PS4 Pro: Performance Review
- Simple, if slow, data transfer process
- Limited benefits for 1080p TV owners
- Looks great on a 4K TV
- Substantial improvements for VR
1. Simple, if slow, data transfer process
Transferring data from an earlier iteration of the PS4 is comparatively straightforward: hook both systems up to an equivalent Wi-Fi network, connect them to at least one another via a coaxial cable, and you're good to travel. We had about 158GB of knowledge on our old PS4, which took about an hour to transfer to the PS4 Pro.
We really like how easy Sony has made it to transfer the content from one PS4 to subsequent – and albeit we had to attend nearly an hour and a half, when the method was complete we had everything from our old console found out in just an equivalent way on our new machine.
But let's get to the meat and potatoes here: actual performance. As you would possibly know, the PlayStation 4 Pro's biggest draw is that it offers "enhanced performance" for a growing pool of your favorite titles – including all games released on PlayStation VR – also as 4K HDR streaming from Netflix.
Increasingly, games built for the PlayStation platform within the future are going to be taking advantage of the improved processing power as soon as they have been released.
Enhanced performance can happen in several ways – a method could be that games will play at 4K resolution at 30 frames per second; another could be more detailed textures, or maybe the choice to settle on a better frame rate at 1080p resolution. It's up to developers to settle on how they need their games to require advantage of the upgraded processing power of the professional during a feature Sony calls "Pro Mode."
There are now plenty of games that support Pro Mode in how, shape or form. you'll read our top picks during this PlayStation 4 Pro Games roundup, but some highlights of the list include The Last folks Remastered, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition, Titanfall 2 and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
So what are you able to expect once you enter a number of these games? We've weakened the performance supported what screen you will be potentially viewing it on.
2. PS4 Pro performance for 1080p TVs
Let’s start with the 1080p TV owners. Admittedly, the most important draws to Sony's mid-gen upgrade are 4K and HDR functionality, both of which you'll be missing out on; but you will see a benefit within the frame rates of a number of your favorite titles. In Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, for instance, you'll expect increased refresh rates that make the action feel an entire lot smoother, while textures get a touch of additional detail also.
We weren't completely blown away with what the PS4 Pro offers for 1080p TV owners – while extra frame rates are a pleasant bonus, they're just not enough of a plus to warrant spending the additional cash. But Sony didn’t design the professional for 1080p
3. PS4 Pro performance for 4K TVs
Here's where the PS4 Pro performance starts to heat up a touch. With a 4K TV in your front room, old games start to require an entirely new light – and that is very true if your TV is HDR-capable. Games like Infamous: Second Son are given a facelift to utilize both technologies, making particle effects pop off the screen and contrast ratios spike through the roof.
It's worth making especially clear here, however, that the PS4 Pro isn't capable of outputting native 4K for all games – many titles that support 4K Pro Mode are upscaled thereto resolution. that does not mean games won't look absolutely incredible on your 4K TV, because they most certainly will, but don't expect as many genuinely rendered pixels as you are doing on a high-end PC just yet.
4. PS4 Pro performance for PlayStation VR
But there's one last area that we wanted to hide here, and that is how PS4 Pro enhances the PlayStation VR experience: even right from the console's announcement, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Andrew House was touting the PS4 Pro's ability to reinforce PSVR games.
We're happy to report that he's absolutely right – VR games run noticeably better on this machine. PS4 Pro Mode titles desire they are not only better-looking, with more detailed textures, but they also feel a hair faster in terms of frame rate on the new system also.
The bottom line? If you're new to the Sony ecosystem and plan on buying a PlayStation VR alongside your console purchase, you ought to definitely distribute for the PlayStation 4 Pro.
The PlayStation platform, four years Plus
One of the best pleasures for a tech journalist is watching a platform blossom from a dawdling little toddler, barren of any serious content and filled with big ideas, to a full-clad, fully functional battle station. Four years on, Sony still stands tall because the king of the consoles – albeit Microsoft's Xbox One X gave it a fight for the ages.
The PlayStation Store filled with great content to get – with literally everything from super-niche indie darlings on there to big-budget titles, movies and music available – and if seems like there's always something new waiting on the horizon too.
Most recently that was PlayStation Now streaming on PC. Before that was PlayStation Vue announcing its expansion to each city within the continental US. Before that, it had been Sony dumping its lackluster proprietary music service for a partnership with Spotify. monthly or two brings with it a platform update that will meaningfully change the way you interact with the system – and that is why we feel so comfortable giving it an honest recommendation.
Sure, you'll find party chats, Twitch integration and apps like YouTube and Amazon on any platform, but Sony seems to always find a couple of ways to form you are feeling like you're a part of something bigger, and that is true on the PS4 Pro also.
Sony hasn't skimped when it involves supporting other territories with video content either. The Australian PlayStation Store is filled with most of the main catch-up TV services, including SBS On Demand, ABC iview, 9Now, TenPlay and PLUS7. Foxtel Play is additionally available, allowing Pay-TV subscribers to stream right to their console.
We liked
I also appreciated the 2 minor tweaks to the within of the console itself – the larger 1TB disk drive and upgraded 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna. Games aren't only downloaded faster on this technique, but – because of an additional 500GB of storage – you will not need to make the choice which games to stay and which of them you would like to uninstall to clear up some room.
We disliked
I've tried to avoid the direct comparison to the Xbox One S throughout the review, something that's now even harder to try to to with the Xbox One X on shelves, but it completely boggles my mind that Microsoft – the corporate that when thought HD DVD would beat Blu-ray – now offers a 4K Blu-ray player while Sony doesn't.
That said, the growing catalog of games built to require advantage of the 4K power gets more appealing all the time, while a recently-introduced boost mode, giving marginal improvements to all or any titles on the system overall, maybe a welcome (if not groundbreaking) addition.
Final verdict
Sure, the newest model of (insert your favorite car here) could be capable of reaching incredible speeds (read: 4K compatible), but if you're limited by the law to remain under a particular speed (read: employing a 1080p TV), then what good is all that speed?
Of course, many of you'll have now made the jump to a 4K HDR TV, and if so – or if you're keen on buying a PlayStation VR too – then we'd say the PS4 Pro is well worth its $399 / £349 / AU$559 tag.
On the opposite hand, if you're yet to form the jump to either 4K or VR, then you would possibly want to carry off on the PS4 Pro for the nonce and await subsequent generation.
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