INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
PS4 or PS4 Pro: what really is the difference If you're looking to get a new Playstation 4, or looking for an upgrade, you may well be
deliberating over the best choice out of these two, admittedly-similar consoles
But while both may play the same library of games, there are a fair few differences under the hood, and many gamers will want the
highest-performing machine they can find for playing AAA games like God of War or sampling the best of Playstation VR.The PS4 Pro is the
premium console offering from Sony, but don't mistake it for a PS5: it's more a refit than a whole other machine
However, there's still a lot more going on with the new console than you might think.(Update: PS4 firmware 4.50 is a pretty big deal for the
The new 'Boost mode' adds a performance boost to all PS4 games, whether or not they've received an official PS4 Pro patch
Games will still need the patch to see a resolution increase, but it's a great addition to see all the same
Check out the full details below.)So what's the differenceThe main difference is resolution
catch (because there's always a catch isn't there) is that games will need to receive a PS4 Pro patch to enable these more detailed
games will need to include a 'Pro Mode', which will allow them to make the most of the Pro's enhanced hardware
This pretty much guarantees that there'll be a lot of Pro content in the future, though right now it's slim pickings.We've had the chance to
half-step upgrade of its existing console, the PS4 Pro vs PS4 debate is just as relevant today as when the PS4 Pro first released in 2016
As while the Xbox One X pulls ahead of the PS4 Pro in terms of raw power, it does have a big thing missing: Sony exclusives such as
Uncharted 4 and Horizon: Zero Dawn.Price comparisonThe Pro offers some rather obvious advantages over the original PS4, but there are still
plenty of reasons to go for the latter
Take a look at some of the lowest deals available for Sony's popular console.If you decide that a PS4 Pro is more up your alley, you're in
most obvious difference between the original PS4 and the PS4 Pro is the addition of an extra layer onto the console.While the original PS4
had two layers separated by a gap for the disc drive and two USB ports, the PS4 Pro has three layers.Thankfully this hasn't lead to too much
of an increase in its dimensions
The original PS4 measured 275.1 x 305.1 x 53.1mm, while the Pro measures 295 x 327 x 55mm
That means it's slightly bigger, it's 2cm deeper and 2cm wider, but interestingly it's more or less the same height.It's also half a
kilogram heavier, or just over a pound.ConnectionsPS4 Pro has an extra USB portPS4 Pro also has an optical audio portOriginal PS4 uses HDMI
1.4, Pro uses HDMI 2.0aIn terms of rear connectors, the PS4 Pro is nearly identical to the standard PS4, aside from the addition of an extra
difference between the ports on the back of the console is the HDMI port
While the original PS4 had an HDMI 1.4 port, the PS4 Pro has an HDMI 2.0 port to allow it to output at 4K resolutions (more on that
later).Important to note is that you don't need to upgrade your HDMI cable to take advantage of 4K, despite what Sony is claiming on its
playbackThis is a particularly sore spot for Sony's new system
Despite speculation to the contrary, the PS4 Pro does not include an Ultra HD Blu-ray player
It can play Full HD 1080p Blu-ray discs just the same as the original PS4.Sony's decision to omit a Ultra-HD Blu-ray drive from the system
is puzzling, considering that Blu-ray support was one of the major boons of the PS3
Now, Sony might be saving that for another console down the road, however, considering that Microsoft's Xbox One S already has the high-end
disc drive, it would've benefitted Sony to launch the Pro with one as well.InternalsPS4 Pro has better GPU performance (4.2 TFLOP vs
1.84)PS4 Pro has 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna and Bluetooth 4.0PS4 Pro has an additional 1GB of DDR3 RAMThe internals are where we see our first
major difference from the original PS4.Both consoles share an AMD Jaguar x86-64 8-core CPU, which has seen a 30% boost in clock-speed from
Its power has been doubled, and its clock-speed has been boosted from 800MHz to 911MHz.In total the GPU has jumped from 1.84 TFLOP in the
launch PS4 to 4.2 TFLOP in the Pro
This bump is in order to accommodate the new 4K functionality.The Wi-Fi of the Pro has also seen an upgrade to include 802.11ac and a
Bluetooth bump to v2.1 to v4.0
Both of these upgrades were also seen in the new slim PS4.The Pro also has an additional 1GB of DDR3 RAM, which will be used for non-gaming
The PS4 Pro supports 4K output, as opposed to the standard PS4's Full HD 1080p resolution.When it comes to streaming services such as
Netflix this means that the console will be able to play movies and TV shows in their maximum resolution, but unfortunately the lack of an
Ultra HD Blu-ray drive means that the console will not be able to play physical 4K media.The PS4 Pro supports 4K output, as opposed to the
standard PS4's Full HD 1080p resolutionGames are slightly more complicated because it will be up to developers to decide how they want to
use the PS4 Pro's extra muscle, though we're seeing it bear more fruit the longer the jacked-up console is on the market.In our review of
God of War, we found the PS4 Pro version came with two separate graphics modes: one which favors resolution, displaying the game at
checkerboard 2160p (or 4K), and another which favors performance, lowering the resolution to 1080p but displaying at a framerate that's
closer to 60fps (but never actually locking at it).The one you choose will obviously come down to your personal preference
level of detail seen at 4K is so high.Of course, HDR is also available for those with TVs that support the format, and we can say that it
definitely adds to the experience, particularly when it comes to lighting and shadows.Other games such as Days Gone are upscaled to achieve
a 4K output, but reports indicate that the upscaling process used is more clever than simply stretching the image over a larger number of
But other games such as Deus Ex: Mankind Divided are said to upscale much less successfully.The takeaway seems to be that achieving good 4K
performance will need developers to be clever about the balance they strike between native rendering resolution and the upscaling
technologies used.Developers to be clever about the balance they strike between native rendering resolution and upscaling technologies
usedIn summary: the PS4 Pro is not powerful enough to run a game at 4K with all the graphical bells and whistles turned on, but with some
compromises the results can be reportedly impressive.Although HDR support is new with the PS4 Pro, this same functionality is set to come to
launch PS4s via a firmware update
Check out our full guide to HDR for exactly what that means for how your games will look.In terms of loading times, the PS4 Pro offers a
small improvement over the stock PS4, but if you're looking for a boost in loading times, then you'll see more of an improvement if you
will also give a graphical boost if you're playing on a 1080p screenThe Last Guardian, the much-delayed game from Team Ico, finally launched
think this is an intentional feature of the Pro, but if this trend continues in the future it might make the Pro a much more necessary
PS4 firmware 4.50, 'boost mode' is a feature that allows PS4 games that haven't received a PS4 Pro patch to receive a performance boost when
played on the new console
tested included Assassin's Creed: Unity, Battlefield 4, and Project Cars, all of which saw substantial performance increases when running on
performancePS4 Pro offers improved PSVR experiencebut it's not a major differenceAlthough prior to the PlayStation VR's release there were
rumors circulating that the headset's performance on launch consoles was going to be 'terrible', now that the hardware is out the
PS4 and the PS4 Pro can be a struggle to find
Pro on the basis of VR performance aloneIn Robinson: The Journey for example, details are much crisper, and textures benefit from a higher
leapThe PS4 Pro is undoubtedly a substantial step up from the PS4, but 'true' 4K gaming is difficult for it to achieve without
compromise.The biggest physical difference between it and the standard PS4 visually is the addition of an extra layer, but the internals
have also been beefed up considerably
The GPU is a great deal faster, and although the CPU is architecturally similar it's been clocked at a faster speed.So should you make the
upgrade from your existing PS4 The answer largely depends on if you have a 4K TV or plan on upgrading to one
If you are, then the PS4 Pro will present numerous visual benefits
If you aren't, well, there's likely isn't anything on the PS4 Pro that will be worth the extra money, at least not
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