The PS4 Pro is out, it is what everyone is talking about but I just can’t make myself want the system. I tried. It is a huge step-up from what the PS4 was and as someone who has been primarily a PlayStation gamer, I should want it. Or at the very least, be interested in it. But no.
The PS4 Pro is what they call a “Mid-Generation Update” according to Sony’s System Architect, Mark Cerny. What this basically means is that the PS4 Pro is very similar to the PS4 but has been tweaked to provide significant performance upgrades. This allows for better and smoother playback of PS4 games as well as giving it the ability to do 4K gameplay and use HDR technology.
Both 4K and HDR have been major buzz words in the tech community and is one of the biggest sell for PS4 Pro but not everyone understands what those words means. Now if you play on a PS3 or PS4, or even if you watch Youtube videos, you will be familiar with the concept of 720p and 1080p. Now 1080p means that there are 1920 horizontal pixels and 1080 vertical pixels on the screen. This is known as Full HD. Now 4k is known as Ultra HD and has 3840 x 2160. This would be twice the amount of horizontal and vertical pixels compared to 1080p. As for HDR, it stands for High Dynamic Range. This basically allows for more colors and has a greater range of contrast. This makes for a better image overall. Especially when combined with the 4K resolution.
Now all of that sounds really great but to be honest, it does not provide anything that I am interested in at the moment. The games would be the same. Well, it will be prettier and smoother on the Pro but essentially the same. Unlike what happened with my 3DS, I am not locking myself out of new games by sticking to the PS4.
While I do understand that a performance boost is something people are willing to spend for, I am sadly not one of those people. You are looking at a guy who goes through the hassle of setting up his PS3 to play Dishonored and Dragon’s Dogma instead of buying the PS4 and PC versions of the game. I understand that a game on a slower frame rate can pull people out of the experience, but that just does not happen with me. I notice it, but it is not enough to ruin the immersion.
Another factor why I am currently not interested in the PS4 Pro, and this can be argued to be the biggest factor, is the price. It is priced at $399. As mentioned earlier, it will have the same library as the PS4. It does not make sense for me to buy what is essentially a second PS4 when mine is working perfectly well.
Now if I did have that amount of money lying around, the PS4 Pro will still not be part of my must-buy list. I would honestly rather buy an Xbox One because of the exclusives that I won’t get on a PS Platform. Actually, I would most likely buy the PSVR. The PSVR provides a whole new way to experience games. This would be something I would value more over improved performance.
I am not saying that the PS4 Pro does not have a market. It does. This should be the version people should consider when they decide to finally join the PlayStation Nation. People who already have 4K monitors or TVs would benefit greatly from this. Seeing as I am none of those, I am going to take a hard pass on this one. I will probably consider buying a PS4 Pro when my PS4 ultimately breaks. Hopefully that will be years from now. Until then, the PS4 Pro is something that I won’t need.