Why The PlayStation 4 Pro Doesn't Go Far Enough

For the last few years we’ve had a refreshed and reinvigorated Sony, one that has nailed the gaming zeitgeist with its powerful hardware, high-quality games, and consistent and convincing interaction with its core audience. However, this week’s PlayStation Meeting, and the deathly dull announcement of both the PlayStation 4 Slim and PlayStation 4 Pro, saw a Sony that was overconfident, lazy, and placed more value on simply being first rather than being better.

[S2Killinit]

Well then, since PS4pro actually has a wider power gap with the standard PS4, then scorpio's power gap with the ps4pro would be even more dissapointing.

[Gazondaily]

What? 43% more difference isnt enough?

[Aenea]

Was the 40% more power difference enough for Xbox fans to go buy a PS4 instead?

[Gazondaily]

Of course it was. Loads of people did exactly that. Didn't you know?

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

Listen, I personally still like the situation the PS4 is in. They aren't trying to change the game, the PS4 Pro is an option for people who have 4K TV's. This isn't supposed to be a totally new next gen console. PS4 has a big userbase and a lot of great games in the works, they just want to maintain what they have and be in position to reach consumers with a good price point.

XBOX One on the other hand had already lost the console war, so they don't have much to loose, they're going for broke and trying to stir things up by making the most powerful console they can but how much is it going to cost and what will the games be like? It's not all about power, it's about games. Last time I checked the PS2 wasn't the most powerful console either.

[King_Lothric]

50% more power of the PS4 versus the Xbox one was nothing according to you people.

So now it turns out 43% is a huge deal? You got to put your stuff together.

[kraenk12]

Less than the gap between X1 and PS4, so...no. It's not gonna matter in 15 month or so, when Scorpio will be much more expensive...PS4 was cheaper, you forget?! Also it's much more than the pure power difference why PS4 is leading by far.

[Krangs_Uncle]

I do think it should come with a UHD Bluray player - I don't need one as I use a NAS server with a Shield etc. so i actually welcome the strip down to be able to bring the price down. But I think it should come with one regardless for fans of physical UHD discs seeing as it is a "Pro" model.

May I just add though, all the people here praising the XBox Slim for having one, are the same people moaning about having to buy a 4K television to be able to see the benefits of the Pro. Same with the HDR.

At least be consistent.

[FamilyGuy]

Adding the drive would have barely raised hardware cost, not even a $50 increase. They just really don't want to go over $400 because of how bad it hurt them with the PS3 launch. They're scared and they don't want to sell consoles at a loss so here we are.

[Aenea]

Probably wouldn't have raised hardware one cent. It would have cost them licensing fees I suppose, since they would also need to support all the crap 4k UHD bluray can support which are even more licenses they need to pay for every single console sold. Yes, they are one of the inventors themselves, but they would still have to pay the fees to the bluray consortium....

[Gecksta]

So what about power. Developers have to make games for vanilla ps4. And they can't even do that at 1080 and 30 plus frames. If this had an ssd and made it load faster or gave us all the functionality we had last gen, I would buy it.

[joeorc]

I can see the writer , having such his opinion, and many infact may agree with that assessment.

But I think , keeping the price point lower and making sure that the Standard PS4 , slim and PS4Pro are not as far separate in functionality and keeping a unified software front along with making sure all PS4's can now be a live Cable TV cord cutter DVR system for your TV also allows Sony to keep all PS4's more on the same page no matter what model of PS4 you get.

Putting in a Blu-ray UHD play back functionality in one but not the other or the original PS4 already would separate the systems from the base model even more .

Example :

Many talked about not separately driving a wedge between the early adopters an the need to update to this new PS4Pro..is with HDR update allowing current PS4 system owners to see , that their current PS4 is being supported for so as to keep current PS4's just as a viable system as the new PS4Pro.

[King_Lothric]

Because it is a mid gen upgrade and not a new next gen system.

This has been explained so many times. I wonder why is so difficult to understand to some people.

[ocelot07]

Seriously what do people expect for £350? I watched a video on youtube by boogie2988. I love that guy he is funny and humble. But even he in his video yesterday was comparing the PS4 Pro to a GTX 1080. Saying PS4 Pro has 4.2tflops and the and the 1080 has 9tflops so it's simply not enough. But yet failed to mention that the PS4 Pro costs $400 and the 1080 costs like $650 and that is just for a GPU.

[Chevalier]

Exactly! The price in itself is a winning point even before pointing out the GPU increases. All the other camp seems to think that Scorpio has it in the bag, but, it's doubtful the power will matter if the price is high. By the time Scorpio comes out the Pro will be even cheaper and price is going to beat out power any day.

[ocelot07]

Agreed I think Scorpio is going to be a success at least I hope it is. But no one knows for sure what it really is. For all we know it could be a Microsoft branded PC that is console size like a steam box.

[Chevalier]

I have my doubts Scorpio will be able to keep the price down with what they want to do. Plus we remember how hard PS3 was to sell at $600. Also look at the sales of Xbox One when they were $100 more. I know this time they are offering more power for the extra money, but, even then it will also be a year later. Again we remember how hard it was for PS3 in the U.S. market after coming a year after 360. If the Pro turns out to be successful, Scorpio is going to have a hard time I would think.

[glenisahat]

Anyone knows if the PS4 Pro will actually make THAT much of a difference in terms of PS VR? Enough to fork out the cash?

[IIFloodyII]

That Farpoint game will have double the resolution of the standard mode, so yeah, it'll probably make a big difference for most VR games, though they haven't said anything for any of the others yet and not gave any more detail than that, which was Cerny saying it during the conference.

[glenisahat]

Isn't there a limit to the display of the VR headset itself though? In terms of pixels and resolution I mean. I feel they wouldn't just to push VR as hard as they did if it meant that the PS4 (standard) is gonna be that much inferior. Just my thoughts anyway though, I'm not well-versed enough in the tech department to actually know for sure lol.

That extra horsepower might come in handy for VR processing though, like, in terms of textures since a lot of adopted VR games (e.g. Drive Club) had to scale back on texture quality.

[IIFloodyII]

@glenisahat

I believe it's limited, but can't actually find out at what (1080p is my guess), so maybe it'll downsample it from whatever the Pro can push it up to.
We need to hear more really though, so far Sony hasn't really said what the benefits will be for PSVR on Pro, probably so they don't completely kill PSVR sales until the Pro is out and affordable to many.

[esmittystud101]

"Doesn't go far enough".................. ..

Every console there has ever been. That's why its a console..........and not a PC. Its supposed to not go far enough. Its only $399.................

As for the Pro not having a 4K disc player.........the 4K movie section at Best Buy is smaller than their CD section..............there aren't any hardly. 4K movies will just be like Blu Rays, it will take years to get people to buy them.

[Lennoxb63]

"Every console there has ever been. That's why its a console."

You must be very young lol. The Sega Genesis and the Nintendo 64 were VERY powerful systems for the times they came out. Nearly considered high end.

[esmittystud101]

. I had both of them, LOL. There were PC's back then, consoles didn't touch them then either. That's why they have always been underpowered in the world of gaming. I rocked Doom on Windows 3.1, LOL. I used to play Oregon Trail on a huge Floppy Disk as well. Before Windows 3.1 of course.

"Console only" players back then had no idea included me how well PC gaming was going.

[zivtheawesome]

there are two reasons for sony's descion:
1) to not seperate between ps4 and pro players ( with xbox's gap there is no way that they would mentain the exclusives for xbox one)
2) price. when sony announced the ps4 for 399 and ms announced xbox one for 499, sony realized that 399 is the golden number for them between sales and great performence so they try as much as they can to not sell any playstation product above that price.

[M-M]

I don't know why people think it's weak. It's a mid-gen upgrade, not apart of a new generation. On top of that, the GPU in it is more powerful than a non-overclocked GTX 970 which is really good. For that price you're getting a pretty good deal.

[masterfox]

because it will be priced at $399 ?

[Bolts]

Will Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne runs at 1080p with better textures and 60 FPS or not?? If not then the PS Pro is weak as hell.

[kraenk12]

I can't understand all the bitching. A console three times as powerful as the nearest competitor for almost the same price seems like an amazing deal to me.