Sony PlayStation 4 Pro
After months of rumours and gameplay clips from developers, Sony’s high-end PS4 Pro is finally here. With its enhanced graphics, native 4K gameplay and support for the PlayStation VR (read our review on page 46), it’s noticeably better than the standard PS4.
Design
With that improved performance comes a new design. Sony has stepped away from the angular shape of the launch model and, as with the new slimline PS4, opted for curved edges that give the Pro a much more elegant look.
It’s 20mm wider than the original version, measuring in at 327x295x55mm, compared to 305x275x53mm, but isn’t much taller, despite featuring the extra ‘slice’ on the PS4 Pro sandwich. The Pro is heavier too, weighing in at a rather hefty 3.3kg.
It’s not all about the big changes, though. As well as overhauling the overall design, Sony has made a few smaller tweaks. One such improvement is the use of the PlayStation symbols (Square, Circle, Cross and Triangle) as feet on the bottom of the console. The eject button is a physical button too, rather than a touch-sensitive one, negating any accidental disc ejection issues. While these aren’t ground-breaking changes, they are great examples of Sony’s attention to detail when it designed this console.
Ports
The Pro’s complement of connectors is almost identical to that of the standard PS4, apart from one extra USB 3.0 port on the rear. This should come in handy for those looking to buy a PlayStation VR headset, which requires a USB port to be used.
For audiophiles and home cinema enthusiasts, the PS4 Pro has an Optical Audio Output. Note, this option isn’t available on the new slimline PS4. The HDMI port has also been upgraded from HDMI 1.4 to version 2.0 to allow for a 4K output.
DualShock 4 controller
Along with the new PS4 comes a new DualShock 4 controller. Unlike with the console, however, its redesign isn’t at all dramatic: in fact, the only difference is the addition of a mini lightbar along the top of the touch-sensitive panel. Many PS4 games use this as a way of indicating what is happening in-game. The lights flash blue and red when a player is chased by police in Grand Theft Auto 5, for example, while other games use the red light to signify being wounded or killed. On the original PS4 controller, the lightbar faces away from the controller, so many gamers missed these prompts. The new mini lightbar is positioned towards players, allowing them to see any change in colour at a glance.
Hardware
The PlayStation 4 Pro has the same AMD Jaguar x86-64 octa-core CPU as the original PS4, with the Pro seeing a 30 percent boost in clock speed, going from 1.6- to 2.1GHz. However, that’s a minor upgrade when compared to the GPU – the power has been doubled, while the clock speed has also been upped from 800- to 911MHz. Overall, the GPU has leapt from 1.84- to 4.2TFlop when compared to the launch console. There’s also an additional 1GB of DDR3 RAM that can only be used by non-gaming apps, allowing the faster GDDR5 RAM to be used exclusively for gaming performance.
Storage has been increased too, with 1TB now on offer. It’s still, however, a traditional hard disk drive and not a solid-state drive, though it’s simple to swap it out if you require the extra speed.
Along with 4K output, the PS4 Pro offers HDR capabilities, but only for TVs that support it. Note, Sony has rolled this out to all models via a software update, and isn’t a feature specific to this console.
Gameplay
Before we go into any more detail about the graphical power of the console, we should point out that not all of the 700+ PS4 titles will be able to take advantage of its graphical power right away. It’s down to game developers on whether to add high-quality textures, a higher resolution or a better framerate, so until they release an update offering Pro support, the games will look exactly same as if they were running on a standard PS4. At the time of writing there are 30 supported games available, with the list set to grow to 45 by the end of the year.
Purely in the name of testing, we spent some time playing the Pro-supported game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and it looked stunning. The resolution has been boosted and textures look much crisper, especially when viewed on a 4K TV. The difference between the capabilities of the launch PS4 and the Pro is immediately obvious.
The framerate is a lot smoother on the Pro console, and although this occasionally dropped, it
wasn’t anywhere near as dramatic as it is on other consoles. In fact, it’s not just obvious within the game – the 4K resolution stretches to the PlayStation home screen, providing crisp text and game icons and an overall cleaner look.
Not all the supported games have been upped to 4K, though. Other developers have decided to use the extra power in other ways. Take InFAMOUS: First Light, for example. Here, the PS4 Pro ups the rendering resolution from 1080- to 1800p and improves the anti-aliasing (which helps smooth out jagged edges). The result is a game that looks much more lifelike, with smoother edges and improved graphics.
Some games even offer you a choice. Rise of the Tomb Raider is a good example of this. Yes, you can play in 4K at 30fps, but you’re also able to play in 1080p at 30fps with high detail, or at 1080p at 60fps.
4K media playback
Games aren’t the only feature of the PS4 Pro to get some 4K attention. Apps such as Netflix and YouTube also offer 4K playback, although the former requires a more expensive subscription to access its 4K content. Unfortunately if you have a collection of Blu-ray UHDs you want to watch you’re out of luck. Unlike Microsoft’s Xbox One S, Sony’s high-end console doesn’t feature a Blu-ray UHD player.
The firm claims this is because it saw a trend in streaming versus physical disc sales, which we largely agree with, though it also means that for those that do have a Blu-ray UHD collection, the PS4 Pro isn’t the perfect device.
PlayStation VR
In addition to improving PS4 games, the Pro also enhances PlayStation VR titles. While the resolution can’t be upped as it can with standard PS4 games, developers can provide higher textures, better lighting and more, to make PSVR experiences more immersive.
We’ve tested a PlayStation VR that’s been powered by a PS4 Pro and were impressed with the results: edges looked less jagged, text was clearer and everything appeared a little more real. So real in fact, that at one point during a VR experience we leant on a virtual table and almost fell off our chair.
However, much like with the rest of the 700+ PS4 titles, PSVR games aren’t automatically enhanced. Developers must offer Pro support before the graphics are improved. At the time of writing that’s only a handful of games, but you can definitely tell the difference between the ones that feature it, and those that don’t.
Verdict
PC gaming has always been considered the top option for those looking for the best gameplay experience possible (see our round-up of the best gaming PCs on page 52), and that remains true. But for the cost of a mid-range gaming PC, you get high-quality textures, 4K output and a generally highend gaming experience. While the roster of Pro-supported PS4 games isn’t huge at the moment, the list is growing and the potential that the new console offers developers is hard to say no to. While the 4K output is the headline feature of the console, those with regular HDTVs also see the benefits in-game, and it’s a similar story with PlayStation VR users. For us, the PS4 Pro is a winner, and is hands-down the best console you can currently get your hands on – even without a Blu-ray UHD player.