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Sony PS4: Pros And Cons Of The Upcoming PlayStation 4 Upgrade

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 02:55 PST, Sep 8, 2016

Sony’s PS4 Pro was a highly anticipated reveal, previously known as PlayStation 4.5 and PlayStation Neo. It promised what was anticipated to be a dramatic improvement to the current console, as opposed to an entirely new system.

The Inquisitr previously reported that the upcoming PlayStation 4 upgrade was the version we should have seen in 2014 since the current version wasn’t that big of a leap from the PS3. It did everything the PS3 did but added a little more power under the casing. This is the equivalent of swapping a V6 engine for a V8 and calling it a whole new model when all you’ve done is add more power to the system.

The PS4 Pro was originally called the Neo due to a special gaming mode which the console will make available. Neo Mode is rumored to enhance the frame rate and graphics of existing games to reduce lag and other issues created when a game pushes the console too hard. It might end up being a necessity as games will likely push further and further.

Unfortunately, at the reveal, Sony offered specs which are disappointing to fans who enjoyed their victory in the PS4 vs. Xbox One console war. Where PlayStation was once considered to be the most powerful brand on the market, the Xbox One Scorpio is set to out-muscle the PS4 Pro.

According to Eurogamer, The PlayStation 4 Pro will operate at 4.2 Teraflops, while the Xbox One Scorpio will offer 6 Teraflops. This means that the Xbox One upgrade will outperform PlayStation Pro by nearly half, and Sony might need to release another upgrade just to compete.

This mirrors the recent release of a slim version of both consoles, where Xbox One S is already capable of 4K streaming and has a built-in 4K Blu-Ray player. The PS4 Slim is only a smaller version of the console we already have. The only real advantage on Sony’s end is the lower price for the most basic model, according to Mirror, while Xbox One S is already being sold with a 1TB and 2TB hard drive option built in.

Microsoft’s PR has already made a statement claiming that the Xbox One Scorpio will be the clearly superior console over the PS4 Pro when it releases.

“At Xbox, our goal is to put gamers at the centre of everything we do. The new hardware available now and next year was designed with that in mind to give gamers a choice in how they play. Xbox One S is the only console available today with built-in 4K Blu-ray – a value price compared to 4K Blu-ray players. It also offers 4K video streaming plus HDR for video and gaming.

“Launching holiday 2017, Project Scorpio is the next member of the Xbox One family and will be the most powerful console ever created with 6TFLOPS capable of delivering true 4K gaming.”

Sony could be struggling to maintain the lead now, as the PS4 Pro is now looking to be the underdog. This isn’t necessarily bad, though, as Xbox 360 had been less powerful than the PS3 and still outsold it.

In the end, it may come down to how much you really want to push the visual prowess in your video games. Is it worth it to you to buy a whole new version of your console just to make it compatible with a TV big enough to be its own wall?

Sony and Xbox both have their console exclusives, so it may just boil down to the question of whether the PS4 Pro or the Xbox One Scorpio will play the games you want.

[Image via Peter Kotoff/Shutterstock.com]

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