Sony's new PlayStation 4 system is an upgrade from the original PS4 and a departure from Sony's historical game console strategy. The PS4 Pro, while more powerful, isn't a PS4 replacement or a new generation of PlayStation. It's a step-up model with a faster graphical processor designed to benefit owners of high-end televisions. I saw it in action at Sony's announcement event in New York.
The big benefit of the PS4 Pro is its support for ultra high definition (UHD or 4K) and high dynamic range (HDR) televisions. 4K TVs have much higher resolutions than HDTVs at 3,840 by 2,160 compared with 1,920 by 1,080. That's four times the pixels as 1080p. HDR adds even more detail to the mix, by letting each pixel be defined in light and color across a much broader spectrum of values than the standard dynamic range of most televisions. You need a TV to take advantage of that, like the Sony XBR-X930D series we reviewed or the Editors' Choice LG UH8500 series we currently recommend to consumers looking to make the jump to 4K.
4K and HDR
Before we get into the system itself, we need to be clear about exactly what the PS4 Pro can do, or at least point out where Sony isn't being clear. The PS4 Pro can output video at 4K, but this doesn't mean it renders games at 4K. Sony's own specs describe the PS4 Pro's video capabilities as 4K "graphic rendering or up-scaled." This means the system can potentially render games at 4K, but it's much more likely most games will be rendered by the system at a lower resolution and then upconverted, which consistently provides less graphical fidelity than rendering at native resolution. In fact, we would be surprised to see many, if any, PS4 games render in 4K on the PS4 Pro; rendering PC games at 4K requires powerful hardware that costs several times the PS4 Pro's $399 price tag. It's possible, but not likely.Design
The PS4 Pro looks similar in size and shape to the original PS4, while the original version's hardware has since been shrunk down into a small, slightly round-cornered PS4 Slim model. The PS4 Pro is the same width and depth, if not slightly greater, as the first PS4, but with a slightly thicker profile. The shape is still the distinctive PS4 parallelogram, but the front panel now has three bars separated by slits compared with two in the system's first design.
New Gamepad
The DualShock 4 has also been slightly tweaked. Its layout and feel is almost identical to the original DualShock 4, but a small translucent cutaway has been placed on the top edge of the gamepad to let the colored light from the front-facing light bar shine through. This lets players see at a glance the color of the light coming from the gamepad, when the original DualShock 4 angled the light completely away from the player.
Games
Sony showed off the PS4 Pro running a variety of currently available and upcoming PS4 games at the event. All systems were displayed on high-end Sony televisions with 4K resolution and HDR. Horizon: Zero Dawn looks very impressive with the HDR output of the PS4, and the gameplay appeared to run at a fairly consistent 30 frames per second. For Honor also looked good, with the bright, bloody graphics moving smoothly. I couldn't readily identify the state of resolution upconversion for either game.Infamous: Last Light really demonstrated how HDR can improve the look of a game. It focuses on a hero with electric neon powers functioning in a dark Seattle, which demands a very high-contrast picture with HDR. Sure enough, shadows looked very dark and the electric powers were extremely bright. This was due to the PS4 Pro's rendering, though many HDR-capable televisions also have HDR-simulating modes that expand the dynamic range of SDR video, and I couldn't compare the effect of such a mode to the PS4 Pro's output.
The PS4 Pro comes out in November with a retail price of $399. We've very skeptical of exactly how much more powerful this system will be over the original PS4 or $299 PS4 Slim, but owners of HDR-capable 4K TVs will likely find great benefit from the new system.