Home Gaming Reviews are out! Is the PS4 Pro a worthwhile upgrade?

Reviews are out! Is the PS4 Pro a worthwhile upgrade?

3 min read
33

PS4Pro

We’re still waiting for official release dates and pricing for the PlayStation 4 Pro here in South Africa. It’ll be out in much the rest of the world this Friday, bringing Native and upscaled 4K rendering to the masses. Or at least, the small percentage of people who actually own the requisite televisions. We don’t quite know when it’ll be available here – though indications suggest a late November or early December release.

If you’ve not taken advantage of some tempting offers from the digital jungle, you’ll have to wait for the PlayStation 4 Pro. IS it, however, worth that wait? With its imminent release elsewhere, hardware nuts and video game critics have put the PS4 Pro through its paces to see if the upgrade is a worthwhile one.

The general consensus is that yes, yes it is – with caveats. As you’d expect, those with fancy HDR-enabled 4K TV’s will benefit best, as will those toting PlayStation VR units. While 1080p owners will also see gains, they may not be as noticeable, depending f course on their implementation within each specific game. The biggest issue with the Pro is that games need specific support, notably for older games. While a number have been patched to offer up said support, all future PS4 games will have it built in from the ground up.

Here’s what those critics have to say.

Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry:

Has PlayStation 4 Pro managed to live up to its marketing? By and large, yes. At its best, it is capable of producing compelling results at native 4K. Stack up Rise of the Tomb Raider on Pro against an ultra high-end PC and run them side-by-side and you’ll see that most of the 4K clarity is there, much of the detail is there and frame-rate remains the clearest differentiating factor. But the fact that a £350/$399 box is capable of even competing is a remarkable achievement.

Engadget:

So who is the PlayStation 4 Pro actually meant for? After testing it out for the past week, I’d say it’s for people who haven’t yet bought a PS4 and want to show off their fancy new 4K/HDR sets. And of course, there are the hardcore gamers who will snap up any piece of hardware that promises to be faster. Most consumers are better off waiting until more games get patched for the new system, and until Sony figures out its 4K media strategy.

PS4profront

USGamer:

The PlayStation 4 Pro is for those gamers who want just a little bit more performance from their games. It’s the same folks who likely have gaming PCs, but realize that games like Uncharted 4, The Last of Us, and Horizon: Zero Dawn aren’t ever making the jump to PC. The Pro is for the folks who quibble about things like checkerboard 4K not being real 4K or spend hours messing with color calibration. Those tweakers who hunt for the right presentation on PC. This is your option on home consoles.

Gamespot:

Should you buy a PlayStation 4 Pro? If you have a 4K HDR TV and are looking to buy a console, I’d definitely recommend the PS4 Pro. Even if you have a 1080p TV and are looking to buy a PlayStation, I’d still lean more toward the Pro. Yes, it does cost $100 more than the Slim model, but you get more ports, twice the storage space, more future-proof hardware in the event that you ever decide to get a 4K TV, and some games can look slightly better at 1080p.

We’ll go in to a little more detail about the good and the bad of thePS4 Pro a little later.

Last Updated: November 8, 2016

33 Comments

  1. Guild

    November 8, 2016 at 09:07

    Just waiting for mine to arrive….patiently. 1 week to go.

    Reply

    • Darren Peach

      November 8, 2016 at 09:34

      You lucky SOB !

      Reply

    • 40 Insane Frogs

      November 8, 2016 at 13:23

      😀 You need to post an unpacking vid, and then a vid with you playing the beauty.

      Reply

  2. Ottokie

    November 8, 2016 at 09:13

    As long as my old one can play FF15 i am happy. Since that’s all it was bought for.

    Reply

  3. Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

    November 8, 2016 at 09:14

    Sure I’ll upgrade, when I win one or my old one breaks

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief - N7

      November 8, 2016 at 09:30

      Remember remember, the promise made

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        November 8, 2016 at 09:51

        XD

        Reply

    • Skyblue

      November 8, 2016 at 09:55

      I stripped mine this past weekend to replace the thermal paste and do a dust clean out. It’s still loud though so my fan might be on it’s way out. Heading into it’s 3rd African summer.

      Reply

    • Ir0nseraph

      November 8, 2016 at 10:33

      I will only consider an upgrade if mine dies or I get a 4K display.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        November 8, 2016 at 10:59

        I love the shiny, but it’s way too expensive atm

        Reply

        • Matthew Holliday

          November 8, 2016 at 11:05

          All praise the V8

          Reply

  4. Andre Fourie

    November 8, 2016 at 09:15

    • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

      November 8, 2016 at 09:19

      PS4 Pro….peller

      Reply

      • Andre Fourie

        November 8, 2016 at 09:24

  5. Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

    November 8, 2016 at 09:18

    • Ottokie

      November 8, 2016 at 09:21

      *PS4 BETA

      Reply

    • Andre Fourie

      November 8, 2016 at 09:22

      XD

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief - N7

      November 8, 2016 at 09:31

      Same Yen price? Intreresting…

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        November 8, 2016 at 09:32

        I’m not skilled enough to make my own images so I link other peoples stuff 😛

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief - N7

          November 8, 2016 at 09:40

          Buy PS4Pro in Yen, resell, profit, buy more PS4Pros in Yen, sell, profit more, repeat, get rich, retire, buy gaming PC

          Reply

          • HvR

            November 8, 2016 at 09:49

            Jy yen van besigheid

          • Admiral Chief - N7

            November 8, 2016 at 10:45

            Ek is die Yen-master

      • Skyblue

        November 8, 2016 at 09:57

        Because the Japanese market is not preferential for Sony? ;-p

        Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        November 8, 2016 at 11:04

        I call shenanigans

        Reply

    • Admiral Chief - N7

      November 8, 2016 at 09:31

      PS4Peasant

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        November 8, 2016 at 09:31

        LOL

        Reply

    • 40 Insane Frogs

      November 8, 2016 at 13:24

      It stacks like a Burger King whopper. 😀 A truly glorious thing to behold. Praise the SUN!!!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        November 8, 2016 at 13:37

        XD

        Reply

  6. HairyEwok

    November 8, 2016 at 09:22

    What is the real gain for people playing at 1080p if the fps is still locked at 30 (yes i know its also dependent on the game devs to change the fps lock in games, they can unlock that with a patch). More stable 30fps gaming with slightly better resolution textures? Now if the PS4 Pro had the power to unlock the fps to at least 60 and keep the textures crispy on 1080p, then I’d be interested.

    Reply

  7. Nikola

    November 8, 2016 at 10:01

    Interesting will pick it up eventually want to but I do not see a point getting one now until I have a 4k TV which will be in like 5 years when PS5 is out haha:)

    Reply

  8. Jac7

    November 8, 2016 at 10:33

    The PS4 NO

    Reply

  9. DragonSpirit009

    November 8, 2016 at 11:47

    Well… I don’t know much about frame rates or 1080p stuff but as long as I see clear enough while I play then I’m happy.

    Reply

  10. 40 Insane Frogs

    November 8, 2016 at 13:23

    PRO PRO PRO PRO!

    Reply

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