The PS4 Pro release date is just one week away, and there’s a lot prospective owners should know about Sony’s high-spec PlayStation before then. Let’s clear the air about some rumors that aren’t quite what they seem.
1) It Will Instantly Improve Game Performance In A Big Way: When investing in a PS4 Pro, it’s important to know that this console won’t drastically improve the performance of every game in your library. Games that struggle to hit 60 fps won’t suddenly make the threshold. Downscaled 1080p resolutions won’t instantly display as native. All of those large-scale changes must be dictated by an official patch for every game. For the vast majority of titles released before this fall, that probably won’t ever happen.
The benefits you will see, however, are more modest but noteworthy. Recently we learned that the Pro supports SATA III hard drives. That means its storage can take on data twice as fast as its predecessor. For the gamer, that might mean faster load and install times under certain conditions. We also know the system has an extra gigabyte of RAM too. That won’t offer a night-and-day difference, but it certainly can’t hurt.
2) It Will Instantly Improve VR Performance Substantially: A lot of folks have linked the PlayStation 4 Pro to better VR experiences because Sony mentioned it on stage, but that idea is only half true. Much like with traditional games, VR developers will have to create patches for Pro support, and a few of them are. However, that doesn’t guarantee it will be standard for every PSVR title on the market.
As a result, the only surefire gains you’ll see come from the smaller spec enhancements described above. Whatever SATA III and that extra gig of RAM can do are what’s in store.
3) There Are No Trade-In Programs: When the PS4 Pro was first announced, many gamers hoped that Sony would start an official trade-in program for existing PS4 owners to upgrade to the new console at a lower price. That obviously didn’t happen, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out some alternatives.
If you want to trade in your old PS4, you simply have to do it yourself. Sell it on eBay or craigslist and include a couple of games you don’t play anymore to add value to the package. If you’re really lazy you can always strike a deal with a retailer like GameStop. Be aware when taking that route, that you might not get as much of a return for your investment. That being said, there are lots of third-party options for folks who want to make a totally clean upgrade.
4) I’ll Wait For The PS4 Neo: Our hardcore readers might snicker at this one, but it’s still worth pointing out. The PlayStation 4 Pro was first known by its codename, PS4 Neo. The name became so popular that some people with fewer ties to the industry actually think the Neo is its own product. Some even assume that the Neo has better specs than the Pro.
Let’s put this misunderstanding to rest. The PS4 Neo is the PS4 Pro. Anyone waiting for a console that’s listed by the codename should equally be considering a Pro. The console that’s releasing next week will likely be the last major sku refresh until the assumed PS5.
5) The PS4 Pro Is Useless For 1080p: The PS4 Pro’s claim to fame is its ability to produce upscaled 4K images for games that support it. In that case, a lot of publications, ours included, have been downplaying the Pro’s viability for those content with a 1080p setup. The Pro’s 1080p visuals will look better than the standard console’s because they’re downsampled from a 4K source. The benefits won’t be as noticeable, but they’ll exist.
It’s also worth noting that the Pro’s 1080p viability depends a lot on developer support that we can’t possibly predict at this stage. Rise Of The Tomb Raider stands out because it features a special 1080p mode that increases gameplay performance. If that option becomes standard amongst creators, this machine suddenly becomes a fair bit more attractive to everyone.
PlayStation 4 Pro releases on Nov. 10 for $399. If you’re still on the fence, check out our lists of reasons why you should and shouldn’t buy one.
Did we clear up any misunderstandings you had about the PS4 Pro? Will the high-spec console be a success? Tell us in the comments section!
