PS4 Pro: Everything We Know So Far
The pros and cons of Sony's brand new console.
Sony's most recent press conference wasn't exactly the most thrilling event in gaming history, but it was an interesting one. It was interesting to see a company - that has been dominating console sales charts for nearly three years - unveil a machine that doesn't do anything hugely different from the PS4 that's been selling like crazy as it is.
The PS4 Pro does pack an upgrade in the graphics department, but it's hardly a generation-to-generation leap, something many fans were hoping for given Microsoft's announcement of the upcoming 'Project Scorpio' - which, for all intents and purposes, will be the PS5's rival. Does this mean the Pro will become obsolete in a year's time? Possibly.
And while it is odd that Sony didn't simply wait another year and announce a vastly more powerful, slimmer, backwards-compatible PS5, the Pro does give us an insight into the future of console gaming. Just as Apple reveal a brand-new, marginally-improved phone every year, Sony appear to be ushering in a landscape where we get more consoles with smaller jumps in between them, instead of waiting five years between generations.
So, now that we've had over a week for the dust to settle and every morsel of news to sneak out onto the inter-web, here's everything we know so far about Sony's PS4 Pro...
9. Price Point
In terms of pricing, it appears Sony have learned their lesson from the ridiculously costly PlayStation 3, which was unveiled in 2006 at the ever-so arrogant figure of $599 (around £460). At £349, the PS4 Pro is very much in line with the price of the standard PS4, which cost that same price when it released in 2013.
In comparison, the PS4 Slim - also announced at Sony's press event - will set you back just £259, while the recently released Xbox One S has three price points for three different models; the 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB consoles are priced at £249, £299, and £349 respectively. Unfortunately for Sony, the Xbox One S also supports 4k and HDR - the Pro's two biggest selling points - and it's £100 cheaper, if you choose the 500GB model.
So while the PS4 Pro's price is actually quite affordable, it seems silly to pay £349 when you can get a similar experience for £249, albeit with Microsoft. And to top it all off, that £349 seems even steeper when you consider that PS VR is also launching this year - how are people meant to afford both pieces of hardware so close to Christmas?
If you don't have a PS4 yet then the Pro is a fine jumping-on point, but for those who already have the standard model, the upgrade doesn't seem to make financial sense.