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Two new PlayStation consoles will be available before Christmas.
Sony last night at its PlayStation Meeting event confirmed two machines – the PS4 Pro (known until now as the PS4 Neo) and the redesigned new standard PS4 (which has until now been referred to as the PS4 Slim).
The Pro will be released worldwide on November 10th and cost just 349, which is far cheaper than most had anticipated. The new PS4, which replaces the current model, rolls out on September 15th complete with a new price point – 259. That’s for the 500GB version, by the way. The 1TB model seems to be coming in at between 299 and 309.
The PlayStation Pro perfectly aligns with the specs leaked earlier this year. That means it’s a 4.2teraflop machine. So yes, Xbox Scorpio’s 6teraflops makes it 50 per cent more powerful. Sony argues that its technology will help bridge the power gap.
Said technology includes support for 4K gaming but, bizarrely, no 4K Blu-ray movie support. It also offers HDR, just like Xbox One S and Xbox Scorpio. In a surprise move, HDR support is being rolled out to ALL current PS4 consoles via a firmware update next week.
Games will be compatible across the Pro and standard machine, and many games are also being patched for forwards compatibility. Devs will be free to utilise the Pro’s extra power for 4K output, or instead enhanced 1080p visuals.
Also enhanced is PSVR performance with the new console, although Sony made it clear it’s very proud” of the VR experience offered by the existing machine.
So, PS4 Slim is 10 more expensive than the cheapest 500GB Xbox One S. Both offer HDR, but only the Xbox offers 4K output – although games only achieve this using a scaler, which may or may not be better than your TV’s native scaler, meaning there may not actually be much advantage over an upscaled PS4 image. Xbox One S also support 4K Blu-ray.
PS4 Pro, meanwhile, lacks 4K Blu-ray support, although does offer 4K video streaming. Furthermore, it’s out this year and costs far less than feared. Will that help to offset Scorpio’s technological superiority?
