Sony’s upcoming mid-cycle console upgrade has me wondering. PS4 Pro or Not? Is it really worth the purchase? I do some soul searching to find some answers and share it with you.
Sony’s upgraded console is just a few days away for our friends over the pond. For us here in Sunny South Africa, it’s only due to release at end of this month. So I’m stuck with the thought of whether I will upgrade to PS4 Pro or Not. First of all, I don’t have a 4K HDR TV. I was in the market for one of those but life gets in the way and I seem to keep shelving that idea. The PS4 Pro is at it’s best when running on one of those 4K sets. So just as many of you 1080p gamers are wondering, is it worth the purchase?
The first mark against its name is that I’m perfectly happy with my OG PS4. I still look at its 1080p visuals in absolute wonder. All 51 of my titles on the console still look really great. So what the heck am I spending the extra cash for? The second negative is that with the lack of an HDR enabled TV, I’m missing out on this touted feature that’s already baked into my current PS4 console. But the worst sin of all is that of my 51 games, only a mere 4 titles are confirmed to take advantage of the added power. So things are not looking good at all.
So it’s a no-brainer you’re probably thinking. Maybe I should just wait until 4K TV prices drop a bit and then I’d be able to take full advantage. But before we completely write it off, here’s a few points to consider. Yes the PS4 Pro is at its best on a 4K set. However, that doesn’t leave the rest of us stuck on 1080p out in the cold. With the Pro, you get the best possible 1080p experience afforded on the platform. Let me explain. With Supersampling, the Pro will render the game at 4K or near 4K resolutions. Then it will downscale them to your 1080p set.
Image captured on a user’s PS4 Pro
The results are actually quite staggering. All the artifacts you used to get on standard PS4 are completely eliminated. The detail in draw distance is greatly improved. Most importantly, all jaggies are gone! Your 1080p experience will be virtually flawless. That is a big deal. Some games will even improve the framerate of the 1080p experience. A game that was once a 30 FPS experience is a revelation at 60 FPS. That’s what I’m most excited about. I’d like the best possible performance out of my games, so that’s the option I’m constantly going to go with.
Of cause, having options on what improvements you’d like falls squarely in the hands of the developers. A great example is how Rise of the Tomb Raider gives players the option to have enhanced visuals on 1080p at 30 FPS. In addition to that, there’s an option to improve performance as mentioned above. We’re talking a console Rise of the Tomb Raider game at a solid 60 FPS. Sounds enticing doesn’t it? I absolutely love the idea of getting the choice for how I want to best experience my game.
Rise of the Tomb Raider in 4K is absolutely astonishing. All this from a $399 console.
Best of all, I’ll be seeing my 1080p games in a new light, until I get that 4K HDR TV I’ve been eyeing. Then, we’re in a different ball game altogether. Even if I’m not getting native 4K, it’s as close as makes no difference. Now try to get that kind of performance from a $399 PC. It’s simply not possible. Just remember too, OG PS4 started out at $399, that’s exactly how much the Pro is costing. It’s really great value for the bump in specs you’ll be getting. With that being said, I guess it’s time I put my PS4 up for sale and get myself a brand spanking new Pro.
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