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PS4 Vs. PS4 Pro Graphics: ‘FFXV,’ ‘Uncharted 4,’ ‘Last Of Us’ Performance Examined

By Jovi Figueroa
Published on: 21:07 PST, Nov 19, 2016

Looking at how PS4 Pro fares against the PS4 in terms of graphics and performance in latest AAA titles, should you wait or is it worth the upgrade?

Dynamic 4K gaming, super-charged power, and faster frame rates are just some of the promises of the PlayStation 4 Pro, what Sony calls the “world’s most powerful console.” And with the era of 4K and UltraHD TV being ushered in, the gaming industry just can’t help but play on par with these developments in technology.

While gameplay has always been at the core of most games, visually arresting graphics never fail to draw in droves of gamers into a title such as the surprisingly upsetting No Man’s Sky, the female-empowering Horizon Zero Dawn, and the phenomenal Mirrors Edge Catalyst. And knowing how taken gamers are with good graphics, breathtaking visuals became the serious punch of the PS4 Pro.

Polygon reports on a number of games that are already supporting or are releasing patches to support 4K on PS4 Pro, such as Final Fantasy XV, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and Last of Us Remastered. Gaming Bolt looks at these titles and how the PS4 Pro is delivering versus the PS4 to help you decide if you’re $400 is worth the upgrade.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has been widely considered as one of the–if not the–most beautiful and breathtaking games on the console today. More than enough attention has been directed to developing the details in this animal, creating Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End to deliver next-gen looking visuals without the monster frame rate.

In the PS4 Pro, Uncharted 4 runs a 1440p resolution image at 30 FPS, compared to running it at 60 FPS at 1080p resolution. Scrutinizing screenshots of the game, Dual Shockers has come to a conclusion that while there is fair improvement in the PS4 Pro’s 1440p versus the PS4’s 1080p, it’s certainly incremental and not exponential. There’s not much relevant or significant improvement, really.

It is noteworthy, however, that some gamers would report a clearer play in Uncharted 4’s multiplayer on the PS4 Pro. JustAidah comments.

“The difference isn’t that large in Single player on a 1080p TV. However I tried multiplayer on Pro last night, and immediately noticed it’s much clearer, and the frame rate being pretty much locked to 60 in the 30 mins played, where on standard PS4 it would occasionally drop.”

At the end of the day, Uncharted 4 only upscales a 2K render to 4K. So if you’re not nitpicking, there’s barely a significant improvement in overall play, unless you’re one to zoom in screenshots in the middle of your game.

The Last of Us Remastered

A fair amount of texture detail and filtering were already significantly enhanced when The Last of Us Remastered released in 2014. But with two years to work on their PS4 Pro support, Naughty Dog had a lot of ammunition to load.

There are two modes to load when playing The Last of Us Remastered on the PS4 Pro, Gaming Bolt notes. One is 60 FPS frame rate with 3200×1800 resolution, which basically plays the original base game. Throughout the game, there will be slight frame drops, but nothing too drastic to affect gameplay.

Second is 30 FPS but in true native 4K. The 4K setting is strong, crisp, and without frame drops, which makes for a truly enjoyable and arresting play time. If, however, you’re not a 4K display owner, The Last of Us Remastered on the PS4 Pro is also a wonder on the HDTV at 1080p.

Another significant upgrade on the PS4 Pro’s The Last of Us Remastered is its high dynamic range lighting (HDR) compatibility, which delivers noticeably more realistic and distinct atmospheres.

If there’s anything the PS4 Pro’s version of The Last of Us Remastered tells us, ultimately, it’s that the potential for PS3 remasters on PS4 Pro looks very promising.

Final Fantasy XV

We’re still a few days removed from the official release of Final Fantasy XV on the consoles but with the Final Fantasy XV demo entitled Final Fantasy XVJudgement Disc released in Japan quite recently, we were able to compare how it’s going to run in the PS4 versus the PS4 Pro.

Looking closely at Final Fantasy XV’s mountain and vegetation details on the Ps4 and the PS4 Pro, right off the bat you will notice a significant crispness in the PS4 Pro’s version. In addition, Gaming Bolt notes that the PS4 Pro adds an isotropic filter, enhances the reflections, and ambient occlusion to the game.

Check out NeoGAF member Elios83’s PS4 and Ps4 Pro screenshots here.

It’s incredible how these significant graphic changes are already seen on the PS4 Pro, even before a 60fps-1080p or native 4K resolution has been released. Hopefully, this patch gets introduced soon for the Final Fantasy XV.

[Featured Image by Naughty Dog]

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