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Sony’s long-rumoured super-powered PlayStation console has been unveiled as the PS4 Pro.
Following months of speculation about the box, codenamed ‘Neo’, and Microsoft’s announcement of the similarly pumped up Project Scorpio, the PS4 Pro was confirmed to support native 4K resolutions and high dynamic range (HDR) – with the latter graphical feature also coming to the original PS4 and the PS4 Slim, announced alongside the Pro, in a software update.
The PS4 Pro will be powered by AMD’s eight-core Jaguar processor in combination with an GPU based on AMD’s Radeon chipset running at 4.20 teraflops. 8GB of GGDR5 RAM matches the original PS4’s memory capacity.
The machine will also bump up storage to 1TB of space from the original PS4’s default 500GB.
Interestingly, the machine will not include a 4K Blu-ray drive – unlike Microsoft’s rival Xbox One S and Scorpio consoles – meaning that users will be able to stream or download 4K video but will be unable to play 4K discs. One reason for the decision may be Sony’s ability to offer the box at a lower price – £349, in line with the PS4’s original launch cost.
The Pro’s increased specs means the hardware will be able to offer enhanced visuals for future titles, as well as adding support for improved graphics, 4K and HDR for already released games – such as Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4 – through patches.
However, PS4 system architect Mark Cerny admitted that Sony “will not expect all developers to support HDR on PS4 Pro”.
The PlayStation Pro is set for release on November 10th.
What do you think about the news and the effect it could have on developers? Let us know on Twitter @developonline.
