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PS4 Pro Vs Xbox One S: Is Sony Finally The Underdog?

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 07:52 PST, Nov 4, 2016

The PS4 Pro vs. Xbox One S console war is about to hit soon. While Sony and Microsoft aren’t calling them entirely new consoles, they are much closer to what we should have seen in 2013.

When the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One initially launched, neither seemed to be a justifiable upgrade to their predecessors. We already had consoles capable of 1080p resolution, and the only thing which seemed to be upgraded was the cameras. While not quite as innovative in theory as the Xbox One Kinect, the PS4 camera did many of the same things.

The cameras weren’t enough to make them an upgrade, though. Many console owners had decided to hold off until an actual upgrade was released, and now it appears those upgrades have arrived. Technically the PS4 Pro release date is set for the 15th of November, but the Xbox One S is already here.

Forget for a moment that the Scorpio is set to arrive next year with native 4K capabilities and compatibility with the Oculus Rift.

According to GameNGuide, the Xbox One S features a couple of things the PS4 Pro is already lacking, with a 4K Blu-Ray drive and Dolby Atmos support. Right out of the box – and possibly with a patch in a few months – Microsoft’s newest edition of the console is proving that Sony might need to catch up next year.

However, it seems Sony is content with simply letting the PlayStation 4 Pro stay the way it is. Depending on your point of view, Sony may be hoping for an Xbox 360 kind of situation, where it might be an inferior console, but it could still be more popular.

That might not be a realistic expectation as the Xbox 360 launched at a much lower price tag than the PlayStation 3. It was simply more affordable to go with Microsoft’s machine, especially after the “red ring of death” issue was fixed.

One advantage the PS4 Pro still has over the Xbox One S is the replaceable hard drive. Unless you’re extremely picky about the games you buy, you will need the largest hard drive you can find. With the Xbox One consoles, you’re stuck with the hard drive you’re given unless you want to spend all day messing with the software and taking it apart, which in turn voids the warranty. On the Xbox One S side, you can use an external hard drive to expand storage space, although it might be a slower process to access the games.

GameSpot states that the PS4 Pro is physically larger than the Xbox One S, meaning you might need to make slightly more shelf space for Sony’s console. It also weighs more, which only makes sense if the extra size actually holds more material somehow.

Here is where the differences are minute, but they might possibly be enough to convince you either way. The PlayStation 4 Pro is able to output 4K resolution, despite lacking a 4K Blu-Ray drive. The Xbox One is able to output the same visuals, but only for videos and discs. Games will remain 1080p for both, but they will be upscaled.

Next year’s Scorpio will be where the games get the full 4K treatment.

On the subject of games, Sony has announced the PlayStation 4 Pro’s launch lineup to support the 4K update, according to CNet.

  • Battlefield 1
  • Battlezone
  • Bound
  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
  • Driveclub VR
  • EA Sports FIFA 17
  • Firewatch
  • Helldivers
  • Hitman
  • Hustle Kings
  • inFAMOUS First Light
  • inFAMOUS Second Son
  • Knack
  • Mafia III
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  • NBA 2K17
  • Paragon
  • PlayStation VR Worlds
  • Ratchet & Clank
  • Rez Infinite
  • RIGS Mechanized Combat League
  • Rise Of The Tomb Raider
  • Robinson: The Journey
  • Smite
  • Super Stardust Ultra
  • The Elders Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
  • The Elders Scrolls Online: Skyrim Special Edition
  • The Last Of Us Remastered
  • The Last Of Us: Left Behind
  • The Playroom VR
  • Titanfall 2
  • Tumble
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
  • Viking Squad
  • Wheels of Aurelia
  • World Of Tanks
  • XCOM 2

Do you plan on buying a PS4 Pro or an Xbox One S this holiday season? Or are you planning to wait for the Scorpio and whatever Sony might be working on in secret?

[Featured Image by Barone Firenze/ Shutterstock.com]

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