The PS4 Pro is out this week in most regions (not here unfortunately) and reviews started pouring in after the embargo dropped last night. Many praised the system’s ability to deliver some sound 4K gaming experiences, with the additional GPU power being put to work on titles that have been optimised to use it. Digital Foundry in particular dived deep into the console and its hardware, and their results delivered some surprising findings.
First off, you’re going to have to swallow this slightly bitter pill. The PS4 Pro does absolutely nothing to your games without a patch. Comparing performance of base games to them running on the beefed up hardware, Digital Foundry found that there was absolutely no difference between the two without a patch. That’s surprising only because the Xbox One S, which features a slight GPU overclock, actually does the reverse. Games run better on the slimmer Xbox One console, as titles are able to get closer to their target framerates.
with a patch, the PS4 Pro is left to do its best, but still hinges on what type of implementation has been put in. For example, the checkerboard technique that Sony has touted as an answer to non-native 4K game works incredibly well when implemented, with Rise of the Tomb Raider showing this off in spades. But surprisingly its a feature that seems tricky to achieve, to the point where even Naughty Dog hasn’t implemented the tech in their update to Uncharted 4.
That title (and others such as Titanfall 2) simply increase the target resolution of the game and then upscale it, with both reaching 1440p over their previous 1080p targets. That still leads to a better image over the base version, but Digital Foundry notes that it’s softer than a 4K title should be. They do, however, also note that with time new techniques will be developed to help combat this, with Insomniac Games already experimenting with a combination of techniques in Ratchet and Clank.
Features such as HDR and multiple game modes are also specific to titles, meaning developers will need to independently implemented support for them to work. So far HDR seems to be implemented across the board of PS4 Pro titles. And as a result they’re the ones that truly stand out the most, with HDR delivering on its promise of being the real feature to look out for (granted you have an expensive TV to support it). Games like Rise of the Tomb Raider give players multiple game modes to choose from, which certainly would be great if it became the norm.
But ultimately you want to know if buying a PS4 Pro is a worthy upgrade or not, and we’re hoping to answer that in our own review soon. Right now it seems like a good decision if you either have a 4K set already, or you’re just looking to pick up a PS4 for the first time. Given its limited performance gains at 1080p, it’s a hard sell for those not looking to take the full plunge, but we’ll hopefully have a lot more on that front soon.
Last Updated: November 8, 2016
Viper_ZA
November 8, 2016 at 12:34
Holding out for the Scorpio. But before then, I need a TV upgrade :/
40 Insane Frogs
November 8, 2016 at 13:47
Given how massive the boner upgrade is going to be, you might need to buy a much bigger house too… preferably one with a reinforced foundation.
#MassiveBoner
Andre Fourie
November 8, 2016 at 12:39
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/135ef5160df7fe81771a1b012b0716f358b84f3270b76b57ace95d4ba9a36fb2.jpg
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
November 8, 2016 at 12:54
I will probably not procure this product from Sony soon any time soon
Andre Fourie
November 8, 2016 at 13:08
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/66e9bb96f8ab465dbeba3045315903a802bedd4c2fbb7aa71e4e87fe7056bcd1.jpg
40 Insane Frogs
November 8, 2016 at 13:22
PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO!
Pieter Kruger
November 8, 2016 at 15:10
NO NO NO NO NO NO!
40 Insane Frogs
November 9, 2016 at 11:33
YES YES YES YES YES! 😀
40 Insane Frogs
November 8, 2016 at 13:20
Hahahah I love the copious amounts of salt in this comment section!
http://oceansjsu.com/images/salt_pile.jpg
PRO PRO PRO PRO PRO!! I will definitely get one. Maybe not this week, but definitely by the end of this month.
PS: This week will officially be one of the best, if Donald Trump wins the US election.
Andre Fourie
November 8, 2016 at 13:46
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2bb3a0bed3a1e1893908dcd10bb2c31257fbf066ce6725849c42e40a766489c4.jpg
40 Insane Frogs
November 8, 2016 at 13:48
Majestic presidential hair…. I don’t trust Hillary because her hair is thinning, and I fear, Putin will only respect the Orange Tan one.
Scott Neil
November 21, 2016 at 08:33
You are aware it’s a really obvious and crap wig right?,then again if you voted for him you are probably retarded so no.
40 Insane Frogs
November 21, 2016 at 12:08
How dare you, sir? God Emperor Trump’s majestic golden mane is all natural.
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/020/360/462.jpg
RinceThis
November 8, 2016 at 14:59
Trust you to produce such a stale comment!
40 Insane Frogs
November 9, 2016 at 11:34
You’re just jealous because President Donald is going to make America great again!
Magoo
November 8, 2016 at 14:12
The best thing about this console will be the price drop on the vanilla PS4.
RinceThis
November 8, 2016 at 14:59
Gimmick, not gimma me
Fox1 - Retro
November 8, 2016 at 15:56
I’ve read reviews that the Pro is better at 1080p gaming than the original PS4, obvious but overlooked, so you might want to make that extra stretch if you are in the market for a PS4.
NicknameMy
November 11, 2016 at 02:01
But why should be a minor graphical update worth 400?
ElimiNathan
November 8, 2016 at 16:48
Honestly don’t know why anyone would buy this when the Scorpio is coming out next year. What a waste of money
Karis Cottingham
November 8, 2016 at 17:09
Could say the same about Xbox one and ps4. Why waste money on Xone when ps4 was the superior console at a cheaper price. Which one did you buy?
ElimiNathan
November 8, 2016 at 17:13
PS4 which I’ve sold. Not really the same though. When 1 does upscaling and the other promises native 4k (which is yet to be seen I know) its not really the same league
Karis Cottingham
November 9, 2016 at 12:57
Fair point but i think Until more details are released the scorpio doesnt belong in any league and if recents reviews are anything to go buy regarding pro and the checkerboard rendering there aint gunna be many noticeable differences. Again though without more details on scorpio its hard to make any sort of comparison right now but time will tell. Also I think another big problem for microsoft is games sell systems and there catalogue of games aint the best when compared to what sony has to offer (Opinion I know but one shared by many I think). B.C will become less relevant as time passes and there lack of Vr will hurt them unles they pull something out the bag.
ElimiNathan
November 9, 2016 at 13:10
Another point missing is that not all PS4 games are gna work with this checkerboard upscaling. That is a BIG issue
Scott Neil
November 21, 2016 at 08:34
Microsoft has their own VR on the way and it blows the existing tech out the water,try and keep up.