraKai]

It was totally worth it. Even playing non-pro-enhanced games saw upscaling to 4k.

[Vits]

This is something that will vary greatly between people. From my anectodal experience there is those that found it to be a disappointment because it was often not 4K. Others though it was a worth upgrade, but nothing amazing. Meanwhile a third group found it to be the only PS4 version that was worth it given how much better games runned on it in comparison to the base model.

[Knushwood Butt]

The psvr benefits are worth it to me.

Currently playing Robinson The Journey on my pro.

[purple101]

Morpheus and neo were the code names for ps4 pro and psvr. The resolution anti aailising and load times were improved. It's was never a full 4k system and to think otherwise is silly.

I got one even to pay on 1080p as i got a good deal with uncharted 4 & GT sport for 300.

Just sold it on eBay for 275.

I couldn't be happier.

[Knushwood Butt]

I'm considering selling my main Pro as I can get good money for it now where I am (Japan). They are in demand here and very hard to get. I could get 27,000 Yen for it selling to a second hand store. More if I auctioned it privately. I plan to get a PS5, but they are also very hard to get here.

I also have a limited edition Death Stranding Pro, unopened, which I am putting into the vault for collection purposes.

[waverider]

Of course it did. Any game looked better and it only cost 399.... if you got a 4k tv even better.

[Neonridr]

for me, I got it because I was getting a PSVR and I wanted to make sure my experience was as good as possible. That and I wanted the option to utilize increased resolutions (I didn't get my first 4K TV until Feb 2017). Was it needed? No, the base PS4 still did a great job and provided a fantastic experience.

[Fist4achin]

It was my buy in to the last generation and at the time I had the cash, so why not?!

[Mr Logic]

Yes. Bought for $310 sold 2 years later for $275. $35 well spent.

[Abnor_Mal]

Can't say for anyone else, but for me it was worth it. When I bought mine it was day one release, I had recently bought a new 4K TV. I also bought a PSVR day one, so with all their powers combined games looked great on screen and even better in vr compared to my base model.

[Outlawzz]

Never purchased one. Base ps4 suited my needs perfectly fine and still does honestly. I'll probably wait for the eventual ps5 revision just like I waited for a ps4 revision.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Worth it....and then some.

[S2Killinit]

For me yes. I just loved all the great games they kept delivering and the graphics upgrade was nice because I always feel like its good to have longer console generations but it would be nice to be able to upgrade halfway during the generation so you arent using ancient hardware.

[jonivtec]

No....will be dropped like.the xbox one x in maximum 1 year or 2.

[Hawk198666]

What.

[badz149]

@jonivtec

err...do you live under a rock or something? Sony Japan has decided to stop production of the Pro to produce more PS5 and might impose that decision to the west too once the sales plummet and the PS5 stocks are maintained.

personally, I can't believe my launch PS4 (bought Dec 2013) is still running strong to this day. the only problems I had with it was the disc roller popped out of its place which I managed to fix myself and the jet sounded fan which was caused by the dust buildup in the heatsink which I also cleaned myself.

but for what it was, the Pro was a good investment IMO. I never needed the Pro but my brother decided to get a PS4 but he only play sports games, so I topped him up some money and got us the Red Spidey Pro and I'm using it while he uses my launch PS4. he already returned it because he no longer game due to work so now I have both in separate rooms. the Pro is definitely the way to go on 4K TV as 1080p of the launch one was quite distracting for me. many games run better on the Pro too ESPECIALLY PSVR games for the past 3 years since it launched. but now with the PS5, I understand why Sony would discontinue it. compared to the PS5, sure it was not a good investment at all NOW but it had its time and it has served it well.

[Hawk198666]

Definitely. Games running at a higher and more stable frame rate, some like Rage 2 60fps instead of 30 on standard PS4. Only 1 downside and that's the fan noise, some games make the fan go nuts.

[Profchaos]

For me yes it was worth it especially for its impact on VR games which I own a great deal of and still use it took some games from a muddy puddle to visually nice for example Skyrim had a huge advantage on the pro

I also did really enjoy HDR and 4k in a.number of games but the cost of the system wasn't.that bad I traded in my launch PS4 which was already on the way out it had a issue with the HDMI port and got a pro for $300 AUD which of I had to buy a new base PS4 would have easily cost me $300 anyway.

If my console wasn't breaking however it would be a harder sell I think a lot of people didn't know just how much tlit would impact games in the later years for example modern warfare had lots of issues on the base that weren't on pro same with ace combat 7 as two examples

[franwex]

I didn’t think it would be worth it for me, hence I never got one. I was fine with regular PS4.

Now if regular PS4 was upgradable somehow for like $150 to PS4 pro status-then yeah. I probably would have gone that route.

[chiefJohn117]

Unless you were heavy into VR no

[Dreadnort]

The only real reason that the Pro and One X were needed, was because the base machines were simply not good enough. The Pro and X were the consoles we should have got at the start of the last generation.

[potatoseal]

Of course it was. It was amazing

[TheColbertinator]

Not really. Better options for 4K video out there

[ecchiless]

sure the new amiga is great for 4k and 5.5k

[FlavorLav01]

Loved mine, improved frame rate options and even upscaled 4k res were a nice jump for my eyesballs at the time playing on a decent 4k Bravia. Performance mode in games like Nioh and God of War were crucial, especially on higher difficulties. And the Rez bump! More than welcome to experience games like Spider-Man, Days Gone, Last of Us 2, and Ghost of Tsushima with general higher performance settings and resolutions. I personally enjoy seeing the gaming medium be pushed, PS has met that challenge continually. Got my money’s worth and then some out of my PRO.

[gold_drake]

definitely worth it for me.
yea it was kinda loud but i didnt mind all too much. the added boost in performance was great!

[Starman69]

Shame the CPU was still a bit naff!

[antikbaka]

no

[Pyrofire95]

Hells yeah baby. And now we benefit especially with the PS5 backwards compatibility.

[Father__Merrin]

The ps4pro clearly had more peformance it loooked pretty good and was recently priced. Gtsport on a pro looked incredible

[The Wood]

took advantage of 4k and vr off the bat. The games prove this but a bigger jump from the base s4 would have been appreciated.

[Espangerish]

The hardware didnt go far enough me. I would have been happy to pay more for a system capable of hitting 60FPS in for all base titles in 1080p or a solid minimum 30fps at 4k.

But thats just me I guess, I cant stand playing games with frame rates fluctuating all over the place. Especially when they drop below 30.

My frustration ultimately lead to get a PC which can hit 60fps at 4k in everything. For me the difference is night and day.

[SoloFish]

Ps5 seems to just about manage this so that's kind of good. Mid gen refresh should hopefully be the console that can finally do 4k 60fps??

[Espangerish]

That’s exactly the console I would want. A truly premium console for a truly premium experience.

[Ratchet75]

Hell yeah, it was worth it.

[moriarty1889]

Great console for me. Definitely was worth it. Solid upgrade and my games all looked better than ever on it.

[SoloFish]

Yes. Better frame rates, better load times, supersampling on my 1080 screen looks sharp and it is a bit like a big mac

[Stanjara]

For me yes.
I skipped regular Ps4 and got DualShock V2, 1Tb SATA3 hdd, faster WiFi 5mhz, faster GPu and Cpu clock.
I had no issues with performance, or crashing. 30fps games were rock solid and also 60fps modes too.
I am playing on 1080p screen with supersampling off.
I'm not in the need for 4k yet, so I'll make that jump with PS5...when some serious games come along. I do understand that people with 4k had higher expectations and louder fan noise but for me system performed fantastic.
I like to play smaller titles and avoid AAA hype so I think I will make an SSD upgrade and wait for PS5 pro.

[Sayai jin]

Yes, of course.

[LoveSpuds]

Well Digital Foundry certainly identified its clear performance benefits over the base PS4, and I certainly noticed the step up in performance on almost every game I have played over that last 2 and a half years.

[ScootaKuH]

It was definitely worth it for me. I got mine in the 2018 black Friday sales so it was already reduced. I also had a Love2Shop voucher that I got from work which I used towards the cost of the Pro. In terms of real money it only cost me £40 so I can't complain at that!

[XBManiac]

Totally worth.

[micdagoat19]

I just realized that you dont get 4k & hdr when the VR is hooked up which is ridiculous. Im curious, do all of you disconnect and reconnect the VR all the time? I'm going to try and find a splitter so I can leave it conected

[sagapo]

In my opinion, if you didn’t care for VR, the pro was barely worth it.

[1nsomniac]

For the benefits to PSVR yes. Other than that it was a waste of time and money.

[EazyC]

If anything it's got me wondering if I should wait for a PS5 pro...the idea of mid-cycle upgrades gives consumers a tricky choice.

[Youngindy21]

It was for me, because I didn't own a PS4 before the Pro and now I don't feel the urge to immediately upgrade to the PS5 like those w/ a base PS4. Games still look really great on the Pro.